Eternal Cultivation Of Alchemy

102 people were gathered on the stage, where giant pedestals had been created for the winners. 86 of them had failed to get into the top 16, so only the ones who had passed were standing there.

8 of those 16 were on a higher tier. Of those 8, 4 were higher than the rest. And even those 4 were in ascending order, with Alex at the very top.

He stood with the sun directly above him, shining its light upon him and casting his shadow on the rest.

The Alchemy God appeared, along with his reverends and other members of his staff.

“Before we begin this ceremony, I would like to have it be known just how proud I am of everyone here. No matter your performance during this tournament, you have shown that you are the greatest alchemists of the younger generation. No result can take that away from you.”

The ones at the bottom, who weren’t receiving any awards this time around, felt a little better about it.

“As mentioned before, anyone who did manage to make it all the way to this final competition is allowed to join my cult should they choose to. If you do, I shall teach you all to the best of my ability.”

The Alchemy God’s words caused a small stir among the people who had momentarily forgotten that even the losers were receiving at least something.

“Even if you do not wish to join my cult, take this.”

The Alchemy God waved his hands, and 102 pins flew out from him. One by one, they landed before the alchemists, hovering in front of them.

It was the Immunity pin from before.

“Henceforth, you are all under my protection,” the Alchemy God said. “Should any harm come to you, my cult and I will deal with it personally.”

This was a threat to every party with ill intentions regarding any of the alchemists. No one was to even think of bringing them harm.

With the lower 86 receiving all that they were owed, the Alchemy God moved on to the 16 that had some tangible rewards.

He brought out 16 storage bags, each of which was numbered 1 through 16.

“All the treasures that were meant for the top 16, all spirit stones, all recipes, all artifacts—every single thing has been separated into these 16 storage bags with as unbiased a separation as we could do based on what we believed them to be worth.”

“Starting with the one at the top, I will allow you all to choose your own storage bag,” the Alchemy God said. “Alchemist Dawnblade, which bag would you like?”

“One!” Alex said.

The Alchemy God smiled and tossed his storage bag to him. He turned to Aethersage next, who asked for the second bag. Leafheart asked for 3, and somehow Treegold felt required to ask for the 4th.

There was no deviation after that, as everyone asked for their own standing. In the end, all 16 people had received their rewards.

“Moving on,” the Alchemy God said and flew higher to face the Top 8. “Who among you wishes to become my disciple?”

Immediately, 4 hands rose.

Dusklily was the first to raise her hand, followed by Jadetongue, Treegold, and Palesilver. Faithseeker appeared to be happy being a disciple of the Alchemy God’s subordinate.

The Alchemy God raised an eyebrow upon seeing Palesilver. “You wish to study under me, Alchemist Palesilver?” he asked.

The woman nodded. “I have been made aware of my own lacking in this tournament, Your Majesty. I wish to change that.”

The Alchemy God smiled. “I welcome you all, then. We shall have something more formal later on,” he said. “As for the rest of you who wish not to become my disciple, I shall owe you all three separate lectures. Please let me know afterward when you wish me to prepare for it.”

The remaining four nodded.

“Now that it is complete, let us move on,” the Alchemy God said and flew up to Treegold. He then brought out the blue book with the scroll mark on the front.

The Book of Endless Recipes.

“For coming 4th in a competition with nearly a hundred thousand alchemists, I award you a one-month access to this treasure of mine. Make use of it as you wish.”

Treegold fervently nodded. “I shall not waste my opportunity, Your Majesty.”

The Alchemy God moved on. Appearing before Leafheart, he brought out another book. This one was a thicker tome with a leather cover.

Alex found it surprising how close it appeared to the first Alchemy God’s book. But it was only in appearance. This book was much too thick to be similar to the book he had.

“This is the book I wrote. This, of course, is a copy, and I award this to you, along with half a year-long access to my treasure.”

Leafheart smiled brightly as she took the leather book and bowed toward the Alchemy God.

The Alchemy God smiled back and moved on. He arrived before Aethersage next. He met the young man’s eyes and put on a melancholic smile.

“Truth be told, when I thought of finding the next best alchemist of the younger generation, even my wildest hopes could not have matched you. And here you are, not even the overall winner.”

“You may have come second, but remember that being second does not define you. You are one hell of an alchemist, so I hope you will continue to be one.”

Aethersage nodded. “Whatever else I may do, I do not plan on giving up on alchemy, Your Majesty.”

The Alchemy God’s smile finally turned genuine. He brought out another leather book and kept it hovering in front of him. With his treasure next to him as well, the man brought out the final reward.

A wooden box flew out from his Soul Space, landing on his extended palm. Opening the box, he revealed two pills, each of which was multicolored in red, blue, and purple.

“The Second Chance Pill,” the Alchemy God said. “Alongside my book and a year-long access to my treasure, I award you with this.”