Besides, Jonathan also knew Yuna didn't have any ulterior motives for being nice. That was just what her personality was like.
There was no way she would fall in love with him at the first sight. At least, he didn't think he was that charming.
Staring at Yuna's crystal-clear eyes, Jonathan was stunned for a second. She really is a pure and innocent girl. At that moment, she was still holding the embroidered box. “Take it, Jonathan.” With a bitter smile, he said, “I really can't accept this, Ms.
Yuna. It's too valuable.” “It's not. To me, it's just another item.” “How about this, Ms. Yuna? You can keep this first. If | need it in the future, I'll visit you and ask for it. After all, | have a lot of elixir pills on me right now.” Since Jonathan really didn't seem to want it, she felt it would be inappropriate to insist he take it. So, she took the box back with a grin. “I can't promise you it'll still be around.
Maybe I'll give it to someone else, or | may just eat it
myself. You only have yourself to blame if that happens.” Jonathan remained silent with a faint smile.
Soon, the dishes arrived, and they looked scrumptious. All of them were proper Spaunia dishes.
Divine Realm's staff benefits were pretty good since there was a dedicated team of chefs preparing food for the people there, most of which were Chanaean dishes.
Jonathan asked Yuna to call Lailah down for a meal.
When she heard that, she immediately went to ask Lailah to join them. Lailah was feeling hungry, so she came down to have dinner with them.
Earlier, she said she wanted to sleep, but it was just her excuse to avoid answering Jonathan.
‘When Lailah and Yuna arrived at the table, the former said, “No, wait. I'm your senior. How can | let you tell me what to do?" Jonathan laughed. This senior of mine is so cute ‘sometimes.
As they ate, Yuna spoke. “It's no good that our condominium still doesn't have a name.” Lailah smiled, seemingly wanting to dote on her junior, and said, “What do you want to call it?” Tilting her head, Yuna thought about it and proposed, “How about we call it Sunny Condo?” “Sounds good!” Jonathan didn't mind as long as Yuna liked it. “Sure!” With a giddy grin, Yuna said, “All right, that'll be the name, then!” At nine in the night, Beatrix personally visited Jonathan at Sunny Condo. She was there to invite Jonathan to go to Chard Hall. “Master Richard is asking for you!” Without hesitation, Jonathan left the condominium with her.
Divine Realm looked beautiful during the night. The
fountains were snow-white, and the various lawns and rockeries were lit with snow-white lights.
There were also natural rivers and springs.
If the place were opened to outsiders, it would no doubt attract a lot of tourists.
Firstly, it was because the place was pretty. Secondly, the inside of Divine Realm was too mysterious.
At the moment, Beatrix was wearing a white coat that made her look charming and confident.
She was already thirty-six years old, yet there wasn't a hint of her age in her appearance.
The impression she gave Jonathan was that she was cold and noble.
“Do you know why he's looking for me, Beatrix?” he asked as he walked next to her.
It wasn't because he was curious. He just wanted to talk about something because he felt it was weird to keep staying silent.
However, Beatrix didn't understand his intentions and spat, “You'll find out when we get there.” That made him feel awkward, and so he kept quiet.
At the same time, he was grumbling in his mind. Whether it's Lailah, Frost, or Beatrix, all of them gave me the impression that they were cold and difficult to approach. | wonder why. Ah, perhaps it's because the distance between people has widened. If even normal people tend to treat each other coldly now, it's only natural that Beatrix and Lailah won't act friendly with me when I'm still not familiar with them. Yuna was a surprise, though. She has the purest heart and doesn't scheme that much.
Soon, both of them arrived at Chard Hall.
Chard Hall was illuminated pretty brightly.
Inside the hall, Jonathan saw Richard, who had changed into a traditional outfit. He looked like a scholar.
Swiftly, Jonathan bowed before Richard politely. “Greetings, Master Richard.”
‘With a warm look and a faint smile, Richard said, “You're still calling me Master Richard? You should be calling me Master by now.” “Yes, Master!” “The reason | called you so late at night is that | want to talk to you about your raw stone.” Jonathan was shocked to hear that.
Immediately, Richard explained, “No need to worry. | won't take it from you.” Jonathan was sweating profusely as he said, “That wasn't what | was thinking, Master.” “In any case, what's important is that news about the raw stone has spread out. If you keep it by yourself, you'll put yourself in danger. | was actually thinking about it some time ago, but | didn't feel it was appropriate to bring it up. | was afraid you would worry that | might do the same thing as Gideon.” “I won't, Master. If Mr. Cadman trusts you, it means you're an elder that | can safely put my trust in,” Jonathan replied
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtspeedily before pausing and continuing, “I've handed the raw stone to Mr. Cadman for safekeeping and he gave me this before he left.” Then he pulled out the golden badge.
