Benevolence IV

The following morning, Kle In visited San Ruk Eagles Guild. What he needed to know now is if a Qi Condensation practitioner with all Major Qi Nodes opened would experience the same pain or Qi deviation when breaking through Mid Qi Condensation Realm.

He wanted another batch of experiments but seeing the two trashes from Dara Clan barely able open a Qi Node even with the support of High Tier Pills, he was reluctant to spend resources and would like to ask a professional instead.

"This tea is made from the extracts of Rabi'y Violet Orchid. It helps strengthen the body however its effect diminishes after a month of continuous intake. I hope it meets your taste." Deacon Sar Aran said as he poured tea. Deacon remembered the last time the boy was in a dilemma about breaking through so he thought he could give him a little push.

Kle In took a cup. For the first time since he came to this world, he was served a beverage that has an aroma and taste like a dark coffee from earth. The cup is small and took him eight sips before it was emptied out and asked a refill.

Sar Aran was surprised to discover the boy's soft spot as he poured another cup.

"Believe it not, the orchid only grows on Elven Kay'u Trees and blooms every three months. It costs five gold coins for a bag of powered extract. We currently have ten bags in store. Consider it a gift for partnering with our guild.” Sar Aran did not really mean what he said. He knows the existence of the expert Alchemist is temporary and he wanted to make the most during their transactions by appealing to this boy.

"So tell me, what did our young friend came to visit for this time?"

Kle In almost forgot the purpose of his visit. Coffee is his habit during his past life and memories of him enjoying sips of cheap and fancy coffee varieties resurfaced. Kle In took a deep breath in satisfaction.

"I wonder what would it take to commission an expert to help someone open all their meridians?"

Sar Aran put his cup on the table. Ever since Kle In came to them to do business, he had always treated this boy’s questions and requests seriously and not because of the boy himself but out of respect of the person he believed to be backing Kle In.

And just now, it sounded like Kle In’s master does not seem to care about his disciple’s progress. One thing that has always bothered him why would a great Alchemist took notice of an apprentice with a very low Spiritual Elemental Affinity? Even within this town, he could find random disciples far better than Kle In.

Now that he thought about it, next year marks the sacrificial offering of Blood Moon Sect. Every twenty years for the past century, this faction seems to recruit Alchemists Apprentices and or buy Alchemists who have been enslaved or imprisoned with no regard of that person’s Elemental Affinity.

Although it is still a rumor whether this Blood Moon Sect is the real culprit, he can’t help but think that this boy is one of the targets soon and this might be worth investigating.

His mind is running wild but after a few seconds, he came back to his senses. To this day, nobody seems to know what happens to those Alchemy apprentices after they disappear but not being able to see them once again means they all perished. He wanted to conduct an investigation and be involved but thinking when Blood Moon Sect almost went war against other sects gave him a scare. After all, their guilds is nothing but a third rate faction.

Over the past decades, Deacon Sar Aran’s ability to do business and discern opportunity had became natural to him and he had learned to trust this instinct many times. Today, his gut-feeling is telling him that Kle In will be a target of this year’s kidnapping and crazy as it maybe, but if it were true, then this is an indication they only has less than a year to make profit and take advantage of Kle In’s master before it all ends.

What he did not know is that there is no expert Alchemist backing up Kle In.

Sar Aran smiled as he came up with plans to truly make a profit while the candle is burning and take advantage of the boy in front of him who is desperate to break through.

"Helping someone open their meridians is not as simple as you think. It requires high level of control and Qi Purity that even I am not confident of doing it. However I can speak to one of our Core Formation Experts to help out. There is no need to pay anything but I hope you can agree to our request. Be assured it is something you can benefit from as well. In fact, we are most willing to pay additional costs as long as it is reasonable."

"If it's something I can be of assistance with, I would not hesitate to help.” Kle In gleefully responded

"We have at least twelve sets of Earth Tier Ingredients for a common Foundation Establishment Break Through Pill. The standard trade is that we get one third of the refined pills but we are only asking for three."

Any pills relating to Foundation Establishment are Tier II Pills. Though Kle In can refine High Tier Advance Qi Enhancement and Bloodline Awakening Pills, considering the difficulty which almost doubled from basic pills to higher tiered ones, he reckons he probably will fail due to a limited Qi reservoir.

“With my limited strength, the highest I can concoct for now is Advance Qi Enhancement Pill. I hope we can still find room for negotiation."

Sar Aran is still under the impression there is a great Alchemist behind Kle In who is responsible for refining all the pills and he really commends Kle In's audacity to pretend and claim all credit of being a great Alchemist. If not because of the quality of the pills being produced, he would not even bother mentioning it. The benefit they were offering is better than what other guilds could offer so he was confident the Alchemist would concoct them.

"If it's challenge with your strength, we could get you a better Cauldron and Fire Crystals to help you out. While it is not an issue our guild to procure these two items, I hope you could spare us a total of five pills to compensate for the materials."

Sar Aran insisting on Foundation Establishment Pills hinted Kle In how important the pills are to them. He does not know much about the art of negotiation but between him needing assistance with his experiment and them getting what they need, he can only agree to try.

"I may waste one or two set of ingredients but should I fail on the third, I hope you can consider other methods of compensation.”

Deacon Sar Aran felt relieve Kle In finally agreed.

"I thank the young master for his consideration. The ingredients are currently being managed by an Elder and would take me a day to get them. I will deliver them to your residence tomorrow if that is alright."

Kle In did not want to impose his presence so he stood up after his third cup of tea preparing to leave.

Sar Aran politely accompanied them outside. Sar Aran knows that this level of transaction should be treated with the grandest reception however he cannot go against their rules. While he thought Kle In is but a lying brat, there must be a way to show him that their guild is a trustworthy partner.

"I hope this young master won't take this the wrong way but cultivation was not born yesterday. There are countless instances when experts would help younger generations open their meridians. I would like to remind you that many ended experiencing Qi Deviation for having too many Qi Nodes opened and ended up being a waste instead."

Kle In stopped his tracks. He wanted to laugh at his own stupidity. He wasted a month of resources when in the first place he probably could have just asked. Sar Aran just proved his idea.

“Is there a way to undo an opened meridian?” Kle In followed up.

“Every cultivator eventually ends up opening all their Qi Nodes as they reach higher realms but this must be achieved slowly. Those who wished the easier way had their cultivation either crippled or stagnated. As for closing an opened meridian, it is feat I have never heard of. This is why masters exist so they could guide those who wished to reach the top.”

Kle In smiled as he bowed and saluted with his fists.

"Deacon has truly helped and enlightened me with his profound knowledge. . . I am truly ashamed this time but can you kindly forget my original request? As for the Breakthrough Pills, I will come up with a reasonable trade upon successfully refining one."

Sar Aran was clueless his friendly piece of advice was a turning point for Kle In. It was his intention to create an image of being friendly. Regardless what suddenly changed Kle In's mind, he was still contented and expectant of high-quality pills to be brought to him in a few days.