Is Nothing Sacred?

[!Status!

Name: Herbal Essence Extraction Theory

Grade: Mortal (Mortal/Spirit)

Level: 0 → 100 (Max Mortal Realm Limit)

Conditions to evolve Grade from Mortal to Spirit:

Possess Any Of The Following

Cultivation Base Level: ≥31

Water Understanding: ≥Rudimentary 40%

New Effect 1: Creation of the Alchemy Skill and its cultivation remains unimpeded upto and including the peak of Level 20; the limit for those in the Mortal Realm.

New Effect 2: All Mortal Grade pills are immediately refinable. Though, whether or not you may actually be able to refine them depends entirely on your Energy-related Stats and not on alchemical technique.]

"Hmm… I guess even for me, it'd be pretty ridiculous to use a Spirit Grade technique as a Level 1 bottom-of-the-Mortal-Realm-hierarchy nobody; nevermind raise it up to Level 100," Mateus sadly conceded.

He was not so much disappointed by his cheatsy ability as he was about being so suddenly and blatantly privy to how his Stats would restrict his alchemical prowess. The implications of his most recent Level 100 Skill second effect couldn't be described without an example. Fortunately, now would be the perfect time to provide one for Mateus needed to show something for the time invested in the Skill.

So, he went to what looked like yet another appraising mirror and began to fiddle with it intently. The mirror, as it turned out, had nothing to do with testing Mateus as in the final assessment he would be summoning an actual living person to do that. To actually summon his examiner, he needed to call them over through the mirror.

"Lets see..." Mateus began to talk to himself, as per usual…

"I'm still a little hesitant about getting into a fight, so… Let's call one of the Sect's Alchemists for the Alchemical Assessment first! With any luck," Mateus rolled his eyes, "I'll be able to refine some healing pills to make any potential beating I take during the Martial Assessment more manageable."

He found his logic sound enough to go through with his decision and mere moments later, the door to the room opened and in came a girl who looked like she belonged in a sophomore highschool class with Mateus.

"Brat," the girl hissed with narrowed eyes, "what's with that look?"

"Hmm… I did call for an Alchemist, right?" Mateus almost laughed to himself.

"I am an Alchemist," the girl coldly said as she began to pressure Mateus with seemingly tangible murderous intent. "What were you expecting?"

"Honestly? I kind of thought some wizardly old man would come."

"Well aren't you just ecstatic to see little old me instead?" The girl grinned maliciously.

"I guess it's whatever," Mateus shrugged his shoulders, clearly either incognizant of the dangerous air she projected or simply uncaring of it.

"Really? You're not glad they sent some incompetent little girl to test you?" She carefully asked.

"I wouldn't presume as much," Matteus snorted. This was after all the world that he had almost instantly become a grandmaster in skill with regards to Alchemy and Wires, as insane as the statement sounded.

"There might be hope for you still," the girl somehow lifted the malicious intent about her as she now simply grinned at Mateus.

A moment later, though…

"Or… maybe not," the girl found herself facepalming, she was so disappointed.

"Huh? What's the problem?" Mateus obliviously asked.

"The problem is you, my guy."

"Excuse me? I haven't started refining any pills?!"

"And yet you still decided to even try as a Mortal Stage Qi-less Practitioner focused on Water?"

"You dare doubt my skill when you haven't even seen me in action?!" Mateus snarled.

"More like, I doubt it'll be worth wasting even Low Mortal Grade on a joke." The girl very clearly wasn't taking Mateus seriously after having access to him to be a harmless nobody.

"You… Tch," Mateus clicked his tongue, "We'll see..."

"What? Are you mad, bro?" She laughed right in his face, "Do you really think you can pull off a miracle? I'd bet my entire net worth on you failing to even produce salvageable sludge, let alone even the shittiest pills if anyone were stupid enough to bet against me."

"Are you done making fun of me yet? It's kind of getting old..."

"Whatever, idiot brat." The girl expression would only brighten up at the sight of Mateus' annoyed expression.

"Can I just get these ingredients to get this test out of the way?" Mateus passed the girl a paper.

"Well, color me surprised! At least you know a viable pill recipe. Very impressive, indeed," the girl nodded her head condescending as she produced a talisman and started withdrawing various herbs from its inscribed spatial storage.

"You have a Spatial Ring, but still carry around Storage Talismans?" Mateus asked, as he was finally allowed a turn to look at the girl like a special kind of idiot.

The girl simply reciprocated his look as she said, "Do you really think I'd deign to carry Mortal Grade herbs in my personal Spatial Ring?"

"Look, lady, I don't know who the hell you think you are, but I clearly don't," Mateus finally snapped. "So, you can either tell me who you are and why you're so important, or I'll just continue to judge you solely by appearance."

'To hell with being careful,' Mateus thought. 'Even if I piss her off, hopefully Monte can back me up or whatever.'

"Based on my appearance you think I'm a fucking 'lady?'" the "girl" asked as the world seemed to start trembling before her.

"How is that the reason you're mad?!" Mateus felt like crying.

"I am at most a petite 158-year-old young woman, not some several thousand year old 'lady.'" The 'young woman' snorted.

"Holy shit!" Mateus started hyperventilating.

Standing before him was a real life mythical hundred years loli. He was neither happy nor excited to learn that in the Cultivation world, that was a thing. Instead, he was horrified by the idea that he might have to start being hyper-respectful and formal with people who looked as young if not younger than him if he didn't want to run the risk of randomly insulting some super high leveled Cultivator.

'Is nothing sacred in this godforsaken world?' Mateus sighed at the mental image he had conjured of himself bowing down to some immortal toddler.