Sect Leader's Rise to the top!

Kai was too shocked to speak. If Old Lao was speaking the truth, Kai could now consider himself a Master-Alchemist. He looked down at the pill in his hand, giving off a faint and almost unrecognizable aura of Qi.

"I've made hundreds of batches but only got such a result once. Is that all it takes to become a Master-Alchemist?". Kai asked skeptically.

"Yes...well, I'm not too versed in alchemy, but this is quite well known. Being able to create it once is proof that one has reached the Master level". Old Lao said reassuringly.

Kai was still skeptical. After All, how would he even prove the pills we made by him?. He decided not to let this news go to his head and instead put the pill away.

"Anyway, I'll go meet Mr. Song. You guys go back to what you were doing", Kai said as he got off the couch and headed out of the house. He didn't have much time and wanted to ask Mr. Song about the benefits of being a Master-Alchemist.

Jian-Yi and Jian-Na were still young, so they did not fully understand the conversation. Ryu and Mina had been shocked silent by what Old Lao had said and were still reeling from the news.

"Mr. Lao, is what you said true?". Mina asked quietly. Old Lao nodded his head then looked up to the ceiling in silence.

"When we think he has shown us everything, he surprises us again. This time it's as a Master-Alchemist!". Old Lao said with a jolly laugh. The fact that the person in question was his own Master gave him a sense of pride.

"Let's continue to do our best, so we don't fall behind. Jian-Yi, Jian-Na come with me. I will show you two how to make Master's favorite dishes!" Old Lao said while patting the two girls' heads, leading them to the kitchen. Mina and Ryu turned with a renewed sense of determination.

At the same time, Kai had left the house to visit Mr. Song from the Pill Association. Kai's memory had improved ever since he began cultivating, so remembering the way was easy. When Kai arrived, an assistant welcomed him and led him to a meeting room.

After a few minutes of waiting, the old man entered the room. Kai instantly recognized him as Mr. Song.

"Mr. Kai, thank you for coming on such short notice.". He said as he sat across from Kai.

"It's no trouble at all. I wanted to speak to you as well.". Kai said after taking a sip of tea.

"Then it worked out well!. Let me get straight to the point then", Mr. Song said seriously. "Within a few weeks, the Twin-Lions Sect will be opening up their pocket-dimension to a select few outsiders...I'm sure you've already heard of this?". He asked as if already knowing that Kai had an invitation.

"Ahh...well yes, I've heard of this. But what does that have to do with me?". Kai asked cautiously, making sure not to expose too much information.

Mr. Song nodded his head and continued. "Well, this has caused quite the stir within the cultivation world. Pocket dimensions are almost always full of valuable treasures and materials. But, did ask yourself why they would even bother opening up such a valuable thing to outsiders all of a sudden?", Asked Mr. Song with a playful smile on his face.

Kai could only shrug his shoulders. He had no idea why and hadn't bothered to even think about it. A few thoughts of it being a trap had flashed through his head before, but that seemed too unlikely since he was a stranger to them.

Mr. Song noticed that Kai was in deep thought, so he explained. "The official story is that they're trying to attract young talents. While this may also be true, in reality, they're looking for someone, or should I say, something...", He said in a hushed tone.

Kai was intrigued and leaned in closer to listen. The old man seemed to enjoy gossiping and was happy to see Kai paying attention to him. He also leaned in while whispering. "As you may already know, pocket dimensions are governed by the rules of heaven. This means each dimension has its own set of strict laws that keep the space from falling apart. In the case of the Twin-Lion's pocket dimension, one of the main laws is that only those in the Qi-Condensation stage can enter..."

All of this was new to Kai who had no idea how pocket dimensions even worked, let alone anything about rules and laws of heaven. He wanted to ask a bunch of questions, but the old man just kept talking.

"...Normally this wouldn't be an issue since they can just send their younger generation in search of treasures and resources, but recently something went wrong. A group of internal disciples went missing after a spatial crack appeared in the dimension. The sect's elders repaired the crack and have repaired the space, but there is still the problem of the missing disciples, one of which being the Sect leader's very own great-granddaughter!"

"...", Kai was at a loss for words. Was this a rescue mission disguised as a search for talent?. If so, why wouldn't they just say so?.

The old man saw Kai's surprised reaction then sat back in his chair.

"Haha, well this is just speculation on my part. Rumor has it that she went into closed-door cultivation right when the incident started and has not been seen ever since. Anyway, this is not the reason why I called you here. The real reason is that an Illusion demon estimated to be [Grade-4] appeared within the pocket dimension when the spatial crack happened. The elite team of inner disciples was dispatched to get rid of it, but it is suspected that they failed. They're likely sending in a party of outsiders to find out the beast's weaknesses before they try again..."

"Kai processed the news calmly. He hadn't thought of such a scenario, but now that he heard it, it made perfect sense. The participants would be used as fodder to help learn the creature's weaknesses.

"However..." Continued the old man. "...Whenever an illusion demon shows up, rare herbs that grown from the Demon's birthing process will follow. I need you to get those herbs for me. Of course, I will reward you handsomely for your troubles.". said Mr. Song with a bright smile on his face.

"So let me get this straight. You want me to go in there to look for herbs that may or may not even be there?". Kai asked skeptically.

"Yes!". The old man answered instantly.

"If the beast is really at [Grade-4], then the herbs should at least be [Grade-3]. If I can get my hands on herbs of such high quality, I could...". The old man stopped himself when he noticed Kai's angry gaze.

"Hoho, don't get me wrong young one. I simply want to make a fair exchange. I will give you information on other treasures that you can collect, as well as an item that will keep you safe from the native beasts. You would only need to avoid the Illusion demon for the three days that you will be in there".

Kai was angry at how the old man was trying to use him, but he also wasn't stupid. This old man seemed frail on the outside, but Kai could sense a powerful aura that went beyond his current comprehension. This old man was clearly in the Foundation Establishment stage.

"How do you have so much information on the Twin-Lions sect?" Kai asked seriously. He planned on going in there anyway, so he needed as much information as possible.

"Oh, did I not mention it?". The old man said casually. "I'm a former member of the Twin-Lions Sect and was actually in the Inner-Hall at one point, but decided to pursue my destiny in alchemy and gave up my official post decades ago...". The old man said the last few words with sadness in his voice but quickly replaced it with his previous casual demeanor.

Kai finally understood why the old man knew so much about the Twin-Lions Sect.. He must still have informants feeding him information from inside the sect.