Li Mu frowned as he watched Xiaobai swallow the soul world pearl, and just as he was about to give some instructions, an unexpected change occurred.
The previously quiet Xiaobai suddenly trembled, and a strong black spiritual light emanated from his body. A powerful and majestic aura transmitted from within, strikingly similar to the aura of a Combined Body Realm cultivator that Li Mu had sensed before.
"Chirp!"
Xiaobai let out an angry cry, and instantly, a powerful and extraordinary Soul Power emerged within his body, suppressing it.
However, the remnant soul of the Combined Body Realm cultivator seemed to sense a fatal danger and immediately unleashed a powerful force, attempting to break free from Xiaobai's Devour and manipulate the soul world pearl to escape the 'insect's mouth'.
How could a duck that was already in his mouth be allowed to fly away!
"Chirp!"
Xiaobai was enraged, and suddenly, a deafening roar erupted from his entire body. His powerful Soul Power instantly shot up into the sky. Within this light, a colossal golden phantom slowly emerged—a massive golden Gu phantom, majestic and sacred, as if a god had walked out of ancient times.
With the appearance of the golden Gu, the surrounding space trembled. The Soul Power it emitted was several times stronger than the previous black spiritual light. Clearly, Xiaobai had used his most powerful strength to counter the Combined Body Realm cultivator's remnant soul's counterattack.
"Fellow Daoist, please tell it to stop, this old man..." At this moment, Li Mu received a weak Divine Thought, which came from the remnant soul of the Combined Body Realm cultivator.
Li Mu frowned slightly, somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected the Combined Body Realm cultivator's remnant soul to be able to send him Divine Thought.
"Xiaobai, wait a moment."
At this time, Xiaobai was about to exert force to completely swallow the soul world pearl. Li Mu quickly spoke to stop him, telling him to cease his Devour of the soul world pearl.
Although Xiaobai was a bit unwilling, he obediently stopped and looked at Li Mu with a puzzled gaze, spitting out the soul world pearl.
Li Mu looked at the soul world pearl floating before him, injected his Divine Thought, and asked knowingly, "Who are you? Why do you want to stop Xiaobai from Devour ing the soul world pearl?"
The remnant soul of the Combined Body Realm cultivator gave a bitter smile, and his Divine Thought revealed a hint of helplessness: "This old man is named Qingyang Zi. This soul world pearl is my Lifebound Treasure and contains my lifelong cultivation and essence. After my demise, a wisp of my remnant soul hid within it, barely surviving. This Gu of yours, young friend, is incredibly extraordinary. If it enters its mouth, this old man fears he will completely perish soon."
Li Mu smiled faintly after hearing this, naturally understanding his predicament. It was precisely because he didn't know how to deal with the Combined Body Realm cultivator's remnant soul that he gave the soul world pearl to Xiaobai. Now that the Combined Body Realm cultivator's remnant soul could communicate, things would become simpler.
Li Mu smiled faintly, comforted Xiaobai, and looking at the soul world pearl, continued to transmit his Divine Thought: "Senior Qingyang Zi, Junior Li Mu. Since you don't wish to have your Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, Junior naturally won't deliver a fatal blow. It's just that Junior doesn't know if Senior is willing to coexist peacefully with me?"
Qingyang Zi's remnant soul heard this and remained silent for a moment, knowing his current situation. If he didn't agree to Li Mu, he feared he would truly perish completely. He immediately transmitted his Divine Thought: "This old man is now just a wisp of a remnant soul. How could I still have the right to bargain? As long as young friend can keep my remnant soul Eternal, I am naturally willing to coexist peacefully with you."
Li Mu felt relieved upon hearing Qingyang Zi's response. He nodded slightly and transmitted his Divine Thought: "Since that's the case, this Junior won't be a villain. Please rest assured, Senior. If there's an Opportunity, Junior is willing to help Senior repair the soul world pearl and reforge your remnant soul."
