Unexpected Plea for Help

The sound of hurried, staggering footsteps echoed through the mine shaft, an unfamiliar rhythm from training. Lin Xiao appeared at the entrance of the rock cavity, carrying someone on his shoulder. His expression was unusually serious, his amber vertical pupils narrowed to slits.

"I found him outside." He carefully put the person down. It was an unconscious young man, his face purplish-black, his breathing weak. His clothes were torn open at the chest, revealing Spiderweb- like crimson patterns spreading across his skin, with a slight bulge in the center that emitted an eerie glow.

Lin Xiao stepped aside. A woman followed her in, covered in dust and with tears streaming down her face. As soon as she entered the cavern, she knelt down and slammed her forehead heavily against the stone surface.

"Mr. Lu... please... save my brother..." The voice was hoarse and broken.

It's Bai Zhi. The female Soul Master who gave medicine to her and said goodbye at the back mountain of the Nuoding Academy.

The cavern fell silent instantly. Mo Chen stopped carving, Shen Moxin stood up. Lu Yuan's gaze fell on the crimson patterns, his pupils contracting slightly.

"Get up and speak," Lu Yuan said faster. "What happened?"

Bai Zhi struggled to sit up, her fingers trembling. "It's the ' Red Chain Snake King '... My brother went deep into the Serpent Valley on the northern Black Stone Mountain Range to collect the ' Seven-Heart Ice Lotus '... and disturbed the nest..." She spoke incoherently, but Lu Yuan understood the key information. The Red Chain Snake King possessed a rare mixture of fire poison and neurotoxin; those poisoned often died from the dissipation of their Soul Power.

"How long has it been?"

"Three... three days," Bai Zhi choked up, "I consulted two pharmacists, both of whom said the poison had entered my heart meridian and there was no hope of recovery... I suddenly remembered you, Mr. Lu... I inquired all the way to Maple Leaf Town... I searched for a whole day in the mountains before this man found me..."

She was about to kowtow again when Lin Xiao stopped her. "Don't kneel. The person isn't dead yet; there's still hope." He looked at Lu Yuan, "What do you say?"

Lu Yuan crouched down, condensing a wisp of Blue Silver Grass Soul Power at his fingertips, and cautiously probed towards the edge of the crimson pattern. The moment he touched it, the Soul Power wisp trembled violently, as if it were being scorched by flames, and at the same time, a cold, numbing sensation came over him. He quickly severed the connection, and his face darkened.

The situation is worse. The toxins have begun to erode the Martial Soul Origin.

"Carry it into the inner stone chamber." Lu Yuan stood up. "Teacher Shen, prepare clean water and a clean cloth. Mo Chen, you have the steady hand, help me out. Lin Xiao, keep an eye on the outside."

The command was clear. Shen Moxin immediately turned around. Mo Chen rubbed his hands together, his eyes becoming focused. Lin Xiao nodded and disappeared into the entrance.

Bai Zhi wanted to follow him inside, but Lu Yuan stopped her with a raised hand. "You wait outside." His tone left no room for argument.

Inside the stone chamber, the Soul Power lamp was turned up to its brightest setting. Lu Yuan closed his eyes to sense his wrist pulse, but his Soul Power was immediately disrupted by the chaotic toxins.

"The toxins are highly mixed and mutually catalyzing each other." He opened his eyes. "We must first stabilize the Soul Power environment, isolate the toxins from eroding the Martial Soul Origin, and then find a way to separate them."

Mo Chen frowned. "How can we stabilize him? His Soul Power is almost dissipating."

Lu Yuan remained silent for a few seconds. In his mind, fragments of his previous life's research on mixed toxins, the "stability and purification" effect of Earth Vein Soul Marrow shards, and the theory of "Soul Power Vortex" collided rapidly.

A risky plan emerged.

"Earth Vein Soul Marrow Fragment Crystal," Lu Yuan said slowly. "Using the fragment crystal as the core, we can construct a miniature Soul Power guiding purification array to amplify the 'stabilizing' effect and apply it to the heart meridian area. This might temporarily 'freeze' the toxin's activity and buy us some time."

Mo Chen gasped, "Use Soul Marrow to shatter crystals? There's so little left! And... a purification array? I've never tried that before!"

"Theoretically feasible." Lu Yuan spoke steadily, his eyes sharp. "The key lies in the array structure—it must be precise enough to ensure that the energy only affects the poisonous area. Several herbs are also needed as a medium and buffer."

