"That's a very big claim to your name, Eternium Knight. Have you even made a single Iron Realm Pill?" The Elf Steelsmith asked with a knowing glance at the glove goddess' iron pin bound to her the side of her Eternium gorget. Steel Eminences would instantly know the truth, which made the iron pin a bit foolish to wear, before actually crafting a single Iron Pill.

She sighed and took off the achemist pin in defeat. "I know. It is a big claim. But I can also prove it. I can make Iron Realm Pills. I know 48 different complete recipes, and potentially some 230 more, at less than full success ratios." The glove goddess made a cup with her armored glove, and crafted a Bronze Pill in less than a minute.

The Elfsmith rose a eyebrow, and focused on the pill for a second, then glanced at her glove. "Amusing as it is, seeing my Eternium glove being used as a cauldron, that doesn't make you an Iron Alchemist, even though that Phoenix Fire is quite valuable. And stolen too, if my senses are correct."

"I do need a proper cauldron. Not a Steel Artifact either." the glove admited in a sad sigh.

The Elfsmith sighed, and began laying down various priceless metals and crystals, then a Phoenix feather and a few Tree leaves. "Nobody has a Steel Realm Cauldron, my annoying customer. Maybe one of the Three can make one, if they deem it worth to invest a Realm worth of resources into such a foolish endevour. Not that any of them are a True Creator anyway."

The glove tapped her armor plate, making the Eternium sing. "With enough Eternium, and a few bits of the World Tree...it might. No, I would bet somebody tried already."

The Elfsmith nodded and pressed his hands together to open the River of Creation. "You can push some energy too, if you want to get it faster. There's a reason there are so few Iron Alchemists, even considering how hard it is to find a good alchemic fire."

The glove goddess added her own Steel energy into the crafting process, making it go somewhat faster. An hour later, a somewhat dignified, yet burned and ugly cauldron rose up, and received its own Tribulation. "My own Iron Pot." she whispered as she took the artifact in her palm.

'Kettle calling the pot black, huh? You're only a damn glove. At least I was meant for my purpose.' the Iron Pot growled back in her mind.

'Hush, young one. I need 42...no, only 40 Iron Ascension Pills for the Legion Captains. But since I am a new Iron Alchemist, we will start with the easier Iron Stars. And look, we have a willing test subject for your pills right here.' the glove answered with a glance at the waiting Kalima.

The glove had learned her lesson, and would make sure Pef's wives were at least as strong as he was. Lia and Kalima were already in Tier 11, so they will benefit from the Iron Stars first.

Using the same method as Rejin did to create his Copper Stars decades ago, she eased on the Ascension intent and instead focused to increase potency and qi quality with the Iron Stars.

A few hours later, the first dozen pills popped out of the Iron Pot, slightly burned and with 6 complete failures among them.

She flicked one of each to the Elfsmith, and then a working pill at Kalima. "Try this, Godmother. You should gain a new Star from it."

Kalima smiled and ate her pill, then sat down with her teeth gritten in pain.

"Your first Iron Realm pill. I don't know why I was expecting a line pill from someone who never used a pill cauldron before." the Elf smith mused in a thoughtful voice, then ate the burned pill for some reason.

His eyes bulged for a second, then he exhaled a black gas which he promptly cleaned away with a wave of his hand. "Give the burned ones to me. While they are not fit for human use, the calcinated reagents will still improve my artifacts by a small measure."

"Waste not, right?" The glove answered rhetorically, then placed her iron pin back to her armor's neck.

Sending the pills towards the Elfsmith, the glove goddess collected the newest power suits in her glove pocket and walked out, then entered a waiting portal.

"I used to be certain it takes a million Chaos Cycles to obtain the iron pin. Don't worry Kalima, I will keep your next Stars safe. Although I don't recommend taking another one for a month or two. They are quite toxic, like all mediocre pills." The Elfsmith told his disciple who just let out a groan of pain.

"My husband makes much better stuff." Kalima muttered between her teeth, no longer hiding the pain coursing through her dantian and meridians.

"That he does, your strange Divine Cook. His wine even works as a Steel Star after all. Damn that Iron Cauldron came out ugly. I thought I was a good soul smith, but making alchemy cauldrons is just that difficult." he noted with a sad voice.

"The Heavens thought differently, Master. You have reached the True Dao." Kalima whispered as sweat poured on her face and back.

"True Dao, huh? I used to think so too, before that woman came. Now, I'm quite certain she is here to show me my flaws. And maybe fix them, with her strange requests and difficult artifacts.

I wonder how she's fixing that moron Beasthunter..." the Elf Steelsmith said in a pained voice, which reflected the pain of his disciple.

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"Be faster. More aggressive. These stupid Chaosbeasts have reached True Dao, by becoming simplicity itself. They hunt and feed and grow stronger. Nothing complex, no higher thoughts or meditation. They just are." the glove urged the Beasthunter with her voice, while the Phoenix Fire burned him.

And this, while the Steel Eminence cultivator was fighting a giant Chaos Whale, a billion times his size.

"Just be." the Beasthunter spoke in a calm voice, and moved even faster. The Dimensional Claws of the Phoenix Fire ripped through his skin and muscles, trying to hold him back.

But he was getting stronger. More durable. More.

