Paragon of Sin

At the moment, the trio had entered into the depths of the Spiritual Network where the elite of the academy, those with genuine authority and ability was present, and while scattered, they were all sitting, floating, or standing around a single crystal that exuded a calming light. The 'eyes' of their avatars and wisps of their spiritual strength poured into the crystal.

Wei Wuyin spotted men and women with rich alchemical auras like his, all with the Alchemic Stars of Mortal Spirituality manifested; those who emitted a scholarly light bearing a similar yet slightly different aura as the Enlightened Scholarly Mist, clearly having studied and honed their mental prowess; those who radiated an intense heat and metallic scent, as if they were freshly tempered armaments. 

They were all Dao Instructors amongst Creationists, skilled and knowledgeable in their field of study. None of them were mortals, however. The intrinsic nature of their spiritual energy carried the profoundness of the Mystic Dao. Excluding them, there were beautiful young-looking women dressed exquisitely, young men of dashing looks and vibrant vigor, and some that simply had a Spiritual Strength so terrifyingly powerful that their avatars caused the space they inhabited within the Spiritual Network to shake. Those who had that ability were all unfathomable Earthly Saints, especially those who grasped the Spirit-type Mystic Rune—they were monstrous.

The commotion had originated from this crowd. 

"They finished at the same time!" A comment from a young man who couldn't keep his surprise and disbelief in. 

"They're so terrifying! In just a month, they completed an entire Alchemic Clash. Haaaaa…" An old alchemist wistfully sighed in praise and lamentation at the youths' astonishing talents these days. Most Alchemic Clashes lasted years. The lengthy period was why Swift Dao Clashes were invented and deployed more often than Alchemic Clashes. Only when two alchemists needed to settle a major difference, grudge, or bet did they result in this form of competition. 

Wei Wuyin was curious about the happenings, so he didn't hesitate to send his spiritual strength into the large floating crystal. After a sudden burst of spiritual light, Wei Wuyin saw the scene the others had. Two gorgeous figures split in his vision. It was like seeing a split-screen, both sides occupying a portion. 

They were standing over their respective cauldrons, light sweat dripping from Qingye Ying's thin brow, and an exhausted pair of eyes on Tian Xiaolu as if she had just fought a devastatingly brutal and lengthy battle. It was clear that neither was willing to hold back in this fight. There was too much on the line, too much at stake that could redefine their entire future. 

Wei Wuyin was amazed at the level of detail, depth, and angle this type of viewing crystal granted. He could even 'sense' the wisps of lingering alchemical auras, traces of remnant refined materials, and the Utmost Purity Mist that enveloped both areas. It was almost as if he was actually there, yet it was clear that they couldn't 'sense' him. A marvel of a formation, truly bringing one to the forefront of the event.

He had already missed the great majority of the Alchemic Clash, and they had just completed the final step of completing their respective products, the fusion process. When Wei Wuyin sensed the auras emitting from those products, two greyish-colored pills that levitated above their cauldrons, he was puzzled. 

Liu Suyin had joined him, and she too was stunned. "Eighth-Grade?" Her words brought Cao Cuifen out of her excitement. Despite all three of them viewing the event in such a manner, they could still openly communicate using their avatars despite not exiting the viewing experience. 

"Right. This Alchemic Clash is based on the rules established by the Myriad Transformations Alchemic Saint, including the rapid clashes," Cao Cuifen explained. "It's a part of the trial she set up, allowing even Mortal Sovereign Alchemists to participate against her in-name disciple. After all, it would be quite unfair and kind of predictable if an alchemist under the age of five hundred had to face seniors with thousands of years of experience and a Mystic Ascendant Realm cultivation base. Let alone Qingye Ying, who was less than two hundred years old and an el-at the Astral Core Realm." 

She almost pointed out Qingye Ying's race but caught herself. Despite her actions, it was clear that Qingye Ying was facing these trials as if it was a game set to the highest difficulty given her race's notable inferiorities and limitations. 

"Also, Dao Instructor Wei, Qingye Ying might have an Alchemic Astral Soul, but she hasn't manifested her Alchemic Stars yet. Officially, she's not a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist." Cao Cuifen's words made Wei Wuyin recall his own clash with Qingye Ying, including its one-sided nature. If it wasn't for the Temporal Reincarnator's existence, he might've decided to tie it. He wondered how they would've changed their paths, but only for a moment.

According to Cao Cuifen, the Alchemic Clash was meant to be a difficult challenge, not an impossible hurdle. As such, the in-name disciple had to prove themselves, but not against elite monsters with cultivations far surpassing them. If Wei Wuyin thought about it, the Myriad Transformations Alchemic Saint must've given a portion of her legacy to Qingye Ying and felt confident that whatever that was, if grasped to the fullest extent, or even to a certain extent, will allow her to sweep against all challengers given the rules. 

