It didn't take long for the sect leader and Elder Yang to retrieve the leader of the pill hall.

We made our way back to the ship and by the time Alice showed us how to open the side bay door—a thin but sturdy ladder falling to the ground to allow up up into the vessel—we had all reconvened. The pill hall master, a wisp of man with a manic face, full beard, and twirly mustache, was clearly confused at what was going on.

"Honored sect leader! I apologize that we haven't made much progress lately. We're close, very very close! I predict we can achieve a near 0.00001% improvement to the recipes this time around! A groundbreaking achievement, sir. Surely then we can get more funding? The ingredients are quite expensive and quite necessary. Yes, yes, they certainly are. We are so very very close to a breakthrough. By the way why have you brought me to this place?" He belted out, his words rapid and somewhat hurried.

"I believe it would be best for young Astra to explain her plan to you, Elder Miao. You may not know her but-" The sect leader started to say, gesturing to me, directing the elder's attention to me until he was interrupted.

"Ohhhh I see, how interesting! It's very very rare to see such a vibrant and harmonious specimen!" Elder Miao said, moving much too closely to me for my comfort. Despite his closeness, his attention wasn't directed to me, but it was staring directly behind me, over my head. I took an involuntary step back as he approached, be he stepped forward to keep the close distance between us.

"Umm…Elder Miao? What are you looking at" I asked, prompting his eyes to look down to mine, his face mere inches from my own now. His eyes scrunched into a frown.

"Well the elemental locus of course. As its owner, you should be no less aware of it than any with eyes nearby. And with all six elements! Truly one of the marvels of cultivation! I have seen a few loci in the past, but a locus including all of the elements is a very very rare sight indeed!" He said, his gaze returning to the six pointed shape floating above my head.

I had to admit, I had mostly forgotten about it. Except for when it resonated in the trial, I had completely forgotten about the strange mark. That was strange though. I had met so many people in the trial, plus Rin and all the elders, but no one had mentioned the locus either. I tried to feel for it and was able to perceive it hanging above me, but it felt like trying to feel one of my toes, it was just there.

I looked to everyone gathered and asked why no one had asked about or mentioned the locus before. Some of them traded looks before Rin spoke.

"Well for one, it's well known how cultivators with quad-branch or higher spirit roots get their elemental loci. That being said it is very impressive you have one. Having more than a triple-branch spirit root and reaching the core formation realm is a feat within itself, let alone a myriad branch spirit root.

I think the trial was pretty hectic and before the trial you weren't super talkative either so I never had a chance to ask you about it. I think most people won't ask you about your locus. Part of receiving the locus is reaching a high enough level of understanding about the true nature of the elements. Most people who reach this high level of understanding guard their understandings and inspirations jealously. They won't even tell those they're close with those secrets. So I guess you could chalk it up to that secrecy culture that exists?" She finished, shrugging near the end. I assumed that being a single branch spirit root cultivator meant she didn't really have skin in the game so I didn't bother asking about it.

"But why wouldn't they want to help people they're friendly with get stronger? Isn't it a good thing when people close to you, and in your sect grow stronger??" I asked, not understanding why they wouldn't just help each other.

This time Elder Hazeon answered after a deep sigh.

"The path to the pinnacle of cultivation is not a staircase, Astra. It's climbing up a mountain comprised of the corpses of other cultivators. You must claw your way up, step on others for a slight boost upward. Anyone who gets further up that mountain than you is likely to step on you to gain even a small fraction of improvement on their own path. Why would you willingly help someone you're competing with?" He asked and my blood boiled.

How could people think like that, how could he think like that? How many people had died to the demons before they were sealed away? How many would die because of this stupid ideology? I felt my hands tightening into fists. Humanity was already woefully unprepared for the demons from what I saw in Shironia, and now what? People are going to hinder the only other people they can count on to fight against the demons? It was all so ridiculous!

"But Elder Hazeon!—" I started before he put a hand up. I quickly looked to the others and the sect leader had a similar look on his face as Elder Hazeon while Elder Yang was nodding, apparently agreeing with what Elder Hazeon has said.

