Conquest of the Dragon Sovereign

The next day, after having breakfast and taking a bath, Feicui Long calmly and leisurely headed toward the guilds union of inscription masters, alchemists, and refiners–blacksmiths.

He continued for a while until he came across a rather elegant and very large building, at least 10 to 15 stories high, with a huge entrance where people were constantly coming and going. Many products were being taken out, and a variety of materials were being brought in through all kinds of transportation, from artifacts to horse-drawn carriages and even energy beast-drawn carts. The sight made it seem like some sort of factory or trade center, and if it weren't for the large sign announcing what the building was, he wouldn't have been sure if it was the correct one.

Without overthinking it, Feicui Long entered the building, asked one of the assistants, and was directed to a reception area for those who wanted to join or simply take the exam to obtain their card and become part of a guild. When he arrived, he rang the bell placed to the side to get the receptionist's attention.

She slowly lifted her head, and her face briefly lit up with surprise upon seeing Feicui Long's face. However, thanks to her excellent education and rigorous training, she quickly returned to her usual polite expression, though there was still a faint blush on her cheeks. She quickly spoke to divert Feicui Long's attention: "Good morning, how can I help you? Do you wish to join the union or just obtain the card?"

Feicui Long smiled back at her and said, "Yes, I'm here to join as a member. I'd like to take the beginner alchemist exam directly."

The receptionist, who blushed even more upon seeing that charming smile, spoke a bit nervously: "Of course, but may I ask why you wish to start from there? The exam is more difficult, and its cost is slightly higher. Wouldn't you prefer to start as an apprentice?"

Feicui Long leaned slightly on the counter and replied, "Oh, that's because I'm already an alchemist. I just haven't officially joined yet, miss."

The receptionist, having regained her composure, replied, "I see. Then I'll need you to sign here and hand me your union identification. Also, the cost will be 5 silver coins."

Feicui Long took out the coins and his identification, placing them on the counter. Then, he proceeded to sign with a small artifact resembling a pen. Once he finished, he spoke and said, "Is that all, miss, or is there anything else I need to do?"

The young lady responded modestly, "No, that would be all. You can go through the door at the back; your evaluation room will be 1-21. You may wait there until your evaluator arrives." She then returned his identification card along with a token indicating that he was taking an exam.

Feicui Long carefully took both items and proceeded toward the indicated location.

…

As he waited, Feicui Long reflected on the receptionist's reaction. Although he couldn't deny that she was polite, that initial gleam in her eyes and the slight blush on her face were bothersome. Not because the woman was unpleasant to look at, but because he detested those gazes, always filled with a great lustful desire, almost as if he were nothing more than something to covet rather than a person. It wasn't anything new; it had happened at every branch of the Triple Union where he had registered, and before that, countless times throughout all his lives, including the first one. It never ceased to make him uncomfortable.

What irritated him the most at that moment was the almost casual but unmistakable hint that his evaluator would be a woman. Had they made that decision for the same reason they had so many times before? The thought frustrated him. His mind darkened slightly as he waited, trying to push aside those emotions and focus on what truly mattered—passing the exam and advancing on his path.

Suddenly, something crossed his mind. While observing the members responsible for security, reception, assistance, sales, and other secondary areas of the guilds union of Inscription Masters, Alchemists, and Refiners-Blacksmiths, he noticed a detail: they were all incredibly strong cultivators. Although his low realm prevented him from precisely confirming their levels without using his third eye, it was unmistakable that many of them were at least within one of the three minor realms of the Great Sovereign Realm. It was a subtle yet powerful display of the true reach of the union—if these were the weakest, one could only wonder what the strongest were like.

…

Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long before the evaluator arrived. She was an imposing, elegant, and mature woman, with a clear sense of pride engraved in her very bones. Her hair was a pale green color, and her olive-green eyes resembled a lush forest. She was quite tall, around one meter eighty, and her body had attributes that stood out even more due to her refined alchemist attire. A badge on her chest clearly indicated that she held a high position within the union.

Upon entering, she walked gracefully, moving with determination, and sat elegantly in the chair across from Feicui Long. Shortly after, guild assistants entered, pushing a cart filled with various items. Then, in a seductive tone, the woman spoke to Feicui Long and said, "Is there anything you desire? You can ask for it, and I will give it to you—anything. If you pass, I could even make you my personal assistant."

Feicui Long, as politely as possible, declined the offer and said, "I'm sorry, but I've already eaten, and for now, I don't wish to be fully affiliated with the union."

