noveltune Chapter 30: Seven
Chapter 30: Seven
Chapter 30: Seven
Auslens bedroom.
Just one more droplet, Vincent. You're almost there!
At least, I think you are. Weve been at this for nearly a month now, kid, and the bottles almost empty
Auslen sat cross-legged directly in front of Vincent, close enough not to miss any of the changing features on his face the increasingly downward movement of his facial muscles, the slight hunch in his posture, his twitching eyebrows each detail adding up to express the eleven-year-olds growing inhibitions as Vincent stared once more at the nearly empty bottle of Qi Refinement Elixir bottle that was being held up in line with his face.
Shaking his head, Vincents agitated voice was dripping with grief. Youve used up so much of your Elixir on me, Auslen! Its so expensive, and I almost drank the entire thing with nothing to show for it.
He was not wrong. Even Auslen was blindsided by the monetary value Qi Refinement Elixirs held within the Sect.
Back at the Bright Forest Royal Palace, Auslen was aware of the standardized coinage currency system that spanned each of the four main continents, consisting of pence, copper, silver, and gold coins.
If one were to compare a pence coin to a dime, as Auslen did frequently due to their similar purchasing power, then the copper coin would equate to ten dollars, silver to one-thousand dollars, and the gold coin to one-hundred-thousand dollars!
A commoner could buy a decent meal with just one copper coin, but a wealthy individual could rent a reasonably-sized estate within the Capital for one gold coin per month.
However, the Five Profound Elements Sects universal currency was Merit Points, which typically maintained an exchange rate of ten gold coins per one Merit Point!
One of the cheapest items in the Sect was the Qi Refinement Elixir, and even that required 50 Merit Points to purchase. This meant that a Qi Refinement Elixir was worth a whopping 500 gold coins! Thats similar to the purchasing power of fifty-million dollars! No wonder so many untalented, but aspiring practitioners chose to practically enslave themselves to powerful cultivators. With a regular salary, the average person basically had no other methods to touch the extraordinary.
Of course, Elixirs were not nearly as expensive when auctioned outside. However, items sold through the Sect were endorsed by the Sect itself, ensuring a high standard of quality for each and every Spirit Elixir.
It was not an uncommon occurrence for Spirit Elixirs bought from the outside to contain some defects or nasty side-effects.
But in all actuality, the heightened exchange rate was to deter wealthy disciples from outright purchasing too many Merit Points.
The Sect wished to incentivize Sect Missions or the exchange of desirable items, as those were the primary ways the Five Profound Elements Sect could continue to prosper, instead of being inundated with gold and silver which higher realm cultivators had minimal use for.
So while Vincents sluggish Profound Qi absorption speed was indeed comparatively costly, the pace was unsurprising when Vincents mediocre talent was considered. His Grade 6 Dao Roots, unremarkable Soul Force, and muddled Elemental Affinities had long prepared Auslen for the subsequent difficulties.
And besides, he had plenty of bottles of Qi Refinement Elixirs. His father had given him the nearly one-hundred bottles he had initially prepared for Auslen a year prior, before he was aware of his stupidly powerful Soul Force. If he also considered the additional bottles he received every month from the Sect, he had no lack of Elixirs, even if he used plenty on his Pseudo Spirit Plants.
In fact, he needed to finish using the ones his father had given him quickly, as they could only maintain their efficacy for the length of one year. The few remaining Elixirs he received from his father were already showing indistinct signs of deterioration, the bright blue color of the liquid beginning to appear minutely dull.
Come to think of it, I still have those Pills
A new idea percolating within his head, Auslen retrieved the Elixir from Vincents face, which was now tinged with faint regret, before removing another glass bottle from his spatial ring. Tilting the glass towards his open hand, a bright blue longan-sized pill fell into his palm.
Holding it up to Vincents face, he spoke, Here. This should help.
The sight of the Spirit Pill rolling around unceremoniously within Auslens palm hit Vincent like a bolt of lightning, his pupils shrinking and silver irises trembling.Visit for the best novel reading experience
Is is that
Not giving Vincent any more time to stall, Auslen flicked the Pill into the boys open mouth, watching him absentmindedly swallow before paling in shock at the treasure that he had just mistakenly consumed.
Seeing the boys lips puckering, as if in attempt to somehow eject the Pill from his esophagus, Auslen squinted his eyes and softly warned, Dont you dare waste that Pill, Vincent. Close your eyes and concentrate.
Once Vincent eventually gave up struggling and tightly closed his eyes with an anxious moan, Auslen tried his best to keep his laughter contained within his heart.