"So the Alchemic Clash is for eighth-grade products? What about the rapid clash? Did it use fourth or fifth-grade products as the standard?" Liu Suyin asked as the pills of both contestants were undergoing final inspections and verification by the judges of the event. 

"Fourth, of course. She's an Emperor Alchemist," Cao Cuifen answered. Since the rule was four grades lower, then Qingye Ying had been the standard for it. 

Soon, an hour passed. It would've been a boring hour if it wasn't for the incessant discussions amongst the elites. Wei Wuyin, Cao Cuifen, and Liu Suyin listened as they learned about the events over the month. From what Wei Wuyin gathered, the competition was extremely fierce with the margins for victory being narrow in each category.

They went 2-2; Qingye Ying had claimed close victories in the pill and paste categories while Tian Xiaolu took the elixir and pellet categories. In each category, every product was at least high-quality, shaking the entire crowd as they were both in the younger generation, and their concoction speeds were phenomenal for their cultivation bases. Typically, alchemists discarded quality for speed, so this was quite a shocker. 

With the tie set, a random product was decided by the judges, obscure, difficult, or never-before-seen, and then the two were forced to concoct with no experience. They both completed the product at low-quality, once again shaking everyone. 

Another product was used, and another, but the product was once again even in quality, down to its effectiveness, so the judges were left to defer to an archaic rule that had set precedent for clashes. If the third challenge was a tie in quality, then time will be the deciding factor. Furthermore, a time limit was set based on the average time used on all seven concoctions so far, adding another layer of pressure on the participants. 

Yet the crowd was left baffled and awed as the two had completed their products at the exact time. An unsettling yet exciting possibility flowed through their minds! What if they were equal in quality?!

"When has this ever happened before?" An old, wizened alchemist tugged his long beard, unable to hide his smile despite shaking his head. 

"A tie? In the Dao of Alchemy? It's almost unprecedented."

"We don't know if it'll be a tie, the judges are still using every metric available to determine the differences between both products. A fair score will be given, and even the tiniest margin of difference can decide a winner between them." A beautiful woman that seemed to have a high status, and an even higher cultivation base, spoke heavily. Her words were taken seriously as many decided to wait. 

"A tie…" Cao Cuifen was equally as shaken as the rest, perhaps even more so. 

Wei Wuyin faintly smiled. He didn't know if his Bloodline of Sin or sensitivities to the Heavenly Daos due to his original Blessed status allowed him a greater insight into the Heavenly Daos' intentions. But in truth, given Tian Xiaolu's Karmic Luck, her greatest outcome wouldn't be victory but shared victory. If Qingye Ying's initial legacy truly held the key, then befriending her was better than beating her. 

And the best way to do that would be to be her rival, an equal in beauty, talent, and gender. This way they could form a bond with neither suspecting the other to have any…intentions…in mind. Their actions would be automatically given a pure belief, and it was then reliant on if their personalities were like water and sugar, not water and oil. 

Suddenly, given the deliberation was still ongoing, Wei Wuyin asked Liu Suyin: "Why was this the third stop on our trip?" What was Liu Yinlan intending for him to see? He expected unrivaled access like the Sacred Library, and certain privileges, but Liu Yinlan's sphere of influence clearly didn't reach here. 

"To see that it exists," Liu Suyin answered. 

"..." Wei Wuyin went silent for a moment, and then accepted this with a nod. While it was an abrupt question, the answer made sense after thinking about it. The Sacred Library showed Wei Wuyin's ignorance and the inferiority of the Sealed Regions, the Time Vortex was meant to show the potential for growth with tools that vastly exceeded the Sealed Region's means, and then the Voyage Academy of Myriad Transformations was meant to show him, a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist, the depths of his potential.

Moreover, as a Dao Instructor, he might be able to access information without Liu Yinlan's power and authority. He just needed to wait for this clash to end. 

"Haaaa...if only I could grasp the Myriad Transformations Alchemic Saint's legacy, I could easily become a Saint Alchemist." A defeated Mortal Sovereign Alchemist sighed depressingly, still lamenting his defeat at the hands of Tian Xiaolu. 

"You still have a shot," a male scholar with an erudite bearing said lightly, causing the various elites to focus on him. A shot? The scholar contained their happiness after becoming the center of attention, and the sight of realizing something before everyone else made him feel superior. He subconsciously corrected his posture, exuding an enlightened bearing, "The rules set by the Myriad Transformations Alchemic Saint states that until an owner of the cauldron is within the hands of 'an in-name disciple', it is open for competition."

A sneer immediately resounded. A female scholar with thin circular glasses pushed it up the bridge of her nose, her eyes emitting a wisp of ridicule. "So? The rules also state that to challenge ownership, the competitor has to prove themselves superior to all other alchemists in the academy. Dao Instructor Tian Xiaolu has thrashed everyone else once, and she'll easily do it again. Only an idiot would think there's a shot." Clearly, she was a loving fan of Tian Xiaolu and a hateful fan of the male scholar.

