n

n

n

nUnder the crowd’s surprise and scrutiny, Dyon showed no fluctuations in his emotions.

nThe reason he was confident enough to do this was simple, really. The garbage he spewed about checking whether or not the guilds ran on traditions or rules was nonsense. Whether or not they did was irrelevant. If the major families wanted to find issue with him taking over their guilds as a human, they would find issue. Even if they hadn’t set a rule, they would. Even if they normally wouldn’t care, they would. A major family Dyon despised had just annihilated an orphanage just because of him. And although Dyon couldn’t be sure of exactly which family it was as of now, he had some pretty foolproof guesses.

nIn other words, if they were willing to do what they did to kids and a sweet old lady, simply to try and hurt Dyon… what do you think they would do if he took over 2, or even all 3, of their most important businesses?

nSo, Dyon wasn’t using something as flimsy as Elvin rules and regulations to decide his moves. What he was using, was the guild headquarters Grand Elder Kroak just mentioned.

nBefore coming to the Elvin Kingdom, Dyon had no real impression of such headquarters. He only vaguely knew that if there was a set system of rankings for something, and there were multiple installations of it across a continent and even across a universe, then someone must be heading it. And, if someone was heading it, then it had rules and regulations of its own that people who used their services were forced to follow. It was a simple deduction. One he didn’t have to spend much time at all thinking of.

nSimply put, if Dyon used a rule set in place by the guild headquarters to take over the guilds of the Elvin Kingdom… their feelings about it were irrelevant. Unless they somehow felt that they could do without the guild headquarters… which, from Dyon’s master’s memories, would be foolish to say the least.

nThe headquarters was an alliance between all God Clans of a given universe. After the destruction of the Celestial Deer Sect, there was no longer a leading expert in all things aurora related. As such, the responsibility was shared amongst interested experts of various God Clans. Interestingly enough, this was usually how it worked in other universes as well. Because of how times had changed, array alchemy could no longer be the sole expertise of a clan. Or, more accurately, be the sole expertise of a powerful clan.

nThis was because, for a still inexplicable reason, array alchemy was looked down upon and suppressed. Dyon intuitively knew that there was a large conspiracy behind this. Array Alchemy was too important for it to just be separated on a whim. But, there was little Dyon could do. He could only thank luck for him arriving at a Focus Academy, meeting with the fanatic Uncle Ail and happening upon the wreckage of a clan who specialized in it. Otherwise, maybe he’d prescribe to the way these so-called experts thought too.

nBut, Dyon knew this was a fight for another day. For a broken philosophy to permeate so many universes like this, there must be a large power behind it. And since he needed the help of each guild headquarters for now, he would temporarily give into their wishes. Although they may find it odd that a 15-year-old would suddenly take over so many of their branches, Dyon bet that much like the Grand Elders did now, they would rather fight for him, rather than against him. After all… he was this universe’s sole holder of an innate aurora. And if they wanted his help for upcoming competitions, Dyon knew they wouldn’t harm him.

nWhat else could experts of secondary occupations reliant on auroras want more than to increase their awakened percentages? And how else could they do that other than to earn resources? And how else could they earn resources if not by gaining larger quotas by winning these kinds of competitions? The larger the competition, the better the placement, the better the rewards. To the headquarters of this universe, Dyon was their hope for greater heights… and he would take full advantage.

nGrand Elder Kroak was silent for a long while before he finally spoke, “it seems like you know your worth,” he said knowingly, “but… you’re still centuries too early to play with us.”

nGrand Elder Kroak began radiating a blinding white aura, his forehead shining with a distinct white flame.

nThe crowd was in shock, “41%?!?”

nGrand Elder Cormyth froze, “it seems you’ve been hiding quite a bit from me, hm?”

nBOOM!

nGrand Elder Cormyth’s aura lost out in no way.

nThe surroundings felt a collective breath escape. It seemed like the two heads had no intention of allowing a little boy to trample over them. They had even climbed the 40% watershed!

