Chapter 92: Kim Sisters

Chapter 92 - Kim Sisters At Alchemy Peak's rear ledge, where jagged cliffs plunged into mist-shrouded voids, a hidden grotto mansion nestled within the rock, its entrance veiled by cascading vines and glowing moonflowers. Inside, the innermost chamber thrummed with latent power, its stone walls etched with faintly pulsing alchemy runes. The air shimmered with a heady elixir fragrance—sweet yet potent, like crushed herbs and molten gold—as the chamber's heavy iron door swung open with a low groan, releasing a wave of scent that swirled like a living thing. From the haze stepped Kim Simona, her robes torn and smudged with soot, her raven hair a tangled mess. A fresh scratch—streaked with dark, charcoal-like residue—marked her cheek. Yet despite her disheveled appearance, her eyes blazed with victory. In her hands, she carefully cradled a luminous, pearl-like elixir, its glow soft yet brilliant, like a newborn star. Even beneath the grime and chaos, her delicate features remained striking, her beauty undimmed. No sooner had she stepped out than her gaze landed on the elegant figure seated atop the main cushion—Kim Selena, her elder clan sister. Bathed in the warm glow of surrounding candlelights, Selena was cultivation in a vision of celestial grace. Her moonstone hairpins glimmered like captured starlight, their delicate chains swaying with every subtle movement. She wore a rainbow-dawn gown, its silken layers shifting between hues of white and gold, as if woven from the sky's first light. Her features were flawlessly sculpted—high cheekbones, a porcelain complexion, and lips like rose petals brushed with morning dew. Sensing the disturbance, Selena slowly withdrew from her meditative cultivation, her delicate fingers casting a few graceful gestures to cease her Qi circulation. Her eyes fluttered open, revealing a pair of lavender pupils, sharp and luminous, held an air of regal authority. But her serene composure quickly faltered, a flash of impatience crossing her delicate features as she took in Kim Simona's shabby appearance. "Simona-chan, really?" Her voice, melodious yet edged with maternal exasperation, laced with exasperation, cut through the air. "Why must you always look like a beggar crawled from a furnace? Go clean yourself up—have some dignity!" Kim Simona barely registered the reprimand. "Clan Sister, Selena-san, you're here?" Her voice bubbled with excitement, a grin breaking through her coal-smudged face. "Perfect timing—look at this!" Before Kim Selena could protest, Simona thrust the elixir forward. Selena scoffed, her lavender eyes narrowing with dismissive scorn. "A Jade Tempering Pill? Common enough." Her tone turned nagging, a sister's weary lecture. "Simona-chan, I repeat myself because you never listen! You're a grown woman—how can you be so unkempt, like some wild—" Her words died as her gaze locked on the elixir pill, her breath catching. She snatched it from Simona's hands, her delicate fingers trembling as she held it to the candle light, scrutinizing its flawless clarity. Selena's earlier irritation forgotten as she examined it with widening eyes. The elixir pill pulsed with an inner light, its surface flawless, its fragrance intoxicating—a scent that seemed to pierce the soul, its pearl-like glow catching the candlelight, casting prismatic flecks across the rune-etched chamber walls. "Jade-like sheen, crystal-matching clear, soul-piercing scent. Is... is this a premium-level Jade Tempering Pill?" "Indeed it is," Simona declared, her chin lifting with pride. "Premium-level Jade Tempering Pill, crafted by my hands." In an instant, Kim Selena's stern demeanor, gloom impatience shattered. Joy ignited across her face, lavender eyes sparkling like stars, bright and unguarded. Her voice soared, warm and exultant, "Good! Brilliant! Excellent!" She clasped Simona's arm, her earlier scolding forgotten. "Our Kim Clan's phoenix rises! Just a few days ago, you crafted a premium-level Spirit Restoring Pill, now this? With your alchemy talent, our Kim Clan will soar like a flying pegasus, unstoppable, unshackled to heights the entire Abyss Pit Sect can't ignore!" Kim Simona's voice bubbled with eager excitement, barely containing her thrill. "Clan Sister, you won't believe this! my skill breakthrough shouldn't have happened so quickly." She leaned forward, gesturing animatedly, the pill's glow dancing in her eyes. "A few days ago, I visited the Tower of Hundred Treasures to sell some elixirs—and there, I stumbled upon a bargain! A premium-level Bone Tempering Pill, crafted with such exquisite skill it nearly sang to me! The seller, some clueless disciple, a fool had no idea what he held." She laughed, shaking her head. "Just 55 D$t. That's all it cost me. A pittance!" Selena's arched a delicate brow, her lavender eyes flicked to the pill, a faint smile playing on her lips, warm