This time I go in low for his knees but he jumps back to dodge and counter attacks with a strike to my neck. I bring my sword up and knock his blade over my head for the block, the reverberating clash as our living weapons met for the first time sent a shockwave thoughout this public garden subspace. The violent energy shatters the space as it passes though. But a pale green formation protects all the spiritual plants, but all normal plants, the trees, grass and even the weeds are all gone as they instantly turn into fine ash.

I stare grinning at that powerful protective formation below me and understand only a little as I imprint the entire formation into my mind for later study. I'm going to learn alot from this formation, I got a treasure, just like that. I look over to the berserker next to me and see his grinning and he continues to study the formation then sprouts "good call my young friend, looks like we can go all out" and pumps his cultivation to late stage eight.

But I just grin back since I can't go any higher and give a slow shake of disappointment. Not that I worry, I can go toe to toe with a mid stage nine cultivator, but then I remember he is an alchemist while I am a cultivator than happens to be good at alchemy. I doubt I would have to give up of this magnificant speciman of the Light of the Divine even if he stronger than mid stage nine. This tier eight material is famous for being one of the main ingredients for peak tier eight Broaden Ones Horizons longevity pill.

Broaden One Horizons will extend a peak stage eight cultivor's life by one hundred years and the potential that is gain by these extra years maybe enough for a breakthough for a peak stage nine expert. This is the pill to have as a peak stage eight cultivator, because this is how all the breakthoughs in this era has ever known. All the other paths learn from the last era has somehow failed to produce a single stage nine expert this era, and this is a dilemma the whole world is facing.

The surviving stage nine experts from the last era are panicking, because their own path of cultivating is no longer allowing their followers and decendants to breakthough to stage nine. They all felt the timeshift that started the current Era of Alchemy for only by alchemy can you become a stage nine expert, as such the seven Grandmaster Alchemist has the entire attention of populous of this world.

For the first time in this era the ability to craft a tier nine pill has been achieved. The pill is called Primvadia Decluasia that will advance a stage nine elemental affinities up three levels to a maxium of tier eight while their strongest affinity is boosted to tier nine. Divine Alchemist Talonrod promptly consume that pill to boost his fire affinity to tier nine, it is said many a tears fell from the alchemists watching him craft that pill that day. However, one can not say they were crying for the glory for the first branch of alchemy to produce a tier nine pill or because they shed tears for a pill they could no longer hope to buy.

As our swords grind against one another I slowly push him back a few inches at a time unless he goes all out and stops me in my tracks for a breath of time. It's your basic strength test we check our manliness index of who is stronger while we continue to study the formation below us. Since I already have a full copy, let's make him regret trying to steal my things. I step to the right and twist of my hand so my sword grinds up his sword and his sudden test of strength dissolve into his sword swooshing pass my body and I give him an over hand chop to interupt his study time. But he pounces away with another dodge and goes right back in to take a stab at my heart but his grin is gone for a moment of disappointment. Serves you right for losing a chance to learn the most you can from that formation.

Then I blocked his attack and gave a sudden heave and send him off balance backwards a few paces again. I jump forward with a swing at his closest leg. But he manages to block it and jump back before I can heave him off balance again. This time he takes a swing at my sword arm, so I twisted my hand and punched upwards to give me some momentum to help block some of force of his attack.

I used that momentum to continue to press until I stagger him backwards again. I launch my next attack with a swing at his gut. But he manages to block and back peddles a bit but still in control as we end our second exchange.

We both glance around to see the remaining spiritual herbs still unharmws, covered by that green barrier. My hands regenerates as we study the surrounding spiritual plants and just happy to see that the green barrier is just working fine. I been watching the blood drip from his hands slowly dwindle, compared to me his recovery is slower which means his body crafting technique is much weaker than mine.

Each time our swords clash, the reverberation shred our palms. Since he is still regenerating, I open up the next exchange with Shake the Heavens, a late tier eight battle skill. I drew both Profound Qi and Elemental Deepwater Qi from my dantian and with my spiritual force weave and mix them together with a spiritual technique to strengthen the weave before pouring that into my sword in order to make that skill happen.

