Duality of Shadows

At the top of an imposing mountain, where the clouds seemed to glide gently, embracing the peaks like a celestial cloak, stood a magnificent palace-like building. This was the Sacred Pavilion, its walls shimmering under the soft sunlight, while the banners of the Phoenix Cry sect fluttered in the wind.

The Sacred Pavilion was much more than an impressive structure. It represented the heart of alchemy in the sect, a sacred place where disciples learned the most advanced techniques for refining pills and studied precious recipes.

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Its corridors housed countless ancestral scriptures and secret arts, carefully guarded to protect the legacy of master alchemists. For this reason, the pavilion was considered one of the most important and well-protected places in the Phoenix Cry sect.

When Raoni and Alci arrived, they were politely welcomed by an Elder. He was an ally, but even though he was from the same faction as them, his help was limited. In the sect, any acquisition required exchanging merit points, which were obtained by making and selling pills or completing missions. Luckily, the High Elder would cover Raoni’s expenses, and Alci’s master would do the same for him.

"Your entries into the sacred library have been paid for an hour," the Elder explained calmly, leading them to a specific location.

The library was actually a huge magical formation where countless Jade Slips containing alchemical recipes and secret methods created by ancient masters were stored. Anyone in the sect could pay to enter, and theoretically, there were no restrictions on what could be studied.

However, this was a tough test. To access a technique or recipe, the alchemist needed to demonstrate control over the laws and soul power, essential things for refining pills. In the end, only those high-level alchemists would be able to access the most incredible things.

As they arrived in a large hall, the Elder guided them to a floating sphere and began to explain:

"You must concentrate the power of your soul, along with the control of the laws, to master the runes inside the sphere. Depending on your skill, you will gain access to a section of the library. There, you will find various reading options. With the time limited to one hour, you must make your choices in less than five minutes. Once you decide, the information will be transferred to your minds. Since your cultivations are low, it will take thirty to fifty minutes for you to absorb the information completely. If you are interrupted, you will have incomplete knowledge, which may be useless."

Both nodded in agreement. Alci was the first to try. An hour was a generous amount of time, something few disciples could afford. Newcomers only got ten free minutes to use the first time, forcing them to quickly pick something in the most basic section of the library. They usually took about a minute to choose something, wasting the rest just to assimilate what they picked.

Still, everything there was top-tier, and any choice represented an invaluable treasure for them.

Alci spent exactly one hour immersed, coming out extremely exhausted and nearly fainting. His strength had been drained by the formation. The Elder supported him and handed him a pill, which he swallowed quickly.

Before Raoni entered, he asked the Elder, "Are there combat techniques besides the pill recipes?"

"Yes," the Elder replied. "In the past, we only had low-level techniques, looked down upon by many. But recently, the sect made a deal with the Larimar market, spending half its wealth to acquire the most advanced fire techniques in the universe. Now we have some terrifying stuff available."

This response excited Alm and Bruno. The sect, once focused only on alchemy, was adapting to the changes in the universe, seeking to strengthen its disciples in combat. Half of all the wealth spent on this? They were already super rich; this was an unimaginable amount. No doubt, the best fire techniques that could be bought with money had been acquired.

Raoni, showing no emotion, touched the floating sphere. At that instant, two tattoos lit up inside his body. Two divine souls invaded the area, and they felt the runes of the formation. What should have been a fair test for capable alchemists actually turned into a joke in front of them.

Suddenly, the runes trembled and were completely dominated with the help of the tattoos. The power of their divine souls made the entire sacred library shake, and in a second, all the doors opened for them.

’There are ninety-one sections, with countless pill recipes,’ Bruno analyzed, using his rune mastery to guide his search. ’Three hundred and thirty fire techniques are scattered across all sections.’

’Great, these are the best fire techniques this universe can offer. Let’s grab them all,’ Alm commented excitedly.

While others would take thirty to fifty minutes to absorb a technique, Alm and Bruno only needed ten seconds to read and store everything in their memories. In exactly fifty-five minutes, they had read all the available fire techniques and, if necessary to disguise, picked a few average pill recipes.

At the end of the time, they put on an act pretending to be extremely tired. Alci kindly handed them a recovery pill, which quickly ’restored’ their energy.

The Elder, satisfied, led them to another area: a vast open space where millions of fire runes floated around.

