Soul Severely Injured

The quiet, profound darkness stretched layer upon layer, boundless and endless. Time and space seemed utterly meaningless here.

Su Heng drifted alone through the darkness, like a lone boat upon the ocean—small and pitiful.

Within the darkness, Su Heng vaguely sensed something frantically slipping away. Whatever was draining from him seemed capable of sucking a person dry of life itself.

Though he was already immersed in darkness, Su Heng could still feel his vitality weakening as death drew ever closer.

If he died in this darkness, would he vanish completely? Su Heng did not know, but he knew he was terrified of this feeling.

His fear of death made Su Heng want to scream desperately, yet even he himself could not hear his own voice.

Su Heng could do nothing. He could only drift with the current, wandering through the darkness until he was completely extinguished.

After an unknown amount of time, a powerful yet elusive energy pierced through the endless darkness. It transformed into a dazzling radiance, dispelling the infinite blackness.

Under the effect of that light, the sensation of life draining away gradually stopped. As time passed, the warmth grew increasingly intense.

His consciousness slowly returned, and Su Heng began to regain sensation. He knew that he was still alive.

After an unknown amount of time, Su Heng slowly opened his eyes, finally recovering consciousness completely.

The gentle, somewhat dim lamplight was not harsh. Su Heng looked around and discovered that he was lying in an unfamiliar room.

He tried to move his body, but to no effect. Even his fingers felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

It was not until a somewhat familiar purple figure fed him a mouthful of sweet water that his body truly improved slightly.

"Junior Brother! You're finally awake. Xue Mei, hurry and notify Master and the others!"

The familiar voice was filled with surprise and relief. Su Heng realized that the person keeping watch by his side was actually his senior sister, Lin Fei.

Before Su Heng could react, Xue Mei had already rushed out of the room.

Soon, Otto's round and amiable face entered Su Heng's sight.

However, Su Heng could see clear signs of exhaustion on Otto's face. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, and the heavy dark circles beneath them conveyed an overwhelming sense of fatigue at a glance.

"Master... where am I? What happened?"

Su Heng's face was deathly pale, and his breathing was weak. He used all his strength to glance at Otto as he asked in a feeble voice.

"This is the Imperial Capital. Don't speak for now. Just lie still and rest."

A moment later, Su Yan, Xue Yu, Frank, Xue Mei, and Xiao Li all rushed to Su Heng's side. Nearly everyone in the Dou Qi Continent who was close to Su Heng had gathered around his bed.

"Heng'er!"

Upon seeing Su Heng awake, his mother Xue Yu burst into tears of joy. She rushed forward, collapsed beside her son's bed, embraced him, and wept uncontrollably.

"Nephew Xiao, thank you for saving my son. Su Yan will never forget such kindness for as long as he lives!"

Rather than embracing his son first, Su Yan bowed to Xiao Li and expressed his gratitude.

"Uncle Su, please don't say that. Brother Su ended up like this because of our Desert Iron Mercenary Group. This is a debt I, Xiao Li, owe Brother Su Heng."

Xiao Li's face was filled with self-reproach. Only now that Su Heng had awakened did he feel slightly relieved.

"Brother Su Heng, how are you feeling now?"

Xiao Li stepped up to Su Heng and asked with great concern.

"Other than feeling weak, there doesn't seem to be anything else wrong."

Su Heng nodded lightly. Other than having no strength throughout his body, he felt no other abnormalities.

"It seems the Seven Illusory Green Spirit Saliva Third Brother brought back truly worked. Without him, this would have been extremely difficult to handle."

Seeing that Su Heng was no longer in danger, Xiao Li finally let go of the worry in his heart.

"Master, what exactly happened?"

Looking at the large group around him, Su Heng vaguely sensed something, but he did not have much energy left to think.

Otto gently sat down beside Su Heng's bed and slowly began to speak.

"More than a month ago, your cauldron exploded while you were refining pills, and you fell unconscious. After treatment in Salt City proved ineffective, your parents and this young nephew Xiao Li brought you to Black Rock City to find us."

"After Frank and I examined you, we discovered that your soul power had been severely overdrawn, and it had already caused irreversible damage to your soul."

"Little Su, you've been pushing yourself far too hard with your pill refining lately!"

As he spoke, Otto could not help showing a trace of anger, though there was even more heartache and regret in his expression.

"We tried many methods, but none could restore your soul power. Fortunately, a few days ago, young friend Xiao Li brought back some Seven Illusory Green Spirit Saliva, which was what finally awakened you."

After hearing Otto's words, Su Heng and his parents all turned grateful gazes toward Xiao Li.

Ever since Su Heng had fallen unconscious, Xiao Li had taken the initiative to escort him. For more than a month, he had cared for Su Heng attentively and remained constantly by his side.

Moreover, a few days ago, while Xiao Li, Lin Fei, and Xue Mei were out purchasing medicinal ingredients, they happened to encounter Xiao Yan, who was heading to the Imperial Capital to fulfill the Three-Year Pact.

