Chapter 101: Accepting a disciple

Rhain’s face flickered with a feigned look of sheer surprise.

He quickly stepped forward, reaching out to grasp the old man’s arms, gently pulling him up to his feet.

"Guild Master Aldric, what are you doing? Stand up," Rhain said, his tone softening, carrying a trace of helpless exasperation. ""I do not mind your age, nor do I look down upon your talent. I have seen far duller minds achieve extraordinary things through sheer will alone."

"But I left the Inner Province precisely because I no longer wished to carry worldly relations. Disciples, obligations, expectations — they are chains I have already shed. I came here seeking freedom from all of that."

Aldric’s face crumbled, the light in his eyes dimming like a candle caught in a gust of wind.

But he did not retreat.

Instead, Aldric dropped to his knees a second time, pressing his forehead firmly against the jade floor.

"Esteemed Sir!" Aldric pleaded shamelessly again. "I had long accepted my failure to chase the peak of alchemy for thirty years! But today — today, for the first time in three decades, I saw the path again! You showed it to me with a few casual words!"

His aged hands trembled against the cold stone.

"I do not ask for much! I do not ask for your time, your attention, or your constant guidance! I only ask for the right to call myself your disciple, and to receive even the smallest crumbs of your wisdom! I will never be a burden to you! I swear it on my life!"

"Please, have mercy on this junior’s pursuit of the alchemical Dao!"

The raw emotion in Aldric’s voice was heartrending.

Rhain stood motionless, staring down at the kneeling Guild Master.

"Your talent may be lacking... but your heart for Alchemy is indeed resolute," Rhain murmured, his voice sounding as if he had finally relented against his own consciousness. "Fine. Your sincerity has touched me. I will make a single exception and accept you."

Aldric raised his head, his eyes glistening.

Without a single second of hesitation, he slammed his head onto the floor, kowtowing heavily seven times.

"Thank you, Master! Thank you! This disciple greets Master!"

"Rise," Rhain instructed, his voice instantly turning stern and authoritative. "Before you celebrate, you must know my rules. I am exceptionally strict with my disciples. If you study under me, my word is absolute law. You must listen to my every command without question. If you fail, I will strip you of your status and expel you immediately."

"This disciple understands! I will follow Master’s every command, even if it costs my life!" Aldric nodded vehemently, his face glowing with sheer ecstasy.

Rhain gave a satisfied nod. "Bring me a pen and paper."

Aldric hastily scrambled to his desk, retrieving a sheet of high-grade spiritual parchment and an ink brush, presenting them to Rhain with both hands.

Rhain took the brush.

Drawing from the flawless Grandmaster Alchemist Inheritance etched into his consciousness, his hand flew across the parchment.

In just a few short minutes, he filled the paper with dense, elegant text and handed it back to the Guild Master.

"Take this."

Aldric respectfully accepted the parchment. But the moment his eyes scanned the contents.

Epic-Grade Pill Formula: Spirit Marrow Restoration Elixir.

He looked down.

Aldric felt his mind completely short-circuit

Five Epic-Grade Alchemy recipes!

Even as the Guild Master of the Mirravele branch, he only possessed four Epic-Grade recipes in his entire collection, and he guarded them with his life.

Yet, his new Master had casually scribbled down five of them in mere minutes, as if he were writing a grocery list!

But what truly shook Aldric to his core wasn’t just the formulas themselves. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

It was the annotations.

The essence ratios, the precise flame temperatures required for every single breath of the refinement process, the exact timing for merging conflicting medicinal properties—it was written with such divine clarity that even a Novice Rank Alchemist could easily comprehend the theory!

"You have fifteen days," Rhain stated indifferently.

Aldric ripped his eyes away from the parchment, looking up in confusion. "Master?"

"You will learn to successfully refine all five of these pills within fifteen days," Rhain commanded.

Aldric was stunned.

Fifteen days??? To learn five Epic-Grade recipes???

It was next to impossible!

In Alchemy, comprehending a recipe was only a fraction of the battle.

The true hardship lay in the practical application.

Perfecting a single Epic-Grade pill normally took a Master Alchemist years of failures, and experiences.

Fortunately, Rhain had already gave the precise instructions to refine these pills, it was still as difficult as reaching the sky, yet Aldric believed that if he gave it his all, he might have still have a silver of hope.

If this was the standard of an Emperor Rank Alchemist’s disciple, then he had no right to complain.

"I will not fail you, Master!" Aldric declared solemnly.

Rhain looked satisfied.

"I originally came here seeking solitude to avoid troublesome tasks," Rhain said slowly, leaning back. "But since you are now my disciple, it is only natural that I entrust these burdens to you."

"Just say the word, Master! This disciple will go through mountains of fire, and swords for you!" Aldric agreed eagerly, desperate to prove his worth.

Rhain picked up the ink brush, and wrote something again.

He quickly jotted down another list and handed it over.

"I need these ingredients. Collect them within a month."

Aldric took the second list.

His brows furrowed slightly as he scanned the items.

There were dozens of Rare-Grade herbs, and a great amount of Epic-Grade as well.

Many of these were currently sitting in the Alchemy Guild’s supreme vault, but a few of them were either entirely missing or lacked the staggering quantity his Master had specified.

