It was midday by the time Liam climbed the wooden staircase that marked the beginning of the Roaring Thunder Sect, carrying the rank 1 cauldron on his shoulders.

Liam wasn’t alone, but the one who had brushed his headache away wasn’t there. Grace had much to do, and that often involved meeting merchants past the Sect’s boundaries, so she couldn’t accompany Liam in the imminent demonstration.

Instead, Philip had taken it upon himself to escort Liam to the place the Sect had arranged for his concoctions, a destination at which the two arrived in no time for obvious reasons.

Despite receiving the Sect’s hospitality, Liam and Grace weren’t free to roam around. They weren’t even allowed to see what the Roaring Thunder Sect actually consisted of, limiting their access to the lowermost areas.

One of those areas was a large plateau carved into the mountain’s slope, covered in wooden tiles and encircled by rails with fancy carvings. It was vast enough to host a hundred people, but Liam had sensed more than that while crossing the few bridges and stairs needed to reach it.

The plateau was crawling with young faces wearing orange robes. The vast majority were foundation experts, but more than a few cultivators in the rooting stage also sat on the wooden floor, encircling the platform at the area’s center.

The crowd didn’t make Liam anxious, but confirmed something he had guessed after seeing the vault. The Roaring Thunder Sect was superior to the Pale Moon Sect, be it in terms of resources and sheer number of disciples.

"Master William," Philip called at that point, stepping aside. "We have arrived."

Normally, Philip would have added something else, be it reassuring words, praises, or general pleasantries. However, the situation was tense after Liam had disappeared for three weeks, preventing Philip from being biased.

Grace had already warned Liam about that, and he genuinely didn’t mind. He knew he would stay true to his word anyway, so mere appearances couldn’t affect him.

Besides, that time was for alchemy, meaning that nothing else could exist.

Liam nodded under the hood and navigated the sitting crowd to climb on the elevated platform and retrieve the talismans inside the cauldron. Instead, Philip went in the opposite direction, having to get the materials Liam needed.

By the time Liam was set, Philip and a handful of foundation experts returned to the plateau, carrying logs and ingredients in large quantities, as many as the central platform could fit.

And, once Philip and the rest of the escort joined the sitting crowd below, a series of heavier looks descended from the Sect’s upper areas. The Elders were also paying attention, wanting to see whether Liam was pulling off a scam.

"Master William," One disciple among the crowd, a rooting expert, asked. "What will you be concocting?"

Liam didn’t stop arranging the log and ingredients while an answer resounded from under his hood. "Rank 2 healing pills."

Murmurs and excited gasps resounded among the audience. Healing pills were a priceless commodity, one that would never be useless, making them among the most valuable and expensive alchemical products.

That choice was by design. Liam had burned through a lot of goodwill, so he would reassure the Sect by starting with the most valuable product among his commissions.

The commissions for a Sect that big were obviously in the hundreds, but Liam had accounted for that. The list wasn’t even limited to rank 2 products, but he had taken that into consideration, too.

Rank 2 concoctions were longer. Liam could only complete around ten a day, but each would yield three to four products. The numbers increased with the rank 1 counterparts, meaning that two weeks could be more than enough to fulfill the Sect’s commissions.

Of course, that was as long as Liam didn’t make mistakes, and his seclusion had prevented exactly that.

Liam dealt with the first batch, then the second, and eventually the third. By the sixth, it was deep into the night. The constant cover of thundering dark clouds above hid that change, but a more meaningful one had unfolded.

Once over twenty rank 2 healing pills were complete, the heavy attentions waned, at least when it came to its suffocating aspects. Branching experts still inspected Liam’s work, but out of interest instead of wariness now.

But Liam wasn’t done, not even close.

The extreme seclusion had drained Liam to the point of collapse, but had also strengthened him. He now had four fully developed minor roots, meaning more stamina, mental resilience, and Qi reserves.

That didn’t mean Liam could concoct endlessly, especially rank 2 products, since the alchemical flame for them required more energy.

Liam still needed breaks. The only way to avoid them was to abuse pills and elixirs again, which he preferred not to do. As resilient as his cultivation was, he ran the risk of clogging himself with impurities, as his Master had done.

Nevertheless, short naps and intense smoking sessions more than sufficed. The lingering exhaustion from the seclusion even vanished despite the intense routine, and in exactly three weeks, Liam was not only done with the Sect’s commissions. Even Grace’s demands were all but fulfilled.

If Liam were to stop there, leaving his personal needs unfulfilled, he would still consider himself satisfied. He had completed over one thousand alchemical products in that period, many of which were rank 2.

Knowledge and experience were their own rewards. Liam had been able to train in what mattered the most to him for free, fully establishing himself as an alchemist who could handle concoctions at his level.

But there was still time before the agreed-upon departure, and the additional rewards wouldn’t only come out of Liam’s cauldron.

"Are you sure we can’t convince you to stay longer?" Beatrice asked while escorting Liam down the mountain’s slope. "I’m sure the Roaring Thunder Sect can satisfy any of your needs."

Beatrice’s behavior had made a U-turn after that period. Her sternness was nowhere to be found, replaced by a polite smile, and for good reason.

Most of what Liam had concocted had gone to the Sect, meaning around seven hundred alchemical products. That accumulation would last for years, even enabling additional trades or expansion plans.

Also, Beatrice had witnessed firsthand how Liam accomplished all that without making mistakes. Such a feat surpassed any alchemist the neighboring Sects could hire.

As an asset, Liam was too valuable, which was exactly why Beatrice couldn’t be forceful. In three mere weeks, he had earned himself respect that only Elders were owed, leading her to resort to bribery and appealing promises.

"Senior, you honor me," Liam said, "But we have made previous arrangements. Grace and I must leave next week."

"Let’s discuss this another time," Beatrice exclaimed, not wanting to take that as Liam’s final answer. "In the meantime, are we still in agreement about the morning lessons? The disciples can’t wait to receive more direct guidance."

Liam had answered questions during the public concoctions, but they were quite technical. It definitely was priceless knowledge, but the ability to apply it or even understand it was far from implied.

"From dawn till midday," Liam confirmed, "But only basics. I can’t teach my alchemy."

"Master William, that’s already more than our disciples were ever taught," Beatrice reassured, despite having plans of her own for that phase of Liam’s stay, too.

The two reached the plateau where Liam’s cave was rather quickly. It was empty now, even recently swept, and Grace was standing at its center.

"Ah, Chief Grace, you are punctual as always," Beatrice exclaimed as the two reached Grace.

"Senior, it would be unbecoming to be late after your great hospitality," Grace politely bowed.

"Nonsense," Beatrice scoffed. "You Juniors have been exemplary guests. Our disciples should take inspiration."

That was a veiled jab at wanting to recruit both Liam and Grace, but Beatrice didn’t let it echo. She only planted the idea, reinforcing the strategy with something else.

"I almost forgot," Beatrice added. "My fellow Elders confirmed the validity of what you brought us and agreed to the trade."

Beatrice retrieved a small tome from her sleeve, offering it to Grace.

"This martial art may be complicated to learn," Beatrice announced, "But it’s among the best rank 2 defensive techniques our Sect has to offer. Of course, you can’t bring it outside the Sect’s grounds, and we would know if you attempted to make copies."