Once the results were announced, the 5,000 or so who had passed were dismissed, while those who had failed were kept behind. The Alchemy God wanted them to stay to discuss something, though no one else was privy to the matter.
Everyone went on their way, heading toward the teleportation formation to leave the secret realm.
"Brother Dawnblade!" a voice called as Alex was walking. He turned around and saw the orange-haired Leafheart making her way toward him.
"Sister Leafheart?" Alex said. "Greetings."
The woman paused, glancing not only at Alex but at the people around him as well. Aethersage and Killersky had performed decently in the petition, and she remembered them. She lowered her head slightly in greeting.
"C-can I talk to you guys for a minute?" she asked.
Alex shrugged. "Sure. How can we help you?"
"How did you guys do it?" "I'm sorry?" Alex responded.
"You made a pill in less than a minute, and he made seven pills in about six minutes. How did you do it? It was so fast," she said.
Alex didn't know what to say.
"Do you think they cheated?" Killersky asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Huh?" Leafheart said, confused, before realizing how her words sounded. "Oh no, I wasn't accusing anyone of cheating. I just wanted to learn how they managed it."
"You couldn't do what I did even if I told you, Alchemist Leafheart," Aethersage said. "You don't have the right tools for it."
"That cauldron? I saw it. It was impressive. What does it do?" she asked.
Aethersage smiled, choosing not to answer. The cauldron had certainly been a great help to him during the petition, but it wasn't the only factor.
"I'm sorry, but I don't feel fortable sharing my secrets while you're still an opponent in this petition," Alex said. "You have a Immunity pin, and that makes you quite a significant threat to me."
Leafheart seemed as though she wanted to say something but didn't. "Would you mind teaching me your technique after the tournament is over? I promise I just want to learn how to make pills as quickly as you can. My cauldron helps, but even then, I'm not as fast as you."
Alex thought for a moment. Could he tell her about his application of Space and Time Dao in the pill-making process? He didn't see why not—especially once the petition was over.
"I suppose I can," Alex said. "If you're still willing to learn by then, I'll tell you."
Leafheart sighed with relief. "Thank you. I will definitely still want to learn," she said. She gave a short bow. "I'll leave you all to yourselves, then. Goodbye."
She left without looking back.
"Wait, that's it?" Riveroak asked. "That's really all she came here for?"
"Maybe her ego was hurt," Killersky said. "She came first in the previous petition, but this time she wasn't just beaten once or twice, but three times. She probably wants to know how to improve."
"I suppose so," Riveroak said.
"I don't think we need to keep talking about her," Aethersage said. "Let's leave now."
They left the area and found the park surprisingly empty. The audience members who had e earlier had already been made to leave, so the group was quite safe on their own.
The Alchemy God's people surrounded the cities and roads anyway, so there wasn't much to worry about.
"I think this is farewell until the next petition," Alex said.
"It is," Aethersage replied. "Take care. There might be disappointed people who'll want to e after you."
Alex smiled. "I don't plan on leaving closed cultivation for the next ten years," he said. "Let them e."
After a brief farewell, everyone went their separate ways.
Alex returned to his master, who had a wide smile on his face even before Alex arrived.
"There you are, my disciple," Silvermist said as Alex walked in. He stood up and went over to Alex, grabbing him by the shoulders. "I'm so proud of you. You did amazing."
Alex couldn't help but beam at Silvermist's smile. "Thank you, Master."
The others congratulated him as well. Pearl, Whisker, and Momo were all excited about Alex's achievement. They began talking about how wild the audience had gotten after seeing his performance.
No one in the audience had expected someone to make pills while walking through the maze, all the while ensuring the pills were of high quality. Their excitement now was just a shadow of the emotions the audience had felt in the moment.
Silvermist brought out some wine he had prepared beforehand and poured it into three cups. He handed one to Grimsight, who smiled through everything after offering simple congratulations. He gave one to Alex, and kept the last cup for himself.
"Sorry, but this wine is too strong for you kids," he told Pearl and the others as he brought out another wine bottle. "Here, try these."
"Cheers to your performance today," Silvermist said, clinking his cup with the others, and downing it in one gulp. Grimsight drank his with ease.
Alex hesitated for a moment before shouting, "Cheers!" and drinking the wine. He quickly realized the wine was indeed far too strong for him.
As he drank it, it burned his throat and stomach, causing intense disfort.
"Here, eat this quickly," Silvermist said, handing him the pill he had prepared.
Alex took the pill but didn't consume it. "I can handle it," he said, letting his body deal with the wine. Though strong, the wine was ultimately a toxin, and Alex's body was exceptionally good at handling toxins.
Once the wine's effects were neutralized, his body immediately healed itself, leaving him with just a body full of unrefined Qi.
Grimsight raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
Alex let out a short breath and smiled. "That was quite tasty, master. It must've taken you many centuries to have the wine mature to that grade," he said, placing the cup on the table. "Can I have another cup?"
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