Resurrection?

Taking the herb from his robes, Zeng Fan held it up before his eyes. The herb was entirely black and faintly radiated spiritual energy. Other than that, there was nothing particularly special about it.

Zeng Fan was dumbfounded. "I have the herb now, but how am I supposed to use it? I can't just directly feed it to these bones, can I? Might as well give it a try." Zeng Fan took Guo Ren's bones out of his Storage Ring. The moment the bones appeared, Zeng Fan sensed a faint fluctuation. It seemed to be filled with longing for the black herb beside it.

Zeng Fan brought the herb into contact with the bones. Other than the fluctuation growing stronger, nothing changed.

"As expected, that won't work. This herb probably needs some processing, but I don't know anything about herbs. I'll have to make a trip to the Alchemy Hall." Zeng Fan scratched his head. There was an Alchemy Hall in the mountain range, where pills were refined for disciples in need and herbs gathered by disciples were purchased.

"Is this the Alchemy Hall?" Zeng Fan looked up at the antique building before him. It was made entirely of wood and resembled a pill furnace, with waves of herbal fragrance drifting from within. Quite a few people were going in and out.

After entering the hall and explaining his purpose to the disciple at the front desk, that disciple gave Zeng Fan a token and told him to process it in Room Six of the side chambers.

"One, two, three, four, five, six. Here it is! Room Six." Zeng Fan knocked on the door.

"Is anyone inside?"

"Come in!" A crisp voice came from within. Zeng Fan pushed the door open and entered. A young woman in a green robe was sitting at the table in the room. The girl's face was fair as fresh snow, with a hint of liveliness and playfulness. Her eyes were clear and bright, and her black hair was casually tied up, with a few loose strands falling beside her fair neck, adding a touch of carefree naturalness.

"So young?" Zeng Fan froze. He had assumed that the people stationed at the Alchemy Hall would all be rather old.

The girl seemed to understand what Zeng Fan meant and spoke calmly. "Stop staring. I'm an alchemist. Tell me what you need first. If I can't do it, I'll naturally arrange for someone else to help you." She seemed already accustomed to other people's stares.

Zeng Fan smiled awkwardly, then took out the Spirit Grass. "I'd like to ask, if I want to repair a soul, how does this herb need to be refined?"

The woman took the black herb and examined it carefully. She let out a soft exclamation. "Spirit Grass. This is quite rare. It can repair the soul and strengthen spiritual sense, but it needs to be refined and combined with some other herbs to bring out its full effects. How about this? I'll charge you two hundred Spirit Stones." The woman placed the herb on the table and spoke to Zeng Fan.

"Two hundred Spirit Stones? I'm done for. I don't have enough on me." Zeng Fan's expression began to turn awkward.

Seeing Zeng Fan fall silent, the woman's attractive brows creased slightly. "You don't have any Spirit Stones? A single stalk of Spirit Grass costs over a thousand Spirit Stones outside. You had Spirit Stones to buy the herb but none to refine it? We don't give credit here!"

Zeng Fan's expression grew even more awkward. He planned to find Yuan Jin and borrow some. "I'll have to find a way to get some Spirit Stones later. Otherwise, I won't be able to get by!" Zeng Fan cursed under his breath.

The woman was just about to say something else when she carefully studied Zeng Fan's face and suddenly froze. Hesitantly, she asked, "Are you... Zeng Fan?"

Zeng Fan stared blankly at her words and examined her face, confirming that he did not know her. "I'm Zeng Fan. Do you know me?"

After Zeng Fan confirmed his identity, the woman broke into a smile, brightening the entire room. "I'm a disciple in the Body Tempering Realm too. How could I not know you? A Profound Vein disciple crossed a minor realm and defeated an Earth Vein disciple. Your name is practically thunderous now."

Zeng Fan rubbed his nose. "You flatter me, miss. I was just a little luckier."

The girl neither agreed nor disagreed. An idea suddenly popped into her mind. Why not have him help me block that bastard? The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, and her gaze toward Zeng Fan suddenly grew friendlier.

"Then I won't charge you any Spirit Stones this time. However, you have to help me with a small favor. How does that sound?" the girl asked Zeng Fan.

"What would you like me to help with?" Zeng Fan was somewhat wary as well. After all, the girl's attitude had changed too quickly once she learned his identity, which made him uneasy.

The girl chuckled softly. "Don't worry. I definitely won't make you do anything dangerous. We're both disciples in the Body Tempering Realm. What could I force you to do? I'll refine it for you first. If you can't do what I ask later, you can refuse directly. You can give me the Spirit Stones then instead. How about it?"

