Guest of Sunrise sect

The bright sun rays made him close his eyes as soon as he opened them.

"It's great to be back," he muttered as he turned his head left and right, hearing his neck make a popping sound. He brushed away some dust bits on his shoulder and got up from the bed to leave the room.

Hiss! Growl! Grrr!

"What is that noise?" He heard some strange noises coming from outside and went to investigate while looking for Gaya.

It didn't take him long to locate the source of the noise and find Gaya. His couch was occupied by the snake. She was sleeping on the couch in a rather unladylike position, with one leg draped on the couch and the other on the ground. Her knees were exposed, and her mouth was wide open, pillows drenched in drool. In addition to her less-than-graceful posture, there were half-licked food bowls and cups scattered around. It was clear that this snake had filled its belly with food and drinks before falling asleep on his couch.

"Princess my ass." Looking at the snoring and drooling snake, he sighed.

"Ignitia."

He conjured a tiny bolt of lightning as he stealthily approached her to give her a shock treatment, quite literally.

Meanwhile, Gaya was in the midst of walking towards her throne in a dream.

Bzzhh!

"AHHH!"

Just as she was about to sit on her throne in the dream, she was jolted back to reality by a sharp tingling pain in her leg.

"What?! YOU!" She gritted her teeth and quickly rubbed her leg to make the tingling pain subside, while Michael chuckled.

"Did you miss me?" Instead of answering, she hurled an empty bowl at him in anger, which he flicked away with a smile.

"What the heck! You reached Body Refining Level 5? How did you—"

When she took a closer look at him, her mind froze in shock. He had just reached the Body Refining stage two days ago, but now in a span of two days, he had leaped from level 1 to level 5.

"It seems like you had a good time," she remarked, observing him glancing at the empty bowls and cups strewn around her. Yet, she was too stunned to say anything.

"Come, we have work to do," he didn't wait for her, walking towards the door and stopping briefly. "And clean up your mess," Michael added before stepping outside.

"I'm a princess, you bastard," she mumbled under her breath, but reluctantly cleaned up the bits of food on the couch while cursing him.

"Brother!"

A fluffy ball collided with him the moment he stepped outside, and he looked down to see Cindy hugging his leg and attempting to climb up his body.

"Cindy? What are you doing here?" He lifted the girl up and playfully ruffled her head.

"Brother, everyone is here. That kind sister invited us here."

"Who?" Cindy tried to remember the name, closing her eyes, as he saw the other kids and Raylene running toward him.

"Brother!"

"Young master! You're awake!"

In a matter of seconds, the little kids swarmed him like ants around sugar.

"Raylene, what are you guys doing here?"

"Sect leader Claire brought us here and offered us a place here to permanently settle down, young master."

"She did?" He was genuinely surprised by Raylene's words, and the kids nodded in agreement.

"Young master, what should we do?" Raylene asked.

"Brother, please, can we stay with you?" The little girl looked at him with puppy eyes while Michael considered this arrangement.

"It's indeed better if they stay here," Michael said to himself and then turned his gaze away from Cindy to Raylene.

"Make yourselves at home, Raylene."

"Yay!" Cindy and the kids jumped for joy as he gave Cindy back to her mother.

"I'll see you guys later," he then turned toward the house and saw Gaya finally making her appearance.

"Come, let's go meet the Elders." He took Gaya and walked in the direction of a group of two-story buildings.

"How long was I cultivating?" On their way, he asked Gaya.

"Three days, you freak of nature. Now give me the pills you promised."

"A deal's a deal, here, you greedy snake." He had already bought and stored the pills in the system's storage, so he quickly retrieved the pills and handed them to her.

"You're drooling." He teased her as she stared at the pills with a look of intense desire, much like a starved dog eyeing a juicy piece of meat. She snatched the pills in a flash and swallowed them with a broad grin.

"You're happy?"

"Yes, but don't you have any stronger pills?"

"She who is greedy is always in want," he said, lightly knocking the back of her head.

"Ouch, you bastard, where did you read that, Dumb town?"

"You mean your hometown."

"Asshole."

"Bitch."

The two of them continued their playful banter as they made their way to the Elders' place, where Michael noticed a fancy carriage parked outside. Surrounding the carriage were several men clad in light blue metal armor, standing guard.

"Who are they?" Michael couldn't help but wonder, as it was evident that neither the carriage nor the guards belonged to the Sunrise Sect. Their appearance was strikingly different from the worn-out buildings and decaying structures of the sect.

"An alchemist's carriage," Gaya remarked, pointing at a symbol of two green stars in a silver circle etched onto the carriage's side. The guards gave them indifferent looks as Michael and Gaya entered the building to investigate what was happening inside.

This hall they entered was primarily used to receive distinguished guests, and it was evident that someone of importance was currently present. As Michael and Gaya stepped inside, they laid eyes on a middle-aged man comfortably sipping tea. His opulent attire, a large red gem adorning his finger, and the aura of wealth that surrounded him suggested his affluence. However, his cultivation level was not particularly high; he was merely at the Body Strengthening stage, level 2.

"Lord Hart," Michael noted with surprise as he observed the Elders addressing the silver-haired man with reverence, perched at the edge of their chairs. It was clear that the man held significant influence, which stemmed from his status as a two-star Alchemist capable of concocting pills with purity ranging from 15% to 30%. In this world, while cultivators were abundant, individuals possessing specialized skills like alchemy and reaching the two-star level were rare and highly regarded.

In this world, having a high cultivation realm did not guarantee the possession of special abilities. However, those with special abilities enjoyed an advantage on the path of cultivation. Simply having such a profession could elevate one's status and reputation.

"Lord Hart, we require your assistance in concocting a heart healing pill this time, and you need not be concerned about the price," Sect Leader Claire stated with a humble demeanor as she approached.

The four elders, including Elder Mark and Miles, maintained small smiles on their faces.

Upon hearing Claire's request, Hart responded with indifference, "Concocting heart healing pills is no easy feat, and the cost is not insignificant. I have several conditions for this endeavor, and if they are not met, the deal is off."

"What are your conditions?" Claire inquired. "As long as they fall within our capabilities, we will agree."

"Actually, my conditions are quite straightforward. The first condition is to grant my students access to your herbal garden," he explained.

"Um... very well, no problem." Claire contemplated the request for a moment. Considering their herbal garden had nearly withered away, with only a few herbs left, she agreed to allow them to utilize the remaining herbs.

"The second condition: since you've agreed to my first condition, we can proceed with the negotiation regarding the price of the ingredients required for the pills. My students will purchase the materials for concocting the pills, but you will be responsible for covering the cost."

"That should be acceptable as well. The price of the ingredients is undoubtedly high, but I'm not certain about the quantity you require."

"It won't be an excessive amount. With my fee included, five thousand gold coins should suffice." He mentioned this sum casually, though it was an astonishing figure.

Upon hearing this, they were left in shock. Five thousand gold coins? That was an exorbitant sum, especially for a struggling sect like theirs.