Paragon of Sin

Evergod wasn't wrong; Wei Wuyin intended to use this opportunity to carve an unerasable hole in the image of the Everlore Association's prestige. The instincts of an Alchemic Saint were terrifying, likely influenced heavily by his past experiences.

San Luoyang's agreement had overturned this well-thought-out ploy, leaving Wei Wuyin unable to capitalize. After experiencing Evergod's overt attempt on his life, he intended to viciously hammer the Everlore Association into the dust. This was merely the first move in the current climate of non-aggression.

While Wei Wuyin faced off against the smiling, agreeable San Luoyang, down below in the crowd of young talents, several individuals watched Wei Wuyin and Bai Lin with various emotions. Amongst them was a heated gaze from Tang Xingyun, the Chosen of the Tang Clan. Within those fiery depths, anger, frustration, a tinge of greed, and dissatisfaction flowed without conflict, all directed towards the duo in the air.

Tang Xingyun had kept tabs on the development of Lin Ming, learning that their actions had caused him to be ridiculed and accused as a false Chosen in the True Element Sect. His prestige had taken a heavy hit, and his talents were buried beneath controversy stemming from his greatest known achievement.

All of this was due to Wei Wuyin's actions of using self-damaging methods to heavily amplify his strength, acting as a barrier to Lin Ming's rise, forcing him to use a different method to obtain the Chosen title. She was still in that belief, as an Alchemist, especially a young alchemist like Wei Wuyin at the Mortal Sovereign level would have invested the vast majority of their life into the Alchemic Dao.

While his achievements were outstanding, she felt it was extremely unlikely that he could defeat a genuine talent at the same stage of cultivation. That said, she didn't dismiss his feats and attainments in the Alchemic Dao, impressive for sure.

Then, the Fire Phoenix! She heard rumors regarding the ownership of it, such as a successful experiment by Trueborn, belonging to the Void Voyage Sect, an ancient excavated beast from the Ninestar Starfield, and many more, yet she hadn't thought it belonged to Wei Wuyin!

This beast had caused her clan to suffer unimaginable losses, especially that armored Earthly Saint that almost killed her mother. A fierce light glinted in her eyes, yet the desire was unable to be hidden. The Fire Phoenix's essence blood was the critical piece of material needed to elevate the Tang Clan to higher levels.

If she intended to be a genuine expert, a hegemon that could sit in one of those thrones one day, she needed it more than anything. Her want was as hot as a hundred Solar Stars. Yet she felt immensely frustrated at this revelation. Wei Wuyin wasn't a minor or ordinary figure, having the support of the Golden Life Pavilion, Grand Knight Wu Yu, and the armored Earthly Saint; he had four Earthly Saints he could move with little effort. After all, the Golden Life Pavilion's current Pavilion Master, Ma Zheng, owed Wei Wuyin far too much for his position.

It went without saying the Fire Phoenix was a terrifying force on its own, further worsening the situation.

This far surpassed the Tang Clan's ability. Just this force alone was enough to sweep across starfields, let alone a Saint-less Noble Clan. She felt despair. A heavy feeling of sullen despair. She only felt slightly relieved after experiencing the bathing of Utmost Purity Mist, galvanizing her alchemic remnants into newly refined strength.

Kree?

Bai Lin's bestial instincts directed her towards a particular gaze, causing her golden eyes to look downwards and note a beautiful woman below. When their gazes met, the woman's eyes widened slightly, realizing she was noticed, and hastily turned away.

Unfortunately for her, Bai Lin pinpointed her instantly, and her image was reflected in her golden eyes. That aura emanating from her body was incomparably familiar.

"It's them!" Bai Lin mentally sent to Wei Wuyin. Wei Wuyin no longer felt a need to continue with San Luoyang as he busied himself with something. His eyes followed Bai Lin's mental indicators, passing by a few familiar figures, and then stopping on a gorgeous figure. His first impression of her was that of a burning lotus in the spring, refreshing and astonishing to witness. For a moment, Wei Wuyin was taken aback.

