Everyone turned to look—outside the crowd, Jun Lionhead and the President were walking over together.
"Master!" Chloe Zhu called out.
"The Spirit Alliance has its own rules," Jun Lionhead said. "But I have my own rules, too."
"What rules?" Winston Wood asked.
"My rule is simple: I do not allow anyone to bully my disciples."
Jun Lionhead's voice was still calm and indifferent, but everyone present felt an indescribable sense of pressure.
"Imperial Alchemist, what do you mean by this?" Winston Wood's expression changed.
Jun Lionhead said to Grace, "Grace, this woman insulted me during the Mentor Appreciation Banquet, accusing me of cheating and leaking exam questions to you. So, I order you to make her fulfill her vow: she must kneel and bow to us a hundred times and apologize."
Grace grinned widely. "Got it, Master!"
She tilted her head and asked Lily Xu, "Do you want to do it yourself, or should I help you?"
If Lily Xu did it, she'd just have to kneel and bow a hundred times.
But if Grace did it, she'd have to cut out her tongue and gouge out her eyes...
Lily Xu: "Let go of me!"
"So I guess I'll do it then?" Grace nodded and pointed the Scarlet Sky Sword at Lily Xu's mouth.
"Wuuu! Vice President Wood! Save me!" Lily Xu cried out anxiously.
"Grace, how dare you!" Winston Wood shouted in fury.
"Grace, a master's order cannot be disobeyed!" Jun Lionhead said coolly. "If the Spirit Alliance has any issues, they'll come to me. It's none of your concern."
"Yes, Master!" Grace gripped Lily Xu's mouth, ready to cut out her tongue.
"Wuuu! I'll do it! I'll kneel and bow to you!" Lily Xu shouted.
Grace smiled and let her go.
So, in front of all the Spiritual Alchemists, Lily Xu knelt and bowed a hundred times to Grace and Jun Lionhead.
As she bowed, she apologized: "I shouldn't have said that Chloe Zhu cheated on the exam. I apologize to both of you..."
Grace sneaked a glance at her master and winked at him.
Her mischievous and clever look was absolutely adorable.
Jun Lionhead gave a faint smile.
Winston Wood stomped off angrily.
Jun Lionhead wasn't a member of the Spirit Alliance, so there was nothing he could do.
......
The Spirit Alliance Convention is hosted by the Spirit Alliance—it's an annual exchange event for Spiritual Alchemists.
Spiritual Alchemists are pill refiners, but they're also doctors who treat illnesses.
But Spirit Practitioners never get ordinary illnesses.
If they do, it's usually due to issues during cultivation, or damage from internal or external injuries.
And for those cases, they still need pills to heal.
So, at their core, Spiritual Alchemists are really pill refiners.
Alchemy is based on the five elements, on the laws of nature—it’s endlessly complex and profoundly deep.
On this continent, no matter how skilled a Spiritual Alchemist is—even the Spirit Alliance’s founder, Luke Kee—no one dares claim mastery of it all.
Take the Paternity Stone, for example—even back when Luke Kee was alive, he couldn’t make one.
The Paternity Stone was actually created by a Level Five Spiritual Alchemist from the Spirit Alliance’s Administration Division.
That’s why Spiritual Alchemists regularly exchange knowledge, recording the latest alchemy techniques, compiling them into books, and spreading them throughout the world—making the field ever more prosperous.
That’s the original purpose of the Spirit Alliance Convention.
Of course, any big convention needs a formal process.
At the Spirit Alliance Convention, every participating Spiritual Alchemist presents their own pills for judging. In the end, the top three winners are sent to headquarters for special training.
After special training at headquarters, they compete again at the headquarters’ Spirit Alliance Convention. If they win first place at their level, they’ll get even greater rewards—including a chance to read in the Celestial Library.