There once was an old tree in the Great Old Yan.

Its trunk reached millions of kilometres into the skies above and its canopy felt as vast as the skies of the seemingly endless Old Yan. So ancient was the tree that it was rumoured to have stood at the birth of existence.

Every leaf was vibrant green and brimmed with life. Their shape was that of teardrops, yet their joy knew no bounds. Even as the heavenly turbulence swept the skies above, each gust mighty enough to tear through steel like old cobwebs, they merely swayed in it as if it were ordinary wind and laughed all the while.

Such was the might of the old tree that each of its leaves was alive, and to the old tree, they were its children. For without another one of its kind, it would neither flower nor fruit.

Seasons passed by like seconds on a clock around them. Civilisations would grow and crumble to dust in what felt like mere minutes. Time was in a constant flux. A saying arose that nothing in the Old Yan was eternal but its sole heavenly tree.

To be eternal was a lonely existence.

In the Old Yan, each eternal day was said to be as long as infinity. Yet they passed by one after the other for the old tree.

But with the endless banter of its countless immortal children, there was never a dull moment. And such was their number on some days, the tree would bemoan, asking how it could possibly keep up with each and every one of them! The leaves would laugh and tease her in response.

All was well.

But on the 9th eternal day, one of the leaves stopped smiling.

Sadness? It was the first time the old tree had seen such an emotion.

Mother tree called for silence and gathered the attention of every leaf. They stared upon that lone leaf in worry. For the first time in the Old Yan's history, there was no laughter atop its canopy.

Many of the leaves cried out in concern, but the voice of the tree was the loudest.

"Child! What’s wrong?"

As if it had felt the somber air, even the heavenly turbulence paused. The sad leaf drooped from its twig listlessly, the vibrant green that once filled it now tinged with a hint of yellow.

"Mother... I am saddened. Was there nothing we could have done for that town beneath?"

Town?

Mother tree and the countless leaves were confused. None of them had ever paid attention to the affairs of the mortals beneath for more than a single eternal second, yet the leaf had even gotten attached to them.

For the next 2000 years, they listened in silence as the lone leaf recalled the storied history of that town. Much was said but little mattered. It was a town of ancients that worshiped the old tree. But pillagers attacked and razed it to ashes even as the devouts cried out to the old tree for help.

A deep sigh came from mother tree.

"Alas child, we remain rooted to the earth as decreed by the 1st heavens. We are here as witnesses of eternity, not harbingers of change."

The lone leaf was outraged.

"Even after hearing of their tales, you do not care in the slightest? Then, mother!" it cried. "If you can do nothing, I shall take matters into my own hands. I saw the refugees flee to the north, so I will follow and protect them from future calamities! Farewell!"

"Wait!"

Mother tree cried out, but the leaf severed itself from its twig and let the heavenly winds carry it far into the distance.

The countless leaves began to speak again for the first time in 2000 years, but it was no longer jovial. And how could it be? With the tree mourning and praying for the safe return of its child, it was no time for jokes and laughter. They too were worried for their sibling as well.

As the next eternal day approached, for the first time, the tree and its leaves stared into the vast Old Yan and observed.

They did not see the lone leaf again, but changes swept the world! The many mortal races were no worms that dug in the mud with lifespans that ended before an eye could even blink. No, they had learnt to harvest the divinity that lingered in the air.

Mother tree gasped.

"That child... it must have spread a secret of the heavens!"

The leaves did not understand her concern and only laughed. Slowly, the jovial mood returned as they speculated on the adventures of their lost sibling.

Only the old tree was worried.

And on the 10th eternal day, another leaf snapped itself off its twig.

"Farewell mother! I shall leave to seek adventure too!"

"No! Not again..."

It was slow at first, but gradually, leaf by leaf departed into the skies. Their number was great and innumerable, but in the face of endless time, even a slow trickling leak would drain an ocean.

And on the 11th eternal day...

Mother tree stood in the cold dead winter and sobbed. All it did was reminisce about the old days where innumerable voices chattered excitedly in the winds. Its endless branches were barren, save for a lone leaf that swayed in the raging winds.

The other had left a hundred eternal minutes ago, but it alone remained with the old tree. Now, by choosing to stay, it had become the lone leaf.

"Mother... I cannot bear to see you like so another second longer. Forgive me, but I must venture out as well. I will bring my siblings back so you can smile again!"

"Child! Please don't! Please! You are all that I have left!" the old tree wailed.

But the heartbreaking cry only reinforced the determination in its heart. A loud snap echoed as it broke itself off and soared downwards. Now, mother tree was truly barren.