Part of it was the Legion's cultivation method. Although too weak to actually affect a Steel Realm like himself, the knowledge was there, in his blood now.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

He punched, kicked, chopped and gouged the huge beast, but his strikes had only temporary effect.

The armored goddess flew by and scooped the Chaos Whale's eyes out, then returned at his back and began crafting pills in an ugly Iron Cauldron, which looked like a cooking pot burned black by too many feasts.

"I'm good!" the woman yelled in joy as a Heavenly Tribulation fell on the Iron Cauldron, bestowing the emerging pill with a lighning cloud.

"You can make cloud pills?" he asked in awe, and some confusion. Even the famous Pill Master, the best Alchemist in the Higher Heavens had only made a few Iron line pills, in his entire long life.

The Eternium Knight held the cloud pill in her fingers. "This one is yours, Beasthunter. If you die, that is. Instant peak Iron Realm, as soon as we find you."

As the Beasthunter fought with an easier heart, another tribulation fell, blackening the poor pot even more.

"I think I got the gist of Alchemy now. Leave the poor Whale alone now. Let's go find a Steel Stingray." the armored woman demanded while storing the pill in her glove pocket.

They Blinked away, moving fast and farther they had even been in the Chaos Sea. Infinite the Sea may be, but stingrays were quite rare, and Steel Realms ones even more so.

"Does the deal still stand if I die fighting this beast?" the Beasthunter asked as they finally located one of the rare monsters.

"What do you think?" the armored goddess asked rhetorical.

"Damn. Then I better not die." he muttered in a grim voice then flew forward faster than he ever been.

"I want the tail. Make sure not to damage it." The Eternium Knight demanded in a careless voice, while setting down her cauldron and began crafting pills again.

The Beasthunter fought like crazy, while also trying not to smash the damn deadly tail of the Steel Stingray. He almost managed, gouging half the body of the beast away, and ripping off its lower jaw, when the intact stinger tail curved at an impossible angle and struck him in the back.

"Uhhh. I hope the precious sting is intact..." he heard the armored goddess exclaim in concern, before the veil of death covered his eyes.

He woke up sometimes later, his head in the lap of the Life Goddess and death a bit farther away.

"My dear idiot...you almost died. You're lucky the Wizard brought you to me so fast." she spoke in a soothing voice.

His selves checked his body for injuries or poison, but the Life Goddess did good work. Her conceptual domain practically blocked death in her presence, not to mention her famous healing skills, and the less famous poison skills.

"Was there something in my back?" he asked as his mind returned.

"There used to be a poisonous barb, which was luckily ripped out before the Chaos poison was fully injected. And then someone cauterized the wound with Phoenix Fire, which delayed the spread of poison for a few seconds. If I were to guess, it wasn't the Phoenix Elder who saved you at first." the Life Goddess asked in a sweet voice, sweeter than usual as she was licking a finger covered in honey.

The Beasthunter stood up, and then bowed to his saviour. "I was a bit foolish to try a Steel Stingray so soon. I need more training." he explained in a sheepy voice.

"Hmmm. So she had you fight a Stingray, and didn't even let me have the precious sting and that delightful poison. And even burned the used bits before I could get them. Damn it. I might have found my match." the Life Goddess commented with a distant voice.

"This was some kind of game between you two, with my life on the line?" Beasthunter asked a bit outraged.

"You know who I am, my brave idiot. Your life was never in danger. No, this was her response to my spiked gift I gave to her ward, the Divine Cook. A spike for a spike, even if the boy didn't die. I would say he became quite stronger with his new Body of Laws." the Life Goddess mused in a shrew voice.

"Please don't play with my life again, either of you. And why would you poison an innocent Iron Realm, Life Goddess? That's like stepping on ants for fun. Shame on you!" the Beasthunter growled, sounding quite outraged.

The woman sighed and licked her finger on last time. "You're right, my young friend. But speaking of ants, do you know how many ants it takes to devour a whale?" she asked in a sneaky voice.

"I don't know. A billion ants maybe?" the Beasthunter answered with a shrug.

"That's exactly how many Soldiers the Veritas Legion sent to wage war on the Jade House. And their newest regiment has only Soldier Ants. All in Bronze Realm." the Life Goddess mused in a thoughtful voice.

"Errr. I see." he said with a frown. He even knew exactly who was making a million Bronze Pills with such ease. And even Iron Pills for that matter.

"I expect you do, since you also joined their Legion. If you also join the war, know that I cannot help you then. The Celestial Dean has proclaimed that we let those two fight it out. And with his latest Star, I am a faithful servant of Heavens again." the Life Goddess warned him in a colder voice.

"I doubt I will be called into this war, my lady. It would be overkill, since I just gained my 5th Star, and the Jade Eminence is only in his 2nd Star. The Legion has other assets to deal with Jade House, like those ants you mentioned." Beasthunter said in a calm voice.

"Fine. Off you go then, my silly friend. Maybe I worry too much." the Life Goddess spoke in a casual voice, then waved her palm and expulsed the Beasthunter from her lands, and by coincidence right beside the Divine Cook.

Her eyes glinted coldly, as she lost this round to the damned Eternium Knight. No matter, if the new Eminence wouldn't share a cup out of fear or politeness, she will go at the source.

The Divine Cook had made the Ascension Wine, after all. Maybe the miracle could be repeated, and then she'll have a whole bottle.