Beast Soul Crystal

Early in the morning, Xiao Le woke up, only for aching pain to sweep through his entire body, nearly making him pass out again.

"Ah!"

His cry of pain woke the woman leaning against his feet.

Seeing Xiao Le awake, the exhausted Ya Fei hurriedly said in delight, "You're finally awake!"

Ya Fei, who had always presented herself as a strong career woman, actually began to cry, leaving Xiao Le at a loss.

"Hiss!"

Xiao Le reached out a hand, and the heart-wrenching pain immediately sobered him up. He knew that he was still badly injured.

Seeing this, Ya Fei quickly supported Xiao Le.

"This ambush was likely the work of the Misty Cloud Sect. I've long heard that Elder Yun Leng holds grudges fiercely. Don't worry, I'll have someone notify the royal family and the Miter Family. They'll definitely protect the Xiao Family!" Ya Fei quickly composed herself and regained her usual capable demeanor.

Killing intent rose in Xiao Le's eyes as he gritted his teeth. "One day, I'll destroy the Misty Cloud Sect!"

Looking at the haggard beauty before him, Xiao Le forced Ya Fei to rest. Only then did she leave. Not long after Ya Fei left, Xiao Yan entered Xiao Le's room.

Medicine Elder slowly drifted out. Looking at Xiao Le with pain in his eyes, he waved his hand, and a weak soul body flickering in and out of existence appeared nearby. There was no need to guess—it had to be Beast Venerable.

Beast Venerable appeared as a middle-aged man, radiating a dense savage aura, as though the roars of countless beasts faintly echoed around him.

"Beast Venerable, I only survived this time because of you. Thank you!" Xiao Le hurriedly thanked him.

Who would have expected Beast Venerable to show no appreciation? He snorted coldly. "No good deed goes unpunished. I saved your life, kid, and then this old gentleman imprisoned me. Kid, tell me, is that fair?"

Medicine Elder knew Beast Venerable was merely venting and did not explain much. Besides, did he, Medicine Venerable, have no dignity?

"This trip to the Imperial Capital brought me quite a harvest. Teacher, there are a few things I don't know what they are. I'd like you to take a look." As Xiao Le spoke, his storage ring flashed, and several objects appeared before them.

Forget Beast Venerable—even Medicine Elder's breathing quickened.

"A soul crystal, a Netherworld Lotus, a Flat Peach pit, and an inheritance beast bone? Kid, what kind of luck do you have?" Beast Venerable cried out.

The lotus from the Miter Family was already in Xiao Le's possession. However, it was protected by a Dou Qi barrier; otherwise, Xiao Le would not have been able to take it away.

Medicine Elder could not keep his composure either. Xiao Le's harvest was simply too astonishing. He explained, "This crystal is a soul crystal left behind after a powerful expert died. However, the soul power within yours has already been exhausted. Otherwise, I might have been able to recover some of my strength."

"The Netherworld Lotus is a rare treasure of heaven and earth. Protected by Purple Abyss Baleful Miasma, it is impossible for anyone to approach it. Yet this lotus can be refined into a Soul Essence Pill, which can increase soul power. The flower can also yield Purple Abyss Lotus Blossom, granting wood-attributed Dou Qi cultivators attributes no weaker than powerful beast flames, with poisonous properties as well."

"The Flat Peach pit is the pit of the legendary divine medicine, the Flat Peach. Only a Dou Venerable can use spatial power to retrieve its kernel. It is said that the skin of the kernel contains extreme deathly energy, yet the kernel itself returns to life from the depths of death and is brimming with vitality. Combined with several other medicinal ingredients, it can be refined into a Ninety-Nine Revivification Pill, which possesses the power to revive the dead."

"This inheritance beast bone must be the item through which this man obtained his inheritance. It may be the remains of a ninth-tier magical beast. Unfortunately, the essence within it has long been exhausted, leaving only the inheritance behind."