Qingyang Zi's remnant soul felt Li Mu's goodwill and immediately breathed a sigh of relief, quickly responding: "Thank you, young friend. This old man knows that the soul world pearl has a great attraction to your Gu, but this old man's remnant soul is still within it. If it is Devour ed, I fear it will completely dissipate between Heaven and Earth."
Li Mu's heart stirred after hearing this, and he asked, "Since Senior has already perished, how can you maintain your remnant soul and hide it within the soul world pearl?"
Qingyang Zi sighed and said, "Back then, this old man fought fiercely with a powerful enemy. Although I ultimately killed him, I myself was severely wounded and at the end of my life. At the moment of my demise, I hid a wisp of my remnant soul within my Lifebound Treasure, the soul world pearl, hoping to use this to find an Opportunity to reforge my Divine Soul and regain a new life. However, as the Years passed, the Soul Power within the soul world pearl gradually dissipated, and this old man's remnant soul also grew weaker day by day. If I hadn't met you and been awakened by your Divine Thought, I fear I would have completely perished soon."
Li Mu understood after hearing this. He hadn't expected this Combined Body Realm cultivator to have such a winding past. After a brief thought, he said, "Senior, Junior deeply sympathizes with your plight. Xiaobai is my companion, and his Devour of the soul world pearl is also out of instinct. What are your plans, Senior? Perhaps Junior can lend you a hand."
Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope immediately arose in Qingyang Zi. He quickly transmitted his Divine Thought: "Young friend, as long as you can keep my remnant soul Eternal, this old man will be eternally grateful. If you are willing to help me reconstruct my Divine Soul, this old man is willing to impart everything I know, teaching you all my lifelong knowledge. As for the method of reconstructing the Divine Soul, it is not difficult."
Li Mu's heart stirred upon hearing this. The "method of reconstructing the Divine Soul" that Qingyang Zi mentioned was a closely guarded secret. For a Cultivator, it was undoubtedly extremely precious, and in case of an accidental demise in the future, it was also a life-saving secret technique.
"Senior, if you trust Junior, Junior will do his utmost to help Senior reconstruct his Divine Soul." Li Mu quickly transmitted his Divine Thought, interjecting.
Qingyang Zi had no other choice and dared not conceal anything, meticulously explaining the several methods for reconstructing the Divine Soul.
It turned out that there were three methods for reconstructing the Divine Soul. The first method was to find an extremely rare Heaven and Earth Spirit Medicine—the reversing death spirit grass. This Spiritual Plant grew in extremely harsh environments and could absorb Yin and Yang Qi, condensing powerful Divine Soul Power. Only by finding this Spiritual Plant and combining it with the secret method known to Qingyang Zi could the Divine Soul be reconstructed.
The second method involved a large amount of Chaos Qi. Chaos Qi is the Foundation of all things, the Origin Qi that existed before Heaven and Earth were formed, containing endless mysteries and power. If enough Chaos Qi could be collected and guided with special methods, it might be possible for the remnant soul to be reconstructed and gain a new life.
However, Chaos Qi is extremely rare and difficult to capture. Even for a Combined Body Realm cultivator, collecting enough Chaos Qi is not easy. Moreover, Chaos Qi also contains unpredictable dangers; a slight mistake could lead to Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering.
As for the third method, it was to find a Cultivator with profound cultivation, and with their powerful Soul Power, forcefully absorb Yin and Yang Qi to repair the damaged remnant soul and fuse it with a new vessel, thereby completing the reconstruction. However, this method carries immense risks; a slight mistake could lead to Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering. Even if successful, the reconstructed Divine Soul would be severely damaged, making further cultivation difficult. Moreover, the powerful Cultivator performing this technique must also possess the Heavenly Dao Yin and Yang Law, requiring a portion of the Dao Lord's ability.
After Qingyang Zi finished speaking, he couldn't help but sigh, his Divine Thought revealing a hint of helplessness and sorrow. Each of these three methods was extremely difficult, making it almost impossible to successfully reconstruct the Divine Soul. Yet, he still chose to tell Li Mu, hoping to gain a glimmer of hope for himself.