After learning what had happened and hearing of Su Heng's condition, Xiao Yan immediately took out all the medicinal ingredients he had long treasured for restoring soul power.

Even more coincidentally, during that time, the Nalan Clan was recruiting physicians with Seven Illusory Green Spirit Saliva as the reward.

Xiao Yan possessed a Heavenly Flame and happened to be capable of removing the Scorch Poison from Nalan Jie's body. Thus, he used the alias Yan Xiao and entered the Nalan Clan to treat Nalan Jie, all for the sake of obtaining the Seven Illusory Green Spirit Saliva that could restore soul power.

"Second Brother Xiao, thank you!"

Although his body was extremely weak, Su Heng still struggled to sit up and clasped his hands toward Xiao Li in thanks.

"Brother Su, please don't say that. If you hadn't refined pills for us, perhaps you wouldn't have ended up like this. I, Xiao Li, owe you far too much."

Su Heng's injuries had been caused by overexerting his soul power through intense pill refining in a short period, while the Desert Iron Mercenary Group had obtained more than a dozen fourth-grade pills from him.

In Xiao Li's eyes, both he and the Desert Iron Mercenary Group bore an inescapable responsibility for Su Heng's condition. Being able to make up for it even slightly brought Xiao Li a small measure of peace.

"By the way, Second Brother Xiao, where is Brother Xiao Yan? Where did he go?"

Xiao Yan had saved his life this time, and since they had not met for so long, Su Heng truly missed him as well.

"The Three-Year Pact is close at hand, and Third Brother still has some matters to handle, so he went ahead. Once you're feeling better in a few days, we'll have a proper gathering."

After hearing Xiao Li's words, Su Heng nodded seriously. Then he turned to Otto and asked softly.

"Master, how is my condition right now?"

Looking at Su Heng's paper-white face, utterly devoid of color, Otto let out a long sigh and slowly spoke.

"You are now like a leather bag riddled with holes, while your soul power is like the water inside that bag, constantly leaking out."

"If we cannot find a way to cure it at its root, then one day, after all your soul power has leaked away, you will become a living corpse."

At those words, Otto and Frank both sighed in regret. Everyone in the small room fell silent, and the room sank into stillness.

After hearing his master's words, Su Heng lowered his head without speaking.

He had fought desperately to become stronger, only to end up overdrawing his life and becoming a living corpse?

Su Heng refused to accept it. He was even less willing to accept it. Yet Heaven did not seem especially fond of him; just as he was about to soar, it had violently slammed him back to the ground.

To Su Heng's parents, their child had become like this entirely because of the Su Clan. Even if Su Heng became crippled in the future, they would care for him attentively for the rest of his life.

After a long silence, Su Heng seemed to think of something. He swallowed a Soul-Nourishing Pill, then spoke with remarkable calmness.

"Master, I've thought of a way. Perhaps my career as an alchemist will not end here."

"The sixth-grade Soul-Melting Pill can fuse souls and heal all injuries suffered by soul bodies. If I obtain a Soul-Melting Pill, my injuries can be cured."

Just then, Su Heng suddenly recalled that his soul power had been restored by the Seven Illusory Green Spirit Saliva. This medicinal ingredient had originally been obtained by Xiao Yan after treating Nalan Jie's Scorch Poison, intended for restoring Medicine Elder's soul power.

In the original timeline, Xiao Yan had fought the Eight-Winged Black Snake Emperor to retrieve Qing Lin and forcibly used the Two-Colored Buddha's Fury Lotus, exhausting Medicine Elder's soul power and causing him to fall into slumber.

However, because of Su Heng's appearance, Xiao Yan had never come into contact with the Heavenly Snake Mansion, and Medicine Elder had not fallen asleep from exhausting his soul power.

If Xiao Yan had only obtained the Seven Illusory Green Spirit Saliva not long ago to save him, then the Alchemist Competition might have only just ended, and Xiao Yan should happen to possess the formula for the Soul-Melting Pill.

Furthermore, Medicine Elder was still around. If they asked Medicine Elder to help refine the pill, this matter could be considered foolproof.

What Su Heng needed to prepare were the ingredients for the Soul-Melting Pill. Having just emptied the Mo Family treasury, medicinal ingredients were what Su Heng lacked least.

If he was still short of a few ingredients, Su Heng could purchase them from the Mittel Auction House in the Imperial Capital.

In that case, Otto and the others truly had no need to be so sad.

"The Soul-Melting Pill can indeed help heal your injuries, but its formula is the reward for the champion of this year's Alchemist Competition. This competition is filled with experts. How could winning the championship be so easy?"

"Moreover, it is a sixth-grade pill. In the entire Gama Empire, apart from Pill King Gu He, no one can refine it."

Upon hearing Otto's words, Su Heng froze and hurriedly asked.

"The Alchemist Competition hasn't begun yet?"

"That's right. This year's Alchemist Competition will begin in three days. It is currently still in the preparation stage."

