I was led down a set of stair and into a hallway. "So are you the instructor for this?"

She laughed and shook her head. "I am flattered by your faith in me but no. Each course has its own instructor."

I raised an eyebrow and waved to the walls around us. "I may not be great with my new eye but I am sure that there are no other people here."

"You are correct. I apologize. I forget that your society is in its infancy. Each class has a crystal that will take you into an illusion. An illusion where an instructor will give you the lesson."

We stopped in front of a door that was identical to all the others and gestured for me to enter. "The lesson's time will depend on your ability to process information. With your unique attributes I imagine it won't be too long."

I shrugged and stepped into the room. It was nothing like what I expected. It was closer to the System Hub room in the tutorial. Just a small closet with a large crystal in the middle. The whole thing felt very Sci-fi if you were trapped in a broom closet for some reason. The door slid shut behind me and I stepped up to the crystal. I placed my palm on the crystal and pushed a strand of energy inside.

The world blurred and I was pulled away from the class room and onto a mountain. The illusion was wrong for lack of a better world. It looked as if someone had tried to overlay the mountain scene over the closet room. "Well whole see through illusions thing definitely works."

I turned around just as an elderly man stepped out from behind a tree. He bent over with age and had a beard that almost reached his knees. Those were his only human characteristics. He had dark blue skin and four eyes. Two on either side of his face. Instead of two hands, he had four. He gripped a wooden staff in the hands on the right side of his body. The staff looked simple but there was something off about it. It had a certain power to it. The same kind that I felt from Relics only this time it was distorted.

I assumed the distortion was because of the illusion. Even the "Eye of Heaven" had a hard time seeing it properly. The man wore unadorned dark grey robes.

"Ah another pupil very well. I am Aino Tona. I am the sects Array Master. I suppose we should start with the most basic building block of both formations and arrays. The Great Tao." Aino waved his hand a stream of transparent energy passed between us.

"This is a representation of Spiritual energy?" I asked.

"In a sense. The Tao is everything. It is the fire that warms the alchemist's cauldron. It is the lightning that banishes uncertainty. It even makes up the core of your sigils. All descend from the same origin. The Great Tao"

I nodded along as the man spoke. Half wishing that I had a recorder or even notebook. This seemed like it was pretty key information.

"Where as our brothers and Sister gives form to the Tao through pill or devastating attacks we do it through energy." Aino waved his hand and the stream of energy divided in two. The two streams then formed an infinite symbol. "Arrays and Formations are not restricted in the same ways as other professions. We are not limited to a cauldron or even our own bodies. The air is as suitable a location for our art as a stone disk."

Suddenly we were no longer standing on the mountain but floating in the sky above it. The mountain dwarfed everything that had been on earth prior to the System. It was so big that even Everest would have barely been a slope on one of its many points. The infinity symbol descended into the mountain and five pillars of energy shot up out of the ground.

"Ours is an exact discipline. The position of an array flag matters just as much as its materials. Just as you have learned your body is consists of junction points. Just like this mountain. Energy travels through areas like the Soul Space and through the Cultivator's core. The same as it does through the junction points in the mountain. These points are where array flags go. The flags help to regulate energy as it passes." He waved his hand and one of the five pillars winked out of existence.

Almost immediately the mountain began to tremble. Energy began to build like a volcano in desperate search for an outlet. The glow of the other pillars intensified but it wasn't enough. I flinched back just as Aino waved his hand. "Formations are like puzzles. Remove one piece and the whole thing may fall. It is not enough to place them you must know why you placed it there and what placing it there will do."

Once again he waved his hand and the fifth pillar returned. Time resumed and the mountain calmed down. "Just like the alchemist must know his or her materials like she knows herself. We must know the energy. A fire attuned environment would destroy a water formation just as it would empower a fire one. As a beginner it will be difficult for you to regulate the energy but do not use that as an excuse to chase powerful tools. An Array Master that relies on superior instruments is no Array master. Like all change it begins with you."

We returned to the ground a moment later and I found myself longing to see the world from above again. Despite that I gave the man my full attention. "The first step on the road of the Array Master is energy. You must understand how it flows, why it flows and what that energy flow feels like. You are to practice the basic energy gathering array until our next lesson. Do not seek the mountaintop until you have learned to see the grass."