nTo a layman, this may seem trivial. Why would you be boasting a mere 41% awakened state when there was someone in front of you who had long since reached 100%. But, these guild experts were different. They knew very well how important the 40% watershed was when an expert had souls as powerful as Cormyth and Kroak. Dyon may have access to 100% of his soul, but, was it really better than 41% of a saint’s soul?

nDyon though, didn’t seem too bothered by any of this. Whether their souls were more powerful than his was one thing. But, whether or not the could use that power as easily as Dyon was another.

nDyon had never once dealt with a bottle neck while practicing Array Alchemy. It had always been that if his soul was powerful enough to create an array, and he spent some time studying it, he would transcend to that level. However, the same was no true of others. 41% access to a saint level soul was definitely more powerful than Dyon’s 5th stage soul… but did that mean they could use their aurora effectively at the master level? In fact, just because their energy cultivation reached the saint level, that didn’t necessarily mean that their souls had surpassed the 6th stage to become a true saint soul.

nDyon remained unwavering, “there’s no need to try and intimidate me. I know very well that your energy cultivations are well into the saint stage. And maybe you’re not even that far away from the celestial stage. But, I can clearly tell that both of your souls are still at the 6th stage. And now, you only have access to 41%. To you, that’s more than enough to beat me. But, would you be correct in that assumption?”

nElder Dior frowned, “are you trying to imply that your soul is more powerful than 41% of a lower 6th stage soul? Even if your innate soul was of the highest order, at the peak 2nd stage, and you began cultivating with a peak heaven level soul technique, you would at most be at the lower 4th stage considering your age… nothing could be so exaggerated…”

nDyon shook his head, “I’m implying nothing at all. I simply posed a question. Since I’ve issued this challenge, I’m ready to face the consequences.”

nTo Elder Dior, he had used the most exaggerated metrics possible for Dyon. The Elvin Kingdom didn’t even have a genius with an innate soul at the peak 2nd stage right now, let alone a human having it. And they definitely didn’t have a peak heaven level soul technique, at most, they had a lower heaven level one… reserved for the best of geniuses of the major families.

nHow could he know that not only was Dyon’s innate soul higher than that… he even had access to a peak level divine soul technique?

nGrand Elder Cormyth finally spoke, “you realize that guild challenges aren’t something you can just do, correct? If there was no possible penalty, wouldn’t a guild be flooded with these constantly?”

nDyon nodded. With a flick of his wrist, two lower grandmaster swords appeared. One was exactly like a traditional Japanese Katana. However, the other seemed too thick to be a sword, but too thin to be a saber.

n“Here are two grandmaster level swords. These weapons are obviously better than what your blacksmithing guild can produce. And if you wanted a weapon of this level, you would most likely have to go to the center of the human continent or to the headquarters themselves and pay a ridiculous price, no? I believe these will be sufficient? One for each guild I challenge today.”

nGrand Elder Cormyth froze, ‘this is who we offended?… What normal kid can just take out two grandmaster weapons? Is his fiancée really Madeleine Sapientia?… Who is this kid?!’

nDyon was willing to expose these weapons for that reason exactly. He wanted to remind the elders of his words that day. Madeleine was in fact his fiancée. And secondly, they had to now second guess who he was. Whether or not the believed that Madeleine was his fiancée was irrelevant. It was only a possible added bonus. The effect Dyon truly wanted was for these elders to second guess making a move against him because of who may or may not be backing him.

nWith a frozen smile, Cormyth continued, “these will… these will be enough…”

n“More than enough,” Dyon corrected, “these will also be payment for my master level badge after we’re through here.”

nGrand Elder Cormyth sighed. It wasn’t that he was a bad guy. Being of high regard in an academy was more than about just the prestige and money. In fact, if it was about profits, he would just stick with Alchemy. There were very few professions that paid as well as it did. All he wanted was to rope more students into his preferred secondary occupation. But, often the most talented ones chose to focus on cultivation for campaigns instead.

