Resurrection?

He took out the medicinal herb from his pocket and held it up to his eyes. The herb was entirely black and faintly exuded spiritual energy, with no other distinguishing features.

Zeng Fan was a bit dumbfounded. "I got the herb, but how do I use it? I can't just feed it directly to this skeleton, can I? Let's try." Zeng Fan took out Guo Ren's skeleton from his storage ring. The moment the skeleton appeared, Zeng Fan felt a faint fluctuation, as if it was extremely eager for the black medicinal herb beside him.

Zeng Fan brought the herb into contact with the skeleton. Other than the fluctuation becoming more intense, nothing else happened.

"As expected, it doesn't work. This herb probably needs some processing. I don't know anything about herbs, so I'll have to go to the Alchemy Hall." Zeng Fan scratched his head. There was an Alchemy Hall in the mountain range that refined pills for disciples in need and purchased herbs they collected.

"Is this the Alchemy Hall?" Zeng Fan looked up at the ancient-looking building in front of him. It was entirely made of wood, shaped like a pill furnace, and a faint aroma of herbs and plants wafted from within. Quite a few people were entering and exiting at the moment.

Upon entering the hall, he explained his purpose to the disciple at the reception desk. The disciple then gave Zeng Fan a token and instructed him to proceed to room six for processing.

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

"Is anyone inside?"

"Come in!" a clear voice called from within. Zeng Fan pushed the door open and entered. A young woman in a green robe was sitting at a table in the room. The maiden had fair skin, as pure as new snow, exuding a touch of liveliness and playfulness. Her eyes were clear and bright, and her dark hair was casually tied up, with a few stray strands falling by her fair neck, adding a touch of casualness and natural beauty.

"So young?" Zeng Fan was taken aback. He had assumed that those stationed at the Alchemy Hall would be older.

The maiden seemed to understand Zeng Fan's thoughts and spoke calmly, "Stop looking. I'm the alchemist. Tell me your request first. If I can't do it, I'll arrange someone else for you." She appeared accustomed to people's scrutiny.

Zeng Fan gave an awkward smile and then took out the Spirit Grass. "I'd like to ask if this herb needs to be refined further to repair the soul?"

The woman took the black herb and examined it carefully. "Oh?" she exclaimed. "Spirit Grass. This is quite rare. It can repair the soul and enhance spiritual sense, but it needs to be refined and combined with other herbs to maximize its effect. 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? Oh no, I don't have enough." Zeng Fan's expression turned awkward.

Seeing Zeng Fan's silence, the woman's beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly. "You don't have Spirit Stones? This Spirit Grass alone would cost over a thousand Spirit Stones outside. You have the money to buy the grass but not to refine it? We don't do credit here!"

Zeng Fan's face became even more awkward. He planned to find Yuan Jin to borrow some first. "I need to find a way to get some Spirit Stones in the future, or I won't be able to live!" Zeng Fan cursed inwardly.

Just as the woman was about to say something else, she took a closer look at Zeng Fan's face and was stunned. She hesitated before speaking, "You are... Zeng Fan?"

Hearing the woman's words, Zeng Fan froze. He looked at her face, certain he didn't recognize her. "I am Zeng Fan. Do you know me?"

Upon hearing Zeng Fan confirm his identity, the woman couldn't help but laugh, and the entire room seemed to brighten. "I'm also a disciple of the Body Tempering Realm, how could I not know you? A Profound Vein disciple defeating an Earth Vein disciple by a whole minor realm. Your name is famous now."

Zeng Fan touched his nose. "You jest, young lady. I was just lucky."

The maiden didn't comment. An idea suddenly popped into her mind. 'Why not have him help me deal with that jerk?' The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. The maiden's gaze towards Zeng Fan suddenly became much kinder.

"Then I won't charge you for this one. However, you have to do me a small favor, how about it?" the maiden said to Zeng Fan.

"I wonder what favor you need me to do?" Zeng Fan was somewhat wary. After all, the woman's attitude changed so quickly after recognizing him, which made him uneasy.

The maiden chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, I won't ask you to do anything dangerous. We are both disciples of the Body Tempering Realm, what could I possibly force you to do? I'll refine it for you first. If you can't do the favor later, you can directly refuse, and you can pay me the Spirit Stones then, how about it?"

Zeng Fan thought about it. He didn't really have anything valuable that she could covet, and befriending a disciple from the Alchemy Hall wouldn't hurt him.

