Schemes that Got Together I

When Kle In woke up, he felt weak and his body stiff. His attention was drawn by the interior design of the wooden house he was in. The weather outside was gloomy and the bed he was lying only had bed sheet and it was not comfortable at all. His last memory was meditating after ingesting the pill his master gave him. When he looked around, his master was seeping tea on the table close to the door.

"You tolerance is weak so we have to put off the integration the essence flame. It is currently sealed in your dantian. Come, I have prepared a meal to help you recover your strength."

Kle In got up to his feet. It felt like he has not moved in a long time but he managed to sit before the table. There is a bowl of soup and a minute after swallowing a few spoons, his could feel his body revitalized.

After eating he remained quiet and refrained from asking questions. He was inspecting the two essence flames sealed in his dantian. He finds it magical that such energy could be restricted without harming his cultivation.

"This pill will strengthen and boost your body's resistance to essence flame. Eat this and I will help personally assist you fuse with the flame latter."

Kle In obediently took the pill and found a spot to meditate. He just woke up and would like to object but this might enrage his master. He can only endure for now and slowly build their relationship. His body was already brimming with energy but this pill seemed to give him more strength.

He was not a gym enthusiast but he could feel his muscles reinforced. He had already established a theory that the reason he could not break through is due to body constitution. Kle In thought his master may have already seen it through and this was probably what the pill was for. He smiled and thanked his master in his heart. After a few more minutes, his master spoke.

"Follow me. I will bring you to a spot help us refine your essence flame."

“Mhmm” Klein happily nodded.

As soon as he stepped outside, he was surprised by the environment. He could not tell if it was morning or afternoon due to the gloomy weather caused by dark clouds. From afar, he could see a mountain emitting smoke. It appears they are within a valley with a volcano in range.

“Hop in.”

Kle In was busy observing the environment when his master called and when he looked, a flying magic tool which looks like raft was summoned not far from him.

Kle In's trust has significantly grown after eating the pill so he followed blindly.

After Kle In stepped on the boat, it levitated and headed closer to the volcano.

“Amazing” Kle In exclaimed inwardly as he thought about having his own magic flying tool in the future. As they got farther, he looked below as they passed a hill.

The range surrounding volcanoes should not be suitable for plantation but he could see trees with red leaves on them. The valley was no different from a lush forest except the color of the plants. After around three minutes, they started to descend on a barren spot near a huge boulder.

Before landing, Kle In noticed two cultivators around two hundred meters from them. It appears to be his master's companion at the inn, Chung Har'an. He did not mind them and got off the flying boat.

"Eat this pill and meditate. When I unseal the essence flame, do not panic and listen to my instructions."

Kle In smiled and decided to ask some questions when all is done. This place is eerie and he would like to know how is a dreadful place conducive to integrating with essence flame. He swallowed the pill and started to meditate. A burst of uncontrollable energy spread all over his body. Kle In knew that if he did not eat the first pill, his body would have had exploded.

Kle In clenched his teeth however before he could concentrate, he heard a cry of agony.

Arhhhg!

Please, No!

Help!

Though months had already passed since the Buaki Gang’s demise, everything is still fresh within Kle In’s memories and that sound was abnormally perplexing and very similar to the struggling voices he heard when Buaki Gang was besieged.

Instinctively, he got to his feet and looked towards the direction where the voice came from.

Kle In started to panic.

"Master, what is going on?"

His master did not respond and instead slowly pointed his finger towards his dantian. Although it was brief, when Kle In saw his master’s eyes, it evoked the same feeling he had when people were looking at him when he was a slave. Those unsympathetic expressions that looked down on him like a useless commodity.

Kle In wanted to step back and avoid the finger however an inexplicable pressure suddenly surrounded his body completely immobilizing him.

“Please master. I can refined High Tier Pills.” Kle In immediately bargained and revealed his ability but his master ignored him and the finger did not stop.

The moment his master’s finger touched his navel, he felt another burst of warm energy spread through his meridians doubling the uncontrollable surging energy within his body. The other Essence Flame within his dantian has been forcefully unsealed.

Arhhhg!

Arhhhg!

Pain immediately surrounded his body it felt like his inside is being burned from within causing him to feel groggy. His surroundings started to blur. Kle In refused to pass out and tried to think of a way to release the energy.

Without him noticing, his master retreated and levitated on the flying boat and without the pressure immobilizing him, Kle In regained control of his body.

Meanwhile, not far from Kle In, Chung Har'an was floating mid air observing the other alchemy apprentice who is currently suffering the same fate.

Similar to what they did to Kle In, they planted an Earth Class Essence Flame and fed him an Initra Awantus Pill to boost his body and increase his heat and flame resistance then later forced him to eat a Foundation Reinforcement Pill as an energy booster for the Essence Flame when unsealed.