Ya Fei and Xiao Yi Xian

After learning that Devouring Flame could obtain vast amounts of pure energy by devouring pills and Magic Cores, Gu He no longer worried about improving his strength. His only concern was the growth of his Soul Power. After all, one's soul realm was not only closely tied to an alchemist's grade, but reaching Dou Di in the end also required an Emperor Realm Soul. All of this meant that the speed at which his soul realm improved absolutely could not be slow.

Although he had inherited the original owner's legacy after arriving in this world, retaining most of his nearly sixth-grade Soul Power, and combined with his own Soul Power had nearly reached the original owner's peak, he had naturally advanced to a Sixth-grade Alchemist after breaking through to Dou Emperor. However, that legacy had been exhausted upon becoming a Sixth-grade Alchemist. If he wanted to further strengthen his Soul Power afterward, he either had to rely on improving his strength or enter an extraordinary state through alchemy. Gu He knew himself well. He was not someone who had studied alchemy since childhood and ingrained it into his bones. Asking him to enter that strange state would be even harder than directly taking one step into Dou Zun. Yet improving his strength depended on improving his alchemy, which had almost become a dead end.

But now, with Devouring Flame, he could absorb Spiritual Energy that he had previously been unable to sense and rapidly increase his Soul Power. An alchemist's grade was no longer a foreseeable bottleneck to his strength, but a driving force that would propel him more quickly to the very pinnacle of the Dou Qi Continent.

After calming his excited emotions, Gu He understood that one had to eat one bite at a time. Although a broad road now lay ahead of him, resting upon fantasies could not increase his strength.

Sitting back down on the bed, Gu He first swallowed several pills meant to restore his Dou Qi. He then wrapped a Qi Cultivation Pill in Dou Qi and held it in his mouth before entering the state of sensing Spiritual Energy once more. This time, Gu He focused solely on filtering out the Spiritual Energy.

The night swiftly passed as Gu He cultivated with such concentration. When the morning light spilled into the room, Gu He, who sat cross-legged on the bed, slowly opened his eyes. His black pupils held more vitality than usual. By using pills to rapidly replenish his Dou Qi, Gu He had successfully absorbed fourteen strands of Spiritual Energy over the course of the night. Moreover, he was becoming increasingly proficient at absorbing it, and there was surely still room for improvement.

Absorbing fourteen strands of Spiritual Energy had greatly increased Gu He's Soul Power. Thus, after cultivating all night, not only did he feel no fatigue whatsoever, but he was in even better condition than after an ordinary night of cultivation.

"Phew."

He slowly exhaled a long breath, accompanied by a faint sound of wind and thunder. That was because his surging Soul Power had not yet been fully restrained, causing resonance through his breath. Gu He frowned, his desire to leave the Imperial Capital growing stronger. Leaping down from the bed, he decided to call Xiao Yi Xian and head to the Mite'er Family, where he would complete the transactions with the other families of the Imperial Capital.

After freshening up, Gu He and Xiao Yi Xian headed for the Mite'er Family in the carriage Fama had arranged.

"Master, once the transactions are complete, are we going back to the valley?" Xiao Yi Xian asked in the carriage, as though she had sensed something.

"That's right. What, are you reluctant to leave the Imperial Capital?" Gu He teased as he looked at Xiao Yi Xian's melancholy expression.

"Not really. I was just wondering when Master planned to fulfill your promise to spend a day touring the Imperial Capital with me!" Xiao Yi Xian shot Gu He a reproachful glare.

Gu He smiled awkwardly. He had almost forgotten about it. Only after covering his mouth and coughing lightly did he say, "I have to make deals with those old fellows today, so I can't accompany you for now. I'll have time tomorrow. I'll take you around for the whole day tomorrow!"

"Hmph, at least you have a conscience." Xiao Yi Xian turned away as if she did not care, but the smile at the corner of her lips could not be concealed.

Thinking that he truly had not spent much time on Xiao Yi Xian since returning from the Small Valley, Gu He added, "I'll be dealing with those old foxes today, and I doubt you'll be very interested. How about you go out with Sister Ya Fei first? Get familiar with the Imperial Capital, so tomorrow you can visit the places you like with a purpose."

"Master, you're the best." Xiao Yi Xian happily hugged Gu He's arm.

After passing through half the Imperial Capital, the carriage stopped before a gate. Its design was ancient and simple, carrying the weathered traces of time.

The coachman climbed down and respectfully said from the side, "Pill King, we have arrived at the Mite'er Family headquarters."

Inside the carriage, Gu He adjusted his clothing and lifted the curtain before stepping down first. Xiao Yi Xian followed closely behind. Not far away, the core members of the Mite'er Family, led by Miter Tengshan, were already waiting.

"Brother Teng Shan, I'm troubling you again. I hope you won't throw me out." Gu He strode toward Teng Shan with a cheerful expression. When it came to friendship, Teng Shan was the person Gu He was closest to in the Imperial Capital. It was not only because the original owner had been on good terms with Teng Shan, but also because the impressions from the original story had made Gu He trust him greatly.

"What are you saying, Pill King? I'm delighted whenever you come here. How could I possibly throw you out? Besides, if word got out that you had nowhere to stay, countless people would immediately arrange accommodations for you. Even the imperial palace would let you stay wherever you pleased." Teng Shan spoke with considerable exaggeration.

Naturally, the imperial palace could not truly be at his disposal. Even as a Sixth-grade Alchemist, he could not act however he pleased in the heart of the empire. But the earlier description was not exaggerated. Countless people wished to establish a connection with Gu He but had no way to do so. If such a simple matter as arranging lodging could allow them to build a relationship with the Pill King, they would probably laugh in their dreams.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Teng Shan briefly introduced several outstanding juniors of the Mite'er Family before leading Gu He through the gates.

Behind them, Xiao Yi Xian took the initiative to walk over to Ya Fei. "Sister Ya Fei, do you have time today?" Xiao Yi Xian asked directly.

Ya Fei pondered for a moment, then smiled. "Since little sister Xiao Yi Xian has returned to the Imperial Capital, I'll definitely make time to accompany you. When I received news of your return two days ago, I had planned to take you around the Imperial Capital and help you get familiar with the surroundings. But you and the Pill King went into the Alchemist Guild and did not emerge until today. Once I'm done receiving your master, I'll take you out."

Things were naturally not as easy for Ya Fei as she made them sound. As a renowned auctioneer of the Mite'er Family, and because she was close to Xiao Yi Xian, Teng Shan had subtly begun grooming her as the next head of the Mite'er Family. She had an enormous number of matters on her hands. But she knew how to distinguish priorities. She understood how she had attained her current position, so satisfying Xiao Yi Xian was naturally her highest priority. Other matters could be set aside for now or handed over to someone else.

"Master has been at the Alchemist Guild these past two days refining Spirit Dou Pills. He only finished yesterday afternoon. I'm very interested in alchemy, so I stayed inside to watch." Xiao Yi Xian first explained why she had remained at the Alchemist Guild for two days, then expressed her wholehearted gratitude to Ya Fei for taking her out.

Xiao Yi Xian's earnest manner of thanking her made Ya Fei somewhat embarrassed. After all, her purpose in getting close to Xiao Yi Xian had not been pure from the beginning; it was merely to raise her standing within the Mite'er Family. Yet Xiao Yi Xian had treated her with sincerity, filling her with guilt.