Legendary Soul Art

Knowing that your whole life has been planned by someone else was definitely hard to swallow. By the time Number One returned to the Academy and began his usual plan, he couldn't be sicker of it. Everything he wanted to do seemed as if it was exactly what his Master wanted which made him want to do the opposite.

After Number One confirmed with Headmaster Blake that he never informed the main Academy about him, he completely lost trust in anyone who wasn't close to him. Any Academy Official or another student could be planted into his life with the goal of watching him.

The first few days were rough but Number One quickly recovered with new motivation pushing him forward. He stopped thinking about his Master's reasons and began working hard to get stronger. Only by reaching the minimum threshold of power could he actually take back his life into his own hands.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Nami questioned worriedly after listening to Number One's decision. "This will be akin to fighting fire with fire. You can no longer go back once you go against your Master's plans."

Nami cuddled into Number One's chest while using his lap as a chair and suggested sweetly, "Why not pretend a bit longer? We are doing so well already. Tomorrow is the day of the Final Test. We can first pass it and then use the main Academy to get even stronger. The Winged Soul City has immense resources available and we can use it to our advantage."

One would think that three weeks was a long time but it was barely enough to finish his personal training without even touching his Alchemy. Number One was tempted to fail on purpose and buy more time just to prepare his plan properly but that would alert his Master.

"We can't know what my Master wants but he has an agenda in trying to keep me alive. He wouldn't train me selflessly if he had nothing to gain so I can only act first and make things harder for him. I will not let anyone control my life like I'm a puppet," Number One decided. "The moment we enter the main Academy, it would be much easier for him to scheme against us. We can't lose the initiative."

Only the Selection Academy was relatively safe with little to no threats. That was the only reason why Number One was able to train in peace while ignoring all the other special events. It wouldn't be possible if he was surrounded by millions of powerful Soul Artists in a bigger city.

"Alright then. I will follow whatever you want to do and make sure you are safe," Nami finally agreed while staring into a pair of determined eyes. "Even though I hate when you risk your life, we are in this together. I will love you no matter what."

"Don't worry, I can't make a bigger bet after this one," Number One assured while kissing her deeply. "Unless I put my whole existence on the line, I will never be able to escape from my Master's clutches. He will simply put me through challenge after challenge and I would be forced to react unless I want to die. This needs to stop now."

Nami has been with him through everything this whole time and supported him with all she had. He was yet to speak out the ultimate words of love but he was really close to finally giving in. She was the only person he could confidently say he trusted.

"Mhmm, I understand," Nami nodded while embracing his head and using her weight to collapse them on the bed. "Since it's our last day, maybe we should use up the last Green Soul Crystal we have? I want you to relax before the Final Test tomorrow. No more training tonight."

"You know that I love Dual-cultivating with you, but I have other plans for tonight," Number One informed honestly. "I was too busy earlier but I need to focus on making some pills for later. You can still rest and cuddle with me though."

It was hard to hide all his secrets when two people were together almost the whole time so Nami already knew about his heavenly space. She wouldn't really understand his troubles unless she knew how important the golden cauldron was to his Master. It was basically his whole identity as an Alchemist.

"Did Baldy secure all the Soul Herbs you wanted?" Nami questioned surprised only for them to hear a knock on the door. "Sigh, and here I thought I could enjoy you until he comes."

"We can enjoy ourselves later once I'm done," Number One proposed while giving her a kiss and got up to open the door. It turned out to be Baldy who immediately extended one of the Orange Rings that Number One gave him.

"Here you go, boss. I bought everything I could get with the money available," Badly reported with a smile and stood still as if waiting for new orders.

Number One was suspicious of him at first but Baldy was very efficient and proved his worth for the past three weeks. Not only did he finish every task on time but he never really asked questions which couldn't be more perfect.

"Alright, thank you," Number One acknowledged as he scanned the Storage Ring and raised his eyebrows in surprise. The Storage Ring was maxed out in capacity with countless herbs and vials.

"How did you get them?" Number One questioned as he pulled Baldy inside the room. "I didn't think you would get so many Heaven Rank Soul Herbs."

