Spirit's Awakening: The Path of Lightning and Water-Chapter 382: The Alchemy & Pill-Making Competitions Begin

The gathered Elders and guardians of the sect were still trying to process what they had just heard. Just moments ago, they had assumed Lassim was still Spirit Transformation stage at most.

Now—

With Volten’s offhanded comment casually confirming that Lassim had already entered the Spirit Transcendence stage, their entire perception of him shifted.

A ripple of murmurs spread through the Elders, their gazes sharpening, reevaluating him not just as the Sect Master’s personal disciple, but as a potential major force within the sect’s future.

The atmosphere among them changed.

A few Elders tried to laugh it off, exchanging glances as if to say, Well, of course the Sect Master’s twin elemental disciple—the only one in all of Nexaria—would continue to advance ridiculously fast, but the tension was palpable as even this was absurd. His cultivation had reached the same stage as them, but since Lassim was keeping his spirit pressure reigned in, they all assumed he was Spirit Transcendence level 1.

Even if he competed in the Spirit Transcendence stage competition, he wasn’t likely to win against the few favored Spirit Transcendence stage disciples that had been made Personal Disciples in the last 5 years. The number was few, only 8 in total, counting Lassim, but he should be the lowest of them all cultivation-wise.

However, among the various Elders, those in charge of the sect’s Alchemy divisions exchanged meaningful looks.

One of them, Elder Biran, an older man with streaks of white in his deep violet hair, stroked his short, neatly-kept beard, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied Lassim.

"If he can advance this absurdly fast in cultivation," he murmured, "then that must mean his spiritual refinement abilities are abnormally high."

Another Alchemy Elder and his rival, Elder Orlea, a woman with delicate silver tattoos of runes lining her arms, nodded in agreement. "A natural gift for refining essence… That would make him an exceptional pill refiner."

Elder Biran nodded, his gaze flickering with lightning as he glanced between Lassim and Volten before he took a bold step forward, coughing lightly to draw attention to himself.

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Volten, who had just been reveling in the Elders’ stunned reactions, arched a brow in amusement.

Elder Biran cleared his throat.

"Lassim," he said smoothly, his tone calculated yet inviting, "have you ever considered studying Alchemy as a secondary profession?"

The question stalled the conversation entirely.

The other Elders immediately perked up.

Lassim blinked, caught off guard by the sudden proposal.

Before he could even open his mouth—

Volten snorted, releasing a gentle breeze of his [Defiance Lightning Law]-filled spirit pressure, shaking his head with an amused smirk.

"He’s already chosen a profession about a year ago. He’s now an official Array Apprentice under Rlyis and Eno."

A silence fell over the Elders.

Several of them stared.

A few even blinked, as if trying to process what they had just heard.

"…Wait." Elder Biran furrowed his brows. "Rlyis and Eno? Took him as an apprentice? Officially?"

The murmurs among the Elders intensified.

Everyone knew that Rlyis and Eno, the Lightning Sect’s most accomplished Construct Array Masters, had never formally accepted an apprentice.

Ever.

Not even once.

They had mentored many, even some of the Elders standing here today, advised even more, and collaborated with only a select few on actual designs—but never had they officially taken a personal disciple. Of course, Lassim was officially the Sect Master’s Personal Disciple so his status didn’t change or lower, but only was emboldened by their decision.

Yet now, Volten was standing there, completely unbothered, as if it was the most casual thing in the world.

A few Elders exchanged looks of pure disbelief.

Elder Orlea spoke up in reply, incredulously, "They… agreed? Why? Wait… you don’t mean he was involved with that new hybrid beast constr—" Not daring to finish her thought as she quickly covered her mouth.

Volten smirked knowingly, crossing his arms.

"That’s not all, but you’ll all see why soon enough at the end of the week." His golden-orange eyes gleamed with an undercurrent of mischief.

"Until then, stop pestering my disciple and focus on your own. Their competition is about to start after all."

As if on cue, the roar of the coliseum’s audience was still dying down from the excitement of Volten’s speech as the arena began to shift.