I stared at the man in mute incomprehension. Part of me wondering if **Ethereal Convocation** had broken before it clicked. That was one of those deep statements that you weren't supposed to understand until later. I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes at the man. I didn't think the image could interpret anything I did. It felt more like watching a recording but who knew what was true in the multiverse.

I felt the illusion end and closed my eyes. When I opened them again I was back in the closet. Before I could move more information entered my mind. It was the gathering array. As I filtered the information I couldn't help but laugh. This array was stronger than the one I bought from the System. It was hard to compare them exactly since the System didn't provide specs but this one should be ten to fifteen percent more efficient. Which meant my new cultivation chamber would be that much better.

I parsed through the new information for a few more minutes before leaving the room. I was mostly ready to commit Arrays and Formations after that lesson but that would be reckless. Especially since I just needed to walk down a hall to take the Alchemist class. I stepped out of the room but found that I was alone. I made another mental note to invest in a magic watch.

Or whatever time telling devices existed. I made my way down the hall until I came to the alchemy class. I stepped inside and up to the crystal. This time I closed the my Eye. The illusion was much more real this time. It felt like I had been pulled into a movie. This time I was pulled into a stone chamber that was something you would see in a wizard school. There was a massive cauldron made out of obsidian. With red veins spread throughout.

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A short woman stepped out from behind the cauldron. The woman was just barely over five feet tall. She wore a black dress that stopped just above her ankles. She wore gloves on both hands and had short dirty blonde hair. She looked a bit like a gnome. "Ah yet another student is sent to me. No doubt believing that they are worthy of alchemy." She looked me up and down and for a moment I wondered if she could actually see me.

"Do you know what Alchemy is child? No don't answer that. Alchemy is change made manifest. It is the power to refine base materials until they become something divine. Its is to take the Earthly and make it Heavenly. No doubt you have consumed pills up until this point." The woman reached into the cauldron and removed a pill the size of her pinky nail. The pill was bone white with dozens of black spots spread across it.

Almost on instinct I took a step forward and the medicinal aroma hit me. I felt like my body had been starved and that pill was the greatest meal. I barely resisted the urge to reach for it. Something that earned a snort from the woman. "The potency of a pill like this is based on a myriad of factors. The skill of the Alchemist chief among them. Materials and cauldron quality are second and third of course."

She placed the pill back into the cauldron and then beckoned for me to join her. As soon as I was close enough the image in the cauldron changed. This time it was a roiling emerald liquid. One that felt like death and destruction. As if the cauldron contained the power to end the world. "Alchemy contains both life and death. We are not just healers or resource generators. An Alchemist can be the deadliest foe on a battlefield. Capable of reaping lives at a rate impossible for most warriors."

The roiling liquid was almost hypnotic. The colors shifted through all the shades of green and then into the rest of the rainbow. It was a mosaic of colors and each one felt different. Some felt like death others like boundless life while others still felt like possibility.

"Before you start to have dreams you must begin at the beginning. Each ingredient deserves and demands our devotion. Each ingredient has its own properties. Properties that will react with both the other ingredients as well as your Tao. It is a discipline, a discipline where failure means to cause the deaths of many. The road of the Alchemist is one of potential, of power but it is not one to take lightly."

She snapped her fingers and the liquid disappeared. The gnomish woman stepped away from both me and the cauldron. She looked off into the distance as if she saw something. Something I couldn't see even after opening all my eyes. "I have prepared a simple healing pill recipe. Do not return until you have completed the pill ten times. For an attempt to count it must have a potency of 80% or better."

The sensation took over me again and the illusion faded away. Just like with the array master the pill recipe was downloaded into my head. The ingredients were even catalogued by rarity. I had no idea what the ingredients were. I figured Azariah could do it for me so it shouldn't be a problem. I didn't immediately head up stairs.

I wasn't sure which option was better. Both Alchemist and Array Master sounded amazing. I had no interest in abandoning my combat class but a secondary profession would be perfect. After all I would live for what another five hundred years? That assumed I stopped advancing at the next realm. That would be a lot of time to study. Either one would help so the question was suitability.

I thought about that until I got to the top of the stairs. Ultimately I had the beginnings of both and no reason not to practice. I found Desbera in her office where went over everything. She provided me with a cauldron and a array stylus. Both were only slightly better than the most basic items. The cauldron was more in the Chinese style than the western one. Which was interesting. "So are these mine or do I need to return them to academy?"

