Jiang Nannan clenched her fists tightly against her chest, her face filled with worry as she watched her mother.
The blue-green light symbolizing healing slowly adjusted her mother's body, sealing the steadily leaking vitality.
Seeing her mother's complexion grow increasingly rosy, Jiang Nannan felt a surge of excitement. However, when she noticed that the clinic master's expression was extremely grave, the heart she had just set down was lifted again.
Ten minutes later—
When the woman on the bed began breathing steadily, her deathly pale complexion returning to a healthy flush and her life force circulating normally once more, Xu Wei withdrew his healing Spirit Power.
Xu Wei stood before the bed, pondering for a long time, and finally could only let out a sigh.
At the sound of that sigh, Jiang Nannan's hanging heart sank completely.
In a clinic, one didn't fear a doctor's complaints—what one feared was a doctor's silence and sighs.
With a trembling voice, Jiang Nannan asked,
"Clinic Master, how is my mother?"
Xu Wei led Jiang Nannan out of the ward and shook his head at the doorway.
"Your mother is fine for now. I used a Spirit Ability to lock her life force in place and supplemented it with some vitality."
"But Miss Jiang, your mother's heart condition is congenital and involves the very origin of life."
"In this situation, healing Spirit Abilities can only treat the symptoms, not the root. Moreover, your mother's heart is continuing to deteriorate, and its functions are steadily weakening."
"In about a week, the same situation as today will occur again—and in the future, it will only become more severe."
Jiang Nannan felt her body go weak, nearly fainting, though her Soul Elder physique kept her from collapsing.
"Clinic Master… is there any other way?"
Seeing the fragility and unwillingness in Jiang Nannan's eyes, Xu Wei closed his eyes and searched through his medical knowledge.
Soon, he opened them and said:
"Throughout history, there has been only one way to resolve such congenital problems—by strengthening the foundation, nourishing the origin, and improving the body's constitution."
"For example, some Spirit Masters have defective Martial Souls, but can compensate through absorbing Spirit Rings or consuming suitable heavenly treasures."
"As for your mother's congenital heart condition, the only thing I know that is truly effective is the Xuanwu Divine Pill of the Xuanming Sect."
"But the Xuanming Sect has long secluded itself deep in the forests and no longer involves itself in worldly affairs. To find them and exchange for a Xuanwu Divine Pill would be harder than ascending to the heavens!"
When Xu Wei mentioned the Xuanwu Divine Pill, a man who happened to be collecting medicinal herbs with the help of a clinic apprentice suddenly stiffened and cast a furtive glance at Jiang Nannan.
After seeing Jiang Nannan clearly, excitement immediately surged within him.
"Top-tier… absolutely stunning!"
"With this appearance and temperament, she perfectly meets the Sect master's and Second Young Master's requirements."
This man was named Chen Wen, the personal attendant of the Xuanming Sect's Second Young Master, Xu Sanshi.
Recently, he had been worrying endlessly about Xu Sanshi's Martial Soul evolution ritual. The Sect Master had ordered him to find a girl with decent talent and peerless beauty to serve as the key participant in the ritual.
If the Second Young Master's Martial Soul could evolve into the Xuanwu Shield, he would become the Young Sect Master of the Xuanming Sect. As his closest follower, Chen Wen would also rise to prominence through this connection.
With his heart burning with excitement, Chen Wen bought the medicinal herbs and immediately left for the Xuanming Sect.
He had heard that the girl needed the Xuanwu Divine Pill. Although such a pill was also an extremely precious treasure even to the Xuanming Sect…
Given how highly the Sect Master valued the Second Young Master, one Xuanwu Divine Pill would hardly matter.
He would report to the Sect Master at once and request one Xuanwu Divine Pill from the treasury in exchange for this peerless girl's willing participation as a crucial component of the ritual.
Chen Wen's departure did not alert anyone in the clinic. Jiang Nannan's body trembled slightly as she stood there, at a complete loss.