"I understand your anger, Astra. I'm explaining to you how the majority of cultivator society thinks. We here on Dou Can have a more…traditional perspective on cultivation and the role cooperation plays in improving one's own path. It's part of the reason many off-worlders flock to Dou Can. Your anger is well deserved though. One planet is not enough to fight against a threat that even the whole of a prior cultivation civilization comprised of multiple great powers couldn't survive against.

Our solace is that even if most cultivators are selfish, once the demonic threat is known, that same survival instinct that drives them to step on the heads of their fellows will rebel against the existential threat. The trouble will be proving to the wider universe that there even is an existential demonic threat." He said, calming me somewhat.

I still had an awful taste in my mouth from the knowledge, but I guess I had been too blind to the true nature of the cultivation world. Thinking back on it, Elder Hazeon wouldn't have felt that way. He had helped me in Liusha city with my wood elemental acknowledgment, though I hadn't really thought about it or thanked him for that since coming to the sect. I had barely recognized him when I saw him again, but I guess thoughts of the eastern continent will stung. I was starting to feel a bit guilty for how I had jumped to thinking he was part of the problem.

"I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions, Elder Hazeon, and…thanks for what you did for me in Liusha city. Thinking back on it, there's no way you would have done what you did if you thought that way so it was silly of me to think what I did." I said to him, bowing to reinforce my apology.

For his part, Elder Hazeon looked surprised.

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"I wasn't sure you remembered that. I was traveling around Dou Can searching for a cure to my illness. Imagine my surprise when I found a fellow myriad branch spirit root body cultivator! Though I didn't know you were a spirit cultivator as well, I gave what advice I could on attaining an acknowledgment as I could tell you were close to completing all six.

Imagine my even greater surprise when little Fu explained a young blue haired cultivator helped cure me! The heavens truly work in mysterious ways." He said, a warm, grandfatherly, smile cresting his lips. I smiled back. It certainly was a big coincidence, but I wouldn't forget all he had done for me either.

"This has all been very very heartwarming, It very very much has, but may I finally get an answer as to why I've been brought here? We are on the verge of an alchemical breakthrough and it is very very important that I return to my work!" Elder Miao said, re-drawing my attention to the spindly man.

He reminded me of why I had been so excited before, though the realization of how massive our end goal of defeating the demons was going to turn out being left me in a dour mood.

I took the time to explain to Elder Miao everything about the demon war and sealing, the Aurion sect and alliance, and the trial, leaving the elder somewhat stunned. He looked to Elder Hazeon and the sect leader who both nodded and he seemed to take it in stride.

"That's…quite the story, quite the story indeed! If the sect leader and the other elders believe it, I suppose I'll believe it for now. Though I'm still very very skeptical. While the story was interesting, it still doesn't explain why you need me specifically. I know nothing about technology, let alone ancient technology, unless it is related to alchemy I suppose." He said, looking over the ship with confusion. I nodded.

"We'll need to go inside to be sure, but this was a research vessel for the Aurion sect and I think it may have alchemy information from that time. Everyone come on in, it's safe, so don't worry about danger, but don't touch any of the terminals either, I'm not sure if randomly clicking around on the terminals could cause any issues?" I said, asking my final question to Alice who nodded.

"Yes. Those without knowledge of the Aurion sect mainframe and technology could cause adverse effects should they interact haphazardly with the terminals." She answered, to which I gave my best stern look to the assembled cultivators, all of whom were more powerful than I with the exception of Rin I supposed. Though I didn't like thinking about myself as stronger than her for some reason.

"There you have it, please don't touch any of the terminals until I or Alice can help teach you how to use them."

I motioned to the ship before easily jumping up the short distance from the ground, ignoring the ladder completely. My feet once again found purchase on the smooth and slick metal of the ship's interior, the side bay door opening into a small room off the hallway leading to the bridge. I led everyone to the bridge, getting no small amount of amusement from seeing the confused and awestruck looks on the faces of Elder Yang and Elder Miao. The sect leader and Elder Hazeon looked around in interest but didn't seem as out of their depth as those I guessed were born on Dou Can.

I walked up to the main terminal, Alice in stride behind me and I let her work through the various windows and prompts on the screen. As she started working, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to see Rin. She motioned me away from Alice and to another set of terminals.

