As soon as the ceremony’s conclusion was announced, everyone rushed out. Within a minute, the hall was completely empty, leaving only the three Grandmaster Alchemists and me. O Hu Yan looked irritated but no longer shot murderous glares my way.

“Tan Ji Tao, you are now one of the four Grandmaster Alchemists of our sect” - Chuk Cha Pyo addressed me. - “It’s a very honorable title that grants you a multitude of privileges. But you must understand that these privileges are given to you in advance for the pills you will produce for the guild.”

“I understand” - I nodded.

“Good. You have the right to kill any disciple of the Outer Court or the Inner Forest without explanation. You also have the right to punish Inner Court disciples, as long as they are not permanently injured and their lives are not in danger. You must ensure all lower-ranked individuals treat you with the respect and reverence befitting your position. However, you still remain as an Outer Court disciple, and that status can only change when you prove your loyalty to the sect, as well as your talent and strength. Mu Niam told me that you want to visit the Spiritual Geysers. He will now take you to the Inner Forest Overseer, who is responsible for organizing that journey. Meanwhile, we must all go. The expedition will depart in just half an hour.”

“Understood.” - I bowed once more.

After that, my colleagues left in a hurry, and Mu Niam grabbed me and carried me off in an unknown direction. I was still unfamiliar with the local geography, so my knowledge of the surroundings was limited to the places I’d already been.

“The Overseer is in that house” - my teacher said, setting me down near a gate leading into a small courtyard surrounded by a palisade, topped by a hemispherical barrier. After that, Mu Niam took off again on his undoubtedly important business.

I looked around and decided to change clothes. I didn’t like either the gold-embroidered Grandmaster robes or my ragged tatters. Instead, I donned the set of clothing for a senior Outer Court disciple that I had on hand, adding a sash with the guild’s colors, intended for just such occasions. Satisfied that I now looked more or less presentable and practical, I slung my club over my shoulder and headed into the courtyard.

The moment I passed through the gates, a twenty-year-old youth dressed in Inner Forest disciple attire rushed toward me. The Inner Forest division handled border security and maintained order in the territory under our control.

“Where do you think you’re going, you wretch!” - he yelled, darting toward me like a meteor.

“I’m a Grandmaster Alchemist” - I said, taking out my jade seal.

“Hand it over!” - the fool demanded and unexpectedly snatched this precious item from me. - “Where’d you steal thi-e-e-gh...”

I didn’t bother hesitating. I brought my club down on the offender, turning him into an unappetizing mess of guts and bones. After that, I retrieved my seal and continued forward.

“Attack!” - Another idiot jumped out from around the corner.

If the previous fool had been at the eighth level of Foundation Establishment (18), this one was only at the third. Without even looking, I smashed his stupid head off his shoulders with my club.

“How dare you-e-y-y...”

This time it was a disciple in Inner Court robes, also at the eighth level of Foundation Establishment (18). I simply slammed my club into his stomach, folding him in half and sending him sprawling into a muddy puddle. It seemed the club had significantly enhanced my combat capabilities.

“What’s going on here?” - The mini-boss of the area emerged from the house. He was at the eighth level of Core Formation (28), so I decided to speak with him politely.

“An attack on a Grandmaster Alchemist of the guild” - I shouted.

“Where?”

“Where what?” - I didn’t understand his question.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“Where’s the Grandmaster Alchemist?”

“Right here.” - I waved my seal in front of his face. It seemed that once he saw the robes of an Outer Court disciple, the overseer went completely colorblind or maybe just blind.

The cultivator looked at the seal and carefully scanned it with his Qi. He had no choice but to acknowledge that the seal was genuine and contained my image tattered clothes and a club on my shoulder included.

“Since when do we have a new Grandmaster Alchemist in the guild?” - he asked, unwilling to admit defeat.

“Since today.”

“And why did you kill my disciples?” - He glanced at the two mangled corpses.

“For attacking a Grandmaster Alchemist” - I repeated.

“I see” - the man winced. - “So, what does a Grandmaster Alchemist need from me?”

“You’re the Inner Forest Overseer?” - I clarified.

“Yes. My name is O Gee Zer.”

“I’m Tan Ji Tao. I want to join the expedition to the Spiritual Geysers.”