nTo have a genius like Dyon… who was even willing to head their guilds, was definitely different. He only wanted the best for the Elvin Kingdom. It was just that he thought the Acacia family wasn’t it… especially with their alleged ancient history…

nAs such, he supported the Sigebryht and Norville families. But, it wasn’t blindly. If it wasn’t for his support, the Grimbold family would have never gained the headmaster position of Mathilde Academy. Although he felt that Zaltarish, with his ambition and talent, was very much suited kingship, he received a report the other day that didn’t sit well with him… the orphanage that had popped up out of nowhere had been destroyed.

nImagine that. A human of all things helped your kingdom fix one of its most pressing problems simply out of the kindness of his heart, and yet, due to anger, you erased that kindness from the face of the earth.

nAlthough Grand Elder Cormyth hadn’t told Zaltarish to do it, nor was he even sure it was Zaltarish, all signs made it obvious.

nNot only did Dyon embarrass who Grand Elder Cormyth knew was Zaltarish’s fiancée, he had even beaten Zaltarish in front of so many people. And then to top it off, he hadn’t even stayed to gloat… as though gloating about such a victory was beneath him. He instead chose to get up and leave to go to an orphanage the Elvin Kingdom themselves should have opened!

nAnd now, Grand Elder Cormyth could see the shift in Dyon’s personality. Before, Dyon had been willing to give him some face as an elder. When he tried to pressure Dyon’s soul, Dyon had pretended as though it hadn’t happened. But now, could he blame Dyon for being so blatantly disrespectful? Cormyth was clear on the fact that Dyon probably assumed he was involved!

nBecause of the orphanage incident, Grand Elder Cormyth had rethought his position on a lot of things. He himself had many children and had once participated in the campaigns much like everyone else. If he hadn’t been a campaign leader, but was instead a foot soldier, what would have happened had he died? Would his wife be forced to campaign? Would his children be without parents?

nWhether Zaltarish was a genius or not was now irrelevant to him. Putting the kingdom in the hands of such a twisted individual would be bad for everyone.

nSuddenly Grand Elder Cormyth got up, slowly floating down to the arena.

nEveryone looked at him with surprise. Grand Elder Cormyth had no obligation to be the first to challenge Dyon. In fact, he could have sent every expert in the guild at Dyon before he himself decided to go. The fact that he stood was a sign of respect for Dyon. This was even more blatantly obvious by the fact Dyon had just now been so disrespectful.

nFor the first time in a long time, Dyon’s faced flashed with an unknown emotion, then he said something no one understood but he, Cormyth and a few elders, “I’ll accept that you weren’t involved then.”

nA look of appreciation crossed Grand Elder Cormyth’s face as he nodded, looking towards his daughters, “I’ll handle this, your old man won’t lose so easily.”

n“But dad, we wanted to go,” the twins spoke together in adorable fashion.

nThey had wanted to see if they could beat Dyon themselves, but Grand Elder Cormyth simply shook his head, “you two aren’t a match for him. Not now. Go on, be obedient.”

nWith that, Erlan and Luvon followed the twins off of the stage.

nIn a flash, practitioner level guild members wiped all evidence of the previous battle from the arena as Dyon and Cormyth sized each other up.

nGrand Elder Cormyth wore green robes with intricate purple patterns, which was strikingly different from the formation guild’s plain grey robes. Although he was less sharp than Kroak, he still exuded the faint pressure of a true expert. He was not to be underestimated.

nCormyth began to speak after preparations are complete, “out of the interest of time and respect for your level, your one battle will be with me. Although I cannot speak for the formation guild, I’m sure that old bastard Kroak agrees as well.”