"It's the Tang Clan! I know that aura!" Bai Lin's mental tone was reverberating with intense killing intent. Wei Wuyin did not doubt that if the Mythical Oaths weren't in place, Bai Lin would've incinerated this nation-toppling beauty without the slightest hesitation.

They had passed the inverted crowd in the proving stage, so there was bound to have been a section with the Tang Clan present, perhaps even the Tang Matriarch herself, but the invisible barrier concealed auras from entering in a one-way fashion, preventing those spectating from interfering with the challenges, yet allowing those below to feel the intensity and auras of challengers as a learning experience.

"I see." Wei Wuyin could only caress the enraged Bai Lin whose feathers seemed primed for a fight. She carried a lot of animosity towards those who tried to capture her. However, eliminating them wasn't so simple, or he would've done so before. After learning more about the starfield's relations, he knew the Tang Clan had a member embedded in the Imperial Clan, and she was intimately connected to the Aeternal Sky Divine Emperor.

It would be a little too early to enter into conflict with such a powerful being. All of his trump cards might fail to hold that being back for a mere second, and he didn't wish to throw his life away for a measly Tang Clan.

"We'll deal with them later," he comfortingly said, adding: "I promise."

Kree…

Bai Lin begrudgingly accepted, also knowing about the complex relations with an existence that Wei Wuyin felt cautious towards. She wasn't so idiotic to put the cart before the horse, taking revenge only to lose everything in return. What's the point of revenge then?

Suddenly, Bai Lin's eyes brightened with an idea. "She's important to the Tang Clan, right?"

Wei Wuyin felt a little uneasy after hearing this, but replied nevertheless: "She should be Tang Xingyun; her mother is the current Tang Matriarch, she's the Vermillion Flame Saintess, and likely its youngest Chosen."

Bai Lin's eyes lit with a flash of greater brilliance than before, inspired as she arrogantly said: "Take her!"

"What?" Wei Wuyin was taken aback.

Bai Lin let loose a rather evil laugh, her mischievous nature leaking. "They wanted to kidnap me, then you should do the same to her. Teach them how it felt." With a heart containing the flames of vengeance, her thoughts were extremely simple. An eye of an eye; a tooth for a tooth. Wei Wuyin didn't even want to think about what Bai Lin was implying, but considering she was aware of his principles, it was unlikely it was as vile as it sounded.

He could only internally sigh. Just as he was about to comfort Bai Lin while declining her straightforward idea, his silver eyes flickered with an idea, recalling the cultivation method of the Tang Clan and the rumors. With a faint smile, he gently caressed Bai Lin's feathers, "Alright."

Bai Lin was stunned for a moment, shocked that Wei Wuyin unhesitatingly agreed. But then, she grew incomparably excited. Her plan must have been a great one!

While an idea formed, it wasn't just Tang Xingyun that was staring at Wei Wuyin and Bai Lin soaring above their heads.

Lin Ming clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles grew white, his arms slightly trembled, and his heart sped up. Since Lin Xianxei had been taken by Wei Wuyin, there's been a sense of distance, and she refused to talk about their encounter or what he wanted. She merely brushed it off, saying it was merely to warn her not to spread lies.

He had never felt so powerless against someone that could be considered a part of his generation before. Even after coming to the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region, his age, cultivation base, cultivation attainments such as Elemental Origin Intent, establishing a Domain Seed before the Realm World Phase, and defeating experts with hundreds of years on their belts, placed him firmly amongst the elites of his generation.

If his age was considered, few could match him. Despite this, Wei Wuyin made him feel this chasm of extreme difference. Moreover, he kept suffering mental setbacks whenever Wei Wuyin was involved. Whether it was the Elementus Chosen Trials, the Domain Seed via Neo-Dawn Eclipse Pills, eliminating one of his greatest advantages that cost a young girl's life and two souls to be injured, or the way Lin Xianxei looked at him now, Lin Ming felt as if he was suffering a steady and continuous barrage of losses with Wei Wuyin at the center of it all.

A blip of elemental light erupted from his Aegis of the Elements, causing a voice to flow into his thoughts. "Don't stress yourself over this alchemist. It'll be best if you befriend him, remove all grudgeful thoughts."

