“What is your name?” asked the elderly man at the testing orb.


    “Su Fang.”


    “Place your hand on the orb and channel your qi into it.”


    Having done this so many times by now, the process was second nature. Qi flowed from my dantian and into the orb. A dull red flame appeared in its center.


    “Fire affinity. Middle of nine-stars,” the elderly man said. His inflection was slightly different from the past, but I wasn’t sure what it meant.


    “What can you tell us about the blessing you have received?”


    Now for the real gambit. Would he believe me? It didn’t matter too much in the end. Over time I would be able to build an undeniable fa?ade of an alchemic blessing.


    “I believe I have been blessed in alchemy. I feel that I will be able to learn it more smoothly than most people,” I said nervously.


    The old man looked at me and paused. He had never done that before. Looks like I truly hit an edge case this time.


    “Give him the Guided Flame Mantra and return him.”


    Like every time before, I picked up the scroll and returned to my tiny house. I was slightly disappointed, but the difference in reaction showed I had made progress. Next go round I would have a chance.


    <hr>


    The Guided Flame Mantra was not wholly different from the Earth Heart Mantra. It guided qi through the body slightly differently, but the whirlpool formation was the same. The biggest difference was the filter. Since the goal of this one was to filter out everything but fire qi, that made sense.


    I didn’t bother with any subtlety. I ignored the filter completely and just pulled. I had no desire to try to puzzle out how to break through the challenge encounter. I would simply race to Level 5 and grab those points. 50 credits were enough.


    Originally, I thought using a different affinity might pose unique problems, but everything fell into place simply and easily. Cycling qi through the body, moving it from place to place was a bit different, but that didn’t affect the rate I could pull it in at all.


    By the end of the month, I had once again reached Martial Disciple 5. It was time to do my duty for the clan!


    <hr>


    I stood in the challenge ground with a stoic expression on my face. I was here for the clan. I knew what would be asked of me. It wasn’t what I wanted, but I was prepared.


    “Does anyone wish to challenge?” the elder asked.


    No one made a move.


    Our instructor looked at me. I nodded. He squinted his eyes.


    “Deacon Xu?” the elder asked, looking at our instructor.


    “Sir, I believe there is one disciple that should be given an opportunity to fight. It would be a good lesson for everyone here.”


    “Oh? Who is that?”


    “Su Fang,” he said, pointing at me. “Please come forward and give us all a demonstration.”


    “Of course, Deacon Xu,” I said with a solemn bow. “I will challenge the eighth-ranked disciple.”


    It was time to pay for what the clan had given me.


    I didn’t know about the others, but this expert was a Martial Disciple 2 powerhouse. He would help me teach my fellow disciples a fine lesson.


    I charged forward, careful to veer towards his left side, showing that such a man could not be taken by surprise.


    It seemed like I was only within arm’s reach of him for a split second, but the elite was still able to display his prowess.


    You have died. Calculating…


    You died as a Martial Disciple 5. 50 credits awarded.


    Total Credits: 50


    <hr>


    The walk from the awakening ceremony to my house this time felt like it took forever, but it passed in the blink of an eye. My mind was in chaos. What happened? Why was I so different?


    The answer was clear. Only two things were different, my affinity and my cultivation technique.


    “Guided Flame indeed…” I said sighing. “So, what do I do about it?”


    I considered for a moment.


    “System,” I said, “can I buy a technique without these mental side effects?”


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    The cost of such a technique is not possible to calculate at this time.


    “System, can you reduce the power of the mental effects?”


    The cost to do so is not possible to calculate at this time.


    What could I do? It seemed like, for now, the answer was nothing. However, the mental side effects seemed to get wiped out after each death, which should mean I didn’t need to worry about any permanent damage from them.


    I considered my options. Mid-level affinity wasn’t enough to catch anyone’s eye. The first step had to be raising it higher. These people might be complete bastards, but if the Su Clan were the complete rulers of this entire region, there should be considerable benefits if I could become a valued member. I just needed to raise my value high enough. If I was valuable enough, they might not use these kinds of techniques on me.


    This could even be good… I realized. They were mind-controlling me. They had to know that scroll would make me an obedient pawn. I didn’t even have a desire to oppose anyone, and they would know that. This would almost certainly cause them to lower their guard around me, and maybe I could use that as an opening to learn secret information or powerful techniques. Even if I didn’t have the impulse to betray them in that life, when I was reset, I would have the knowledge with no constraints.


    As long as I was seen as worthy of it… On that note...


    “System. I want to permanently improve my fire qi affinity to high nine-star.”


    Permanent High 9-star Fire Affinity. Cost 50 credits.


    “Purchase!”


    Purchase confirmed. 0 credits remaining.


    “Let’s try again.”


    <hr>


    “Fire affinity. High nine-stars,” the elderly man said, actually sounding surprised for once.