Li Mu also felt a surge of emotion after hearing Qingyang Zi's narration.
He hadn't expected that Qingyang Zi's desire to reconstruct his Divine Soul overlapped with what he was about to do. Li Mu's main purpose for this trip was to go to the Extreme North Ice Source, break the Secret Realm Restriction, find the reversing death spirit grass, and fulfill Celestial Evolution Divine Lord's Dao Heart vow.
If he could acquire one more Spiritual Plant here, he could keep it for him. If there was only one, he couldn't tell him about it.
After a brief thought, Li Mu said, "Senior, these three methods are quite difficult, but Junior is willing to try his best. Junior will find a way to search for the reversing death spirit grass and Chaos Qi. As for the third method, Junior is afraid he is powerless."
Upon hearing this, Qingyang Zi immediately responded with grateful Divine Thought: "With your words, young friend, this old man is willing to help you cultivate. If you have any questions about your cultivation, feel free to ask me."
The cultivation experience of a Combined Body Realm cultivator was invaluable. Li Mu's cultivation had almost entirely relied on planting Spiritual Plants and absorbing their spiritual attributes. He hadn't spent much time on actual cultivation, so he had many accumulated questions.
Upon hearing this, Li Mu was delighted and quickly asked, "Senior, was this soul world pearl refined by yourself?"
"No, I am an Alchemist, not an Artifact Refiner. The soul world pearl was refined by a good friend whom I entrusted with the task." Qingyang Zi quickly responded with Divine Thought.
Upon hearing that Qingyang Zi was an Alchemist, Li Mu was a little disappointed. However, he also knew Alchemy, so he could still gain a lot of benefit from him.
Li Mu quickly transmitted his Divine Thought, respectfully asking Qingyang Zi for guidance: "Senior, although Junior has some knowledge of Alchemy, I deeply know that what I have learned is still shallow. I wonder if Senior could offer some guidance to help Junior advance further in the Dao of Alchemy?"
"Oh! What rank of Spirit Pill can you refine, young friend? What questions do you have? Feel free to speak!"
Qingyang Zi was slightly startled. Alchemy was quite difficult, and those without Alchemy talent found it hard to get involved. He hadn't expected to encounter someone like this, so he patiently transmitted his thoughts.
"Hmm, I have a high success rate in refining Five-Rank Spirit Pills, about 90%. As for Six-Rank Spirit Pills, the success rate is about 30%." Li Mu quickly responded.
"What! You can refine Six-Rank Spirit Pills?"
Qingyang Zi's eyes flashed with surprise upon hearing this, and his Divine Thought fluctuated, revealing an undisguised shock. As an Alchemy Saint, no one knew better than him how difficult Alchemy was. Even at his Realm, where he could refine Seven-Rank Dao Pills, his success rate for refining Six-Rank Spirit Pills was only around 50%. Yet, this Soul Transformation cultivator actually had a 30% success rate, which truly made it hard for him to believe.
"Indeed. I have refined Six-Rank Too Profound Clear Spirit Pills, Six-Rank Blazing Heaven Pills, Six-Rank Spiritual Radiance Pills..." Li Mu quickly responded, listing the Six-Rank Spirit Pills he had refined.
Upon hearing this, Qingyang Zi had no choice but to believe him and quickly transmitted a question: "Since you can refine these Spirit Pills, your Alchemy must be superb. We can certainly exchange insights. What problems have you encountered?"
At this moment, Qingyang Zi was quite excited. As an Alchemy Saint, he had devoted his life to the Dao of Alchemy and had an almost obsessive love for Alchemy. Having been a remnant soul for many Years, unable to refine Spirit Pills, he now heard that Li Mu could actually refine various Six-Rank Spirit Pills with a considerable success rate. He couldn't help but feel a strong desire to exchange knowledge.
"Hmm, when I was refining the Too Profound Clear Spirit Pill, during the pill condensation process, the pill patterns were difficult to form. They were either too fast or I missed the timing..." Li Mu quickly transmitted his questions about the problems encountered during the Alchemy process.
