As more people realized what had happened, suppressed gasps resounded everywhere.

The mostly silent, cloaked Master who had cared for nothing but his cauldron was now standing in front of the branching expert, being face-to-face with him, his left hand clinging tightly to the Elder’s right wrist.

Aside from the sheer, even demented, opposition of a branching expert, some sharper eyes among the audience noticed something else.

Liam had been quick, too quick. He was a rooting expert, but to reach the Elder in time to interrupt his attack, he also had to have true skills.

Of course, no one believed Liam had actually stopped anything. If the Elder had wanted to continue his attack, he would have done so despite the hand on his wrist. He was a branching expert in the end.

Only Elder Dominic knew the truth, which left him startled. He had merely condensed his Qi to deliver what was little more than a telekinetic slap. Yet, he had the body of a branching expert. His gesture might have been casual, but a rooting expert had still stopped it.

But more than dwelling on Liam’s surprising, even absurd, physical prowess, the Elder mostly felt angry.

"Junior, you dare?!" Elder Dominic threatened, his voice low but deafening, like the echo of a growl that could reach the farthest reaches of the valley.

Liam felt the soundwave deep in his organs, but his ears didn’t ring. Even if they did, he only heard a hiss carrying bottomless hatred.

Still, as customs wanted, when a branching expert acted, it was a fellow Elder’s job to keep him in check.

"Dominic, have you no shame?" A calmer but no less widespread voice resounded through the area. "Stop bullying Juniors."

Elder Dominic snorted, pulling his arm away from Liam’s grasp to turn and look up. A short, elderly man wearing white was falling from the sky, half-levitating to slow down his descent.

The second branching expert had no beard and fewer wrinkles, but similarly curated short white hair stood on his smiling head. After he landed, he wrapped his long sleeves behind his back, lifting his face to look at Elder Dominic.

"Gilbert, first-come, first-served," Elder Dominic snorted. "This rule is older than both of us."

"I’m not here to recruit anyone," Gilbert stated. "I’m here to spare you the shame of failing to recruit this promising alchemist."

"And why would I fail?" Elder Dominic wondered.

"How characteristically blind of you," Gilbert sighed. "Why else would a rooting expert be willing to face you? These Juniors are together beyond mere business partnership."

Understanding dawned upon the crowd, and then upon Elder Dominic, who peeked past his shoulder to glance at the huge cloaked figure behind him in what was an obvious defensive stance.

"So what if they are lovers?" Elder Dominic scoffed, refocusing on his fellow branching expert. "I can just ..."

Elder Dominic couldn’t finish his line since his brain caught up with the political implications. The simplest idea would be to recruit both Liam and Grace, except things weren’t so straightforward, not with her.

Sects were superior to Guilds, but only locally, and with caveats. The Sects were more independent, but they remained part of the Kingdom, whose King the Guilds served directly.

It would have been different if Grace had offered to join the Shrouded Desert Sect herself. However, as things stood, Elder Dominic couldn’t force her into that decision, not publicly. The political headache would be too great.

So, Elder Dominic merely peeked at Liam again, uttering a promise that was nothing short of a threat. "I’ll remember you."

Then, Elder Dominic’s figure disappeared, even vanishing from the valley entirely.

"Ah, that old knucklehead," Gilbert sighed, cupping his fist at Liam. "I apologize for my fellow branching expert’s behavior. I’m Elder Gilbert from the Stone Heart Sect. Master William, it was a pleasure watching you concoct. Until we meet again."

Gilbert’s figure also disappeared, his presence leaving the valley just as quickly.

Liam remained motionless throughout the event, his hood not moving even after the departures, which didn’t reflect the state of his mind.

Hiss aside, Liam saw something, which was a revolutionary event. After wondering for so long how branching experts could vanish at will, he had finally peeked into the secret of that skill. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

’It’s the world?’ Liam concluded, unsure how to put it into better worlds.

Branching experts weren’t just faster out of virtue of the superiority of their being. The world itself helped them, or something akin to that. It had felt as if the very fabric of the area had parted to allow the Elders’ smoother passage.

In a way, branching experts were more unrestrained in a world Liam had begun to see as frail. He could force through many of its limits, but the two Elders had seemed properly unshackled from them.

That was just an initial realization, a tiny window into that superior stage, but Liam couldn’t dismiss the achievement. Merely seeing that movement vouched for his growth. He was still far away, but he had undoubtedly gotten closer to the level his Master had been to.

Also, Liam believed he would see even more as he advanced through the rooting stage.

Of course, Liam didn’t forget about Grace. He couldn’t with the hiss still raging in his ears. He hurried to retrieve the small crown on the ground, but she was already addressing the crowd when he returned to her.

"Our shop will close for tonight," Grace said, smiling as always, uncaring of the blood that stained her lips or her disheveled hair. "We’ll reopen tomorrow at dawn."

Afterward, Grace grabbed Liam’s arm and dragged him inside the tent, barely giving him enough time to take his cauldron with him. And, once the curtains were sealed, the scolding began.

"What were you thinking?!" Grace held back a shout out of fear that the people outside would hear her. "What if Elder Dominic decides to hold a grudge against you?!"

Liam didn’t really care, not when something more important stood in front of him. His hand rose, diving among the long brown strands to lift Grace’s face from her chin and tilt it to her left.

There was redness on Grace’s cheek. It wasn’t anything serious, and it would heal in no time, but it was evident, at least now.

Grace was conflicted. She still wanted to strangle Liam, both for not telling her that he could hold conversations during concoctions and for his reckless actions.

Yet, if that weren’t loyalty, Grace wouldn’t know what was. Standing up to a branching expert was mental, but she couldn’t be angry at Liam when it had been for her.

"I’m fine," Grace sighed, lowering Liam’s hand. "The next time, just let him hit me. He’ll grow bored and leave after a while."

"I’m not letting anyone hit you," Liam declared, resolute, something in his voice making Grace interrupt the lowering of his hand halfway through.

"Oh, Master William, my hero," Grace mocked, her tone not sounding as angry as she had planned to. "And what would you do if the next time Elder Dominic decides to attack for real?"

Liam diverted his gaze in thought, not that Grace could see the gesture under his hood, before delivering his answer. "Run away, get stronger, return to destroy the Scorching Desert Sect."