11 Investigation

"Hey, Jin Liang should I trust Ai Bai?"

"What? Why are you aking to me?"

"Because you have a sharp instinct" 'Or at least a MC should'

"Well...asking around you found that other students didn't actually know about it...So he could even not be a teacher...Or maybe he is a Peak Grade master and so only high-rank students know about him."

"Thanks...I could have reached the same conclusion alone. I mean what does your instinct say?"

"Eh...You should trust him."

"Ok..." 'Well meeting him again can't be too harmful, right?' 'I mean... I've survived two of his lessons'

And so he decided.

"Still I don't understand your trust in me" He heard, whispered.

**********

"Hey...what was your name my dear disciple?"

"..." Shock was painted on Raden's face. 'I just presented myself yesterday!'

"Hey, you have to tell me if you want to participate in the alchemist tournament!"

'T-Tournament?!? Did he say tournament?'

"Heh, soo do you want to participate in the tournament?"

"YES!!!"

"Ahah! That's the spirit, boy! Now you must tell your teacher your name."

'...' "Jin Liang..."

"Beautiful!"

"Mhh...For now, I'll teach you more about the Herbs. Then next week we'll pass to Fire than Soul and then you can concoct your first pill!"

"And the tournament?"

"Yes...It'll be held in a month time: any alchemist can participate if they can refine a pill! There are pills, cultivation and alchemy books and Earth Grade Artifacts as prizes!"

"Beautiful!"

"Yeah...Still, do not believe that you can take any of the prizes in only one month of training: there will be participating the greatest talent of the viscounty!"

"Ok..."

"Shall we start? Refine that bunch of herbs!"

"Yes, teacher!"

Raden felt an inexplicable surge of energy when refining the herbs in some minutes they were done. And so his teacher gave him more and more difficult herbs to process to test Raden, and in his shock, he tested until peak-second grade ones!

And so four hours were gone.

"I must say that I am impressed...Well, there are some exceptional herbs in the second and first grade that have a different refinement process so I'll give this book...and uhhh...you know I changed my plans: tomorrow we'll be talking about Fire!"

"Hmm?"

"Yeah, actually since your high soul strength it's even difficult for me, an orthodox genius give you teachings in that field..." He said regretfully.

*Coff Coff* "I understand."

"See you, tomorrow at six! Remember!"

'Yes. I'm not actually like you who forgets my name in 24 hours!' Raden rolled his eyes.

**********

Raden was strolling through the market immersed in a myriad of Mortal Grade Artifacts. His Earth sword was with him.

The market was some kilometres long and was the only place that outsider merchants were able to access, of course at a price: in fact because of that price the items in the market were quite expensive!

Five, Six, Eight gold coins!

The academy would give 33 gold coins to each Unranked Disciple to buy cultivation necessities since living necessities were academy funded. For foods in his hometown, for context, the price was in copper coins that were a ten-thousandth of a gold one.

He was actually there to see if he could buy some herbs to refine at home so to prepare himself for the tournament.

'W-what?'

And remained shocked by what he saw.

A low first-grade pill: 100 gold coins! And near it a high first-grade herb: 33 coins!

He would have to use all of his money to buy a single herb!

'How does my teacher b-buy all those high-grade herbs???'

"Maybe I should trust my teacher..." He muttered.

"Did you say something?" The shopkeeper in front of him asked.

"Nothing...Hey, what would you do if I showed you this?"

He took out his badge.

And shock appeared on the shopkeeper's face. Then the fear took control of in his hearth.

"A-are you?"

Raden smiled. "Exactly."

"Please then, I'll gift you some herbs." He said fearfully.

'Hmm?'

He gave him plenty grade-one herbs.

"P-please take t-them"

"Eh? No, no, thanks but I think you'll have a better use for them." 'This would be clearly extortion!'

"A b-bet-? Yes sir, I understand!"

'It doesn't seem he does. What kind of reputation does my teacher have?'

"Uh...Have a great day."

"You a glorious one"

'?' "S-sure..."

He continued strolling through the market.

'Should I ask him about that? But what if he didn't want such a question to be asked?' 'Mhhh...' As he pondered he sensed a familiar odour.

That was the odour that he perceived the first time he encountered his master!

He followed it and found himself at the entrance of a dark sideway.

'Eh...I don't think that's a good idea' Raden felt some fear.

'Nope, it is absolutely not a good idea!'

"Elder why are you backing off? Why? Didn't you want to discover Ai Bai secret?"

'Jin Liang! Sometimes I don't understand if you're doing it on purpose because you don't believe me or not!' "You know...Even though my Soul strength is beyond ordinary I still can't affront a Dantian Organization expert!"

Dantian Organization was the realm after Dantian Opening which was after Qi Manifestation. In that realm, you would start amassing huge quantities of Qi and make you able to release it in an explosive manner: increasing tenfold the amount released per second!

It was said that a breakthrough in another realm would make you able to kill two people of the peak of the precedent one, but Dantian Organization was an exception!

Or at least based on Raden understanding.

"Hey, how did you survive in the past with that mentality, elder?"

"No! That's something that you should answer to me! Nevermind...I'll give it a go... when I'll break through Qi Manifestation"

"..."

"It's time to return home!"

"Y-you shameless...What if you were to never smell that odour ever again?"

"Ugh...I surely will when I'll become an alchemy master"

"Ok, ok I want to see." Jin Liang said angered.

'But if I were not to go...I would never discover anything about Ai Bai with this mentality.'

"Ok..." Raden stepped inside the sideways, step after step, carefully on the defensive.

"What are you scared about is only a freacking dark sideway!"

Then they heard some voices. It came from a house that was where the strange smell originated.

Raden started ear-dropping at a reasonable distance of twenty meters. It would be hard to understand but with his 'Soul Perception' Raden was barely able to do so.

'I wonder why does Qi give me a better perception, in fact...Ahhh I should concentrate.'

"So this is a deal." One was a rough voice.

"Y-yes" The other was a youngish voice a bit insecure.

"Ten million gold coins for the 'Yang-Yin'. It is an affair isn't it?"

"Ahah...Yes" The other said, insecure.

'T-ten million!' 'And my master had the odour of that pill! Is he-' 'Oh my! He's rich!'

"Ahahah! Don't worry brother, our company always keep those matter in secret!"

'Crap...I shouldn't be here!'

And so Raden turned and left in a hurry.