He looked at Mo Chen: "I'll draw the array diagram, you carve it. The carrier will be scraps of bluish-white jade fossils. Teacher Shen," turning to Shen Moxin who had returned with water, "We need powdered roots and stems of 'Evening Primrose,' ' Cold Marrow Vine,' and 'Dewdrop Flower,' in a 5:3:2 ratio. Do you have any?"

Shen Moxin pondered, "I have evening primrose and dewdrop flowers in reserve. Cold Marrow Vine... I might have Bai Zhi."

"Ask her," Lu Yuan nodded, "And get a tiny amount of ' Spirit-Calming Sand ' too."

Shen Moxin went out to inquire.

Mo Chen was still processing this. "Even if the formation is successful, how do we guide it? The injured person's own Soul Power can't cooperate."

"It's activated by external Soul Power, and I'm in control," Lu Yuan said. "My Blue Silver Grass Soul Power control is the most precise. I need your and Teacher Shen's assistance to stabilize the energy flow around the formation and prevent backlash."

The risk is extremely high. Soul Marrow Fragments are incredibly precious and could be a key resource for future exploration of the "Land of Lightning Strikes." The formation has never been tested before, and the slightest mistake could not only fail to save the person, but also damage the fragments and cause Lu Yuan himself to suffer a backlash. Moreover, treating a suddenly appearing wounded person could expose the stronghold and get him into trouble.

Should we not save him? Looking at Bai Zhi's desperate eyes, watching the crimson mark on her brother's chest devour his life force...?

Inside the cave, Bai Zhi heard about the needed medicinal herbs and hurriedly rummaged through her cloth bag. "I have... I have everything..." she said, trembling as she handed them over.

Shen Moxin took it and said in a low voice, "Mr. Lu is trying to find a solution, but... he's not confident."

Bai Zhi nodded frantically, tears welling up again. "I know... as long as there's a glimmer of hope..."

Inside the stone chamber, Lu Yuan used charcoal to draw a complex array on the stone slab. It was a three-layered nested structure, with the core points marked with the locations of the shattered Soul Marrow crystals. Mo Chen leaned closer to examine it, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Can it be carved?

Mo Chen stared at the array diagram, licked his dry lips, and his eyes changed from hesitation to fierceness. "... Yes." He picked up a scrap of jade fossil and a carving knife.

"ASAP."

Lu Yuan stepped out of the stone chamber. Bai Zhi immediately looked at him, her eyes full of pleading.

Inside the cavern, Shen Moxin was grinding medicinal powder, while Lin Xiao leaned against the stone wall at the entrance, watching silently with his vertical pupils. Mo Chen emitted an extremely faint etching sound in the stone chamber.

All eyes were on Lu Yuan.

He remained silent for a moment, weighing the precious resources, the unproven theories, the potential risks, and his own bottom line of "not wanting to see someone die."

"Bai Zhi," Lu Yuan said, his voice low but each word clear.

Bai Zhi held her breath.

"Your brother's condition is very dangerous. Conventional methods can't save him." Lu Yuan looked at her. "I have an idea, but I've never tried it before, and the success rate can't be guaranteed. Moreover, it requires something very precious."

Bai Zhi nodded vigorously.

"More importantly," Lu Yuan continued, his gaze sweeping across the cavern, "Whether we succeed or fail, you and your brother must keep everything you see and hear here a secret forever. You must not mention this place, anyone here, or anything we've done to anyone."

His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable weight.

"If you can't do that, you can leave now. I'll show you the way to the pharmacist in town, though the chances are slim."

Bai Zhi didn't hesitate for a moment. She knelt down again, looked up, tears streaming down her face, her eyes revealing a stubborn and resolute expression.

"I swear," his voice hoarse but firm, "I swear by my Martial Soul ' Moonlight Orchid,' and by the family's heritage. What I have seen and heard today will not have left my siblings' mouths. If I break this oath, may my Martial Soul be shattered, and may I never be reincarnated."

Soul Master swears an oath with their Martial Soul, which is the most solemn oath.

Lu Yuan looked at her and nodded.

"Okay," he said. "Mo Chen is preparing. Teacher Shen, give me the medicine powder when it's ready. Lin Xiao, you're in charge of the outside."

He turned and walked back into the stone chamber. At the doorway, Mo Chen just looked up, holding the jade stone fragment engraved with silver patterns in his hand. In the core groove, a warm, softly glowing crystal was already embedded.

Shattered Earth Vein Soul Marrow.

The miniature purification array is complete.

Next, it's a battle against death and poison, a fight for that last glimmer of hope.