Letter

The first thing Brax looks at is the pouch on top. He opens it to find more Spirit stones in it. But these are not low-level spirit stones. There are a total of 300 medium-level spirit stones in the pouch.

This is equivalent to thirty thousand low-level spirit stones. 

"My luck is off the charts these days. I hope it doesn't come crashing down in the future," Brax says.

He puts the spirit stone pouch to the side. Brax then picks up a martial arts technique manual. "This is the one he used during our fight," Brax mumbles as he reads the name 'Rending Whirlpool.' "This is a high-tier advanced-level technique," Brax says as he starts going through the book's content.

He completely memorizes it and puts it to the side. He is going to sell this shit, as he doesn't need it anymore.

Brax shuffles through the items before him and puts his hand on a green scroll. 'A message scroll?' he asks. He unrolls the scroll and is greeted with a handwritten letter.

[This is a direct order from young lord Jidi.

The Eleven Mountain Sect has been gaining influence and strength at a significant rate. They must have gotten their hand on something. Infiltrate the sect and find out what's going on.

Report to me immediately after you infiltrate the Eleven Mountain Sect.]

The message ends there.

"Young Lord Jidi. Sounds like an heir to a clan or a sect. And it seems he wants something from the Eleven Mountain sect," Brax mumbles. "What did the sect find for a foreign power to take such drastic measures and risk a war?" Brax questions.

"A war huh?" Brax mumbles as his eyes stare toward the Eleven Mountain Sect. He can see its eleven silhouettes standing tall and strong on the horizon.

Brax knows wars better than anyone. Whether it be an information war or a physical one, he has always come out victorious in them. Stealing critical information and providing unmatched weapons to the army, he has contributed to the death of many. He is a war profiteer.

"If this Jidi fellow is desperate enough to send a spy into another sect and violate its sovereignty, that means he is ready for war. If not, he is an idiot. I need to learn more about this Jidi character and where he comes from," Brax concludes. He then reduces the scroll to ashes.

The rest of the items in front of him are not important as they are just utilities and clothes that the man had stored in the ring.

'I don't see any technique that allows to change appearance. Looks like he didn't carry it with him. The only way to find it is by finding where this man came from,' Brax thinks.

The only clue Brax found in the ring is the letter scroll. There is nothing else that would give away the identity of the man that Brax killed.

'Looks like you are still a mystery. I wonder if the middleman will step in when he finds out his spy is dead.' Brax thinks about the middleman who seems to be acting as the connection between the dead spy and Jidi in the letter.

'If he does surface, I shouldn't get involved. If the war does happen, I need to prepare myself. Luckily, I have Anna to help with cultivation,' Brax thinks and looks at Anna, who is busy practicing the techniques he taught her.

Dual cultivating with her will significantly boost his cultivation speed, plus he is about to become an alchemist. His speed of cultivation will increase several-fold in the future.

Seeing that Anna is busy, Brax decides to prepare for his alchemy exam.

"Anna, continue practicing. I am going to head out."

Anna stops her practice and looks at Brax. "Where are you going, master?" she asks.

"I am going to go prepare for my alchemy exam," Brax answers. "Master knows how to do alchemy?" Anna asks, surprised. Brax just smiles and leaves the room. "Stay in and practice, don't attract unwanted attention," Brax leaves with these words.

Anna pouts, but Brax is already gone. She takes a deep sigh and continues with her practice.

___________________

Brax steps outside the Inn and finds himself in the busy streets of Alchemy Central once again.

'There should be a public library close by,' He thinks and heads there.

Many people wish to become alchemists, so the Alchemy Guild opened a massive free library to help people pursue their dreams. Plus, they benefit from this as well. Sometimes the diamond is hidden amongst the coals. If they can nurture a young lad with the potential to become a great alchemist, it will benefit their guild the most.

Many such stories have become reality, where a kid from a small town becomes a great alchemist.

Brax didn't have any issue finding the library because the massive structure couldn't be missed, even if one wanted to ignore it.

He enters the library and is astounded by the number of people inside. Back in his world, people rarely visited the library in such huge numbers.

Brax sees locals, and alchemy apprentices in their uniforms, all trying to learn. Almost all seats and tables are occupied by people.

This just shows how mainstream alchemy is in this world. Everyone wants to become an alchemist, as it will bring them money, status, and influence. If you have these three, even cultivators won't mess with you.

Brax too plans to achieve status, influence, and earn a shit ton of money so that they can mask his strength, which will provide him safety.

In this world, the stronger you get, the more you attract unwanted attention. It doesn't discriminate, whether it is the good kind or the bad kind.

But alchemy is different. He will be revered if he achieves great status and influence in the world of alchemy. Powerful cultivators will not treat him as a threat. They will, in fact, try to cozy up with him to acquire pills and elixirs he makes.

This is the perfect occupation to mask his strength while simultaneously carving his path to achieving true immortality.