As Isshin was practicing his alchemy, a couple of hours went by without him realizing. It was almost midnight by the time he decided to stop. He had made around 120 Tier 1 Body Pills, about half of them carrying a fluctuating thunder attribute. He didn't bother taking the risk of attempting a higher-tier pill without the elder's permission, so he decided to rest and talk about it the next day.
As he lay down, he took a moment to reflect. "All this time, I have only lost fights I wasn't supposed to be in. If me and my opponent had lived for the same amount of years, I would be the superior one, isn't that right?" he asks Raijin.
"It seems like your ego has increased after you almost died again," Raijin replies.
"Maybe your seal is getting loose and I am becoming more of my true self. I need to get stronger even faster. Even if I can not utilize the space you created for me before, I still need to find another way. I will talk with Felix about it tomorrow," Isshin says.
Isshin already had suspicion toward Raijin. The mysterious power that had saved him from death twice was something even Raijin couldn't understand or explain. But Isshin knew there was only one thing he could do is move forward.
As morning came, he went straight to Elder Zhao again to show him the pills he had made.
"greetings elder, here are the pills i had made yesterday," Isshin says, giving a slight bow.
Elder Zhao looked at the pouch and raised his brows. "How much qi do you have to make so many of these pills?! anyway, if you want, you can exchange these for pills that would suit you more."
Isshin didn't hesitate. "What would i need to give you to get a tier 5 pill for me elder?"
The elder paused for a moment. He was hesitant at first, but he could clearly see Isshin's potential.
"ugh, fine. in exchange for these pills, i will give you a tier 5 lotus pill. for nascent soul cultivators like you, it is enough to take you up a stage," Elder Zhao says as he hands over the pill.
Isshin thanked him politely and returned to his room. His goal was simple, to reach the 6th stage of the Nascent Soul Realm.
He sat down and began cultivating with Raijin's guidance. Minutes passed as he pushed his qi forward, steadily approaching the bottleneck. When it finally came, the pressure hit hard. He tried to break through but almost failed.
Without hesitation, he opened his system and distributed all his remaining points evenly to increase his chances.
Level: 198
Health: 81
Strength: 83
Stamina: 82
Mana/Qi: 79
Intelligence: 66
Available Stat Points: 0
Cultivation: Nascent Soul Realm – 5th Stage
He pushed forward again.
After another struggle, something finally gave.
His qi surged violently, shooting upward into the sky. The sudden burst of energy was visible across the sect, drawing everyone's attention.
When Isshin stepped out of his room, he saw a crowd already gathered, all curious about what had just happened. Among them, one person immediately caught his eye.
It was the elder he had met in the forest.
"You?! how are you here?!" the elder exclaims, clearly demanding an explanation.
Before Isshin could respond, Felix stepped in.
"Sect leader! he is the person i told you about that was going to join the sect, his name was different.... how is he now your disciple?" the elder asks.
After the misunderstanding was explained, the elder did not hold any grudge. Isshin was now clearly someone close to Felix, and as an outer sect elder, he had no authority over him anyway. That only made dealing with the disciples who had attacked Isshin before much easier.
"What about those 2 scoundrels that attacked me before elder?" Isshin asks, wanting a clear answer.
"If the sect leader wants, they can also be sentenced to death," the elder replies.
Soon, the two culprits were brought forward in front of the entire sect.
"You can't kill me! both of our families will hunt you down!" they shouted desperately.
"Who might be your families then?" Isshin asks calmly.
Even if they came from powerful families, causing conflict with a sect like this was not something to take lightly. Now it was a matter of whether their families valued blood or justice more.
The final judgment was postponed. Even if they were not executed, their cultivation would definitely be affected. Not only had they tried to kill Isshin, but they had also openly threatened the entire sect in front of the sect leader. It had become a serious matter.
"I simply can't care about these dogs here..... i am going outside a bit, i hope you guys can resolve this issue without me right now," Isshin says before leaving.
He understood something clearly only cultivating and relying on Raijin would not be enough to reach higher realms. No matter how strong Raijin was, there was a limit to how much power he could provide. Isshin needed external opportunities if he wanted to progress further.
As he walked, he thought about where to go next. Should he return to the academy and wait for Rune and Karin? Or should he go somewhere else/
In the end, he decided to stop by Jade Town again. It had been a long time since he last went there, even though his previous visit had been short.
Meanwhile, Karin had broken through to the 7th stage of the Nascent Soul Realm.
"I hate it here now.... maybe you are right, i should go somewhere else right now," she says while gasping for air to the guardian. Even constant cultivation had its limits, and she had started to feel it.
The guardian was satisfied with her decision, and they began preparing to leave as well.
As Rune opened his eyes, he realized he was inside a carriage. Before he could process anything, he quickly stood up and looked toward the driver.
"Sir where am i?!" he asks.
"You are almost near the crimson kingdom sir, i was ordered to take you there by a group of people, they said that you were very tired and needed to go back, they also told me to hand you over this letter," the driver replies.
Rune quickly opened the letter.
It didn't take long for him to understand.
The S.J.F had sent him away.
"Go study hard, leave this matter to us."
"Oh for god's sake!" Rune exclaims.
For his own safety, they had forced him out. If he tried to return, they would only avoid him again.
He sighed.
"well, lets see where else i can go before break ends," he mutters.
All three of them were about to begin their own journeys before the break would end.