Adrian was thin and slight. Corvin, on the other hand, was enormous. With that free-falling weight smashing onto him, Adrian instantly spat out a mouthful of blood, nearly crushed to the ground.
"Corvin, get off !" Adrian howled miserably. "You’re going to kill !"
"I—I’ll get up right away!" Corvin replied hastily, his voice strained. His eyes, swollen into dark purple circles, could barely open a slit. He glared blindly in Zora’s direction and shouted, "You used hidden weapons! You coward..."
Zora walked over leisurely, her steps unhurried, her expression calm.
Just as Corvin struggled to lift himself and Adrian was about to be freed, Zora lifted her foot and stepped squarely onto Corvin’s body.
The weight pressed down rcilessly, pinning both of them to the ground, completely erasing any chance of escape.
Boom!
The two figures slamd into the ground once more. Adrian spat out another mouthful of blood, his face draining to a deathly pallor as pain ripped through his body.
Zora looked down at them coldly, her voice calm yet steeped in killing intent.
"From now on, the two of you had better go on a detour whenever you encounter in your path. Otherwise, next ti, I’ll make sure you truly disappear from this world."
Adrian and Corvin shuddered simultaneously, an icy fear crawling up their spines. This was not empty bravado. It was a genuine threat. Those indifferent words carried an unmistakable chill.
Without sparing them another glance or waiting for their response, Zora turned away. She inserted her points card into the slot beside the stone chamber, stepped inside, and shut the door with a decisive thud.
Inside the chamber, the energy was instantly different.
The spiritual power here was thicker, purer, and far denser than outside. Zora drew in a deep breath, her eyes lighting up slightly. "This was truly an excellent place for cultivation."
Black, White, and Shihtzu, anwhile, each found a comfortable spot of their own.
With one human and three beasts seated in quiet focus, cultivation began within the sealed stone room.
***
Elsewhere;
After the stall owner swallowed the Elixir, the long-standing blockage that had prevented him from cultivating vanished completely. The smooth flow of spiritual power through his ridians left no doubt in his mind.
This was real.
The Elixir was genuine.
Those who knew the stall owner’s situation quickly noticed the change. When news spread that he had resud cultivation, the city erupted in shock.
Like wildfire driven by the wind, the news swept through the city. Those who had personally witnessed Zora’s transaction with the stall owner spoke with increasing enthusiasm, each retelling more animated than the last.
A legendary potion coveted by countless Spirit Warriors.
Broadening one’s ridians ant faster cultivation, deeper reserves of power, and greater potential on the path ahead. For many, it was the dream redy.
The entire city was shaken. Since they couldn’t approach the Immortal Guild, which was a terrifying existence in the Holy Mystic continent, Spirit Warriors scrambled to find Zora, desperate to learn the truth. Better yet, they hoped to discover a way to obtain an Elixir through her, if she had any relation with that legendary guild.
So clever individuals recalled that Zora had traded demon crystals with the stall owner. Though they didn’t know her purpose, they imdiately began collecting demon crystals in large quantities.
As long as they had enough demon crystals, perhaps they, too, could exchange for the Elixir of Tranquility.
After all, demon crystals were valuable, but to many, they were far less precious than a potion capable of transforming one’s future.
While the city buzzed with excitent and speculation, everyone searching for Zora soon discovered sothing baffling.
She was gone.
She wasn’t in her dormitory or the academy.
When Raphael and the others learned of this, they were stunned. These days, Spirit Warriors crowded outside the special enrollnt dormitories daily, waiting like hawks.
The mont Zora appeared, they would undoubtedly swarm her from all sides.
"Where did Zora go?" Raphael muttered, his brows knitting tightly, worry flickering in his eyes.
Sylvandria frowned slightly, her gentle features filled with contemplation. "Could it be that she’s an alchemist as well?"
Raphael rubbed his chin and shook his head. "Unlikely. She’s already a physician who has mastered the lost trembling needle technique at the age of 16, which was already a monstrous talent by itself. If she were also an alchemist, how much ti and energy would that take?"
Cultivation, dicine, alchemy. Each alone demanded years of dedication and focus.
To reach such heights in cultivation and dical skill at her age was already unbelievable. If she truly excelled in all three...
Then she isn’t a human. She should be like a celestial born in the heavens and left in the mortal world.
The faint worry lingering in Sylvandria’s eyes also slowly faded away.
She had always been the unquestioned goddess in the hearts of the academy’s practitioners. Yet ever since Zora appeared, that position had begun to wobble.
The title of "number one beauty" had beco a topic of constant discussion, with opinions sharply divided between her and Zora.
Her identity as a Rank-2 alchemist had always been her greatest advantage, a brilliance that set her apart. Yet who could have imagined that Zora would master the long-lost trembling needle technique? The title of divine physician now crowned her head, and its weight was no lighter than that of a master alchemist.
If Zora were also an alchemist...
Then she would truly have no chance left to even compare herself.
Fortunately, her thoughts aligned with Raphael’s. Human energy was limited. No one could possibly master cultivation, dicine, and alchemy all at once. Not to ntion, the requirents to beco an alchemist were notoriously harsh. Such coincidences did not exist in this world.
Her heart finally settled as she reasoned with her troubling thoughts.
Alaric Von Seraph then gazed at the crowd of students gathered downstairs. This was only the academy. Outside its gates, there were even more people searching for Zora.
The scene in the marketplace yesterday had already foretold this outco.
Elixir was simply too tempting.
"Where did Zora go?" Raphael raised his brows slightly. He had seen her just yesterday. How could she vanish without a trace today?
"The Spirit Tower."
Three indifferent words fell from Alaric Von Seraph’s lips as he turned and walked back into his room.
"Huh?" Raphael froze. "The Spirit Tower... but how did he know?"
Scratching the back of his head in confusion, Raphael also turned to leave. With a hundred points at hand, it made sense. The Spirit Tower was the most logical destination.
Sylvandria watched Alaric Von Seraph’s retreating figure, her clear eyes filled with complicated emotions.
Alaric Von Seraph rarely paid attention to anyone. If even they did not know where Zora had gone, how did he know so surely?
A trace of unease flickered in her heart, yet she quickly suppressed it. Her expression returned to its usual calm.
anwhile, the most miserable person of all was Clarissa.
Ever since leaving the marketplace yesterday, she had been desperately scraping together gold coins and demon crystals. Even after selling off everything she owned, it still wasn’t enough to cover a hundred thousand gold coins and fifty demon crystals.
In sheer desperation, she borrowed from friends wherever she could. Even her most treasured points were sold off, just barely making up the total.
She dared not renege.
With Alaric Von Seraph standing behind Zora, backing out was impossible.
While she suffered this humiliation, Zora had beco the object of admiration for countless practitioners. The contrast made Clarissa’s hatred burn even hotter.
Just you wait.
I would repay this humiliation a thousandfold.
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