Eternal Thief

Ace didn't look at the statue anymore and kept up with Alvin's pace. 

He saw Lan was moving toward a 3 square meters mural of a Black Pill Furnace. This Pill Furnace was antique with a silver flood -dragon carved on it.

When they reached the mural, Lan nonchalantly wave his sleeve and the mural tremble slightly before sliding upward, and a hidden pathway appeared in front of them.   

This did not surprise Ace, since he had a hunch that this entire grand hall was a forbidden area because of the treasury location and powerful Qi fluctuations all over the place. Especially these murals in the grand hall. 

"Let's go." Lan chuckles seeing Finn's flabbergasted face and enters the hidden pathway. 

The hidden pathway was only ten meters long and at the end of it was a spacious white chamber, illuminated with glowing stones.

The room was filled with the fragrance of herbs.

In the center of this room was a 4-meter large crimson cauldron with golden patterns around it. The rest of the room was filled with shelves and there were colorful Pill bottles on them. 

"Welcome to my forging room," Lan said with a prideful tone. 

Ace inhale sharply when he saw thousands of pill bottles because they were probably purple rank and if he could convert them into EXP, his cultivation would probably soar!

But alas, he can't even take one pill bottle from here, much less all of them.

Alvin also showed a hint of astonishment because he never thought this craft elder would be rich to this extent, 'This probably is the privilege of watching over all these resources!' 

Lan's smile become wider when he was Alvin's surprised expression and move toward the enormous cauldron which was tightly sealed at this moment. 

Lan stood in front of the cauldron and deeply looked at Alvin. 

Alvin impassively nodded. 

'Sigh…' Lan sigh and looked at Finn, there was a hint of pity in his eyes when he said, "Young Friend Finn, this is the Golden Mark Cauldron a seven-start runic cauldron which means it used to make at least Purple Rank alchemy elixirs. As for why I'm telling you this, it's because there is a powerful medicinal liquid in it at this moment. It's not all, this medicinal liquid is at the very panicle of purple rank!"

"I-is it for…me?" It startled Finn.

"Yes!" Lan nodded solemnly, "It'll make your foundation unshakable if you overcome the pain and once you are done absorbing this medicinal liquid, you'll be an official member of pill flame organization!" 

'He's lying!' Ace frowned.

Lan didn't tell Finn about the actual danger of element bath and only said this encouraging advice, so he could take this element bath willingly. 

Alvin also know what Lan was doing and said nothing. 

"I'm ready, elder, please tell me what I have to do!" Finn showed a determined expression. 

'It's probably just medicine, right?' Ace was dubious about this, but the part about being the medicine liquid was true, so he followed Lan's instruction.

Lan gravely stated, "When I opened the Golden Mark Cauldron's seal, jump inside, and I'll seal it again, so the medicinal liquid won't lose its efficiency. But don't worry we'll take you out after a minute whether you absorb it!" 

"Yes!" Finn nodded. 

"When I give the signal, jump inside!" Lan said with a stiff face before he faces the Golden Mark Cauldron. 

Lan didn't delay and formed strange hand signs as his fiery Qi manifested around him. 

"Thousand Sealing Art: Unseal!"

The moment Lan said those words thereafter, the Golden Mark Cauldron hummed and the golden patterns on it shimmer brightly. 

'An alchemy art!' Ace inhale sharply since it was his first time witnessing an art!

The cauldron's lid bang opened and a fresh scent of nature instantly filled the large forging room. 

"NOW!" Lan gave the signal.

'Here goes nothing!' Ace gravely though and with no delay jump inside the cauldron!

"Thousand Sealing Art: Five Hundred Seals!" Lan's Fire Qi dance around him and the cauldron lid simmer in the fire Qi before shooting back on the cauldron and sealing it again.

The moment the cauldron was sealed, a strange symbol appeared on its lid in Lan's fire Qi. This was an alchemist seal that every alchemist used in alchemy and Lan was using a very high-level alchemy art that only a purple alchemist could cast. 

"How much time do we wait?" Alvin impassively asked while deeply looking at the sealed cauldron. 

