Journey Towards Dao

Auslen entered into the shelter of the Elixir Refinement Hall’s busy first floor.

Armed with a smile, he strolled through the loitering groups of Outer Sect Disciples in search of his cousin, who should have finished with his tutoring session by now. Along the way, he responded to passionate seniors’ greetings with efficient ease as he passed.

Failing to spot Nathaniel after searching for a good while, Auslen was just about to use his Identity Medallion to contact the boy when he glimpsed a familiar male figure descending from the nearby staircase.

Sensing the lingering gaze, Michail looked up, the corners of his blue eyes wrinkling with recognition.

“Auslen?” Michail called out, smiling as he redirected his footsteps towards Auslen’s short frame.

He laughed heartily. “Can’t take the heat, Junior Brother? Great to see that you sweat just like the rest of us!”

“Stop making fun of me, Senior Brother Michail.” Auslen rolled his eyes with playful exasperation. “I’m actually here to pick up my cousin. Have you seen him?”

“Yeah, he’s still here,” Michail nodded, glancing upwards to the ceiling. "Irene hasn't let him go just yet. And last I checked, she probably won’t be releasing him any time soon. Don’t worry about your cousin. Irene will send him back to you guys' residence when she’s done with him.”

He turned his gaze back down to Auslen, staring down at him with sudden interest.

“If you don’t have any other obligations, follow me for a little while."

Shrugging, Auslen pulled out his Identity Medallion. He raised it to his lips and softly spoke against its glowing jade exterior. After leaving Nathaniel a message, he matched Michail’s stride in the direction of the closest exit.

“So, where are we going?” Auslen asked, head tilted up to Michail.

Praise was overflowing from Michail’s voice. “Irene told me that you produced your first successful batch of Qi Refinement Elixirs the other day….”

…

Clouds drifted over, providing a brief, but welcome respite from the hot afternoon sun.

The hustle and bustle of the Outer Sect’s Exchange Market washed over Auslen as a drove of disciples traversed through the intersecting streets and courtyards.

Canopied shops and crowded stalls were innumerable. Raucous commotion and emphatic bartering resounded from every direction.

"The Qi Refinement Tournament Preliminaries?" Auslen asked Michail, who was the one who brought up the topic. "I thought the Tournament doesn't begin until later on this week?"

Michail shook his head. "The Preliminary portion of the Tri-Annual Tournament officially began last month. A large number of preliminary matches have been going on in several locations around the mountain. What you’re thinking of is the primary event held at the Outer Sect Stadium. Only after winning a number of Preliminary matches can a disciple obtain the opportunity to compete there."

Auslen nodded, enlightened. He wasn't the most informed when it came to Sect events. "When's your Preliminary match? Is it open to the public?"

"They're open for viewers, but I've already finished mine," Michail explained as he waved to a passing disciple. "You'll have to wait for the main Qi Refinement Tournament to see me compete."

"Woah!" Auslen threw in, eyes suddenly twinkling with child-like admiration. "That means you won a lot, right?"

"You could say that," Michail laughingly responded after helping Auslen dodge a few incoming disciples. "But my purpose for bringing it up is because Victor asked me..."

Hearing the red-headed idiot's name, Auslen nearly rolled his eyes. It was no secret that Auslen found Victor insufferable.

From the moment they first met at the library, Auslen and Nathaniel had been bumping into Victor far more than what could be considered as coincidence. Auslen's earlier friendliness had devolved to near disregard. Sadly, his cousin seemed to have kicked it off with the bulky bloke, making it impossible to shoo him off for good.

Seeing Auslen's face, Michail snorted with hilarity before he could finish his sentence. As a Senior, he felt that he ought to offer a few words in Victor's defense.

"He's really not all that bad, just a bit money-obsessed. At the very least, his match should be fun. Victor’s well known in the Outer Sect for his combat ability.

“He's having his final Preliminary match tomorrow. If you both would like to come, just let me know! We could all go together."