Richard reached his hand for the badge, prompting Jonathan to hand it over.
After rubbing his finger on the golden badge for a while, Richard paled slightly. “I can sense powerful mana fluctuations from this.” Disbelief was heard in his voice as he continued, “Il wonder what Lance's current cultivation level is. The amount of mana hiding in this badge alone is enough to make me feel threatened.” ‘When his muttering ended, he handed the badge back to Jonathan. “Jonathan, this golden badge possesses powerful mana. If you keep it by your side, you can use it during an emergency to save yourself. Don't lose it, all right?” “I understand, Master!” Jonathan replied.
“I don't think outsiders will believe us even if we tell them the raw stone is currently in Lance's hands.” There was a pause before Richard suggested, “How about this? I'l tell everyone that you asked me to help you protect the stone. This way, you won't get in trouble, and it's more likely that people will believe it.” Jonathan was slightly stunned and he felt grateful for his master's help. Then, with worry, he asked, “Won't that bring you trouble?” Smiling faintly, Richard replied, “What kind of trouble will | be in? If Gideon had the galls to try to take it, why wouldn't | have the nerve to say | have it?” Hearing that, Jonathan knew there was nothing much for him to say but, “Thank you, Master.” Richard waved his hand. “This is what | should do as your master. Since you've kneeled in front of me and become a disciple of mine, | should protect you.” A pause ensued, then he said, “I don't have a lot of disciples, so my faction flourished somewhat when you lot joined me. Still, | can
only look forward to all of you succeeding as Divine Realm is a place that cultivates people's talents. | hope you lot will improve Divine Realm's reputation in the future.” “I'l do my best, Master.” “Let me finish. There are no shortcuts to increasing your cultivation level. It's just like studying. You have to work hard to become better. What Divine Realm can provide is very much like premium universities with good facilities and a conducive environment. The best thing Divine Realm can offer is elixir pills. Once you reach late-stage cultivation, elixir pills will become essential. If you want those pills, you'll have to complete various missions to earn them. The materials to create the elixir pills don't fall from the sky.
They have to be collected with the help of everyone's hard work. The more and better elixir pills you want to get, the more you have to contribute. What I'm saying is that, even though you're an inner disciple now, you still need to be in the right frame of mind and keep completing missions like before.” “I will keep your guidance in mind, Master.”
With a smile, Richard dismissed, “All right, that's all | want to say.” “I'l take my leave now.” “Wait,” Richard suddenly said before turning to Beatrix.
“Bee, take Jonathan to the alchemy department for a tour.
In the future, the alchemy department will rest in your hands.” He looked at the three of them.
“Roger!” Beatrix replied.
Excitement faintly leaped into Jonathan's heart when he heard that. The alchemy department was where the core of Divine Realm was located.
He couldn't help but feel delighted to be able to visit the place.
Thus, both Jonathan and Beatrix headed to the alchemy department.
It was located behind Chard Hall.
They had to pass through a long corridor before arriving in front of a gate made of titanium alloy. The gate was shut
tight, and it only opened after Beatrix did a retinal scan.
She explained, “Right now, none of you will be granted permission to enter the alchemy department as you please.
‘You have to go through an assessment conducted by the elders of the alchemy department before you have the right to do that. After a period of time, Master will apply that assessment for you all.” Nodding, Jonathan said, “Understood.” At the same time, a warm feeling appeared in his heart. It seems like she's not really that cold after all. She clearly explained all that to ensure | won't feel upset.
‘When the door opened, he saw there were thirty steps of stairs stretching downward.
The alchemy department was built underground.
As the door opened, a wave of heat crashed into him.
The gates automatically closed as Jonathan followed Beatrix down the steps.
It was dark inside. Occasionally, sparks would jump in the darkness.
‘When Jonathan saw the entirety of the alchemy department, the only thing that came to his mind was a shock! That was because the alchemy department was around two thousand square meters large, which gave the impression that one couldn't see the whole place at one glance.
The most eye-catching thing in the department was Luminary Vessel at the center.
It surprised Jonathan to see it was as large as a small house.
Based on the appearance alone, it wasn't a stretch to say it could fit about two hundred people.
How was it made? And how was it carried here? He felt like that must've been a really difficult problem to solve. Hmm...
Like in a huge factory, every section in the alchemy department was in charge of a different task.
The herbs were processed by tons of fancy machinery and inspected by quality assurance specialists before being labeled as final products.