"Half an hour, and don't use your martial sense. I don't need to educate you about not using any perception abilities during cauldron sealing." Lan said with a gloomy expression, "Ship or sink, it is on that lad now. But I still think we're doing it wrong!" 

"It is for the greater good. Besides, we both know there isn't any formula that can create pure element Qi as strong as this one." Alvin shrugged his shoulder.

'Sigh…' Lan sighed again and again, 'In the fight between ten clans everyone is disposable, even a legendary element physique!'

Inside the Golden Mark Cauldron, 

The cauldron was half full of crystal-green liquid that was boiling with dense wood element Qi.

Even a Qi river cultivator would feel extreme pain and the feeling of melting in this element bath. As for peak Qi foundation building cultivators, they'll melt to the last bone with no resistance! 

However, at this moment, out of anyone's expectation Ace was nonchalantly resting inside the liquid, like he was in a hot spring!

'I didn't think it would be this comfortable!' Ac thought with a blessed expression on his face. 

Ace first thought he would have to use his Qi to resist the heat but the moment he submerges in the element bath he felt nothing but comfort. 

'They didn't use their martial senses. It has to be something to do with that alchemy art.' Ace mused, 'If I drink it, I'll get EXP?' 

The system's next notification answered Ace. 

=====

[System detect high-level, Middle-Grade Elixir (Purple) surrounding host's body!]

[Quantity: 6 Barrels]

[Conversion Rate: 15Million EXP]

[Did the host want to proceed with the conversion?]

========

Ace's eyes contracted when he saw a large amount of EXP and a wintry smile creep out on his face, 'Heh, who would've thought I would get this much EXP delivered to me with no strings attached.'

Ace was smiling ear to ear, 'With this much EXP and those Pills I stole from that Rune Crafter woman, I probably enter the peak stage of Heavenly Foundation!' 

"Start the conversion!" With no hesitation, Ace commanded. Since those two old men wanted to see how much he can absorb this elixir, Ace didn't mind giving them a tremendous surprise! 

=====

[The conversion is beginning….]

[Time: 00:14]

=====

Ace felt a huge amount of suction force from his pores, and a large amount of Qi entered his dark meridians like a tidal wave.

The Qi destination was none other than the dark void and after being processed in the dark void the darkness Qi immersed in Ace's meridians and after completely nine cycles his heavenly slates absorbed the HD-Qi! 

======

[Conversion Complete!]

[15Million EXP has been added to Host status]

---

[EXP: 44.95 Million/50 Million]

======

Ace opened his eyes and a dark current flash past them. He was astonished because when his eyes landed on the elixir which was supposed to be crystal green was now just water! 

'It nothing but a bath now.' Ace smile faintly and thought, 'Should I breakthrough here? No, I don't know when he'll open this cauldron, so I should wait until I'm alone.'

Ace decided to not take any risk and wait for the right time since now he had the EXP he can breakthrough anytime he wanted!

Half an hour pass and Ace heard Lan's solemn voice, 

"Thousand Sealing Art: Unseal!"

The lip finally opened and Ace jump outside with no obstruction. 

When Lan and Alvin saw Finn jumping out completely fine, they were flabbergasted and quickly use their martial senses to probe Finn's physique and the element bath. 

"H… H-how is this possible!??" Lan exclaimed out loud in bewilderment. 

"Th… this!" Alvin also had a dumbfounded look on his face as if he has just seen a ghost. 

Lan and Alvin, both looked at Finn in unison as if they were looking at a monster. 

Lan inhale deeply to calm himself and asked Finn with a questioning tone, "What happened inside? I mean, did you feel anything because your cultivation is the same even after you absorb the entire elixir. How is this possible!"

"I-I don't… know." Finn pulls an innocent yet perplexed face and said, "I was blackout the moment I enter the cauldron and when I was awake, I only saw water." 

"This is absurd!"

Lan's face was as dark as charcoal because he took out many precious herbs from his stash, yet not even the elixir was completely gone, he didn't even get to know the reason for it!