Next, I'll feed you

"By the way, have any of you ever used a medicinal bath? I haven't tried it before, so I'm curious what your experiences were like."

Xiao Yexuan asked the three of them.

Upon hearing this, their expressions shifted, clearly indicating they had all used such baths.

Ning Rongrong, the most vivacious among them, was the first to grab Xiao Yexuan's hand and say:

"A medicinal bath is just a concoction made by boiling various herbs."

"While soaking in it is very beneficial for the body, that lingering medicinal stench is truly hard to stomach."

As she spoke, Ning Rongrong couldn't help but pinch her nose, looking quite disgusted.

"Sometimes when soaking, my body feels a searing, fiery pain, as if I'm being burned alive..."

Zhu Zhuqing nodded, chiming in with a deep voice.

Beside them, Xiao Wu seemed to recall something and hurriedly interjected:

"I think medicinal baths are such a waste!"

"So many herbs are tossed into a giant pot and dissolved into the water."

"When you soak, your body only absorbs a tiny fraction of it."

"Most of the essence either vanishes into the air or is lost during the boiling process."

"In short, I think it's better to just eat those precious herbs directly!"

Having once been a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, Xiao Wu still retained the habits of a beast in her bones; whenever she saw an herb, her first instinct was to eat it whole.

To her, using a massive pot of herbs for a bath only to dump it all out afterward was a complete travesty.

"Xiao Wu, it sounds simple when you say it, but the medicinal potency of those herbs is far too strong for our bodies."

"If we eat them directly, it would have negative consequences."

Ning Rongrong, who soaked in medicinal baths frequently, immediately argued her case.

Zhu Zhuqing nodded slightly and added:

"I do feel it's a bit wasteful, too."

"Back in the Star Luo Empire, there are people researching the creation of medicinal pills."

"By neutralizing the potency of the herbs and dividing them into doses, you don't have to worry about the herbs causing direct harm to the body."

"It's just that such pills are incredibly difficult to refine. If you mess up, the entire pot of herbs goes to waste!"

"Furthermore, the amount of herbs and time required to research a single pill is astronomical."

"That is why such pills are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, even in the capital of our Star Luo Empire."

After listening to the three women, Xiao Yexuan's face showed little surprise.

After all, on the Douluo Continent, everyone basically ate herbs raw.

Especially those immortal herbs found in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

To take such precious herbs and simply gnaw on them instead of carefully refining them into pills was truly a waste of heaven's gifts.

If every immortal herb were refined alongside a variety of other ingredients, the resulting efficacy would surely be a hundred times greater than eating them raw.

Since Xiao Yexuan had steered the conversation here, he nodded slightly and shifted his tone.

"Medicinal baths are indeed a bit wasteful of the herbs' potential."

"If we could research better pills and ensure every herb is used to its fullest, that would be wonderful."

"As it happens, I know quite a lot about herbs and enjoy tinkering with strange things."

"I think I can try to refine these herbs and turn them all into pills."

"Then, people on our Douluo Continent will have one more way to increase their cultivation speed."

Xiao Yexuan looked earnest, his eyes filled with longing, as if he had already become a master alchemist renowned across the continent.

If anyone else had stood before Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu and claimed they would refine herbs into pills to benefit all the spirit masters of the Douluo Continent, they would have laughed their heads off.

How could anyone be so selfless?

And how could medicinal pills be so easily refined?

They lacked the Soul Tool required to precisely control the temperature.

Most fire-attribute spirit masters spent their time diligently cultivating their own spirits; they had no spare time to use their spirit flames for alchemy.

As for everyone else, it went without saying.

But the person before them was Xiao Yexuan.

Xiao Yexuan possessed a unique charm that made everything he said appear through a super-powered filter in the eyes of others.

Hearing that Xiao Yexuan wanted to research medicinal pills, Ning Rongrong immediately jumped up from her chair.

She hurriedly grabbed Xiao Yexuan's sleeve, her voice filled with excitement:

"Young Master, you are simply... simply too magnificent!"

"You will surely sacrifice a great deal of cultivation time to research these medicinal pills."

"The importance of soul power to a soul master goes without saying, and time is money!"

"For you to be willing to do this, Young Master, you are truly a role model for us all!"

"Young Master, you are making a contribution to every soul master on the Douluo Continent!"

"As the second-greatest sect in the world, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect houses thousands of soul masters."

"On behalf of all the soul masters in our sect, I wish to express my gratitude to you, Young Master!"

"When the time comes for you to refine these pills, our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will provide all the medicinal materials you need, completely free of charge!"

"Young Master, please, refine away!"

Ning Rongrong was as wealthy and generous as ever, and she held Xiao Yexuan in unparalleled esteem.

She practically viewed Xiao Yexuan as a living bodhisattva who had come to save the suffering, or perhaps the sun hanging high in the sky, illuminating the world.

In short, in her eyes, Xiao Yexuan was no different from a god.

Seeing Ning Rongrong seize the initiative and offer such generous benefits, Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu, standing nearby, felt a complex mix of emotions.

Xiao Wu clenched her fists, unwilling to be outdone, and spoke up.

"The medicinal materials on the market are all common, low-grade goods."

"The truly good stuff is all hidden deep within the Star Dou Forest!"

"Only with higher-grade medicinal materials can you refine better pills."

"If you want to refine top-tier pills, Young Master, I happen to know a few good friends who frequently venture into the Star Dou Forest."

"They have many precious medicinal materials in their possession, and they know of quite a few secret herb gardens guarded by powerful soul beasts."

"Young Master, once we part ways later, I will go and contact those friends."

"I believe it won't be long before they bring back large quantities of precious medicinal materials."

"At that time, feel free to use as much as you like, Young Master; please don't feel bad about it."

"Young Master, you are contributing to soul masters across the entire world!"

"Besides, I will also need your pills to improve my own strength when the time comes!"

"I believe you will certainly not let us down, Young Master, and will surely refine incredibly precious pills that will boost our strength by a significant margin!"

Ning Rongrong had the backing of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, possessing the wealth and influence to purchase countless rare medicinal materials.

Xiao Wu had the two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast at her disposal in the Star Dou Forest, allowing her to find top-tier, ancient herbs.

Both of them had offered pivotal support to Xiao Yexuan's pill-refining enterprise.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhuqing, standing to the side, felt a burning sense of anxiety.

In terms of family background, she could not compare to Ning Rongrong; in terms of connections, she fell short of Xiao Wu.

The things she could offer were simply not as precious as those of the other two.

Suddenly, she gritted her teeth, as if having made a firm decision, and stepped forward quickly to say:

"Young Master, refining pills requires someone to test them."

"When the time comes, I am willing to be your guinea pig."

"Whatever you tell me to eat, I will eat, without a single word of complaint."

After hearing Zhu Zhuqing's words, Xiao Yexuan's expression turned somewhat peculiar, and he could not help but let his mind wander in a strange direction.

So, if I offer you some noodles later, you'll eat those too, right?

Just noodles, of course.

Xiao Yexuan had long since grasped the intentions of these three young women, and he was secretly overjoyed.

His desire to refine pills had been nothing more than a whim, an idea he had come up with on the spot.

He had never expected that a casual remark would garner so much support and praise.

However, happy times are always fleeting.

The group had been discussing how to grow stronger and how to refine pills with great enthusiasm.

Time had slipped away quietly without them noticing.

Soon, it was time for Xiao Yexuan to return to Liu Erlong for his medicinal bath.