026 Tiger Eye Pills

"You sure are training hard." Ralph said to Liam when he got back. It was already midnight and Ralph was preparing to go to bed, as he had just finished his cultivation for the day. Ralph was still trying to catch up to Liam's fifth human realm and it wouldn't be long before he did catch up to him.

"I must. I would tell you what happened to me when I was in the forest, but I just want to head to bed right now. I'll tell you another time." Liam was completely exhausted. The best score he got, was of light blue. That amount of progress, in what wasn't even a full day, was basically unheard off. Liam's original cultivation technique, spirit of the North Sea, which helped with control of the water element probably had something to do with his crazy improvement.

For the next two days Liam followed the same routine, after classes he would go to the same dummy and spam his water torpedo until midnight.

"Concentrate the qi in my palms, form an impending pressure, wait for it. And Release!" Liam was saying these words in his mind as he was practicing with the water torpedo. The water flew and hit the dummy, a few seconds later it flashed a blue color. It still wasn't enough to classify as dark blue.

"My progress has slowed down and more important, I am getting bored of only having this attack." Liam said to himself before he started heading back for the day. He hadn't counted, but he was sure that he had performed the same attack hundreds of times already and he was getting really bored of it. He wanted to do something else tomorrow. Maybe he would go to the forest yet again, see if he could fare better against the tiger.

When Liam, Ralph and Aria walked out of their house, there was another fellow with them and that was Peter. The four friends have grown pretty close over the past week or more and the houses could hold up to five people anyway.

They now always walked together, towards classes and sat together. Then to work. It was easy to say, that they were spending half the day together, that had to be a little reason why they got so close so quickly.

"So, you plan to be an alchemist to support your family, after they let us leave this whole place?" Ralph asked Peter, he was telling them about his life and plans.

"Yes, it seems I have a talent for it and I can make good money, while ensuring that I will stay alive to support them." Peter said, as his eyes started tearing up when he thought of his helpless parents, waiting for him.

"You are very noble and honorable." Aria smiled at Peter.

"Oh, Liam. I almost forgot. I finished the pills you requested. Want me to give them to you after classes?" Peter said to Liam.

"That's amazing. I'm sorry I don't have any money. I'll get paid in three days. I'll give you all of my 25 credits." Liam smiled at him. Now he was earning 50 credits, being in the fifth human realm. 25 of those were being taken by the Golden Eagles and he would give the rest to Peter.

"I told you, they're for free. But I don't have any money left to make pills. I guess it's good, I should focus on my cultivation. I am the only one here, still in the third human realm, after all." Peter said as he looked at Aria, who had broken through the day before.

"Here are the pills." Peter said to Liam. They were now back in their house and Peter had three bottles in his hands. "I have made 15 of them and I think you'll be pretty impressed."

"Impress me then." Liam said.

"Only the first three were bad, they are still at the good quality, but below 70% pure."

"That's a big improvement, to the only common quality pills you made before." Liam commented and it really was. Liam didn't know much about alchemy, but just from the price difference with the quality of the pills, he guessed it couldn't be easy to make better quality pills.

"I have 7 pills between 70% and 80% pure. And in this last bottle, these five pills are my best, my pride and joy. 4 of them are over 80%, with the best one being at 91%. Those are perfect purity pills. And the last one, I couldn't believe my eyes when I made it. I don't know if I got lucky, or maybe I could do it again. This pill is in the pristine quality, it has a purity of 97%." Peter said as his eyes were tearing up, looking at the pill. He was holding it up in his arms, the light shining on it, as if it was some holy item.

"Thank you so much!" Liam exclaimed as he took the pills. "I'll pay you back one day. I promise."

When Liam got the pills, a plan formed in his mind. He went to Ralph's room.

"Ralph, I just got some amazing pills from Peter. Want to go test them out with me in the training valley, maybe you could teach me a technique or two?" Liam said to Ralph, as he was hoping to learn something new from him. Something other than the water torpedo. Even if he was a fire element cultivator, Liam still hoped he could at least get inspired to think of something new.

"Sure, if you're offering, I won't refuse." Ralph said as he got up and the two friends made their way towards the training valley.

When they almost arrived at the place where they planned to test the pills, a person they already recognized, appeared in front of them.

"Albert." Liam called out. He was Owen's right-hand man, from what they knew and he could also remember seeing that he was fourteenth on the outer court leaderboard.

"Owen has something he wants to talk to you about." Albert said simply.

Ralph did not respond and just closed his eyes as he waited to be put to sleep.

"You can't force me; Owen is pretty arrogant if he only sent you. I am also at the fifth human realm." Liam said with a smile.

"Please don't make this difficult. The boy who had slightly blond hair and an expressionless face said.

Liam did not respond, he only gathered his qi in his palms, as he prepared to use the attack that he had been training for the last three days. He could perform it very quickly, after performing it hundreds of times.

The water torpedo flew towards Albert at great speeds, but Albert did not move. It looked as if the torpedo was going to hit him straight on.

At the last second, albert put his palm where the water torpedo was going to hit. Liam watched as the torpedo touched Albert's palm and… disappeared.

"How?" Liam was astonished. Even if it did no damage to him, there was still supposed to be a splash of water on him. There was nothing, the torpedo disappeared.

"I just laced my hand with an acid that disbanded the water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. It basically turned your attack into nothing, its energy went with it. Humans and creatures aren't the only thing I can poison."

Liam looked on in shock. How was this man only at the fourteenth space in the leaderboard? No matter what attack you used against him, he could completely make it disappear. Liam did not know if he should be feeling scared, the only feeling he had right now, was excitement.

"I can't believe he is only fourteenth. There are so many strong disciples here. I still have so much to learn." Liam said with a bright smile.

"How do you make your poison?" Liam asked, which took everybody there by surprise.

"What do you mean?" Albert questioned Liam.

"I'm interested, how do you form different types of poison." Liam asked again, more clearly now.

"I'll tell you, after Owen finishes with his request of you two. We have a deal?" Albert proposed, as he did not want the hassle of taking Liam by force, not that he couldn't.

"Deal!" Liam said, as he was very happy. "Maybe I can finally learn how to use the swamp element better." He said to himself, before he also closed his eyes and waited to be put to sleep by Alberts's poison.

A few seconds later, he heard a sound of something drop to the floor and he guessed that it was Ralph's body after he put him to sleep. Then he felt a cloth over his mouth and nose, and his consciousness slowly slipped out of him.

"He shows no respect. Leaving our bodies to fall like that. How will he even carry both of us." Liam's brain was not working too well. He forgot to account the crazy strength cultivators had.

Soon his body also fell to the floor and Albert carried them to where Owen was waiting for them.