Transaction

Gu He hurriedly reassured him, "It's a fragment, a fragment. It can only sense Spiritual Energy, and there is no follow-up mantra for absorbing it. After all, it was merely the dwelling of a Dou Wang."

Only then did Fama calm down somewhat. He apologized as he sat back down.

"Sorry, I lost my composure."

"It's nothing. If it had been a complete Soul Cultivation Scroll, I think I would have reacted the same way." Gu He indicated that it was no matter, then shifted the topic back to the trade.

"That fragment of the soul scroll was simply too ancient. It shattered after I finished reading it, so I cannot give you the original. However, I memorized all the mantras written on it and attempted to cultivate them. I found that the fragment could only sense the existence of Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth. But unlike Heaven and Earth energy, Spiritual Energy cannot simply be absorbed at will. It is extremely fragile and dissipates with the slightest pressure. Without a special method to draw it out from the vast mass of Heaven and Earth energy, it is impossible to absorb it successfully. Yet that scroll was missing the follow-up mantra for absorbing Spiritual Energy."

Gu He glanced at the contemplative Fama and continued, "By my estimate, one needs Soul Power at least on the level of a Seventh-grade Alchemist and strength at least at the Dou Zong level to precisely draw Spiritual Energy out from the chaotic Heaven and Earth energy and use it to improve Soul Power. At our current stage, it is useless to us. So I intend to trade it for some high-grade pill formulas to enrich my collection."

Fama fell silent again for several minutes. He felt that Gu He would not deceive him over such a matter, and he also wanted this ancient mantra badly. Being able to sense Spiritual Energy and understand more about it would surely benefit future advancement as an alchemist. Besides, if one could sense Spiritual Energy, there would always be a way to absorb it. He said directly, "Five sixth-grade pill formulas you do not possess, and two seventh-grade pill formulas."

Gu He quietly drew a breath. As expected of the longtime president of the Alchemist Guild—his wealth surpassed even that of an ordinary veteran Sixth-grade Alchemist.

Though the deal seemed like a loss for now, first, it could be considered Gu He's gesture of goodwill toward Fama, and there would surely be returns in the future. Second, time was the most precious thing to Gu He now. He had no energy to waste on gathering pill formulas.

At that thought, Gu He could not help wanting to go to Wutan City and rob Yao Chen's collection. But Yao Chen had already awakened. With his soul strength, he possessed at least the strength of a Dou Emperor even now. There was no guarantee Gu He could succeed if he went. Moreover, although the original story said that Xun Er's hidden guard was only a Dou Emperor, who knew whether there were other presences? The Ancient Clan might not have ten thousand Dou Zuns, but they certainly had over a thousand. Who knew whether a Dou Zun might suddenly appear then?

Suppressing the turbulent thoughts in his heart, Gu He said to Fama, "Agreed."

"Good. Then let us begin!" Fama did not waste words and took several pill formulas from his Ring.

"I have formulas for the Imperial Pill, Spirit Dou Pill, Calamity Breaking Pill, Primal Bone-Shaping Pill, Soul Clearing Pill, Snake Marrow Bone Shedding Pill, Azure Nether Longevity Pill, Earth Spirit Pill, and Spirit Melting Pill. Take a look and see which ones you lack."

He already had the Imperial Pill and Spirit Dou Pill, so those were excluded first. The Primal Bone-Shaping Pill was likely the formula provided when the Jia Ma Royal Family commissioned Fama to refine pills, and Fama probably had not succeeded in refining it. Now that Gu He was offering to refine one sixth-grade pill for free in exchange for ten sets of ingredients, the first pill the Jia Ma Royal Family commissioned him to refine would very likely be the Primal Bone-Shaping Pill, so that option could also be excluded. As for the Snake Marrow Bone Shedding Pill, it was needed for the Snake-People Tribe's second-tier secret art. It could nourish a fetus and make its cultivation of Dou Qi smoother. Had the Snake-People Tribe once asked Fama to refine it? That one could be set aside for now as well.