"Hm? Don't tell me you're thinking of entering!"

Otto stared fixedly at Su Heng with a shocked expression and cried out.

"If my calculations are correct, no one in this year's Alchemist Competition is my match. If I participate, I will certainly win the championship. Since that is the case, why shouldn't I?"

"As for an alchemist capable of refining the Soul-Melting Pill... Master, have you forgotten? You once said that Brother Xiao Yan's teacher is at least a Seventh-grade Alchemist."

"If we ask his elder for help, perhaps he will lend us a hand for Brother Xiao Yan's sake."

Lying around and waiting for Xiao Yan to win the championship before relying on personal connections to heal himself was not a bad plan, but that was only under the premise that the competition had already ended and Xiao Yan had won.

If the Alchemist Competition had not yet begun, then taking the championship himself was the simplest and most effective option for Su Heng.

After all, winning the Alchemist Competition only required refining a Three-Stripe Green Spirit Pill. Su Heng believed that among all the participating alchemists, no one understood how to refine a Three-Stripe Green Spirit Pill better than he did.

"That may be true, but can your body hold out until you win?"

Lin Fei had no doubts about Su Heng's words at all. When she learned that Su Heng had fallen unconscious because he had refined too many fourth-grade pills and overdrawn his soul power, she had been utterly shocked.

She had not expected Su Heng to improve so quickly. She was only a Second-grade Alchemist now, while Su Heng was already nearing the peak of the fourth grade.

"A third-grade Soul-Nourishing Pill can allow my soul power to be no different from an ordinary person's for one day. As long as I have enough Soul-Nourishing Pills, holding out until the competition ends should not be a problem."

In theory, with the Soul-Nourishing Pills refined by Otto and Frank, Su Heng could endure long enough to win the Alchemist Competition.

After winning, he could find Xiao Yan and ask him to help refine the Soul-Melting Pill. Everything would fall naturally into place and be perfectly reasonable.

Furthermore, Xiao Yan's burden at this time was lighter than imagined.

Mo Cheng had been killed by Su Heng and had nothing to do with Xiao Yan. Therefore, after the battle of the Three-Year Pact, Yun Leng would have no grounds to forcibly keep Xiao Yan behind, and Xiao Yan naturally would not have a major conflict with the Misty Cloud Sect.

Under such circumstances, Xiao Yan would have ample time to help Su Heng refine pills. As for the Xiao Family, Xiao Li had rarely returned home, so having him visit the Xiao Family was only natural.

As for what would happen afterward, Su Heng did not know either. The butterfly effect he had caused had already become impossible to predict.

The Hall of Souls might still make a move against the Xiao Family, but without the connection to Mo Cheng, how Yun Leng would treat Xiao Yan was completely unknown.

If Yun Leng did not attack the Xiao Family because his pride had been wounded, then Protector Wu of the Hall of Souls might not seize this chance to capture Xiao Zhan either. Everything would become entirely unknown.

But one thing was certain: Medicine Elder's soul power would not suffer too much depletion, and he could help Su Heng refine the Soul-Melting Pill.

Having reached this point in his thoughts, Su Heng made up his mind. He solemnly bowed to Otto and Frank, his expression grave as he said,

"Masters, I have a fairly reliable plan. I hope you will lend me a hand."

Whenever Su Heng spoke like this, the matter usually had roughly an eighty percent chance of success. Otto naturally did not object, and Frank nodded seriously as well.

"Master, please trouble yourself to refine some Soul-Nourishing Pills for me. As long as they can help me last until the Alchemist Competition ends, that will be enough."

"These are the medicinal ingredients I have stored away. You..."

Just as Su Heng was about to take out medicinal ingredients from his Storage Ring, Lin Fei stopped him.

"Junior Brother, leave this matter to me."

Seeing the determination in Lin Fei's eyes, Su Heng could only nod and remain silent.

"Master, I'll cover all the ingredients needed to refine Junior Brother's Soul-Nourishing Pills this time. You only need to focus on refining them."

Ever since Lin Fei received the Snake Emperor's Mysterious Flame Su Heng had donated to the Alchemist Guild, her pill refining skills had advanced by leaps and bounds. She was now a peak Second-grade Alchemist, and breaking through to the third grade was close at hand.

She had always wanted to repay Su Heng, and now she had finally been given the chance.

"In that case, this old man will help as well. Little Su, follow your own wishes and do it without reservation."

For Otto alone to refine enough Soul-Nourishing Pills within three days would be quite strenuous. Frank was also a Fourth-grade Alchemist and had likewise received Su Heng's kindness, so he stepped forward decisively at this moment.

"Then I'll help too!"

Since Lin Fei had already taken action, Xue Mei naturally refused to fall behind.

"Master, Grandmaster Frank, Senior Sister Lin Fei, Senior Sister Xue Mei, thank you!"

At this moment, Su Heng knew he was not alone on his path. Deeply moved, tears streamed down his face.