My sword burst into life and grow to about three times longer radiating massive spikes of water qi fused with sword qi which I quickly slash at the space above. A giant many armed stroke of heat lightning lit the sky above permanently leaving a black imprint of itself there. From these cracks water pour out and form into spining blades filled with the fused water and sword qi. Every inch of space of this subspace is sudden bombarded and slashed apart except for the small space surrounding me. All the spiritual plant have fading remains of those spinning disks embedded in that protective green barrier.

When I see him again an instant later as the hail of blades finish their flight. I see several slashes covering his body, so I gain first blood and smile with "old man, Light of the Divine is mine. But I wouldn't mind another exchange to prove it, and it will be your turn to attack if that helps. But if I win again, all these herbs are mine."

It does as I see his cultivation rise to peak stage eight and his grin returns with "that sounds good welp, I don't believe someone as young as you could possibly use it. It would be a waste having you experiment on it just to increase your mastery" with shakes of his head in disapproval.

I'm already pouring Profound Qi into my sword and wait to see what elemental signs when he begin his skill and I provide "disrespect is all I get old man, stopping pulling your punches and let see what you really got." I buff my nails of my left hand on my chest before inspecting them, before adding "I really thought I could cut loose today, but I'm already bored" and then sigh in mock displeasure as I watch him with the corner of my right eye.

I watch his eyes twitch to my enjoyment before he utters "I wanted to enjoy the moment, but if you insist on going to the endgame already, then fine" and he breaks though to early stage nine. I raise my eyebrow of is that all? Then I see him punch through to mid stage nine, then I give him the thumps up.

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I see signs of Wind Qi on his weapon, so I pour in earth qi and settle in with A Touch of Heaven, an peak tier eight defensive battle skill. Soon I was surrounded by a illusionary mountain peak of fused earth and sword qi. Then I made eight slashes to imprint the inside edge of the mountain with eight defensive layers. Each strike materialize the mountain more and turning the inside where I am standing into shade. The mountain I created has a touch of divine presence, as if it might have really came from some heavenly plane.

I watch him power up his skill of wind and sword qi to form a thousand wind spears as sharp as mid stage nine blades. They come hurdling in and pummeled my defensive mountain. They eat though all eight layers and a single one come though to be intercepted by a slash of my sword and shrug off the rest of the force without stepping back and hand out "is that all old man? Run along old one, this place is mine." Then I use my left hand to gesture go away.

He gives my his huh? look before his shoulders goes slumping to his sides in defeat, turns around and pick a random door out. As soon as he leaves I go about harvesting the remaining spiritual herbs. Once done I shave off the top layer of medicinal earth and dump it into my inner world. With a second dose today, my inner world has become rich and vibrant. Large patches of greenry can be see here are there if I inspect my tiny world closely. My alchemy sensibility stops me from stealing to much medicinal earth here, after all, this place will continue to produce spiritual plants.

As I explore I test my abilities in trying to pass the treasure pill tests. But my success rate is poor, it's obvious that unknown techniques were developed just to make many of these pill. It's intriguing to try to find all the answers to make these pills. I fail five times and only manage one success which gave some tier seven materials mainly used for body crafting techniques. I almost have enough to make a broth to soak in that will increase my meridians and spiritual veins up another notch in purity while also completely cleansing the body of any remaining impurities.

Thanks to master's foundation techiques I know there is another use for Light of the Divine. By adding it to the ingrediants of the broth I can increase it power by another level. I'll be able to increase both my meridians and spiritual veins by two small advances. It might even be enough to pull my spiritual veins up to the next tier.

I stare into my master ring to see it caged in the best clear perservative jade case my master owned pulsating silently in the ring's void space. When I placed it with my other spiritual herbs, I notice the pulsating light work wonders on the nearby spiritual herbs. So I shoved all the most rarest herbs around it to absorb the pulsating glow. I see damage herbs slowly regenerate and even watch near ripe herbs start ripen a little more with each pulse of light. Light of the Divine sure is amazing, it's almost worth keeping to tend to my store of spiritual herbs.

