20 Heaven's Authority

Entering class there was not much of a commotion.

Many had gathered reputation for their attitude, intelligence, manner or their quirkiness.

It was not a surprise for Dean to be wrapped in bandages that covered up his scars and hold a bottle full of medications meant to heal him.

The same could be said for the young man that Dean dueled against. Although there was no bandages that wrapped around him there was instead a pale complexion that showed he didn't feel too well.

One surprising factor was Leonard. Most people by now had already learnt of his noble status as well as his unconventional cultivation level.

With this knowledge in hand they placed him on a league above theirs however what was with the gauze and the long sleeved shirt.

It seemed he was embarrassed of the wounds

Others may flaunt their injuries as a sign of courage or bravery. The reason could be the fact that they survived from a dangerous event or maybe they had fought against an opponent they greatly respected.

Another would be those that didn't care. An example would be Dean who didn't cover nor flaunt his scars. They were treated as nothing more than an injury that'll be there forever unless they eventually disappeared.

Then there was the last type, those who are embarrassed. This ranged from the backstory to the way the injury was received.

Most people Dean imagined wouldn't be proud to have received a bruise after tripping on nothing.

"Who injured him?"

"Did he offend someone?"

Discussions started to buzz around the class.

To offend a person that had a greater background than Leonard would make a few in the class sneer at his misfortune because they just purely liked gossip.

For those that wanted to befriend or ally with Leonard were subtly afraid and weren't as willing to talk to Leonard if he did offend someone.

Why make friends with a person who can only bring trouble?

Dean obviously knew the truth as he was the one that caused those injuries.

Leonard should be thankful to Dean since he enabled him to have a much more quiet life without people crowding all over his business.

Having a calm and indifferent attitude towards life, Dean leaned towards the logic that it was more of Leonard's preference of clothing rather than his feelings.

....

Class passed with nothing that Dean had felt was important.

After going to his other classes there was a sense of boredom in Dean.

It was a struggle to pay attention to lectures he had no interest in and the fact that no one wanted to talk to him made it even more boring.

The difficulty of restraining himself from killing Rose and learning more about Christian was making Dean feel frustrated.

He had to wait until he had enough information and whether he had enough strength. If he did things to early or too late then everything would have been for naught.

One thing that Dean was interested in was the explanation of Leonard and the library.

Magic.

The school had told him this and Leonard further proved that it existed. Some could suggest that Magic is just a branch of Martial Arts but if so then why would it need a different source of energy?

Taking note of all the questions he wanted to ask Dean ran towards Leonard during the afternoon where all their classes should have been finished.

"You can get rid of your bandages."

Hearing Dean, Leonard smiles before slowly unraveling the white cloth that revealed a pale and soft skin that would make any woman captivated.

"Did you really make them?"

Dean was dumbfounded at the time he took the pills. They were far too effective as Dean's blood was instantly replenished with enough room left for cultivating.

If Dean wasn't at the Nascent Soul stage then the rumbling of qi would have broken a few walls within the dormitory and the howling scream would reverberate throughout the whole school.

The more surprising part was the quality of the pill. It was perfect. According to what Dean already knew, the pill had 0% imperfections and the probability of creating a pill such as this is equivalent to a quote.

"To find 1 out of a 100,000 is considered lucky"

Used in many scenarios, Dean finally found that this quote worked with this pill.

A pure miracle in short.

Leonard coughed at the admiring face of Dean "My pills aren't for sale."

"Oh? And why would that be?" If Dean could make an investment into these pills then he could be assured his cultivation would be strong and secured.

"Because they aren't for sale..." Leonard's word lingered until he finished his sentence.

"...Only for trading."

Dean understood where he was trying to go and revealed a Beast Core of the Core Refiner state.

"So my intuition was right. Can you show the others?" Leonard had somewhat predicted Dean owning treasures but never expected it to be on point.

Dean sighed, there was a sense of respect as he never thought that Leonard could have suddenly learnt all of his motives.

Turning to the right and then the left, Dean brought out a sapphire orb.

The color contained a gentle hue between blue and purple yet there was a strong essence that roared within its container, waiting to be released.

"This... where?"

Leonard was subtly frightened at what he just saw as he grabbed the orb and concealed it with his undone bandages.

Inspecting the orb even closer that was no doubt that Leonard had.

A Nascent Soul Beast Core.

The essence of a Nascent Soul creature that could wreak havoc on small cities was within Leonard's hands.

Fear gripped his heart but with a deep breath his indifference was returned. Afraid of any consequences that could come by, Leonard revealed priceless information to Dean.

Pointing to his nose he spoke "As an alchemist, smell, taste, feel and sometimes hearing are prioritized to take care of medical ingredients. My nose is astutely sensitive to Qi which was why I could smell the Beast Cores off you."

This time it was Dean to feel fear.

Agreeing that alchemists need a special set of skills in order to befit their position like any other job, their was a chance that someone could have noticed Dean's treasury.

However Dean had no reason to feel worried rather he felt amazed at Leonard's accomplishment despite his young age.

An alchemist that could brew pills without a thought, create medicine that could multiply the original effects and pastes that could heal injuries.

A physical body that has rare traits, giving them a head start in their occupation.

And lastly, his personality.

These were all things Dean respected as he could never have them in this life.

He was born with a body that can't be changed.

Talent that would not fit into any normal occupation

A personality that is constantly doubting people.

What more his only talent was fighting. Anyone can throw a fist and kill a person but it takes time and discipline to learn alchemy, blacksmithing, tailoring, etc.

Leonard kept the Beast Core somewhere hidden before throwing bottles of pills

"Keep them."

Along with the pills was a maroon book with no title.

Dean opened the book and flipped through a few pages only to have a solemn attitude before sending a sincere gift to Leonard

There was no response between the two of them but they accepted each other's attitude that will eventually open up to each other the next time they meet.

Both were left to ponder the unimaginable power of the other as the gifts they received were revered from their point of view.

Leonard received herbs and a metal bar that Dean had originally retrieved from his master's cove and proceeded to be gobsmacked at the Qi the materials still retained.

"Etheral Minerals! Qzuer's Sap and even Thetrical Bark! Where did Dean gather all these items, did he rob someone?"

Dean was also astonished at the gifts he received as the least he could comment about was...scheming.

Although Leonard had a tranquil personality there seemed to be a business savvy guy beneath that mask.

The reason being is that at the back of the book was a table for the currency of pill bottles.

The title at the top was

"Beast Cores for Heaven's Authority"

Dean whispered beneath his breath in a chuckle "So they're called Heaven's Authority? Such arrogance."

The currency went along something like this:

100 Qi Gathering Beast Cores = 1 Heaven's Authority

10 Qi Condensation Beast Cores = 1 Heaven's Authority

1 Foundation Establishment Beast Core = 1 Heaven's Authority

1 Core Refiner = 10 Heaven's Authorities

etc

The list stopped at the Nascent Soul stage as Leonard most likely expected that Dean would not have a Beast Core higher than that level so the current exchange rate looked like that.

Next to the table was a small drawing of a bottle suggesting that there were 10 pills per bottle.

Dean was excited for the profit he could make but felt that he was wasting the pills.

It felt like they weren't being used to their full limit.

Shaking his head Dean pushed the problem later as he saw a handful of notes at the front of the book.

"Magic"