“Alright, that’s enough.” - Cho Ju Ro backed away. - “Mu Niam’s been waiting for us for five minutes already. Let’s head down.”
I glanced beneath my feet and realized I was hovering in the air at roughly a kilometer’s height. We’d fought a good long while. I began descending, occasionally slowing my fall by conjuring another “step” out of a shield. At this point, I was creating them precisely under my feet and only for the split second needed to stabilize myself. Even with my physique, the constant use of life energy left me feeling drained.
“How would you rate my skill level?” - I asked, catching up to Cho Ju Ro.
He looked at me somberly, as though reassessing me entirely.
- “You could defeat an opponent at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment (14), even if they were fighting at full power. You’d survive if a tenth-level Foundation Establishment (20) fighter attacked you. But a first-level Core Formation (21) cultivator could kill you without breaking a sweat.”
Not the greatest forecast, but considering my “novice” sixth level of Qi Condensation (6), it was effectively an admission that I was a heaven-defying genius. Which, to be fair, I sort of was… though I still had no idea why, and that mystery weighed on my mind.
Once we landed back on solid ground, I approached Mu Niam.
“Tang Ji Tao, how are you flying?” - he immediately asked. - “Flight is only possible starting from the fifth level of Foundation Establishment (15).”
“That wasn’t flying. I was just walking on air” - I said, showing him my “mystical technique.” The shields I conjured under my feet matched their outline precisely, making it nearly impossible to tell I was using them at all.
“You astonishing me more each time” - my teacher said, eyes wide. - “Never mind, we don’t have time for this. The ceremony to grant you the seal of Grandmaster Alchemist is about to start. Let’s go. We can’t afford any delay. And by the way, what are those rags you’re wearing? Where are your alchemist robes? You’re supposed to wear them for the ceremony.”
“Oh!” - I exclaimed, noticing the state of my clothes. After our fight, they had been reduced to tatters. I looked like a beggar who’d wandered the mountains and forests for years. - “Actually, these are my alchemist robes. They just got a bit worn out.”
“What? But… how can you show up to an official event dressed like that? People will laugh at me!”
“Is there a mirror around? I’d like to see myself.”
“Look.”
Mu Niam waved his hand, conjuring a full-length mirror made of Qi. I peered into it, assessing my new “stage look.” Fans of anime might have called me a “cultivator wild-type.” I messed up my hair and let my robe hang open over my bare, muscular chest, fully embracing the image of some northern savage.
“Not bad. All I’m missing is a giant club slung over my shoulder. Then I can really astonish the crowd as a wild barbarian who just so happened to wander into the hall and become a Grandmaster Alchemist.”
“Hahaha! Don’t make me laugh! Then again… you’re onto something. Come on, let’s find you a club.”
With that, Mu Niam grabbed me and carried me off toward the palace. Except we landed off to one side, near the entrance of some subterranean tunnel carved into the mountain. Passing by some rather formidable-looking guards, we entered an armory. Inside, we were greeted by an old man in gray-steel robes.
“Greetings, Fan Lun Jiang” - Mu Niam said with a nod. - “My disciple, Tang Ji Tao, is receiving the title of Grandmaster Alchemist today, and I’d like to issue him a weapon from the guild’s stores.”
“A grandmaster alchemist at his age and with such a cultivation level? Impressive.” - The old man looked me over. - “What kind of weapon do you need, young man?”
“A club! Knotted and crooked, made from a tree branch. One look at it and anyone should know it’s meant for smashing brains out.”
“Hahaha! Mu Niam, where did you find him?”
“In the eighth camp of the outer forest. Actually, it was Elder Sun Wei Bonk who found him.”
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“I see… Well, I do have a club that fits that description. But I’m not sure it will suit you.”
“What’s the problem?” - I asked.
“You’ll see. Come along.”
We moved deeper into the warehouse, passing countless racks filled with all sorts of weapons. Most were swords, but there were other types as well. At first, we saw nothing special, just run-of-the-mill items. Then we came across finer pieces. After that, weapons made of high-quality steel with inscribed seals. Beyond those, truly precious treasures, glowing faintly with Qi. Finally, we ended up in the farthest corner of the warehouse, where old rusted junk lay in heaps.
We navigated past crooked shelves and piles of random trash until we reached a small cleared area. In the center stood a stone pedestal, and on it rested the club. Judging by its appearance and internal structure, it looked like a tree branch or perhaps even a trunk, stripped of its bark and roughly trimmed of branches to leave behind some sort of natural spikes. The handle, though, was well-carved and sized to fit exactly one hand. Gripping it with both hands at once would be difficult. Its surface was black with minor dark-gray inclusions resembling growth rings.