The lone little leaf sailed through the skies of the Old Yan, past oceans and continents. It found nothing and began to worry. But on the 12th eternal day, it found a heavenly tree just as mighty as mother and rushed over excitedly. The heavenly tree had living leaves of gold that spoke as well, but they never smiled and only discussed the great dao gravely.

Little leaf was overwhelmed and couldn't understand any of the talk. How strange! Didn't the heavens say there could only be one heavenly tree, which was mother?

But if anyone in the Old Yan knew something, it had to be that strange tree!

"Have you seen my siblings?" it called out.

The ancient tree harrumphed in disdain.

"A remnant of the 1st heavens... how distasteful. Begone from my sight at this instant!"

But a wise owl perched in its branches spoke.

"Now, now. Loosen up a little, it is but a mere child." it shook its head, "Little one, I apologise. I have seen a few, but alas, they were eaten by thousand-reach giraffes!"

The little leaf sobbed at the fate of its siblings. How could such cruelty have befallen them? But it flew onwards further.

On the 13th eternal day, it found an old dragon that weaved its body like a thread through the endless tapestry of clouds.

"Have you seen my siblings?" it called out.

"Alas! They fell into the great abyss and were never seen again."

The little leaf sobbed, but it flew on further.

Eternal day after day passed as it asked a million strangers, but there had only been news of its siblings' deaths.

Little leaf was exhausted.

It landed in the white crystal desert of the white plains at last. It was no longer vibrant green and was now an old leaf covered in cracks.

All it felt now was regret. And in its last moments, little leaf wondered where mother tree was now.

"Mother... I miss you."

With those words, it faded into dust.

...

Baiyun flipped to the last page of the book. There was only a depiction of a fallen tree with its wood rotted black.

He stared in silence for a moment. Then he flung the book in anger and it slammed into the floor! The mole cried out in fear as the thud resounded loudly.

This was supposed to be a book for children? Ridiculous! Baiyun took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He didn't understand why he was so furious about this. This wasn't like him.

Something about the folk's tale had touched upon something deeply personal.

He let out the breath and let his anger melt away.

Baiyun looked back down on the book and finally saw the author's name on the cover. Bai Lian Xiao, the Hundred Laughing Faces... what a bizarre name.

The mention of the 1st and 2nd heaven was even stranger, for the 8th heaven had reigned for so long that few records of even the 7th remained. Not even the oldest of sages from his old homeworld knew anything about such a bygone time, let alone the people of a mortal world.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

He supposed the book must have been written recently, inspired by the declaration of the 9th heaven as they took over.

Baiyun could still remember the golden words that flooded through the cosmos and etched themselves into the very fabric of the universe 108 years ago. The heavenly words consumed even the dark canvas of space, rendering all of existence as bright as day.

From the most venerable to the lowest of the lowest of the low, everyone without exception looked upwards. Their eyes were blinded and overflowing with tears as the very words seemed to carve themselves into their very souls.

No one who witnessed it could ever forget, especially so for Baiyun; as in a sense, it was the event that led to the death of his past self at the hands of his disciple...

Almost no records of the first 6 heavens existed, but it was easy to make up myths. To compare the tree to the 1st heaven was to make it sound as old as time itself, which did match the author's tendency to exaggerate with mentions of infinity.

But who exactly wrote this book? Baiyun picked up the book and used divine touch to analyse it as best as he could, but it seemed to be made of ordinary paper and ink. The only thing off was how strangely perfect the brush strokes were; the lines were neat and clean even on a microscopic level.

This book wasn't written by a mortal.

Baiyun suddenly jolted as he finally noticed the movements of the skies from the corner of his eye. The book was not long, but somehow, an hour had already passed. He hurriedly rushed to the red elixir and picked it up. The essences had already fully reacted by now, if he waited any longer, it would only lose potency!

It was now a murky black-red that swirled ominously, with little traces of the bright crimson red it once had been.

The mole began to make gagging sounds at the sight of the liquid as if to berate him.

Baiyun shook his head as he placed a large wooden bowl on the floor. He raised his legs over it carefully as he took the beaker of elixir and slowly poured droplet after droplet of it onto his wounds. He carefully shifted and adjusted them to ensure the most even coating he could.

A jolt short through his feet as they began to convulse and bulge with veins. His face was strained as he kept them still with all his might, miraculously not spilling even a single drop of elixir.

"Krrr!"

The mole shrieked as the wounded flesh began to squirm as bits of pink matter seemed to surface. Bit by bit, the pink matter stretched and began to cover the skinless muscle, revealing their nature as fresh skin.

