Liu Suyin's dutiful reminder to not waste this opportunity and the approaching deadline for his upcoming life-changing decision was met with solemn silence and dignified expression. Inwardly, she ruefully sighed and felt conflicted. Just a few months ago, she was dissatisfied with events, but just spending the briefest time with Wei Wuyin had sparked her inner curiosity, interest, and sense of respect.
He hadn't done much, simply discussing the principles of space, voicing his opinions, facts, and insights into the Law of Space and all it involved, yet it was enough for her to slowly but surely change her own emotions towards Wei Wuyin's True Destined Voyage title. To her, he was worthy of this title, his attainments exceeded hers in terms of a foundational substance despite being a mere mortal yet to touch upon the greater Mystic Dao.
However, this astonishing young talent was now forced to carry the responsibility and safety of the entire Sealed Regions, the World Between the Fold, and the world beyond. While some might consider this the greatest honor, this show to tantalize his taste buds for more, to draw him into the fold with the allure of greater promise, wasn't entirely as it seemed.
She sought to become a True Destined Voyage since she could crawl, born and trained as a disciple of her ancestor with this sole purpose, yet fell short despite the hopes and dreams placed heavily upon her shoulders. Amidst her failure, she grasped the title of Envoy of the City of Endless, the ambassador of the Sealed Region and the City of Endless' Void Voyage Sect, the makeshift masquerade of the wardens of the Sealed Regions.
From her very early years, she was fully aware of the ultimate sacrifices and utmost duties of a Destined who took the mantle of an Endless Void Mirror controller. Because of her understanding, she adapted to a persona to best protect her sanity and naturally distance herself from others by exuding a demeanor inducing discomfort. Unable to fully comprehend or assess his situation, Wei Wuyin was being tricked into this decision, lured with grand prospects of his future—while true, was predicated on unseen stipulations, and forced with his life threatened in a rather blunt manner. She felt guilt.
It was barely a discernible throb of guilt in her heart, but it was there. It was enough to make her heart ache ever-so-slightly, an extremely rare event. When she saw that Wei Wuyin wasn't going to respond, his mood set and his thoughts concentrated as he gazed unblinkingly into the Time Vortex, she decided to remain silent and await the Protective Flowshell to arrive.
Wei Wuyin, however, was entirely unbothered, unaffected, and completely unaware of Liu Suyin's thoughts or minor shifts in her emotional state. His entirety was focused on communicating with Legion Commander Zhan Zheng to the point that he'd forgotten Liu Suyin's existence. He approached this situation with the utmost severity he'd ever taken, not neglecting to distract himself in the slightest.
The upcoming events will determine the next sequence of events. If he could pull it off…
The harvest would be incalculable.
"I…bring…Alchemic…Knight," Legion Commander Zhan Zheng's communication was choppy and slow, but it directly entered Wei Wuyin's soul. Despite the stasis field and an unimaginable distance, their connection was as mighty and unbreakable as a billion tiny sticks banded together. At the very least, this situation wasn't enough to sever it.
Wei Wuyin received the confirmation he needed, so he decided to speak to Kratos, grasping the feeling to be certain it was exactly what he was thinking. His Second Mind delved into overdrive, entering the obscure and minor mentions of the Time Vortex in all materials of information, even if it was the slightest sentence or description. He had always been cautious, but this time he took it a step further than usual.
After a long time, Liu Suyin's eyes abruptly lit up. "Your talents in the Alchemic Dao are exceedingly rare for your age; were you looking for a specific concoction method?" She asked, merely out of abrupt curiosity. She was fully aware that Wei Wuyin had very little relation to that legendary being, not of his bloodline or his disciple, as many in the outside world might think. Moreover, Wei Wuyin's soul aura was fully accustomed to the Sealed Regions; he wasn't an offspring born after the fact and brought here, so he couldn't be of his direct bloodline lineage.
That said, there was the slightest possibility that they belonged to the 'same' lineage, their silver eyes being their sole genetic connection from a long line of ancestors predating them both, but certainly not of direct descendent born after his departure.
"..." Wei Wuyin slowly crawled out of his critical thoughts. This was because it actually struck a curious question in his heart. He had scoured the entire Free Study and Sealed Tower with a fine comb, copying and duplicating every piece of material, experience, and recording, yet the information of the Mortal Sovereign Alchemists was almost depressingly bare.
Still, he had read personal experiences of Mortal Sovereign Alchemist encounters, specifically their usage of using Alchemic Spirit Remnants to induce something called: Rousing Spirit, Erupting Potential. Additionally, there were unique products known as Spirit Pills that were concocted. Those who encountered these pills all regarded the experience as majestic, bringing forth their life's effort and granting them a second chance through the vast and limitless Alchemic Dao. Each account was extremely reverential and flowery in its descriptions, eerily so.
Moreover, there was a singular first-hand experience to a survivor of a fearsome skill of a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist roughly seven to six thousand years ago, originating from a former Destined turned irredeemable cripple. They had met a powerful young alchemist in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region and their arrogance led to their cultivation collapsing at its seams from a single glance after offending this figure.
