Rhys found himself in the city of the Eternal Moon Empire, Moon City, where the moon shined the brightest. He had arrived a week ago and had bought a property since if he would cultivate the Eternal Paragon Void Body he would need a secluded place where no one would look at him.
He was currently heading towards the 'Myriad Pill Alchemy Association' to buy a few low-grade herbs and other alchemy ingredients to train at home, he wanted to see how good he was with the knowledge he got from Swarshlen.
As he walked with handsome looks attracted the eyes of both man and women, the man in jealousy and the woman in lust. He of course ignored it as he looked at the building he stood in front of.
'Myriad Pill Alchemy Association' was written in beautiful but intricate calligraphy. It was written in a sign that seemed to be made of jade, the building itself being bigger than a football field of modern earth. The size of Moon City was hundreds of times bigger. This was how big high-ranked worlds were.
As Rhys walked in through the open gates he found himself following a red carpet that lead to the receptionists.
As Rhys walked many looked at him, judging him. They could not smell the scent of herbs or any other alchemy ingredients, so they thought he probably had come to buy something.
"Hmph, rich boy."
"He is handsome…"
"Do you think he had a lover?"
"Lucky bastard with those looks…"
"Who did he save in his past life to have such looks…?"
Many different people whispered as they saw him walking towards a cute female receptionist who had a light blush on her cheeks as she looked at the approaching Rhys.
"Hello, my lady." Rhys spoke with a polite tone, his manly voice making the receptionist look at him with a dreamy look.
"I came to buy alchemy ingredients." He spoke once more as the receptionists came out of her trance and became embarrassed.
"R-right, what grade and name?" The cute receptionist asked as she became serious once more.
"I want inferior to high-ranked ingredients. Five batches of Moon Roses, Blood Leaves, Yin Gizeng…" Rhys spoke as he handed her a list carefully written.
There were mortal rank ingredients but those were only for pills for 'mortals.' Does who do not cultivate, inferior rank ingredients up are for cultivators. So he ordered cultivator-only ingredients.
"Right away." The receptionist spoke and left right away.
It took a few minutes for the young lady to return with the ingredients he needed.
"It would be 1,050 mid-grade spirit stones." She spoke while eyeing Rhys, who nodded and took out the middle-grade stones to pay before he took the ingredients into the jade ring.
Not much happened after that as Rhys left back to the mid-size manor he bought for 5 high-grade spirit crystals. It had many formations of the heaven grade for protection, suppression, detection, and attacking.
The moment he entered Rhys felt alone, the large manor was pretty empty.
'Sigh… time to practice till the lights go down.' Rhys spoke in his mind as he went towards the basement, where a cauldron was located, it was a cauldron that came with the manor, albeit only mid-grade.
Rhys sat down in a lotus position near it and summoned the soul flame from his dantian, which had grown much stronger and had hints of purple from the breakthroughs and aether.
The moment the soul flame appeared under the cauldron Rhys started to focus and place the ingredients inside at the right intervals, he was making the blemished ranked pill, Bone Tempering Pill. Which would increase the strength of the bone of any cultivator in the mortal realm.
The cauldron heated up as the ingredients melted and mixed, the impurities burning away as they combined into a spherical shape. Then it slowly compressed into the form of a pill, a small round pill. The size of a nail.
Once it was done Rhys stopped using his soul flames and the cauldron immediately begin to cool down as Rhys brought the pill to his hand with energy.
He looked at the small white pill with a few hints of black, impurities, and sighed.
'Failure. The pill does not have even 1% purity.' Rhys thought as he threw it away and started all over again, he bought 5 batches, so he could make 5 of these pills.
——
It wasn't until his fourth tried that he succeeded, the pill was white and had a white glow, along with a herbal scent.
'Blemished… 13% purity.' Rhys smiled at this, sure he had a ton of pills in the Jade ring but he wanted to learn as much as he could. He might not do alchemy, but as long as he has the knowledge of how to do it and experience it would end up being useful for his future.
"Again." He muttered in a low voice.
A few minutes later Rhys made another pill.