nGrand Elder Kroak nodded in acknowledgment. Although he and Cormyth butt heads, if they weren’t good friends, organizing competitions like this wouldn’t be on such a casual and small scale. It was clear that their relationship was deep, despite their disagreements.

nContinuing, “we’ll let this be a simple competition then. Right to the essence of alchemy. I won’t go easy on you with the topics. 3 parts. Grafting theory. Pill recognition. Pill formation.”

nThe crowd began to murmur. Even just grafting theory required years of experience. Understanding plants, their properties and how those properties changed in response to being melded together was a large part of alchemy, but it was also much of the reason why many didn’t advance despite being able to form higher level pills.

nThe second, pill recognition, was equally as difficult. It was almost impossible for an alchemist to memorize the pill recipe and unique formation requirements of every pill, especially when one considers how many pills are tailor made for a given situation on a whim. So, the ability to analyze a pill down to its most important components, and describe it, was another outrageously difficult, but wholly necessary talent.

nThe last, pill formation, was probably the most straight forward. However, it was also among the most important for obvious reasons.

n“Winning two of the three will gain you victory. Since you’re the challenger, and I’ve set the parameters of the challenge, it would be appropriate for you to choose what we do first. What do you choose?”

nUp in the stands, Elder Flyleaf sat beside Elder Erunonidan, watching everything unfold intently. They were both a part of sub-families within the alchemy division, so, this could be considered their expertise. As such, they were very interested in how their chosen genius would do.

nDyon nodded, “let’s just begin with grafting theory.”

nTheory based challenges would probably be the easiest for Dyon. Why? Because of his master’s memories.

nThis was cheating, in a way, but also not at the same time. All of the unlocked memories on array alchemy his master had left in his mind, Dyon had long since imprinted as his own. The memories that couldn’t be considered his own were ones he hadn’t gone through with the objective of learning yet. Think of the 25th White Mother’s memories as books that Dyon had read and memorized. And these books, were simply things Cormyth didn’t have access to.

nHowever, this wasn’t an open and close case. Much like pill recognition, grafting theory had endless possibilities. Without the ability to reason, deduce and conclude on the most likely occurrence in the combination of certain plants, knowledge would mean nothing. As such, Dyon’s master only left the base plants in Dyon’s memories because that was all she had in her own. She never bothered to memorize grafted plants because it was a waste of effort.

nGrand Elder Cormyth nodded at Dyon’s direct answer before looking up into the crowd, “we need an unbiased moderator to provide the questions. I believe test questions from a 5th master level alchemy test would be appropriate here. I am only at the 3rd master level, and Dyon has yet to reveal his true level. So, picking one above mine would be most appropriate. I would have no chance at answering any questions at a higher level, so even should Dyon be a 5th master level alchemist, the result would be sealed regardless, correct?”

nThe crowd nodded. Although they found it ridiculous that Dyon’s understanding of grafting could ever reach that level, they had to admit that Cormyth’s logic was sound. Even Dyon had no objection.

nIn response to Cormyth’s ask for a moderator, Elder Flyleaf stood, walking to the arena.

nWith what seemed like a thought, a glass tube Dyon hadn’t noticed on the ceiling appeared. Within it, a cylinder containing scroll sped towards them.

nPOP!

nFalling out of the web of glass, the cylinder fell gently into Flyleaf’s hand.

nTaking the scroll out and unrolling it, a white array appeared, slowly expanding before them.

nSoon, the array was already 3 meters in diameter before it started to glow fiercely.

nElder Flyleaf muttered something before stacks of papers began flying out and neatly arranging themselves. After about half a minute, the process was over.

n“I’ll pick one of these at random. It’ll be a list of base plants. Your job is to accurately denote the characteristics of the final product of their fusion. As you probably know, common level alchemists are required to understand the fusion of 2 plants. However, this is raised to about 5 for a midlevel master alchemist. So, that’s what we’ll go with today.

nShould the first to answer incorrectly, the second will get a chance. However, should the first answer correctly, a new question will be chosen. In that event, if the second should answer incorrectly, the victory goes to the first.”

