Gathering Medicinal Herbs

Watching Xiao Yan formally take Yao Chen as his master, their relationship as master and disciple now established, Lin Hai gave a slight nod.

He could feel the flame rekindling within Xiao Yan, burning hotter and more steadfastly than ever before.

"All right, now that you're master and disciple, let's get down to business." Lin Hai spoke, drawing their attention. He looked first at Xiao Yan, his tone turning more serious. "Xiao Yan, now that you've become his disciple, you must respect your master and train diligently. Venerable Yao's experience and knowledge far exceed anything you can imagine. Every word of guidance he offers is precious, so don't slack off."

"Yes, Uncle! I understand!" Xiao Yan straightened his back and answered loudly, his eyes filled with hope and enthusiasm for the future.

Lin Hai nodded, then turned to Yao Chen's soul floating nearby. "Venerable Yao."

Yao Chen immediately grew solemn and replied respectfully, "Please give your orders, sir." Facing a "Spirit Saint" whose depths he couldn't fathom, he didn't dare show the slightest arrogance.

"Your soul power is severely depleted. In this condition, teaching him will get half the results for twice the effort," Lin Hai said bluntly. "I'll be away for a while, searching for some rare medicinal herbs that can nourish the soul. Once your soul has recovered somewhat, you can start by refining a few Eighth-Tier Pills."

"Eighth-Tier Pills?" Yao Chen froze, then gave a bitter smile. "Sir, in my current state, forget eighth tier—even refining a Seventh-Tier Pill would be difficult. My soul power simply can't sustain it."

"I know." Lin Hai's tone was calm. "I'll find enough herbs to restore your soul to its peak state. Then, with your skill as an Eighth-Rank Alchemy Grandmaster, refining pills for your own use to restore your Soul Origin shouldn't be difficult. I have my own purpose for the Eighth-Tier Pills you refine."

At his words, Yao Chen's soul flickered with excitement.

How rare were herbs that could restore one's Soul Origin!

And this man had actually promised to find them?

If he could truly recover his soul to its peak, forget refining Eighth-Tier Pills—even attempting to break through to the ninth tier wouldn't be out of the question! For him, this was practically the grace of being reborn!

"Thank you, sir! If you can truly do this, Yao Chen will devote everything he has to raising Xiao Yan into a fine man!" Yao Chen made the solemn pledge, his voice trembling slightly.

Who would want to remain a frail, weakened soul if they could regain their power?

"Mm." Lin Hai replied, then seemed to recall something. His gaze grew profound once more as he looked at Yao Chen and spoke calmly, yet with unshakable certainty. "Venerable Yao, that strange cultivation art you acquired by chance while traveling the continent in your youth... it's time to let Xiao Yan learn about it."

Yao Chen's whole body shuddered. His illusory eyes fixed on Lin Hai, filled with overwhelming shock and horror!

That cultivation art! He had never told anyone about it! It was one of his greatest secrets!

Even his friend, Venerable Feng, didn't know its true origins or effects!

How... how could this man know?!

Could he even peer into people's memories?! Such an ability was practically divine!

Seeing Yao Chen's reaction, Lin Hai's lips curled in a faint, elusive smile, but he offered no explanation. He simply continued, "That cultivation art has harsh requirements and progresses slowly. It needs to devour Heavenly Flames to advance, but its potential is limitless. It's the path best suited to Xiao Yan. With me as his uncle, I'll find the source of those Heavenly Flames for him in time. You needn't worry."

His casual words carried an unimaginable air of power and resources!

It was as if the Heavenly Flames of the world, which countless alchemists and powerful figures fought over in a frenzy, were merely supplies whose route he could plan at will.

Yao Chen was so stunned that he had gone numb. He stared blankly at Lin Hai, and in the end, all his emotions gave way to a long sigh and complete submission.

Before this mysterious powerhouse, it seemed he had no secrets at all.

"I... understand," Yao Chen replied, his voice dry. He had originally planned to observe Xiao Yan's character for a few years before deciding whether to teach him the dangerous Burning Decision. Now it seemed that everything had long since been within the other man's calculations.

"Good." Lin Hai nodded in satisfaction. "Xiao Yan, focus on training under your master. Your uncle will be back soon."

With that, before either of them could say anything more, Lin Hai's figure blurred and vanished like a ghost, without causing the slightest ripple in space, as if he had never been there.

After leaving Wutan City, Lin Hai focused his divine sense and immediately locked onto the direction of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

The speed of a Peak Spirit Saint was terrifying. In almost the time it took for a thought to pass, the surrounding landscape blurred backward, with mountains and rivers racing beneath him.

In the blink of an eye, he had reached the heart of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Powerful magical beast auras filled the area. Fifth- and sixth-rank magical beasts were everywhere, and several savage auras belonging to Seventh-Rank Magical Beasts could even be faintly sensed.

Lin Hai had a clear target: the Amethyst Winged Lion King!

He naturally wouldn't pass up this famous magical beast. He intended to make it his mount.