Each rune emanated a beastly and immense power. Alm and Bruno immediately felt the soul strength contained in each one.

"This is a greater treasure than techniques for common disciples," the Elder explained. "These are internal runes, collected from the most powerful fire beasts in the universe. We have a rune fusion technique, and you can choose one to enhance your own internal fire rune multiple times."

Raoni asked, a bit doubtful, "I feel a soul fluctuation from these runes... how strange..."

The Elder’s eyes widened; only powerful cultivators could catch that, and it was super subtle. After taking a deep breath and trying to act normal, he said:

"The technique for merging internal runes comes from an ancient fire demon. For it to be perfect and avoid any rejection, you need to use the original owner’s soul and refine it. With this, it’ll be like you were born with that rune, just like the original beasts. It’s not an external power that you only partially control; you’ll have 100% control and capability of the rune and the beast’s power."

For alchemists, having a powerful internal fire rune was essential for purifying herbs and making pills. There were millions of runes because having a powerful one didn’t mean much if there wasn’t equivalent control. So, there were runes at various levels, so the disciple could choose something they could control at that moment.

Raoni nodded in understanding. But inside, Bruno looked freaked out, and in the inventory, Liumi was trembling; if she had a body, tears would be falling now.

’Bastards... they killed and enslaved the souls of all the beasts for their own use,’ Bruno spat.

Alm just snorted; rotten stuff happened in every sect everywhere; this wasn’t unexpected. The cruel part was that these souls weren’t unconscious; they were all sealed and alive, seeing and feeling everything around them in endless torture. How long had they been trapped here until someone took them? All for their souls to be refined and destroyed forever.

"Each must use their mastery of the laws to choose one they can control. There are no restrictions, but you need to be sure you can handle it," the Elder said softly.

Alci nodded and stepped forward to find one for himself. Raoni took a deep breath and did the same. Bruno, impatient, let Alm take over and randomly choose a medium rune. Bruno’s urge was to destroy everything and free those souls, but if he did, things would get messy.

’Master, please, they could be useful to you. Most have been bodiless for a long time,’ Liumi said in a pained voice. ’In this state, they’ve instinctively learned to use their souls. If they receive soul cultivation, they can cultivate it. They’ll become stronger and can reincarnate with their memories and be useful. I’m sure they’ll want to serve you faithfully.’

Bruno entered the inventory and gently comforted Liumi. ’The opportunity will come, don’t worry. I swear we won’t leave without freeing them. I’d do it even if they weren’t useful to me. But I trust you’ll take care of them.’

Liumi nodded happily, calming down. It was at that moment that Alci and Raoni had already chosen their fire runes.

The Elder nodded and handed both of them a Jade Slip with the demonic technique. "Focus on absorbing it perfectly and practice mastering the laws of fire to the max. You guys got unlucky that the World of the Nine Red Lotuses is about to open so quickly; you won’t have enough time to prepare properly. That place is a fiery hell; you must improve your fire domains as much as possible to have a better chance there."

The two young men nodded, understanding. Then, the Elder turned to Raoni and handed him a red spear and some Jade Slips.

These were the combat techniques Cinoi said he would send, plus a weapon he could use. This weapon would be useful for them.

So, both of them left the Sacred Pavilion after achieving great things, sponsored by their factions. It was a unique privilege, given their outstanding performance in the entrance test.

Alci turned to Raoni and said, "My master asked me to inform you that all the disciples of the Heroic Pill Hall and those from the Phoenix Feather will be allowed to enter the World of the Nine Red Lotuses in fifteen days. The High Elder will ask for favors to protect and help you in that place, but it would be best for you to use this time to make allies and improve your mastery of the laws of fire. Alchemy should be put on hold for now."

Raoni nodded, and then Alm noticed an anxiety and urgency in Alci’s demeanor. Bruno, still very angry, chose to stay silent next to Liumi, or he would lose his cool. Alm was the only one who noticed something was off with this honest young man. But it wasn’t his problem.

"Alright, thanks for the heads up," Alm said, sighing, and added, "Fate brought us together; you know you can count on me if you need anything, right?"

Alci heard that, and his eyes trembled. It took him two seconds to nod lightly. "I’m fine. I can handle this alone; it’s something personal."

Alm internally snorted. "Personal" just meant it was something even harder to deal with alone; after all, it messes with emotions and a bunch of other issues. Having someone trustworthy from the outside to see things clearly is even more essential.

