Her scent still lingered faintly on my sleeve—it was cool and strengely a warm feeling.
I stepped outside the herbal shop, scanning the street.
She hadn't gone far.
Her pale black hair trailed behind her like flowing ink under moonlight, the bag of herbs held loosely in her hand. Each step she took was calm and cool, like she wasn't walking through a noisy trade city but through a world that existed only for her.
And I followed,
Not because I was curious.
But because... something pulled me. An instinct, like the tug of fate on a thread.
She turned down another street, narrower than the rest of the street flanked by high stone walls etched with faint runic markings. The noise of Jeon City cooled down as we moved away from the crowd. A new scent began to rise—herbs, oils, and something sharper… more like,
Alchemy.
I recognized it just before I saw the building.
The Jeon City Alchemy Guild stood tall with three tiers high, and an ornate roof shaped like an open lotus in bloom. Golden insignias shimmered above the entrance—mortar and pestle, like all elements in perfect allignment.
This was no common apothecary.
This was where formulas were born, pills were perfected, and legacies of great alchemists were forged.
As She walked through the wide arched entrance, nodding to the robed attendant at the front desk. He didn't stop her. He didn't even ask. Just bowed slightly, as if he knew exactly who she was.
Like someone Important and has to be Respected? Or something i noticed from his behaviour.
I followed her in.
The attendant raised a brow as I passed, but sensing my aura, he didn't stop me either. I wasn't just some wandering spirit cultivator anymore. I carried the mark of the Rin Clan—and something deeper beneath that.
Inside, the air was thicker. Fused with traces of energies from lingering from creating the pills and other. There was warmth, but not just from heat—it was spiritual warmth. Like walking through the remnants of flames that once burned with intent.
She was already speaking to someone at the counter, a woman in mid-tier alchemist robes, silver-banded and decorated with three flame patterns.
> "Requesting use of the mid-tier alchemy chamber. Tier 3 license. I'll log the session under personal study."
The alchemist behind the counter smiled, though it was cautious.
"Of course, Lady Mira. As always, chamber five is reserved for you."
Mira.
So that was her name. i thought,
But it's suited her. A name that rolled off the tongue like cold springwater but left a weight behind.
She turned toward the hall, not glancing my way, but she paused. Just briefly. Her eyes flicked to mine—just for a breath—and then walk away.
She continued forward.
But this time, I followed with new intrest like from depths of my heart telling me to go and get her.
When she reached chamber five, she opened the door with a flick of her finger—a runic seal at the door glowed at her touch—and mira entered. I moved closer, standing at the doorstep but not entered.
And finally, she looked at me.
Not with words.
Not with a glare.
But with a sigh—quiet and tired—and then a single sentence:
> "You're persistent… but not annoying like other young masters I meet before. That's quite rare."
She didn't invite me in.
But she didn't close the door either.
Inside, the chamber glowed softly, lined with temperature-regulating glyphs. The cauldron in the center was already lit, flames licking its base with a quiet hiss, dancing between blue and silver.
> "If you're going to stand there, at least be quiet. Distractions will ruin the pill making process."
After telling me that she began moved like she'd done this a hundred times—no, a thousand. Her hands sorted the herbs with practiced ease, her posture calm but focused. She didn't stumble. She didn't hesitate.
She flowed like a perfect river water there is no obstacles in that flow.
I watched, not daring to speak.
Because for the first time… I wasn't the most talented person in the room.
Not in this room though.
The silence in the alchemy chamber was like a taut string—stretched, focused, delicate.
Mira worked with unshakable precision. Her hands danced across the table, crushing snowpetal leaves, slicing frostginseng, measuring liquids with an alchemist's instinct that was honed through countless hours of repetition.
I stood by the doorway, still. Watching.
It was going smoothly as she was at final step where she need to convert the liquid into solid pill something happens l.
Suddenly There was —something different like until now the energies were going smoothly but now the energies are liking out of the cauldron.
It was subtle at first. A flicker in the flame under the cauldron, a tremble in the mixture's hue.
Mira's brow furrowed slightly. She noticed it too.
> "No… That's not right."
She moved swiftly, trying to adjust the ingredients. But the reaction was already developed beyond control. The potion inside began bubbling violently, colors twisting into shades that shouldn't exist—blue turning into red, then black.
Then there was first Crack—then the second more and more cracks started appearing
Then ____Hissss!
A fracture split across the cauldron's side.
And then—boom.
Flames burst outward in a swirling arc, laced with volatile flames. The reaction was trying to implode and explode at the same time. Alchemy backlash—was a lethal one.
Mira flinched back, hands raised to shield herself—
But she didn't need to.
Because I moved first.
My instincts screamed, and the power within me surged. The Eternal Frost Sovereign bloodline answered like a howling storm.
I extended my hand.
"Freeze."
A pulse of chilling energy erupted from my palm, faster than lightning, sharper than blades.
In the blink of an eye, the flames stilled.
The explosion… froze.
Midair, the volatile alchemy burst turned into a sculpture of frost and crystal. The cauldron, cracked and glowing red, was swallowed by ice, its entire body encased in a shimmering tomb of cold perfection.
The room temperature dropped sharply. Frost formed across the walls, creeping vines of white tracing the runic patterns. The flames beneath the cauldron let out one last hiss before snuffing out completely.
Silence returned.
Cold and absolute.
Mira turned slowly.
Her eyes weren't wide with fear.
But they weren't calm anymore either.
They studied me—like I was a new puzzle she hadn't expected.
> "…That was Spirit Ice. High-tier. Controlled with precision."
Her gaze narrowed slightly.
"You're not just some curious cultivator with a strong aura."
I lowered my hand, the frost fading from my fingertips like smoke.
> "I didn't come here to impress. But I couldn't let that explosion happen."
She looked at the frozen cauldron, then back to me.
> "You saved my life."
"No i reacted."
"That is called saving genius"
The silence stretched between us, not awkward—just charged with something unspoken.
Then she smirked. Just slightly. A twitch of her lips, nothing more.
> "You'll need to explain this frost power. Eventually."
> "Only if you tell me how a Tier 3 alchemist nearly blew up a cauldron."
She blinked.
Then laughed. A soft, genuine sound—rare, like the frostflower in early bloom.
The moment passed, but something lingered in the air,
Mira stepped forward and extended a gloved hand.
> "Mira Fen. Apprentice Alchemist. Not as perfect as I look."
I took her hand.
> "Rin Kai. Just… someone passing through."
But we both knew that wasn't true anymore.
Even though I don't know her real identity or background it's still worth it, I think.
After that mira tried again
But this time i was beside her not at doorstep.
And this time she successfully made pills but there are 70% purity but still it's a great achievement.
Mira was suppressed not because of 70%purity but she managed to create the pills.
Mira tried so many times but end up failing but this time got it right even though mira was puzzled.
but she thought this is because of my presence.
So After that we decided to meet at hill side tomorrow.