To Alcemist Tower

Next Day

Sheng Zhen left his dwelling for the alchemy tower. He still had not forgotten his main goal, to find a high purity Five Elements pill so that he could finally break through into the False core realm. He had already wasted too much time in the Foundation establishment.

Moving through the bustling streets, he made his way through the paved streets of the inner sect. Sun had just risen but because the night and day barely made any difference to cultivators, the streets were bustling as ever.

It did not take long for him to reach the enormous white tower. Alchemy tower, where almost all the important Alchemy-related trades take place. Not just that, it serves as the administrative building of the Ifre Branch of Alchemist Hall.

Standing, he was admiring the architectural marvel that was the Alchemy Tower. Taller than most skyscrapers in the past life, the white stone gleamed in the morning light. There was no seam or brick to be seen, as the whole tower was chiseled from a single mountain.

'Hmm...seamless stone, smooth surface, and the Qi that it contains, this definitely is a high-grade artifact' Sheng Zhen mused.

"Amazing,... isn't it?" A delicate voice prompted Sheng Zhen to turn around. Behind him stood Young Lady Wen Peizhi, the young lady of the Wen family.

She wore a green robe signifying her inner sect status. Behind him stood two men in false core realm, both wearing grey outer sect robes. Sheng Zhen remembered one of them, the same person who was ordered to follow him and his uncle back at the Blooming Lotus Pavilion.

Opposed to the boredom and disgust he felt from her at the Blooming Lotus Pavilion, she was smiling pleasantly, "It is said that the whole tower is an artifact refined by the sect master of Alchemist Hall himself during the last beast tide. Every time the beast time is more terrifying than the last and the one that occurred seven hundred years ago was the worst. If not for the protection of the tower, the entire city-state of Ifre might have fallen that day."

She tilted her head and looked right at Sheng Zhen, "It is nice to meet you again, young master Zhen."

"Agh... nice to meet you too.", Sheng Zhen said, not expecting to meet her again so soon.

"Is Young master also going to attend lectures Elder Wu's lectures? If so, we can attend together."

"No, I was just going to look for some pills."

"Oh." Wen Peizhi replied, a little morosely.

"Miss Wen, please don't let me keep you waiting.", saying that, Sheng Zhen left like Wen Piezhi was plague incarnate.

Seeing him retreating, the smile slid right off Wen Peizhi's face and she turned to her guards, "Have you found anything on him, about his background, his so-called master, or even his so-called companion."

The men behind her shook their heads, and she found the urge to just smash them, "How could someone just appear out of nowhere? Double-check everything, perhaps the mortal with him is a good lead, search for him."

The man that tried to follow Sheng Zhen and his Uncle before bowed his head in shame and said, "Young Lady, I just can't seem to remember how his companion looked."

"What?... Can't even do that? Imbeciles." She glared at him,

"He looked like...", she paused, unsure. Cultivators had very acute memory and they did not forget very easily. But of the life of it, Wen Peizhi could not remember what Sheng Zhen's companion looked like.

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Leaving Wen Peizhi behind, Sheng Zhen breathed a sigh of relief. He wanted to remain lowkey and search for the Five Elements pill, or practice alchemy so he could just refine one himself. Although the latter option was not too appealing; despite being a second rank alchemist, it would take him some time to advance to the third grade, time did not have. Every moment he wastes is the moment Yue suffer...

Sheng Zhen sighed, thinking of his still-missing sister. She was alive, he knew that. There are more than enough ways to scry the condition of blood kin. But it would have been good if he could scry her location too, but where ever she was, someone is actively shielded against scrying, someone very powerful.

Shaking his head, he banished the gloomy thoughts and made his way into the White Alchemy tower. Walking through the giant golden doors, he entered was a large lobby, filled with all types of merchants and cultivators. Grey robed outer disciples and even some green-robed inner disciples were attending the guests.

Just then a grey-robed outer sect disciple came and greeted him, "Greeting to you,... What can I do for you?"