Rise of the Alchemy God

.

The rescue team wasted no time in taking action.

That very evening, Elder Léi had assembled a small group of inner disciples, all in the Qi refining stage.

The sect elder himself was at the fourth stage of cultivation, and with the addition of the other disciples, this group was more than strong enough to handle any danger.

In fact, this group could be considered somewhat excessive for rescuing a few disciples who had embarked on a mission that was supposed to be relatively safe.

Normally, the sect would have sent at most a third-stage elder and a few disciples, but this case was a bit different.

There were two main reasons why the sect decided to let Elder Léi go.

One, because one of the disciples was an important talent that the sect couldn't afford to lose.

Two, because that same disciple was personally under the wing of Elder Léi, and the elder had no intention of sitting idly by and doing nothing.

That evening, after dinner, Ethan didn't immediately enter the minor dimension.

Instead, he stayed in his bedroom and waited patiently.

He had a feeling that Da Shu wouldn't sit still, so he checked on him from time to time using his spiritual sense.

Normally, a cultivator might sense if someone else was using spiritual sense on them, but the cultivator in question would have to be close in strength.

With Ethan already at the fourth level of Qi refining, it was unlikely that anyone below his stage would detect his spiritual sense.

So, he had no qualms about occasionally checking to see what Da Shu was up to.

Around midnight, when most people had already retreated to their quarters, one figure could be seen moving at a moderate pace toward one of the sect's walls.

That person was none other than Da Shu.

Taking care not to be spotted by the guards patrolling the sect at night, he slipped past the walls and hid near a tree.

He waited there for a few seconds, making sure no one had noticed him.

Just as he was about to leave, a voice called out from behind.

"What are you doing out here?"

Upon hearing the voice, Da Shu immediately tensed up, taking a defensive stance, ready to face any attack.

Turning around, he saw that the person who had spoken was none other than his roommate.

Calming down a bit, he spoke in a low voice, sounding slightly displeased.

"Is that how you greet people? What if I had attacked you?"

Ethan, smiling, responded, "Well, it's not like you'd be able to do much to me even if you tried."

He said this nonchalantly.

Hearing this, Da Shu didn't argue, thinking his friend was joking.

He still believed that Ethan was at least two or three levels behind him, as he was currently nearing the seventh level of body refining.

Which was a reasonable assumption, considering how long it had taken Ethan just to break through the first level.

"How did you know I'd leave through here?" Da Shu asked, returning to the matter at hand.

"Well, isn't it obvious? I've been following you ever since you left the dormitory," Ethan said casually.

Indeed, around midnight, just as Ethan was about to doze off, he sensed movement from Da Shu's room.

Since then, keeping a safe distance, he followed him, waiting until Da Shu managed to slip out of the sect unnoticed.

Disciples were discouraged from leaving at night, and those who wished to do so had to inform the sect of their reasons in advance.

Today, the sect would have been especially vigilant about anyone leaving for errands or other matters.

Ethan was certain that even if Da Shu somehow managed to slip past the sect's patrolling guards, he would still be stopped.

After all, in a sect of this caliber, it was impossible for anyone to come and go as they pleased without being noticed.

And just as Ethan had thought, the moment Da Shu crossed the sect's wall, a gaze fell upon both of them.

Da Shu, of course, was unaware of this, but with Ethan's enhanced senses, thanks to his dragon bloodline, it had been easy for him to detect this presence.

According to Bai Yu, the one watching them was much stronger than Elder Léi.

In other words, this being was either at the peak of the fourth stage or, worse, in the Body-Soul Integration stage.

Ethan could only think of one person at that level: the sect master.

Contrary to what he expected, however, the gaze lasted only for a moment before fading away.

Ethan wasn't sure if they had simply been allowed to go or if whoever it was had sent someone to follow them.

But after a few minutes with no one showing up, Ethan figured it was the former.

Though he wondered why, he didn't dwell on it too much.

Da Shu was already out, hiding in the small grove near the sect.

They weren't quite out of the sect's territory yet, they still had to descend the mountain peak first.

For cultivators at Ethan and Da Shu's level, descending from such a height wasn't an issue, which was why Da Shu had chosen to leave from this side of the sect.

Returning to the present, Da Shu was wondering why he hadn't noticed Ethan's presence.

If it were true that he had been following him, he should have discovered it much earlier.

After all, he had been extremely cautious the entire time, and it would be difficult for someone at Ethan's level to follow him without being detected.

He thought perhaps Ethan had used some special artifact to hide his presence, but knowing his friend's background, it was hard to believe he had one.

Though he knew how much Ethan was earning these days, since Da Shu was the one handling the sales of his pills, he knew it wasn't enough to afford such an artifact.

Shaking off those thoughts, he turned to Ethan with a determined look.

"Either way, you already know where I'm going, so don't bother trying to stop me."

Ethan looked at him calmly.

After a moment, he sighed and said,

"Well, there's no point in stopping you.

you wouldn't listen anyway.

And if I really wanted to, there are more effective ways, like alerting the sect elders."

He shook his head and continued,

"For as much of a training maniac as you are, you're not stupid.

You must know the risks of going out on your own."

Da Shu listened without interrupting.

"But that said, what makes you think you'll reach them before the rescue team sent by the sect?

And do you even know where the incident happened?

As far as I know, the sect hasn't released any information about it."

Ethan asked, wanting to know more.

Finally, Da Shu spoke,

"Huo Lì told me before she left."

.

---------------------------

FRANK_LEE_JUNIOR:

Here's today's chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.

As usual, if you have any comments, suggestions, or errors to report, don't hesitate to do so below.

See you tomorrow with another chapter.