The Most Beautiful Person in Spirit Hall, Yue Guan

Gula's face twisted for an instant. He had just forgotten, only for Tang San to remind him again, so he advised, "You're better off not knowing."

Tang San looked puzzled. Watching Gula put away the medicinal herbs, he did not press further and continued searching for the money the mountain bandits had hidden.

It was not until he found a cave that Tang San walked inside. Faintly, a wolf's howl sounded from within, then changed into a coquettish whine.

A short while later, Tang San walked out of the cave with a dark expression and dull eyes, as if his entire worldview had collapsed, holding a stalk of Mimosa Grass that had transformed into a Soul Beast.

Gula knew what Tang San had seen at a glance. He went forward, patted his shoulder, and comforted him. "We're about done searching. I found some lamp oil. Let's burn this filthy mountain stronghold down together."

"Mm."

Tang San pulled himself together, his eyes turning fierce. As Gula splashed the lamp oil around, Tang San finally threw out the torch, setting the bandits' den ablaze.

A raging fire rose in the mountain hollow, its light blazing up to the sky, burning away every trace of evil in the mountains.

Gula and Tang San descended the mountain, found Xiao Wu, returned to the carriage, woke the unconscious coachman, and continued toward Nuoding City.

By the evening of the next day, the three returned to Nuoding Academy.

Xiao Wu lay on the bed, her slender arms rubbing back and forth against the bedsheet. Listening to the rustling sounds by her ear, she said in boredom:

"I'm so tired. It feels like we didn't even play outside for long. We just sat in the carriage in a daze the whole time."

Gula was taking inventory of the medicinal herbs and had no time to pay attention to her.

Although the medicinal effects of the dozen or so rare medicinal herbs were similar, all aimed at strengthening virility, when paired with other supplementary ingredients and arranged properly as sovereign, minister, assistant, and envoy, they could also be refined into medicines that tempered the body and increased Soul Power.

Tang San did not have much interest in aphrodisiacs. As he discussed with Gula how to handle the medicinal herbs, he also kept Xiao Wu company and chatted with her, making him extremely busy.

The other Work-Study Students could not get a word into the topic, so they gathered together to chat and waited until it was about time before going to meditate and cultivate.

A few days later.

Spirit Report's editor-in-chief, Lu Hongwen, received Gula's thesis.

As Spirit Hall's mouthpiece on the continent, Spirit Report held a position in public opinion where even a small action carried great weight. The editor-in-chief of Spirit Report had always been concurrently held by a Red Clothed Bishop who was a Soul Douluo.

The deputy editor-in-chief, Lu Hongwen, was responsible for concrete matters such as final review.

Inside the grand and magnificent building, Lu Hongwen carefully scrutinized the data in Gula's thesis and found no obvious signs of fabrication.

He was a Soul Emperor and had considerable attainments in Spirit theory.

He had originally served as a teacher at Spirit Academy. Later, after publishing several theses, he was discovered and recommended by the Red Clothed Bishop and became an editor.

After that, with his keen eye, he selected several more theses, increasing Spirit Report's influence and rising to the position of deputy editor-in-chief. Though it was called a deputy post, in truth, he was entirely the one managing Spirit Report.

Lu Hongwen looked down at the Purple Clothed Bishop being held by the Temple Knights below and said after some deliberation:

"There are largely no problems with this thesis. If there is no falsification, it can indeed help Spirit Hall expand its influence. This Purple Clothed Bishop did not lie."

The Purple Clothed Bishop struggled. "I told you, I didn't leave my post without permission. There really was major intelligence, and I had to personally deliver it to Spirit City."

One Temple Knight snorted coldly. "Behave yourself. Intelligence isn't a reason for you to act so sneaky."

As they scolded the Purple Clothed Bishop, the two Temple Knights showed disappointment on their faces. They had thought they could catch a cleric who had abandoned his post and earn merit, only for it to turn out to be a misunderstanding.

The two left the Purple Clothed Bishop behind, cupped their fists to Lu Hongwen, and took their leave.

After the Temple Knights had gone far away, Lu Hongwen had the other editors watch the Purple Clothed Bishop while he himself hurried toward Spirit Mountain.

