Chapter 38
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The Core Orchard in the Dream Weaver Fens had existed for over a thousand years, and once it passed that millennium mark, it had a certain chance of producing a single Astral Sovereign Form Pip.
This was information that even the Abyssal Coven itself was unaware of. Marietta’s father, Boris, had dug it up for her.
Boris’d said, “When you formed your core, your Gilded Core shattered, which meant failure. The one inside you now belonged to Linda, We’ve already used a method to convert that top–grade fire core into a water core, but pushing further upward will be incredibly tough, unless you can draw on the power of a Astral Sovereign Form Pip, plus help from two Barber family elders and your teacher. Only then do you stand chance at breaking through to Astral Sovereign Form.”
Marietta’d said, “And if I can’t get the Astral Sovereign Form Pip
“Then you’re stuck at the Gilded Phase forever.”
She thought, ‘No. Absolutely not!‘
Marietta had seen what happened to Linda, the genius who’d once dazzled the High Sanctum of Archmagi, only to be cast aside by Coleman and Matthew when her cultivation stalled after Condensation of the Primal Core.
In the end, she’d been driven out of the High Sanctum of Archmagi, step by step.
Marietta refused to walk that same path. She absolutely would not.
In this world, she was the one destined to be the protagonist.
Linda was just a stepping stone. Marietta thought, ‘The Astral Sovereign Form Pip has to be mine!‘
Under the swirling water curtain, Toney was still working to break the Enchantment, while Marietta sat cross–legged nearby. keeping watch. Every so often, her eyes would flick to the golden fruit at the very top, unable to conceal the raw ambition and unyielding determination within.
Even when she glanced at Toney, there was a hint of wariness and calculation in her gaze.
If Toney wanted it, she still wouldn’t hand it over.
Deep in the thick fog, a tiny talisman bird kept watch on the scene, its cinnabar–dotted eyes rolling around as if alive.
A mile away, Linda had just unearthed the last Sanguine Swift plant.
Linda dusted off her hands and glanced back at the fog, where the earlier commotion had finally quieted, signaling that the fight inside was over.
Her cleanup was finished too. “All that’s left is this final Alchemical Arbor.”
But Linda didn’t rush in. The tree had led the Nimbus Bastion students on a wild chase around the valley for a full day and night, giving her the time she needed.
Still, she had her doubts about whether it was the real thing.
She’d combed the entire valley and found no other Alchemical Arbor. She wondered, ‘If this isn’t it, then where is the genuine one?‘
Linda tapped her toe on the ground thoughtfully.
Come to think of it, even though this Core Orchard had been in the Dream–Weaver Fens for years, very few had ever actually plucked its fruits.
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PAK GÖZAK İNKYNNETS day us prayed water eat aut taking only what they need?
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So something was off. Yet de wondered, Whar
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Dream Weaver Vent that was the Vet’s newe Bow de wondays, Where are the start? And… the marke
Linda bowed her head in contemplation. The name bore alad to relate to the place before her practically none at
So, the wondered, ‘Is this really the Vel
Linda spun around abruptly, her eyes fixing on the neatby lake.
It was the valley’s only body of water
It was also where the Alchemical Arter had line appeared, though it had since dragged those people along on its run and never circled back
Linda walked over to the lake. She dipped her hand into the water.
It was icy cold, with threads of mana seeping into her skin, a sighat the energy here was overflowing, spilling out in such abundance that it had shaped the entire valley.
Linda’s eyes sharpened. Without another word, the dove heading into the lake, holding her breath as she swam deeper, staring into the murky heart of it.
As she went down, everything seemed ordinary at first, and just when she began to doubt her hunch, a light appeared ahead.
One point, then two, multiplying rapidly.
Soon, they bloomed into a starry sky.
Linda paused, stunned. She took two more steps forward, passing through a veil of water, and suddenly the world inverted around her.
Now she stood alone on the lake’s surface.
It gleamed like a mirror, reflecting a brilliant starry expanse, making it hard to tell where the sky ended and the water began. As she stepped toward the center, soft ripples spread from her feet.
But they faded after just a few rings, leaving everything calm once more.
Nearby, a vibrant red Mana Bough stood in full bloom, its branches curling gracefully, leaves a fiery crimson, heavy with apricot–sized fruits.
They ranged from pale red to pink, deep red, and one eye–catching golden fruit.
Linda’s gaze fixed on the golden one. It was still tiny, as if it had only just emerged from its bud, its faint color hinting at an unripe tartness. Yet it radiated the densest mana of them all.
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18:55 Tue, Jan 20 DG
Chapter 38
If the deep red ones were Sovereign Pips, then this… this had to be the Astral Sovereign Form Pip.
A flicker of intensity crossed Linda’s eyes.
266 muchers
The Sovereign Pips? She could take them or leave them. But the Astral Sovereign Form Pip was another story, a prize worth any gamble.
Breaking through to Astral Sovereign Form on her own? Slim odds in this lifetime. With a boost from something external, though, she might just pull it off.
Even Mack was hunting down Craig’s teacher’s trail, hoping to drag him back to craft Astral Sovereign Form Bolus for her. The problem was the rarity of the ingredients. Even if Aurelio could refine them, rounding up the materials would be a nightmare.
And with all those Gilded Cores churning inside her, she wondered, ‘How many Bolus would I even need?‘
The mere thought made her scalp crawl.
So this Astral Sovereign Form Pip? Perfect for a trial run, to see if it could shove her over the Astral Sovereign Form threshold.
As for the other Sovereign Pips, they’d be a massive help too.
Sure, her talent meant she could form a core without them. But if she could cut some corners, no need to slog through the same old grind.
Linda didn’t hesitate. She headed straight for the tree.
Compared to the spindly little Alchemical Arbor up on the surface, this one was in a league of its own: lush and sprawling, roots delving deep. If the topside one looked a thousand years old, this felt like ten thousand.
Its roots claimed half the lake, plunging down who knew how far
“Uprooting this is going to be a pain,” Linda muttered.
She eyed it up; yanking it out by the roots wouldn’t be straightforward this time. “Might as well harvest the fruits first.”
With her sights on the bounty overhead, she got to work. Top priority: that golden fruit. But it quivered.
The Veil must have detected the intruder. It shuddered abruptly, the lake surface erupting in wild ripples.
Water burst from the lake in a geyser, forming a column that hurtled right at Linda.
She whipped out her long pole to block it, slipping sideways behind the tree. The column hit the Mana Bough and scattered into a soft drizzle, as if hesitant to strike full force.
Linda raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Then she sensed a hostile glare. Looking up, she spotted a child perched next to the golden fruit.
He stared daggers at her, practically screaming: Thief!
18.55 The Jan 20 DC
