Scavenging for Medicinal Herbs

Watching Xiao Yan formally take Yao Chen as his master, the bond between teacher and student now set, Lin Hai gave a slight nod.

He could feel the fire within Xiao Yan reigniting, burning more fiercely and resolutely than at any moment in the past.

"Very well, the master-disciple bond is established; now, let us move to the real business." Lin Hai spoke, drawing the attention of both. He looked first at Xiao Yan, his tone turning somewhat stern: "Little Yan, since you have taken a master, you must respect him and practice with diligence. Venerable Yao's experience and insight far exceed your imagination; every piece of his guidance is precious beyond measure. You must not slacken."

"Yes! Uncle! Yan'er understands!" Xiao Yan straightened his back and replied loudly, his eyes filled with longing and drive for the future.

Lin Hai nodded, then turned his gaze toward the soul form of Yao Chen, who was hovering to the side: "Venerable Yao."

Yao Chen immediately straightened his expression and responded respectfully: "Please, give your orders, Excellency." Facing a "Peak Spirit Saint" of unfathomable depth, he dared not show the slightest arrogance.

"Your soul power is currently severely depleted; in this state, teaching will yield half the result with twice the effort." Lin Hai spoke bluntly, "I will be leaving for a time to search for rare medicinal herbs to nourish your soul. Once your soul has recovered somewhat, you will first refine a few Grade Eight pills."

"Grade Eight pills?" Yao Chen was stunned, then gave a bitter smile, "Excellency, in my current state, let alone Grade Eight, even refining a Grade Seven pill would be a struggle. My soul power simply cannot support it."

"I am aware." Lin Hai said calmly, "I will find the herbs, enough for you to restore your soul to its peak state. At that time, with your attainments as a Grade Eight alchemy grandmaster, refining pills for your own use to restore your soul origin should not be difficult. As for the Grade Eight pills you refine, I have my own uses for them."

Upon hearing this, Yao Chen's soul form trembled with excitement.

How rare were the herbs capable of restoring a soul's origin!

Yet this person had actually promised to find them?

If he could truly return to his peak soul state, let alone refining Grade Eight pills, even attempting to break through to Grade Nine would not be out of the question! For him, this was nothing short of a rebirth.

"Many thanks, Excellency! If this can truly be done, Yao Chen will exhaust all I have to mold Xiao Yan into a talent!" Yao Chen promised solemnly, his voice carrying a hint of a tremor.

If one could recover their power, who would choose to remain a weak, pathetic soul fragment?

"Hmm." Lin Hai acknowledged, and as if remembering something, his gaze grew profound once more. He looked at Yao Chen, his tone flat yet carrying an unquestionable certainty: "Venerable Yao, that strange cultivation technique you obtained by chance while traveling the continent in your early years... it is time for Yan'er to learn of it."

Yao Chen's entire being jolted violently; his illusory eyes stared fixedly at Lin Hai, filled with incomparable shock and horror!

That technique! He had never mentioned it to a single soul! It was one of his greatest secrets!

Even his close friend, Venerable Feng, did not know its true origin or effects!

This person... how could this person possibly know?!

Could it be that he could even peer into a person's memories?! Such methods were simply heaven-defying!

Watching Yao Chen's reaction, a faint, elusive smile curled at the corner of Lin Hai's lips. He offered no explanation, merely continuing: "Although that technique has harsh cultivation requirements and slow progress, needing to swallow Heavenly Flames to advance, its potential is infinite. It is the path most suited for Yan'er. With me, his uncle, by his side, the sources of Heavenly Flames will be found for him in the future; you need not worry."

The light, airy words contained an unimaginable arrogance and wealth of resources!

It was as if those Heavenly Flames, for which countless alchemists and experts fought and bled, were merely provisions for which he could casually map out a path.

Yao Chen was already stunned into numbness. He stared blankly at Lin Hai, until finally, all his emotions dissolved into a long sigh and total submission.

Before this mysterious powerhouse, he seemed to have no secrets at all.

"This old man... understands." Yao Chen replied in a dry voice. He had originally intended to test Xiao Yan's character for a few years before deciding whether to impart the dangerous Burning Decision, but now it seemed everything had long been within the other's calculations.

"Very good." Lin Hai nodded with satisfaction, "Little Yan, follow your teacher and practice with peace of mind. Uncle will be back shortly."

With that, without waiting for either of them to speak, Lin Hai's figure flickered slightly and vanished from the spot like a ghost, without causing the slightest ripple in space, as if he had never appeared at all.

Leaving Wutan City, Lin Hai shifted his divine sense and locked onto the direction of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

The speed of a Peak Spirit Saint was terrifying; in the blink of an eye, the surrounding scenery retreated rapidly, with mountains and rivers passing beneath his feet.

In the span of a few breaths, he had already penetrated deep into the core region of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Powerful auras of magical beasts emerged one after another here; Grade Five and Grade Six beasts were everywhere, and there were even faint, ferocious fluctuations belonging to Grade Seven beasts.

Lin Hai's target was clear—the Amethyst Winged Lion King!

Lin Hai naturally would not let this famous magical beast go; he intended to take it as his mount.

