Xu Sanshi, have you heard "Mercury"?

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Soon, within his Sea of Consciousness, Huo Yuhao received Yao Lao's feedback.

"You call this a pill here?" Yao Lao sounded unsure whether to laugh or cry.

"This is clearly beast blood essence and medicinal herbs rich in vitality processed using a special method. It can only be called a medicinal pellet, hardly an alchemical pill. True pills must be purified with alchemical fire to refine away impurities, and they require supplementary ingredients that complement their medicinal properties, elevating and strengthening their effects."

Huo Yuhao shrugged. He had guessed this would be the result. After all, on the Dou Qi Continent where Yao Lao came from, every renowned powerhouse had used pills to improve their cultivation, yet he had never heard of any particularly serious side effects.

Even the worst side effect was merely having one's strength grow too quickly for one's mental state to keep up. In other words, the hardware had been replaced, but the software had not been upgraded.

Yet on the Douluo Continent, taking too many pills actually affected a Soul Master's future development and could even prevent them from breaking through to higher levels.

Clearly, this was caused by excessive impurities in the medicine they took, clogging their meridians and poisoning their bodies.

It wasn't that taking pills didn't work. The pills you people took were just too low-grade!

"Then, Teacher, could you purify the medicinal effects of the Mystic Water Pill?" Huo Yuhao ventured to ask.

"Hmm..." Yao Lao pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "On our continent, pills are divided into nine tiers. There is an Eighth-Tier Pill called the Primal Beginning Pill. It is used to establish one's foundation, and its effects are extremely gentle, gradually improving the user's constitution as they grow."

"What do you mean?" Huo Yuhao asked in confusion. Although he knew that the Primal Beginning Pill existed, he did not understand why Yao Lao had brought it up now.

"This so-called Mystic Water Pill of yours hasn't been refined with alchemical fire, but it could serve as a raw ingredient. If we added some energy condensates from inside Soul Beasts, something similar to what we call magic cores on our continent, we could refine a Primal Beginning Pill suitable for Soul Masters," Yao Lao explained.

"Although this imitation Primal Beginning Pill wouldn't have effects as lasting as the genuine article, and its tier wouldn't measure up either, it would be just right for you at present."

"Energy condensates from inside Soul Beasts?" Huo Yuhao thought for a moment, then the corner of his mouth suddenly twitched. "You don't mean Soul Bones, do you?"

"Soul Bones? If you could bring me one to examine, perhaps I could confirm whether it can be used to refine pills," Yao Lao said with a chuckle.

Refining pills with Soul Bones? Huo Yuhao wanted to die right then and there. You really don't hesitate to ask for the moon, old man!

Soul Bones had always been priceless treasures with no sellers. Whenever one appeared, all the major factions would scramble for it. Even a Soul Bone of mediocre quality would cost more than three hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, far beyond what he could currently afford.

He had thought swindling fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins out of Xu Sanshi today counted as a huge windfall, but Yao Lao had turned around and dropped a bombshell on him.

Even selling fish outside Shrek Academy for an entire semester would not earn him enough to buy a Soul Bone!

Suddenly, Huo Yuhao remembered that the first-place reward Shrek Academy offered for the freshman assessment in three months seemed to be a Soul Bone. Moreover, it was not an ordinary-quality Soul Bone, but one of above-average quality.

Looks like I'll have to show some of my real abilities this time. I have to take first place in the freshman assessment! Huo Yuhao told himself.

"You extorted four Mystic Water Pills from that boy, didn't you?" Yao Lao said within his Sea of Consciousness. "You can keep three for pill refinement and take one first so I can assess its effects. That will let me select supplementary ingredients to elevate its medicinal properties during refinement. As it happens, one more soak in the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid today should bring your Soul Power cultivation to the next level. Cleansing your meridians and marrow during a breakthrough produces the best results."

Huo Yuhao nodded, then a sharp gleam suddenly flashed through his eyes. "No, Teacher. I think I can wait another day before taking it."

"Another day? That's fine. Just take it when you break through. If you don't want to break through today, we can leave it until tomorrow." Although somewhat puzzled, Yao Lao still agreed to Huo Yuhao's request.

Nodding again, Huo Yuhao returned his attention to his work. The two fish on the grill were ready. He sprinkled them with cumin and other seasonings, placed them on a plate, and brought them to the table beside Xu Sanshi.

"Eat."

Xu Sanshi was still staring blankly in the direction Jiang Nannan had left. Huo Yuhao's words immediately jolted him out of his reverie.

The intoxicating aroma of the grilled fish's fat reached his nose, and Xu Sanshi's eyes lit up. He loved good food, too, and could naturally tell from the smell that Huo Yuhao's grilled fish was truly exceptional.

Picking up a grilled fish, Xu Sanshi took a small bite and felt as though his taste buds were cheering and dancing in his mouth.

"Ah, such delicious grilled fish. What a shame Nannan can't have any..."

Huo Yuhao had already been about to turn away, but hearing Xu Sanshi's words nearly made him trip over his own feet and fall.

Such a bootlicker! Such an absolute bootlicker! Even Boiling Goat would have to kowtow to you if he heard that. You're the true king of lovesick lapdogs!

Still, back then, Xu Sanshi's family had offered money and pills to treat an illness in exchange for Jiang Nannan helping him awaken his martial soul. That should have been a mutually agreed transaction.

But in the end, the job wasn't finished. She took the money and the pills, and the Martial Soul Awakening still failed. Why didn't you resent her? How did you fall in love with Jiang Nannan instead? That's truly baffling.

All he could say was that a lovesick lapdog's brain worked differently from a normal person's.

Seeing Xu Sanshi's forlorn figure, Huo Yuhao walked over and patted his shoulder with mischievous amusement. "Xu Sanshi, have you heard 'Mercury'?"

"Mer-what?" Xu Sanshi asked in confusion. "Could you leave me alone to miss my darling Nannan? Please don't disturb me."

"Ah, buddy, we got to know each other through a fight today. That counts as a bit of fate. Since I'm selling you these two grilled fish, I'll throw in a song."

Huo Yuhao cleared his throat, opened his mouth, and began singing unaccompanied. Even without backing music, his voice had a magnetic quality that seemed to draw listeners into the world of the song.

"...How much farther must I go to enter your heart, how much longer before I can draw near? The person so close, yet beyond reach, is waiting to meet you too. How could a planet circling around ever have you..."

"Boo-hoo... stop singing. It hurts. It hurts too much..."

Xu Sanshi listened, spellbound, and suddenly even the grilled fish in his mouth lost its flavor. He clutched his chest, feeling endless grievances he could not put into words, and could only shed silent tears.

"Huo Yuhao, did you write this song? I'll buy it! I'll pay ten thousand Gold Soul Coins! Sorry for the trouble, but please copy the lyrics for me. Tomorrow, I'll use them to write Nannan a love letter and tell her how I feel!"

Picking up the two grilled fish, Xu Sanshi walked away crying, entering Shrek Academy as the people around him stared at him as though he were an idiot.

Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao, delighted to have pocketed another ten thousand Gold Soul Coins, packed his things to close up his stall, laughing uncontrollably all the while.

Sure enough, the king of lovesick lapdogs and their ultimate anthem were a match made in heaven!