Chapter 31

Alchemical technique.

Although he is very angry that Ling Xiao ate his magic pill, it only lasts for a little while. Since he managed to refine that magic pill, he can just refine another one. What is regrettable is that he didn’t manage to see how it is different from the others.

Today, for the whole afternoon, You XiaoMo refines all the the three hundred stalks of magic herbs he got from the Hall of Enchanted Herbs. He did not waste a single minute. His speed is significantly faster than before. An important factor to this success is his proficiency gained from experience. But the most important factor is that for fifty of them, he only distilled them once.

Before, it took him the time to brew half a cup of tea to refine one magic pill. Now, he can refine two level one magic pills in that time. So he can refine fifty magic pills in under two hours. Because of this huge decrease in time, he can use the remaining time to experiment on the magic pill that Ling Xiao ate.

That magic pill was distilled five times, the most he has ever done up till now. Usually, the most is not more than four times. But when he distilled five times, it was as if he used up all his soul force, only succeeding through sheer willpower. It’s too bad that Ling Xiao ate it up before he could figure out how much the risk was reduced. So he can only console himself that it was only a level one magic pill. He can just find some time later to refine another one.

“Little brother.”

Just when he is immersed in his thoughts, Ling Xiao suddenly calls him. You XiaoMo’s reaction is rather slow. He only realizes a moment later that Ling Xiao is calling him. He raises his head and looks at him with suspicious eyes.

Ling Xiao thinks that Little brother is finally angry. But just when he is about to mock him, unexpectedly the resentful look on his face disappears after only a moment. It seems his ability to get right back up again is quite high. Really too amusing!

“Little brother. Next time don’t overuse your soul force again.” Ling Xiao suddenly says in all seriousness.

“Why?” You XiaoMo asks without thinking.

“Because it is harmful to your soul. Overusing your soul force is equal to overusing your soul capacity. Furthermore, the soul is the essence of a person. No matter if it is an ordinary person or a mystic, when the soul is no more, you will disappear from this world. But for mages, this is even more critical.” says Ling Xiao.

“Why?” You XiaoMo dumbly asks again. He really never gave much thought to this issue.

It may be recorded in the library, but there is a limit to how much content he can read. Regarding the soul force and the soul, he definitely did not come across anything on the first floor.

“The soul force of a mage is not the same as the souls of martial artists. Your brothers should have told you that only mages have a soul force. So, if there is no soul force, then you lose the ability to refine magic pills. When you overuse your soul force, you indirectly damage your soul. Understand?”

Saying this, he raps You XiaoMo on the head and winks. It seems as if his serious demeanor a moment ago is just a facade.

You XiaoMo blinks in pain while holding his head. He thinks to himself that he must not admit that he is not quite used to the serious Ling Xiao. If he does, wouldn’t that mean that he is a masochist? Only a fool would admit to such a shameful thing.

Ling Xiao beams saying: “But ……. the last pill you refined, the taste is really not bad oh.”

You XiaoMo’s scalp starts to tingle. He suddenly gets a bad premonition.

Sure enough, he hears him say: “I’ve decided. I’ve decided to change from fifty magic pills to twenty. Plus one of that magic pill. I only want one. How about it? Elder brother is really good to you right?”

Good your head! You XiaoMo curses silently.

“Elder brother. Didn’t you just tell me that I shouldn’t rashly overuse my soul force?” You XiaoMo raises his head and looks at him innocently.

Ling Xiao raises his elegant brows, “With your current soul force, don’t tell me you can’t even refine one?”

You XiaoMo scratches his head, “Right now it’s not possible. The amount of soul force needed to distill the magic herbs five times is more than I expected. Before I refined that magic pill, my soul force was very full but it was still not enough.”

In actual fact, his body felt a little weak after he finished refining ninety nine magic pills. So he drank some lake water from his dimension. He didn’t expect that the lake water would be so magical. Not only did it restore his spirit and remove his fatigue, it also fully replenished his soul force. Really exceeding his expectations.