but maternal. Simona pressed on, her words tumbling out. "I planned to track the alchemist, beg for guidance, but one night studying that pill sparked everything!" Her grin widened, pride swelling. "These past days, I burned a thousand furnace attempts, wasted mountains of raw materials. But finally— finally—I forged this." She gestured triumphantly at the Jade Tempering Pill still cradled in Selena's palm. Then her excitement dimmed slightly. "But that disciple I bought from... he had twelve of those premium-level Bone Tempering Pills on him. Twelve! And here I am, barely managing one Jade Tempering Pill after all that effort." She sighed. "Compared to that alchemist master, my skills are still lacking." Selena's smile softened, her voice warm and encouraging, like a sister soothing a favored sibling. "Simona-chan," She leaned forward, her gown shimmering, her lavender eyes kind but firm, "you're too hard on yourself. You're young—progress like this is extraordinary. And never forget: Jade Tempering Pills far surpass Bone Tempering Pills in value." Her tone shifted, taking on the cadence of a seasoned instructor. "In our Holy Sect, the Bone Tempering Art progresses through three bone tiers—Iron, Refined, and Jade—each divided into four quality grades: Low, Mid, High, and Perfect. Advancing between tiers without elixirs is possible for the first two grades. Low grade or Mid grade bone cultivator's skeleton ascension are simple—grind and harden. But for High grade or even Perfect grade? The aid of a Jade Tempering Pill is a must. Without this elixir, a cultivator's spirit energy could never overcome the body's resistance to ascension." She flicked her sleeve, the fabric shimmering like liquid dawn. "History shows resolute cultivators in the Abyss Pit Sect managed the Bone Tempering Art through sheer willpower alone without the Bone Tempering Pill. However, without a Jade Tempering Pill? Even the most gifted cultivator who's got high grade or perfect grade Refined-tier Bone will hit a wall at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement Stage. Their skeleton quality will never ascend to Jade tier bone. And their cultivation status will trap forever." Her lavender eyes locked onto Simona's. "A premium-level Jade Tempering Pill is a key to Jade-tier bones—its value eclipses any Bone Tempering Pill of equal quality." Simona's face lit up, her smile radiant, coal dust forgotten. "I know, Clan Sister, I know!" Her excitement surged, voice soaring. "That Bone Tempering Pill's insights gave me more than this single premium-level Jade Tempering pill. I feel it—once I take the Ice Pith Fire Inner Sect Mission you mentioned, fuse that eighth-tier Dao Flame into my body, my alchemy skill will leap to new heights!" She bounced on her toes, lost in her triumph, oblivious to Selena's expression darkening, a shadow crossing her lavender eyes at the mention of the mission. Smiling brightly, Simona clapped her hands, eager. "By the way, Clan Sister, I'm ready for Gworm Abyss's depths. When shall we go?" Kim Selena exhaled slowly, the candlelight catching the hesitation in her lavender eyes. "Simona... I came here to deliver the news." Her melodious voice tight after a heavy pause. "The Ice Pith Fire mission—it's been lost to us." Kim Simona's hands stilled, her fiery eyes widening in shock. "Lost?" The word tasted like ash. "How?" Her voice cracked, disbelief and disappointment spilling out, the grotto's glow seeming to dim with her words. "The Deathveil Bloodline stole the mission," Selena's lavender eyes narrowed, her tone taut with restrained anger. "Normally, I would have challenged this theft outright. But with Sect Successor Lith emerging from seclusion, her cultivation soaring higher, far eclipsing even Fairy Zhou. We Dreadbloom Bloodline cannot risk war with Kinson Wexford's Deathveil. Not now." Her nails bit into her palms. "But this insult will not go unanswered. We'll settle this debt later." Simona's knees buckled slightly. The Ice Pith Fire—the key to her alchemy breakthrough—gone. The despair must have shown on her face, because Selena immediately cupped her cheeks, her thumbs brushing away soot and unshed tears. Kim Selena's heart ached at her sister's pain, her voice softening, warm and maternal. "Listen, Simona-chan, Dreadbloom ranks among the Mid Five Bloodlines, far above Deathveil's Lower Five. Even with Fairy Lith's fame, Kinson Wexford can't rob us without cost." She reached into her sleeve, producing a tiny pottery jar, its surface etched with faint, icy runes. "This is his compensation—a portion of Nether Chill Spring, born from the same depths as Dao Flame Nether Fire, yet rarer by a full tier. Its rarity matches the Ice Pith Fire, and it cleanses flesh, refines the soul. For body tempering, it surpasses the Fire's quality." Simona's gaze fell to the jar, her voice heavy, laced with lingering