In the guilds union of Inscription Masters, Alchemists, and Refiners-Blacksmiths, there were different types of memberships: secondary members, who held administrative or auxiliary roles—that is, they were neither alchemists, refiners, nor inscription masters, fully affiliated members, who worked directly for the union with specific privileges and commitments, and standard independent members, who only needed to pass periodic evaluations to maintain their affiliation.

The evaluator, surprised by two consecutive rejections, then offered Feicui Long something else in the same tone as before: "Oh well, there's nothing to be done about that. Would you like something to drink instead?"

Although Feicui Long wanted to refuse, he knew that, out of politeness, he shouldn't, especially after rejecting two offers outright. It would be almost like spitting in her face, so he said, "Oh, sure, I'd love one. Preferably wine, if possible, of course."

The evaluator then lit up the room with a dazzling and sweet smile and said, "Of course, whatever you desire. By the way, I haven't introduced myself, how forgetful of me. My name is Allearys, and I will be your evaluator today. It's a pleasure that you wish to join the union."

After this, one of the assistants skillfully poured a glass of wine for each of them, then withdrew after offering a slight bow.

…

Once the assistants had left, Allearys spoke gently to Feicui Long, "Here, this is the written part of the exam. Since you applied directly as a beginner alchemist, you will only need to complete the sections that assess your mastery of inscriptions and alchemy. Almost everything related to refining blacksmithing has been omitted, except for some aspects concerning cauldrons, furnaces, and other equipment relevant to alchemy."

Feicui Long received the exam from Allearys' soft, silky hands. It looked quite lengthy, and now he understood why it lasted about twelve hours. Still, it seemed like too much time for just two phases. It was the same with the exam fee, it was incredibly cheap. However, he understood why. It was well worth it, considering that the guilds union of mortal races needed many members, particularly in the guilds union of Inscription Masters, Alchemists, and Refiners Blacksmiths, the guilds union of Summoners, Tamers, Necromancers, and Golem and Puppet Creators, as well as other unions that provided highly useful contributions.

Although Feicui Long wanted to refuse, he knew that, out of politeness, he shouldn't, especially after rejecting two offers outright. It would be almost like spitting in her face, so he said, "Oh, sure, I'd love one. Preferably wine, if possible, of course."

The evaluator then lit up the room with a dazzling and sweet smile and said, "Of course, whatever you desire. By the way, I haven't introduced myself, how forgetful of me. My name is Allearys, and I will be your evaluator today. It's a pleasure that you wish to join the union."

After this, one of the assistants skillfully poured a glass of wine for each of them, then withdrew after offering a slight bow.

…

Once the assistants had left, Allearys spoke gently to Feicui Long, "Here, this is the written part of the exam. Since you applied directly as a beginner alchemist, you will only need to complete the sections that assess your mastery of inscriptions and alchemy. Almost everything related to refining blacksmithing has been omitted, except for some aspects concerning cauldrons, furnaces, and other equipment relevant to alchemy."

Feicui Long received the exam from Allearys' soft, silky hands. It looked quite lengthy, and now he understood why it lasted about twelve hours. Still, it seemed like too much time for just two phases. It was the same with the exam fee, it was incredibly cheap. However, he understood why. It was well worth it, considering that the guilds union of mortal races needed many members, particularly in the guilds union of Inscription Masters, Alchemists, and Refiners Blacksmiths, the guilds union of Summoners, Tamers, Necromancers, and Golem and Puppet Creators, as well as other unions that provided highly useful contributions.

It wasn't until the last alchemy question that he left an answer blank. Then, he continued at his usual pace with the inscription section, only for the same thing to happen again with the last two questions. After that, Allearys calmly said to Feicui Long, "For now, I won't grade these three questions because I want to ask you about the reasoning behind your answers."

Feicui Long, unsurprised, replied, "Of course, go ahead and ask, Miss Allearys."

Allearys then began her questioning: "In the last question, it states: 'You need to prepare a Thermal Equilibrium Elixir, but you find yourself in a situation where you don't have access to the fruit of the Spectral Tree. What auxiliary herb would you use as a substitute?' The possible answers were: A. Crystal Cyan Herb, B. Seven-Colored Rainbow Fruit, C. Ghost Tree Leaves, D. Colorless Illusory Flower, E. Other plant: ___. Normally, someone would choose an answer from A to D, but you picked E and wrote Silver Spectral Herb. Why?"