nDyon and Cormyth nodded.

nThere was something odd about the scene unfolding before everyone. One stood as an esteemed elder. While the other appeared as a nonchalant teenage boy who had just rolled out of bed. And yet, the sharpness in the air was decidedly distinct. There was no question that this was being taken seriously.

nA wind will blew through the pages that had been stacked on the arena, causing one to randomly land in Elder Flyleaf’s hand.

nLooking down, he spoke, “Grand Elder Cormyth will answer first. Your 5 plants are: Devil’s Willow, Ice Pike, Fawning Grass, Flaunting Sun, Lake’s Purity.”

nThe crowd was stunned. Wasn’t this combination nothing but death? To fuse two fire type plants with two water-based ones and leaving the docile Fawning Grass as an intermediary? This was nonsense.

nGrand Elder Cormyth didn’t have this reaction, though. He instead closed his eyes in contemplation. There was never an agreed upon time limit, so, there was of course no problem with him taking his time.

nSoon, he began to speak, “Graftings of this nature usually act almost like grenades. The condensation of unlike plants together in a single space only requires a small imbalance to cause things to go horribly wrong.

nDevil’s willow, and its fire characteristic, are best balanced by Lake’s Purity. Although Devil’s Willow is the more dominant of it and Flaunting Sun, and Lake’s Purity is the less dominant of it and Ice Pike, this combination is still the best. This is because Devil’s Willow reacts violently to suppression, so much so that it is best to reduce said suppression whenever possible.

nTo offset this, Fawning Grass can be used as a calming agent. Because of its docile nature, it works well as a fertilizer of Devil’s willow, allowing it to live happily.

nBecause Ice Pike is already the more dominant of the water attribute plants, it can dampen Flaunting Sun alone, creating the perfect balance.

nAs such, the best order for this grafting is to combine Ice Pike and Flaunting Sun first. This will result in a cold attribute plant that can boost the next addition: Fawning Grass. The boosting of Fawning Grass isn’t in terms of its docility, but rather, its effectiveness at utilizing this docility. Meaning, Fawning Grass’ effects are boosted because the ice attribute slows the rate Devil’s Willow can absorb it. Resulting in a grafting that remains grafted for long enough to then be used.

nAs for what the final product will be… that’s much simpler than the explanation behind how it came to be. It’s a poison. When applied with the proper balancing ingredients of a pill, the Devil’s Willow will slowly be improved by the Fawning Grass, resulting in its original characteristics becoming more robust.

nRemember, Devil’s Willow is a plant needing extremely high levels of water. Imagine if those effects are multiplied. How long would someone last with all of the water of their bodies dried up? The blood becomes sludge, unable to pump. The brain shuts down its function. Salt concentration increases, and organs corrode. This is the effect of this grafting.”

nThe crowd nodded. It was no secret to anyone that the Cormyth family were expert poison masters. Even the twins, Tamara and Verrona, dabbled in this art as well. If the Grand Elder Cormyth said something was a poison… it was likely a poison.

nElder Flyleaf nodded approvingly at this answer. This was exactly what a master level alchemist should conclude given this combination of plants. But, just as he was about to choose another list for Dyon, he was stopped.

n“Elder Flyleaf, this was indeed a good answer. But, may I ask if that answer sheet of yours provides an alternative and much more complete answer?”

nFlyleaf froze, taking a deep look at Dyon before speaking, “it does… but this answer is adequate to receive a passing grade for a master level alchemist. The answer you speak of is what would be assumed of for a half-step grandmaster… it’s a special rank created because reaching the grandmaster level is so difficult…”

nDyon didn’t seem too bothered by this, “So, I assume within the rules of this contest, should I answer appropriately, with the most correct answer, I would win, correct?”

n“yes…” Elder Flyleaf’s voice was faint, but he was really looking forward to see if Dyon would truly be correct.