grief. "Clan Sister, you know I wanted the Ice Pith Fire for its Dao Flame, for alchemy—not just body tempering." Her eyes dulled, the pill in her hands a hollow victory now, the grotto's candlelight casting long, mournful shadows. Selena's delicate fingers brushed Simona's arm, her tone tender, laced with regret. "I'll hunt you another Dao Flame, I swear it." Her lavender eyes softened, pleading. "But understand, Simona-chan—Sect Successor Lith could ascend to Nascent Soul Stage at any time. Then, she'll become the Holy Saintess, even vie for the Overlord of entire Abyss Pit Sect. Offending her for a mere eighth-tier Dao Flame isn't worth the risk. You see that, don't you?" Simona closed her eyes. The logic was sound, but the loss festered like a wound. She'd already envisioned the Ice Pith Fire's azure-blue essence flame dancing in her furnace, its heat perfecting her elixir pills. Now? Stolen. And she couldn't even demand restitution or justice. After a long silence, she straightened, resolve sparking through her despair. "My previous alchemy attempts has also greatly strengthened my cultivation. Then I'll use the Nether Chill Spring to temper my body—push and break though to Eighth layer Qi Refinement Stage this session." Selena exhaled, relief softening her radiant features, but her voice turned firm, anxious. "Simona-chan, tempering body with the Nether Chill Spring is gentler than fusing any Dao Flame, but body tempering process is treacherous. Its agony will test you—endure it, guard your mind. If you falter—if you lose consciousness—the Nether Doom's evil spirits could backfire, shatter your cultivation base." Her lavender eyes searched Simona's, worry creasing her delicate brow. "Do you understand?" Simona nodded, her fiery eyes steady, but Selena still wavered, her hand lingering on the jar. "No, I'm staying," she declared, voice resolute. "I'll protect you through it." Simona shook her head, her voice resolute, cutting through Selena's anxious plea to stay. "No need, Clan Sister. The Nether Chill Spring isn't isn't worth such caution. Why fuss over something so trivial? If I can't endure its agony alone, how will I fuse a Dao Flame later? How can I claim to chase the pinnacle of alchemy—or dare speak of longevity and the Great Dao?" Her fingers curled into fists at her sides. The fire in her eyes burned brighter. "Losing the Ice Pith Fire already cost me ground. If I cower from this trial, what right do I have to stand among the true prodigies?" Kim Selena's lavender eyes softened, but her brow furrowed deeper. She opened her mouth to argue, then paused, recognizing Simona's pride was a wall no words could breach. "Worse, forcing to aid her with my presence could shake her Dao Heart." A beat of silence. Then, with a sigh. Reluctantly, Selena set the tiny pottery jar—etched with icy runes, brimming with Nether Chill Spring—on the obsidian table, its faint hum filling the silence. "Fine... But be vigilant, Simona-chan," With a final, lingering glance, she turned, her gown trailing light, and glided out, the grotto's moonflowers parting like a curtain as she vanished into the mist. —— The moment Selena's presence faded, Kim Simona's composure shattered. "Kinson Wexford," Kim Simona's face twisted, her fiery eyes darkening with cold fury. Slamming her palm onto the table, the jar of Nether Chill Spring trembled. "I heard that Bloodline Lord already has a Dao Flame. So who did he steal mine for?" Her nails scraped grooves into the wood. "They'd better pray I don't unmask them. Whoever it is... they'll regret crossing me." Rage pulsed hot under her skin. For years, under Selena's wing and buoyed by her own talent, she'd faced no true setbacks in the Abyss Pit Sect. Now? Robbed. Dismissed. Powerless. Like a wound that burned deeper than any furnace. It took three shuddering breaths to leash her fury. With a flick of her sleeve, Kim Simona summoned a jade bathtub from her storage pouch. Its smooth surface was carved with an intricate pattern of deity birds drinking from a winding stream. She placed it at the center of the chamber. The pottery jar was small—no larger than a elixir vial—yet it held a cosmos within. Despite its modest size, it contained far more water than it seemed, pouring out a torrent of crystalline Nether Chill Spring. The frigid water filled the tub to the brim, its surface rippling with an eerie, icy glow. The grotto's air turned bitingly cold, candles flickering as frost crept across the ancient runes. Simona cast cleansing spells, sweeping away the coal dust and grime of her alchemical toil, her face regaining the stunning beauty. She reached for her sash, ready to undress and begin the body tempering, when a piece of Dao Fulu on the obsidian table abruptly floated into the air. It ignited without flame, a burst of spectral light flaring green and gold, its ashes curling in the frosted air.