The Alchemist Association in Kěnéng was very different from the one in Imperial Shang City. Not only was it much larger, but surrounding the massive pagoda was a sprawling complex of aesthetically pleasing edifices. Between the buildings was a beautiful garden with a variety of tropical flowers. Some of the flowers had petals that were almost as large as Wu Jian’s head, while others contained a plethora of color like a rainbow.

“Welcome to the Alchemist Association, Lady Zhou Lihua, Master Wong Jiu. My name is Zhong Mu, and I am an elder at the Alchemist Association’s Kěnéng Branch,” an old man greeted them. He had white hair, a long beard, and wore ostentatious silver robes. Pinned to his chest was a badge with the number 77--marking him as an Iridium level alchemist.

“Master Mu, thank you for greeting us so courteously.” Zhou Lihua gave the man a martial bow.

“It was no trouble. No trouble at all,” the old man said with a smile.

Wu Jian almost punched this old dotard when he realized the fool was trying to stare down the woman’s robes. He wasn’t the only one who noticed Zhong Mu’s lecherous gaze. Zhou Chao’s face was red. It looked like he was barely keeping himself contained.

“Many young alchemists from across the world have already come to participate in this tournament. Of course, some are from the Shang Kingdom as well. Come. I have prepared rooms for you and your retinue,” the old man gestured for them to follow him.

“If the elder is an Iridium rank alchemist, I wonder what the head of the Kěnéng branch’s Alchemist Association is ranked,” said Wu Jian as he walked beside Zhou Lihua.

“Our branch head is Gold rank,” answered Zhong Mu.

Wu Jian raised an eyebrow. A gold rank alchemist was the third highest tier one could ascend. It meant they were able to refine tier 8 pills, which were said to be so powerful that pills at this tier gained a limited form of sentience. He wondered if that rumor was true.

After crossing a bridge with a babbling brook running underneath it, they were shown to a large building made of wood and painted in red and gold. It looked like a miniature palace in its own right, with a crowned roof covered in glazed yellow tiles and the statue of a turtle on the east and west points. He believed the turtle's name was Gebu. It was one of the four great deities said to have existed many thousands of years ago alongside Byakko.

“This shall be your residence for the duration of your stay here,” Zhong Mu said.

“You have my gratitude for showing us the way,” Zhou Lihua thanked the man.

Zhong Mu left to attend to his other duties, and everyone entered the building to get situated.

This residence had ten bedrooms. It was a typical residence organized around a private courtyard. It was like a miniature version of a clan compound--a single building with an open space in the center that allowed sunlight to stream in. A porch spanned the entire interior around the courtyard, which featured trees, flowers, and a pool with a spring running through it.

The easternmost facing building was also a private hotspring. Zhou Lihua had been thrilled when she learned of this. She had almost decided to test it out there, but they still had work to do.

Zhou Lihua’s room was located between Wu Jian’s and Wong Jiu’s. According to tradition, she needed to be near her master in case he had need of her. Wu Jian was chosen to have the adjacent room because he was the strongest person present. Should someone attack, it would be easier to protect her if he was close by.

It was late afternoon by the time they had everything squared away. A servant came by and prepared lunch for them.

Foods in the Zhou Kingdom consisted of grains. According to Zhou Lihua, the Zhou Kingdom had eating rules. Everything was done in a fixed order. There were six cereals (rice, millet, broomcorn, sorghum, wheat, and wild rice stem), six animals (horse, cow, sheep, pig, dog, and chicken), and six clears (water, thick liquid, li wine, chun wine, yi wine, and ye wine). The food they were presented with was grilled meats, soup made with vegetables, and a bowl of millet and rice.

The food wasn’t bad, but it lacked the flavor he was used to. It just didn’t have the same punch as food from the Shang Kingdom.

“Since we are here, I believe it is time I tell you about the tournament you’ll be taking part in,” Wong Jiu said as he leaned back. They all had individual tables. Wong Jiu, as the only alchemist master present, sat at the head. Zhou Lihua sat next to Wu Jian. Each individual table was a low-sitting table. They sat on the floor with a soft rug underneath them.

Wu Jian continued to silently eat, his mask halfway up his face, as he listened to the man explain the competition. He noticed Zhou Lihua staring at him curiously from the corner of her eyes.

