Chapter 130: League Assessment, Human Relationships
Boom!
Thunder rumbled across the sky, streaks of lightning illuminating the heavy rain as Arius strode
unhurriedly through the storm, making his way toward the Core City of Wallsey City.
The Core City was not particularly vast—spanning only twenty-odd li—yet it was home to the
true heart of the Alchemy Alliance’s presence in Aragon Kingdom.
Unlike the bustling Outer City, the Core City had far fewer cultivators, exuding an air of quiet
authority.
By the time Arius stepped past its threshold, he rarely saw any cultivators still lingering in the
Body Tempering Realm.
At the very center of the Core City stood the grand tower of the Alchemy Alliance’s branch
headquarters.
A colossal structure, rising toward the heavens, its peak so high that it seemed to touch the
celestial domain itself.
Even with a single glance, Arius could not see its summit.
Around the ancient tower, a powerful restriction barrier pulsed faintly in the air.
Even though the formation’s power was dormant, Arius still felt its overwhelming suppression,
an oppressive force that made breathing itself a challenge.
The sheer might contained within this restriction far exceeded any formation he had ever
witnessed.
Even from hundreds of feet away, it sent a suffocating pressure crashing down upon him.
At the tower’s base, figures in Alchemy Alliance robes moved about—some entering, some
leaving.
These were either resident alchemists of the Alliance or servants employed by them.
It was easy to distinguish the resident alchemists.
Each wore a special robe issued by the Alchemy Alliance, adorned with white stripes across the
chest—
● Nine stripes represented a Ninth-Grade Alchemist.
● The fewer the stripes, the greater their mastery in alchemy.
In addition to the robes, every resident alchemist possessed a unique identification medallion,
marking their official status.
However, guest alchemists did not receive such benefits.
Instead, upon passing the Alchemy Alliance’s examination, they were issued a Guest Alchemist
Token—a sign of recognition but without the privileges of residency.
Arius surveyed the surroundings, noting the steady flow of resident alchemists.
Even in this brief moment, he spotted dozens of Ninth-Grade Alchemists, each adorned in their
distinctive robes.
The first ten floors of the tower were open to the public, each serving a specific function:
● Floors 1 to 3: Treasure Medicine Exchange – A place to buy and sell rare medicinal
herbs through the Alchemy Alliance.
● Floors 4 to 6: Pill Market – Cultivators could purchase, customize, or sell alchemical pills.
● Floors 7 to 9: Alchemy Chambers – Available to those who paid a fee, granting access to
underground spiritual flames to refine their own pills.
However, only guest alchemists and low-ranked outsiders used these floors.
Resident alchemists had permanent, private alchemy chambers located on higher levels.
But the tenth floor—
That was where the Alchemist Examination was held.
Arius followed the flow of people into the ancient tower’s entrance.
From the outside, the tower appeared only a few hundred meters wide, but upon stepping
inside—
He was immediately struck by its sheer vastness.
The first floor alone stretched over hundreds of li.
Clearly, this was no ordinary building.
It was either:
1. Enhanced by a powerful space-warping formation, forcibly expanding its internal
structure…
2. Or the tower itself was a colossal artifact, containing a self-sustaining hidden realm
within it.
Either way, its existence alone was a testament to the Alchemy Alliance’s unfathomable power.
Most astonishing of all—
This was merely one of the Alliance’s many branch outposts in Aragon Kingdom.
Wallsey continent had a hundred nations, and across both righteous and demonic territories, the
Alchemy Alliance had at least one hundred such outposts.
To distort space using formations?
Even a Level 5 cultivator would be incapable of achieving such a feat.
To house a vast independent dimension within an artifact?
That was far beyond the capabilities of any Level 5-level treasure.
The sheer scale of the Alchemy Alliance’s power… was beyond comprehension.
After taking a brief moment to absorb his surroundings, Arius did not linger.
Without hesitation, he ascended the stone steps, heading straight for the tenth floor.
Due to the tower’s immense internal space, Arius encountered almost no one on his way up.
By the time he reached the tenth floor, a middle-aged man was seated at the entrance.
