Outside Yao Chen's room. The faint scent of medicine drifted through the air, mingling with a wave of powerful spiritual pressure that spread gradually across the courtyard not long after Xiao Yan had left. The change made Xiao Yan both shocked and thrilled. The surging Spiritual Power was vigorous and pure, radiating vitality that continued to rise without pause.
"This Soul Infant Fruit really is effective. Teacher's soul is steadily recovering… Hmph, that Liu Xi actually dared to take my Bone Chilling Flame. Sooner or later, I'll make him cough it back up the same way he swallowed it!" Xiao Yan's expression shifted from joy to fury, his hands clenching tightly beneath his sleeves, his face growing more and more twisted as the anger in his chest built up.
The resurgence of such an imposing Spiritual Aura naturally drew attention. Many curious onlookers approached, only to be blocked by Xiao Yan, who stood guard outside.
The Pill Tower's Elders and disciples, most of whom already had a poor impression of Xiao Yan, were displeased at being stopped, but none dared to force their way in. They simply reported the matter truthfully up the chain.
Before long, Xuan Kongzi himself arrived, representing the Pill Tower to investigate. That in itself was a gesture of goodwill—after all, he had long been on friendly terms with Yao Chen.
"You mean to say," Xuan Kongzi asked, hands clasped behind his back as he gazed toward the sealed room, "that you traded your Heavenly Flame for the Soul Infant Fruit in Liu Xi's possession, and now Yao Chen is restoring his Soul Essence?"
Standing beside him, Xiao Yan nodded without hesitation. His voice was edged with frustration as he slammed a fist onto the wooden railing, splintering it apart. "It was outright extortion! A mere Soul Infant Fruit in exchange for a Heavenly Flame—how could that possibly be fair?"
Xuan Kongzi smiled bitterly. He couldn't exactly blame Liu Xi—after all, one was willing to sell and the other was willing to buy—but there was no denying it was a blatant case of taking advantage of the desperate.
"Let's just wait and see. There are still eleven days until the half-month deadline. If Yao Chen can recover in time, with his influence and prestige, there might still be a chance to avert this crisis."
"Yes." Xiao Yan gradually fell silent, turning his gaze expectantly toward Yao Chen's room. He had gone into heavy debt for his teacher's sake; if Yao Chen could return to strength, at least he wouldn't be carrying the burden alone.
The golden crow sank in the west as night fell and the moon climbed high. Deep into the night, Yao Chen had yet to finish absorbing the Soul Infant Fruit's energy, but the soul aura emanating from within grew increasingly terrifying, forcing anyone with weak Spiritual Power to retreat far from the area.
"He's approaching the peak of the Spirit Realm. Back then, Yao Chen's soul cultivation was likely at this same level. It shouldn't be long now." Xuan Kongzi stood waiting beside Xiao Yan, his tone calm but full of admiration. Among the entire Pill Tower, only he and a few reclusive elders still held close ties to Yao Chen.
Xiao Yan nodded, his hands trembling slightly with excitement. "That's great news."
But reality rarely followed expectation. When dawn finally broke and sunlight chased away the night's gloom, a surge of boundless Spiritual Power burst forth from Yao Chen's room. The overwhelming wave swept through the entire Holy Pill City in an instant before swiftly retracting.
Though the fluctuation lasted only a moment, this was Holy Pill City—the land of the continent's most powerful alchemists. Countless masters of Spiritual Power were immediately stirred.
Even within the Ye Clan's residence, Liu Xi was roused from his cultivation, sensing the immense aura sweeping past him like a divine eye. "Yao Chen? The Soul Infant Fruit really works wonders—it actually restored a crippled soul to its peak and even strengthened it. That's definitely a Heaven Realm Soul."
He muttered the words with mild surprise before shrugging them off. 'A Heaven Realm Soul, so what? Once I refine the Bone Chilling Flame and devour the massive Soul Essence, I'll be at mid Heaven Realm at least—late Heaven Realm won't be out of reach.'