nGrand Elder Cormyth didn’t have any adverse reaction to Dyon’s words. Instead, he looked up at Grand Elder Kroak and nodded, as though they decided on something.

nDyon took his hands out of his pockets, bringing them together in a prayer-like fashion.

nThe crowd gasped as purple-gold lights began flashing around him.

n“he really is at the master level… and it doesn’t look like he only recently reached it either…”

nA cold sweat appeared on the backs of Erlan and Luvon. They just realized that they lectured a master level expert about how formations worked… regardless of whether he had cultivation or not, by the simple virtue that he could form arrays so quickly… they were no match for him…

nThe eyes of the twins sparkled with a bit of disappointment, but mostly excitement as the watched Dyon’s array expand.

nThen, a sudden realization hit the crowd, “why is he using arrays in an alchemy competition…”

nSuddenly, 5-foot-long arrays faced downward, floating before Dyon.

nDyon’s voice rang out faintly, “the reason alchemy and formation theory used to be a single school of thought, is because they play off of each other…”

nThe arrays before Dyon began to glow, as faint objects began to vaguely materialize atop of them.

n“To reach this level of precision as just an alchemist… you need to reach the half-step grandmaster level. However… using arrays, you only need to have just stepped into the master level.”

nA flash of blinding light appeared as 5 distinct plants lightly bobbed in the air above the purple-gold arrays.

nThe eyes of the crowd couldn’t help but widen.

nGrand Elder Kroak took a deep breath, “creation array…”

nNot only did using a creation array require an understanding of what you were creating to even the smallest of levels, it was a complex array into and of itself. Yet, Dyon had used at most 10 minutes to form the arrays and the plants.

nThe plants themselves weren’t a big deal as they were only of the common level. But, to create a plant, regardless of level, was a ridiculous feat. It was nothing short of memorizing an obscenely long string of DNA, maintaining its structure, and even creating the plant’s most beneficial environment, all in one. And although the martial world had no real concept of DNA, they still vaguely grasped the general idea behind the concept. However, the fact this concept was vague to them was exactly why only experts who far surpassed the grandmaster level were able to do what Dyon just did, even for a common level plant.

nGrand Elder Kroak chuckled bitterly, “how could I beat him in formation theory… how ridiculous…”

nGrand Elder Cormyth smiled as he watched Dyon continue.

nThe plants began to slowly break apart.

n“Grand Elder Cormyth’s explanation was an answer, just not the best. Although this combination can in fact form a poison, this poison is as a by-product of that combination’s imperfection.”

nSoon the plants were nothing but floating specks of light, glowing of a faint purple.

n“like I said, without formations, alchemy alone can only complete this feat at the half-step grandmaster level… This is because instead of combining the plants in equal amounts, one needs to splice at very specific sections, remove unwanted additions, and form new sequences using the originals as building blocks…

nGrand Elder Cormyth’s explanation involved maintaining the original characteristics of the plants… however, the best combination involved forming something completely new!”

nDyon’s hands separated as the formations began to spin before him, slowly layering atop each other and combining into a single large array… the sparkling particles remaining separated in 5 groups.

nThe crowd watched with bated breath.

n“94% of Fawning Grass… 2% of Devil’s Willow… 12% of Lake’s Purity… 64% of Flaunting Sun… 23% of Ice Pike…”

nDyon calmly listed the percentage of the characteristics of each plant he would be using.

n“Many think of Fawning Grass as a glorified fertilizer… But that only accounts for a small percentage of its characteristics… what it really is… is a caring fairy, unwilling to see any plants suffer…”

nDyon’s hand waved in the air towards a clump of shining particles. Suddenly, a portion of it was burnt away.

nBut, the reaction to this was completely unexpected. The faint sound of a song began to be heard as a fairy began to appear above the group of particles.