What was he thinking at that time? When he was distilling the magic herbs, he suddenly wondered if he could do it five times. And just like that, he went ahead with it. How could he have known that the fifth time is more difficult than the fourth time by two to three times. Therefore, he consumed two thirds of his soul force all at once. Not wanting to give up halfway, You XiaoMo used the little that’s left of his remaining soul force to complete the five steps of the blending stage.

“So it seems the most important thing right now is to increase your soul force.”

Seeing that his plan is not going to succeed, his expression is a little unsightly. His tone is tinged with frustration. This is not the first time this young man has refused him. And yet he is showing such a clueless expression.

You XiaoMo doesn’t notice it, crying out *ah*, “The soul force can be increased?”

Ling Xiao raises his brows again, “How can it be that your brothers have not told you about it?”

You XiaoMo thinks back. They really did not. But then it’s probably not Elder brother Fang’s fault. They had just entered the sect for a few days so the most important question was if they could refine magic pills. Knowledge on the soul force is probably something that they did not need at that stage.

Ling Xiao, on the hand, doesn’t think that way. He feels that Fang ChenLe has failed in his duty. He then explains: “There are two ways to increase the soul force. The first one is through practice. With continuous practice, the soul force can be increased. But this method is rather slow. Changes will only be noticeable after a long time. Of course, you can compare yourself with your brothers. If you can refine more magic pills than them at one go, it means that your soul force is more than theirs.”

This is the first time Ling Xiao has spoken so long with someone who he just met for a day.

You XiaoMo, on the other hand, is listening with rapt attention, asking: “Then the second method ne?”

Ling Xiao shoots him an indifferent glance, “The second method is by alchemical meditation. It’s more useful than you practicing from morning to night.”

You XiaoMo’s eyes start to gleam, asking hurriedly: “Really? That alchemical meditation ……”

Ling Xiao’s lips start to curve upwards, revealing an expression that You XiaoMo is very familiar with. It frightens him so much that his delighted expression vanishes instantly. But this frightened expression brings Ling Xiao much delight, vastly improving his mood, “Little brother, do you think that these alchemical techniques to train the soul force is something easily obtainable?”

“If not?” You XiaoMo asks in return in a small voice. Just like a little kitten that was frightened into retracting its claws, except that he never had any claws to begin with.

Ling Xiao beams saying: “Alchemical techniques to train the soul force is something that not even all high level mages have.”

You XiaoMo ventures: “Can it be that alchemical techniques for the soul force is very rare?”

“Not only is it rare, the whole Long Xiao continent probably has less then ten volumes. As far as I know, even a large sect such as TianXin sect only has one volume. Furthermore, it is kept as a top secret. Other than the inner circle, they won’t easily reveal it to the other disciples.”

Of course, all these come from Lin Xiao’s memory. As for he himself, he has always not bothered with affairs of Long Xiao continent. Spending most his time in deep sleep, so it is not surprising that he doesn’t know.

“Inner circle ah……” You XiaoMo hangs down in head in disappointment. He is only a probationary disciple so there is no reason even for wild hopes.

Seeing his crestfallen appearance, Ling Xiao feels inexplicably uncomfortable, blurting out: “Actually, it’s not impossible.” He regrets saying that immediately, because …….

You XiaoMo recovers instantly like dying cinders that start to glow again, looking at expectantly. This kind of look will drive someone to their death. Like an extremely adorable little kitten. Twin pair of big black eyes like embedded gems, glistening at him, making his heart itch.

Ling Xiao fakes a cough, saying: “Looking at your situation, it is unlikely that TianXin sect will pass on that alchemical technique to you. But ……. ”

You XiaoMo nods his head in agreement, “But what?”

“But I have a way of getting it.”

“Really?” You XiaoMo is immediately delighted. But after a moment of delight, he suddenly thinks of a problem, saying in shock, “Don’t tell me you’re thinking of stealing TianXin sect’s alchemical technique?”

Right after saying this, his head is again rapped by Ling Xiao, “What are you saying? Do I look like someone that will pose as a dog to steal chickens?”

You XiaoMo really wants to say yes, but after considering the consequences, he unwillingly shakes his head and says, “No.”

This word lets the great Ling Xiao feel very pleased. As for whether he is someone who would pose as a dog to steal chickens, this is probably something that only he himself knows.

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