Chapter 155

154. Chapter 154: Soul-Returning Pill

Li Yi had not anticipated that a small ghost lurked inside the alchemical furnace, stealing the essence of the great medicine—this was surely why yin and yang had become unbalanced within the furnace, causing the alchemy to fail and the furnace to explode.

Ordinary people could not see such a ghost, nor could even experts who had opened their acupoints detect it.

Only Li Yi, who had activated his spiritual mediumship, could perceive ghosts.

In an instant, Li Yi rushed forward; the ghost stealing the medicine froze as it met his luminous eyes, leapt out of the furnace, and dove straight into the ground.

Ghosts were formless; once they slipped underground, they vanished completely, beyond anyone's reach.

But Li Yi reacted faster—he activated the Guidance Art the moment he saw the ghost.

His forearm glowed faintly, and as cosmic energy gathered, his arm was no longer mere flesh and blood—he could now touch true ghosts and even possess the means to fight them.

His tall frame blurred forward; Li Yi reached out and seized the ghost's lower leg, lifting it like a chick.

As the glow Ningju on his arm intensified,

a hazy human silhouette now appeared before everyone.

All present were startled.

"What is that? A tiny invisible figure? Is this what caused my alchemy to fail?" The old alchemist widened his eyes—he never imagined such an evil spirit hid in his furnace.

Zhao Ge frowned: "That's not a little person—it's a ghost. I've seen such entities in Ghost Street; they looked just like this. In Ghost Street, ghosts can manifest, but outside it, in the yang world, they remain invisible—only powerful yin spirits can ignore the divide between yin and yang."

"Master, how did a ghost suddenly appear out of nowhere?" Rong Niang asked curiously.

"It's the end of the month, and many have died in San Yang City lately—solitary spirits have naturally accumulated. When the first day of next month arrives, the Ghost God sweeps the world and carries them all away. Then things may quiet down." Zhao Ge said, while also noticing Li Yi's arm.

A glow enveloped it—capable of touching ghosts. Unusual.

"This thing was stealing medicine. I saw it absorb a great deal of medicinal essence just now," Li Yi spoke up.

Stealing medicine?

"Ghosts stealing medicine? Never heard of such a thing," everyone exclaimed in astonishment.

But the old alchemist suddenly grew excited: "Yes, yes—I remember! Coffin Lingzhi is a treasure herb that nourishes the spirit-soul—it works on the living and on ghosts alike. That's why ghosts are drawn to steal it. Not just Coffin Lingzhi—any herb that nourishes the spirit-soul attracts them. Now I understand why my Spirit-Replenishing Pills always failed before—ghosts must have disturbed them, stealing the essence, leaving only dross."

Li Yi's single sentence resolved a long-standing mystery for the old alchemist.

"During daylight, ghosts dare not manifest. To successfully refine the pill, you must do so at noon under direct sunlight—only then can you prevent ghostly interference and ensure the Soul-Returning Pill's success. It's already evening; the furnace receives no sunlight, so ghosts move through shadows, approach the furnace, and steal the medicine's essence."

The experienced alchemist immediately thought of a solution.

"Then let's refine tomorrow," Zhao Ge said, with no other option, he postponed it by a day.

But Shen Shi, the owner of Zhenbao Fang, calculated the days and frowned: "Master Zhao, tomorrow is the first of the month—the night the Ghost God walks. Though refining during the day won't be affected, the date itself is inauspicious. Could we wait until the day after?"

"Tomorrow is the first? I nearly forgot—it's not a good day. We'll have to close doors and windows early and rest. Refining isn't suitable. Then the day after it is." Zhao Ge nodded, postponing again.

"But if we delay two or three more days, Father's injury—" Zhao Qian grew anxious again.

The spirit-soul wound had already been delayed too long; another few days might bring unforeseen complications.

"No problem. It's only two or three days. Your father can endure this injury." Zhao Ge said.

Li Yi's expression remained calm. He raised his fist and struck the ghost's head. Thanks to the Guidance Art, his arm brimmed with energy capable of harming spirits—he shattered the ghost on the spot, and it dissolved instantly. "Why delay further? Let's refine today. I'll guard beside the furnace—if any ghost dares steal, I'll handle it."

Seeing Li Yi shatter a ghost with a single punch, the others felt reassured.

"Fine! I'll follow Young Master Li's words. I'll resume refining. If no ghost interferes, my pill will succeed. If it fails, I'll offer my head as apology." The old alchemist gritted his teeth—he refused to believe he couldn't refine the Soul-Returning Pill today.

