Sectless and Masterless

The next morning, Li Lang headed straight for the Alchemist Guild first thing in the morning. It took him some time to reach the central district where it was located, but even in the morning, there was a large crowd.Like his previous trip, Li Lang got into line and patiently waited his turn.An hour passed by quickly and he was greeted by an elderly man with a kind smile."How may I help you today, young sir?""Um, I have these pills I would like to sell?""Oh, and where did you buy them?"Li Lang placed the bamboo bottle on the counter. It was the same container he used for his sodas."I made them."The clerk paused for a brief moment before speedily taking out a pill from the bottle. He brought it up to eye level and carefully examined it."Who is your teacher?" the old man asked, somewhat sternly. "The quality is subpar, and just barely acceptable to be sold."Li Lang had expected this response, as his auto-analyzer had indicated the same. To be precise, the pill only had 74% effectiveness compared to the one he made using his lab equipment. It may be even lower when compared to what a proper alchemist could refine."Umm, I'm self-taught.""What!?" The old man's eyes widened in disbelief and only contained himself after realizing the looks he was getting. "What do you mean you're self-taught? What sect are you in?""I learned to refine it based on the Recovery Pills I bought. I'm not in any sect."The old man was about to shout something but seemed to have caught himself. He cleared his throat before speaking in a more constrained tone."Follow me to a private room please, while I get the paperwork."The old man didn't give a chance for Li Lang to ask any further questions before he began making his way toward the back, expecting him to follow. Left with no choice, Li Lang had to jog to keep up with the brisk pace of an adult.They passed by a sign labeled 'Consultation Area' and entered a small room with nothing but a simple desk and chairs."Please take a seat here. I'll be back with you shortly," the old man quickly said before retreating out of the room.Li Lang glanced around and shook his head. With nothing to do, he grasped Ruby in his hands and rested his head on that hand."Do you know anything about what's going to happen, Ruby?""Sorry master, I don't have any memories of any Alchemist Guilds, but I doubt they're out to hurt you. You're still but an insignificant Energy Gathering Cultivator and shouldn't draw too much attention from these large organizations.""Ouch, you didn't have to give it to me that straight.""I'd never lie to you, master!"True to Ruby's words, nothing in particular happened and the old man came back shortly with some forms."Here is the application form to become an apprentice alchemist of the guild. Can you read?"Li Lang nodded, and he continued."You must fill this out and become a member before you can sell to the guild. That'll also mean you'll have to take a quick test to prove your pill refining capabilities.""That…I didn't bring my st—furnace.""That's okay. We have all that prepared here. Just note that you will have to compensate us for the material costs if you fail the test, so if you're lying about being able to refine the pills, you should tell the truth now."Li Lang fidgeted around as he searched his pockets and settled down when he found the metal pieces he used to gauge the temperature. He knew a test like this would've been likely, but he couldn't justify lugging around his stove when he wasn't certain."I…Fine, I'm ready to proceed.""Perfect. You can follow me to one of our refining rooms as soon as you finish signing the paperwork," the old man urged, as he handed a brush over.Li Lang quickly went over the document and awkwardly signed it with the thick brush after finding no problems.It's so hard to use these fat brushes! Where can I get a pen around here?The moment he finished signing, Li Lang felt the Qi within him stir, and a force dragged some of it out of his body. He could do nothing but let the Qi flow toward his hand, out into the brush, and then into the piece of paper. His signature gave off a soft glow for a brief moment before everything returned to normal."Was that supposed to happen?" Li Lang asked."Hmm? Oh, was that your first time seeing a contract signed? That was normal. The ink used in the brush is specially made by a Brushweaver. It is used in official contracts to bind agreements.""So what happens if someone breaks the contract?""It depends on the terms and the strength of the Brushweaver and the people who signed the contract, but it can range from just notifying the other party that the contract has been broken to death. In our case, it is the former."Li Lang mentally let out a sigh of relief while cursing himself for not being careful enough. There were many things unknown to him in this world, so he couldn't relax."Now that we are done here, let us be off to the refining room, shall we?"The elder quickly guided him out of the room with a hop to his step. He was thoughtful enough to check on Li Lang every so often to ensure he kept up, and before long, they arrived in front of a set of heavy-looking metal doors. Two people were waiting before it, a middle-aged man and a young woman. They immediately clasped their hands upon spotting the old man."Vice Administrator Au," they both greeted in unison."Ye Hong, Cao Mei, thank you for coming here so quickly. This here is Li Lang, the person who will be taking the apprentice alchemist test today." He glanced over at the boy in question. "These two are both one-star alchemists and will be overseeing your test, along with me."The two both silently gauged the boy while Li Lang greeted them."I am in your care."The two alchemists nodded back before deferring to the Vice Administrator Au to proceed."Go on, Li Lang. We will wait for you out here. There should be three sets of ingredients already inside, and you have the room until the sun sets. You simply need to succeed in creating the Recovery Pill once to pass the test. Feel free to let us know if you need anything."Li Lang nodded and thanked the elder before he headed for the room. He grasped the metal handle to pull the door open, but it didn't budge. Even when he used two hands and strained himself, the doors barely opened. Before he could embarrass himself further, the elder had come up behind him and opened the doors for him with ease, using only one hand."...Thank you, Vice Administrator Au."The old man smiled. "Go on. We'll be waiting. Knock if you have trouble opening the door."After closing the door behind the strange young boy, the old man gestured to the two alchemists to take a seat in the adjacent room nearby.The alchemists respectfully complied while the elder brewed tea off to the side."...Vice Administrator, are you sure it was worth it to fast-track this boy's exam? From what I could see, he's only in the third stage of Energy Gathering, so he can't be that impressive. Does he have a shocking background?" the middle-aged man with a mustache asked."Oh no. He told me he's a sectless cultivator with no master whatsoever. He came to me with a subpar quality Recovery Pill of the mortal grade."

"What? Forming a proper pill without the guidance of a teacher? Even if the quality wasn't that good, he must be lying!"

"Or a once-in-a-century genius," the young woman interjected in an emotionless voice."...In that case, should we take a peek as he is refining?""Ye Hong," the elder called out calmly, but his words had been enough to make the two alchemists stiffen their backs. "You know the guild rules. We do not pry into the techniques of others without permission."The man named Ye Hong swallowed nervously before managing to gather his words."...Apologies, Vice Administrator. I understand.""You should learn to temper your curiosity. It'd be too late when you accidentally cross people who you cannot afford to.""Yes, Vice Administrator. Thank you for your teachings."An awkward silence descended into their room as the old man watched the water boil with his back turned to the other two."Vice Administrator, do you think the boy to be a genius?""...Who knows? There are a myriad of possibilities under the heavens. He may have chanced upon an inheritance, have a secret master, or accidentally discovered a new way to refine Recovery Pills specifically. For all we know, he could be in possession of the Pill Sovereign's sacred artifact."The two alchemists could only shake their heads at the mention of such an absurd scenario.Before they could lose themselves in their musing further, they heard knocking from the other side of the refining room.