The once layered floating platforms, previously positioned and left in their natural state for individual duels, descended rapidly, locking into place with the main stage below. This nearly doubled the arena’s platform in total area and size.

The audience gasped and cheered in excitement at the coliseum’s transformation, the hovering platforms seamlessly fusing into a single, massive competition ground.

Lassim and the Elders stepped forward to join the Sect Master, watching changes. It was Lassim’s first time seeing this newly built coliseum and he was once more reminded that the Lightning Sect’s engineering capabilities truly were impressive. The arena could readily shift into any configuration necessary.

Across the field, a sea of competitors stepped forward, all wearing patches on their standard violet sect martial uniforms. There were all gold embellished as it was a competition for the Perosnal Disciples, but the patches on their robes signaled their affiliation with the sect’s Alchemy Division—a crest of lightning with herbs, potions and pills all neatly arranged. However, some patches’ potions were further embossed and highlighted for their Potion Brewing department, while others in darker hues but focusing on the round pills on the patch were also seen, representing Pill Refinement.

From the VIP box above, Volten leaned forward, smirking slightly. "Ah, the Alchemy Division is as dramatic as ever."

Lassim’s storm-filled gaze flicked to him. "What do you mean?"

As if answering his question, a single robed figure appeared out of thin air in a cloud of glittery pill dust onto the central announcer’s platform. The MC Disciple swept his gaze across the coliseum, his presence alone enough to command attention.

"Niko sure loves his theatrics. I told the boy he didn’t need to.." sighed Elder Orlea who seemed to slightly blush in embarrassment for her disciple’s display.

Niko Alzare, a personal disciple ranked individual that had been with the sect for nearly 200 years now, and one of the brightest alchemists of his generation, was not competing today—but he was the chosen voice for this event. His patch on his robes was decorated with golden embroidery all along every border and disciple, signifying his status in herbs, pills and potions.

"Honored elders, esteemed guests, and fellow disciples!" Niko’s voice boomed across the coliseum, his speech perfectly controlled, carrying an air of authority beyond his years.

"Welcome… to the Alchemy Division’s Grand Trials! My humble name is Niko and I will be your guide in today’s competitions!"

The audience erupted into cheers, but Niko simply raised a hand after a few moments to enjoy the limelight, silencing them in the next instant.

"As many of you already know, Alchemy is one of the foundational pillars of cultivation!" he continued, pacing slightly as he addressed the spectators. "Without the mastery of pills and potions, progress for many of us would slow or completely halt, injuries would linger, and our path forward against the Abyss would be far more treacherous!"

Lassim hummed. That much was true. No matter how strong someone was, alchemy always had its place in the world.

Niko gestured to the two distinct sides of the stage, where hundreds of competitors were lined up, standing before bustling groups of disciples that were quickly setting up the two hundred tables, couldrans, pots, fires, herbs and other tools necessary directly in front of each contestant.

"As per tradition, today’s competition is divided into two disciplines!" He extended a hand toward the leftmost section of the field.

"On this side, we have Pill Refinement! The art of condensing, purifying, and perfecting medicinal essences into stable forms that cultivators can consume to enhance their strength, stamina, and longevity."

Then, he turned to the right.

"And over here, we have Potion Brewing! A practice focused on the balance of liquid refinement, drawing out elemental and medicinal properties to create potent elixirs."

Niko continued, his voice sharp and engaging.

"The rules of today’s trials are as follows!"

He raised a metallic plate with a holographic display, letting it come to life as he carefully read, "Each competitor will be given two sets of carefully measured ingredients—one specifically prepared for their designated craft. Contestants, that means two chances, should you have time!"

"Pill Refiners must condense their medicinal essences into solid form, producing the highest-grade pill possible."

"Potion Brewers must infuse, refine, and balance their mixtures to achieve maximum potency and clarity."

Then, his tone grew heavier, emphasizing the next part.

"The results will be judged based on quality, stability, and refinement."

