Homecoming, Selling Medicine

"Alright, let's get back to the point."

In Gula's "eyes," Yu Xiaogang's martial soul defect was only a minor problem. Anyone who had received compulsory education could think of several ways to solve it.

Only by evolving Xiao Wu's stable bloodline into a stronger form could he demonstrate the prowess of a god-tier cultivator.

"I mentioned before that Xiao Wu is suited to the Energy Evolution System."

Xiao Wu came back to her senses. Looking into Gula's eyes, she always felt as if he had seen through her completely. An inexplicable mix of shame and panic twisted in her heart as she nodded lightly to show she was listening.

"Energy evolution is more difficult, but it doesn't have the drawback of being suppressed by those with superior bloodlines, as bloodline evolution does."

"In the Energy Evolution System I've planned out, you first need one or two Soul Rings specifically meant to absorb energy of the corresponding attribute. The soul beasts should preferably be connected to the martial soul itself, such as through their race, attribute, or even certain traits."

"For example, for the Soft Bone Rabbit, the attribute I selected for Xiao Wu isn't a common elemental attribute, but the rare Astral Attribute. More precisely, it draws upon the power of the moon."

"As a celestial body standing alongside the sun, symbolizing day and night, the moon lacks the sun's violent intensity but possesses many strange abilities. It also symbolizes the yin aspect, making it a good match for Xiao Wu as a woman."

"As for Soul Rings, the Moonlight Worm, which possesses the bloodline of the Moon Insect known as the supreme ancient insect; the Silver Moon Rabbit, another rabbit-type soul beast; and the incomparably defensive Crescent Moon Bear... all can serve as Soul Rings."

"Most importantly, the Soft Bone Rabbit martial soul must have a certain degree of compatibility with the Moon Attribute. Otherwise, it will be difficult to complete the final evolution."

Gula spread his arms as though he were embracing heaven and earth.

"Our cultivation isn't just the cultivation of soul power—it is also the cultivation of martial souls. Since martial souls possess the potential to evolve, why not develop that potential?"

"I have a feeling that the top Soul Masters of the future will surely be those who know their own martial souls inside and out. If your martial soul isn't strong enough, find a way to evolve it. Innate Soul Power doesn't determine everything."

Gula spoke half-truths, deliberately overlooking the importance of fortuitous opportunities. Without an opportunity, making a martial soul evolve was far too difficult.

Take Dugu Bo, for example. If he had not encountered the Medusa Queen and had instead added Soul Rings from other snake-type soul beasts, if his bloodline had been even slightly inferior, he might not have been able to evolve his martial soul into the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor.

Xiao Wu seemed somewhat confused. "Moonlight? Then will my martial soul still be called the Soft Bone Rabbit?"

"Whatever you want. Moon Rabbit, Moonlight Rabbit, Great Yin Jade Rabbit—they all work."

Moreover, Gula still wasn't sure whether a soul beast that had taken human form could fuse Soul Rings before reaching Soul Saint. If it truly came down to it, he would have to rely on the system cheat.

But that was a last resort. If possible, Gula still wanted to use the knowledge in his mind to help the Pokémon evolve.

After listening to Gula's little lesson, Yu Xiaogang returned to his dormitory in shock to write a letter to Flender.

After hearing Gula's theory, Tang San felt even more confident about evolving into the Blue Silver Emperor. Full of anticipation, he went to cultivate photosynthesis under the sunlight.

According to Gula's judgment, if a Plant Type martial soul could absorb sunlight, it would definitely benefit the martial soul itself. The Sunflower, which could harness sunlight, was an elite Plant Type martial soul.

If Blue Silver Grass absorbed sunlight, it would surely increase its chances of evolution somewhat.

Gula's training for the day was not yet over. He activated the Gravity Field and continued tempering his body.

He could feel that he wasn't far from producing Aura Power.

Xiao Wu dawdled until she was the last one left. After looking around and making sure no one was paying attention, she moved close to Gula and asked, "When did you find out?"

Gula paused for a moment, only then realizing that he had revealed a flaw. Pretending to be confused, he said, "Find out what? You want a midnight snack tonight? No!"

Xiao Wu glared at Gula angrily. "Changing the subject again. You obviously figured it out."

Fearful that her identity had been exposed, she was nearly in tears. Yet when she saw Gula still playing dumb, she inexplicably Breathed a Sigh of Relief.

"I'm going home for a while. Is there anything you need me to bring back?"

Knowing that Gula was very greedy for money, Xiao Wu planned to bribe him with benefits. At the same time, she was testing whether Gula would stop her from going back.

As for returning to the Star Dou Great Forest and never coming back, that was impossible. Soul beasts that took human form needed the aura of humans to stabilize their transformation and become true humans. It was nearly impossible to cultivate in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Gula gave Xiao Wu a strange look, unable to understand her train of thought at all. "Anything is fine. You decide."

"Hmph, just wait." Xiao Wu snorted. She would yield first for now, but sooner or later, she would get hold of Gula's weakness. When that happened, she would definitely turn the tables and become the master.

After giving herself some Ah Q-style comfort, Xiao Wu quickly cheered up and went to ask the Dean of Students for leave.

The next day, Xiao Wu left the academy. Tang San came to find Gula and handed him a sheet of paper.

"Brother Gu, these are the medicinal herb prices you asked me to keep an eye on. Prices rose another ten percent today. It looks like they're about to hit their limit. The Major Merchant Guilds have also hoarded all kinds of other medicinal herbs, causing their prices to rise by at least thirty percent."

Gula took the paper recording the medicinal herb prices and skimmed through it quickly. He could not help but laugh. "Merchants really are all unscrupulous. Perfectly ordinary medicinal herbs have now become strategic materials."

Tang San nodded in agreement. "I didn't expect the Two Great Empires and the major sects to be so coordinated, jointly controlling the medicinal herbs on the market."

"If they weren't afraid of driving all civilian Soul Masters into Spirit Hall, I suspect they would have gathered up all the medicinal herbs entirely and left no hope at all of making medicinal paste."

Gula shook his head and sneered. "Even so, Spirit Hall has definitely taken the opportunity to recruit quite a few civilian Soul Masters. Even if the Two Great Empires and the major sects know it, they definitely won't be willing to give up the profits already in their hands."

"After all, the nobility are the vested interests. What does instability in imperial rule have to do with them? They truly are a bunch of shortsighted fools."

"Without meaning to, I did Spirit Hall a huge favor. I hope they give me plenty of rewards when the time comes."

Tang San asked, "Then should we sell the medicinal herbs we collected? There are too many of them. Even in a Storage Soul Tool, they can't be kept for six years. To avoid losing their potency, it would be best to sell some of them soon."

Gula estimated that the prices of medicinal herbs related to Body Strengthening and Bone Tempering Paste had increased several times over. They had already made a fortune, but herb prices would surely gradually stabilize.

"Sell! The greatest taboo in business is greed. We don't have the strength to take risks. Five times the profit is already enough."

"Also, sell part of the medicinal herbs we seized from the bandits. Find those nobles with weak kidneys and frail bodies—they'll be willing to pay a high price. Hmm, I'll handle that myself."

Due to differences in their medicinal properties, the herbs Gula had found did more than enhance virility. Some could nourish blood and qi and strengthen the body. But certain herbs truly had little use and were better sold off.

Gula was somewhat regretful. "It's a shame we can't expose our identities. Otherwise, under Da Mu's name, if we turned these medicinal herbs into medicinal paste and potions, we could definitely earn far more gold coins."

Tang San laughed awkwardly. "Then, Brother Gu, your reputation probably wouldn't sound very good. Earning a little less is fine."