Chapter 1723: Soothing Jade Inst.i.tute
Hao Chengxue stared blankly at the ray of rainbow light"s return; his disbelief was overwhelming his senses, and his heart was genuinely pounding mightily within his chest.
Stellar Transit Light was a paramount means of interstellar and extrastellar transportation; its speed could allow Enlightened Sage Springfield and Young Master Shang to traverse the Dark Void"s Void-Blank s.p.a.ce between galaxies with great ease. From the Utmost Purity Galaxy to the Sky Heart Galaxy, it required only a few weeks or so to complete that trip. The sheer distance between both galaxies was indescribably vast.
The distance for interstellar travel was far inferior to anything on the level of extrastellar, especially between galaxies. Since the trip to reach the Soothing Jade Inst.i.tute and back was within the same galactic zone, and even in the same stellar region—the Swirling Growth Stellar Region—the time needed to reach their destination was under two or so minutes, to be exact—117 seconds.
The remaining four minutes only required the Sage-level Dao Enforcer to present the summons, and for Luo Ning to subtly announce her lineage"s ident.i.ty and the driving force behind the summons. The implication of Wei Wuyin"s impatience that he was willing to expend such great wealth and resources for a potential Star Bridge was enough to cause the Head Dean of the Soothing Jade Inst.i.tute to immediately react and represent her organization.
Pakhet was there to activate and direct the disk. She used it, and they came back at world-startling speeds. The Head Dean of the Soothing Jade Inst.i.tute was ashen throughout, trying their d.a.m.nedest to hide her panic. What type of person had she attracted here? When did White Sky obtain such a terrifying backer?
From the beginning, Wei Wuyin silently allowed his actions to acc.u.mulate reputation and renown in such a well-connected galaxy. Within those eight minutes, his lineage and name, including the ident.i.ty of his Alchemic Knight, one of the eight known leaders of the recently renamed Resolute Dusk Galaxy, had spread like wildfire in the driest, windiest, and hottest climate.
Wei Wuyin became an instant sensation. A hot topic amongst the Utmost Purity Galaxy"s prominent cultivators, creationists, and news outlets. As one might have expected, Seers and Oracles were already given orders to divine aspects of his lineage, seeking to verify his confident claims while simultaneously gathering information on this newly arrived Alchemic Saint Neo-Dawn!
The information that Enlightened Sage Springfield had gathered back then; the Neo-Dawn Alchemic Lineage was extensive and unique, possessing broad products ranging from the mortal-rank to the Mystic-World grade. However, just like Enlightened Sage Springfield, they weren"t able to deduce the products" effects easily, so it only alluded to the exceptional effects of each of his lineage"s products!
Not only was the Neo-Dawn Alchemical Lineage extensive, but the most outstanding detail was that it didn"t have any pre-existing, external lineage or generic products within it, and it broadly covered pills, potions (elixirs), pellets, and pastes. It was a proper lineage! A genuine, true lineage!
Hao Chengxue"s state of silent shock wasn"t simply due to the jaw-dropping stellar transit light deployment, but due to the constant feed of new information coming in from his subscription service of the Observing Chronicle, Fortuitous Gazette, and shockingly, the Blessed Sentinel as an update to the list of top-tier foreign alchemists and their lineages was updated.
Without any explanation, the Blessed Sentinel added Wei Wuyin to two ranking lists. Not just the top-tier, non-native Utmost Purity Galaxy"s foreign creationists list known as the Outer-Creation Kings Rankings, but the Heroes of Luminosity Rankings that graded how brilliantly handsome and flawless one"s physical appearance and impactful their outer and inner presence were, like a great celestial object s.h.i.+ning brightly in the starry skies. It was very superficial.
The most shocking was that while his ranking on the Outer-Creation Kings Ranking was only 73rd out of 10,000, with the lowest among this ranking often being Mortal Sovereign Alchemists who established their own lineage from the first-grade to seventh-grade or higher, his ranking for the Heroes of Luminosity Rankings was 3rd out of 10,000!
3rd!
3rd!!!
Using Enlightened Sage Springfield"s tablets with pre-existing access to all three outlets at the highest level, even Wei Wuyin was unable to halt his heart from feeling surprised at the speed and decisiveness of these updated rankings.
"Only 3rd?" Wei Wuyin found himself curious about the other two higher rankers. While he was not supremely arrogant of his looks given to him by his mother, he was self-aware of his innate allure and otherworldly attractiveness under heaven and earth.
"Lord Wei," Luo Ning called out to Wei Wuyin as she led the Head Dean of the Soothing Jade Inst.i.tute over, including her burly, stout, and short male Dao Protector dressed in simple grey and coa.r.s.e cloth robes. The Dao Protector was actively positioning himself between Pakhet and the Head Dean. Despite their actions, the Ascended Saint Phase aura was unable to push away Pakhet"s pa.s.sive True Sage Phase aura that was focused on the Head Dean.
