Legacy of Hatred-Chapter 53: Horace Rauret

Liam’s almost furious scratching of his forearm didn’t diminish the resolve in the look he pointed at the Alchemy Elder.

The Alchemy Elder noticed that odd habit but didn’t address it. Instead, he stared deep into Liam’s eyes, wanting to find any trace of uncertainty or doubt, only to fail at that.

Of course, that didn’t necessarily mean anything. In the Elder’s eyes, Liam was nothing more than a kid, clueless about the pain that his choice would bring.

However, the little secret Liam kept inside his robe argued otherwise. As unlikely as it sounded, the Alchemy Elder had to accept that Liam had gotten a taste of what awaited him, but his resolve had survived.

"No," The Alchemy Elder refused, standing up and crossing his arms behind his back to approach the balcony’s edge.

Liam blinked in confusion. He thought the previous speech had led to an offer that was up to him to accept, but that refusal left him speechless, silently following the Elder with his gaze.

"A bottleneck stands behind each higher cultivation stage," The Elder announced, staring at the cold spectacle beyond the balcony. "It’s why overcoming them is called a breakthrough."

Liam listened to the explanation despite not understanding its purpose. He still had much to learn about the cultivation journey, so any additional piece of information was welcome.

"But the breakthrough also is when a cultivator is the most vulnerable," The Alchemy Elder explained. "Cultivators face them in secret to avoid anyone from disturbing them, especially enemies who don’t want them to get stronger."

The Apothecary Elder and Lucy had already hinted at that issue, but it expanded now that Liam had lost any illusion of belonging.

It wasn’t just about the possibility of people messing with the core’s nutrients. Cultivators wouldn’t let their enemies get stronger freely. After all, might made right, and achieving it could lead to paybacks.

Despite Liam’s short time in the cultivation journey, he had already made enemies. The Dragon King probably didn’t know about his existence yet, but the white mask and his companion had seen his face and might eventually learn about his escape.

Moreover, after listening to the Alchemy Elder, Liam realized that his immense talent could lead to envy. The Sect encouraged competition, and having a genius like him as an opponent couldn’t sound fair, which probably put a target on his back.

Actually, that didn’t necessarily stop at Liam’s fellow disciples. After all, the Sect’s Elders were also cultivators who looked out for themselves.

"So," The Alchemy Elder exclaimed, as if to confirm Liam’s reasoning, "Cultivators must strive to be self-sufficient. It’s the only way to avoid getting caught and hindered by power struggles and other challenges."

The Alchemy Elder didn’t say it, but Liam applied that speech to the Pale Moon Sect, too. He had already witnessed a hint of that power struggle, and he had to believe that there could be more where it came from.

The realization was depressing, but also unavoidable. Liam had been too caught in all the exciting discoveries to consider where the Pale Moon Sect stood among his long-term goals, but the answer felt obvious now.

Even if the Sect were all sunshine and rainbows, Liam’s goal stretched way beyond it, past the Outer Circles, to the very center of the Inner Circles and the Dragon Kingdom as a whole.

Actually, the Sect being good would have forced Liam to keep his distance even further. After all, his very being stood in opposition to the Dragon King, and he couldn’t involve anyone dear to him in that battle.

Just like the disciples, Elders, and probably the whole Sect wanted to use Liam, he had to use them back, seizing whatever he could before inevitably moving on with his life.

’Is this bleakness all there is to life?’ Liam wondered, only to be proven wrong by his own memories. He recalled a time when he was happy, when his family was alive, and everything was perfect.

Still, Liam also recalled how he had lost all that, and his temporary depression soon turned into hatred.

"I can solve your bottleneck for you," The Alchemy Elder declared, "But I won’t. Instead, I will teach you the noble art of alchemy so that you’ll have the knowledge and skills to face the cultivation journey on your own."

"Alchemy Elder," Liam called, emboldened by his reaffirmed hatred. "Can’t you just teach me how to concoct poisons?"

"Pois-!" The Alchemy Elder gasped, his head snapping at Liam, looking as if he had heard the most ludicrous thing in the world. "Fool! I, Horace Rauret, have dedicated my entire life to the study of alchemy, achieving mastery that was acknowledged throughout the Inner Circles!"

"Were you in the Inner Circles?" Liam gasped, his interest spiking, only for the Alchemy Elder to ignore him completely.

"I shall never teach convenient, half-assed practices that insult my life’s work," The Alchemy Elder continued, leaving the balcony’s edge to approach Liam, stomping his feet in anger. "If you must learn, you will learn everything!"

Liam didn’t really know what the big deal was about, but he didn’t have other options, either. If anything, it was probably good to have such an unbiased, passionate character teaching him something that would be at the core of his cultivation journey.

"I will learn everything, Alchemy Elder," Liam promised, cupping his fist to perform a sitting bow.

"Obviously," The Alchemy Elder scoffed, stopping in front of Liam. "From now on, you shall come here every day at sunset to attend private lessons, and don’t forget to thank your ancestors for it!"

Liam frowned. He didn’t really know who his ancestors were or what they had to do with anything. Actually, his oldest known relative probably was the Snake of Envy as things stood, and he didn’t want to thank it at all.

Yet, something about the Elder’s words reminded Liam of a topic Lucy had explained, which he asked about now.

"Alchemy Elder, does it mean I’m your personal disciple now?" Liam asked.

"Arrogant!" The Alchemy Elder cried in anger. "I, Horace Rauret, have never met anyone worthy of becoming my disciple! You shall still refer to me as Master or Alchemy Master, but only because I’m doing the Sect Leader a favor!"

And Liam’s confusion only deepened. The only thing he seemed to understand was that his Master not-Master liked the sound of his own name.