She feared that her mother might leave her like this. Back then, she had promised her mother that she would definitely become a powerful Spirit Master and lead her to a good life in the future—
And yet now…
Seeing how she looked as if she might shatter at the slightest touch, Xu Wei couldn't help but feel sympathy. He had always been very optimistic about this girl's potential.
"Miss Jiang, actually, there is still one more place you can try."
"A small clinic called Little Huo Clinic has recently opened in the southern district marketplace of Xuanfeng City."
"These days, that place has become quite famous in Xuanfeng City. Many people have been going there to seek medical treatment and medicine."
"According to some Spirit Masters from the Spirit Arena, the clinic's master can heal any kind of injury without side effects."
"Some people even claim that missing fingers can be regenerated. His medical skills are extraordinarily high."
"Although I haven't witnessed it personally, I believe that where there is great reputation, there must be real ability behind it."
Hearing his words, the lifeless look in Jiang Nannan's eyes reignited with hope.
She gave Xu Wei a deep bow, then entered the room and helped her mother leave slowly.
Their destination was the southern district.
At this moment, Huo Yuhao had no idea that another "acquaintance" was about to be drawn here by the pull of fate.
He was currently giving a Martial Soul consultation.
"Master Huo, what do you think we should do about my son's situation?"
A richly dressed middle-aged woman looked at Huo Yuhao with worry. Beside her stood a thirteen-year-old boy with a face full of disdain.
"You mean your son has the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, innate Spirit Power at level two, and now wants to hunt a venomous snake–type Spirit Ring?"
Huo Yuhao struggled to keep a straight face.
The middle-aged woman sighed, glaring at the boy with frustration.
"This brat read a few stories about the Sea God and became dead set on hunting a snake-type Spirit Ring."
"My ancestors were from the Tang Sect. Throughout the generations, every Blue Silver Grass Spirit Master who tried to imitate Ancestor Tang San never even reached the sixth Spirit Ring."
The boy immediately grew displeased upon hearing his mother and retorted:
"That's because they were trash. I'm different."
Huo Yuhao was having a serious 'elderly man on the subway staring at his phone' moment.
With an innate level-two Spirit Power and a low-tier Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, where did this confidence even come from?
Unless you had some Blue Silver Emperor bloodline, Huo Yuhao wouldn't believe you even a little.
Still, sticking to the matter at hand, Huo Yuhao offered his advice.
"Ma'am, and you as well… young friend—an innate level-two Blue Silver Grass means the origin of his Martial Soul is quite weak."
"Absorbing a venomous snake–type Spirit Ring could indeed cause a certain degree of evolution, since this Martial Soul can't really deteriorate any further."
"However, venomous snake Spirit Rings usually introduce toxins into the body. With such a weak Martial Soul, you may not be able to suppress those toxins."
"These toxins could cause you unbearable suffering."
To back up his words, Huo Yuhao even pulled out a book he had picked up earlier at a Xuanfeng City bookstore—"One Hundred Ways Spirit Masters Die." It contained real cases of Blue Silver Grass Spirit Masters being poisoned to death by their own Martial Souls.
It was said that the author was a Titled Douluo from a hundred years ago, giving the book wide circulation and strong authority.
After seeing the highlighted, bolded description of the agonizing deaths, the boy finally grew fearful.
"You think I'd be scared of that? Just a bit of poison."
"But… thinking about it carefully, venomous snake Martial Souls do seem kind of unsuitable for me. Recommend something else instead."
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but laugh wryly as he said:
"Sunflower spirits are a good choice for a first Spirit Ring. Recorded Spirit Abilitys include photosynthetic healing, absorption, and the like. They're decent life-type soul beasts."
After speaking, Huo Yuhao took out a thick, foot-wide volume titled "Encyclopedia of Spirit Beast Spirit Abilitiess" and flipped to the page on Sunflowers.
This book was a secondhand item Huo Yuhao had picked up from a merchant.
Its price: one hundred gold soul coins.