Auslen hummed but remained noncommittal.

...

Their discussion continued for a while until Michail led Auslen into the two-story Medicinal Exchange Palace. A sultry female voice welcomed them as soon as they stepped inside.

“Welcome back, Senior Brother Michail, to the Medicinal Exchange Palace,” a supple young woman adjusted her robes alluringly as she greeted Michail with a practiced bow. “Will you be buying or selling today?”

Michail greeted the young woman with a short nod. Not a ripple could be seen in his expression as though he failed notice her blatant actions.

Having long grown used to the woman's mannerisms, his face gradually affixed into a careless smile. “Selling.”

“Then follow me this way, please.” Her braided, light brown hair shook as she turned, strutting with ostentatious display, attracting more than a few gazes in her direction.

The young woman escorted them into the busy, but mostly silent palace hall, passing many disciples carefully looking through the glass displays featuring many different types of Spirit Pills.

However, not a single Spirit Elixir could be seen.

Maneuvering around the other customers, Auslen whispered to Michail, “Does the Medicinal Exchange Palace not sell Spirit Elixirs?”

Michail responded, "They do, but disciples are required to place special orders for Spirit Elixirs, due to both their demand and perishable nature. In addition, this place only exchanges Spirit Elixirs for Merit Points within three days of its refinement. After that, your only hope is to pawn it off to a fellow disciple for a decent portion less.”

Oh, I see. No wonder he brought me out here without warning. I nearly lost out!

Nodding with a cheeky grin, Auslen chuckled. “Thanks, Senior Brother.”

"No worries. I'd be a piss-poor Mentor if I didn't do as much."

They soon stopped near an empty wooden desk which was positioned in the midst of other busy desks of identical variety.

Sweet smiled aimed towards Michail, the woman casually leaned on her desk. “Will you be selling the usual today, Senior Brother?”

“It's not me who's selling, but my Junior Brother.” Michail gently pushed Auslen closer to the desk. “Go ahead, take out what you refined. Of course, you don’t have to sell everything if you don’t want to.”

Surprised, the woman's eyes widened as she looked at the beautiful, golden-haired boy.

'This child?' Her seductive aura dispersed as she straightened her posture more appropriately for her true client.

Once Michail finished speaking, waves of heads rotated to stare at Auslen, just as he removed a total of five Qi Refinement Elixirs from his spatial ring, with expressions varying from surprise to utter disbelief.

As though attempting to be considerate of the child standing close by, hushed whispers began to emerge.

“He can’t be older than eight. Who is that kid?”

“Did he really refine those on his own? I’ve seen the guy standing next to him here often. He could have refined them from the kid…”

“That’s Senior Brother Michail, you idiot. He's probably the boy's mentor. And besides, what disciple would waste their time refining Elixirs for others to sell?”

“He could have given him something valuable. I mean, look at the boy! That skin. The hair. Seems like a rich kid, if I’ve ever seen one.”

“But if the boy did refine them by himself… Hell, he’s probably only been in the Sect for a year or two! How many concoctions did he ruin in such a short span of time to get those five Elixirs?”

“Shit. Just imagine the amount of Merit Points he spent…”

“Hold on, I think that kid looks a bit familiar…”

“...”

Despite their efforts, it wasn’t difficult for Auslen to make out their remarks.

Auslen’s eyebrows twitched before smoothing out, quickly letting go of his annoyance. In his past life, he had never been a fan of letting others know of his private matters, but in this life, after the Demon attack and repeated warnings from his family members, he had become a bit engrossed with keeping as much to himself as possible.

It wasn’t difficult back within the isolation of the Royal Palace, but here in the Outer Sect, there was almost no privacy outside of his cave abode. And after nearly a year, he hadn’t even acclimated to his flashy identity as a prince, let alone anything else.

Regardless, his Elixir refinement wasn’t a secret he truly had to keep, and he knew he couldn’t keep it anyway. After all, a seven-year-old selling Spirit Elixirs was bound to draw a healthy amount of scrutiny.