Number One already decided to focus on Earth Rank pills and only start with Heaven Rank after he started selling. He could actually speed up the whole process now with this surprise.

"Actually, it's all thanks to Headmaster Blake. He used the main Academy's influence to buy as many Soul Herbs as they could find. I even had to fly back to the Winged Soul City to collect them and only returned today," Baldy explained while scratching his head. "I also have three bad news that I need to share."

"Don't worry, I don't think anything will beat this good news," Number One assured satisfied but he regretted his words very soon.

"Well, the first one is that you are completely broke. We cleared up all the Contribution Points from all the Student Badges and all the money you gave me is gone as well," Badly explained with a sigh. "Not sure if you know but the main Academy is much stricter than this place. Headmaster Blake can't just spend the Academy's money without approval from the Academy Board. We first used up your Contribution Points before staking the future Pills you might create."

"Academy Board?" Number One repeated.

"For the sake of the Academy's future, one person cannot be in control of everything. Headmaster Blake cooperates with ten other Vice-headmasters and needs their agreement to secure such a massive purchase," Badly explained. "They naturally accepted the proposal after finding out about the mysterious Alchemist but they expect to receive the equivalent of all the money back in the form of Pills."

"So they basically gave my Master a loan," Number One summed it up. "How much exactly?"

"One Red Soul Crystal or exactly twelve billion Yellow Soul Crystals," Badly revealed without beating around the bush. "If your Master can really make so many supreme tier Pills, it shouldn't be that hard to pay it back."

Just like rare Soul Herbs, the supreme tier pills reached ridiculous prices as well so Number One wasn't really worried about this issue. "Yeah, it's fine. What are the other two?"

"The other bad news comes from Captain Jack. It seems like someone has destroyed the main Auction House and that person used Soul Art that looked similar to yours. Captain Jack wanted to warn you just in case you were blamed in the future," Baldy informed awkwardly. "There is actually a rumor going around that it was caused by the Legendary Alchemist due to his signature Soul Art and the Academy connected that with your Master."

Number One couldn't help but frown as he quickly connected the dots. His Master must have decided to cover his tracks but that didn't really affect Number One's plans.

"Wait, does the Academy know that I'm his disciple?" Number One wondered out loud.

"The Academy Board doesn't know about you yet, but they did question Headmaster Blake about the identity of the mysterious Alchemist. He was forced to reveal that it's indeed the Legendary Alchemist that reached out to him," Baldy reported. "That was also the main reason why the Academy swept the incident under the rug and paid to rebuild the Auction House. They are happy to cooperate with the Legendary Alchemist."

The situation got much more complicated but Number One couldn't be happier. The more people knew about the Legendary Alchemist, the more mess he could create later on.

"What about the last one?" Number One questioned while trying to keep calm but he received even more good news.

"The last one is similar. The Academy Board failed to protect the secret and now other academies found out about the cooperation. They are now bothering Headmaster Blake to meet with the Legendary Alchemist but he is rejecting all the meetings for now," Baldy said while wiping the sweat off his forehead. "I still remember the pressure from all the Headmasters camping near the Headmaster Blake's Island."

"Isn't that perfect?" Number One pointed out while patting Baldy on the shoulder. "I actually met with my Master the other day and he is planning on resuming his pill-making after ten years of break. That is the main reason why he needs so many Soul Herbs."

Badly's eyes widened as Number One ordered, "I want you to return to the Winged Soul Academy and tell Headmaster Blake to spread the news. My Master will meet with anyone who provides him with rare Soul Herbs. The more expensive gifts will have priority in meeting him. Actually, wait a second."

Number One changed his idea halfway. He began noting down the Soul Herbs he needs for the Legendary Pills before mixing them with random Heaven and Saint Rank ingredients. "My Master gave me a list of Soul Herbs he needs so he will only make pills for whoever can get him anything from the list."

"This… Are you sure your Master will do so? Once the news spreads, the Academy will be in trouble if your Master rejects this idea," Baldy pointed out but Number One was adamant.

If his Master wanted to mess with his life, Number One would gladly mess with his.