"Didn't I just say it? I'm here to expose Sophie Shang!" Grace declared. "That woman is full of tricks—back when we were down below, she did everything she could to sabotage me and Evan Xiao. For all we know, she's the one who planted the Immortal Love Hex on him!
Then, when she saw Evan and me getting back together, she just had to stir up trouble again! I’m going to expose her, and make sure she pays for every last bit of it!
"Yes! I love how gutsy you are!" Rina Chu said, looking totally fired up. "But... what if the Divination Hexagram is real?"
"Impossible!" Grace shot back. "If marrying her could really solve the crisis at Drake Abyss, her father would've come forward ages ago! Why would they drag this out for years?"
"True..." Rina Chu nodded. "But... how do you plan to expose her? Plus, it feels like there’s a huge gap in our power levels..."
"We don’t have to actually fight her head-on!" Grace said. "Listen, this takes two steps."
"What two steps?"
"Step one: win Evan Xiao over."
"Oh..."
"Step two: get Evan Xiao to take her down himself. That's what I call a leverage maneuver."
A leverage maneuver, huh? Sounds... kinda like seduction to me.
Bang! Grace knocked her on the head. "Do I look like that kind of person?"
N-no... not at all!
Why are you stammering?
...Whenever I say something I don’t really mean, I start to stammer.
Hiss... Grace pulled out a vermillion pill. "Guess what this is?"
What is it?
This is called the Divine Crimson Pill. It works just like the Crimson Pill, but only on the Divine Race! Once Evan Xiao and I clear up our misunderstanding, he’ll give this pill to Sophie Shang—and all her schemes will... hahaha! Game over.
Rina Chu picked up the pill with a look of wonder. "Is it really that powerful? It can knock out even the Divine Race?"
Grace smiled knowingly. "In this world, there are two kinds of people who, once they reach a certain level, even the Divine Race can't compare."
What kind of people?
One is a Rune Master," Grace explained. "Rune Masters can sense mysterious forces in the world beyond spiritual power—something even the Divine Race can't do."
Mm!" Rina Chu nodded.
And the other is us—Alchemists. With a tiny pill furnace, we can create wonders that defy gods and ghosts. We can change a person, a whole race, or even shape history itself!
Grace, I’ve realized—there’s no one in this world I admire. Except you!" Rina Chu gazed at her with worshipful eyes.
Basking in Rina’s worshipful gaze, Grace instantly felt ten feet tall.
But I think we should look for some immortal fruit first! I don’t want to be hungry again tomorrow!
Grace’s heroic mood deflated by half.
...
That afternoon, bored out of her mind, Rina Chu discovered a barrier entrance under the tangled roots of the Spirit King Tree.
She got excited and shouted, "Grace! Grace! Come look!"
What's up?" Grace was cultivating, but ran over when she heard Rina.
There's a barrier here," Rina said.
The barrier was transparent, so Grace leaned closer. "Wow... there really is one! The Spirit King Tree has tons of energy under it—there’s gotta be something good inside!"
I think so too, but it’s so dark—I can’t see a thing!
Looks like there’s a rectangular box in there—could it be a treasure chest?
The two of them stared inside for ages, but it was pitch black—they couldn’t see a thing.