Tower of Heaven

'The final step…'

Two Spirit Stems, one Frost Flower Root, a portion of Clear Spring Dew, three Flame Heart Leaves, and a bed of Wandering Grass. With ten ingredients in the cauldron, Atlas controlled his spiritual sense to extract their essences and hold them in place.

Each ingredient received a different level of flame, controlled also by spiritual sense, and all that was left was to bring all of these individual essences together and condense them into a pill.

The multitude of liquids in the cauldron came closer and closer, revolving around each other rapidly. Their elements and properties mixed and clashed. With Atlas' control keeping them at bay, they found harmony and came together as one.

As the liquid continued to revolve, it became mushy and eventually completely solid. The movement naturally formed the shape of a perfect sphere, but it was far too big to be consumed easily.

During that final moment, Atlas separated the mixture into six different entities, six individual pills.

And when the lid of the alchemy cauldron popped off…

"Good."

Atlas grinned as he grabbed the pills that floated out.

"All perfect."

There were no blemishes on their surfaces. They were a pristine and milky white color like pearls that were too precious to eat, but in reality, they were lifesavers that would inevitably save him one day.

One and a half years. In one and a half years, Atlas had reached a level where he could make Tier 3 Earth Grade Pills as he pleased.

The current batch was of All-Purpose Healing Pills, the improved version of the same pill he took on the 10th Floor to heal his broken body.

'After what happened in the Fallen Immortal's Tomb, it is better to be cautious. Even if I can heal using [Regeneration], others cannot do the same.'

Plus, [Regeneration] wasn't always viable. If Atlas needed to conserve mental power, it was better to use pills to heal himself.

"Finally, you're done!"

Atlas wasn't in the Sanctum, so getting interrupted was normal.

"How long have you been standing there?" he asked in return without even turning around to identify the source of the voice.

He knew who it was. It could really only be one person.

"Not for long," Artemia responded with a grin.

"I had to come get you eventually, though. You know what day it is today, don't you?"

Atlas nodded.

Artemia had been talking about it nonstop for the past few years.

"The Friendly Exchange Meeting is today, right?"

"Exactly!"

Artemia smashed her fist into her hand as she continued.

"I've been waiting for today. Sparring against you is fun and all, but ever since you broke through, it's like it's impossible for me to win. Those guys aren't monsters like you, so I'm sure they'll be good experience."

Atlas smirked under his mask.

Did she really think so?

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The Friendly Exchange Meeting today was something that occurred every ten years between the members of the Tatsuya Clan and the members of the 36th Demon Legion of Ars Goetia.

'Ars Goetia has…9 heads? They are called the Demon Kings, and I heard that one of them was replaced recently, but the one that commands the 36th Demon Legion should be Vinea.'

From what Atlas knew, he was a lion-headed demon who also had some strong connections to water. The 36th Demon Legion shared Vanatos with the Tatsuya Clan, so it was natural for them to meet every once in a while to establish friendly relations.

In the case of the Friendly Exchange Meeting, from Artemia's behavior, it was obvious that the meeting was meant for sparring between the young geniuses of the two clans.

'The demons of the 36th Demon Legion are obviously strong, but if she thinks they hold a candle to her, then she is truly blind.'

Atlas had to admit that he had become far stronger as his training continued. He could no longer be compared to any ordinary Earth Sage genius.

However, Artemia was still able to give him a hard time. Regardless of how many times he won, it was undeniable that she was a strong contender for this generation's greatest.

As she rambled on about the event, Atlas packed up his alchemy supplies and prepared to accompany her.

'I'm not participating, but it isn't bad for me to see the level of these two clans' great geniuses.'

More importantly, there were more demons and divine beasts in Vanatos than ever before as people came to watch the Friendly Exchange Meeting. There were bound to be interesting things ahead.

The event was already set up. In fact, some parts of the exchange had already begun some days ago. This event was not only for the clans, but for the people. As such, the cities near the Tatsuya Clan were filled with the cultures that represented this region of Vanatos and that one for the common people to enjoy.

Atlas decided not to participate in those. He was too close to completion in his alchemy studies to leave. However, now that he was able to consistently make Earth Grade Pills, he had time to spare.

The next real step was to enter the Tower and continue climbing. Preparing for Dusk before he did so could wait until the meeting ended.

Once he was ready, he accompanied Artemia into the city of Rona where the battle arena was located.

Artemia's battles would take place a few days later, but since Atlas had promised to free his schedule for today, she still took him to watch the battles of the day.

It was definitely interesting to see the strengths of the even younger generations of the Azure Dragon Clan. Most of them came from branch families, but the Tatsuya Clan wasn't one that monopolized power.

Even these indirect lines and branch families were given the means to become powerful and support themselves. It wasn't a waste of time to see how these people performed.

More importantly…

'I understand why she wanted me to come. The 36th Demon Legion is truly formidable.'

Techniques like those were unknown to Atlas. Demons didn't exist in great quantities in the Mortal Realm of the past.

'They are more feral, at least in terms of how they fight. There is a negative stigma surrounding them, but the core of their technique is not evil.'

Instead, the demons seemed to become stronger through battle. Their techniques were belligerent and attuned to the Slaughter Dao, but in this exhibition, they were used with respect and control.

Atlas had to respect it.

'The many races aside from humanity have always been interesting in their strengths and weaknesses.'

He knew it in his past life and he knew it even more now.

However, as Atlas spent the day outside, he felt something strange in his chest.

He looked around with an odd look on his face, but there was nothing in his direct vicinity to provoke such a feeling.

That only left one thing.

'[Intuition] has activated.'

It was telling him something, something about the environment around him.

'The clouds…are dark today.'

The clouds were dark in a Vanatos that only ever had clear skies.

It was a sign of a foreboding future.

But, unfortunately, not many were wise enough to recognize it.