1845 Chapter 1838: Final Act (12)

"Right out of the gates, World-Saint Neo-Dawn has claimed an unprecedented victory!" Hao Chengxue announced with vigor and thrill in every syllable, snapping the audience out of their disbelieving daze as various spiritual projections portrayed the results of the first round of four.

A total victory for the foreigner from beyond, the Neo-Dawn Alchemic Saint!

An early upset was not remotely close to what the various leaders of galaxies and powerhouses, both native and foreign to the Utmost Purity Galaxy, had expected to occur. The concoction hadn't even begun, yet Wei Wuyin had vaulted over to a winning position without challenge from any Zenith had they unanimously surrendered.

Moreover, they seemed to hold their heads up with pride, seemingly unshaken by the first loss as if it hadn't tainted their reputation in the slightest! In a way, it hadn't!

Tianshi Ya followed up on Hao Chengxue's comment with a cool tone, "It's to be expected, World-Saint Dustpath. The Cardinal Season of the Spring Alchemical Lineage products are notorious amongst our starfield. Earth-Saint Luo, you may not know this, but a vital material used to concoct Blooming-Spring Blossoming-Fields Paste is the quintessential lifeforce energy from the soul.

"Despite its effects, I would argue that the paste itself can be regarded as malicious and evil. At least, to the alchemist in question. If the alchemist decided to use their own quintessential lifeforce, that is." Tianshi Ya left a strong implication and justification, but left much to personal interpretation by skirting the topic.

Luo Ning, however, was not so indirect. "So the reason the Zeniths are admitting defeat before facing any real challenge is because they're scared of losing a little bit of their lifeforce? Sounds like an excuse to me." Her voice's tone, while bereft of mocking, was not dodging the main issue. The Zeniths had unanimously decided to quit because they were too cowardly!

"It's not just a 'little' lifeforce, Earth-Saint Luo. The Blooming-Spring Blossoming-Fields Paste is a relatively well-known product amongst the alchemical community within the Holy Void of Fortune, and while the core lineage of Cardinal Spring is held within…was held within World-Saint Springfield's hands, the properties and requirements have long since been widely distributed." Mei Xiaoyang added while glancing at Tianshi Ya who had her fists lightly clenched in agitation.

Luo Ning held the urge to roll her eyes with a loud scoff, "What are the effects of this paste? If it were as malicious and evil as you all say, especially since World-Saint Angelic Peach has implied the usage of others to substitute its concoction requirements, why hasn't it been labeled taboo? Wouldn't its recipe be heavily restricted or outright erased in the Utmost Purity Galaxy? Is it a miracle paste?"

"Firstly," Tianshi Ya coolly said with a hint of frigid chill, "The Utmost Purity Galaxy accepts all forms of alchemy that are recognized by the Alchemic Dao. It is not our place to enforce arbitrary taboos. While the paste might be taboo elsewhere, especially in other galaxies, the Utmost Purity Galaxy has not outlawed a single product."

Mei Xiaoyang interrupted at the end, "But consequences are consequences. If an alchemist openly voices their willingness to hunt down any who concocts a specific product, all parties are free to do so, but whether that particular alchemist will leave it be is an entirely different matter."

"..." Tianshi Ya's eyes narrowed sharply.

Sensing the building tension, Hao Chengxue clarified with the intent to placate the stirring minds and rising accusations: "The Zenith of any generation has never conducted such a practice before. The only thing remotely close was a stolen recipe that was maliciously circulated by a traitor."

Giving Hao Chengxue a side-eye, she deeply inhaled before continuing: "Secondly, the effects of the Blooming-Spring Blossoming-Fields Paste can be considered a miracle paste. It can recover or repair a cultivator's expended or damaged soulspan. It acts on the premise of an exchange, and it's one of the few products in existence that can be concocted, if not the only Mystic-World grade product known that can affect soulspans.

"As you know, after a certain degree of cultivation, attacks often carry soul-damaging properties, or simply the residual shock, even if it was a mystical flame intended to burn and not harm the soul, it can potentially damage the soul and mind. While the paste can't heal the soul, it can repair soulspan. It's vitally important to understand that distinct difference."

"Incredibly so," Mei Xioayang nodded in agreement. In the cultivation world, there was lifespan and soulspan. Even at the Qi Condensation Realm, battles often exhaust one's vital energies with open and hidden injuries, affecting their lifeforce by a sharp decline, and this causes those with an original lifespan of five hundred to often live shorter lives.

Soulspans, however, were immutable upon each subsequent cultivation breakthrough, either via pure cultivation base or cultivation method. Should either come to a permanent halt, one's soul would last until that point before an abrupt dissipation. It was likened to the heavens deeming your time in this world as over, reclaiming the soul.

This was very difficult to determine for each individual. However, as long as one's soulspan remains unharmed, lifeforce could be endlessly replenished no matter how much one's hurt or suffers via heavenly treasures or alchemical products, granting one the potential to live a very, very long life despite a low cultivation base.