All I need now is the Seed of the Undertow, which can only be found in the deepest ocean depths with a floor of volcanoes for light. This spiritual herb is most difficult to get as the Denizens of Deep war upon any outsiders that enter their territory. However, it's one their flagship products that they auction off on average every hundred years. The next auction is expected to be announce in the next few years, this is the second tidbit of news from the auction house I found important.

My master's memories flood in so I now know that trade will be thriving as all interested parties have set up a temporary head quarters in the city Karvallus that the Denizens of the Depths has their main auction house in as they wait for news on the seed. On a large island off the eastern edge of this continent that I am currently residing on.

All manners of rare alchemy materials are being sold there, especially as the seafolk as my master calls them, begin selling ever more rarer materials to build up their prestige before their official announcement. Looks like that is my next destination, so I stop staring at the memorizing pulsating flower and get back to exploring as I chew on tier nine resources as snacks.

I go though a door to discover a sub branch of alchemy with a pill called 'Cliffs of Insanity' as I read it's description, it is for curing insanity with a counter treatment of another form of instanity. As I examine the ingrediants I brighten up, sub branches are not too difficult, just got to be very careful with each step.

So I step in to the subspace simulator to activate the test and begin displaying my alchemy to produce the pill in real time with my illusionary materials. The reward I recieve was a small advance in my soul's purity which makes me a little more resistant to mental attacks. I love this place, searching though this trapped filled labyrinth to find secrets rooms containing a subspace simulator for pills I never heard of and hope I can solve for the rewards. Even if I fail these tests, I learn the recipe for the pills and have plenty of time to master them before I return.

I occassionally find unfunctioning simulator pads indictating that someone has taken it's reward. I quicken my pace as I do not know if there is a nearby cultivator competing with me or these closed down as a result for the first two times this remnant has been opened. My thoughts dwell on the guy I beat earlier so I pick up the pace some more.

I come to a sudden stop in front a defensive array and I began pealing away it's substance with my own breaching array. As I fed in qi I watch the space around me for intruders. As soon as I breach the defense array I quickly step though and the defense array reforms behind me. I glance over to the path I would have taken if I couldn't breach this array and notice I would have to deal with a lot more time wasting traps.

I smiled and continue my search knowing my fellow alchemists without mastery in arrays would spend most of their time entangled in those traps. Especially that sinister looking illusionary array in the middle of that path. I enter the second stage where this part of the labyrinth may contain several secret rooms with a simulator pad.

I finally run into my third medicinal garden, but this time I quickly tour the place and mark the place with the strongest spiritual herb and started harvesting in decending importance. I harvest nine herbs before an alchemist reared his ugly mug. I popped the newly harvested Crimson Elderberry into my masters ring and made a shooing motion with my left hand and provide "go away, this place is mine, I found it first" and hope he'll buy it. I head toward the next herb on my mental list while keeping an eye on this unwanted intruder.

He responds with "come on, there are plenty of herbs to go around and begins harvesting the closest spritual plant. I tsked and continue with my declining list. Let him take to lessor plants while I take the good stuff first before he catching on to what I am doing. I even act like a newbie and pretend I don't know how to harvest some of spiritual plants so I can move closer to the ones I wanted.

Everytime I voice a complaint I see him grin as he continues to harvest the closest plants to him. I laugh silently at him as I plucked the tenth most wanted plant on my list and properly store it away. Then I got to work racing clear as many spiritual plant in this garden relying on my knowledge to work toward the remaining plants of intesting.

Eventually I only sense a few spiritual plants remaining and so I take a break and let him have the remaining. I take a quick breeze though my new stockpile of spiritual plants from two and a half medicinal gardens I've raided and my mind goes into convulsions at the thought of the number of pills I can make with this new stock.

Ugly Mug goes on with "thanks for letting me have the remaining plants fellow alchemist" and cups his hands and leaves. I quickly got up and sweep the top inch of medicinal earth into my inner world and race out though a different door. A quick glance at my newly evolved inner world show that most of the desert areas have shrunk considerably, while the green areas have expanded some more. Looking even closer, I realize there are small bushes and saplings growing in the center of the larger green patches.