nA light and airy giggling could be heard as the clump began to swirl around the fairy. It was a truly adorable sight. A small green skinned fairy with light blue hair and eyes danced freely along the sides of Dyon’s array, happily making its way to the other clumps as Dyon waved his hands again and again. Each swipe eliminating large portions of the previous characteristics of the plants.

n“he… the plant’s soul manifested…”

nGrand Elder Kroak could no longer remain sitting. He stood almost too violently, training his eyes on what he was witnessing.

nThe fairy reached the clump of Lake’s purity, cupping its small hands for a single drop of purity. The drop was a bright sheen of gold, and although it was small, the poor fairy could barely hold it. She could only awkwardly and adorably drink.

nBy the time she finished, she patted her slightly bulging stomach and giggled. The laughter was so carefree and pure that one couldn’t help but smile.

nThe fairy began to change. Its skin paled from its original green to a fair and pale gold. Her hair changed into a striking white, lengthening to cover her bare butt, causing her to twirl with delight.

nWalking to the clump of Flaunting Sun, the fairy did nothing but bask in its light.

nThe particles started slowly gathering on her back, forming wings twice the length of her body in a blinding white light.

nFloating to Ice Pike, the fairy shivered adorably, diving into the clump. The particles began to swirl, forming an elegant and icy dress on the small fairy.

nIts light and airy personality became more reserved and restrained, but a gentle smile could still be seen on her face as her wings flapped to her final destination.

nStopping in front of Devil’s Willow, the ice blue eyes of the fairy glistened.

nThis was when Dyon’s voice rang out faintly, “To most… Devil’s Willow is unyielding and obstructive. Taking too much water, needing too much space, requiring too much effort. But… when used properly… when restrained properly… isn’t that the attitude of a monarch?”

nThe clump set itself ablaze, charging for the calm fairy.

nThe crowd gasped, but their worries were unfounded.

nSlowly, the flames that had engulfed the fairy condensed.

nFaint golden hues covered the fairy’s dress and wings. But, the most striking characteristic was the halo of flames that now hovered above the small fairy’s head.

nFinally, Dyon’s array disappeared. A faint layer of sweat covering his forehead.

nTurning to Dyon, the now queen fairy smiled gently, looking at her creator.

nHer wings spread and a blinding light covered the coliseum as she gently floated to Dyon’s open palm.

nCHIME! CHIME! CHIME!

nThis time, Dyon didn’t have the heart to stop the chimes. They rang out again and again as the fairy looked up at Dyon from his hand.

nOnce the 99th chime rang out, everything was silent. The fairy bowed to Dyon, wrapping its wings around itself.

nSlowly, the light began to fade.

nBy the time everyone could see what was happening, the fairy was gone. In its place lay a pill of absolute purity. Above it, a halo of fire spun, bobbing gently.

nDyon took a deep breath, “this is the perfection of this grafting combination… Queen Fairy… A culmination of common level plants to form the necessary ingredients for the Queen Fairy bodily constitution.”

nThe crowd was silent. Each and everyone of them inwardly trembling.

nDyon took what amounted to only half a day… to form the pill of a bodily constitution. Although it wasn’t God level, it was without a doubt true that having a bodily constitution was better than not having one. Especially if it was of Earth rank…

nDyon was fully aware of what he had just displayed. Earth rank constitutions were two steps below God level constitutions. However, that was only the case if the God Level constitutions were awakened to 100%, which was definitely not the case for the vast majority in this universe. In fact, the only person with a fully awakened God Level constitution was Madeleine.

nWhich meant… having an Earth level constitution not only meant you would have an easier time awakening your constitution… it also meant that should you accumulate enough to awaken it to 100%, you would be comparable to those who hadn’t fully awakened their God Level constitutions… at least to a certain point.

nThis was exactly the reason Dyon decided to reveal this. He had essentially, with no provided materials whatsoever, manifested an Earth level constitution from thin air. This was like the act of a God. Knowing this, would anyone really have the audacity to say he didn’t deserve to lead these guilds?