Zeng Fan cupped his fists towards the woman. "Then I'll trouble you, young lady. Just call me when you need my help."

Upon hearing Zeng Fan agree, the woman's face lit up with a smile, and her voice became more lively. "No problem, no problem. We fellow disciples should help each other. I'll refine it for you first. Oh, right, don't call me 'young lady' anymore. My name is Yao Ling'er."

With that, Yao Ling'er, carrying a scent of herbs and plants, turned and walked into the back of the alchemy room.

"Yao Ling'er?" Zeng Fan repeated the name. What a strange name. It was the first time he'd heard of someone with the surname Yao. 'Too bad I'm not Xiao Yan,' Zeng Fan thought, settling down to wait for the refining process to finish.

After an unknown amount of time, Zeng Fan, who had been meditating, opened his eyes upon hearing a noise. He saw Yao Ling'er emerge from behind the door with a smile, a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead. Seeing Zeng Fan look over, she smiled and said, "It's done! I've added some auxiliary herbs to better activate the Spirit Grass's medicinal properties. I've made it into a powder, so injured souls or spiritual senses can absorb it directly."

Zeng Fan took the jade bottle from Yao Ling'er and curiously opened the cap. Inside was a black powder. With just a sniff, Zeng Fan felt a surge of excitement in his head, as if he desperately wanted to absorb the powder.

He quickly closed the cap, afraid he wouldn't be able to resist absorbing it immediately. Just from that one sniff, he already felt his spirit improve.

"Thank you, Miss Ling'er. I'll take my leave now. Contact me when you need my help. You can find out my residence if you ask around." Zeng Fan put away the jade bottle and cupped his fists towards Yao Ling'er.

"Certainly, certainly. I'll call you then. Just don't go back on your word," Yao Ling'er said, clasping her hands behind her back. She bent slightly, her loose robe revealing a glimpse of breathtaking white skin. The maiden flashed a pearly white smile at Zeng Fan, completely unaware of the accidental display.

"Of course not. Please rest assured, young lady. As long as Zeng Fan can do it, I will not refuse." With that, Zeng Fan walked out of the stone room.

'I didn't expect Yao Ling'er to be able to participate in alchemy at the Body Tempering Realm. She must be a genius. And she has a great figure too!' Zeng Fan touched his nose, recalling the scene he had just witnessed, his heart stirred slightly.

Shaking his head, he decided to test the powder first. To be safe, Zeng Fan went to the entrance of the Disciple Hall. He opened the jade bottle, placed it inside his storage ring, and then put the bottle next to Guo Ren's skeleton. He focused his consciousness intently on the situation, his body tensed, ready to discard the skeleton into the Disciple Hall at the slightest unusual movement.

The Disciple Hall had elders stationed there daily. Zeng Fan believed that even if Guo Ren's remnant soul were to revive and cause a disturbance, the elders would suppress it, as he had been dead for who knows how long.

Inside the storage ring, the moment the jade bottle was placed beside Guo Ren's skeleton, a faint fluctuation awakened within the bones. Then, as if guided, the black powder from the jade bottle fell into Guo Ren's skeleton and was absorbed silently. The powder in the bottle steadily decreased, while the fluctuation grew stronger.

In Zeng Fan's perception, this fluctuation was initially like the dying embers of a candle, about to extinguish at any moment. But now, as the powder was absorbed, it slowly grew, becoming a small, stable flame.

The powder in the jade bottle was completely consumed, and the fluctuation within the skeleton once again hid itself.

"That's it?" Zeng Fan waited for a long time, but the skeleton remained unresponsive. Zeng Fan understood. The dosage was likely insufficient to fully revive the remnant soul, but it was enough to extend its existence for a while longer.

"After all, I owe you for being able to embark on the path of cultivation. One day, when my cultivation is strong enough, I'll try to see if I can fully revive you," Zeng Fan seemed to be speaking to the skeleton, or perhaps talking to himself.

Returning to his residence, Zeng Fan put the matter aside for the moment. His current priority was to strengthen his own cultivation. Zeng Fan couldn't help but recall Yuan Jin's instructions after he broke through to the Body Tempering Bone stage.

"When you break through to Body Tempering Bone, I'll take you somewhere that can speed up your Body Tempering Bone cultivation."

"It's time to see what this kid Yuan Jin was hinting at."