982 Revival
"Your majesty," said Hou Shu, shocked by the person suddenly appearing in her refining simulations. With her Saint Realm cultivation, she had never met someone of that level, so she did not know how to respond.
"Be at ease," said Wang Wei with a smile, but Hou Shi's trembling hand betrayed the calm exterior she displayed.
So, Wang Wei had no choice but to use his soul to alleviate her nervousness secretly.
"What can I help you with?" asked Hou Shi after successfully calming down.
"I saw you were using material alchemy and was interested."
Hou Shi paused before saying with a wry smile, "I know it's a dying or lost form of art. But⌜"
"There is no need to explain to me. I am not prejudiced against any form of alchemy."
Hou Shi breathed in relief but showed a hesitation on her face.
"Do you have something in your mind?" continued Wang Wei.
"Your majesty, do you think material alchemy has a place in the world?"
Wang Wei looked at her and saw a little girl full of hope, unwillingness, and fear toward the future. He secretly sighed. Technically speaking, Hou Shu was born earlier than him by at least a few decades.
However, because of how weird the cultivation world is, his body and mind are way older than him. Additionally, seniority is determined by strength, so in this world, no one can force Wang Wei to call him senior.
"The moment I created the Dream World, material alchemy was destined to rise," said Wang Wei, and he immediately saw Hou Shu's shoulder relaxed as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
"That's good," repeated Hou Shi in a low voice for a few seconds.
"If you don't mind asking, why are you so insisting on material alchemy?"
"It's because of my master," said Hou Shi with a look of reminiscent. "My alchemy talent has never been the best, but he took me in and accepted me as a disciple, treating me like a daughter.
"My master was a true believer of material alchemy, believing it had its place in the world."
"So, you inherited his legacy?"
"Yes. He did not live long enough to see such a day, but no matter what, I will show the world that material alchemy is a viable Dao."
"I see," nodded Wang Wei. He did not know why her master was so obsessed with this form of alchemy and even passed it on to his disciples. However, some people have different goals and interests, so he would not comment on them.
"How is your life in the sect?" asked Wang Wei. "You can tell me the truth."
Hou Shi was confused by such an odd question but still answered, "Life is tough. My alchemy talent is not the best, and my Dao is not very popular, so I get bullied sometimes. However, the sect has rules so the junior and senior brothers do not go too far."
"Any interest in changing sect? The Dao Opening Sect will welcome you with open arms and give you all the necessary help and resources."
"Wh...what?"
"I mean every word I said."
For a few seconds, Hou Shi did not know what to say.
Then, her face turned red, and she looked at the ground.
"You...Your majesty, I'm sorry."
Wang Wei secretly sighed, "Can I ask why?"
"My...my...master always had a dream," said Hou Shi, who took a deep breath before looking directly into Wang Wei's eyes. "He wanted our sect to have another lineage for material alchemy. Although I know the chances of succeeding are slim, I still want to try it.'
'Ambitious,' thought Wang Wei; he never thought this determined "senior sister" had the ambition to prove the Dao and open a new alchemy lineage in the Origin Pill Dao Sect.
Wang Wei looked at her as he realized the wonder of destiny. The Origin Pill Dao Sect held the [Pill Ancestor Destiny], so it made sense that a new Emperor Alchemy Lineage would manifest in their sect. It's the same for Wu Ming's Totem Warrior Lineage that appeared in the Origin Rune Palace. Although it took some drastic measures before succeeding, the end result was the same.
"It's fine if you don't want to change your sect," said Wang Wei. Although he failed to lure this new destiny to his sect, maybe it was for the best.
"I'm a person who likes talent, so I will give you a few gifts."
He pointed at her forehead, and in an instant, Hou Shi felt a technique appear in her mind.
"Force Control Skill?" Hou Shi's eyes lit up as she understood the implications of this technique⌜her alchemy talent would become unparalleled.
'No, not just alchemy talent but also my cultivation talent.'
With the Dream World's Simulation Setting and her Innate Talent that allowed her to know the essence of all spiritual herbs and how to combine them, she had little doubt she could revive Material Alchemy Dao. However, to prove the Dao, she needs strength. Sadly, she knew how terrible her cultivation talent was compared to these Heaven Chosens.
She was born earlier than all of them but was still a peak Saint, while the best of them had already proven the Dao.
However, she saw hope in making up for the gap with this technique.
"I must warn you, this technique cannot be passed on to anyone else⌜even your closest person," said Wang Wei.
"I swear on my life to never reveal," said Hou Shu without hesitation. Wang Wei nodded. Although he had already placed restrictions on the technique, he still wanted her attitude regarding the matter.
"The second gift I have for you is destiny."
He pointed at her and gathered the remaining scattered destiny of Material Alchemy Dao, focusing everything on her.
"Thank you, your majesty," bowed Hou Shu. As a Saint from a top Emperor Lineage, she had knowledge of things like luck and destiny, so she guessed what the Heavenly Emperor did.
"This is my last gift for you," continued Wang Wei as a multicolored flame materialized on his palm.
"Chaos Flame," uttered Hou Shu with wide eyes.
"That's correct. As an alchemist, you should understand the benefit of a powerful Heavenly Flame⌜especially for material alchemy."
"I...I don't know how to repay such kindness," said Hou Shu. She wanted to accept and reject such a heavy gift.
"I will help you today so that you can help me tomorrow."
"Where would Your Majesty ever need my help?"
"I will ascend and leave this world one day. But after you prove the Dao, maybe my sect will need you to take care of it. So, I'm planting a seed today that can become fruit someday."
"I didn't expect Your Majesty to have so much faith in me," said Hou Shu with a blush.
"It doesn't matter whether I have faith in you. What matters is whether you have faith in yourself," said Wang Wei. "The path of Emperor is cruel, and without the mindset that I will be the final victor no matter the circumstances, you won't go far⌜even if you have the best talent in the world."
"I understand," she replied with brilliant eyes. Wang Wei nodded before handing her a seed of his Chaos Flame.
"I'm looking forward to your future," said Wang Wei before disappearing from the room. Before the entrance to the tower, Wang Wei's Dream Avatar appeared with a smile.
'Her rise should shake things in the Origin Pill Dao Sect.
Let's see if I can use this opportunity to spy on Lou Cheng's secrets.' He entered the tower to recreate his battle with Jiang Behe.
Emperor Enlightening Academy:
Xu Shi looked at the altar before her with no response and frowned.
"Headmaster, what should we do?"
"Wait and see. If there is no response after a while, tell the Heavenly Emperor the truth."
After giving the instructions, she left and returned to seclusion. She activated the array in the room to the limit so she could have as much time as possible on the inside while only a short period passed by on the outside.
After an unknown amount of time, Xu Shi opened her eyes and exhaled.
'It was time.'
Xu Shi always felt it was not the right time to see him again. However, after listening to Xin's advice, she knew she was procrastinating and running away from her troubles.
So, inspired by the Heavenly Emperor's words, she decided to stop avoiding and confront the issue head-on.
Xu Shi meticulously reconstructed her husband Lin Fan's [Existence] while using his World Imprint as the medium.
She took her time, going as slowly as needed to ensure no mistakes or errors. In the process, her understanding of [Existence] drastically improved.
After what felt like an eternity, a handsome young man appeared before her. He looked exactly as she remembered him, except for his very weak aura.
However, it was understandable since she inherited everything from him, including his cultivation.
"Where am I?" asked Lin Fan as he looked around. When he saw Xu Shi, the concussion in his eyes faded, replaced by uncontrollable elation.
"Shi'er? I knew you would succeed."