"They are yours. We are in a bit of pinch for resources so if you decide that you do not want to use them. I would appreciate it if you returned them. Either that or we gain a steady supply of materials. These are meant to be a training set."

I ran my hand over the top of the cauldron. It felt so weird. This was the first time I had held one of these but it felt like I had been practicing with it for a while. The memories weren't mine but they were still there. "I will bring them back when I replace them. How often do people do both of these?"

"That isn't a uncommon idea. Some of the best crafters in the multiverse reach across the disciplines. Doing so while also being a full combat class will be harder. You only have so many slots and so much time. You would likely end up mediocre in all three."

"Understood. I also have other things to focus on as well. Beast companion, Soul, body and Heart tempering. I am going to get some practice in. Do you have any rooms that I could get to work in?"

About ten minutes later I was in a room with both the stylus and the cauldron on a table. The room's privacy array was running which added another point to the Array Master column. As cool as pills were they appeared to be limited in what they could do. That limit was arguably the most important thing though.

I pulled out the ingredients she provided and placed them down. Next a 1st-Realm crystal went into a slot under the cauldron. It kind of reminded of those oven toys. The ones with a light bulb that you only saw on TV. I pushed the distraction out of mind and focused. The recipe wasn't hard to follow but the potency would be reduced with each mistake. The first ingredient was a set of black and blue berries called **Godo Berries**. They reminded me of a mix between blue and black berries but half as big. I placed them into the cauldron.

I smashed them into a paste and let the heat get to work. A minute later I added the next ingredient. A different kind of fruit that reminded me of raisins. Only thicker and harder. Once they were added a bitter smell started to flow out of the cauldron and I had to resist the urge to gag. I grabbed the final ingredient. An item called **Firegrass**. It was a bundle of green and red grass that gave off heat.

Once all three things were added to the cauldron the real work began. The cauldron was a weird item. I could control the heat with a nob on the front but it was ineffective. You had to stretch mental tendrils to it. Those tendrils would let me manipulate the flame and mixture. Based on the information packet most people couldn't do this. They had to rely on their eyes and hands.

Furthermore the "Eye of Heaven" made itself known. The ingredients gave off a medicinal smell and feel that you were supposed to rely on. My eye could watch the energy spread through. It was a bit like watching a ball comprised of three energies. The three colors roiled and fought with one another. While I fought to make sure they were balanced. The process was exhausting.

I wasn't sure how long it took me to refine the pill but when it was done and the medicinal smell washed over me it felt like Christmas. I held the pill up like it was some heavenly treasure. I then swallowed it. The pill's potency was around 60% which placed it well below the minimum. Intellectually I knew that it was my first time and that even with the Eye it wasn't reasonable to expect perfection. That if it were that easy Alchemists would be flooding out of every world by the millions.

That barely made me feel better. The idea of failing at anything was almost anathema to me. I took a seat on the cold stone and entered a meditative trance. My psychic energy was exhausted and I still needed it to do array training next. I gave my self a thirty minute break. After which I placed the cauldron into my ring and summoned the array disk and stylus. The stylus looked a bit like a stick of bamboo though much tougher. While the disk was closer to mud or clay.

From the data packet Arrays were both easier and harder than alchemy. Easier in the sense that there was no heat to deal with and you weren't rushed. At least not in these low level things. It was more about precision and accuracy. I placed the disk onto the table and sent a stream of psychic energy into the stylus. It took me a few seconds to get the hang of it. The stylus felt more like using a blow torch than an pen.

I had to release my energy steadily and calmly. It was very calming. I placed the stylus to the disk and began carving. The process was gentler than alchemy. I was basically drawing a picture using a predesigned mold. The closer to the exact mold I was the stronger the array would be. It was a process that forced you to slow down. It demanded your exact focus. In that sense it was superior to Alchemy.

Furthermore the Eye of Heaven was key. My ability to see the energy with this clarity made it almost child's play to adapt the power in the stylus. The disk might as well have pre-carved the image into itself with how I saw its weak points. Despite all of that it still wasn't easy. I had to fight against myself in a lot of ways. The more my energy waned the more I wanted to speed up. Only moving faster made me make more mistakes. Mistakes that made me go back to fix.

Each time I did I made different problems. It was kind of like using white out. Even if you repaired the mistakes you made it wouldn't be the same as an undamaged attempt.