Paragon of Sin

The Dao of Alchemy and its four products was potentially limitless, restricted only by unknown reactions, fusions, and combinations that have yet to be tested or discovered. It was divided into pills, elixirs, paste, and pellets, each with their own specific, tailored purposes. These four products were further divided by three ranks—Mortal, Mystic, & Immortal, and even further divided by three tiers—Low, High, & Peak. Those two aspects of the Alchemic Dao reflected an alchemist's skill and rank. 

But the most important aspect of the Alchemic Dao wasn't its diversified grade, but the resulting qualities that were produced. While often neglected, with most alchemists being satisfied with a low-quality turnout, the quality of a product defined its effects, its limits and potential. 

Those products at the Impure-quality, one of the five qualities, performed a reduced percentage of a product's full effect, yet leaves behind volatile impurities that can accumulate and poison the spirit, body, mind, or even the soul. Despite this, it was the most commonly concocted quality known to almost all alchemists. It's also the most commonly consumed quality, with cultivators using other methods to expel, purify, or refine the impurities in their bodies over time lest it severely weakens them. 

Most diseases and illnesses afflicting cultivators were the result of impurities reacting violently within their bodies. Due to different types of products being consumed at varied paces, different illnesses were generated that were hard to identify or treat. Even a cultivator's lifespan was typically affected, not just their strength or physical health.

Low-Quality products, despite their name, were all 100% impurity-free with the primary and secondary effects of the product being fully activated. It translated to low-measured success. It was a complete success, but the lowest level of success possible. This could be the result of numerous variables, such as an insufficient fusion process or energy dilution causing the product to be unable to be pushed to its limits.

The next was High-Quality products, otherwise referred to as high-measured success by alchemists. These products had their primary and secondary effects at a 100% effectiveness, unlike low-quality products that had their secondary effects at roughly 2% to 5%, barely noticeable. All products functioned on the alchemic rule of three, with most having three stages of effects that are elevated or activated by its quality. 

Peak-Quality products boost both primary and secondary effects by an additional 50%, and sometimes activate the third effect. These third effects were oftentimes miraculous, outright heaven-defying. The most notable example of a third effect was the Everlore Ascension Pill. Its third effect generated Everlore Zenith Essence instead of the standard Everlore Essence, allowing cultivators to retroactively gain a Zenith Mortal State, one of the requirements to ascend successfully. 

It could overturn a cultivator's insufficient foundation, giving them the qualifications to surpass the Mortal Limits.

The last quality, however, was difficult to gauge and measure. It was called transcendent, and it meant transcendent-measured success, beyond all standard limits essentially. These effects were unpredictable because they infused qualities beyond the product's ranks. For example, Mortal-rank transcendent products are infused with mystic qualities, and Mystic-rank transcendent products are infused with immortal qualities. 

This could lead to an outright change in the effects, changing its primary, secondary, and tertiary effects entirely, or elevating it to such an extreme that its borderline reaches unimaginable levels, or even activating an heaven-defying fourth effect. The second of which happened to the World-Light Refraction Elixir, allowing Wei Wuyin to perceive into the Origin of All Light and manifest his Primary Light from his Astral Souls. 

It totally broke his understanding on what the concept of 'light' meant, discovering that Solar Stars were not the origin of light, neither were the True Light said to have been created by the Heavenly Daos, but the soul itself. He wondered if the Heavenly Daos' True Light is its soul light.

Regardless, it was ridiculously hard to predict how mortal-rank products would react to mystic energies, essences, or intent. Normally, an alchemist is fully aware of their products' effects after concoction, as they've visibly sensed every change in structure, form, and essence that it underwent. Yet even Wei Wuyin couldn't predict the effects of the transcendent-quality World-Light Refraction Elixir. 

That was merely an eighth-grade product, but the Astral World-Deluge Pill was a genuine ninth-grade product and of the high-tier at that. He had absolutely no idea how it'll affect him. If he could see or sense the Mystic Dao with the clarity of his Spiritual Sense or Celestial Eyes, this wouldn't be so difficult. In fact, he would instantly know what it would do.

But he couldn't. 

So every refinement was an experiment as long as he remained within mortal limits.

Just accomplishing the feat of concocting a transcendent-quality product in general as a mere mortal deliberately would shatter almost every known convention of alchemy in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region. It shouldn't even be possible. Most originate from Mortal Sovereign Alchemists that have ascended, and typically its the product they spent their lifetime practicing and perfecting.

Wei Wuyin didn't dare to allow his Astral Souls to externalize and refine this product with their typical reckless behavior. They also didn't dare to do so. Just like him, they were fully aware of the possibilities that a change could occur. The World-Light Refraction Elixir had taught them a heavy lesson towards transcendent products that they'll never forget. 

"What do you think it'll do?" Ori cautiously asked, its voice incredibly tense as Wei Wuyin was about to consume it. The World-Light Refraction Elixir had nearly killed them, and its tensed state was fully warranted. After all, that was just an eighth-grade product.

