Eternal Cultivation of Alchemy

"We should fly faster," Ren Wujin said as she and 3 others flew through the sky at what she considered was a rather slow pace.

"Can't," the only man of the 4 said. "I'm already doing all I can to hide ourselves from spiritual senses. If we move too fast, I won't be able to maintain it around us."

He held onto an artifact in his hand, a thick metal ring that seemed as if it was supposed to go around one's head like a band.

"Tsk!" one of the other two girls, someone with bright red hair, made a sound. "How much longer?"

"Should be 10 more minutes, 15 at most at this speed," the last girl with dark hair said. "Don't worry, we went there like this the other day too. We will be there soon enough."

"I'm scared," the red-haired girl said. "He comes out of nowhere and we can do nothing about it."

Nobody said anything.

They continued flying for over 10 minutes and arrived at a small gathering of people that they had found a few weeks ago. They would have to work harder and maybe even change their base if they wanted to find new groups of people.

They walked into a formation and finally, the man among them could drop the barrier he had been keeping up the entire time.

"Alright, we can finally—"

The red-haired girl who was about to speak stopped halfway through when she saw four other people who entered the same as them. It didn't take even a second for all 8 of them to know that they were all there for the same reason.

"It's him!" the dark-haired girl pointed to a figure amongst the group of 4.

It was an old man with a cultivation base of Saint Transformation 1st realm.

"Yang Baijin," Ren Wujin said in a low voice. By now, she knew every member of the opposite group led by Zhao Boqin. This was one of the 4 strongest people in their group.

And their group had none that were stronger.

"What do we do?" the young man with her asked through spiritual sense.

"Do not say anything or reject if you're challenged," Ren Wujin said. "Let me take the lead."

The two girls next to her nodded.

"Did you just find them, old Yang?" Ren Wujin asked the man. Her eyes drifted to the 2 men and the last woman by his side, but her focus was on the man. 

None of the other two were Saint Transformation realm. Not that it mattered with one of them just that. He could win against them all if he got the way. Her first thought was running, but maybe there was a greater way.

"Fairy Ren," the old man said in a sweet voice. "How lucky of us to finally find these people. We have been searching for one since our other one seemed close to having to leave."

He gestured to the 15 or so people that were gathered there, the highest of which was still weaker than their weakest. 

Ren Wujin thought for a bit, her mind moving through diplomatic words that her father had taught her. "If you want one, I will be happy to let you have them," she said. "Please make your choice."

She pointed to the 15 people gathered in that group too. Not a single one of them said anything. It wasn't their place to speak. Just the fact that they had survived 20 months in the secret realm was enough for them. Not that they could say anything even if they wanted to.

The ones that preyed on their Losses were just too strong. They stayed there listlessly, looking toward the young man in the corner whose turn it was to accept the challenge that day.

The old man looked toward the group that say on the uneven ground and back toward Ren Wujin. "I'm not sure," he said. "I would very much like to gain more points if I can."

Ren Wujin frowned. Did she really have to do it? Could she do nothing else? It didn't seem she had a choice.

"If you want to fight, I will give you a fight," the girl said. She took a deep breath and at the same time, the barrier disappeared.

It was sudden and everyone but Ren Wujin, and the group's leader was surprised. It was her orders and the group's leader was the one that had stopped the barrier from working.

"What are you doing?" the old man asked in a frown.

Ren Wujin simply smiled, and then her cultivation base flared with a strong aura that forced her comrades to move away from her. 

"Sister Ren?" the red-haired girl called out. "What are you doing?"

"What are you doing, child?" the old man asked. "If you want to fight me, just challenge—"

He stopped.

"No!" his head whipped to the right as he sensed something.

"NO!" he cried out even more and turned to run, but it was too late.

Alex was coming for them.

Alex had been searching for people to challenge, but it was difficult to find someone to challenge all throughout the day. Because of what he had started doing 2 months ago, it had become difficult to find people now.

They were extra cautious. It seemed someone was not so cautious anymore.

The moment he sensed someone's cultivation base, he left at his quickest speed. He could already sense people running away. He kept track of where everyone went, but his target was just one fellow.

A person who could not believe that Alex could catch up to him.

Alex arrived within range of the man and immediately challenged him. "Senior Yang, let's fight!"

The old man, even as he ran away, sensed his talisman buzzing once and then again as the challenge was accepted on its own.

He stopped and turned around. 

"Your Majesty!" the old man said slowly. "Surely you don't want to fight me. I am but an old man—"

"You already accepted," Alex cut him off. "Let us fight and be done with it."

The man didn't know what to say. He had fought Alex before, but each time he had won. However, recently he had started hearing that Alex was much stronger than what he led on to be.

After what he did to Zhao Boqin, the man didn't doubt. 

"Your Majesty, I will give—"

"If you give up, I will hunt you day and night until you have 5 Out of Bounds and can no longer remain in this secret realm," Alex said. "Don't think you can run away from me by giving up."

The man gulped. He thought for a bit and nodded. "Fine, if these old bones can give you a fight, then I will do so," he said and brought out a few things.

To Alex's surprise, 3 puppets flew out of the man's storage bag. Each puppet was of a different shape and size. One was thin with a feminine body and held a sword. Another held a shield on its left hand and had a rather large body. 

and the last was a puppet in armor that seemed to have rather well-defined features.

"Interesting," Alex said. "Why don't I do the same?"

And then he brought out his puppet.