His divine sense, like mercury pouring over the ground, instantly enveloped the entire core region, easily locking onto a massive mountain cave permeated with dense fire-attribute energy.

Deep within the cave, a colossal creature was crouching in rest.

It was massive in size, its entire body covered in a layer of hard, purple crystals that shimmered with a magnificent luster in the dim cave. Atop its lion head, a fiery-red spiral horn stood proudly, radiating heart-stopping energy fluctuations.

It was none other than the Amethyst Winged Lion King!

Seemingly sensing the unmasked, god-like divine sense sweeping over it, the Amethyst Winged Lion King jolted awake, letting out a roar of rage and unease that shook the entire cave until it trembled.

"Human! How dare you spy on this King's territory! Get out!" The Lion King roared as it charged out of the cave, its massive wings unfurling to blot out the sky. The majesty of a sovereign spread out, frightening the countless low-grade magical beasts in the vicinity into prostrating themselves on the ground, trembling.

However, when it rushed out of the cave and saw Lin Hai standing in the air—his aura as plain as an ordinary person's, yet causing extreme terror to rise from the depths of its soul—its roar came to an abrupt halt. Its massive beast eyes were instantly replaced by shock and fear.

That absolute suppression of life hierarchy made its four limbs go soft; it nearly knelt on the spot!

"Roar... you... who are you?!" The Lion King's voice carried a distinct tremor.

Lin Hai could not be bothered with small talk and directly released a sliver of his Peak Spirit Saint pressure.

BOOM!

It was as if the firmament had collapsed!

With just that single sliver of pressure, the Amethyst Winged Lion King's massive body crashed to the ground, creating a deep crater, and its purple crystal armor groaned under the unbearable weight.

It could not even summon a single thought of resistance, only boundless fear and submission.

"Two choices," Lin Hai's voice was cold, like a divine decree, "Submit and become my mount. Or, die."

"I submit! I submit! Great existence! Amethyst is willing to submit!" The Amethyst Winged Lion King did not hesitate for a moment, pressing its massive head tightly against the ground while emitting a sound like a mournful cry.

Faced with an existence it could not even begin to comprehend, survival was its only instinct.

"Smart." Lin Hai retracted his pressure, his figure flickering as he appeared on the Amethyst Winged Lion King's broad back. "Get up and fly toward the southeast."

"Yes! Yes!" As if granted a reprieve, the Amethyst Winged Lion King carefully flapped its wings and took to the air, flying in the direction indicated by Lin Hai, as docile as a house cat and no longer daring to show even a shred of temper.

Following this, Lin Hai's powerful divine sense spread out like a tidal wave, meticulously scanning the vast mountains, secluded valleys, and deep abysses below.

His goal was clear: he was searching for those heaven-and-earth spiritual treasures that possessed miraculous effects for nourishing and repairing the soul.

During this time, he naturally encountered quite a few powerful magical beasts guarding high-tier medicinal herbs, and even one nearly mature seventh-grade herb guarded by a Single-Horned Magic Python that had just entered the seventh rank.

However, when the Amethyst Winged Lion King descended with Lin Hai, Lin Hai did not even need to lift a finger. With just a casual glance, the Single-Horned Magic Python sensed a terrifying aura that froze its very soul; terrified, it let out a hiss and, without a moment's hesitation, abandoned the spiritual herb it had guarded for years and dove into a deep pool to flee for its life.

They rampaged without restraint, plundering countless treasures along the way.

Finally, while passing through the depths of a remote Cloud Mist Valley, Lin Hai's divine sense detected three exceptionally pure soul fluctuations.

He ordered the Amethyst Winged Lion King to land.

At the bottom of the valley, clouds and mist swirled year-round, and spiritual energy was thick and dense. On an inconspicuous, slippery rock wall grew an orchid that looked like seven-colored glazed glass; its seven petals of different colors swayed gently, emitting a strange fragrance that calmed the mind—it was the Seven Illusion Clear Spirit Saliva!

Beside it, in the crevices of two massive black boulders, grew two strange, pitch-black flowers with stems as tough as silver threads, their pistils flickering with what appeared to be points of soul light—Iron Thread Soul-Restoring Flowers!

Judging by their age and quality, they were both of the highest grade!

"Good luck." Lin Hai nodded slightly, waving his hand to carefully harvest these three rare medicinal herbs, which were enough to incite a struggle among Dou Zun experts, and stored them in jade boxes.

With one Seven Illusion Clear Spirit Saliva and two Iron Thread Soul-Restoring Flowers, the soul power contained within was enough for Yao Chen to restore his soul state to the peak of his life, and perhaps even improve upon it!

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

The Amethyst Winged Lion King let out a low roar, not daring to disobey, and flapped its wings. Carrying this terrifying existence, it transformed into a streak of purple light and sped off in the direction of Wutan City.

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

The medicinal herbs were now gathered. Once Yao Chen recovered and refined a large quantity of pills, he could use those pills to generate more wealth, rapidly accumulating the vast resources needed to exchange for a large number of beast fires, which Lin Hai intended to use to quickly boost Xiao Yan's strength.