The man barely spared Arius a glance, then promptly resumed sleeping at his desk.
His unshaven face, his lazy demeanor, and the strong scent of alcohol clinging to his robes
made him look completely indifferent to everything around him.
Even though the middle-aged man slouched lazily over the simple wooden desk, his presence
radiated an overwhelming sense of danger.
He seemed like a slumbering primordial demon, exuding an ancient, terrifying aura that sent an
involuntary chill down the spine.
This man was undoubtedly a formidable powerhouse.
Even if he had not yet reached Level 4, he was at the very least at the Level 3 Realm.
Without lingering further, Arius moved past the man and followed the dimly lit corridor, stepping
into the Ninth-Grade Alchemist Examination Hall.
The Alchemy Alliance’s branch in Aragon Kingdom conducted examinations for Ninth to
Sixth-Grade alchemists.
However, for those seeking certification as a Fifth-Grade Alchemist or higher, they would need
to travel to the Alliance’s main headquarters in Wallsey continent.
Across Aragon Kingdom’s three provinces and seventy-two counties, the highest-ranked
alchemist recorded was only Sixth-Grade.
And there was only one such person—
The head of the Alchemy Alliance’s Aragon Kingdom branch—Alchemist Marcus Garcia.
A Sixth-Grade Alchemist was capable of refining Level 5-tier pills.
Even across all of the Wallsey Continent, there were only a handful of such individuals.
In fact, even a Seventh-Grade Alchemist was considered invaluable, highly sought after by
major sects and noble houses.
For example, within the Albigensians Sect, there existed a Seventh-Grade Alchemist.
It was precisely because of this alchemist’s presence that the Albigensians Sect had been held
in high regard by the Sea Sand King.
Beyond its heritage and the fact that it had once produced a Level 4 grandmaster, it was this
alchemist’s existence that had elevated the sect’s status.
As soon as Arius stepped into the Ninth-Grade Alchemist Examination Hall, a young man clad in
a red alchemist’s robe approached him with a welcoming smile.
The man’s chest bore eight white stripes—a clear mark of an Eighth-Grade Alchemist.
At first glance, he appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties, but Arius immediately
discerned the truth—
This man was likely over a hundred, if not two hundred years old.
Clearly, he had once consumed a Youth Preservation Pill, artificially maintaining his youthful
appearance.
The young man looked Arius up and down before speaking.
“Fellow Daoist, are you here to take the alchemist examination?”
Arius clasped his hands in a respectful greeting.
“May I ask, what should I be aware of during the assessment?”
As he spoke, he discreetly slipped two low-grade spirit stones into the young man’s hand.
Feeling the sudden weight of the spirit stones in his palm, the young alchemist’s smile grew
even brighter.
With a friendly pat on Arius’s shoulder, he handed over a small pouch of examination herbs and
leaned in slightly, speaking in a tone filled with subtle meaning.
“Oh, there’s nothing too complicated about the test…”
“However, some examination rooms have… unstable spiritual flames.”
“While others? Their spiritual flames burn steady and true.”
His grin widened.
“After all, the Alchemy Alliance has rules—during the examination, candidates must use the
spiritual flames provided by the Alliance.”
“Only those who can adapt to unexpected variables are considered truly competent alchemists.”
Then, with a knowing look, he added:
“But you and I, we’re kindred spirits! I have a good feeling about you.”
“Rest assured, the examination room you’ve been assigned to will have a flame as stable as a
mountain.”
“I wish you great success in passing the test!”
His words carried an undeniable implication.
Arius immediately understood.
Though the Alchemy Alliance maintained an image of fairness, hidden within its ranks were
unspoken rules and silent transactions.
Had he not given the two spirit stones, he might have been assigned to a room with an unstable
flame, making it significantly harder to pass the test.
But such was the reality.
The Alchemy Alliance was too powerful—and every aspiring alchemist sought its approval.
For those who passed the Alchemy Alliance’s official certification, the benefits were endless.
Even as a mere Guest Alchemist, one could still enjoy numerous hidden privileges.