At this point in time, the Alchemists’ Guild had only been around for a mere two hundred years. They had yet to fully develop their ranking system. Because of this, they would often hold strange imbalanced tournaments where anyone in an age group or cultivation level could join. It was an odd way to do things but did help the promising younger students find alchemy masters.

Eventually —after the more irritating founding guild members ascended to immortality— they would rank alchemists by the highest level of pill they could concoct regardless of cultivation level. Since some ranks of pills could only be concocted by someone with a larger amount of spiritual energy, this also limited the higher ranks to higher realms.

But the important information on the announcment was the prize for this tournament — a brand new cauldron! And not some simple beginner’s one either. This one was made by a soon-to-be-famous genius in spirit-item-forging.

Of course, part of that fame came from this particular item... Because it would be won by a renowned alchemist and entrepreneur, 37-year-old Violet Pill Fairy.

And the reason a spirit item this good was the prize for a youth tournament? That genius wanted Violet Pill Fairy to win it. According to her, back in the day —which was now— he fell for her at first sight.

He eventually came to regret his life choices after that dumbass, Bloodsword, beat him up for asking her out for tea in the middle of the street. They then proceeded to cheat him out of well over half his wealth. He eventually died horribly —and suspiciously— in some secret realm while trying to recoup his losses.

And that was also the story of how the two worst people first fell in love. They seriously deserved each other.

I had a beautifully terrible idea.

It was really breaking the whole third rule that I’d just used earlier but... I wanted that cauldron.

While I did have plans to make an excellent one in the future, it would have to wait until I reached a much higher realm. Meanwhile, this one would work beautifully for the pills I had planned.

I also, technically needed it. The pill I needed to make to heal myself had a high energy requirement that would be difficult for a mundane one to handle.

But I also wanted it to spite Violet Pill Fairy. In my past life, she was a better alchemist than I was. Medicinal Qi cultivation was her path, after all. But I was almost as good. It frustrated the shit out of me that her pills were always that smidge better than my own.

But in this time period, I was now the better Pill Master. At least currently. I had no doubt, she would still eventually surpass me given another two thousand years or so, But she wouldn’t be doing it with this cauldron. Hehehe. Wuahahaha!

Little Spring shot me a worried look and tugged at my hand.

Shit, I was zoning out again. Right. I needed to buy a cheap beginner’s version and then pay to enter the tournament. Fuck. Hopefully, we had enough funds.

I dragged Little Spring through the crowd and went up a Qi Condensation cultivator employee at the main desk. I smiled happily and pretended to be a child.

He gave me a professional smile, “I’m Stone from the Western Riverside. How may I help you, young miss?”

“My master sent me to enter the tournament last minute... but I forgot my cauldron at home. Does the guild provide them for the tournament?”

He smiled apologetically. “We’re sorry, but the tournament is already full.”

What now? Full? Fuck.

“You also have to be a member of our guild to enter... Are you a member?”

Double fuck.

I stared off into the distance feeling like I’d just lost my soul. All those plans...

“I see.” He bit his lip then looked around. He leaned in. “Tell you what. If you join the guild today and pay to enter the tournament, if someone doesn’t show up for whatever reason, you can compete in their place. But you’ll also need to purchase a specific used cauldron.”

Ugh. A specific used cauldron? This was obviously a ploy to get rid of a troublesome item donated by a big shot that no one wanted. It had likely survived an explosion or two and was on its last legs.

But there was something I remembered from my scan of the city earlier.

I grinned like a dumb brat. “That sounds fine... But, can I get it in writing and stamped with the guild’s seal that if anyone doesn’t show up, I’ll be the first person to get their slot in the tournament?”

“That...”

“It’s fine.”

“Manager!”

A harried-looking man stared at the door to the back room as if recalling some horrifying past event. “Anything to get rid of Old Smokey,” he muttered.