Martin ignored them and walked straight into the alchemy hall. The monk on duty glanced at his token and handed him a small wooden box containing a low-grade holy crystal fragment and a Light-Gathering Pill. Martin put them in his storage pouch and left without a word.
As he passed the group, Sebastian called out, "Hey, Martin. I heard you became Elder Augustine's disciple. What a joke. A waste like you, a disciple? The holy light must be blind."
Martin stopped. He turned and looked at Sebastian calmly. "We'll see who the real waste is."
Sebastian laughed. "You? You couldn't even pass the aptitude test. What makes you think you can cultivate? You'll be stuck at the first level of Gathering Light for the rest of your life."
The girl with the childlike eyes looked at Martin curiously. "Sebastian, don't be so mean. He's your cousin."
Sebastian sneered. "Cousin? He's an embarrassment to the Lynn family. His father couldn't even keep his inheritance, and now the son can't even pass a simple test."
Martin's eyes narrowed. He remembered every insult. But he said nothing. He turned and walked away.
Behind him, he heard Sebastian's mocking laughter.
Back in his room, Martin closed the door and sat on his bed. He took out the stone bead and examined it. Nine clouds. He was sure that the tenth cloud would appear soon. He had three gourds of dew, one of which had turned into a thick, jelly-like substance.
He hesitated. Should he use the dew to feed the bead? Or should he drink the dew himself to accelerate his cultivation?
He decided to experiment. He took the gourd with the thickest dew—the one collected from morning dew. He carefully poured a few drops onto the stone bead.
The bead absorbed the dew instantly. The cloud patterns seemed to shimmer faintly. Martin watched intently. Nothing else happened.
He poured a few more drops. Still nothing.
He continued, drop by drop, until half the gourd was empty. Then he saw it—a faint outline of a tenth cloud began to form on the empty space of the bead.
His heart raced. He poured the rest of the gourd's contents onto the bead. The tenth cloud became clearer, but it was still faint, not fully formed.
I need more dew, Martin thought. He looked at the other two gourds. He hesitated. These were his reserves for cultivation. But his curiosity got the better of him. He opened the second gourd and poured its dew onto the bead.
The tenth cloud grew more distinct. But still not complete. He opened the third gourd. This one contained ordinary dew, not as potent as the morning dew. He poured it all.
The tenth cloud finally solidified. The bead now had ten clouds, completely covering its surface. It glowed faintly for a moment, then returned to its ordinary gray appearance.
Martin held it, turning it over. Nothing seemed different. He was disappointed. Had he wasted all his dew for nothing?
Then he noticed something. The bead felt warmer than before. He put it in a cup of ordinary spring water. The water immediately began to bubble slightly, and a faint, sweet smell rose from it. He took a sip. The water was far more potent than before—the holy energy in it was several times stronger.
He smiled. The tenth cloud had enhanced the bead's power. Now, even ordinary water soaked with the bead would be as effective as the morning dew used to be.
He refilled his gourds with fresh spring water and placed the bead in one of them. He would let it soak overnight.
The next morning, he drank the water. Warmth spread through his body. He sat down to cultivate, using the special breathing method. This time, the crawling sensation came quickly—within minutes. He felt a tiny stream of holy energy enter his body and settle in his lower abdomen.
He had finally reached the first level of Gathering Light.