Auslen found it hilarious seeing Vincent showing such concern over having consumed a true Spirit Pill, an item far more expensive than Spirit Elixirs. Qi Refinement Pills were worth 500 Merit Points, ten times the cost of Elixirs that targeted the same realm!
But despite their extravagant price, over the past few months, Auslen had come to realize that Qi Refinement Pills were exceedingly useful supplements, perhaps even somewhat wasteful for most young practitioners.
After experimenting with his first Qi Refinement Pill, he was shocked to find out that each Pill contained a whopping ten strands of Profound Qi! Sadly, Auslen couldnt have absorbed all ten of the Profound Qi strands at once, so he could only settle for seven, allowing the last three to dissipate once he began his breakthrough to the 5th Stage of Qi Refinement.
It wasnt long after the fact that he comprehended the true allure that Qi Refinement Pill had to practitioners.
Although he had a previous understanding as to their comparatively slower deterioration process, he failed to consider that it also included when the Pill was sitting within the stomach. A single Qi Refinement Pill extended the paltry thirty minute absorption time limit given by an Elixir droplet by ten times! In addition, it seemed to be comparatively easier for the practitioner to absorb Profound Qi from Pills, but Auslen had yet to understand why that was the case.
Unfortunately for most practitioners, Auslen had heard that cultivators up to the True Core realm still used Qi Refinement Pills, which was why only the most talented disciples were provided with a small, but steady supply.
Regardless, none of this had anything to do with Auslen, as Qi Refinement Pills were basically unnecessary for the current him, which was why he had no issue with giving them away to Vincent.
I was helping him cultivate. Anyways, thanks for the birthday wishes, brother. Mother told me that you had recently broken through to the Foundation Establishment realm, but I never got the chance to congratulate you.
Its cool. She told you too early anyways. I planned to keep my breakthrough a surprise until I visited you in a few months for your Five Profound Elements Sects Tri-Annual Qi Refinement Tournament!
Auslen chuckled softly, I still cant understand your and Nathaniels excitement around seeing a bunch of kids beating each other up in a public venue.
Aidens voice shot back, Its more shocking that you dont care at all! Tournaments are the best place to test yourself against others around your age, and you even get cool rewards if you do well enough! At least you have the option to participate in one. Im tired of getting beaten up by Master Gerard all the time. I want to win a fight for change!
That man was never the type to let you win, was he?
I dont even want to think about it! What about you? I heard you had some sort of test coming up, right?
Auslen smiled and replied, Nathaniel and I have this Alchemy Apprentice Examination next week. Its not any big deal, so you dont have to worry about it.
Yeah, I told Mother that youll do fine. She always
Auslen slowly sat down on the side of his dark stained wooden bed, sinking into the white bedding as he continued partially listening to his brother's frequently cracking voice, repeatedly failing to keep his thoughts from wandering off towards another planet.
Auslen stepped barefoot through the dense, misty grass outside of the cave abode, in need of some fresh air.
His eyes were nearly closed while he concentrated on the sensations of crisp, cool air rolling across his skin and loose white robe, trying all sorts of methods to divert his attention from his thoughts before eventually choosing to give up altogether.
I guess what they say is true. You never quite know what you have until you no longer have it
Of course, he was thinking about his children, his grandchildren, everyone that he tried to not think about but was consistently reminded of through the new family and friends he had in this life.
Auslen gazed up towards the star filled skies, golden eyes dancing here and there distractedly, as if he could somehow locate Earth somewhere within the endless reaches of space from his pitiful vantage point.
I'm not sure how long it took for me to reincarnate in this strange world. Is any of my family even alive anymore?
But does it truly matter? Even if they were still alive, even if he could go back to Earth and see them right at this very moment, what would Auslen do?
Auslen closed his eyes and leaned against one of the many Pine trees surrounding the entrance of his residence. Soft rays of starlight that broke through the tree branches above bathed Auslen seven-old-body, his hair and lashes seemingly radiating gentle golden light.
What exactly do I want to do?
Oh shit, I forgot...
Auslen raised his lashes and a bow-tied letter appeared within his palm. He opened the letter and curiously read its contents.
...
Dear Auslen,
Although I lack anything tangible that you would value, I hope that you can accept my humblest gratitude.
Without you, I would still be stuck day dreaming far away from here. Now, I'm in a place I could have never imagined being!
I know fully well how much you have given me, and I swear that I will repay you for each and every kindness.
Even though I do not know how, I will. One day.
Happy Birthday, Master!
...
Closing the letter, Auslen let out his final sigh for the night.
Lifting himself away from the tree he glanced back towards the sky.
Well, If even a little boy like Vincent could be so confident, then I'm sure I'll figure things out eventually.
Turning his gaze away, he walked back towards the mossy cave with a warm smile.