“Take it” - the quartermaster said, smiling into his beard.
I approached the club, which stood upright on its handle, and grabbed hold of it, trying to lift it. Instead, I ended up lifting myself off the ground. My arms were enormously strong, so raising my own body weight was no trouble, because the club itself didn’t budge an inch. I might have been strong, but I was light, and the club weighed far more than anyone would reasonably expect. By my estimate, even if it were made of iridium, it wouldn’t weigh a tenth of what this thing did.
I made a few motions as if swinging it around. The weapon never wavered, but I got flung all over the place. When I returned to my original position, I let go of the club and stared at it thoughtfully.
“I think it was supposed to work differently than that.”
“Bwahahaha!” - Mu Niam burst out laughing, nearly rolling on the floor.
“Maybe you need something lighter” - the quartermaster offered.
“No, this suits me fine” - I objected. - “By any chance, do you know a technique that would let me stick myself to the ground, thus solving the problem of my body not having enough weight?”
“I know one.” - My teacher stopped laughing. - “Just a moment.” - He took out a small piece of jade and recorded some information onto it. - “Here you go.”
I read from the jade’s contents, a fairly simple technique somewhat similar to the ‘Dance of Autumn Leaves,’ but instead of pushing off from surfaces, it pulled me toward them. It was called the Strength of the Stone Giant.
“Thank you, Master” - I said, handing back the jade.
I spent a few minutes practicing the technique and then approached the club again. This time, I was firmly anchored to the rocky ground, which I had also imbued with the concept of immovability. Grabbing the club, I strained and managed to lift it into the air with difficulty. Mu Nyam gave a startled hiccup, he hadn’t seen me lift that heavy weight at the training grounds.
“It’s heavy, but I’ll get used to it. And it’ll knock out enemies in a single hit. None of those flimsy swords with their ‘Thousand Useless Strikes’ techniques. Here, every attack is ‘One Hit, One Corpse’” - I declared, swinging my new favorite club. It was about a meter long, so it didn’t look absurdly large compared to me. I could feel some dense and mysterious Qi inside it, which, for now, didn’t respond to my attempts to tame it.
“Looks like Skull Crusher has found its master” - Fan Lun Jiang said with satisfaction.
“That’s the club’s name?” - I asked. - “‘Skull Crusher.’ Yes, that’s exactly what a weapon like this should be called.”
“Just don’t you dare try to put it into a spatial ring” - the old man warned. - “No ring can withstand the internal Qi of this weapon. It’s made from Cursed Demonic Steel Oak. That’s another reason why no one wanted to claim Skull Crusher. Historical records say the club has its own spatial pocket where it rests when not in use by its owner, but no one has ever managed to subjugate its Qi.”
“Alright. I guess I’ll have to think of a way to carry it on my back” - I said, slightly disappointed.
We returned to the armory’s entrance, said our goodbyes to the quartermaster, and walked toward the main palace. Fortunately, it was quite close by. I carried my masterpiece of brutality slung over my shoulder, preparing to play the role of a wild barbarian. Thus, we passed through the palace and entered a lavishly furnished room next to the ‘throne hall.’ There, I was made to wait for almost an hour before being invited to the award ceremony.
I entered the throne hall of the palace like some wild northern barbarian who had wandered into the den of weak southern neighbors. Arrogance radiated from my every movement and shone in my eyes. Reaching the designated spot, I swung the club down from my shoulder, set it on the floor, and bowed to the sect leader. After that, my role was mostly that of a piece of furniture: stand still, blink occasionally. The attendees glanced at my outfit and whispered quietly among themselves, though outwardly maintaining a prim, austere demeanor.
There were far fewer people in the hall than last time. Only the elite were present; hardly any sycophants or servants attended. According to the script, it was announced that I had passed the Grandmaster Alchemist exam. Cheon Chu Han personally checked my recipe, listened to the guild master’s comments, inspected the pill, and then bestowed upon me the Grandmaster Alchemist’s seal and a set of robes embroidered with gold. I immediately threw on the robe, ceasing to frighten everyone with my wild, untamed appearance.
Overall, the ceremony was pompous but not memorable. Standard phrases, routine questions, obvious answers, most of those present, myself included, let it all pass through their minds without leaving any impression. At the end of the ceremony, the guild master personally gave me a jade slip containing a list of pills I was required to make for the guild over the next year. I solemnly assured him that I would get right on it in the very near future.