His divine sense spread like a flood, instantly enveloping the entire core region. It easily located a massive cave saturated with fire-element energy.

Deep inside the cave, a colossal creature lay resting.

It had a massive frame, covered in a layer of hard purple crystals that gleamed with a splendid luster in the dim cave. A crimson, spiraling horn stood proudly atop its lion's head, radiating a disquieting energy.

It was the Amethyst Winged Lion King!

Perhaps sensing that terrifying divine sense sweeping over it without concealment, like a god's gaze, the Amethyst Winged Lion King jolted awake. It let out an enraged, uneasy roar that made the entire cave tremble.

"Human! How dare you spy on my territory! Show yourself!" the Lion King roared as it charged out of the cave. Its enormous wings spread wide, blotting out the sky as the majesty of a ruler rolled outward. Countless low-rank magical beasts nearby were so terrified that they crouched on the ground, trembling.

But when it emerged and saw Lin Hai hovering in midair, with an aura as ordinary as any common man's, yet inspiring absolute terror deep in its soul, its roar cut off abruptly. Its enormous eyes filled with shock and fear.

The absolute suppression of their very life levels made its legs go weak. It nearly dropped to its knees on the spot!

"Roar... who... who are you?!" the Lion King stammered, its voice trembling unmistakably.

Lin Hai couldn't be bothered to waste words. He simply released a sliver of a Peak Spirit Saint's pressure.

Boom!

It was as if the heavens had collapsed!

That mere sliver of pressure sent the Amethyst Winged Lion King crashing to the ground, smashing a deep crater into the earth. The purple crystal armor covering its body groaned under the strain.

It couldn't even summon the thought of resistance. All it felt was boundless terror and submission.

"Two choices," Lin Hai said, his voice cold as a divine decree. "Submit and become my mount, or die."

"I submit! I submit! Great one! Amethyst is willing to submit!" The Amethyst Winged Lion King didn't hesitate. It pressed its enormous head firmly to the ground, its voice a mournful whine.

Faced with an existence it couldn't even begin to understand, survival was its only instinct.

"Clever." Lin Hai withdrew his pressure and moved onto the broad back of the Amethyst Winged Lion King. "Get up. Fly southeast."

"Yes! Yes!" The Amethyst Winged Lion King, as if pardoned, cautiously beat its wings and rose into the air. It flew in the direction Lin Hai indicated, docile as a house cat, not daring to show the slightest temper.

Then Lin Hai's powerful divine sense spread across the land, sweeping over the vast mountains, secluded valleys, and abysses below as it searched carefully.

His goal was clear: to find natural treasures with exceptional effects for nourishing and repairing the soul.

Along the way, he naturally encountered quite a few powerful magical beasts guarding high-rank medicinal herbs. There was even a nearly mature Seventh-Tier medicinal herb guarded by a Single-Horned Magic Python that had just entered the seventh rank.

However, when the Amethyst Winged Lion King carried Lin Hai down, he didn't even need to lift a hand. A casual glance was enough for the Single-Horned Magic Python to sense the terrifying aura that froze its soul. With a frightened hiss, it abandoned the spirit herb it had guarded for years without hesitation and fled into a deep pool.

They swept through the area unchecked, gathering countless treasures.

At last, as they passed through the depths of the Cloud Mist Valley, a place rarely visited by people, Lin Hai's divine sense detected three exceptionally pure waves of soul energy.

He ordered the Amethyst Winged Lion King to land.

Mist swirled year-round at the bottom of the valley, where spiritual energy hung thick in the air. On an inconspicuous, slick rock face grew an orchid resembling seven-colored glass. Its seven petals, each a different color, swayed gently and gave off a strange fragrance that calmed the mind. It was the Seven Illusion Clear Spirit Saliva!

In the cracks between two enormous black boulders beside it, two strange little flowers grew tenaciously. They were pitch-black all over, but their stems were as tough as silver threads, and points of light that seemed to belong to souls flickered within their stamens. They were Iron Thread Soul-Restoring Flowers!

And judging by their age and quality, all three were of the finest grade!

"Not bad luck." Lin Hai gave a slight nod. With a wave of his hand, he carefully picked these rare herbs, worth fighting over even for Dou Zun experts, and packed them into jade boxes.

One Seven Illusion Clear Spirit Saliva and two Iron Thread Soul-Restoring Flowers—together, the soul power they contained would be enough to restore Yao Chen's soul to its peak while he was alive, and might even improve it further!

"Let's go. Back to Wutan City." Lin Hai patted the Lion King beneath him.

The Amethyst Winged Lion King gave a low growl, not daring to disobey. It beat its wings and carried the terrifying presence away, turning into a streak of purple light as it sped toward Wutan City.

On the Lion King's back, Lin Hai closed his eyes to rest.

The medicinal herbs were ready. All that remained was for Yao Chen to recover and refine a large number of pills. By rolling pills into more pills, they could quickly amass a wealth of resources, which Lin Hai planned to use to exchange for a large supply of Beast Fire so Xiao Yan could rapidly increase his strength.