Concocting Spirit Elixirs was not an easy task, and it was jaw-dropping that a child could achieve in one year what others took ten years on average to accomplish. However, the biggest obstacle that blocked people from the path of Alchemy was not its inherent difficulty, but that… Spirit Elixir refinement was expensive!

From his privileges as a Refining Assistant, he was allowed to check out refining supplies at any time, and he could even take them back to his cave abode. Unfortunately, that’s where the freebies ended.

Pseudo Spirit Plants cost anywhere from five to ten Merit Points a piece!

And even the easiest of Elixir Refinement Techniques required at least two Pseudo Spirit Plants…

Auslen felt slight heartache as he thought of the number of concoctions he had attempted since the past spring, both with Irene as well as alone back at the cave residence.

The talkative disciples were not wrong. It wasn't long before Auslen had spent every single Merit Point he was awarded during the Apprentice Alchemist Examination. And furthering the idea of his reckless expenditure, he had even approached a helpful Spirit Botanist, with Tarek’s assistance, and exchanged a few treasures that his father had given him for a decent number of Pseudo Spirit Plants.

On the bright side, Auslen had no longer needed to worry further about his Alchemical ability. This wasn’t truly the first time he succeeded refining a batch of Spirit Elixir, but merely the first time he chose to reveal a measure of success to Irene.

But on the opposite end, his Spirit Plant cultivation had not been going nearly as smoothly as anticipated. Up till now, he had yet to attain the level of self-sufficiency he desired.

Thankfully, I feel that I’ll be making a breakthrough in that department very soon.

Lashes fluttering from the percussive sound of opening metal caps, the sight of a sharp needle drew back Auslen’s wandering attention. The thin, silver utensil shimmered as only a Mystic Artifact would.

The young woman inserted the needle inside each of the opened Elixir bottles, and after every insertion, she raised the needle to her attractively squinting eyes.

Examination complete, her gaze was swirling with unspoken speculation.

“Five stable Qi Refinement Elixirs! Please hand me your Identity Medallion, and I'll transfer the Merit Points to your account, 45 Merit Points per Qi Refinement Elixir.”

Handing her the Identity Medallion obediently, it was only but a few more moments before it was returned to Auslen’s grasp, suddenly 225 Merit Points richer.

Calculations spinning inside the brown-haired woman's hazel eyes. Her laughter twinkled like bells, resounding with acquisitive expectation.

“Sweetheart, you can call me Sister Francine. On your next visit to the Medicinal Exchange Palace, feel free to mention my name and I'll take special care of you. Your continued patronage is greatly anticipated!”

What an industrious young lady.

Auslen smiled back, youthful embarrassment flushing his fair cheeks. However, right when he was about to introduce himself in return, the Identity Medallion began vibrating in his right palm.

Index finger gliding on its jade surface, the Identity Medallion released a gentle luminescence before a boyish voice loudly broke through.

“Auslen, where are you? I’m hungry!”

The whiny voice resounded inside the relatively quiet hall.

Auslen glanced with a hint of associative embarrassment at Michail, who looked nothing short of entertained.

“Fuck, that’s Prince Auslen! I knew he looked familiar!”

“No way…”

Waving a silent goodbye to Francine, who looked magnitudes more surprised than before, Auslen and Michail ignored the returning exclamations and turned away from the desk to make their way towards the exit.

“Stop screaming, Nathan,” Auslen’s subdued voice was tinged with motes of exasperation. “I’m at the Medicinal Exchange Palace with Michail.”

“What? Did you sell your Spirit Elixirs already? Why didn’t you wait for me?!”

“Why—”

Nathan cut Auslen off in a hurry. “Wait right there, Auslen! I‘ve got some Elixirs to sell too. Irene, can you—”

“What did you just call me?” A distant, but audibly female tone was picked up by Nathaniel's Identity Medallion.

“Haha, I mean, Senior Sister… ”