Baiyun continued to pour the elixir bit by bit onto his wounds for the next few hours; the sun rose, the light of dawn basking him from the windows.

"Stop hiding and come here!" he shouted.

The mole whimpered as it crawled out from the cage, only to be surprised by how much the giant had recovered. All the wounds were gone and replaced with delicate pink flesh. It would take a few more days for it to return to normal but the worst of it was over.

Baiyun chuckled at its reaction. Was this not a testament to the might of alchemy? He proudly conveyed his feelings to it with soulsense.

"Krr, krr!! KRRRR!" the mole squeaked in indignation.

Too grotesque! It would get nightmares for weeks! Besides, Baiyun was supposed to prove the "stupid pebbles" weren't useless, not whatever the "scary water" he showed it was!

...the contract remained unfulfilled.

Baiyun slapped his hand to his head.

This stupid mole! In this situation, it wouldn't make sense for him to make a pill as the wounds were external. Why did it have to fixate itself on pills specifically? He wished he had shown it a larger variety of alchemic products.

Hah... Whatever. He had gotten the ingredients needed for the mole's breakthrough pill anyway. Though, there was still the problem of how he'd concoct it. Qinghe's cauldron was a step closer, but he still lacked any method to control essence.

Baiyun padded his spare shoes with thin cloth before stuffing the mole into the cauldron and heading out with it. He decided to take a breather for now.

He trudged downstairs and left the inn, sitting down on a bench close to the town's well.

The light of dawn was beautiful and the wind swayed his hair gently. It was nice to have a moment of peace.

Baiyun let his thoughts run aimlessly for the next hour as he stroked the cauldron, pondering all sorts of mundane thoughts. The mole slowly dozed off inside.

Why did the town need a well if the canal was already a source of water? And the location of this town made no sense. There were wild locations full of natural treasures close by, but was there a need for a whole town instead of just a small cultivator camp? Not to mention there only seemed to be mortals here, yet they seemed so familiar with the cultivators.

His thoughts came to a pause as divine thread sensed Jingfeng approaching, before tapping him on the shoulder.

Baiyun turned over and stared at him blankly.

"Not even surprised?" Jingfeng grinned. "I even masked my footsteps with wind!"

"What is it?" Baiyun asked.

He was slightly miffed about his moment of peace being interrupted.

Jingfeng saw the annoyed look and sighed.

"Hah... How do I go about explaining this?" he began. "Elder sister Fei An told me about how you had been sneaking into the wilds and told me to keep an eye on you. But by the time I started looking for you, Mohei told me you already ran off! I couldn't find you anywhere! You snuck out again to the forest, didn't you?"

It seemed after Fei An told him to keep it a secret, she ended up being the one to spill it. Though from the sound of it, she was being lazy and passed her role to her brother. At least he seemed to be the only one she told.

Baiyun was about to reply when Jingfeng suddenly grabbed his sleeves and pulled them back. His arms were covered in bruises and scratches; when he fled the beetle, he had quite the rough tussle through forest plants and canopies.

He hadn't been able to restore those injuries because of how much he focused on recovering the wounds on his legs.

"Look how hurt you are..." Jingfeng frowned. "Why sneak out by yourself anyway? You could lose your life! If you want to explore so badly, why not ask around and gather a team? It's much safer during daytime too."

Baiyun laughed awkwardly.

That was true. But he would only receive a small percent of the spoils in a large team. Besides, if he had the audacity to challenge the blackhorn beetle in their presence, they would probably call him crazy and forcefully drag him away.

He had to admit he would have struggled to capture the mole if Fei An didn't happen to be there on his first trip however. But the blackhorn root was precious enough to him that he wanted the full share. After he used a part of it for the mole's Foundational breakthrough, it would be very useful for his own advancements as well.

Baiyun scratched his head and acted innocent.

"Ah! Why didn't I think of that? You're right, Jingfeng. But I'm a little worn out so I'm afraid I'll have to rest for the next few days."

He had already accomplished his goal in the forest for now, so there wasn't a need to return especially with his injuries.

Jingfeng let out a sigh of relief.

"That's great then! I was worried you'd decline and insist on sneaking off anyway... You need to take care of yourself. You only have one life!"

Baiyun laughed.

"Yeah, that's true."

A second life was still precious.

The two of them chatted for a little before parting ways. Baiyun stretched and relieved the tension in his joints when Jingfeng suddenly paused and turned around.

"...I'll get mad if you sneak behind my back after promising that, okay?"

"You worry too much!" Baiyun laughed again.

Jingfeng gave him one last suspicious look before walking off, and Baiyun got up.