“This competition has three rounds. Participants in the first round will need to refine a tier 3 pill. You will be given enough ingredients to create two pills, and you are eliminated if you fail to properly refine the pill in question both times. This pill will be graded based on its quality. Higher quality pills will earn more points. You can earn a total of three points if your pill is of the highest grade.”

The first round sounded simple enough, but Wu Jian knew nothing was ever so simple. There was likely a catch to the refining process.

Wong Jiu continued. “The second round will require participants to refine a tier 4 pill. You will all be given the same medicinal formula. I wish I could tell you what this formula is, but I have no idea what pill they have opted to make sure you refine. What I can tell you is that you’ll need to be careful when refining this pill.”

“Why is that, Master?” asked Zhou Lihua.

Wong Jiu shook his head. “That is all I’m allowed to say. Whether or not you can refine the pill will be up to your perceptiveness and abilities.”

So there was a catch to the refining process? Wu Jian wondered what it could be.

“The third and final round will have all participants using their own medicinal formula and ingredients to refine the best pill they can. This is where things get tricky. All alchemists in this competition are supposed to be Palladium rank, but even within this rank, there are some people who are better than others. I heard the last alchemist who won the tournament refined a pill that was on the border of being tier 5.”

Tier 5 pills required a unique flame to refine, which meant the pill refined by the last tournament’s winner was only tier 4 because it did not require a unique flame. Its difficulty must have been tier 5 though. According to Zhou Lihua, there were some tier 4 pills that were just as difficult to refine as a low-grade tier 5 pill.

“I understand, Master. I’ll do my best not to embarrass you during the competition,” said Zhou Lihua, once more glancing at Wu Jian.

“I know you won’t,” said Wong Jiu with a smile.

Wu Jian finally couldn’t take it and asked, “What’s wrong, Li… Lady Lihua?”

“It’s nothing.” Zhou Lihua shook her head. “I was just wondering why you moved your mask aside to eat. Couldn’t you use the Dao of Space to transport the food to your mouth without moving your mask?”

“... Huh?”

The look on Wu Jian’s face was that of a fool who had been enlightened.

***

The next morning found Zhou Lihua working up a sweat with Wu Jian. The man wore no shirt as he backpedaled away from her as she swung her two tessen at him with the grace of a dancer. She was fast and light on her feet, even as she admired her sparring partner.

Tessen, also known as an iron fan, was a weaponised hand fan designed for use in warfare. It was a folding fan with outer spokes made of heavy plates and designed to look like a normal, harmless folding fan. This weapon had been originally made for people to take into places where swords and other overt weapons were not allowed. The ones she used were pure red and had golden fox designs on them.

She swung the fan in her left hand and a stream of fire shot from it. Wu Jian swung Pale Moon in an upward slash. Space warped around the flame before it was absorbed into a black tear, which closed up seconds later.

But the fire had merely been a distraction.

Wu Jian glanced down when something wrapped around his ankle. It was a vine. Zhou Lihua swung the tessen in her other hand and the vines from the ground sprang up to trap him.

He severed them using the Dao of Space.

A lull appeared in the battle, and Zhou Lihua took a moment to simply admire Wu Jian’s shirtless body. The young man was a wall of strong muscles. He had very little fat on him too. She could clearly see the definition of his abdominals and even the muscles that would normally be invisible.

Most women preferred men who were beautiful. Because the strength of a person was not determined by the power of their physiques but the level of their cultivation, beauty standards for men were tall, slim, and fair skinned. Men like Wu Jian were not considered universally attractive because of his muscular physique, which many would taunt him for being a barbarian for.

Zhou Lihua was not like most women, and she appreciated Wu Jian’s muscles for what they were. They showed his dedication to growing stronger. These muscles, which he had cultivated with his blood, sweat, and tears since he was young, were proof of the young man’s hard work.

And, of course, it wasn’t like Wu Jian didn’t meet some of the standards. That mask of his blocked his face, but he did have a very pretty face. His skin was clear, his eyes were dark and mysterious, and he had luxurious hair.

Zhou Lihua wished she didn’t have to hide her feelings for him. She longed to run her hands across his chest and stomach.

“So you don’t actually need to swing a weapon to create spatial blades,” Zhou Lihua observed during the lull.

Wu Jian nodded. “That’s right. Swinging a weapon does make it easier to visualize, but it isn’t necessary.”

“I’m sure that’s not the only reason you do it,” Zhou Lihua analyzed his actions. “If you swing your sword during a fight in conjunction with manipulating space, people will assume you need to swing your sword to do it. They’ll never realize you can manipulate space without that action.”