'15% purity… hmm. It is quite good considering it is my first time. I should practice for some time and get used to making pills. It would be helpful in the future if I know the type of ingredients and pills that can be made as well as how to make them.' Rhys nodded inwardly.
——
Rhys continued to practice alchemy in the day and cultivate at night. He would sometimes take breaks and practice with the glaive. Now that his body was used to aether he could take breaks, unlike the first time he cultivated the technique which required him to cultivate until his body was tempered to make sure the aether didn't kill him.
As days turned into weeks Rhys continued his alchemy practice. From 15% to 30%, he bought ingredients and used them to practice. Of course, he couldn't buy the rare ingredients unless he joined a group or sect. The pills he made were not sold but kept inside the Jade ring.
Rhys felt his progress in alchemy slowly rising, he started to buy ingredients such as animal parts to make new types of pills with different effects.
'Ina, can you show me my progress in my bloodlines?' Rhys asked Ina who talked with him from time to time.
"Very well."
[
Name: Rhys Zuldroan
Race: Onniano (Dragon, Elf, Light Spirit, Phoenix)
Cultivation: True King High-Level
Cultivation Technique: [SUPREME] Eternal Paragon Void Body Cultivation Technique - Stage 1 Physique
Bloodline/s Purity:
Golden True Dragon: 1.0%
(Abilities: Dragon Physique {Lesser} - Fire Affinity {Lesser} - Dragon Scales {Inactive - 5% Purity Required to activate {Lesser} Rank} - Draconic Eyes {Inactive - 25% Purity Required to activate {Inferior} Rank} - Dragon Flames {Inactive - 50% Purity Required to activate {Lesser} Rank} - Dragon Wings {Inactive - 80% Purity Required} - Polymorphing {Inactive - 100% Purity Required})
Royal Scarlett Phoenix: 1.0%
(Abilities: Soul Flame {Lesser} - Fire Affinity {Lesser} - Flame Regeneration {Inactive - 5% Purity Required to activate {Lesser} rank} - Fiery Eyes {Inactive - 25% Purity Required to activate {Inferior} Rank} - Phoenix Flames {Inactive - 50% Purity Required to activate {Lesser} Rank} - Phoenix Wings {Inactive - 80% Purity Required} - Polymorphing {Inactive - 100% Purity Required})
High Royal Elf: 1.0%
(Abilities: Unnatural Beauty {Lesser} - Nature Affinity {Lesser} - Naturer Sense {Inactive - 5% Purity Required to activate {Lesser} rank} - Life Vision {Inactive - 25% Purity Required to activate {Inferior} Rank} - High Regeneration {Inactive - 50% Purity Required to activate {Lesser} Rank} - Life Affinity {Inactive - 80% Purity Required to activate {Lesser} Rank - High Royal Elf Form {Inactive - 100% Purity Required})
Incandescent Light Spirit: 1.0%
(Abilities: Perfect Beauty {Lesser} - Light Affinity {Lesser} - Light Senses {Inactive - 5% Purity Required to activate {Lesser} rank} - Spirit Eyes {Inactive - 25% Purity Required to activate {Inferior} Rank} - Light Speed {Inactive - 50% Purity Required to activate {Lesser} Rank} - Light Incarnation {Inactive - 80% Purity Required to activate {Lesser} Rank - Incadenscent Light Spirit True Body {Inactive - 100% Purity Required})
]
"Why are all of them at 1%?" Rhys said while looking at his bloodline purity.
"Simple. To make sure they all rise equally they stopped rising until they all reached the 1% mark, starting from now on it will start to slowly rise." Ina replied, speaking as if it was normal.
"Then what about all of these bloodline abilities?" Ina replied shortly.
"As your bloodline purity increases your body will change and you will be able to call upon the abilities that make them special. Each race has its own bloodline ability. They are all special, in your case as your purity increases so will the rank of the abilities. Your elemental affinity is at a {Lesser} state due to the low purity. Soon you will see a rise in rank." Ina's replied shocked Rhys.
"So my Unnatural Beauty and Perfect Beauty will make me more beautiful?" Rhys said, not believing it.
"Yes, your appearance will be absolutely perfect. Once you reach 100% purity you will never stink, your natural scent will be very pleasing to the opposite sex. Your body will become fairer and your hair silkier. Your already high beauty will rise to levels where I think some will confuse you for a woman." Ina's last words sounded sarcastic.
