When I exited the portal, I found myself in the center of a grand audience hall with two rows of chairs in front of me.

The first row, which was level with my head, only had two-thirds of its 25 seats occupied, but each one held a Martial Emperor. This group included Ganzorig, who I had met in the realm of the Endless Chain Sovereign. The Emperors in this row ranged from levels 1 to 9, but they all had oddly fragile cores like I had first sensed in Ganzorig.

The second row, which rose up high above the first, only had sixteen seats, with barely over a third of them being occupied. These Emperors were both fewer in number and lower in level, but they felt much more powerful. None was above Emperor 5, but each had a pristine foundation that radiated an aura of true strength.

At the center of this upper row was what looked like a sandalwood tree that was covered in green bark. To its left was a creature formed of tangled, green vines, not unlike the Hall Master back in the Hall of the Herb King. To its right was a bulbous flower that was taller than a man and had a stem thicker than a torso. The petals of this flower were those of a blood-red lotus.

Both the tangle of vines and the blood-red flower were Peak Emperors with impeccable cultivation bases. The tree, however, was a mid-level Sovereign.

Finally, directly in front of me, acting almost like a barrier between me and the rows of powerful Rulers, was Emperor Chan. He looked somewhat haggard, but his face was set in a mask of grim determination.

The Sovereign-level tree shook as it released a wave of qi. “Pill Lord Fang, I am Sovereign Enkhtuya, Palace Master of the Heroes’ Domain and Emissary of the Saint of Myriad Herbs. I welcome you to the Palace of the Herb Sovereign.”

I immediately cupped my fists and dropped into a deep bow. “Greetings, Emissary.”

“Pill Lord Fang, you have proven yourself worthy of joining my Palace. Additionally, you have shown a sufficient level of skill at a enough young enough age that you are eligible to take one of our Emperors as your mentor—if any wish to accept you, that is.”

A soft burst of qi emanated from the vine-like creature on the Sovereign’s left. This qi didn’t form words, not exactly, but my System-purchased knowledge of the urgamal’s language allowed me to understand its meaning.

I have no interest in the human.

Then, qi emanated from the giant flower.

I will not assist a human in stealing what is ours by right.

Acting as if this interruption never happened, the Sovereign shook her leaves. “Each Emperor who wishes to mentor you will speak in the order of their seniority. You may accept their offer, or you may reject it. Be warned, though. Do not reject an offer lightly, as it may be the last. If all offers are rejected, you will be forced to navigate the Palace on your own.”

After giving me a moment to let this sink in, the Sovereign shook once more. “Let us begin.”

One of the Emperors in the top row looked like she was about to speak, but Emperor Chan stepped forward before she could. “Su Fang, I am not one of the Palace’s elders, but I am still one of its members. And, as the one who brought you here, it is my right to be the first to make you an offer.”

Emperor Chan was speaking in my direction, but these words were not meant for me. His true target, that Emperor in the top row, bristled at this statement, but she didn’t speak up to rebuke it.

Ignoring the distraction, I focused on Emperor Chan.

“Without an official position in the Palace, I lack the resources of the other Emperors and am unable to offer you any meaningful material support. However, I will share my knowledge with you and assist you in solving your current dilemma.”

I studied the man. Even if he didn’t have an official position, the way Ganzorig and the Endless Chain Sovereign had treated him during that banquet suggested things weren’t so simple. Also, while Chan might not have access to the same resources as one of the Palace’s elders, he had still been able to reach Peak Emperor with a strong foundation. So, he had to have gotten resources from somewhere.

Did I want to work with this man?

During the month that I traveled with Emperor Chan, I had only seen him a handful of times, but I had never gotten the sense that he was trying to harm me or any of the others. Yes, his advice had caused many of those we traveled with to leave and join the factions we met along the way, but I had never felt that he had done this out of malice or self-interest. He had honestly believed that joining those factions had been for the best.

More to the point, did I even want a mentor? As long as I became a well-known alchemist and had access to the Palace’s library, I should be able to learn most of what I needed on my own. Accepting a mentor would mean accepting whatever restrictions the mentor deemed appropriate, and that could interfere with accomplishing my objectives.

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That said, if Chan were willing to allow me to do whatever I felt best while also providing me with a modicum of support, having him as my mentor could be useful.

Before agreeing to anything, though, I needed specifics. “What are you offering?”

“Based on what you have shown us of your alchemy skills, there is not much that any of us can teach you. It seems you lack the knowledge of how to make pills with more than three patterns, but that will be easy enough to learn once you have access to the Palace’s library. Once you know the trick, it’s all about either practice or uncovering secret recipes. You should be able to learn this on your own, but if you desire access to as many secret recipes as possible, then you should go with either Leung or Saran.”

Emperor Chan’s words caused two of the men on the top row to sit a little straighter.

“As for herbalism, your performance proved that your current knowledge is full of holes, with some skills being excellent and others being nonexistent. However, I am a Pill Emperor. These are things that I cannot teach you. The Palace’s library will help, but if you wish to master this skill, then you should consider someone like Sarnai.”