Feicui Long nodded and explained, "The reason the fruit of the Spectral Tree is used is that it is rich in spiritual and soul energy. Moreover, this energy is calm and neutral, meaning it does not conflict with the other ingredients and even helps separate them. The elixir's preparation requires both fire-element and water-element ingredients. Option A does help separate them, but it is rich in the crystal element, which can interfere with the other ingredients. Option B might seem like a good choice, but it is rich in seven elements, not just light as it might appear. These elements include water and fire, but also wood and metal, all of which can enhance or even amplify conflicts within the medicine."

He paused for a moment to catch his breath before continuing. Feicui Long then said, "Option C, although it may seem related to the Spectral Tree, is different in nature. While it is indeed rich in spiritual and soul energy, it also contains traces of undead energy, which is harmful to those who are not undead. Option D is a good choice and would certainly be the correct answer in many cases. However, not only is it even rarer than the fruit of the Spectral Tree, but it is also more expensive and more difficult to obtain due to the highly specific conditions it requires. On the other hand, the Silver Spectral Herb shares all the same characteristics as the Spectral Fruit, but despite what its name might suggest, it does not contain metal-element energy like its counterpart, the Silver Spectral Grass. Additionally, this herb grows like common grass in large quantities. While each strand contains only 25% of the energy of a single fruit, its abundance more than compensates for that. Moreover, its energy is even gentler than that of the fruit. So not only is it the ideal substitute, but I would personally prefer using it over the fruit itself."

Allearys, slightly surprised, opened her mouth and said, "Huh, that's interesting. But now that you mention it, I think you're right. The Silver Spectral Herb might actually be even better than the fruit. Very well, I'll mark that question as correct."

Then, pointing at the two remaining unanswered questions, Allearys continued, "But what about these others? For example, in this one, you used this curved resistance rune, while in this other one, you applied various types of seals with similar properties for the capture formation."

Feicui Long looked over and said, "The first one is simple. There are several resistance runes, each with certain variations that make them better suited for different tasks. In this case, the one they provided is the version used by those who follow the path of Rune Warriors, who inscribe it onto their own bodies. As such, this rune does not have the straight line at the top shown in the example—it has a curve instead. It's true that this increases the difficulty of inscribing it, but that's because the straight line greatly limits the rune's potential. Even if drawn perfectly, it can only exhibit 80% of its power. Here, let me show you."

Feicui Long picked up the brush dipped in energy beast blood beside him and grabbed one of the blank sheets provided for the exam. He drew the resistance rune four times: one intentionally poorly made, another perfectly executed like the one in the exam, a third with the curve but with intentional errors, and the last one perfectly done with the curve.

Then, he handed the paper to Allearys and said, "Here, Miss. Try injecting your energy and testing their resistance."

Allearys first put on a kind of monocle, which was clearly some sort of artifact, and then tested each rune one by one. But when she reached the runes with curves, her eyes widened in shock. "How is this possible? The third rune, despite its errors, has the same potency as the perfect one with the straight line! Not to mention that the last one is even more resistant..."

Feicui Long smiled softly and continued explaining, "This rune is designed to provide resistance while using a lower energy flow. The upper line is the main conduit through which the resistance rune channels its energy. When drawn as a straight line, it creates corners where the energy collides and dissipates partially. That's why, even if it's perfectly drawn, some of the injected energy will always be lost. However, the original and true version of the rune, the one with the curve, doesn't dissipate its energy because it doesn't create direct impact points. Instead, it redirects the energy smoothly, distributing it more efficiently and increasing its resistance. So, although drawing a curve in a rune is more difficult, it's not worth changing it for something that weakens its effectiveness. Of course, if we were using a different type of resistance rune, the situation would be different, some, like those used for fortifications and walls, have multiple energy flow lines."

Allearys wanted to say something but, in the end, held back and simply gestured for him to continue.

Feicui Long moved on to the next question. "In this case, I chose to use seals instead, because while different inscriptions can serve the same purpose, some are better suited for certain tasks than others. Seals specialize in sealing, capturing, restraining, immobilizing, or enclosing. Even though the ones I used have similar functions, if we examine them closely, we can see that this 'immobilization' seal is a purely physical version. In other words, it uses energy to create something that restrains—chains, in this case. That's why it's known as a 'binding seal' or 'chain seal.' Meanwhile, this other seal is the 'spiritual confinement' seal, which, as the name suggests, focuses on capturing the individual's spirit by surrounding and clouding it.