He was going to request an audience with Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan. The other party had a medicinal garden and was extremely knowledgeable about pharmacology. If one wanted to judge whether a thesis on medicines was true or false, no one was more authoritative than him.

Moreover, if this kind of thesis was published, its influence would be enormous, and it would inevitably require His Holiness the Pope's approval. If one were summoned without any issue, only an elder could see the Pope the fastest.

"Elder Yue, Lu Hongwen, deputy editor-in-chief of Spirit Report, requests an audience."

Outside the medicinal garden, Lu Hongwen lowered his head and waited quietly as the Temple Knight guarding the medicinal garden went inside to report.

"Spirit Report's editor-in-chief? Is there some novel thesis? Let him in."

Yue Guan reclined against a bamboo lounge chair, rocking gently in the vibrant medicinal garden. His feminine face was exceptionally fair, his chrysanthemum-yellow long hair draped over his shoulders, and his pair of foxlike eyes seemed as if they could see through the human heart.

"Greetings, Elder." Lu Hongwen bowed respectfully.

Yue Guan nodded slightly. "Skip the nonsense. Get to the point."

Lu Hongwen recounted what had happened. Yue Guan gained some interest. "The author His Holiness the Pope praised last time? Then it does need to be handled carefully. Bring the thesis here and let me see it."

Lu Hongwen handed over the thesis. Yue Guan lifted a hand even more delicate than a woman's and used Soul Power to pull the thesis over. First, he used Soul Power to sweep away the scent on the surface of the thesis before placing it in front of himself to read.

"On Methods to Enhance a Soul Master's Physique Strength—Bone Jade Bamboo (One)"

"Bone Jade Bamboo? A plant as useless as chicken ribs can be used as the main ingredient in a prescription?"

Yue Guan was startled. With doubt and anticipation, he continued reading. When he saw that the medicinal principle relied on the pull that Bone Jade Bamboo exerted on Heaven and Earth Origin Energy after death, Yue Guan suddenly understood and exclaimed in admiration:

"A genius concept, a godlike train of thought. Not only does it avoid the impact taking medicine has on the foundation of Soul Power, it also perfectly combines the cheapest possible prescription."

"If it were me, even if I knew the medicinal principle, without several years of research, I still wouldn't have been able to deduce the prescription."

Yue Guan marveled endlessly, feeling ashamed of his own inferiority before the thesis author's talent.

But for the sake of caution, he still needed to conduct an actual medicinal experiment.

As it happened, his medicinal garden lacked all sorts of things, but it did not lack medicinal herbs. The ages of the medicinal herbs Gula required were very low, and in his medicinal garden, they could be found everywhere.

Yue Guan stood up and unleashed the speed of a Title Douluo, weaving through the herb garden as he swiftly gathered every medicinal herb listed in the thesis.

Because his Martial Soul was the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, he had studied herbs his entire life and was no stranger to medicine-making. Before long, he had brewed a pot of grayish-yellow medicinal paste.

Yue Guan frowned. "There are a bit too many impurities. If I keep filtering it with Soul Power, I should be able to remove most of them. I just don't know whether the medicinal effect is worth doing that for."

Gula had still underestimated a Title Douluo. Yue Guan was proficient in pharmacology, and with one glance, he saw how to handle the problem of the impurities.

Though the method treated the symptoms rather than the root cause, what Spirit Hall lacked least was Soul Masters. Once he developed a filtering technique and promoted it, it could absolutely supply Spirit Hall's Core Disciples.

Yue Guan sniffed the medicinal paste. It had a faint, refreshing orange scent, and he could not help smiling. "As expected, the choice of Red Dried Tangerine Peel wasn't only to suppress the dryness and heat caused by violent Heaven and Earth Origin Energy. This aroma was also a major reason."

"Da Mu is quite an interesting person too!"

He sighed softly, feeling as if he had found a kindred spirit. Then he no longer hesitated, scooped up a mouthful of medicinal paste, and put it into his mouth.

Once the medicinal paste entered his stomach, his Soul Power circulated slightly and immediately refined it away.

Yue Guan felt the warmth rising from his abdomen. As his Soul Power completed one circuit, his foxlike eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a brilliant gleam that shone with vivid light.

Lu Hongwen lowered his head and stared fixedly at the ground. No wonder some people said Elder Yue was Spirit Hall's number one beauty. He finally understood now.