The Head Dean was a beautifully mature woman with a calming demeanor, a head full of grey hair that was tied into a tight bun, and her dark green eyes styled with white eyeshadow. With a body that was neither fat nor slender, her modest-sized twin peaks were hugged by her jade-colored alchemist robes, and her sizable romp formed an alluring curve that briefly exposed itself with each step.
Under Pakhet"s escort, the Head Dean—Mei Xiangyao—greeted Hao Chengxue with a unique gesture:
"Hall Manager Dustpath, I have answered the summons of the Seven Utmost Towers."
Her voice was clear, resonating like gentle music to one"s ears.
"I"ve observed your fulfillment of the edict," Hao Chengxue"s att.i.tude became solemn as he accepted Mei Xiangyao"s greeting and words, executing a hand-seal that caused the Alchemic Edict that was significantly smaller than White Sky"s to dissipate. The Utmost Purity Mist therein turned into a seven-colored mist river that flowed toward Mei Xiangyao. The Head Dean of the Soothing Jade Inst.i.tute pulled out a bottle and captured the mist, but the Imperial Law aura within the mist no longer existed.
Observing this with keen focus, Luo Ning"s eyes brightened. She knew that Alchemic Edicts were not only orders with the authority of the Seven Utmost Towers, but they were also bribes to convince alchemists to adhere to their orders. But that largely depended on the type of edict issued. Those who violated the Alchemic Dao of the Seven Utmost Towers and their established rules were not granted such a benefit, but the Dao Enforcer who completed the edict was.
The Sage-level Dao Enforcer couldn"t complete the edict despite carrying it due to Wei Wuyin"s interference, so they could only bitterly accept their loss. If Wei Wuyin resolved the situation somehow, their reward would dissipate into thin air.
White Sky stared at Soothing Jade, or Mei Xiangyao, with a hateful glare. This woman was the cause of her current plight! While not directly, she certainly took advantage of her absence to lure Azure Sea into a trap that inevitably led to their defeat and imprisonment. While she might not have expected that White Sky had taken the White Heaven Jewel, and thus lead to their subsequent imprisonment and enslavement, the sinister acquisition of their lineage and concoction method was certainly her doing!
Mei Xiangyao ignored White Sky; in terms of alchemical status, World-Saint Soothing Jade was a Senior Worldly Saint Alchemist! The Alchemic Dao was not an easy path to tread, and each ascending tier within a rank was as difficult, if not more difficult, as a.s.sailing tribulation gates of the upper stages of the Mystic Ascendant Realm.
While in terms of hierarchical status within one"s Inst.i.tute, White Sky was not the Head Dean. She didn"t have the temperament to lead, so Azure Sea had maintained that position since the founding after a lengthy discussion after White Sky had surpa.s.sed her in the eyes of the Alchemic Dao of the Utmost Purity Galaxy. Of course, White Sky was an extraordinary authority within her Inst.i.tute and society, and her words as a founder were significant while heavy decisions wouldn"t be made without her. If not for her sudden departure and bestowal of authority to Azure Sea, she wouldn"t have been able to agree to any Dao Clash or game of Mystics.
"You must be World-Saint Neo-Dawn. It"s my honor to meet you today," Mei Xiangyao greeted Wei Wuyin with a tone of immense respect and eyes that betrayed her shock. She, like most of her status, kept a close eye on news outlets. While she preferred the Observing Chronicle to the nonsense that was often the Fortuitous Gazette, she still had a low-tier subscription to the service, unwilling to pay more.
As for the origin of her shock? It was Wei Wuyin! The man had the unearthly, otherworldly, exceedingly handsome visage with a body that was tall, st.u.r.dy, and naturally domineering in terms of presence and unknowable in terms of depth. With his starry gaze revealing the depth of his Alchemic Dao, her heart couldn"t help but race as the tender, springtime feelings of a crush set within her heart.
It had to be noted that she was a married woman.
"The third ranking might not do him justice!" Her thoughts, as outrageous as they were, contained her truest feelings.
Unbeknownst to her, Wei Wuyin"s silver eyes that seemed to behold all without fail, capable of observing divinities unseen, and that dared to peer into the Heavenly Daos" secrets and survived h.e.l.l"s most vicious torture contained an extraordinary charm that contributed heavily to his appearance, greatly accentuating his overall looks. Due to the constant activation of his Alchemic Stars, it was hidden.
"I had heard of the beauty of World-Saint Soothing Jade from the words of others, but seeing you today, it seemed their words were unable to do you justice by any measure."
Wei Wuyin"s response took the others aback, but seeing that the situation wasn"t descending into chaos, Hao Chengxue was satisfied with this.