Still, Aldric didn’t dare to make excuses. He solemnly nodded his head. "I understand. I will utilize all of the Guild’s channels to procure every single item on this list."

Rhain let out a pleased smile.

Relying purely on the System’s Daily Sign-Ins for cultivation resources is far too slow. If he wants to push Seris and himself to get stronger as fast as possible, he must refine the pills himself.

With the Grandmaster Rank Alchemist Inheritance fully integrated into his brain, Rhain possessed the theoretical knowledge to refine even the legendary Mystic-Grade pills.

He had countless Mystic-Grade recipes locked in his memory.

However, theory was one thing; execution was another.

His physical body and essence control were flawless, but he severely lacked the Soul Power required to properly refine Mystic-Grade pills.

Right now, his soul could only endure the refinement of Rare-Grade pills and a small handful of Epic-Grade ones.

But that didn’t matter.

The list he had just given Aldric contained the precise ingredients needed to concoct a batch of Epic-Grade Soul-Nourishing Elixirs.

Once he refined those, his Soul Power would skyrocket.

"There is one final matter," Rhain’s voice pulled Aldric out of his reverie. "I require the contacts of a few Core Formation Realm experts."

"However, these Core Formation experts must not be from Mirravele City."

Aldric was taken aback.

Why would an Emperor Rank Alchemist need the contacts of outside Core Formation experts?

But recalling his Master’s strict warning about questioning his commands, Aldric swallowed his curiosity.

"I understand, Master," Aldric bowed. "During my younger years, I forged a few acquaintances with experts residing in the Inner Province. I will immediately reach out to them and secure their contacts for you."

"Good," Rhain smirked.

Originally, he had planned to slowly bleed the Ashvele Clan dry, letting them tear themselves apart in a prolonged war of attrition with the Solari Clan.

But now?

With the total wealth of the Alchemy Guild at his disposal and an army of out-of-town Core Formation experts soon to be on his payroll, there was no need to wait.

He stood up, his dark robes flowing smoothly as he prepared to depart.

"I will return when the time is right," Rhain said, turning toward the door. "Do not disappoint me, Aldric."

"I will respectfully see Master off!"

Aldric practically scrambled to open the double doors, following Rhain out of the private hall.

As Rhain casually stepped out of the gate, Aldric stood rigidly at the entrance.

The Guild Master bowed deeply at a perfect ninety-degree angle, maintaining the posture of a loyal servant until Rhain’s figure completely disappeared into the crowded streets.

Standing guard at the grand entrance, the heavily armored guild guards witnessed this entire scene.

Clang! Clang!

The heavy iron spears slipped from their trembling hands.

They stared at the empty street, their minds reeling in dread.

Just who in the world was that person?

_____________

After slipping into a secluded alleyway to remove the Faceless Emperor Mask, Rhain returned to his true appearance and made his way back to the Gilded Sparrow.

When he pushed open the heavy redwood doors of their private courtyard, a biting, chill immediately fell over him.

In the center of the courtyard, a delicate figure danced amidst a storm of frost.

Her silver-blue hair whipped through the air as she gracefully executed the intricate footwork of the Epic-Grade Hundred Flowers Sword Art.

But what truly caught Rhain’s attention was the beautiful array of power hovering around her.

Fifty perfectly formed icy-blue sword lotuses floated in the air, humming with lethal, bone-piercing chill.

"Fifty percent mastery...’ Rhain’s dark grey eyes flickered with genuine astonishment.

To reach fifty percent comprehension of an Epic-Grade martial art in just a few days was a monstrous feat, even with her innate ice essence.

Her sword skills had noticeably sharpened, the fluidity of her strikes carrying a deadly elegance that hadn’t been there before.

Sensing his arrival, Seris abruptly halted her movements.

The fifty icy lotuses shattered into a harmless, glowing mist that rained down around her like snow.

Her pale purple eyes lit up instantly.

"Rhain! Where had you been" she called out, her voice breathless but bubbling with excitement. She quickly sheathed her Frost-Bite sword and hurried over to him. "Did you see it? I finally reached fifty percent! I can control fifty sword lotuses now."

She looked up at him, a bright, hopeful smile on her face.

But looking at her, Rhain did not feel the slightest bit of joy.

His awakened Spiritual Sense swept over her delicate frame, and his eyebrows knit together in a deep, troubled frown.

She looked completely drained.

Rhain knew exactly what this meant.

While he had been out manipulating the city’s titans and securing resources, she had been pushing herself to the absolute brink.

Practicing day and night relentlessly, draining her essence dry only to force it back up again, all just to ensure she wouldn’t be a burden to him.

A sharp pain cut through Rhain’s heart.

’This foolish girl...’

"Rhain?" Seris blinked, her smile faltering slightly at his lack of response. "Did... did I do something wrong?"

Rhain didn’t answer.

Instead, he stepped forward, entirely ignoring the residual biting cold radiating from her body.

He reached out and pulled her delicate frame against his chest, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug.

Seris let out a soft gasp of surprise.

"You did well," Rhain murmured softly, his voice losing all of its usual cold indifference. "But you are not allowed to torture yourself like this ever again. Do you understand?"