"But that challenge must be a Swift Dao Clash," an Earthly Saint chimed in, suggesting that there was a chance for everyone. 

"Hmph!" The male scholar scoffed disdainfully. "Blind and loose," he spat vulgarly, unbefitting of his appearance. The female scholar glared at him with murderous intent, almost losing her bearing as an enlightened figure knowledgeable and wise in the eyes of billions. 

The situation was heating up! 

"Please explain your thoughts clearly, Dao Instructor Hua." The wizened alchemist with a long beard tried to pacify the situation and alleviate everyone's thoughts. Despite her anger, the female scholar reined in her piercing gaze and waited. She waited for an opportunity to pounce and denounce this idiot that she regretted spending a night with.

However, the male scholar would not give her the chance! "If there's a tie, while not explicitly stated, the cauldron will definitely belong to both and also neither of them—shared property. This is the chance to exploit a loophole. According to the academy's rules, the shared property can be contested over, but not claimed outright, through certain contests. And for alchemists, Alchemic Clashes is the contest of choice, specifically Swift Dao Clashes." 

The scholar paused, his eyes bright. This rule was created after many fights against Creationists regarding ownership of usage of special locations, cauldrons, forges, etc., that belonged to the academy and were shared among its students and instructors. But things had limits, and deadlines were tight, so the shared property was regulated and established with all sorts of rules and laws. 

"Oh!" The wizened alchemist rubbed his long beard vigorously while the female scholar's expression changed. If the Pure Excellence Cauldron was declared as 'shared property' then it would be open to these laws…circumventing certain restrictions. 

"So you wouldn't have to defeat them in a genuine Alchemic Clash," the old alchemist said with widened eyes of inspired realization. "Or defeat Tian Xiaolu…" It was this portion that caused everyone to realize a particular law! To claim shared property, you just had to defeat an owner of that property, not every owner. It was a little unfair, but Dao Instructor Tian Xiaolu was too terrifying! She smashed everyone mercilessly, so if they can circumvent her, then they have confidence!

But Qingye Ying wasn't a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist, and she lacked the Alchemic Stars of Mortal Spirituality! While in a genuine Alchemic Clash they had total confidence of victory, they'd have to beat Tian Xiaolu in a Swift Dao Clash first to gain that right. With their Alchemic Stars, a limit of three days, and their higher cultivation base, they had great belief in snatching victory against Qingye Ying! 

"We just have to win a Swift Dao Clash against her!" A renewed light emerged in their eyes. Now, they hoped and prayed that it'll be a tie! 

"Wait…can't shared property only be split among three people at most? And there's a three-year-period rule between each challenge…" The young man from earlier who couldn't contain his surprise and disbelief asked curiously. 

"..."

"..."

"..."

A wave of deafening silence crashes the entire atmosphere. The jubilance in everyone's eyes faded away. For alchemists, gloom and darkness enveloped their expression. For everyone else, amusement and interest! The alchemist all eyed a single figure first—a handsome man that seemed to be in his late twenties, his eyes growing increasingly bright and excited.

Cao Cuifen felt this heavy atmosphere filled to the brim with tension. When she saw the shift in attention, she turned to Wei Wuyin instead of the handsome man. Wei Wuyin was listening with rapt attention, amused by all this. It seems the challenges for those two weren't over yet. 

"Dao Instructor Wei…" Cao Cuifen tugged softly at Wei Wuyin's sleeve, her eyes giving off a soft light, her cheeks slightly blushing, and her posture looking a little meek and submissive. Her entire existence at the moment was enough to throttle the lust in many men, bringing forth an urge to dominate her in every conceivable position. He couldn't help but find her sudden change shocking. Was she trying to seduce him? 

Liu Suyin saw Cao Cuifen's current posture and felt an urge to toss her out of the Spiritual Network. Why was she acting like a cat seeking milk from her owner? How infuriating! She couldn't help but look at Wei Wuyin to see if he's degenerated into a mess due to her act. If he did, she'll certainly think less of him.

"What is it?" Wei Wuyin asked, unfazed by Cao Cuifen's act, much to Liu Suyin's happiness. In truth, if Cao Cuifen wasn't an Ascended being and he was a mortal, Wei Wuyin would've been tempted easily and…and never mind, it's best not to think about such frustrating limitations. 

"Dao Instructor Wei…the youngest challenger has priority for shared property." she pointed out, allowing both Liu Suyin and Wei Wuyin to realize why the youngest-looking figure with a strong alchemical aura was being eyed enviously and hatefully at this moment. 

"Oh?" Wei Wuyin's eyes lit with a raging brilliance. 

At that exact time, the judges made a decision!