Dyon's hand moved smoothly. It was as though he was lost in a trance-like vivid memory. Despite barely setting aside time for array alchemy, it felt as though there wasn't a single pill he couldn't concoct, not a single formation he couldn't form, and not a single weapon he couldn't craft.
The world was laid b.a.r.e before him as hundreds of ingredients shot into the air, only to be greeted by the gentle light of red-gold aurora flames.
Mia and Bella didn't know when, but they had begun holding their breaths. Didn't you need a cauldron or alchemy furnace to concoct pills? Why did it seem like Dyon didn't need any of those things?
Plants, vines, flowers and seeds of all kinds suddenly became motes of light as brilliant miniature arrays flitted around the room, moving in odd but symbiotic patterns.
The symbols of the arrays shifted every so often, their gears morphing and evolving, as though they were tinkering with the laws of the universe itself.
Even the baby celestial beasts became entranced, the normally energy filled Sen had stopped moving completely, while the sleepy Biibi and Shere had awoken from their naps.
A genuine smile spread across Dyon's handsome features as he lost himself in another world.
Moments later, ten perfectly round pills appeared, each pulsing with veins of gold as heavenly chimes rang down from an inexplicable place.
Light washed over the pills, boosting their effectives once over, then twice over, then three times.
The pills sung along with the chimes, flying around Dyon as though they were the happiest creatures in the world.
Dyon's eyes regained their focus as the pills gently floated into his hands, but he could hardly hide the slight tinge of disappointment on his features… He hadn't made a mistake but…
'That feeling ended too soon…'
Dyon hadn't realized how much he missed doing this until just now. He was suddenly very much eager to get to work concocting those market niche pills he had noted.
'I'll have to keep the quality of those pills to high-grade at best, though. I'll reserve top-grade pills for my allies only. As for this perfect-grade pills like these… Only for my closest confidants.'
To call the pills in Dyon's hand mere top-grade pills would be an unforgivable insult. This may shock some considering top-grade pills had 90-100% purity, but these were still undoubtedly a level above.
Dyon's pill concoction for the Master and Grandmaster level had reached such a level of perfection that his pills transcended the 100% purity level, reaching beyond the peak perfection expected by the pill's originator, and entering a realm that surpassed all expectations.
It was similar to the One with Self realm of techniques, except for pills instead.
That said, Dyon was certain that he could repeat this feat with comet grade pills as well, he would just need to sweat much more and on top of likely only succeeding with three at once at most.
'If this is the case… Maybe that idea will work?'
In the back of Dyon's mind, a plan had been brewing but he wasn't certain that it would work. However, maybe that was because he hadn't concocted pills in so long that he underestimated his abilities a bit too much.
The truth was that the idea of having every constitution under the sun sounded amazing, but it would most definitely stretch a person's potential too thin. Constitutions had immediate and obvious boosts, yes, but they also needed to be slowly understood and mastered. If you have tens of them suddenly, you'd be a master of none. Period.
However, Dyon had been thinking. Theoretically, if you had a pill so potent that it was capable of awakening more than a single constitution at once, wouldn't he be able to surpass the initial estimate cap of three?
Initially, Dyon had pushed this to the back of his mind. Even if he could do something, that didn't necessarily mean he should. He was already struggling with thinking up methods he could use to learn runic vein theory and magic, he couldn't afford any more distractions. This was exactly why his constitution path focused almost entirely on defense.
But… Something changed when Dyon entered the third selfless state. Within his body… There were actually multiple copies of the same constitution!
That was when Dyon had thought to himself… What would happen if he awakened the same constitution multiple times? Wouldn't that stacked effect make his constitutions more powerful than normal?
Dyon wanted to awaken three constitutions specifically. The Heaven Grade Silver Mirror Constitution. The God Grade Eternity's Balance. And, the God Grade Titan Diamond Body.
However, within him, there were three Eternity's Balance Constitutions, ten Silver Mirror Constitutions, and two Titan Diamond Body Constitutions!
Looking at the pills in his hands, Dyon was certain that since they had been reinforced three times, they could awaken a God Grade constitution three times. Since it could do that, one didn't even need to mention Heaven Grade constitutions, even awakening thirty of them with one pill would be possible…
'It's possible…' Dyon's eyes flashed with an almost greedy light. He needed to get powerful, and he needed to do so quickly.
Maybe if he was born to a powerful clan, he would be more relaxed. He had no doubt in that if he took his time, making it to the top of the martial world would only be a matter of time…
But he had too many worries, too many things to protect, too many goals, to take things slowly.
He wanted his wives to live a life of leisure, he wanted to find Amphorae, he wanted to be strong enough to help Evangeline carry her burden, he wanted to seek out revenge for all those who had wrong him and those he cared for.
In that moment, Dyon forgot all about the vision his black flames laid out for him. The feeling of control array alchemy gave him, the feeling of absolute ecstasy… It was as though his mind was yelling at itself, as though it was telling him that he fell into despair only because he forgot about what he enjoyed the most, the things he loved the most, the things he wanted the most.
Something hidden deep within Dyon fiercely stirred. He didn't know what it was, but it faintly told him that his path was correct, to keep pushing forward.
'What I love the most, huh…'
Ever since he stepped in the martial world, array alchemy had come so easily to him that it was almost comical. It was as though it was birthed for him and no one else… Yet that thing the heaven's gifted him, the talent that so far surpassed that of others, was somehow something he neglected for almost two decades.
He became so engrossed in his worries, so enamoured by his next step, that he truly forgot what it meant to be himself…
It was no wonder his façade cracked so easily…
Dyon smiled genuinely for the second time in just as many minutes. The black cloud that seemed to shroud him for the past few months seemed to separate, allowing a ray of light in that sent ripples through his Mind's Eye.
In that moment, the barrier at the ceiling of the comet-grade shattered, morphing the core of Dyon's aurora flames from a beautiful vision of shooting stars, to a radiating golden moon.
'Do more of what you love.'
That simple line became Dyon's resolve as he took one of his pills.
The moment the pill settled into his mouth, it melted into a pool of delicious liquid that sent Dyon's mind into the clouds. It was at that moment that the sleeping dragons within him stirred, it was finally time for them to be awakened.