He gestured toward the elder’s viewing section that was just above ground level, where several notable Alchemy Elders sat, each carrying hundreds, if not over thousands of years, of experience.

"For those of you following along that may not be familiar with how pills and potions are graded, the highest-grade Earth grade pills will produce pill clouds—the more clouds, the better the quality. Less than Earth grade—known as mortal grade potions—would be a stain upon any Personal Disciple’s records here, so I won’t dare to mention those."

"Potions, on the other hand, will be judged by their clarity, elemental infusion, and special properties. The highest Earth grade potions reflect almost a gem-like quality when studied, which is exactly what our esteemed panel will be on the lookout for."

Niko’s smirk widened slightly, as though he was about to ignite some drama.

"And of course… we have our favorites."

The crowd stirred with excitement, whispers spreading like wildfire. The competitors remained composed, but Lassim could sense the tension rising.

Volten summoned a chair to sit and leaned back in his seat, amused. "Ah, here we go. Now for me to focus on whose disciple is whose."

Lassim raised a brow.

Volten chuckled. "There’s always speculation on which disciple will take the top prize. Alchemy competitions are just as political as they are skill-based, as I mentioned before. The better a disciple does, the higher I reward their teacher and support them in hopes that they accept more disciples to nurture for the future. The future of the sect relies heavily on this competition to stay ahead of our competitors, and to make sure we remain looking towards the future with new ideas."

Niko motioned toward the elders’ viewing area.

"And, as expected, our esteemed elders have placed their hopes on their newest, finest disciples, some of which are competing today."

A respected Alchemy Elder, Elder Varis Ilman, stood from his seat. His robes were deep crimson, embroidered with a golden cauldron insignia—marking him as one of the leading Pill Refiners of the sect.

"Calem Vren—my personal disciple and one of the most promising Pill Refiners in this generation," he turned to face where Volten was up in the high platform, "He shall win today’s competition, so make sure you properly remember and value the Pill Refiners at the award ceremony."

A young man stepped forward, standing confidently before his pill cauldron as if to signal where he was standing.

The crowd murmured in approval, many recognizing his name.

Elder Varis continued, "He has refined Earth-grade pills with two clouds consistently in recent years, and today, we expect nothing less than perfection."

A few seats away, another elder scoffed.

Elder Varis turned, frowning as Elder Gwen crossed her arms, smirking.

"While Calem is impressive," she said smoothly, "let’s not forget my disciple, Tessa Myren."

A young woman with oddly green-streaked violet hair and gentle looking violet eyes took her place near one of the potion brewing stations.

Elder Gwen added, "She has sold over a hundred perfected potions this year alone, and her specialty lies in the rare life-Lightning spark body constitution she was born with."

The crowd stirred again, recognizing the rarity of such a body constitution.

Lassim observed both competitors, intrigued. Life-Lightning? Like the law? He was unfamiliar with constitutions, but he understood some Spirit Warriors, like him if you counted the Leviathan’s Curse, had specially enhanced body’s with unique properties. He was curious to see how the law he saw from Famthar’s domain played out with the potion making.

Niko chuckled, clearly enjoying the rivalry’s added drama.

"Well, well, it looks like we have quite the matchup."

He turned back toward the crowd, voice rising.

"Now then… shall we begin?"

The coliseum buzzed with anticipation before a single strike of the gong echoed across the arena.

"Competitors! Activate your burners and prepare your ingredients! You have five minutes to check your recipe, and confirm that two sets of all your ingredients are on your station! Should anything be missing, raise a hand and a disciple will come and replace what’s missing. For these 5 minutes, you are not allowed to begin your brewing."

A storm of movement overtook the stage as flames erupted beneath pill cauldrons and distillation arrays flared to life. No one raised their hands, so at least the disciples seemed to have properly stocked each station.

Lassim focused on the arena below as he said, "This Is exciting. I wonder how they’ll do, especially Tessa."

After the five minutes were up, the gong struck three consecutive times in a row echoing across the coliseum, "You have one hour! Begin!"

The competitors sprang into action.