Eternal Cultivation Of Alchemy

Alex tried feeding Memory what energy he could from the many treasures he received, but none helped the spirit evolve into a Cauldron spirit. He simply couldn’t make sense as to why that was. He had, after all, done everything that was required.

Alex walked out of his room into the courtyard, somewhat disappointed by the progress he had made. His master and Grimsight were outside, it seemed, along with the Divinity that assisted them while they were here.

“Senior Grimsight, are you sure that all I need is a trigger of some sort for my cauldron?” Alex asked, frustrated. “I am not missing anything else, right? Because I still can’t seem to succeed.”

“It is different for different artifacts,” Grimsight said. “But, traditionally, you do need a trigger to get it going. A simple push, as you might say. Normally, that push would happen with a person using their Divine sense. But in the Immortal realm, I do not believe you have such a luxury. You will just have to wait for some other trigger.”

Alex sighed for a moment but nodded still. There wasn’t much he could do, it seemed. Maybe he was being too harsh with it in expecting some big change before the final competition.

‘I should let it be,’ Alex thought. It was not a good idea to push hard when searching for improvement. It would only lead to issues. He decided to stop for now.

“The young lady hasn’t come out of her room for a while now,” Silvermist said. “I fear she may be nervous about tomorrow.”

“I’ll go talk with her,” Alex said, leaving the two and making his way to Momo’s room. He knocked on her door and waited for a moment for the door to open.

Once open, he walked in.

Momo sat cross-legged on her bed, with the greenish-blue Moss to her side, cultivating as well.

“Master,” she said softly in greeting.

“You aren’t practicing alchemy, are you?” Alex asked. From the lack of colors in the room, he could tell she was not.

“I have been doing as you asked, Master. I have done nothing that requires me to overuse my Qi. I have been resting and cultivating for the past two days, all for tomorrow.”

Alex smiled a little and nodded. “Are you nervous for tomorrow?” he asked.

“Is it bad if I am?” Momo asked.

“No, being nervous is okay. Perhaps even necessary,” Alex said. “Just don’t let it get to you. Don’t let the people get to you. If all else fails, just close your eyes and focus just with your senses. Think that you are the only person there and so you won’t have much to fear.”

Momo nodded. “I will do that if I feel overwhelmed,” she said in the end.

Alex talked to her for a while longer, making sure that the upcoming competition wasn’t getting to her. Once he was certain she was all right, he left her.

Alex sat outside with his master, talking to him for a while. They could only make small talk as they didn’t have anything important to say.

They stayed outside the whole night, and by the time the next day came around, they were ready to leave.

All participants had been notified that they had to arrive by the stadium within the next two hours.

Momo walked outside, finally. She still looked a little nervous, but she also seemed excited now. After all the training and lessons for the past fifty years, her time had finally come, and she was ready for it.

Alex wasn’t sure how long he would have to be gone, so he said his goodbyes for now and made his way out with Momo. The Divine realm assistant followed behind, keeping a close watch as the two made their way toward the stadium.

The stadium looked like a giant wall for the most part, mostly dark walls with no windows or openings. It stood at the center of the city, standing tall and proud as a monument for all to see.

Alex had been close to the stadium, but he hadn’t truly been next to it yet. No one was allowed to approach it after some distance, so they could only watch it from afar. Even then, he could tell it was massive, towering hundreds of meters into the sky.

When he got closer, however, he realized it was even bigger than that. It was taller than he had guessed. Standing by it, the circular wall of the stadium looked flat to him, and it blocked out half the sky.

“This is what is required for fifty million audience members, huh?” Alex said, to no one in particular.

There were multiple gates at the base of the stadium, through which Alex entered and was taken into the stadium.

The inside of the stadium was similarly spectacular. A massive ring of billions of seats spread throughout the circular stadium, with individual rooms at the top for the individuals that mattered.

Momo was similarly surprised to see the massive inside of the stadium, as well as the stage that had been prepared for all of them. It was a circular stage, at about two kilometers in all directions.

Alex stared for a while before he was asked to move along and enter some room. The Divine realm assistant no longer followed Alex, so he had to go with some other staff member who showed them to a room.

Alex walked into that room with Momo and was surprised to see Mo Duguan, the Reverend of the Alchemy God, sitting on the other side of a massive desk. She looked at Alex and smiled, welcoming him forward.

Alex greeted the woman and got closer.

“Is this your disciple, young man?” the woman asked.

“Yes, this is my disciple, Zhe Moyang,” Alex said, quickly introducing Momo, who bowed in greeting as well.

“Are you excited for your competition, Lady Moyang?” the woman asked.

Momo froze for a second, but she managed to answer it immediately.

“Yes, senior,” she said. “I am excited. Also nervous, but certainly excited.”

Mo Duguan smiled and took Momo’s arm. The woman held it for a second before letting go.

“I am quite relieved to hear that you didn’t go through Qi deviation,” the woman said. “It would’ve been sad to have such a talented young lady be disqualified.”

Momo said nothing, and neither did Alex.

Mo Duguan pulled out a medallion and looked into it for some time before placing it away.

“You may leave now,” she said. “You will go to the hall on the left, while the lady will go to the hall on the right.”

Alex appeared surprised. “We’re being separated, senior?” he asked.

“Yes,” the woman said. “Your disciple is going to be briefed on the importance of the upcoming competition as well as the details that she will need to know. You will stay with your own fellow participants for the time being.”

Alex found that he didn’t particularly care about this outcome. “I see,” he said. “We shall make our way there then. Thank you for your time, senior.”

Mo Duguan nodded, smiling briefly. “Good luck in the competition.”