    “What can you tell us about the blessing you have received?”


    “I believe I have been blessed in alchemy. I feel that I will be able to learn it more smoothly than most people,” I said nervously.


    The old man looked at me and paused.


    “Are you sure?”


    I was caught a bit off guard by the question. I didn’t actually expect to be asked. “Uh, not really. I just, I just have a feeling. Like that is what I am meant to be doing.”


    “Give him the Guided Flame Mantra,” he finally said, “and send him to Alchemist RuDi.”


    I had done it. I picked up the scroll, but this time the guard did not take me back to that same, tiny, rickety house. I was going somewhere new.


    <hr>


    I was brought to another courtyard that didn’t look entirely dissimilar to the one I was just tested in. It contained only a single building, which was about the size of a small two-story home. Instead of the grounds being purely brick, there was a small strip of greenery hugging the wall as it wrapped around the entire courtyard.


    The guard I was following approached the door of the building, but he did not move to open it. He bowed towards the door and spoke in a clear, but not too loud voice.


    “Master Alchemist, I beg leave to enter.”


    “Come in,” said an airy and aloof voice.


    The guard gently opened the door and guided me inside.


    A rather young man stood in front of us. It seemed as if he was trying to give off a commanding aura, but his appearance had a tinge of hedonism in it. He was dressed in a vibrant light blue robe. It was elaborately embroidered in gold thread.


    “What can I do for you today, guardsman?”


    “Master Alchemist, I have been directed by the elders to bring this young man to you. They wish for him to be tested for potential to become an alchemist. If possible, they would like for him to learn what it is possible for him to learn.” After saying that, the guard gave a deep bow.


    “I see. What is your affinity?” the alchemist asked me.


    “High nine-star fire affinity, sir,” I said.


    The moment I finished speaking, the guard slapped me in the face.


    “You will show proper respect and address the master as ‘Master Alchemist’. Do you understand?” he said, almost crazily.


    “Yes, sir. Sorry, Master Alchemist. Sorry.”


    After waiting a beat, the alchemist said, “No matter. Very well, guardsman, I shall do what I can, but tell the elders that rotten wood cannot be carved. I accept no fault if he cannot learn.”


    “Of course, Master Alchemist, I will make sure they understand.”


    “Leave us.”


    The guard gave another deep bow and backed his way out of the building, not turning around until after the door was closed.


    “That will be your room,” he said, pointing to a small room in the corner. It was barely a storage cabinet. It was even smaller than the house I had been living in. I wouldn’t even be able to lie down in it.


    “Your food will be delivered. Don’t come out until you are at least Martial Disciple Level 4. Do so as quickly as you can. Don’t worry about purity of qi or any of that nonsense. Alchemists can easily fix such difficulties later.”


    “Yes, Master Alchemist,” I said with a bow.


    “Stop,” he said lightly, “I didn’t give you leave to speak. You will not do so again.”


    “Y…” I quickly caught myself, gave another deep bow, then hurried to my corner room. I didn’t think to back away like the guard had done, but I wasn’t called out for it, so it must not have been a problem.


    After entering my tiny room and closing the door, I finally breathed out a sigh of relief. This one was going to be tough. Keeping myself from slapping that guy was one of the hardest things I had ever done. Still, I would persevere. I could get through this.


    <hr>


    At first, I was very surprised by the alchemist’s demand that I cultivate as fast as possible. It was the direct opposite of everything Deacon Xu had been literally beating into us. I didn’t believe that either man had my best interests as his top priority, so it was more a question of what their game plan was.


    Actually, the alchemist wasn’t too hard to figure out. Knowing what I did, there were two extremely compelling reasons for him to want me to cultivate quickly.


    First, it would mean that I was permanently crippling myself. Even if he completely disdained me, better to kill off even the smallest possibility of a threat in the cradle. By crippling myself with a low-purity cultivation, I would never be able to physically threaten him. I didn’t know how important a strong cultivation would be for alchemy, but I could guess that a weak foundation wouldn’t do me any favors. I didn’t believe for a second that he would ‘fix such difficulties later.’


    Second, cultivating as fast as I could meant making quick progress in the Guided Flame Mantra. I had already learned of the insidious effect it had on one’s mind. If I rapidly cultivated it to level 4, I would basically become his willing slave.


    Knowing this, did I refuse? No. I did exactly what he said. I advanced my cultivation as rapidly as I could. In less than three weeks I had again reached Martial Disciple level 4.


    His plan may have been nearly perfect, but in the end, it would be entirely ineffective. He would be able to control me in this life, but how long could that last? I had been struggling to survive even a single month. I just needed to learn his alchemy knowledge then die. After that, I could use it freely as my own.


    Did plotting against him weigh on my conscience at all? Not one bit. The winner is king, and, the loser is just a thief!