"Fuck you! I won't look effeminate! Also, you said I'm beautiful!" Rhys cursed, denied, and pridefully spoke.
"Hmph!" Ina simply 'hmph' and ignored him.
"Tch, you're no fun." Rhys muttered as he went back into alchemy.
——
Rhys was on the training ground of the manor practicing movement techniques and glaive techniques, he panted hard as he swung, moved, and dodged attacks he made up in his mind.
Slowly his proficiency rose, it had been a week since he last checked his progress. Slowly but surely he felt he was getting closer to a breakthrough into the Peak-Level True King stage. So he practiced and trained much harder, his foundation being unblemished as he simply waited.
"Hah!" He swung the glaive for hours until nightfall when he would take a bath then go to the cultivating chambers and cultivate the Eternal Paragon Void Body. He still was far away from the second stage, but that did not matter. 'Slow and steady wins the race' as they say.
By using the ability to disturb space enough to let aether come through and temper his body he slowly got through the first layer of the cultivation technique.
Since the spatial disturbance wasn't as high and the formations hid it he did not have to worry about powerhouses noticing.
'Whoever you are Eternal Paragon, if you are alive I will marry you for making such a technique!' Rhys exclaimed in his mind, from his knowledge no one but the Fiends, beasts from the void, have been able to use aether in any way shape or form. So for the Eternal Paragon to have done this meant she was just that great!
"Chances are she is dead. I think... There has been no news of her since Swarshlen died." Ina replied, she felt annoyed how much he praised Eternal Paragon but not her Lord Swarshlen.
Rhys smirked and thought to himself, 'Fool. She can travel through the void. Who is to say she isn't there? Alive? Of course she is... I hope. She is probably in the void exploring it, fighting fiends.'
Of course, he would never say out loud since although Ina had no physical body she could still annoy him by yelling in his head and not letting him rest.
"I feel sore... I should go out and kill some beasts tomorrow..." Rhys muttered, he felt a fight might give him the push he needs to make a breakthrough. So he planned ahead.
——
"Isn't that Blazing Fairy? Who is the mature woman?" A young man spoke as he looked at Ailin who was accompanied by Edea.
After she won the tournament she became widely known in the Empire, she was known only by a few nobles and the Emperor, but now the whole empire knew of her. Of course, they did not know much of Edea as she usually stayed in the clan.
"I heard that is her mother, they do look alike. In fact, that woman looks very mature..." Another man spoke as he looked at Edea with lust.
These were the consequences of fame, but Ailin and Edea did not mind, they were used to such gazes, of course most of their faces were covered by veils. Their curves were still showing even with their robes.
But even then they were really recognizable because of their aura.
Ailin and Edea ignore their talks and continued to speak as they ate in the restaurant.
"I wonder how Rhys is doing." Ailin muttered as she took a bite of her steak.
"I heard a lot of news about a rising star. It is said he has long blond hair and golden eyes. According to the rumors he is in the Eternal Moon Empire." Edea spoke as she heard Ailin.
Although Rhys tried to stay lowkey, his looks, bearings, and power attracted a lot of attention, in the eyes of the common and few powers he was a genius. Of course, with his superior body, it was only natural. Combine that with his rising talent as his bloodline rose, it makes a star.
There have been many young masters who tried to recruit him into their powers, even by force. But they all got face slapped, they could not do anything either since Yin Moon Empress would act, after all, they barged in into Rhys's home and tried to threaten him. It was his right to fight back.
"He became famous? Eternal Moon Empire? Where women rule?... Some vixen probably secured him!" Ailin made up a thought that was not true, but did she care? Nope.
"Hahaha, let him be, he is at the age where his body is very active." Edea spoke, trying to calm Ailin down.
They were currently in a kingdom that was under the Highsky Empire, so the news reached them quite fast.
"Hmph! Fine, I will wait for him to return!" Ailin spoke, before continuing to eat as Edea sighed.
"Ailin is hopeless... jealous when there is nothing between them?..." Edea sighed at the fate of Ailin.