Back outside Yao Chen's quarters, both Xuan Kongzi and Xiao Yan clearly sensed the monumental change nearby.
"That's a Heaven Realm Soul! What a stroke of fortune. His spirit was once damaged, but its toughness was exceptional. Now that his Soul Essence is whole again, he's broken through straight to the Heaven Realm." Xuan Kongzi sighed with envy, his voice tinged with awe. He himself had long been stuck at the peak of the Spirit Realm, one step short of this same breakthrough.
For an alchemist, attaining the Heaven Realm Soul meant the possibility of refining 9th Tier Pills—a temptation few could resist.
"Liu Xi would never have imagined a single Soul Infant Fruit could push my teacher into the Heaven Realm Soul stage," Xiao Yan said with a faint grin, his tone half mocking, half delighted.
A light creak broke the air. The door to the room opened slowly.
Yao Chen emerged, his figure now completely solid, no different from a living person. His white robes fluttered lightly, and his long hair swayed gently in the morning breeze. His expression softened with warmth as he looked at Xiao Yan, and he smiled knowingly when his gaze shifted to Xuan Kongzi.
"You're here too, old friend. Good timing—I was just about to seek you out," Yao Chen said in his usual calm tone.
"Teacher, congratulations on stepping into the Heaven Realm Soul!" Xiao Yan bowed deeply in respect.
"It's nothing special," Yao Chen replied with a faint smile. "Just a chance I earned after years of hardship."
Xuan Kongzi nodded in admiration. "Still, this is no small achievement. But tell me—what do you plan to do next? Even with a Heaven Realm Soul, you can't face the Hall of Souls in your current state."
Yao Chen floated lightly into the courtyard. "That's exactly why I wanted to see you. My original resurrection method is too difficult. So, I want to ask you to forge a new body for me—using your Spirit Puppet Technique."
"You've decided?" Xuan Kongzi's face grew solemn as he straightened his posture, brows furrowed in concern.
"I have," Yao Chen said serenely. "I only wish to live again. Any body will do."
There was a calm detachment in his eyes, as though he had already transcended life and death.
Xiao Yan grew restless. Helping his teacher reconstruct a body should have been his responsibility, yet now that burden was being passed to Xuan Kongzi. "Senior Xuan Kongzi, what exactly is this resurrection method? Why do you sound so concerned?"
Xuan Kongzi glanced deeply at Yao Chen before explaining gravely, "It's called the Spirit Puppet Technique, passed down from ancient times. The process is… simple in theory, but grim in nature. Rather than true resurrection, it is closer to creating a puppet."
"The corpse of the deceased is steeped in an extract made from nearly a thousand medicinal ingredients, reawakening its vitality. The soul is then infused into the body, and with an 8th Tier 'Yin-Yang Reversal Pill,' the state between life and death is forcibly altered."
"The result is a living corpse—half alive, half dead. It retains all memories and experiences of life, appearing no different from a living person, but its body remains dead. The senses are lost—no pain, no warmth, no cold. From then on, its existence depends solely on medicinal fluids to sustain it."
"No!" Xiao Yan shouted, his voice hoarse. He clutched at his hair in agitation, his expression filled with anguish. "Teacher, there must be another way! That kind of life… it's no different from being dead!"
Yao Chen smiled softly, his eyes glinting with pride. "Xiao Yan, your concern already brings me comfort. But time waits for no one. I still intend to help you destroy the Hall of Souls and reclaim all that was taken. As long as I have a body, that's enough."
He turned to Xuan Kongzi. "Let's begin the preparations."
Xuan Kongzi sighed heavily. Seeing that Yao Chen's resolve was firm, he could only comply, vowing silently to craft the most perfect body he could.
"Very well. Let's go."
And so it was decided. To fight the Hall of Souls, Yao Chen had to regain his strength—and to do that, he would walk the path of the dead. Though it would temporarily make him stronger, it would also seal off every path forward in the future.
(End of Chapter)
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