But he couldn’t help or save anyone unless that person wanted it. They had helped him once, and they had shown through actions that they were capable.

Alm and Bruno learned from mistakes and age; putting all the weight on their shoulders just complicates things more. Unfortunately, this young man would have to learn that the hard way.

’I hope he gets the chance to learn from his mistake, at least,’ Alm thought to himself.

So, they said their goodbyes. Alci shot off in one direction and disappeared, while Raoni moved toward where the neutral group had been before.

They moved slowly, taking their time to reflect. They weren’t interested in this clash between factions and internal disputes. Now that they had guaranteed entry to that place, they needed to create assurances to achieve their goal, which was to free the Phoenix.

They didn’t know anything about that place, and probably Almin didn’t know much either. Unfortunately, they didn’t have much time to gather information from the Elders. And even if they managed to do that, they would still have to do it cleanly, saving the beasts’ souls, helping Almin and the neutral people, and also gathering as many resources as possible to take home.

There was only one solution: they needed to find a way to stand out. But if they suddenly flew around like dragons out of nowhere, that would raise suspicions. They had to find a balance, doing things in a natural yet shocking way.

Reflecting on everything they had seen and heard in the sect, it was clear that the internal struggle wasn’t intense enough. If he wanted to stand out, he needed to intensify the conflict between the two factions.

’How nostalgic, we need to stir up some chaos. It’s not the time to hesitate.’

Alm spoke excitedly, and Bruno could only sigh in agreement. They needed to pick up the pace, or they wouldn’t be able to get everything done satisfactorily.

They veered off the path and spent a day moving through the continental region of the Heroic Pill Hall.

Although it seemed like Raoni was studying some ancient alchemy tomes, he was actually attracting attention like a juicy piece of meat.

"Hmph, you think those things are for a country bumpkin to look at?" At that exact moment, a disciple snatched a Jade Slip from Raoni’s hands.

He turned to the young guy and saw an Elder and several other disciples behind him. They already knew he had accomplished great things at the Sacred Pavilion. This was obviously a provocation to keep him from cultivating in peace.

Surely, all the disciples from the opposing faction had been mobilized and wouldn’t let him be free for the next fifteen days. But... that was excellent.

"Damn your mother!"

*BANG!*

Raoni hit the young guy square on the jaw with his fist. Grabbing his hair, he smashed the guy’s head into his knee.

"Damn... damn... damn your mother!"

Raoni punctuated each word with a punch. The noise immediately drew a crowd around them.

The young guy had already passed out. Then Raoni threw him on the ground and broke each of his limbs. The sharp sound sent chills down everyone’s spines.

"AHH!"

A miserable scream echoed throughout the Sacred Pavilion. He had woken up in pain.

The agonizing scream of that young man was still ringing out when Raoni stepped on his mouth. That blow was exceptionally cruel, and the young guy’s head almost exploded.

"Stop!" At that moment, the Elders rushed over. But, having seen what happened to the last Elders, they didn’t have the guts to attack.

Raoni roared: "So, you don’t want to let me cultivate in peace? Then I’ll kill all of you!"

He looked like a bloodthirsty beast, furious and wild. He grabbed one of the disciples, yanked his arm off with a violent pull, and screamed: "Die!"

The scene became so grotesque that the other disciples felt a liquid running down their legs. Raoni punched the disciple’s chest, making him pass out. Then he grabbed his leg and smashed him against the others.

*CRACK! CRACK!*

"If you don’t want to let me cultivate, then all of you can die!"

He spun fiercely, attacking others using the one as a weapon. Blood flew everywhere, and the sound of breaking bones echoed continuously.

"Stop!" At that moment, an Elder shattered a red crystal and yelled.

Suddenly, an alarm resonated among the truly powerful High Elders within the sect. Those Elders were the guardians of the disciples and had an alarm mechanism for when something seriously wrong was happening.

But Raoni seemed to be in a frenzy and ignored the warning. He repeatedly punched the disciples lying on the ground. Blood, screams, and an atmosphere filled with terror erupted among the disciples.

Was he really a bloodthirsty and savage demon? All the disciples thought in terror as they tried to escape, but that figure chased them down.

Suddenly, a large hand struck the back of Raoni’s head. He ’fainted’ immediately.