Chapter 1780 — Chapter 1780 Alchemy Tower

"Anyway, before you leave for the Alchemy Tower, let me show you around our Array Tower," said Wan Qing.

"Sure."

Thus, Wan Qing began showing Yuan around the tower. The Array Tower was much less restrictive than the other towers, so they were able to visit almost every floor.

Like the other towers, the array masters in the Array Tower have different roles. Some focus on creating new formations, while others improve existing ones. Wan Qing, specifically, specialized in improving formations.

"How long have you been studying arrays?" Wan Qing asked as they walked around.

"Not long. I started learning the basics a few years ago, and I am currently learning from a Level 7 Array Master."

"A level 7 Array Master, huh? I wonder when I'll reach that level. I was just promoted to level 6, so it'll probably take some time."

After the tour, Wan Qing led Yuan back to the first floor and said, "Well, good luck at the Alchemy Tower. They have the strictest requirements out of the five Breakthrough Towers—at least according to rumors."

"Thank you," Yuan nodded.

After leaving the Array Tower, Yuan made his way to the Alchemy Tower.

'I have visited four Breakthrough Towers, but none of them gave me any bad vibes… No… I have only been to the first floor of the Metal Tower, so I cannot really judge them with my current knowledge.'

Moreover, he has yet to investigate the towers properly, including the three he'd already joined.

Sometime later, Yuan arrived in the city housing the Alchemy Tower. The moment he stepped out of the teleportation formation, a potent aroma of medicinal herbs and concoctions filled the air, immediately assaulting his senses.

"Tier 5 pills! We have Tier 5 pills for sale!"

"Come get your Burning Lotus Pills here! Only available in this store!"

As Yuan made his way toward the Alchemy Tower, he noticed that nearly every street he passed featured at least one medicine store.

Yuan ignored the bustling noise and shouting around him as he followed the path leading directly to the Alchemy Tower. However, when he was almost at his destination, he suddenly came to a halt when he felt a weak tug on his robes.

Turning around, he saw a young boy with a homeless appearance clutching the lower part of his robes, his small, dirty hand holding on tightly as he looked up at Yuan.

"What's the matter?"

"Big brother, have you seen my mother?"

"No, I haven't."

"Are you sure? She left a week ago, heading toward the place you seem to be going right now," he said.

"I've only just arrived at this city today, so there's no way I could've seen her, who left a week ago."

"I see… Then she must be inside that tower. Are you heading to the tower now?"

Yuan nodded.

"In that case, can you tell her to return to me if you see her? I miss her."

"What does she look like?"

The little boy gave him a brief description.

"Alright. I'll let your mother know if I see her inside the tower."

"Thank you!"

The little boy turned around and ran away.

"..."

Yuan watched the little boy disappear into the alley, a strange feeling settling in his stomach. By now, he was too familiar with the workings of the Stairway to Heaven to not realize that the boy had nothing to do with the trial. However, since he lacked information, he decided to ignore it for now and continued making his way to the Alchemy Tower.

When Yuan reached the entrance of the Alchemy Tower and took in the scene before him, he was immediately reminded of the Metal Tower. Much like its counterpart, the first floor appeared to function as a bustling marketplace, with stalls and shops dedicated to selling various medical products, from herbs and pills to rare ingredients.

There was also a sign outside the entrance that read, "Pill Grandmasters must qualify to join the Alchemy Tower. Alchemy Emperors and above may join the Alchemy Tower without needing any assessment."

"Pill Grandmasters are Tier 5 Alchemists, and Alchemy Emperors are Tier 6…" Yuan muttered to himself.

He had only managed to concoct a tier 1 pill before, and the chances of him becoming a Tier 5 Alchemist before the reward time limit were slim to none.

'I definitely won't have the time to become a Tier 5 Alchemist and investigate the towers. Since I have no choice, let's just sneak around the Alchemy Tower.'

With that in mind, Yuan entered the Alchemy Tower to begin his snooping around.

'In order to even visit the other floors, I will need a badge from someone who works in the Alchemy Tower…'

There was a minor teleportation formation that connected every floor in the tower, and only those with a badge could access the formation. However, being a Level 5 Array Master, Yuan had a feeling he could crack the formation.

After activating Shadow Veil, Yuan's body became shrouded in a dark, ethereal veil, completely erasing his presence from the senses of those around him. Cloaked in this shadowy aura, he moved silently toward the teleportation formation on the other side of the building.

Despite walking past thousands of people, not a single individual seemed aware of his presence. Even those who looked directly at him gazed past him as if he were invisible, completely oblivious to his existence.

The area around the teleport formation was empty since it could only be accessed by the Alchemists of the Alchemy Tower. Seeing this, Yuan took his time to analyze the formation.

'Thankfully, this formation is only level 5, even if it's slightly more complex than usual.'

After spending many minutes analyzing the formation, Yuan managed to crack it, gaining access to it without needing a badge.

Yuan thought about going straight to the peak of the tower but decided to search from floor to floor, starting from the second floor.

Once he was prepared, he stepped into the teleport formation.