After hearing Medicine Elder's explanation, Xiao Le became extremely excited. These were all exceptionally rare treasures.

Xiao Le suddenly remembered that since a soul crystal was the crystallization of a powerful expert's soul after death, it should be capable of carrying souls. If he attached beast souls to it, what effect would that have?

With that thought, Xiao Le placed his hand on the soul crystal and infused it with the beast souls he had downloaded into his body, leaving behind only the complete beast soul of the Nethersea Flood Dragon Beast.

As Xiao Le infused it, the soul crystal erupted with black light. A streak of bright silver radiance shone forth, dense soul power spread through the room, and the phenomenon of a hundred beasts roaring together appeared.

"What is this?" Medicine Elder and Beast Venerable could no longer remain calm. To soul bodies like them, this was an enormous tonic!

Xiao Le had forgotten that there were others beside him. This immediately made him a little nervous. With an awkward smile, he said, "Teacher, I just thought that since the soul crystal can carry souls... I once happened to obtain a fruit. After eating it, I gained the ability to extract souls from magical beast cores and magical beasts, though they dissipate very quickly. Just now, I was wondering whether the soul crystal could preserve them. That way, Teacher, you could recover some strength too!"

Xiao Le comforted himself inwardly. This was not really a lie. He had merely passed off the system as a divine fruit.

"Good! You've truly struck it rich with this soul crystal!" Medicine Elder was very pleased.

However, Medicine Elder soon wiped the smile from his face and looked toward Beast Venerable. "You must have been a peak Dou Venerable in life, not much weaker than me. You also know that we cannot fully trust you. I have a secret oath technique here. I hope you will swear that you will not harm Xiao Le. You have seen these two children's talent. I am not joking—under our guidance, it will not be difficult for them to provide us with bodies in the future!"

Beast Venerable sighed inwardly, knowing this had been inevitable. He did not refuse Medicine Elder's request and accepted the secret technique Medicine Elder transmitted to him. For a Dou Venerable to learn a secret technique, it took almost the time it took for one incense stick to burn before Beast Venerable completed it and immediately made the oath.

With Xiao Le's safety guaranteed, Medicine Elder was much more at ease.

Xiao Le looked seriously at Beast Venerable and said, "Although I will not inherit your legacy, you protected me while I grew. I will acknowledge you as half a teacher! One day, I, Xiao Le, will definitely help you recover!"

The soul crystal was handed over to Medicine Elder and Beast Venerable. These two had claimed to be lofty experts, yet now they were as anxious as children.

Xiao Le downloaded the two inheritances within the beast bone. The technique that combined cultivation and combat skills was useless to Xiao Le, but the secret technique—Heavenly Beast Spirit-Burning Art—was of great use to him.

The Heavenly Beast Spirit-Burning Art could burn the power of magical beast cores to temporarily increase one's combat strength. However, the stronger the magical beast core, the greater the damage to one's body. Still, it was an excellent secret technique for preserving one's life.

Xiao Le was not selfish and copied the Heavenly Beast Spirit-Burning Art for Xiao Yan, giving him another layer of protection so that his future path toward becoming the Flame Emperor would go more smoothly.

With the Miter Family's secret assistance, the Xiao Family's market district grew increasingly dominant, placing immense pressure on the Jia Lie Clan. Of the three great clans, both the Xiao Family and the Jia Lie Clan relied on the market districts for their livelihood, with nearly half of their annual income coming from them.

Time slowly drew closer to the coming-of-age ceremony. This time, no one dared to look down on Xiao Le or Xiao Yan anymore.

Leaving aside their talent and identities as alchemists, Xiao Le's great feat in the Imperial Capital, which had recently spread back to Wutan City, was enough to silence all gossip.

Before long, a piece of news reached the Xiao Family, stirring Xiao Le's calm heart and leaving him faintly nervous.

Xiao Yu, who had gone to study at Jianan Academy, was returning!