nThe pill within Dyon’s hand flashed, disappearing into his ring. It had taken almost the entire day to complete… he didn’t feel like wasting anymore time on this.

n“let’s continue,” he said faintly.

nDyon’s words seemed to snap everyone out of their stupor.

n“this…” Elder Flyleaf said chuckling bitterly, turning his gaze to Grand Elder Cormyth.

nBut, he didn’t find what he expected. Instead, he found a smiling Cormyth slowly taking a ring off of his finger and looking up at Kroak.

nGrand Elder Kroak could only shake his head bitterly, taking off his ring as well.

n“father!” Erlan and the twins looked at their fathers with odd expressions. Were they really giving up just like this?

nSuddenly, two rings floated in front of Dyon. One held a green-purple gem, signifying the alchemy guild. The other, held a faintly grey gem, signifying the formation guild.

n“I think you’ve done more than enough to earn these,” Grand Elder Kroak and Cormyth both bowed deeply to the astonishment of the crowd.

nAlthough Dyon was surprised that these two were willing to give up so easily, he still nodded earnestly. His opinion of Cormyth had changed drastically, and his opinion of Kroak had formed healthily.

nAlthough Dyon was still in no mood for pleasantries, he still felt like he had to say something, “you don’t have to bow to me, nor do you have to treat me as anything other than a junior. I’m sure you’re aware that I only made this move to add a layer of protection for myself while I remained here.

nHowever, that doesn’t mean I won’t be putting your guilds first. If you support me properly, not only will your profits increase exponentially… your knowledge will as well. With me here, the Elvin guilds will begin to rival the largest this planet and even this universe have to offer.”

nSuddenly, Dyon thought of something. With a flash, the Queen Fairy pill appeared in his hand again as he handed it to Grand Elder Cormyth.

n“As a sign of good faith, you can take this to be auctioned. For now, I’ll be using a pseudonym, one I plan to use for the campaigns as well. From now on, call me Demon Sage.”

nGrand Elder Cormyth nodded, placing Dyon’s pill into a preservation box to be auctioned later. He could only imagine what price this pill would go for. Saint stones might not even be enough… maybe only dao stones would be appropriate… even the Elvin Kingdom only had a few thousand of these… Dyon was essentially exponentially increasing the profit of not just the guilds, but the entire kingdom!

nWith that, Dyon turned to leave, “I’ll visit within a couple days to help. Nothing needs to change from how you’ve been operating,” Dyon said handing the rings back to the grand elders.

nThinking of something, Dyon took inspiration from the ancient games he had yet to have an opportunity to play. With a wave of his hand, complex purple-gold formations began to float above the heads of everyone present.

n“This isn’t a malicious array… I would just prefer that you never speak of this. I can’t use this tactic against the heads, but I think I can trust them to not speak of this. As for the rest of you, I’ll remove your inability to talk about today’s events when the time is right.”

nJust like the ancient games that placed a block on people’s abilities to speak of the rules, Dyon placed a block on the ability of those present to speak of or communicate what transpired here.

nThe grand elders nodded, acknowledging Dyon’s request.

n**

n3 hours later, it was already the evening and Dyon had just finished planting an array into everyone’s mind. He was currently walking back to Acacia Academy, when he suddenly felt a presence behind him.

nDyon frowned. He knew that in the worst case, he could call upon the demon generals, but he didn’t want to be trigger happy.

n“who is it?” he said probingly.

nA light laughter resounded as a flash of wind appeared before Dyon, “so you sensed my presence so easily, hm? It’s either I’m rusty or your senses are really that sharp.”

nDyon looked up to find Elder Flyleaf smiling down at him.

n“is there something the matter Elder Flyleaf?”

n“Nothing serious. I only want you to come with me to see someone.”

n“oh? And who is that?”

n“The Princess of the Elvin Kingdom.”

n