101 A Short Reunion, A Small Breakthrough (1/2)

Jam approached the large gates which closed off the cultivation academy, but as he crossed the 100 kilometer mark, a grand formation silently sent an alert to the formation keeper within the academy. Before long, a fleet of Saints led by a single Sage flew out from the academy to go meet the intruders.

Jam's group had barely crossed a kilometer since the alarm went off when, from a distance, they could see the fleet of seniors from the Cultivation Academy shoot towards them at supersonic speeds. Everyone stopped to meet the fleet on good terms, and as they stood waiting, the Saints all stopped about 100 meters away from them, but…. The Sage kept flying towards Jam with an unidentifiable glint shining in her eyes.

Jam was suddenly stuck immobile as a familiar face stared into his eyes and a gentle hand lifted his chin. Not at all bothered by this suggestive position he had been put in, Jam smiled as he looked in a pair of golden eyes he hadn't seen for eight years. Still in this position, Jam said ”I'm glad to see you too, but right now isn't the time to be gazing into each other's eyes...”

Jam's words made the Sage before him slightly tremble as she pulled back her swarthy hands. She didn't stop staring at Jam as she pulled away from him, instead saying ”So you guys didn't die after all...” Then against all expectations, she punched Jam right in the shoulder. There wasn't much force or energy driving the punch so Jam barely even moved. But along with that action, the Sage said ”You… where were you hiding for the past eight years…”

Jam was unsettled as the tone of the Sage's voice didn't at all convey joy for his return or sadness that he was gone. Rather, it seemed like she was mad at him for something… ”Because of you… we… we...” Anger and ”killing” intent that rivaled Jam at his peak began to overpower everyone for dozens of kilometers ”WE LOST.”

Finally, Jam couldn't help but ask ”Latoya, what are you talking about?”

”Che! You were my hidden ace! The best up-and-coming alchemist our academy has seen in centuries! But you just had to up and leave in my time of need.” When Latoya's killing intent finally reached its max output, she smiled a devilish smile and looked at Jam like he was a sacrifice, continuing ”Don't worry you've come back right on time for the next Quinquennial Alchemist's Gathering. You'll surely get us back to the top five...”

'This fucking… she'll get me killed...' Jam was sweating bullets as he was helpless before Latoya. She might be a reclusive Alchemy Head, but her cultivation as a Sage was the real deal, and going by the pressure she caused him, she most definitely surpassed the Greater Sage mark…

From the sidelines, a half-dead Rina slouched over to Latoya's side, saying ”Hi… master...”

As if she had seen a weaker, more helpless prey, the savage that was Latoya practically screeched ”Oh? ANOTHER ONE?” In truth she had noticed Rina way before she saw Jam, as master and disciple, she had spent much more time with Rina after all. It's just she wanted to reserve Rina's bashing for another time, perhaps to not embarrass her like she did with Jam…

”I'll deal with you after I'm done with my little Jam over here...” Then Latoya proceeded to explain to Jam what the Alchemist's Gathering was. As Jam heard more and more of what would take place in just a couple more months, a mixture of fear and anticipation painted an abstract picture on his face.

The Alchemist's Gathering would be just one small part of the Quinquennial Gathering of Secondary Occupations. Every five years, all the orthodox sects and clans across the entirety of the Mortal Plane would get together to show off their younger generation's strength. It was common knowledge that the younger generation would eventually replace the old, thus the best way to see how sects would compare in the future would be with the younger generation.

Secondary occupations were a cornerstone of cultivation in general, so comparing which sects had the best alchemist, refiners, incriptionists, and so on, would set a precedence for how the sects would fare against each other in a couple hundred, thousand, or tens of thousands of years down the line.

Jam was naturally scared of the gathering as it meant that he would probably face similar reactions after he entered the sect, as he was practically the most talented person in each category of secondary occupations. However, he was excited in anticipation of the fabulous rewards he would be award not just by the event itself, but by the academy for advancing their rank.

One thing that confused Jam as he was escorted back into the academy by Latoya, was… Weren't they at war right now? How would they have time for some gathering if they were at odds with some other faction?

Jam naturally asked this question which brought about a dark look from Latoya. As she explained it ”The war this time around isn't really a war per say… rather everyone is just fighting over some Immortal Treasures that appeared… eh? They appeared on your home planet now that I recall… Earth was it?”

Jam eyebrows curved up in query as Latoya continued ”Wait… now that I think about it… the Immortal Treasures appeared eight years ago, right around two weeks before you guys were supposed to leave from the Titanic Beast Mountain Range.”

Immortal Treasures appeared two weeks before Jam's group was suppose to leave the pocket dimension to return from their expedition? Jam had many thoughts run through his head as the date line up almost too perfectly… However, none of that would matter for now as he could only get answers to his questions by visiting Earth personally.