Chapter 116: Loyalty

"Master," Aldric spoke with genuine admiration. "You are truly a paragon of benevolence. To forgive a clan that so deeply offended you, and to even accept their tribute with a promise of future guidance... your magnanimity is as vast as the oceans. It is the true bearing of a supreme sage."

Rhain almost laughed at Aldric’s words.

Benevolence? Magnanimity?

If Aldric knew what was in Rhain’s mind, perhaps he would call Rhain the incarnation of a true devil.

But Rhain didn’t correct his disciple.

"A true alchemist must understand the balance of the world, Aldric," Rhain replied, offering a sagely smile. "Hatred only clouds the mind. Now, do not let anyone disturb me. I need to refine the herbs you just brought."

"Yes, Master! This disciple will guard the door personally!" Aldric bowed deeply and quickly exited.

Rhain sat cross-legged, and began the refinement process.

With his Soul Power recently elevated to a frighteningly vast realm, handling Epic-Grade refinements was no longer a strenuous task.

With a wave of his hand, two distinct batches of highly precious Epic-Grade ingredients flew from his spatial ring, diving straight into the vessel.

Because of his staggering Soul Power and the flawless Grandmaster Alchemist Inheritance,

Rhain didn’t even need to refine them one by one.

He aggressively processed both batches simultaneously.

Within mere minutes, two completely different batches of flawless, one-hundred-percent pure Epic-Grade pills—each adorned with the mesmerizing, leaf-like swirl of a perfect Pill Vein—shot into his awaiting palms.

Rhain placed the pills into two separate jade bottles.

He then stepped out of the chamber and instructed Aldric to immediately summon Vulcan.

__________

An hour later

Vulcan paced back and forth, his massive frame restless.

Beside him, Kiki let out a low, weary coo.

Swish!

Rhain stepped on the mountain peak.

"Junior Vulcan greets the esteemed Grandmaster!" Vulcan immediately bowed as soon as he saw Rhain.

Even Kiki lowered its massive feathered head respectfully.

Rhain nodded, waving his hand casually to dispense with the formalities.

"I told you that I will refine pills suitable for you," Rhain said calmly. "Here they are"

With a flash, an exquisite jade bottle materialized, and Rhain sent it to Vulcan.

Vulcan caught it with both hands.

What kind of pills a Grandmaster would have refined for him?

"Open it," Rhain instructed. "It is for your companion."

"For... for Kiki?" Vulcan stared at the bottle in confusion.

Vulcan carefully took the bottle with both hands, and popped the cork.

An impossibly dense, vibrant wave of life-force erupted from the bottle.

Even the withered grass beneath their feet seemed to straighten, infused with a sudden burst of vitality.

"An Epic-Grade True Spirit Longevity Pill," Rhain declared, his tone calm but carrying a heavy weight. "It is refined specifically to replenish the lost life essence mend the cores of Spirit Beasts. Feed it to your companion."

"An Epic-Grade... Longevity Pill?" Vulcan stammered, his mind completely short-circuiting.

An Epic-Grade Longevity Pill!

In the entire Verdane continent, longevity pills were considered amongst the rarest and most expensive of all elixirs.

Experts would flock for a pill that could extend life by a mere decade.

And this... this was an Epic-Grade Longevity Pill! With a perfect Pill Vein!

Rhain could get millions of Aetheruim Crystals for this single pill.

"G-Grandmaster..." Vulcan stammered, his whole body trembling from head to foot "This... this is too precious! My worthless life cannot possibly repay this debt!"

"Cut that nonsense, you wouldn’t have gotten this pill if you didn’t have any value. Feed it to your companion," Rhain said indifferently.

Vulcan wiped the tears from his eyes, his heart hammering with overwhelming gratitude.

He quickly walked up to Kiki, who eagerly opened its eagle’s beak, and Vulcan placed the glowing emerald pill inside.

The moment the pill slid down its throat, the reaction was instantaneous.

BOOM!

A blinding cocoon of green light enveloped around Kiki’s massive body.

Within the dazzling green light, an astonishing vitality wildly surged.

To the naked eye, Kiki’s feathers began to shed at a rapid pace, instantly replaced by brand new feathers that sparkled like blue jade under the sunlight.

Kiki’s aura soared, expanding like a dormant volcano suddenly roaring to life!

After a few minutes.

SCREEECH—!!"

An incomparably resonant and joyful eagle’s cry pierced the clouds.

The green cocoon of light suddenly shattered into countless specks of light as Kiki shot straight into the sky!

Its massive wings beat against the wind, stirring up a huge gale that swept across the mountain peak.