As Jonathan continued following Beatrix further into the area, he realized alchemy was a really difficult process.
It will definitely take more than one person to do all this.
The amount of money, resources, and manpower required are insanely huge! Jonathan saw four senior alchemists controlling the flame beneath Luminary Vessel with their energy.
Upon getting a closer look, Jonathan realized something really strange about the flame. Not only was it blue in color, but he also couldn't feel any heat from the outside.
On top of that, the blue flame seemed to be coming out of thin air.
“What's with that flame?” Jonathan asked curiously.
Not wanting to disturb the senior alchemists, Beatrix replied softly, “These are igneous rocks that we get from the bottom of volcanoes. They can be ignited with mana to generate a large amount of heat, which is required to activate the formation inside Luminary Vessel. However, these are extremely rare and get used up pretty quickly, so our disciples need to go on missions to collect them. While it is technically easier because the locations of the igneous rocks are fixed, it is still a very dangerous task. Many disciples have died in the process of collecting them.” Jonathan gasped in shock when he heard that. My goodness... Alchemy really is difficult! | feel like cultivation is as hard as rocket science! One simply cannot reach such levels without having absurd amounts of money, resources, and manpower! Thanks to all those misleading portrayals of alchemy in movies, | used to think alchemy was as simple as dumping all the ingredients into a cauldron and lighting a fire underneath it. This is so much different than what | had imagined! “It's getting late, so you should head back and get some
rest. Make sure to save my number so you can give me a call if you run into any trouble. I'l help you out as long as it is not against any rules or law and within my power,” Beatrix said when they left the alchemy department about half an hour later.
“Thanks, Beatrix!” Jonathan replied gratefully.
Beatrix flashed him a faint smile and gave him her number.
Jonathan saved it in his phone, and the two said goodbye before going their separate ways.
While making his way back, Jonathan realized that Beatrix was actually a warm and kind person despite her cold and sharp demeanor.
As he returned to Sunny Condo in the wee hours of the morning, Lailah and Yuna were both fast asleep.
Jonathan made sure to be as quiet as possible when entering his room.
Instead of going to sleep right away, he sat cross-legged on the bed and popped the Trio Vitality Pill
into his mouth.
Jonathan could feel the Trio Vitality Pill being converted intc three streams of pure vital energy the moment it went down his throat.
To have three streams of vital energy surging around his body like crazy was a really peculiar experience for him, so Jonathan decided to focus on feeling every second of it.
Back then, he had to take a deep breath to cleanse his blood and bone marrow.
This elixir pill, however, could do all of that for him on its own.
The three streams of pure vital energy soon diffused into his bloodstream instead of being absorbed by his cells, much to Jonathan's surprise.
As the pure vital energy increased the rate of his blood flow, Jonathan could feel his blood and bone marrow getting stronger.
It felt like his body was undergoing some kind of transformation.
After what seemed like forever, the three streams of pure vital energy disappeared from his body.
Jonathan got up and threw a couple of punches to test his strength. Although his output remained the same, he could clearly feel a significant improvement deep down inside.
Because his cultivation had been progressing far too rapidly, his body was barely able to keep up with it.
His situation could be described as a car becoming unstable when traveling at speeds it wasn't built to handle.
Naturally, that was an extremely unhealthy practice.
Thanks to the improvement from the Trio Vitality Pill, his body was strengthened enough to keep up with his cultivation level.
Jonathan's progress in the final stage of Nascent Soul had reached that of Simon's level.
Under normal circumstances, it would take him about
another six months of training before he could reach Celestial Soul.
After consuming Trio Vitality Pill, however, all Jonathan needed was an opportunity.
This is just like having a relationship. My current condition is akin to having a car, a house, and lots of money. All that's left to do is wait for fate to bring a wonderful woman into my life. I also have two Ninth Immortality Pills, which are much more potent than the Trio Vitality Pill | just consumed, but | don't plan on using them. After all, elixir pills are merely supplements to give one a little extra boost. Instead of becoming dependent on them, | would much rather rely on gaining more experience and knowledge to strengthen myself. Besides, | was planning on giving the two Ninth Immortality Pills to Mabel and Simon, so it was never my intention to consume those pills anyway. That aside, there is one more thing that puzzles me. The Spirit Gathering Pills that | consumed in the past have been absorbed by the cells in my body, so why was the Trio Vitality Pill absorbed by my blood and bone marrow instead? Could it
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmbe that the Trio Vitality Pill is capable of affecting our bodies depending on what we need? Is it because Trio Vitality Pills are Immortal Pills? Is that why they know my blood and bone marrow need strengthening? Now that | think about it, it wouldn't benefit my Nascent Soul cultivation if my cells absorbed all that stuff. Yeah, this must be the case! Jonathan felt a lot better after arriving at that conclusion.