"World-Saint Soothing Jade, World-Saint Neo-Dawn here sought to discuss the details of your recent Dao Clash with the Sea & Sky Inst.i.tute. Shall we go to the Hall to discuss further?" Hao Chengxue tried to offer an invite again.
Wei Wuyin suddenly said,
"According to the rules of the Seven Utmost Tower, the victor of a Dao Clash has the right to alter the conditions of the wager as long as both parties agree after determining the winning party, correct?"
"That"s correct," Hao Chengxue replied on instinct. Then, his eyes widened slightly as he realized that Wei Wuyin intended to resolve this matter directly.
Mei Xiangyao heard Wei Wuyin"s incredibly direct praise as her cheeks flushed slightly. However, before she could bathe in those complimenting words, Wei Wuyin revealed his intentions in one go. She knew what he wanted right then and there.
She thought about it for several seconds, glancing at White Sky, who was throwing her a mean look. She swiftly cooled down.
"World-Saint Neo-Dawn, you want me to remove the White Heaven Jewel from the spoils of victory? Even if I do, the Utmost Purity Hall that supervised the Dao Clash has to retract their issued Alchemic Edict to avoid any penalty. That"s...difficult."
Wei Wuyin didn"t deny his intentions, and while her words rang true, nothing couldn"t be solved…with wealth. If a million coins couldn"t resolve the issue, just throw a billion at it! If not a billion, then a trillion! It was only a matter of how much!
From the beginning, all Wei Wuyin had to do was pay the standing debt. But why do that when he could achieve his goal with cheaper methods and elevate his standing in the galaxy all at once?
"That is a little difficult," Hao Chengxue said. He genuinely wanted to do this inside the hall. There were so many eyes on them here.
"Difficult is not impossible," Wei Wuyin calmly stated with a grin.
"So let"s discuss the difficulties. How about this: if World-Saint Soothing Jade is willing to revise the wager, you can replace it with any high-tier Mystic-World grade product that I can reasonably concoct. Additionally, I can a.s.sure you that this product will not be impure or low-quality.
"As for the Utmost Purity Hall, I"ll compensate for the loss of Utmost Purity Mist used during the creation of the edict, and as an apology for my directness, I will offer fifty Mystic-World grade Essence Pills, all low-quality."
"..." Mei Xiangyao.
"..." Hao Chengxue.
Both alchemists were stunned into speechlessness. Initially, they didn"t quite believe it would be easy to resolve, but Wei Wuyin"s offer wasn"t ordinary. In fact, it was outright insane!
For those like Luo Ning, influenced by Wei Wuyin"s prowess, didn"t find this too excessive, but Nepit, Nepri, and Imentet, who hadn"t experienced the excessiveness of alchemical products, found this offer to be ludicrous! Setting aside the compensation for Utmost Purity Mist, the minimum high-quality Mystic-World grade alchemical product was incredibly unreasonable! And it was her choice!
The vast majority of products out there were impure-grade of varying impurities. The majority of cultivators would fight and kill for an impure product suitable for their cultivation base that was only 10% or less impure, while low-quality products might be considered "low," but they were perfect products without the slightest impurity.
These impurities affect a cultivator"s strength, foundation, talents, and lifespan, but cultivators would still refine them because the benefits often exceed the detrimental effects, such as a reduced lifespan. While products that were low in quality were perfect, then high-quality products exceeded perfection and were exceedingly rare.
Taking a step back, the fifty Mystic-World grade Essence Pills that were all low-quality were only slightly less insane! The world of cultivation ran on essence, and Essence Pills provided generic essence that could, with time and effort, fuel the progression of any method, from strengthening one"s foundation of energy, fortifying one"s Sea of Consciousness, enhancing the depth or quality of one"s Spiritual Energy, cultivate Ocular Methods, greatly improving the physical body or nurturing one"s World-Bound Star Domain or Domain of Mysticism!
The cultivation methods that upper-stage Mystic Ascendants Realm experts, those World Emperors, Original Magistrates, Mystic Overlords, and Sages, would find difficult to cultivate would suddenly become incredibly easy with refined essence from those pills!
It was difficult to properly gauge the immense worth of his offer from Luo Ning"s perspective, but based on the generally accepted market price of the Utmost Purity Galaxy, then a single Mystic-Earth Essence Pill was valued at 100 Mystic-Earth Essence Stones, and Mystic-World Essence Pills had the same base conversion. Moreover, those were all impure. For low-quality products, the value jumped from 100 to 1,000; for high-quality, the value was 2,500; for peak-quality, the value was set at 10,000!
This was no different than offering 50,000 Mystic-World Essence Stones! 50,000!!!
How could they…refuse?
How could anyone?!