While Liam's question might have sounded casual, everything about him was extremely wary of the newcomer. A mid-stage branching expert deserved as much.
The casual tone only had to do with Liam's genuine immersion in his new ability. He was always at his most serious when it came to alchemy. Such was his devotion.
For once, Liam's words didn't lead to a barrage of shouts. The newcomer didn't even seem to have taken offense, and his stern inspection of the area explained why.
Liam was indeed a newly advanced branching expert, but his presence said otherwise. The advantage that had carried over from the rooting stage gave him the aura of a cultivator fully established in the low-stage, and that wasn't all.
Nothing had escaped the rank 2 Poisonous Breath, and Liam's continuous release of black Qi had touched anything that might have.