“Unfortunately for the Grandmaster Alchemist, he won’t be able to join this expedition due to his low cultivation level. That seal of yours alone won’t be enough” - O Gee Zer mocked.

“That’s why I have these two tokens, signed by the appropriate authorities, confirming my application to join.” - I held out two pieces of jade. One I received from the Outer Court Overseer, the other I’d signed myself.

My counterpart immediately snatched up both seals and began examining them closely. While Wang Zhu Tang’s document raised no questions, my own jade slip obviously puzzled him.

“What’s this?”

“My permission to participate.”

“And who signed it?”

“I did.” - I grinned shamelessly.

“You gave to yourself permission to participate?”

“Exactly!”

“That’s against the rules!” - the overseer protested.

“Which rules? Name the specific document and clause” - I said.

“I do not recognize this application.”

“Would you like me to discuss this with the sect leader? I was talking with him just ten minutes ago.”

O Gee Zer’s face twisted as though he’d bitten into a lemon.

“There are no more seats left in the Heavenly Ark” - he tried another excuse.

“Are there Outer Court or Inner Forest disciples among the passengers?” - I asked. - “I can kill any one of them which you can choose and take their place.”

“The Heavenly Ark’s seats are reserved only for elders and formal sect members.”

“How, then, will the disciples get there?”

“They’ll be carried by senior sect members.”

“I can go along with them.”

The overseer fell silent, glaring at me irritably, trying to think of yet another excuse.

“Fine. Wait here. Someone will come for you in about twenty minutes.”

With those words, O Gee Zer stepped out of the courtyard and flew off. I looked around and sighed heavily. If they dare to leave without me, someone would regret it bitterly, their screams will be echoing throughout the sect.

I pulled on my Grandmaster robes over my clothes to ensure that no blind fool would mistake me for a common disciple. Then I sat down on a bench beside the house, having first placed my club on top of a Steel Will Shield at ground level. Without that, the club would have just sunk into the soft forest soil.

Fifteen minutes later, a cultivator at the third level of Core Formation (23) descended from the sky, accompanied by a flock of disciples at Qi Condensation [1] and Foundation Establishment [2] who could not fly on their own.

“Are you the Grandmaster Alchemist?” - he asked.

“I am” - I replied, standing up and slinging my club over my shoulder.

“Your eminence won’t be diminished by traveling alongside these disciples, will it?”

“How could my infinite eminence possibly suffer from such trivial circumstances?” - I declared proudly, raising my head high.

“Excellent. Let’s go!” - With a wave of his hand, he integrated me into his ‘passenger group.’ However, the moment he lifted off the ground, his expression changed, reflecting sudden strain. - “Damn! Why are you so heavy?” - he protested.

“Oh, that’s my club. One moment.” - I shifted the club behind my back and fixed it in place with a series of shields, redirecting the load onto them. As a result, it created a situation like that old joke about Cheburashka: ‘I carry the suitcases, and you carry me, so everyone’s happy and no one’s tired.’

“What did you do?” - my “taxi driver” asked, baffled, as he ascended and reached cruising speed.

“It’s a secret technique” - I answered loftily.

“Haven’t you tried just putting that club in a spatial ring?”

“No. But they say no ring can withstand its Qi.”

“All right then. Listen up, everyone. My name is De Sad. Address me as Lord De Sad. I’m going to tell you where we’re going, what awaits you, and most importantly, what we expect of you.”

The trip to the Spiritual Geysers was a kind of treasure hunt and a chance for a free power-up in cultivation. The area lay on the border between the Sect of Heavenly Blades and the Black Lotus Sect, covering roughly 80 by 120 kilometers of lakes, swamps, and forests. It was considered a vital cultivation resource, so constant skirmishes broke out there with our neighboring sect.

Every ten years, special geysers erupted throughout this region, spewing “ancient Qi.” The geysers varied in intensity. Some might only be of interest to Qi Condensation cultivators, while others were so intense that even a tenth-level Core Formation (30) cultivator might find them too powerful. Sometimes, priceless treasures sprayed out along with the Qi and water. These had to be seized and handed over to the sect leadership, regardless of their apparent value. Firstly, not everyone could recognize a treasure’s true worth. Secondly, this was necessary to prevent these items from falling into the hands of our enemies in the Black Lotus Sect.