"...Tch," King was usually dauntless in everything it did, but its sharpness was a little hesitant to swing at this moment. Still, he wasn't going to dissuade. A saber must strive forward without fear. Even in the face of certain death, its edge could end death itself. Was its thoughts as it hunkered down and prepared itself. 

Kratos' rapid heartbeat was the most noticeable. The experience of perceiving the Origin of All Light was felt by all of them. It was a ghastly feeling, like having one's soul pried open and seen by everyone. It was downright uncomfortable and invasive. 

Eden, on the other hand, was the prime example of cool, calm, and collected. As an Alchemic Eden Soul, how could it fear a product that it made? That would be completely ridiculous!

Wei Wuyin felt a tightness in his Sea of Consciousness. He winced slightly as the roots of Eden's spirit dug just a little deeper. He can't lie and say he wasn't a tad bit concerned. The thought of directly exploding had emerged more than once. 

Could a mortal even consume a ninth-grade transcendent product? He was skeptical. Very skeptical. Still, he had to brave such dangers to progress towards his maximum limits.

The Astral World-Deluge Pill was one of the main products that he had used to bolster his Astral Cores to seventy-three centimeters in size. They've consumed over three hundred of these products each, so it shouldn't be too bad, right? 

Despite that, as the Transcendent Radiance Ring touched his lips, his entire body shivered and he heavily gulped. Shit! How embarrassing was this?! When did pills that he concocted have the ability to make him feel apprehension?

With a cold snort, he directly gulped the pill. His throat brightly lit with an azure-colored light, causing his nostrils and the space between his two lips to spew out azure radiance furiously. As it traveled downwards, its route could be visibly traced until it reached the area of his dantian.

King's astral core was vigilant. It seemed ready to eviscerate it at a moment's notice.

"Mine! Mine! Mine!" But not everyone shared the cautious mind of its three siblings and one true father. With a joyful shout of excitement, Ori's Astral Core directly sucked the pill into it, directly bringing it to its Astral Soul. 

"..." The four of them were utterly stunned. They were supposed to divide it amongst the four! What was Ori thinking?! However, none of them said a thing. They, with rapt attention like no other, observed Ori. 

The sounds of tense mental pulses could be heard by the four, causing Wei Wuyin vicious headaches. The sounds of ferocious heartbeats could be heard by the four, causing Weo Wuyin explosive body aches. The sounds of saber howls could be heard by the four, and Wei Wuyin's meridians felt an endless stabbing pain.

"Can you three just stop?!" Wei Wuyin was in more pain than when he overly exhausted all his strength or was scorched by his own pellets until he was just a burnt piece of flesh! The latter of which was excruciatingly painful!

The three of them were just too tense at the moment. Ori's state had their paramount importance, so Wei Wuyin's shout led to nothing. He just had to suffer, unable to laugh or cry while they remained vigilant.

After a few hours of silent refining, Wei Wuyin was sprawled on the floor, not even paying any attention to anything anymore. The pain was too unbearable! They didn't let up, but intensified. His blood flow was all over the place, sometimes even reversing. His mind experienced split second black outs sporadically. They were incredibly frustrating! And his meridians were in constant pain, as if a torturer was just stabbing him deeper and deeper into his nerves. 

He was just done. 

Yet Ori was experiencing nothing except being drenched in azure light since the beginning. There was no violent change, no distress signal, and no chaotic reaction that might lead to severe bodily harm, like an explosion. Just...azure light…

If it wasn't for his understanding of Ori's personality, he might've suspected that Ori was doing this on purpose to see him suffer. 

After his limits were pushed to its furthest, about to externalize his Astral Souls forcefully, Ori's delicate yet excited voice resounded: "That felt good! So gooooood!" 

Wei Wuyin's left eyelid violently twitched. But when he set his anger aside, inspected Ori's Astral Core, his eyes widened in abject shock! 

"What the hell?!" Within his World Sea, he saw faint Mystic Runes! He could actually see them, clearly in fact! They floated within his Astral Core like fishes without a purpose, loose and free. The only times he's seen these runes were with his Alchemic Stars of Spiritual Transcendence, and they were as vague and hazy to their feasible limits.

But these mystic runes were as visible as inked letters in a book. There were at least three. Each of a different shape and structure. 

"..."

Yet what truly shocked him was Ori's Astral Core. It had directly leapt from seventy-three to seventy-six centimeters! That was three whole centimeters off one single pill?! WHAT?! 

Woosh!

Woosh!

Woosh!

It had been a long time since his Astral Souls had left his body so disgustingly quick that his body's calibration went out of whack, and he felt his mind, heart, and meridians seemingly explode as he directly started to lose consciousness. The last thing he saw were three colorful spirits zipping to those eight ringed pills floating in the air, and a fourth, slightly bigger spirit, soon followed with a yelp of excitement and a competitive roar...