"Befriend?" Lin Ming felt as if he was told a joke, wanting to laugh, but he subconsciously had tremendous respect and reverence for this voice, having a clue as to who it belonged to, so he held himself back.

The voice continued, "In this world, there are countless geniuses and talents, many buried beneath the sands of obscurity, forgotten throughout time. Do you know why?"

Lin Ming frowned, instinctively answering: "Too many people in this world. The resources of this world can't be shared equally, so most can't manifest themselves into true experts, or die off too early on their cultivation path from difficulties or calamities."

This answer might be mirrored by most if given the same question.

However, the voice released a heavy, slightly frustrated sigh carrying vicissitudes of age and failure. It said, "Yes and no. If a cultivator was to cultivate using the materials from heaven and earth, the ambient energies provided by the world, let's say…the Myriad Yore Starfield…no, I guess you'll be familiar with it as the Imperial Heaven Starfield or Everlore Starfield, what would their limits be?"

"..." Lin Ming's frown deepened, and he recalled Lin Xianxei's words. According to her, the limit possible was the Fourth Stage of the Astral Core Realm. There might be deviation here and there, but it would never exceed the Realm World Phase. The Everlore Starfield was already suffering from this degradation, only having a single False Realmlord after thousands of years, despite producing at least five Mystic Ascendant Realm experts.

A stark, noticeable difference.

That's when Lin Ming realized what the voice was driving at.

And the voice seemed to catch that he got it, continuing: "The limits of the environment stifle talent, regardless of how great it is, no matter the Dao it stands on. The same is true for Alchemists, to the point where the King of Everlore was unable to become an Alchemic Saint despite his ungodly levels of talent in the Alchemic Dao.

"But with the Alchemic Dao complementing one's cultivation path, trash can become a treasure, and treasure can reach limits vastly exceeding its worth and foundation. Don't underestimate the Alchemic Dao and the benefits of having an Alchemist by your side, especially a talented one."

Clearly, there was a hefty load of experience in every word spoken by the voice, suffused with the wisdom of a cultivator that had seen the lowest point and risen to great heights.

Lin Ming felt enlightened. While the idea of befriending Wei Wuyin felt grotesque to him, he understood the importance of the Alchemic Dao more, and the critical impact the environment had on cultivators.

Curiously, he asked: "What's the limits of the Aeternal Sky Starfield's environment?"

"...As it stands? Should be an Earthly Saint, but it's too nascent in its current state, only having this environment for a short period. Perhaps in another hundred thousand years, the starfield alone will have thousands of Earthly Saints." The voice thoughtfully explained. The Supermassive Solar Star, the Aeternal Sky Star, with the largest Mystic Radiance Belt in the stellar region, was only a few tens of thousands of years old, and before it was formed, there was no Earthly Saint.

After it was formed?

Just the Aeternal Sky Starfield had dozens!

-----

San Luoyang had finished his preparations. Outside, both the proving stage and the Voidships orbiting Ever-Sky, all heard a grand, powerful voice of San Luoyang.

"From henceforth, the Saint Cyclic Renewal Summit will allow all to enter, joining the discussion that will likely alter the course of our world! Come! All!"

BOOM!

As his words resounded, the pillar of light grew three times larger, stretching three times further, and gave off a warm light. The hearts of every passenger in all those Voidships was pounding fiercely in their chests!

An opulently dressed chubby man held his youngest son, his eyes wide with surprise. His youngest son, who heard all of his adventures in his past as bedtime stories, said in awe: "Will we see the Young Master, daddy?"

The chubby man instinctively replied with an absentminded tone, "He doesn't like to be called young..."

Within the proving stage, the violet-skinned figure was stunned. She pouted slightly, aggrieved that her master's words prevented her from challenging those Entities. Her emotions were a far cry from everyone else, who gasped and exclaimed in joy and disbelief.

The Void Gate released a soft hum as the invisible barrier and artificial gravity disappeared! Those in the crowd were sent down to the stage. It seemed San Luoyang was telling the truth! The unconcealed excitement at escaping the possibility of death was on full display, especially for the older Chosen and non-Chosen.