"Astra, can you show me what you read earlier? About the project goals? I saw they…affected you, and I know you said you'd tell me, but could I read them now since we're here?" She asked, in a hushed tone.

"Sure, just…don't let Alice or the others see ok? I don't want everyone to know about the…project goals." I said, trying to make it sound uninteresting as best I could. Rin nodded and I tapped on the nearby terminal, bringing up the project goals and showing her how to scroll the screen and work everything well enough that she wouldn't accidentally activate some ship self destruct sequence or something.

By the time I left Rin reading the project's information and returned to Alice, she had pulled up some kind of program that could apparently analyze alchemy documents and even pills and their effectiveness? How did that work? It wasn't like the ship could ingest the pill, how would it even know what the pill did, let alone how effective it would be? I tried not to think about it too hard—I wasn't sure I was very interested in alchemy to begin with—but if my hunch was correct, then this might help humanity's fight against the demons.

"Elder Miao, can I see an alchemy recipe or one of your pills?" I asked the eccentric elder. He looked at me for a moment before shrugging.

"Very very well, you may. Though I'm not sure what all this is about." He assented. He reached into his robes and pulled out a pair of scrolls and a small pill bottle, handing them both over to me. I handed the pair of items over to Alice who unfurled the scrolls, completely ignoring anything written on them before turning to the terminal and clicking a few buttons. A long and thin opening slid open in the base of the terminal. Alice promptly fed the first scroll into the opening, a mechanical whirring matching the motion of the scroll being sucked into the desk.

After a few seconds, Alice fed the other scroll into the desk, though this time after a few seconds of waiting the scroll was dispensed back out. Alice pulled it from the opening and inspected it for a moment before flattening some of the creases in it with her hands and unbending one of the corners before feeding it back into the desk. Another few seconds later the scroll was again spit out from the desk. Alice's hand whipped out faster than before and snatched the scroll. She took it in both hands before rubbing it along its length on the edge of the desk over and over again, flattening out the scroll as much as possible.

"Hey! Girl! You must be very very careful with the recipes! They are for high level pills! Just…just please be gentle with them!" Elder Miao begged, trying to convince Alice not to ruin the scrolls.

She ignored his warnings and continued flattening out the recipe for a few more seconds before again feeding it into the desk. I got the distinct feeling the scroll might not survive should it pop out again. Luckily, after a few tense seconds of waiting, it didn't pop out and Alice scoffed in what I thought sounded a lot like smugness.

After she tapped on the screen some more, a hole opened in the desk and she unceremoniously dropped the pill into it. After depositing all of the alchemy items, a hologram popped up above the terminal and showed a progress bar that slowly filled up from one end to the other. Above the bar, a stylistic animated image of a flame flanked both sides of a large 'ANALYZING' in blocky font.

It looked like it might take a minute or two for the analysis to be complete so while everyone waited, I walked back over to Rin, finding the girl staring at the screen, tears streaming down her face. She noticed me next to her and looked over.

"Astra…this is…" She said, trailing off near the end. I looked at where she was in the notes and saw it was the final message. I drew me mouth out in a flat line and nodded to her before looking to Alice.

"I had an idea of what was going on…but this? I didn't think it would be like this. If I wasn't already totally bought in to helping with the research project before this, I would be now. We need to complete the project, Astra." Rin said and I couldn't agree more. I nodded to her right as the main console at the front of the bridge made a noise, drawing our attention. Before I forgot, I closed the project goals screen to make sure no one else would be able to access it.

We walked over to join the others and looked up at the final analysis of Elder Miao's high level alchemical scrolls and an example pill.

"This is… very very impossible!" Elder Miao shouted as we approached.

I looked up to see what had him so riled up and my stomach both sank and flipped as I read the words that basically confirmed my hunch as correct.

"ANALYSIS COMPLETED.

Lowest quality — Core rank — Fire elemental — Viscera forging pill recipe.

Barely suitable recipe for training beginner rank core formation realm alchemists.

This recipe combines various fire attuned materials, treasures, and herbs together to create a cultivation aide for viscera forging using the fire element.

Due to the inadequacy of this recipe's creator or, more likely, intentional tampering with foundational alchemical principles, any pill created following this recipe will be of the lowest or low quality levels. It is not recommended for consumption.

Suggestions for improvements have been collated.

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