The Young Phoenix's Song Outshines the Old Phoenix's

"I never studied it. I just bought these medicinal herbs often before, so I gradually memorized them."

Huo Yuhao shook his head, then seemingly casually asked, "The other person you mentioned, Doctor... was he a child around my age?"

Bought them often? If an ordinary person took these medicines regularly, they'd probably be supplemented into stupidity.

The middle-aged man grumbled inwardly, but he did not expose Huo Yuhao. He merely shook his head at the question.

"Our Medical Hall has always protected patients' privacy. I cannot answer that question. Come with me. I'll prepare your medicine."

To be honest, he was beginning to question his life. A child so young was already so familiar with medicinal principles—it made him feel as though he had lived half his life in vain. But when he thought of that apprentice from earlier, his mood immediately improved again.

It was not that he was too useless. Some children were simply too monstrous.

The young phoenix's song outshone the old phoenix's.

Since he had earned quite a bit selling Roasted Fish earlier, and did not want to make repeated trips, Huo Yuhao bought a large amount at once. By the time he paid, he had dozens of packets of medicinal herbs, large and small. Not only did he spend all five Gold Soul Coins he had earned today, he even had to add another two.

But to Huo Yuhao, the expense was entirely worthwhile. With these herbs, not only would Huo Yun'er's lingering ailments be cured, but his own Physical Quality would improve further as well. At his young age, it was precisely the time to lay a solid foundation, so Huo Yuhao naturally would not be careless in this regard.

Only after they had left the entrance did Huo Yuhao realize Tang Ya had been staring at him. He could not help but ask, "What is it?"

"Nothing."

Tang Ya pursed her lips. After hesitating for a long while, she finally said faintly, "I was just wondering... are you really only six?"

"What, I don't look like it? Do I need to hold a lollipop in my hand and have two streams of snot hanging from my nose?"

Huo Yuhao chuckled and brushed the subject aside. "Little Ya-jie, now that we've bought the medicinal herbs, you should take me to see some rare metals."

Tang Ya could not help rolling her eyes and snorted twice. "I suddenly feel like you're taking advantage of me by calling me Little Ya-jie..."

Though she complained, she did not slow down in the slightest as she led the way. Having grown up in Heaven Dou City, Tang Ya was indeed very familiar with the place. She led Huo Yuhao through countless twists and turns until they arrived at a shop that sold rare ores.

"This is the place."

The storefront did not seem very large, and it did not carry many varieties of ores and metals. Thanks to the excellent eyesight granted by his Spirit Eye Martial Soul, Huo Yuhao could clearly see the prices on the tags without even entering. Just as Tang Ya had said, they were outrageously expensive.

The Skysoul Empire's rare metals were generally controlled by the imperial family. Especially for particularly rare ones, only certain major forces or academies could purchase them.

As for those that were not especially rare, they were generally smuggled out by officials taking risks. After each layer took its cut, the prices on display had risen by more than threefold.

But there was no helping it. For now, Huo Yuhao could only buy the expensive ones. And even if the raw ores cost three times as much, the profits from selling them after they had been made into Soul Guidance Devices were still astonishing.

Other Soul Guidance Device Masters might fail and waste materials, but Huo Yuhao did not need to worry about that at all. The only thing limiting him was his Soul Power Level. It had only been a month since he awakened his Martial Soul, and his Soul Power Level had not improved much. No matter how good his skills were, he could not make anything worthwhile.

Only with a certain foundation of soul power could one better craft Soul Guidance Devices above one's level. But even though his Soul Power Level was not high enough yet, he could temporarily raise it with Arrogance Original Sin.

Though it could only raise his Soul Power Level to around the first ring, the techniques he had accumulated in his previous life were enough to let him create any third-level Soul Guidance Device. Of course, that would also greatly drain him.

Judging purely by sale price, the energy required to make one third-level Soul Guidance Device could be used to make several second-level ones. And there was not much difference in price among low-level Soul Guidance Devices, so the latter was obviously more profitable.

Through his experiments on the way, Huo Yuhao had gained a deeper understanding of Arrogance Original Sin's effects. Although its burst effect was powerful, it would leave him weakened for a period afterward. After using it for the first time at the Duke's Mansion, he had determined that this weakened period lasted around three days.

Though that seemed like a long time, Huo Yuhao felt it was because his Physical Quality and Soul Power Level were simply too poor. Once his strength improved later on, the weakened period should shorten accordingly, and the burst effect would become stronger as well.

Tang Ya had clearly noticed the prices too, and her expression abruptly changed. Though she knew this place sold ores, she had never looked closely at the prices before. For a moment, she looked at Huo Yuhao with some hesitation.

"Why don't we look somewhere else? Maybe another shop will be cheaper."

"We're already here. Come on, let's go in and take a look first."

With that, Huo Yuhao entered the shop first. Seeing this, Tang Ya said nothing more and silently followed him inside.

"Hello, what would you two like to buy?"

When the two entered, a female clerk came up to them with a polite smile. Though she could tell from their appearances that they were not major customers, she had no intention of tarnishing her shop's reputation. Who knew whether these young boy and girl might become esteemed Soul Guidance Device Masters in the future?

"We'll look around on our own first."

Huo Yuhao nodded politely, then began browsing with Tang Ya.

"Iron Essence, five Silver Coins per jin."

"Refined Gold, two hundred Gold Soul Coins per jin."

"Titanium Gold, six hundred Gold Soul Coins per jin."

Muttering the prices of the metals to herself, Tang Ya could not help taking a sharp breath. After looking around, she found that only Iron Essence, which was relatively common and widely used for Soul Guidance Device casings, was fairly cheap. The other rare metals were outrageously expensive. One had to know that those metals were extremely dense—some might not even be the size of a thumb despite weighing a jin.

"Little Yuhao."

Hearing Tang Ya call softly to him, Huo Yuhao turned around. She leaned close and lowered her voice.

"The metals here are too expensive. If you really want rare metals, I have some connections I can ask. They should be cheaper than here."

After all, the Tang Sect had once dealt in concealed weapons, so they still had some stores of rare metals. There was not much, but she planned to ask her parents after returning. If possible, she would sell some to Huo Yuhao at a lower price.

After eating his Roasted Fish, and with their playful exchange earlier, she had already begun treating this younger boy as a friend. She truly did not want to watch him be taken advantage of.

Huo Yuhao immediately guessed what Tang Ya was thinking. He pressed his lips together and nodded.

"Alright. Then whenever Little Ya-jie comes to my stall in the future, Roasted Fish will be free."

"Really? Then it's settled! I'll come eat two every day."

Huo Yuhao was a little surprised. "Only two?"

"You still need to make money selling Roasted Fish. If I eat you into poverty, then there won't be any left to eat."

Tang Ya shook her little head. "Besides, I'm afraid I'll get fat if I eat too much."

"Then next time, I'll treat you to something else."