A smile appeared on the face of the woman who had tried to speak to me before Chan.

Emperor Chan reached to his waist and drew a saber that was brimming with energy. “I am not a master of the moon spade, so I also cannot teach you how to use your weapon properly. However, no one in the Palace is able to rival my skill with the blade. I can teach you basic methods for increasing your bond with your weapon, and, when you are ready, I should be able to assist you in finding a proper trainer.”

Chan performed a quick flourish that ended with his saber returning to his scabbard. “The most valuable thing that I can offer you, however, is knowledge. You have placed yourself in the middle of a maelstrom without even knowing who all is involved or what their interests are. If your blessing fizzles out and doesn’t assist you in advancing beyond your current level, then you will simply be tossed to the side and forgotten. However, if the current trend continues and you are able to consistently concoct patterned pills that are two Ranks above your cultivation base, then the storm will sweep you away. I can give you the knowledge you need to prevent this from happening.”

Emperor Chan turned his head slightly, enough to indicate the rows of Emperors behind him without actually looking at them. “I can help you learn what you need to know so that certain self-interested parties do not sink their teeth into you any more than necessary.”

The woman on the top row, Sarnai, jumped to her feet in outrage. “Sovereign Enkhtuya, we cannot allow this to continue! If Chan gets his claws into the boy—”

A powerful eruption of qi erupted from the giant, Emperor-level flower, and an imperious voice echoed through the chamber. “Silence. It is not your turn to speak. The child must be allowed to make his decision without any interference.”

The flower was vibrating in rage as another, softer wave of qi rolled off it. Let the traitor take him. Wanting to compete for the position of our Saint? The audacity of humans knows no bounds.

The tangle of vines let out a pulse of qi in response. Calm yourself, Sister. The human child is no threat. Better to use him than to let him be wasted.

The flower then let out a short puff of qi that I could only interpret as a huff of annoyance.

Without my ability to understand this private conversation, I might have been fooled into thinking these urgamal were aloof beings that only cared about rules and fairness. With it, I could see that they were scheming creatures that would insult people to their face just because they believed no one could understand them. It was all too… human.

That thought made me chuckle. There were assholes everywhere. Why would plant creatures be any different? Best not to judge an entire species on a single interaction.

Setting these thoughts aside, I focused back on Emperor Chan. The flower had called him a ‘traitor,’ and he was the only ‘half-breed’ I had met that used the same naming conventions as the local humans. This suggested that he was deeply involved in the politics of this region.

While exploring the Temple of the Herb Saint might be interesting, my ultimate goal was to find a place in the Heroes’ Domain to settle my clan so that I could build them up into an Ancestor-level force. If Chan had a strong connection with the locals, then he would be in a far better position to help me with this than those who only cared about events in some distant domain I knew nothing about.

Still, Emperor Chan had been selling himself pretty hard, and I had to wonder why. For a Peak Emperor to put in so much effort just to recruit a lowly Master, there had to be a reason. Yes, I had displayed an inordinate amount of talent, but talent alone wouldn’t normally warrant this level of attention. Chan might have criticized the other Emperors for being self-interested, but where did his interests lie?

I looked straight at the man. “What do you get from this?”

Emperor Chan nodded, and a pleased expression crossed his face. “The competition to join the Temple of the Herb Saint will begin in 20 years. If you lead our Palace to victory in the alchemy portion of its opening round, whoever is your mentor will receive a boon, the details of which we can discuss later. This is what most of the Emperors in front of you are after. Even if your blessing does not falter, winning even this first round will not be easy, but you have given some of them hope that it is at least possible.”

After I signaled my understanding, Emperor Chan continued, “To me, however, this boon is of no importance. What I need are pills. Three specific pills. As many as you are willing to produce. One is a Rank 4 pill, one is Rank 5, and the last is Rank 6. While I am capable of concocting the Rank 4 pill, the quality that I am able to produce is less than ideal. My clan will provide the necessary ingredients and compensate you fairly for your work. I would only ask that you make the highest quality pills possible and do so at a fair price.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sarnai’s eyes go wide as her hand moved to cover her mouth. “Sovereign—”

The formidable Emperor was only able to whisper that one word before being silenced by pressure from Sovereign Enkhtuya.

Chan’s intent gaze drew my attention back to him. “I will have no way of forcing you to make these pills. After you enter the Temple, I will no longer have any hold over you. I can only hope that you remember this agreement and uphold your end of the deal.”

I looked at the Emperor and spent a long minute considering what he was offering. It was too good to be true, and the fear that I sensed from many of the Palace's Emperors confirmed this. Chan didn’t seem to be lying, though. He just seemed… desperate.

While I could ask for more details, Emperor Chan had already said what he wanted to say. It was time for me to make a decision.

I gave a martial salute and bowed. “Please assist me, Mentor Chan.”