It was an excellent bout of trickery. Whoever fought Wu Jian would be so busy paying attention to his sword that they would never see an attack from behind.

“You’re as perceptive as ever, Lili.”

“Of course. I might not be much of a fighter anymore, but that does not mean I’ve been slacking off. Now, let us continue.”

Wu Jian and Zhou Lihua sparred until Wong Jiu woke up from his meditations. Zhou Lihua quickly took a bath before Wu Jian, and then the two met Wong Jiu and the other members of her retinue for breakfast. They discussed the upcoming tournament.

Breakfast that morning was millet with fruits, nuts, and grilled fish. It was a simple breakfast but cooked to perfection. Zhou Lihua detected a hint of medicinal seasonings in it, though they were much lighter than what she was used to.

On a side note, she was pleased to see Wu Jian had taken her advice from the previous night and was manipulating space around his mask to eat… though it also looked funny to see his spoon suddenly disappear into a dark portal. She wanted to giggle.

It was at this time that Zhou Chao came into the room. He had been guarding the entrance. His expression at the moment was displeased.

“Is something wrong?” asked Wong Jiu.

“I suppose that depends on your definition of wrong,” Zhou Chao mumbled, then sighed. “Cì Chuān is waiting outside. He wishes to speak with the Young Miss.”

Even though she had known this moment would come, Zhou Lihua could not contain her grimace. She had hoped Cì Chuān would not show his face until the tournament. It was a vain hope, she knew. There was no way this man would miss an opportunity to speak with her.

“I understand. Tell him that I shall be out shortly,” Zhou Lihua said.

“Understood.”

Zhou Chao nodded at her and left. Zhou Lihua looked at her half-finished breakfast and wondered how long she could stall for. Cì Chuān was a persistent man and didn’t let little things get to him. He was very unlike the typical young masters who allowed their anger and arrogance to rule them, and that was what made him so dangerous.

A hand landed on her knee. She looked up and found a mask face staring at her.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be right with you,” Wu Jian said.

“Mmm. Thank you, Jian Wu,” she smiled at him.

Zhou Lihua was wearing modified alchemist robes. They were red and black and featured a gold waistband to keep them closed. She normally wore her robes a bit more loosely, which often revealed some of her cleavage, but she decided to close her robes completely when meeting with Cì Chuān. It felt like he was stripping her bare with his eyes every time they met and it left her feeling vulnerable.

Cì Chuān looked the same as always. His pale skin, silver hair, and gray eyes gave him an ethereal femininity that made him look intelligent like a philosopher. He had an arrogant smile that was like nails against a chalkboard to Zhou Lihua’s eyes. She would admit he was handsome, but he lacked both the physical and emotional qualities she looked for in a man. Donning his figure were the silver robes typically associated with alchemists.

“Lord Cì Chuān, you honor me with your presence this morning,” said Zhou Lihua.

“Come now, Lihua. There’s no need to be so formal with me,” Cì Chuān said with a smile.

“I prefer remaining formal, if you don’t mind,” she replied.

His smile remained despite her refusal to drop the formalities. “That is just like you.”

“Did you need something?” she inquired.

“Nothing much. This is your first time visiting the Zhou Kingdom, and as such, I thought I would show you around my wonderful city.”

Zhou Lihua raised an eyebrow. “I did not realize the second prince had so much free time on his hands.”

“I have nothing but free time right now. My duties as a prince are small compared to my brother’s, and I do not have much to do at the Alchemist Association thanks to the upcoming tournament. So, what say you? Would you like a tour of Kěnéng?”

Zhou Lihua would have loved to refuse him, but she knew that would be seen as an insult. Cì Chuān had taken time out of his schedule to invite her on a tour. Denying him right now would be like slapping him in the face, and while she longed to do just that, she could not afford to provoke him in his own kingdom.

“Very well. I do not mind being shown around. However, I hope you don’t mind if I bring my bodyguard along,” she gestured to Wu Jian who stood behind her.

“Of course. A young lady should always have a bodyguard by her side,” Cì Chuān said easily enough. This answer was what made him so dangerous. Anyone else would have raged and asked if she thought they were not enough to protect them. Not him. He was cunning enough to let small matters like this go.

Since it had been decided that they would go out, Zhou Lihua could only endure letting this man walk beside her even though she only wanted one man to stand by her side.