It soared freely through the clouds, its cries echoing with an extreme sense of liberation and rebirth.

it had regained the majestic aura of a late-stage Core Formation Realm beast!

Witnessing this scene, clashing waves of water burst into Vulcan’s heart.

He stared straight ahead, unable to snap back into reality.

His companion was not only fully healed but possessed a vitality stronger than ever before!

After circling the sky in pure ecstasy, Kiki tucked its wings and dove down like a blue meteor, landing perfectly in front of Rhain.

It incredibly softly and affectionately rubbed its beak against Rhain’s arm, letting out a gentle coo.

If one looked carefully, they could see its sharp eyes misted over with an entirely human-like profound gratitude.

Thud!

A heavy sound struck the ground. Vulcan, this towering giant of a man, had heavily fallen to his knees.

"Grandmaster... you... you truly are a god descended from the skies!"

Tears the size of beans freely flowed down Vulcan’s rugged face.

As a late-stage Core Formation Realm expert, he possessed a status that countless people could only look up to in reverence, yet right now, he was crying like an utterly helpless child.

"Three years ago, in order to save my life from a terrifying ninth level Core Formation Realm beast, Kiki took a fatal blow directly to its core," Vulcan choked out with immeasurable grief and gratitude. "The damage was so severe that it was almost impossible to recover from. I exhausted my entire life’s fortune, begging several Master Rank Alchemists for help... but they all helplessly shook their heads. They told me Kiki’s life essence was thoroughly shattered, and it had at most two years left to live."

Vulcan fiercely clenched his massive fists, his forehead pressing firmly against the solid stone ground.

"Kiki is not just a beast to me; it is my family! To watch it slowly wither away and die for my sake was a torture worse than death. But today... Grandmaster has granted it a second life!"

Vulcan abruptly raised his head, his eyes burning with an incredibly fanatical light.

"From this day forward, this Vulcan’s worthless life belongs entirely to the Grandmaster! If Grandmaster points his finger, I will not even frown while facing death! If I ever harbor a single thought of betrayal, may the gods damn me and my soul be extinguished forever!"

Rhain looked down at the vowing giant.

To buy a top-tier expert’s loyalty with mere wealth or intimidation was always a flawed approach; they would eventually break or flee when faced with greater danger.

But to save the life of something they valued more than themselves?

That was the kind of absolute loyalty that could never be bought with all the wealth in the world.

"Stand up," Rhain lightly said, his voice carrying an unquestionable authority.

Vulcan heavily wiped his face and obediently stood up, his posture more respectful than a servant before an emperor.

Rhain casually raised his hand. With a swish, the second jade bottle he had refined earlier shot forward, securely landing into Vulcan’s massive palm.

"Since I said I would prepare pills suitable for both of you, how could I possibly only give one?" Rhain slowly stated. "The first was for your companion. This second one... is for you."

Vulcan looked down at the bottle in his hand.

He had already received a priceless Epic-Grade Longevity Pill that saved Kiki’s life. He didn’t dare to harbor even the slightest extravagant hope for anything more.

Yet, the Grandmaster was actually gifting him another pill?

He was more generous than the divine saints of the world.

He tipped it over, and a deep crimson pill with a flawless Pill Vein rolled out.

"An Epic-Grade Titan Bone Tempering Elixir," Rhain explained, his dark grey eyes evaluating Vulcan’s muscular frame. "I noticed your cultivation path relies entirely on brute physical force and body tempering. Your foundation is solid, but your mortal limits are bottlenecking your advancement to the peak of the Core Formation Realm

Rhain casually clasped his hands behind his back.

"Consume that pill. It will reforge your skeleton and infuse your muscles with the density of a titanic beast. It should be more than enough to push you into the eighth, or perhaps even the ninth level of the Core Formation Realm."

Vulcan felt as if he was in some kind of a heavenly dream.

One pill had saved his most cherished companion. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The second pill was handing him a direct path to the pinnacle of the Core Formation Realm.

"Master..." Vulcan murmured.

He did not call Rhain Grandmaster, or senior anymore.

"I told you before," Rhain interrupted, his voice dropping an octave, carrying a chilling, absolute dominance. "I am not a man who expects loyalty for free. I give you power, and in return, you will do what I want."

Rhain’s eyes narrowed with a cold glint.

"Go back to the city, when the time comes for me to use you, I expect you to be at your peak."

"Yes! This subordinate will not disappoint the Master!" Vulcan roared with a deeply respectful bow.

He leaped onto Kiki’s broad back. With a final, grateful screech from the blue eagle, the beast flapped its massive wings and shot into the sky, disappearing into the distance like a bolt of blue lightning.

Rhain stood alone on the quiet mountain peak, the cold wind fluttering his dark robes.