Chapter 314: Lady Vivienne Vane

The absolute silence inside the meditation chamber of the Cloud-Mist Pavilion felt incredibly heavy, yet peaceful. The massive, world-changing notifications of the ultimate main quest slowly faded into the hidden archives of the Fated Villain System. Tony Clark sat cross-legged on his luxurious jade-carved bed, his dark hunting cloak draped loosely over his shoulders.

He didn’t rush to open the system shop, nor did he frantically try to force an immediate high-tier pill breakthrough. His previous life as a supreme master had taught him a ruthless, unyielding truth: a house built on a shaky foundation would always collapse under a heavy storm.

The Primordial Alchemy Art he had just inherited from the system spirit was a divine-tier scripture, filled with thousands of complex runic balances and ancient cosmic formulas.

If he wanted to conquer the World Alchemy Summit and systematically slaughter the scripts of the mythical Tian Family, he couldn’t afford to take sloppy shortcuts. He needed to build his alchemical foundation from the absolute ground up, mastering the raw fundamentals before attempting to manipulate high-tier cosmic laws.

I am Tony Clark, his strategic mind roared internally, his jaw tightening into a firm, iron-like lock as he stared out at the quiet mountain mist filtering through the window. The Tian Family is a line of near-mythical gods who strictly govern this entire universe. If I try to force my way into their upper territory using unrefined, unstable techniques, their heavenly arrays will instantly erase my soul from existence. I must take this new path slow, layer by layer, until my control over the alchemy elements becomes as steady and unyielding as an iron press.

Tony closed his eyes, withdrawing his awareness deep into his sea of consciousness to manuals browse the baseline data. For five continuous hours in the middle of the night, he didn’t brew a single herb. Instead, he utilized his Truth Eye to thoroughly memorize the absolute, raw fundamentals of the craft. He studied the structural molecular weight of low-grade spiritual herbs, the exact thermal calculation of fire-attribute cores, and the micro-vibrations needed to stabilize a liquid energy matrix inside a common bronze cauldron.

His 7th Class Elder Disciple magus meridians, now beautifully reinforced by the dense solar laws of his peak foundation, hummed with a smooth, perfectly controlled rhythm as he practiced channeling tiny, microscopic strands of fire energy into the empty air, testing his precision down to the fraction of a millimeter.

The next morning, the grand spiritual bells of the central peak rang out to signal the start of the daily routines. The wooden door of his pavilion gently creaked open, and Lady Selena Faith smoothly stepped into the room, her elegant gold merchant robes rustling softly against the marble floor. Behind her, two dark-armored enforcers from the Golden Phoenix Guild quietly deposited a compact silk scroll onto the mahogany table before retreating outside.

Selena looked at Tony’s calm, unbothered posture, her violet eyes swirling with an absolute mix of fanatical awe and businesslike intelligence. “The Vance clan’s hidden herbal reserves have been completely liquidated and stored inside our private city vaults, Tony,” Selena spoke softly, her refined melody carrying a wave of serious curiosity. “But as your primary business partner, I must ask about your next strategy on the grand chessboard. The entire central province is currently in a state of total panic after your dual victories, yet my networks indicate you haven’t requested any high-tier combat manuals from the Grand Elder.”

Tony let out a low, amused chuckle, his signature lazy smirk perfectly returning to his face as he stood up from his jade bed and walked over to the table. He unrolled the silk scroll, his fingers lightly tracing the written text regarding the upcoming regional tournaments.

“The minor martial games of this academy are no longer large enough to suit my personal ambitions, Lady Selena,” Tony said smoothly, his deep baritone voice carrying a chilling, razor-sharp edge.

“My next path requires me to conquer the absolute apex of the alchemy world. But to safely enter the World Alchemy Summit without triggering the premature suspicion of the higher cosmic realms, I cannot simply use the name of the Clark branch family or a basic outer academy token. I need to locate a highly powerful, independent backer inside the central district who already holds an absolute, sovereign invitation right to the summit.”

Selena’s breath completely caught in her throat, her mind entering a state of chaotic shock as she processed his jaw-dropping words. She knew Tony was a monster who could print fortunes in the dark through his talisman art, but hearing him casually state his goal to conquer the highest-tier alchemy summit on the continent completely shattered her logical worldview.

“An independent backer with an absolute summit right?” Selena whispered rapidly, her fingers tightening around her sketchboard as she pointed a delicate finger toward a specific profile written at the bottom of the scroll.

“If that is your true objective, Tony, there is only a single entity inside this central district who possesses that kind of unique leverage. You need to meet the mysterious High Mistress of the Abyssal Lotus Pavilion, an incredibly powerful, beautiful lady named Lady Vivienne Vane.”

Tony’s eyes locked onto the glowing runic profile of the new character, his strategic mind rapidly filing away her detailed information.

According to the merchant guild’s secret intelligence records, Lady Vivienne Vane was a legendary, master-grade alchemist who didn’t belong to any noble clan, academy faction, or imperial government line.

She was a fiercely independent supreme expert whose personal alchemy comprehension was so profoundly high that even the grand masters of the inner peaks had to bow their heads respectfully in her presence.

Because she possessed an ancient, direct-line favor from the higher realms, she held an absolute, irreplaceable summit recommendation token that could bypass the standard academy selection trials entirely. However, her temper was famously cold, eccentric, and ruthlessly strict; she regularly kicked out wealthy young princes who tried to buy her favor with mountains of gold, refusing to accept any disciple who didn’t possess an absolute, pristine understanding of the alchemical fundamentals.

“Lady Vivienne Vane…” Tony muttered smoothly to himself, a slow, ruthlessly brilliant grin curling the corners of his lips as his Truth Eye memorized her regional coordinates.

“An eccentric, beautiful lady who values raw fundamental mastery over a mountain of gold? That sounds like the absolute, most entertaining puzzle to test my new skills.”

He turned his gaze back onto Selena, his tone full of his signature, shameless confidence as he casually rolled the silk scroll back up and tucked it into his cloak.

“Our contract is temporarily paused for the morning, my beautiful painting partner. I have a highly important business meeting to attend inside the central district tomorrow. Keep my pavilion’s distribution lines perfectly ready, miss, because the moment I secure her absolute backing, the entire alchemy economy of this realm is going to find its true master.”

Selena stared at his unbending, confident figure, a brilliant smile returning to her lips as her fanatical devotion reached a level of total, dizzying worship. She knew that trying to predict Tony Clark’s next move was completely redundant; the boy was actively carving a completely new, world-shaking path through the stars, and she was perfectly ready to watch him turn the entire alchemy world into his personal playground.

Tony turned back toward his jade bed, his physical eyes closing to enter a state of deep, quiet contemplation as he utilized the remaining hours of the day to perfect his internal energy precision.

The old scripts of the noble families were completely gone, the system spirit was fully operational in his mind, and tomorrow morning, a magnificent new stage would officially open before his feet as he marched out of the academy gates to conquer the heart of his new backer.