Chapter 12: The Foundation of a New Force
Fa Ma happily left the courtyard, relishing in the renewed feeling of being a big brother. In his past life, he had been the elder sibling to the orphans at the orphanage, and now, he could finally exert his authority in the name of love. After being tormented by Old Turtle for twelve long years, it was finally his turn to turn the tables. As he took a deep breath and gazed at the Sun, he marveled at how wonderful life could be.
Today, he was walking towards Peace Town to finalize a contract with a Chamber of Commerce as a guest alchemist. There had been many attractive offers, but he had narrowed it down to a caravan called Ascending Roc. Rumor had it that they had significant influence in the Northern Continent, connections with the Western Continent, and even ties with the Sea Clan. They imported various items from all over the world to Peace Town and were reputed to have a good relationship with the Dean, potentially even knowing his identity as the Thunder Clan. While other Chambers of Commerce were comparable, Ascending Roc's sign-on bonus included a seventh-level Inferno Treant beast fire and an Inferno Treant Spear. The Inferno Treant, a tree spirit mutated with the fire attribute, was notorious for its fierce guardianship of the forest and its nasty temper. The Inferno Treant spear was inscribed with several Barbarian inscriptions to enhance fire and wood attribute Battle Qi, and the Inferno Treant fire was famed for increasing alchemists' sensitivity to wood and fire attributes. It was an offer he simply couldn't refuse.
As he approached the building, he was amazed by its enormous size. Battle Spirit guards stood out front, and as he walked in, he saw several treasures such as Ice Misty Air, the Wood Heart of a Wood Ent, and the blood essence of a sixth-level Bloody Dragon. As he wandered around, he grew more certain that he had made the right choice. Soon, a pretty maid came to escort him to the branch head's office.
Upon entering, he saw a large, muscular woman drinking tea on a large couch. She exuded a confident air, and he sensed that she was as powerful as Su Mu. "Ah, Alchemist Fa Ma, I am truly grateful you could come today. Are you willing to accept our offer?" she asked.
Fa Ma, determined and composed, responded, "It's an offer I can't refuse, Head Peng Valkara. However, I would like to negotiate one term: instead of the usual requirement of preparing three sets of materials, I propose we reduce it to two. I guarantee I can still refine the pill successfully, and if I fail, you can charge it to my account. In exchange, I want higher priority for my requests and anytime access to your information network."
Valkara's eyes sparkled with interest at his bold remark. "You drive a hard bargain, Alchemist Fa Ma," she said, leaning back with a smile. "But I like your confidence. Very well, I accept your terms. I trust your capabilities."
Fa Ma nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Thank you, Head Valkara. I believe this will be a fruitful partnership."
Valkara stood up, extending her hand. "Welcome aboard, Fa Ma. We look forward to seeing the wonders you'll create with us."
Fa Ma quickly signed the contract and left the building with the Inferno Treant fire and spear in hand.
When he returned, he took out his Celestial Solarflora beast fire and sealed it. He then took out a fourth-grade Frostguard Meridian Pill and began to refine the Inferno Treant fire. It was much harder to refine than the Solarflora, but using his spear momentum and soul power, he quickly suppressed it and began to refine it. After three hours, the fire made its way to his Battle Crystal and started integrating. Immediately, he felt a feedback from it as his realm rapidly increased. His realm soon ballooned up to seventh star Battle Grandmaster before he quickly suppressed the rising Battle Qi down to peak fourth star. What Fa Ma didn't know was that the Inferno Treant fire contained some essence that could enhance wood attribute perception in alchemists, invisibly raising their talent. As Fa Ma played with the fire, he truly felt the difference between grades in beast fires, as the Treant fire was over ten times more powerful than his previous one.
He soon got to work, acclimating himself to the fire by slowly refining pills from the first grade and working his way up. He took the opportunity to refine some medicinal baths for Chen Xin to improve his talent, as Chen Xin still had a long way to go before catching up to him. When he felt he had a preliminary grasp of the fire, he went out to meet his four new subordinates. Ying Yan and the other three were all waiting outside, faintly worried about what Fa Ma would demand of them. When they saw him, they were shocked to find that he was much stronger than before. "How could anyone progress so fast?" they wondered.
Fa Ma simply stated, "When we get to the inner courtyard, we'll be establishing a new force called the 'Celestial Pavilion.' Here's a Sun Three Pattern pill for each of you. Take it once you reach the peak of sixth-rank, as it can help you break into the nine-star. If you want me to refine materials, just bring two sets and you won't need to pay extra. If you find any interesting techniques involving sun, moon, stars, sound, or sealing, feel free to send them over."
"That's it?" Qing Gui asked, shocked at the low requirements.
"Yeah, that's it. You guys can continue running your societies. Also, take care of a big guy with a broadsword named Chen Xin—he's my little brother." Fa Ma then simply shut the door and left them to their own devices. He entered a frenzied refining state, aiming to finish all the materials he had accumulated in the next two weeks before going out to complete some missions.