Still, Gu He felt some regret. Even Fama did not possess the formula for the Sect Breaking Pill. If he had it, Gu He could have waited until reaching the Dou Zong level before going to the Black Corner Region, greatly improving his safety.

"I choose the formulas for the Calamity Breaking Pill, Soul Clearing Pill, Azure Nether Longevity Pill, Earth Spirit Pill, and Spirit Melting Pill. I either have not obtained these or only possess incomplete formulas." After considering them, Gu He decisively chose the remaining five formulas.

Then, to show his sincerity, he said to Fama, "I will recite the mantra to you now."

Fama quickly focused and listened intently as Gu He slowly said, "To cultivate this Nameless Mantra, we must first calm our minds and silently recite: 'At the utmost limit of the soul, seal the heavenly spirit, absorb Spiritual Energy to temper the soul.' Then carefully sense the world around you. When I first cultivated this mantra, it took me over an hour to sense Spiritual Energy. You must not be impatient while cultivating it, or all previous efforts will be wasted."

Fama silently repeated, 'At the utmost limit of the soul, seal the heavenly spirit, absorb Spiritual Energy to temper the soul,' several times. Once he was certain he would not forget it, he put the other four formulas Gu He had pushed back into his Ring and took out four more formulas.

"These are several seventh-grade pill formulas I collected over the past few decades: the Instant Qi Pill, Plain Heart Pill, and Heavenly Soul Blood Melting Pill. You may choose two of them."

Seeing the three seventh-grade pill formulas, Gu He could not help feeling envious. After all, he only had one seventh-grade pill formula in his Ring. He had found it several years ago while exploring a dwelling, together with a Seventh-grade Shaping Pill. It was the formula for a high-tier seventh-grade Shaping Pill.

Gu He excluded the formula used for the Snake-People Tribe's highest-tier secret art for nourishing infants and chose the remaining two seventh-grade pill formulas.

"I imagine Elder Fa cannot wait to test the effects of that mantra. Elder Fa, you may cultivate here for now. It will not be too late to leave after you confirm that it works. If you encounter any questions during cultivation, you may come directly to me. I will be downstairs." Gu He stood as he spoke, preparing to leave the room.

Fama did not stand on ceremony. After seeing Gu He out, he returned to the room and eagerly entered a cultivation state.

Gu He walked down the stairs and happened to see Xiao Yi Xian sitting with both hands on the table, propping up her chin as she stared boredly out the door. She had clearly just taken a bath and changed into a white dress. Her long hair was loosely pinned up, with two damp strands hanging down. Gu He walked over to her side, and a faint fragrance drifted into his nose. Seeing that she was still lost in thought, he curled a finger and lightly tapped the table.

Only then did Xiao Yi Xian realize that Gu He had come downstairs. She hurriedly said, "Master, why did you come down so soon? I thought you would be talking with Elder Fa for a long time!"

"Truly major matters can usually be settled quickly. Only matters that are important but involve too many entanglements consume a great deal of time. Why are you sitting here daydreaming alone?" Gu He said as he naturally took a seat beside her.

"I just finished bathing. I was sitting here letting my hair dry." Xiao Yi Xian tucked the two hanging strands behind her ears.

"Your Dou Qi is of the Water Attribute. You can try directly using Dou Qi to remove the excess moisture from your hair. That will also train your control over Dou Qi," Gu He suggested.

Following Gu He's instructions, Xiao Yi Xian guided Dou Qi over a strand of hair beside her face, but she found that she could not draw out the moisture at all. She could only look at Gu He with pitiful eyes.

"This is where you need to make use of your Soul Power, which is stronger than that of ordinary people." As he spoke, Gu He released a thread of Dou Qi from his body. Under precise control, it evaporated the moisture on Xiao Yi Xian's hair without harming her soft, silky hair in the slightest.