"Is it difficult to condense pill patterns? This is generally related to the purity of the Spirit Medicine, the furnace temperature, and the combination of medicinal properties. The timing of condensation is fundamental to the success or failure of Alchemy. Why don't you perform an Alchemy demonstration now!" Qingyang Zi responded.
"Senior, can you 'see' the outside world from within the soul world pearl?" Li Mu asked in surprise.
Qingyang Zi smiled faintly and replied with Divine Thought: "Young friend, you don't know this, but this soul world pearl was refined by a good friend whom this old man entrusted with the task, expending a great deal of effort during his lifetime. It forms a world of its own within, and although it is isolated from the outside world, this old man's remnant soul has long since fused with this soul world pearl and can perceive the outside world. You just need to follow your usual Alchemy steps, and I will be able to observe your entire Alchemy process."
Li Mu was immediately enlightened upon hearing this. Being able to meet an Alchemy Saint like Qingyang Zi was truly a great fortune on his cultivation path. Thus, he no longer hesitated, and right in the cabin, he summoned a Pill Furnace and took out the Spirit Medicine needed for Alchemy.
A moment later, everything was ready.
Li Mu sat cross-legged, forming hand seals, and began to activate the Pill Furnace. He followed his usual Alchemy steps, proceeding step by step, from selecting materials, refining, melting, to the final pill condensation. Every step was performed in an orderly manner.
Within the soul world pearl, Qingyang Zi clearly perceived Li Mu's entire Alchemy process and couldn't help but nod secretly. He gave very high praise to Li Mu's Alchemy skills and talent.
At the same time, Qingyang Zi also discovered some problems and shortcomings in Li Mu's Alchemy process, and couldn't help but show a hint of confusion.
Li Mu's Alchemy was quite proficient, yet he was quite unfamiliar with some basic techniques of Alchemists. Some crucial steps were handled a bit roughly, as if he was merely imitating without deeply understanding the underlying principles.
Qingyang Zi frowned slightly, and with a ripple of Divine Thought, he transmitted: "Young friend, although your Alchemy is proficient, your basic techniques are a bit rusty. This will affect your pill formation rate and quality. In the Dao of Alchemy, besides practice making perfect, what's more important is the grasp and understanding of heat and medicinal properties, only then can you better control the art of Alchemy."
Li Mu's heart tightened upon hearing this, and he quickly transmitted his response: "Senior is absolutely right. Junior indeed feels a bit powerless during the Alchemy process, especially in some crucial steps, where it's always difficult to achieve the desired effect. Please, Senior, do not hesitate to enlighten me and guide Junior through this confusion."
Qingyang Zi nodded and continued to transmit: "In the Dao of Alchemy, one needs to be as meticulous as a hair. The control of heat and medicinal properties must be just right. For example, when you are refining medicinal materials, you should adjust the heat and duration according to the characteristics of different medicinal materials to fully extract the essence from them. And during the melting process, you need to pay attention to the interactions between medicinal materials to avoid medicinal property conflicts or loss."
"For example, the order of refining the Spirit Medicine you are about to undertake, the Gaze Spirit Grass, Vermilion Flame Fruit, and Kui Yin Spirit Grass, is incorrect." Qingyang Zi continued to transmit: "The Gaze Spirit Grass has the effect of calming the mind and should be added in the Early Stage of melting, using its medicinal properties as a base to regulate the temperature of the furnace fire. The Vermilion Flame Fruit has an intense fire nature and should be added in the middle stage to stimulate the potential medicinal properties of other medicinal materials. As for the Kui Yin Spirit Grass, its nature is cold, and it needs to be slowly integrated in the final stage to balance the fiery dryness of the Medicinal Pill. Only in such an order can the medicinal properties be perfectly fused, and high-quality Medicinal Pills be refined."
Upon hearing this, Li Mu felt as if he had been enlightened and suddenly understood. He immediately followed Qingyang Zi's guidance and began to operate.