He then lay down in bed and began planning what he should do next.
I'll head back to Yaleview tomorrow and give Mabel a Ninth Immortality Pill. Then, I'll pay Catherine, Alicia, and Amber a visit. After that, I'll take on new missions and collect elixir pills. I will also have to focus on my cultivation, which is of utmost importance right now. Oh, almost forgot about giving Simon a Ninth Immortality Pill! Simon and the others will also need to complete the ritual to become Master Richard's disciples. Wait a minute... Is my mark still that of the Silver rank now that I'm an inner disciple?
Jonathan quickly checked his Silver mark and saw that it had turned dark gold.
A dark gold dragon? That's the mark for inner disciples! People like Gideon, Oswald, and those first- generation disciples have black dragon marks. Everybody knows that the inner disciples with black dragon marks are not to be trifled with. Gideon, Oswald and the others may not seem all that powerful compared to Emperor of Chanaea, but they're pretty much gods among men to most other people.
Emperor of Chanaea is so powerful that he has left the physical realm and roams the void as a primordial spirit.
Lance's cultivation stage is so high that its progression is beyond our comprehension. It's just like those billionaires with hundreds of billions in their bank accounts. Ordinary people like us can't even come close to imagining the figures they're dealing with on a daily basis.
Man, | feel like I'm finally stronger than Edward and Jeremy! | went through a lot of hardships along the way, but the outcome makes it all worth it. Of course, I'm not going to settle for this. Power is king both inside and outside of
Divine Realm. | need to have the power to back up my level, or people will never show me the respect | deserve.
Lance is no different. He is about the same age as Gideon and the others, but he's able to command them without having to worry about Divine Emperor. This is only possible due to him being so ridiculously powerful. This reminds me, where are Asura Emperor and Demon Emperor right now? Have they also transcended this realm like Lance did? Exhausted from all that thinking, Jonathan closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
At about three in the morning, he felt an intense rage surge through him all of a sudden.
That shocked Jonathan so much that he sat bolt upright immediately.
To his surprise, that intense rage faded away as quickly as it came.
The fact that it came from Lailah’s room made it all the more disturbing.
Huh? What's happening to Lailah at this hour? Something
doesn't feel right...
With that in mind, Jonathan quickly threw his clothes on and made a mad dash toward her bedroom door.
As Yuna's room was a little farther away, she wasn't affected by the intense rage coming from Lailah's room.
“Lailah?” he called out to her while gently knocking on the door.
There was no response whatsoever.
Not wanting to wait any longer, Jonathan quietly forced the door open and made his way into the room.
It was really dark inside, and Lailah was sitting on the bed in her nightgown.
She looked like she had lost her mind as she stared blankly into space with her hair in a total mess.
Jonathan ran up to her and asked worriedly, “Lailah! Lailah! What's gotten into you, Lailah?” That snapped Lailah out of her daze and prompted her to
look at Jonathan, but she still had a blank look on her face.
What the... The Lailah | know is a cool and confident woman! How did she end up like this? It pained Jonathan to see her in such a state. “Lailah! Hey, Lailah!” Eventually, Lailah responded by telling him, “I'm fine, Jonathan. You can go back to sleep now.” Jonathan grabbed her by the hand and said, “Come with me.” “Where are we going?” Lailah asked as he dragged her out of bed.
“You'll find out when we get there,” Jonathan replied.
Lailah wasn't sure what he was playing at, but she chose not to resist and let him drag her out of the room.
Still wearing her nightgown, Lailah left Sunny Condo with Jonathan.
Jonathan then started up her Beetle and drove her out of Divine Realm.
He stopped by a convenience store on the way down Mount Frallein and bought lots of beer.
After that, Jonathan drove straight to one of Lostaria's biggest and most beautiful beaches.
Since the beach was empty at the time, Jonathan was able to park the Beetle on the sand with it facing the sea, which looked like a gigantic beast that could swallow everything in its path.
Even so, the place felt really calming as they didn't need to worry about people judging them.
“I know there are stuff that you don't want to talk about, so..." Jonathan handed Lailah a beer as he continued, “How about you just drink those sorrows away? We're far away from Gideon and Divine Realm, so no one will see this side of you. It's true that you have Divine Emperor's mark on you, but | doubt he'd care if we let off some steam every once in a while. As you said, we'll be fine as long as we don't break the rules, right?”