"This next one, the 'soul prison' seal, is responsible for suppressing the individual's soul. Then we have the 'mental dome' seal, which disrupts the mental realm. These last two are the 'energy dissolution' and 'energy dissipation' seals. The first one effectively dissolves the energy that the target accumulates, causing it to scatter, but traces of it still remain. The variation of the second one that I used not only does the same but also assists in dispersing those residual traces. Many make the mistake of using only one, which eventually leads to those small fragments recombining.

"If you look carefully, the formation is designed so that even if the trapped individual manages to break one of the restrictions, they will still remain inside the formation, with no possibility of escape."

After finishing, Feicui Long took a long breath, as he had almost run out of air.

...

This time, Allearys didn't outwardly show surprise, but inside, she was practically in shock. She wasn't someone who was easily astonished, yet today, she had received an overwhelming amount of surprising information from someone so young. Interestingly, though, she was more shaken by the previous explanation than by the formation itself.

In the world of inscriptions, achieving any kind of inscription or formation with perfection was extraordinarily difficult. So much so that even most true inscription masters couldn't accomplish it in their lifetime. The vast majority of inscription masters were unable to inscribe any type of inscription flawlessly, no matter what it was. Only after years of effort and dedication could they perfect one, two, or three runes or another type of inscription and even then, executing them perfectly remained a challenge. Those who could do so with ease were exceedingly rare.

But as if that weren't enough, all of this was done using the most standard method of inscription: engraving. This meant that lines had to be carved with depth. For this reason, runic warriors and certain cultivation paths were considered masochistic, as they had to etch inscriptions directly into their bodies. This method might seem more difficult, and certainly would be if done with tools, but in reality, it was performed using the cultivator's energy, or rather, the inscription master's energy. This made the process easier since mastering the pure manipulation of one's own energy was far more intuitive.

On the other hand, using external tools such as brushes, quills, or even modern artifacts that required blood or other materials added three additional factors into the equation, the surface, the tool itself, and the substance used within it, on top of managing one's energy.

This made the process far more challenging, requiring much greater effort to perfect inscriptions using non-traditional methods. Given this, the already rare inscription masters capable of creating perfect inscriptions with ease became even rarer if they could do so just as effortlessly with alternative methods. Furthermore, the more types of inscriptions one could execute flawlessly, the more exceptional they were.

That was why seeing someone as young as Feicui Long accomplish this with such ease left Allearys completely stunned.

To put things into perspective, among the 700 million inhabitants of the Habsburg Empire, only 500,000 were pure inscription masters. Of these, a mere 50,000 had perfected inscriptions. Among them, only 500 could inscribe with true ease. However, just 50 achieved similar results using alternative methods, and half of them had only mastered three runes. The remaining few, capable of working with multiple runes, held high-ranking positions, and their abilities were scarcely documented.

With just the two variations of the resistance rune, Feicui Long already possessed two perfect inscriptions. However, upon reviewing his work using the evaluation artifact gifted by the guilds union of, Allearys confirmed something even more astonishing, the seals within the formation were also flawless.

This raised his count to nine perfect inscriptions.

This young man had already secured a place among the top 25 inscription masters of the empire, an almost unimaginable feat for someone his age.

Feicui Long's talent was simply overwhelming. Most distinguished masters were elderly figures who had spent decades perfecting their craft, and comparing him to them placed his skill at an astronomical level.

Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Allearys finally broke the silence,

"Why? I don't understand why someone with your talent wants to be an alchemist. But what I truly wish to know is, who are you, Feicui Long? A young man like you, with such advanced skills… you cannot be an ordinary person."

Feicui Long, with unshakable calm, responded,

"Because I don't want to put myself in danger, miss. Do you know what happens to people without backing who possess extensive knowledge of inscriptions? It's true that the guilds union of could protect me, but outside these walls, when one must venture into wild territories, the outcome would be anything but pleasant. Besides, I don't wish to draw too much attention. I'd rather follow my path as an alchemist while pursuing other goals."

He paused briefly, letting his words sink in before continuing,

"And if I were to join the guilds union of and stand out as an inscription master… well, the fate of this empire would not be a sight to behold."

For a moment, his gaze hardened, as if assessing how much more he should reveal. Finally, he added in an enigmatic tone,

"As for who I am… there are things better left unknown, for your safety and that of this empire."

Allearys, though her expression carried a hint of sadness, replied,

"I understand. Well, at least you'll be joining as an alchemist. For now, you can rest, your lunch will be brought to you. After that, I'll return with the ingredients for the practical test."