Eternal Cultivation Of Alchemy

Alex was quite surprised to find out that their farewell celebration was happening inside the main palace. “I thought the main palace was off limits to everyone but the main family. Can we set up a celebration there?” he asked.

“There is limited access allowed to friends and family if we ask the elders. It is usually a very strict method, requiring us to give them the number of participants and how long the celebration will last. We’re penalized for breaking any of those set up boundaries, and the limited access only allows one to stay in the center garden and nowhere else,” Bai Jingshen quickly explained.

“Wow! So strict,” Pearl said.

Whisker looked from one face to another, just listening to everyone talk.

“It is, which it has to be,” Bai Jingshen continued. “That being said, however, it shouldn’t be a problem for much longer now. Before long, I will have improved the bloodline of every single one of my children, grandchildren, and their children. I won’t move on to any of the other family members before I’m done with my own descendants.”

Alex smiled. “I gave you the technique and knowledge, so you can decide however you wish to use it,” he said. “I just hope there are no issues at all.”

“No issues so far,” Bai Jingshen said with a smile. “Remember the few of my descendants you helped? They already became bona fide White Tigers and are ready for their trials. I was quite surprised to find out they had improved that much in the decade we were gone, but hey, I suppose it is to be expected, right?”

Alex chuckled. “So many more will leave for the Fighting Island now, won’t they? They might have to change the method of trial itself.”

Bai Jingshen remained silent for a moment as they approached the west gate of the main palace. The guards barely gave Bai Jingshen a glance, as his status as a White Tiger was known to almost everyone in the palace. Despite the fact that they were supposed to identify Alex and Pearl, not one guard would dare do that when a Divine realm White Tiger was among them.

They did glance at Pearl multiple times, almost as if they were drawn to his blue stripes. Their faces held nothing but confusion at the sight of a White Tiger with bright blue stripes. Was such a thing even possible?

Alex and Pearl had been so focused on everything else that they hadn’t even realized that Bai Jingshen had gone silent at all.

It was only when he spoke again that they noticed the change in his attitude.

“There is something happening in the Fighting Island, so all trials have been stopped for now,” Bai Jingshen said.

“What’s happening?” Alex asked curiously, surprised to see the look of seriousness on the tiger’s face.

Pearl turned as well, not expecting the conversation to go in that direction.

“A lot of young White Tigers have died in a very short period of time, so the elders have stopped sending any more to the Fighting Island for now. It’s pretty much prohibited to go there at this point, from what I’m understanding,” Bai Jingshen said.

Pearl’s face fell a little. “Because of me?” he asked.

Bai Jingshen turned suddenly, realizing how Pearl must have been feeling. “No, not you. It’s been happening after we left as well.”

That surprised both Alex and Pearl. “Even after we left?” Alex asked.

“Yes. There aren’t so many as when Pearl had to kill them all, but it’s not a small number either. Nearly a dozen White Tigers have died in the past decade while we were gone.”

Alex narrowed his eyes. “That’s a big number?” he asked.

Bai Jingshen nodded. “Think of it this way. There are only so many White Tigers born every century. We might get a dozen from birth, a dozen from evolution, and half a dozen from Creations, which don’t count. That’s in a century, and nearly a dozen died in just the past decade. You see the issue?”

Alex’s eyes narrowed in thought. “There is someone out there that is killing White Tigers?”

Bai Jingshen nodded.

“And no one has discovered who it is just yet?” Pearl asked.

Bai Jingshen snickered derisively. “Remember when I said the tension in the palace is thick right now?”

Alex and Pearl nodded. “Is that because of all the White Tigers that are dying?”

“No,” Bai Jingshen said. “It’s because of all the White Tigers that are doing the killing.”

Alex paused. “Are you saying…”

“All the White Tigers that have died in the past all have one thing in common,” Bai Jingshen said. “They are not part of the purists. Which is to say…”

“It’s a retaliation,” Alex finished. “They’re coming after the other group since their children were the ones that died the decade before.”

Bai Jingshen nodded. “That is how it is looking to be. The purist White Tigers are getting their descendants to kill all the other White Tigers,” he said before correcting himself. “No, those descendants are too old to say they are being used. They are the ones choosing to do the killing. It’s simply someone else who came up with the idea.”

Pearl couldn’t help but frown. “It all did start because of me.”

“No,” Alex quickly cut off Pearl’s thought process. “You can’t blame yourself. It was the purists that started this all when all those White Tigers came to kill you and steal your essence.”

Bai Jingshen agreed. “You are merely a pawn in this game between the purists and the other faction. Your fight might have been the inciting incident, but pieces were in place long before you came around. It’s just the state the game has entered now.”

Pearl could hardly find anything to say to that and simply nodded, trying to get the feeling of guilt out of his heart.

That was soon possible as the four finally arrived at the open space in the middle of the palace, where everyone had been waiting for them.