In a matter of a few breaths, he lost it all—everything. They described it as the most terrifying breaths they'd ever breathed in the five hundred years of their life. After finishing the record, leaving behind some obscure poetry, the pages were dyed in blood. The cultivator had ended their lives then and there.
Wei Wuyin felt that from the various descriptions, such as the eyes like the silver moon, it was none other than the King of Everlore. When Wei Wuyin read this, he unintentionally thought of Wang Yutian's quivering words of how terrifying Mortal Sovereign Alchemists were. However, throughout the entire record of the True Element Sect, no recording of an event like this had happened before.
Could it have been an advanced ability of the Alchemic Dao or a power of the King of Everlore's Celestial Eyes of Spiritual Divinity version? He genuinely didn't know.
"Is the knowledge regarding the Mortal Sovereign Alchemists and the Alchemic Stars of Mortal Spirituality within the Voyage Tower?" Wei Wuyin asked, a faint disgruntled pout in his tone.
"Mortal Sovereign Alchemists?" Liu Suyin wasn't shocked by the question. She shook her head, "that information isn't kept in the Sacred Library."
"Oh? Why?" Interest piqued, Wei Wuyin pursued.
"It's too dangerous," Liu Suyin bluntly stated. Her words even carried the faintest wisps of gloom and solemnity that felt heavy amidst that indifference.
"Too…dangerous?" Wei Wuyin's heart trembled; the knowledge of Mortal Sovereign Alchemists was 'too' dangerous? How dangerous? Why was it dangerous? He wanted to excavate more.
But Liu Suyin swiftly followed with, "I can't tell you why," and her mood seemed to have subtly shifted, continuing: "but I will say that the information is stored and kept secure in the Voyage Academy of Myriad Transformations. I was going to suggest that after you've reached the Temporal Eye Phase, our third planned stop will be there if you finish within the time frame. Regardless, if you don't, after you become a True Destined Voyager, you'll be able to access the V.A.M.T without issue."
"..." Wei Wuyin's breathing stilled. Instinctively, he looked at the Time Vortex, then turned to Liu Suyin in disbelief. He urgently had his Second Mind scour for information about the Voyage Academy of Myriad Transformations! His Second Mind doubled its efforts, flickering through the eighteen floors at unsettling speed.
Soon, a burst of mental strength was emitted and Wei Wuyin lost a portion of his mental energy as this information was shared between them, his eyes brightened instantly. After a heavy breath, he stared into the Time Vortex.
Woosh!
A figure descended; it was a spindly human male, his blue robes sported a strange dark-grey vortex emblem on his upper-right torso, and his eyes carried a lifeless indifference. It was different from Liu Suyin, as if he was refined as a puppet and forced to exist. However, this cultivator's aura was unfathomable! An Earthly Saint!
Wei Wuyin felt as if his horizons were being overturned being here. There were just too many Earthly Saints acting as workers here, even guards, shaking him deeply. How many Earthly Saints must the three cities possess to delegate these figures to these tasks? Or perhaps their cultivation bases were absolutely required?
Above the man's head was a translucent and hollow sphere large enough to fit two grown men. Its thin outer shell exuded strange energy that felt aggressive towards the natural erosion of time. This was the Protective Flowshell!
Liu Suyin glanced at the shell, giving a satisfied nod. She was about to reach out when Wei Wuyin exclaimed! It was a soft shout, but it took her attention away from the Protective Flowshell. What happened?
After getting her attention, Wei Wuyin said gloomily: "I'm not ready to enter the Time Vortex."
"...?" Liu Suyin was stunned. She said as if knowing Wei Wuyin's current thoughts, "It'll be fine; the shell might look thin, but it has unique properties that can slow down the erosion and influences of all time—past, present, and future forces."
However, Wei Wuyin shook his head with a face of extreme fear and unwillingness. "No. I can't."
"..." A long moment of silence followed, and the scrawny Earthly Saint frowned. He didn't wait, "Others need this shell. Come back in six months," then he left without a word, vanishing from sight as if he didn't exist. This wasn't the first time he'd met a terrified youth afraid to enter the vortex. The Protective Flowshell was a valuable resource, so it wasn't best to waste a single second of its usage.
This caused Wei Wuyin's heart to shiver slightly, but he was stunned by this immediate reaction. Was it the Heavenly Daos influence or coincidence?
Liu Suyin's left eye spasmed slightly. She wanted to send word back to the Guardian of the Vortex for another chance, but he was already gone, and knowing his personality, his word was essentially law. If he told Wei Wuyin to come back in six months, then he'd never use it until six months had passed!
She felt an urge to grit her teeth.
"How about we go somewhere less dangerous? Like the Voyage Academy you mentioned earlier," he then smiled, not a single trace of fear on his face. Liu Suyin was speechless.
Far away, Liu Yinlan's gorgeous eyes erupted in light. It seemed what Wei Wuyin was looking for was a Concoction Method! No wonder he spent months scouring the libraries, and after learning the scant information in the libraries, he must've realized there would be nothing in there further. She felt as if he had pegged Wei Wuyin instantly, amusement in her eyes.
"Then go. Let's see what you're looking for, my True Destined Voyager." She was curious as to what could have made this handsome mortal scheme and search so aggressively!
Liu Suyin's eyes flickered when she received a spiritual transmission. "Fine."
