For spiritual cultivators, the further you progress, the more you rely on alchemy pills.
For those just starting out, being born in a remote country like Blue Moon versus the mighty Eastern Luo Empire means your cultivation speed is worlds apart.
But once you reach the Spirit Master realm, the difference isn’t that big anymore.
At the Spirit Master stage, you need all kinds of rare treasures to help you advance and break through; relying on the world’s spiritual energy alone just won’t cut it.
That’s exactly why the Spirit Alliance holds such a supreme position on the continent.
The Ten Wilds Herbal Codex really is a treasure trove.
Grace found several pill recipes in it that suited her, and used ingredients from the Alliance’s vault to refine them herself.
With those pills and a little help from her Dragon Scale, by year’s end, she shot up two whole ranks—straight to Spirit Master, Third Rank!
For most cultivators, moving up even one step in the Spirit Master realm is tough as nails—even with a Heaven-grade spirit root.
But Grace just soared up two ranks in one go.
For ordinary folks, that’s just mind-blowing.
But for Grace, it still felt way too slow.
Those ingredients had been sitting in storage for five hundred years—their potency was way down. If she’d had fresh ones, she could’ve shot up to Fourth Rank!
As the year drew to a close, she stopped cultivating.
She had more important things to do.
She had to take back her authority as President.
Only then could she head to the Eastern Alliance once her term as President was up.
The Eastern Alliance hosts a Grand Summit every two years at the end of the year.
At the Grand Summit, the achievements of the Six Departments are evaluated and honored, and promotions or demotions are handed out based on those results.
It’s the biggest event of the Eastern Alliance.
All the regional chapters get to attend, too.
Each chapter is judged live at the event.
Of course, the alchemist ranks in the chapters aren’t anywhere near the main Alliance’s level.
So for the main Alliance folks, this competition is just for show—really, it’s to make sure they didn’t come all this way for nothing.
But for the chapters, snagging a top-three spot at the Grand Summit is a huge deal.
If you make the top three, the headquarters will funnel tons of resources your way for the next two years—it’s a massive win for everyone in your chapter.
......
Traditionally, the President and several Vice Presidents attend the Grand Summit.
But this year, Duke Winston Wood refused to let Grace and Elder Conrad go, sending two of his own trusted department heads instead.
Victor Li, ever the voice of reason, raised an objection at the Spirit Alliance Council Meeting. He argued that without their top alchemists, the chapter would be doomed in the competition.
But Duke Wood had his reasons, too.
He said both Grace and Elder Conrad were suspended and under disciplinary action. If they went, it might offend the Eastern Alliance, and then losing the competition would be the least of their worries.
Who knows, maybe the Eastern Alliance bigwigs would see them, remember the scandal they caused, and send the whole Vermilion Spirit Alliance packing.
In the end, Joanna Zuo spoke up: this was about the honor of the entire Vermilion Spirit Alliance, so everyone should have a say.
"I propose that the President, Vice Presidents, the six department heads, and the twelve deputy department heads all vote together," Joanna said. "If more than half agree they should go and fight for our honor, then Vice President Wu should let them go."
"Yeah, I think that’s fair. If they do get sent back, at least we all agreed to try," Victor Li added. "After all, this is about everyone’s benefits—and our future."