Pef checked to see if Alchemist Rejin was busy, and found him resting and meditating, are rare occurrence for the workaholic. Maybe Sunny was good for him, helping the man relax a little.

He took out the Silver Realm pill and just flicked it over, making Rejin snap awake and catch the pill before it hit his forehead.

"This? Is this what they sell here as a Tier 8 Ascension pill?" the man muttered in a horrified voice.

"It seems it does actually work. The pill forces the cultivator to struggle for his life and uncover his hidden potential." Pef said in a careless tone, then sat down and opened a new bottle of Divine Wine. Having so many friends was becoming expensive though...

"This poison pill will kill like 50 people for every one that Ascends..." Rejin guessed while green flames sprang in his hand and bathed the pill.

"More than a hundred to one, is the usual ratio. These Golden Realm guys are civilians, not Legion Soldiers." Pef explained then took a big gulp from his bottle.

".... Hmm. If I alter this pill formula a bit, we could use them as extra Stars for your Legion troops. I would need something nourishing, like dragon eggs or eyes, maybe some Taotie blood?" Rejin mused thoughtfully as the pill shifted colors under his flames, getting refined once more. The silver paint on the pill vanished, leaving behind a dark green hue, resembling snake poison in Pef's memory.

"I'll buy a thousand of them, and we can try it. I do have something to try and test as a mild reagent." Pef answered with a grin, then stepped away, leaving the pill and the wine bottle behind.

'Did he say a thousand more pills? The restaurant must make a killing with those burgers...' Rejin wondered as he took out his Ancient Cauldron and flicked the green pill inside, then grabbed the bottle and took a long gulp as well.

'We could add a dispersal agent to this toxic thing, then make it even stronger. A single detonation would kill an entire starfield except the higher Tiers, but without destroying any worlds and cities. The Mausoleum holds way too many people inside, they need a place to stay.' the Cauldron said in a serious tone.

Rejin frowned as he considered the consequences. He remembered Pef using Yin-Yang bombs the first time they met, wasting dozens of Shen galaxies just to make a point. Leaving the worlds intact would be a bonus, in case of war. And the Legion was never too far from war.

'Let's wait until we speak with the General. I'm a bit worried to give Pef another area weapon.' Rejin answered after a long minute of contemplation.

As he raised his bottle to take another sip, the General herself appeared in the Blue Realm and nodded politely. "Lord Rejin, why is my Skill urging me to meet you?" she asked as she sat down, hands folded in her lap.

Rejin sighed. Oracles were such a pain.

-------

Pef sat beside the Silent Monk, and patted the Nine Shades Bamboo in greeting. It took him a while to understand these two's relation, but with the aid of the glove he eventually managed. The World Tree was calling the shots and teaching the monk lots of exotic methods, including the half-realm thing to avoid an early Ascension, and thus detection by first-rate sects in the Middle Heavens.

'Welcome back, young Soldier. What will you ask of this old tree now?' the bamboo tree asked directly into Pef's soul.

'You saw that Silver Realm pill, right? Can you spare some bamboo sprouts or leaves to mitigate the toxins? I would survive such a pill, but most of the Legion would not.' he asked in a patient tone.

The World Tree hesitated for a while, then pulsed with a green aura. 'It would weaken me too much, for now. Especially as you also need a thousand of my children. I can spare a handful of sprouts, but you better use some Red Lily flowers for that. Silver Realm is low enough that a single circuit of the Paths would usually work. As for the Tribulations you need, there is no gain without pain, as you already know.' the Bamboo Tree answered as it shed five new green sprouts and let Pef collect them.

Pef glanced at the Silent Monk who somehow already knew what do to and was collecting thousands of small red flowers from the new garden under the Bamboo Tree, detaching each flower without damaging the original plant.

'It seems I need to increase my Wood Qi as well, if I am to practice Alchemy seriously.' Pef mused inward as he observed the skilled monk.

'You can perform this task just as well with your Sword Qi. Instead of silly things, ask for the Immortal Peach. I sense it has enough energy to raise your cultivation with an entire new Star.' the glove replied in a less considerate tone.

'Really, so much?' Pef wondered as he triggered his Recall and brought Kalima right beside him.

"Pef? Was anything so urgent...what is this?" she asked as she took in the intense qi of the Immortal Peach Tree, and the quiet but powerful presence of the Silent Monk.

For those who originated in the same multiverse, the Silent Monk was higher than myth and legend, older than anyone alive, and withstanding continuous Tribulations for unknown Cycles. To see him calmly picking flowers and without the usual torrent of lightning was even scarier.

Kalima faltered and bowed towards the monk, her entire being paralyzed with fear and awe.

Pef just snorted out loud, then formed a scissor with his Sword Qi, removing the peach from its branch and bring it over.

"Try this peach, I hear it soothes cultivation even better than my Divine Wine." he urged Kalima as he pressed the pink peach onto her pink lips with his right hand, while his other hand grabbed her by the middle and bent her slightly.

"!" Kalima eyes widened at maximum, as the peach burst inside her mouth and Pef bent to kiss the juice from her lips.

The universe exploded inside Kalima's mind, and the kiss lasted a dozen eternities, until she regained control over her limbs and pushed Pef away with an enraged move. "Idiot!" she yelled, before the world became silent and the Silent Monk appeared to block her energy waves from damaging his precious garden.

With a concerned frown, the monk smacked Kalima over the head lightly, and sent her out of the Blue Realm, still spinning like a leaf in a storm.

Pef shrugged and smiled childishly, before licking his lips and coming over to collect the Red Lilies from the old monk.

"You're so lucky, old man! Single and without a worry in your heart beside these plants. I have a dozen wives..." Pef said in a wry tone as he waved goodbye and stepped away, catching Kalima before she impacted the boundary of the Green Realm head first.

Kalima stared at her husband, still red in shame after being smooched in front of the Silent Monk, and then the following castigation.

"Why did you do that?" she asked in an angry voice, accompanied by thunder-strikes in the sky.

Pef just caressed her cheek with a sparkle in his eyes. "You will need to control your emotions, Kalima. Rest here for day, until you figure out your new realm."

With that, he vanished and returned to the kitchen in his restaurant. Having another Tier 9 to help with the restaurant will be nice, once she calmed down.

Even better, Kalima regaining her emotions and loosing the statue form will be great too, especially in bed.