To the Heavenly Daos, intentions matter.

If a cultivator was not aiming to obliterate a planet yet do so in pursuit of an enemy that was soaring across the starry skies, wiping out all life on it, you wouldn't be classified as a sinner. However, if you purposefully blew up the planet because it was too blue, sin would be accrued without a doubt.

In the same vein, if you blew up that planet on the orders of someone else because they thought it was too blue, the sin would only fall on the one who issued the command.

The intentional harming of soulspans was a sin, as evident by Enlightened Sage Springfield.

However, the Blooming-Spring Blossoming-Fields Paste is designed while affecting your own quintessential lifeforce, thereby adversely harming your soulspan. It was proper in the eyes of the Alchemic Dao and the Heavenly Daos. It wasn't their duty to prevent others from substituting their quintessence lifeforce with others. Moreover, even if they did, if the other party was willing to make the sacrifice, that was perfectly okay in their eyes.

The incident of Long Chen receiving the blessing of a Worldly Domain far before his time due to four willing female cultivators was a prime example of this, especially since the Heavenly Daos were subtly influencing events for it to happen for their Blessed.

That said, this was how many cultivators lived their full lifespan despite a chaotic life filled with disaster and battle such as Ma Zheng! He replenished his lifeforce via treasures and alchemical products until his soulspan was at its utmost limits! If not for his ascension back then, expanding both his lifespan and soulspan, his death would have been unstoppable.

It was how ancient corpses could still be brimming with lifeforce despite being a corpse. Their souls had dissipated, leaving behind an empty shell with tens of thousands of years of lifespan.

A dead beauty in an ice coffin for ten thousand years!

Luo Ning was already aware of the Blooming-Spring Blossoming-Fields Paste effects, but she placed a stunned expression on for the audience as if she had learned something miraculously unbelievable. This display of ignorant surprise placated Tianshi Ya's ego as she continued: "Lastly, the so-called 'little' lifeforce for a single low-perfection product, even a single attempt, could consume centuries. There are minimum requirements for the amount of quintessential lifespan exhausted which is directly proportional to the final result of the product's quality. If World-Saint Neo-Dawn was brutal, he could strive for a peak-perfection, which could consume a full ten thousand years."

There was a reason why this was a lineage designed primarily for combat-oriented cultivators like Enlightened Sage Springfield that pursued perfect realm advancement. Unlike Alchemists who notoriously had lower cultivation bases compared to their alchemic skill, this lineage prioritizes their cultivation base so they could have plenty of quintessential lifeforce to spare.

Additionally, failing to concoct an alchemical paste product of the Mystic-World at their level was almost impossible. There was a reason why pastes were widely considered the easiest product, and why the Utmost Purity Galaxy considers pastes as qualifying products with higher requirements for equivalent status.

Many of the false Heavenly Saint Alchemists throughout the galactic cluster had used pastes to acquire their recognition. Not only that, they use pastes to generate Utmost Purity Mist. It was certainly something that was looked down upon by all!

Only after this exchange did the foreigners and natives calm down as the reputation for the Zeniths was unwittingly saved. Who would recklessly throw away their lives like that? Every year of life for an Alchemist was far more important than for the typical cultivator.

"There's another reason," the voice of the Incandescent Star Palace Lord resounded within their region, sent to each audience member with the clarity of a thunderclap within pure silence. "The temporal acceleration zone could distort the senses when lifeforce extraction is concerned via dissonance. If extracted in this space, there's a chance to vastly undershoot or overshoot the necessary requirement for a quintessential lifespan."

Then, and only then, did the Zeniths' expressions relax.

Meanwhile, the Incandescent Star Palace felt an urge to curse. He had gotten messages from every Dao Enforcer imaginable to clarify the situation. They sought to invalidate Wei Wuyin's round in the eyes of the public. Essentially, they wanted to have the audience feel and understand that Wei Wuyin's despicable trick was averting a real clash to obtain a dirty victory.

While the Incandescent Star Palace Lord was rather reluctant to do so, what was privately offered was a little too good to pass up. If he had to say one thing about Alchemists and their Dao Enforcers and Alchemic Knights, it's that they were vastly wealthier than ordinary cultivators.

That said, Wei Wuyin was entirely unconcerned about these developments. While it seemed that Wei Wuyin had an overwhelming advantage, that was incredibly far from the truth. Each Zenith had far more quintessential lifeforce than he did. After all, he was only a Mystic Star Phase cultivator!

No matter how impressive his foundation was, it was unable to exceed the soulspan limitations. If they had buckled their belts and rushed forward heedless of the consequence, he would have lost.

But that's the point of an act.

With a smile, he felt gratified at his hard-fought, well-prepared victory.

"ROUND 2 shall begin! Zeniths of the Utmost Purity Galaxy, please select your potion recipe!"

The Zeniths had long since discussed their choices, fairly ensuring that each of them would be given a fair opportunity.

"Mystic-Heaven grade."

"Low-tier."

"The Edict Potion!"

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