Zeng Fan thought it over. There was indeed nothing on him that the other party could covet, and befriending another disciple from the Alchemy Hall would do him no harm.

Zeng Fan cupped his fists toward the woman. "Then I'll have to trouble you, miss. If you need my help later, just call for me."

When the woman heard Zeng Fan agree, a smile immediately appeared on her face, and her voice became more animated. "It's nothing, it's nothing. Fellow disciples should help each other. I'll refine it for you first. Oh, and don't call me miss. My name is Yao Ling'er."

As her words fell, Yao Ling'er had already turned and walked into the rear chamber of the Alchemy Hall, trailing a fragrance of grass and trees.

"Yao Ling'er?" Zeng Fan repeated the name. What a strange name. This was the first time he had heard of someone with the surname Yao. Too bad I'm not Xiao Yan. Zeng Fan settled down in the room and waited calmly for the refinement to finish.

After an unknown amount of time, Zeng Fan, who had been cultivating cross-legged, opened his eyes at the sound of movement. Yao Ling'er emerged from behind the door with a smile, a faint sheen of sweat on her forehead. When she saw Zeng Fan looking over, she smiled and said, "It's ready! I added some supplementary herbs to better activate the medicinal power of the Spirit Grass. I made it into a powder, so an injured soul or spiritual sense can absorb it directly."

Zeng Fan accepted the jade bottle Yao Ling'er handed him and curiously opened the lid. Inside was some black powder. With a light sniff, Zeng Fan felt a rush of excitement in his mind, as if it could not wait to absorb the powder.

Zeng Fan quickly closed the lid, afraid he might lose control and absorb it directly. Just that single sniff had already made him feel more alert.

"Then thank you, Ling'er. I'll take my leave first. Contact me when you need my help. You can find out where I live just by asking around." Zeng Fan put away the jade bottle and cupped his fists toward Yao Ling'er.

"Of course, of course. I'll call for you then. Just don't try to wriggle out of it." Yao Ling'er clasped her hands behind her back and bent slightly at the waist. Her loose robe revealed a breathtaking patch of snowy white. She flashed Zeng Fan her pearly teeth, completely unaware that she had let the spring light spill out.

"Of course I won't. Rest assured, miss. As long as it's something Zeng Fan can do, I naturally won't shirk it." Zeng Fan then walked out of the stone chamber.

"I didn't expect Yao Ling'er to be able to participate in alchemy while still in the Body Tempering Realm. She must be a genius. And her figure is pretty good too!" Zeng Fan rubbed his nose, his heart rippling slightly as he recalled what he had just seen.

Shaking his head, he decided to first test whether this powder actually worked. To be cautious, Zeng Fan arrived at the entrance of the Disciple Hall. He opened the jade bottle and placed it inside his Storage Ring, then set the bottle beside Guo Ren's bones. His thoughts remained tightly focused on what was happening inside, and his body was tense. If Guo Ren's bones showed any abnormal movement, Zeng Fan would immediately fling them into the Disciple Hall.

An elder guarded the Disciple Hall every day. Zeng Fan believed that even if Guo Ren's remnant soul revived and caused a disturbance, the elder would suppress it. After all, Guo Ren had been dead for who knew how long.

Inside the Storage Ring, the moment the jade bottle was placed beside Guo Ren's bones, a faint fluctuation awakened within them. Then, as if guided, the black powder inside the jade bottle began falling into Guo Ren's bones, vanishing without a sound as it was absorbed. The powder in the bottle steadily dwindled, while the fluctuation grew stronger and stronger.

In Zeng Fan's perception, the fluctuation had initially been like the dying embers of a candle, liable to go out at any moment. Now, with the absorption of the powder, it had slowly grown stronger, becoming a small flame capable of burning steadily.

The powder in the jade bottle was completely depleted, and the fluctuation within the bones once again concealed itself.

"That's it?" Zeng Fan waited for a long while, but the bones still showed no reaction. Zeng Fan understood that the dose was probably insufficient to completely revive the remnant soul, though it should be enough to prolong its existence for a while.

"After all, I owed you a debt. It was thanks to you that I was able to embark on the path of cultivation. Once my cultivation succeeds one day, I'll try to see whether I can revive you completely." Zeng Fan seemed to be speaking to the bones, yet also seemed to be muttering to himself.

After returning to his residence, Zeng Fan temporarily put the matter aside. His priority at present was still to strengthen his cultivation. He could not help recalling what Yuan Jin had told him after he broke through to the Body Tempering Bone Realm.

"Once you break through to the Body Tempering Bone Realm, I'll take you somewhere. It can speed up your cultivation of the Body Tempering Bone Realm."

"It's time to see what kind of riddle Yuan Jin is trying to play."