Chapter 267: Alchemy Manual

The journey had been long. Everyone was tired. Without protesting, the five said their goodbyes and left the hall.

Some time later, Dong Zhen returned to the top of the fortress. His office was located at the highest point of the structure.

He entered the room calmly. But before he even sat down… A knock sounded on the door.

“Enter.”

The door opened. A man dressed completely in black entered. On his chest was the symbol of the Blood Court.

He bowed briefly. Dong Zhen did not waste time.

“So?” His gaze was sharp.

“How did they do?”

The man sighed lightly before answering.

“Very well.”

He was the secret guardian sent to observe and protect Kyrian and the others during the mission.

He had not needed to reveal himself. Kyrian had practically faced no real difficulties. But he had observed everything. Every movement. Every fight.

The man continued speaking. He reported the presence of the great forces in the capital. He reported the Coliseum. The bets. The fights.

Then, finally, he reached the main point. He looked directly at Dong Zhen.

“Kyrian is like you when you were young…”

He made a small pause.

“No.”

“He is several times more terrifying.”

Dong Zhen remained silent.

The man continued.

“In the Coliseum, he faced opponents from an entire major realm above.”

“And he won all the fights.”

“Most without even seeming pressured.”

He crossed his arms.

“He is a true monster.”

“And his Innate Talent… is extremely special.”

The man took a deep breath before saying the last part.

“When he grows… he probably will not have many opponents in the northern territory.”

“Perhaps his destiny lies in the Central Territory.”

Then he concluded sincerely.

“I do not believe he will remain in the Court for very long.”

Dong Zhen listened to everything in silence. In truth… That was no surprise.

He already knew. Kyrian possessed an Innate Talent. Something comparable to celestial physiques. It was inevitable that one day he would leave the Blood Court.

But that did not bother him. They had already built a relationship.

If in the future the Court faced some problem… Perhaps that young man would remember where he had begun.

After a few more words, the man bowed and left the office.

Dong Zhen remained alone. He leaned back in the chair and looked at the dark ceiling. Thoughtful.

Dong Zhen remained motionless for a long time after the door closed.

The office at the top of the fortress was silent. Only the cold wind from the plains passed through the narrow stone windows, carrying the characteristic metallic smell of the Blood Court’s territory.

He tapped his fingers slowly on the table. Kyrian.

The name echoed in his thoughts.

Geniuses always appeared in the world of cultivation. Some shone for a few years before disappearing. Others managed to survive the countless trials and became figures that dominated entire regions.

But there was an even rarer type. Monsters. Individuals who seemed to break the rules of the world itself.

Dong Zhen had already suspected this when he saw Kyrian for the first time.

Now… that suspicion was being confirmed more and more. He let out a small sigh.

“Central Territory…” he murmured.

That was practically inevitable. If Kyrian continued growing at that pace, it would not take many years before the Blood Court became too small for him.

Dong Zhen closed his eyes for a few seconds. Then he set the thought aside.

The future was the problem of the future.

For now… it was enough that that young man continued growing.

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the fortress. Kyrian had finally returned to his dormitory.

The room was exactly as he had left it before departing for the Cloud Empire. Simple. Silent. Organized.

He closed the door behind him and walked to the bed. The return journey had been long, but it had not left him particularly tired. His body was already accustomed to long periods of activity.

Even so, he decided to rest a little. Kyrian sat on the bed and then raised his hand.

A small glow appeared. In the next instant, a thick book appeared in his hand, taken from inside his spatial ring.

He looked at the cover.

“Alchemy Manual, Part One. By Zhao Jiaqui.”

Kyrian passed his eyes over the name with some interest. Alchemy.

Until recently, he had never thought about following another path besides cultivation and strength.

But, after spending some time in the capital and observing the influence of alchemists… he realized something.

Alchemy was also a type of power.

Economic power. Power of resources. And, above all… independence.

Ordinary cultivators constantly needed to depend on pills bought or received from sects and masters.

But an alchemist could produce his own resources. And receive thousands of spirit stones, what he needed, easily.

For someone like Kyrian, who preferred to depend as little as possible on others… that was extremely attractive.

He opened the book. The old pages exhaled a faint smell of dried herbs.

Kyrian began to read. The first manual was extremely basic.

It explained the foundations that any beginner needed to understand before even touching an alchemical cauldron.

The concept of balance between ingredients. The importance of Qi control. The unstable nature of spiritual herbs.

Kyrian flipped through the pages calmly. The book also explained something essential.

To become an alchemist, it was necessary to possess affinity with fire Qi. Or else… to possess something rare, a spiritual flame.

Ordinary fire was not enough to refine spiritual ingredients.

A special type of flame was necessary that could withstand the energetic properties of the herbs.

Which would not be a problem, since he possessed the gray flame.

He continued reading. The manual explained the mentality necessary for an alchemist.

Patience. Control. Precision.

A small error during refinement could destroy all the ingredients. Sometimes, even cause explosions inside the cauldron.

Kyrian turned another page. As expected… there was no pill recipe in that first manual.

The work was purely theoretical. It served only to build a base of knowledge.

Some time later… Kyrian closed the book. He had finished.

With his special eyes, everything he read was permanently recorded in his memory. No word was forgotten. No detail was lost.

He placed the book beside the bed and remained silent for a few seconds. The information was simple. Extremely simple. But that was expected.

After all, that was the most basic and cheapest manual among all those he had bought in the Circle of Clouds.

Even so… it was still useful. Every journey needed to start somewhere.

Kyrian then murmured in a low voice.

“I ended up focusing on buying information… and forgot that I need a cauldron.”

He rested his chin on his hand, thoughtful. He shrugged lightly.

“I can go out to buy one when I really need it. When I go after herbs as well…”

After a brief moment, he added.

“Or I can ask Dong Zhen.”

Kyrian extended his hand again. Another book appeared in his palm.

“Alchemy Manual, Part Two.”

Without wasting time, he opened the book. And began to read again. The hours passed slowly. Kyrian immersed himself deeper and deeper into alchemical knowledge.

Concepts. Theories. Explanations about the properties of spiritual herbs.

He devoured the pages with impressive speed. Book after book. Manual after manual.

When he finally raised his eyes again… the night had already advanced deeply.

Kyrian closed the last manual among the five basic manuals he was reading.

His knowledge about alchemy was still superficial. But now… he possessed a real foundation.

His eyes slowly closed.

Outside, the dark clouds of the Blood Court continued moving slowly across the sky.

And in the silence of the fortress… Kyrian’s next step had already begun.

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