That was enough rest. There was much to be done.

He returned to the inn and headed upstairs to his room, taking a seat at his table. He put away his alchemy tools and took out two of Qinghe's textbooks.

[An Apprentice's Guide to Alchemy, by Elder Qian Laohe]

[An Apprentice's Guide to Grade 1 Pills]

Baiyun slowly flipped through them and mused to himself as he read leisurely. At times his eyebrows would furrow, at times he would laugh, but he mostly read with focused eyes and keen interest. Onlookers would think he was reading an amusing novel instead of a monotone textbook.

Interesting, very interesting!

The contents of a beginner's textbook was naturally nothing profound, but he found himself engrossed regardless. They did not differ much in key principles from the basics of his past word, but the key differences in techniques used were quite fascinating.

In the centre of the universe were the heavens. The closer a world was to them, the denser qi would get. Qi grew sparser and sparser the closer to the universe's edge one got, until there was only an empty void.

Baiyun's current world was close to the edge and relatively devoid of qi. To climb to merely Nascent Soul, one would have to claw and fight for resources and often cultivate for at least a hundred years.

Aoyang's homeworld was a ridiculous contrast however. It was only a quarter of the radius towards the heavens and blessed with vast qi. In such hallowed ground, mortals did not exist, for even children would be born with qi surpassing that of Nascent Soul cultivators.

The apprentices of this world lacked the luxury of such power and had to use more creative methods.

Baiyun imagined an instance of an apprentice from each world refining the Heartearth essence of an Earthcore Gnarl.

The old world apprentice would pulverise the herb into a fine paste with qi and forcefully separate all solid matter. Then, they would separate the base components from the liquid with careful qi control.

10-30 seconds, only Qi Control used. 99.9% of all essences extracted with minimal loss.

Meanwhile, the new world apprentice would have to spend several minutes grinding the herb into a paste and filtering it. They would also use water magic to extract as much of the liquid from the pulp as possible. It was fairly consistent with what Baiyun was doing in this world, but the next part was what made it novel.

The people of this world invented what they called "Temporal Alchemic Particles", fake alchemic essences created by unique spells! These particles were often designed to bind to their target essence. And with their nature as the caster's spell, they could simply be floated into the air with the real essence attached.

Since the particles extracted were of the earth attribute, a little earth mastery was also needed for this.

6-15 minutes, Qi Control, Water Magic, Alchemic Particle Creation, Earth Magic used. 90% of Heartearth essence extracted, no other essence obtained.

There was also the caveat that the alchemic particle binding to Heartearth would first need to be researched and discovered. If it had yet to be discovered, the research could take weeks.

This was on paper a landslide victory for the old world alchemist.

But if the old world alchemist had used 9999 units of qi, the new world alchemist had only used 1 unit. It was as if a mortal stood against a towering giant and barely lost the fight!

Marvellous! Truly marvellous!

As an elder from his old sect once said, limitations bred ingenuity. Baiyun was extremely excited as he nodded in approval, holding back his desire to shout his praise for the alchemists of this world.

Temporal Alchemic Particles... Baiyun wished so badly he had functional meridians so he could actually try creating his own. Ah, why did he have to be born in this accused body that couldn't cast a single spell? He was certain he would be able to discover new uses for these particles beyond separating essence!

For a moment, he remembered his old lab. If he had caught wind of such an innovation in his past life, he could have easily spent a hundred sleepless years researching excitedly!

Baiyun could only sigh as he shook his wistful thoughts away. That time was already long gone.

Hours passed in a flash as he read and the noon sun soon glared through the window. He finally noticed the passage of time as he looked up with a squint.

It was time to put down the books and get to work. Baiyun's hands shook with reluctance and he had to take a deep breath. But he knew himself and his tendencies. If he really let himself go, he could easily spend the next few years analysing and theorising about all of Qinghe's old textbooks. That luxury of time was something he did not have right now.

He placed the books back into his bag gently with a saddened look on his face. It was as if he was holding a delicate newborn he was afraid to drop.

There was still much to be done today.

Baiyun left the inn and made a quick trip to the market.

Iron Salt (10 tokens), Silver Dust (30 tokens), Rose-tinted Grass (2 tokens), Thorny Ironroot (8 tokens) and last but not least, a really long metal spoon with a rubbery handle (4 tokens).

54 tokens spent, just like that...

He frowned at his remaining 72 tokens. It truly was stifling to be poor. At the very least, the iron salt and silver dust he had bought weren't primary ingredients and would probably last him for at least a year.

Baiyun looked around town and found a quiet alleyway. He sat down and took out his alchemic tools.