Rise of the Alchemy God

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In a small shop on the outskirts of Tiān Shù Chéng, a boy no older than 15 was sweeping the shop's floor.

His name was Guo Tao, and he was a native of this city.

After the death of his parents several years ago, he and his sister were the only ones left.

To provide for her, he decided to take on any odd jobs he could find in the city, earning just enough for both of them.

Although life was difficult, he managed to overcome adversity one way or another,

until two years ago, when his sister fell ill.

Unable to afford any treatment, even the doctor he had tried so hard to convince to see her admitted that he had no idea of ​​her condition.

Despite his despair, Guo Tao had been tirelessly searching for medicines that might cure her ever since.

At the moment, his sister's condition was stable, but only to a certain extent.

Confined to her bed, he constantly feared that something might happen to her every time he left for work.

Because of this, he always tried to finish his tasks quickly so he could rush home, buying whatever little food he could afford along the way.

Today was no different from any other day.

As soon as his work was done, he received his daily wage and headed to a nearby grocery shop to buy some bread before returning home.

He had been fortunate to find a job after so long, working at an antique shop, where the elderly owner decided to take him in to help with cleaning and other small tasks.

This allowed him to earn a modest daily wage, not much, but just enough for him and his sister.

The mere fact that he now had a somewhat stable job was already a vast improvement compared to his earlier years.

Back then, he had to scrape together odd jobs around the city daily.

At least now, the days when he had to skip meals because he earned nothing were gone,

and that was already a lot for him.

This also meant he could dedicate some time to searching for a cure for his sister.

Though he had failed in recent years, he never gave up.

Guo Tao believed the doctor he had brought back then wasn't skilled enough, and he thought that if he could save enough money, he might be able to bring in someone more qualified.

This belief was what gave him the strength to endure his daily hardships and persevere.

Just as he passed by the grocery shop, his gaze caught sight of a pair of people walking along the city's main street.

At first glance, the pair seemed ordinary and unremarkable, drawing no attention,

but to Guo Tao, they were anything but ordinary.

"Who are they?"

He knew of another race besides their own, the humans.

However, to his knowledge, humans had their own territory far from the city, and they weren't allowed entry here.

The thought that this pair might be humans didn't even cross his mind. Instead, his eyes widened as an idea struck him.

"C-could they be...?"

It was common knowledge that once someone reached a certain stage of cultivation, they could assume a more refined bipedal form, one similar to humans, but more elegant.

This was the first time he had ever seen anyone so strikingly beautiful, especially the woman walking beside the man.

He could confidently say that he had never seen anyone as beautiful in his entire life,

and this only solidified his suspicion that they were high-level beings of their race.

"Maybe they can help me."

Thinking that beings of their level might have a cure for his sister, Guo Tao decided to deviate from his usual route and began following them, keeping a safe distance.

By nature, he was skeptical of others, and his recent years had only heightened his caution toward strangers.

Harsh realities had forced him to mature faster than a boy his age should.

The more he tailed the pair, the more bewildered he became at how no one seemed fazed by their presence.

He couldn't understand why everyone treated the pair as normal people.

Even in their brief interactions around the city, the reactions were entirely ordinary, something that felt strange to him.

After all, it was well-known that even a small offense to someone of high standing could ruin a person's life. Everyone typically maintained a respectful demeanor toward such figures,

but he saw none of that here.

After nearly an hour of tailing them, Guo Tao found himself in an alley in front of an inn.

Seeing the two enter the building, he grew even more confused.

Why would people of their stature stay at a place like this?

He began to think that perhaps asking them for help wasn't a good idea.

Everything about this situation felt too strange, and if there was one thing he had learned in recent years, it was to avoid troublesome situations.

But the thought that there might be even the slightest chance to cure his sister was hard to ignore.

"What if..."

Just as he was debating whether to leave, a calm voice sounded beside him.

"Are you lost?"

Hearing the man's voice, Guo Tao jumped in fright, taking a few steps back as he instinctively became alert.

"When did he get behind me?"

He was horrified at the fact that the man he had just seen enter the inn was now suddenly behind him.

Ethan, observing the boy's reaction, noticed something.

Just as Guo Tao was about to come up with any excuse, Ethan spoke.

"You can see my real form, can't you?"

Guo Tao wasn't sure what he meant but shook his head, thinking it was better not to reveal he had been following them.

But then he realized something.

If these two were truly who he thought they were, it wouldn't have been difficult for them to notice him.

With this thought, his expression darkened, his mind racing to find a way out of this situation.

Seeing the boy remain silent, Ethan took a step toward him and said,

"Why don't we have a little chat?"

Guo Tao felt a chill run down his spine at the man's smile.

He turned and ran for his life.

Unfortunately for him, he was far too slow, and inevitably, Ethan caught him.