I alone am the Honoured One!

Chapter 492  Alchemy Chamber [3]

Hearing Qian Shi's words, Artoria's gaze trembled as she bit her lip, a soft sigh escaping her. "Is there really no other way, Sister Shi?" Qian Shi stared at her for a moment, her expression blank but her eyes reflecting a deep well of emotions.

With a graceful wave of her hands, she steadied herself in the water, the surface rippling gently around her. "Art, you already know the answer to that. It's impossible. Fate doesn't bend so easily." "If I can change fate just like that... I would have gone and brought Tian when he was born that day in the Astral Realm... when the whole realm welcomed the birth of the Honoured One."

(A/n: I mentioned about this in chapter 228)

A melancholy sigh escaped her lips, and her gaze seemed to drift far beyond the lake, back to the fateful moment she could never forget "I was there... watching Cessna Maverick giving birth to Vester Maverick." Artoria Evelyne also remembered the day... that day, out of nowhere, the whole Astral Realm was glowing in sparkling golden, the blue sky turned golden, indicating something big is going to happen that is going to change the entire universe.

Everyone knew that day—The Honoured One had descended into the world. Qian Shi's voice softened as she muttered under her breath, "That day... all eyes were fixed on the Stomspire Dynasty, ruled by the Maverick family. The golden light swirled around their palace, condensing there more intensely than anywhere else, signaling the location of his birth. The Honoured One had arrived." Artoria opened her eyes slowly, and she could still see the images in her mind: The golden clouds swirling around the Maverick Palace, the terrifying power that reverberated throughout the realm, and the undeniable fear that spread through the hearts of all who lived under the vast Astral skies. Qian Shi's voice grew colder as she continued. "In the very next moment, every powerhouse, every faction in the realm dashed to the palace. "

"Their goal was the same: to destroy the newborn child before he could rise to his destined power. The Honoured One was feared... and with that fear came cruelty."

Her fists clenched beneath the water, sending soft ripples across the surface. "That day... I stood there, helpless. I could do nothing but watch as the Stomspire Dynasty fell, torn apart by greed, fear, and ambition." "The palace was engulfed in flames, and the dynasty was annihilated. Vester's birth... became the catalyst for their destruction." Her voice cracked slightly, the weight of regret bearing down on her. "I watched as the Maverick family... was slaughtered. The dynasty was reduced to ashes. I couldn't save them..."

Qian Shi's voice dropped to a whisper, "Zhao Ning... she was the only one who escaped. She fled that day with two children, carrying the last remnants of the Maverick bloodline. One of them was Tian... Vester Maverick, the boy who would become Zhao Tian, The Honoured One."

Artoria Evelyne continued "The man who changed the balance of the world..."

With a chuckle, Qian Shi spoke "Yeah... just his birth disrupted the Equibilirium of the world."

"In these past 21 years, many people realized that they could cultivate faster than earlier years after the birth of the Honoured One."

"Hahaha... the universe itself is trying hard to maintain the balance because of this one guy."

"The Deviant..."

"The Honoured One..."

...

As Zhao Tian continued to look through the contents of the tab, Qi Nue and Qi Xue also watched him silently.

Qi Xue was quite surprised "Little brother, the ones you are searching for are ridiculously expensive..."

 "You'd have to work for months just to afford one of these. Maybe if you had enough astral stones, you could try finding some of these rare materials outside the Sect." Hearing their suggestions, Zhao Tian gave a nod as an idea appeared in his mind "By the way, tell me more about your Master..."

With a nod, Qi Nue spoke "Master Yao Jing is incredibly passionate about alchemy. She lives and breathes it. Anything related to alchemy fascinates her."

"And this whole Alchemy Chamber is under her."

"She is one of the Elders in the Sect who doesn't have a wing under her."

Qi Xue continued "Yeah, other Elders are called Wing Masters as they have a wing under them, and there are totally thirteen wings in the Sect. She prefers working on her own, fully devoted to her research and alchemy." "Little Brother, when you get promoted as an inner disciple, you would have to choose one of the 13 wings to stay in."

Zhao Tian's eyes condensed upon hearing this 'So passionate about alchemy... then I can strike a deal with her.'

As he was scrolling, he asked "How can I become an inner court disciple easily... Sisters?"

Qi Nue was the first one to reply "Well, there are two main ways. One, you need to reach at least the fifth level of the Stellar Essence Stage."

"Fifth level..." Zhao Tian repeated under his breath, taking a mental note.

Qi Xue interjected "But the other option is participating in the Inner Court Disciple Examination Tournament. That's probably the quickest way for someone like you if you're talented enough."

"Tournament?" Zhao Tian raised an eyebrow in interest.

With a nod, Qi Xue replied "Yeah... for every year they would conduct a tournament for outer disciples... so, in that tournament.. if you catch some Wing Master's eyes, who see you as a talented individual, you can join them as inner court disciple."

"And if you're really impressive, there's a chance you could be selected as a core disciple, which is an even higher honor." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"I see..." Zhao Tian nodded his head as he continued scrolling through the tab, searching for information on the 'Cloud Mist Flower.'

At that moment, a female employee passing by noticed the trio and approached with a professional smile.

"Customers, do you need my help?" she asked in a polite tone, her gaze briefly flickering to the screen. The three of them turned their heads and the woman glanced at the 'Cloud Mist flower' on the tablet.

Keeping her smile, she spoke "Ah, customers... that flower is not available right now. We have put a mission for that on the 1st floor."

Qi Nue glanced at the tab and it indeed was out of stock "Then can we take that mission?"

The woman however shook her head "I'm afraid not. The 'Cloud Mist Flower' is a rare herb that grows deep within the forest, in areas inhabited by high-level astral beasts. These beasts are far too dangerous for outer court disciples to handle." "Only inner court disciples can accept this mission."

Qi Nue and Qi Xue smiled dryly as they kinda expected this and nodded their heads "I see."

Zhao Tian frowned slightly upon hearing this as he has confidence in his strength and if he really went all out he can even fight against an inner court disciple if he used his Darkness element and Space energy along with Time energy.

He also has destructive elementals and powerful weapons along with Elven artifacts in his arsenal.

The woman continued with a smile "There are plenty of missions for more common herbs, and they're well within the capabilities of outer court disciples. You can still earn credits and valuable resources by completing those."

Qi Xue nodded appreciatively. "Thank you, sister. We'll definitely take a look at those missions."

The woman smiled kindly, clasping her hands in front of her. "Of course. If you need any help with the missions or any information about the herbs, feel free to reach out to me. I'll be around to assist you."

With that, she bowed slightly and turned to leave.

----------------------------------------------