What if further delays brought unforeseen misfortune?

Li Yi said: "Master, rest assured and refine. I'll handle everything else."

The old alchemist wasted no time—he ordered several apprentices to clean the furnace, re-prep the herbs, and begin the second refining.

Soon,

the second refining began.

As the furnace fire burned and herbs were added, a strange fragrance spread—ordinary people felt refreshed and invigorated by its scent, while for yin entities, it was lethally alluring, drawing nearby ghosts toward it.

But it was still evening, and sunlight remained; some underground ghosts drawn out by the scent vanished instantly under its rays.

This was why the initial refining had gone so smoothly.

Yet not all ghosts were mindless—some possessed limited intelligence, knew to avoid the sun, and crept along walls and shadows of buildings, reaching the furnace's vicinity in mere moments.

"Meng De, what's the situation?" Zhao Ge asked.

Li Yi stood beside the furnace, his eyes glowing as he scanned the surroundings—in his vision, at least three intelligent ghosts had quietly approached.

"Many ghosts have been drawn by the fragrance. Most are ordinary spirits, ignorant and acting on instinct—no threat. Only a few harbor intentions to steal the medicine, but they're held back by my presence."

"Good."

Zhao Ge nodded: "I never realized how many yin evils surround our daily lives. Thank heaven the Ghost God sweeps them away every first of the month—otherwise, the world would be far from peaceful. No wonder ancient empires and noble houses always shared rule with ghosts and spirits."

But Li Yi remained silent—earlier, the ghost stealing medicine had awakened a thought.

If a mere ghost knew to steal the essence of great medicine, what did the legendary thousand-year spirits of the Four Seas and Eight Provinces feed upon?

They couldn't exist by nothingness.

That defied logic.

From a cultivator's perspective, any powerful being requires 'food' to survive.

Warriors feed on blood-qi, consuming blood-qi pills, tonics, and meat.

Cultivators feed on cosmic energy, with nutritious meats as supplements—the stronger the cultivator, the more cosmic energy they consume daily. If intake fails to match expenditure, the cultivator halts advancement—or even regresses.

But now was not the time to ponder this.

As refining continued, the fragrance grew stronger. Finally, one ghost could no longer resist its hunger and charged toward the furnace.

Li Yi didn't bother with words—he immediately summoned cosmic energy into his arm.

With a single punch, a halo flared.

The ghost shattered instantly and dissolved into the void.

"At my current level of Guidance Art, dealing with ordinary ghosts is easy—but I wonder if it'll work against stronger ones," Li Yi thought.

He guarded the furnace while slaying ghosts.

Under these conditions, the refining proceeded smoothly. Less than half an hour later, as the herbal fragrance faded, the old alchemist cried out excitedly: "Gentlemen, the Soul-Returning Pill is complete! All the essence of the great herbs has converged—no leakage, no loss—the pill has reached perfection!"

He opened the furnace and Quchu several pills the size of a fingernail.

The pills were emerald green, marked with intricate, strange patterns—count them, exactly ten.

"This is the Soul-Returning Pill?" Li Yi glanced at it. "Master, besides healing spirit-soul injuries, what else can it do?"

"It cures soul-separation syndrome, regulates the body, and enhances clarity and vitality in ordinary people. It's said to strengthen the spirit—even help spirit-cultivators, though I don't know if that's true," the alchemist said. "Regardless, this is an extremely precious treasure herb—three rare herbs alone, plus over a dozen expensive supplements. A typical martial school would drain its entire fortune to refine just one batch."

"Master Zhao, take the medicine quickly. Your spirit-soul wound likely requires at least two pills to heal—don't delay."

"Alright." Zhao Ge stepped forward, picked up a pill, and swallowed it.

The moment it entered his stomach, it dissolved into an invisible essence that surged straight to his brain. Instantly, he felt far more alert, and stagnant blood-qi within his body began to recover.

Just one pill restored seven or eight tenths of Zhao Ge's spirit-soul injury.

Seeing its efficacy, Zhao Ge swallowed a second pill.

As the second surge of medicinal essence flooded his mind, his daze vanished—his eyes brightened sharply, his spirit surged, and all his blood-qi began circulating, his condition recovering visibly before their eyes.

Even his white hair began turning black.

"Excellent. I feel no more dizziness, no more fatigue. All stagnant blood-qi is flowing again. After one night's rest, I'll be fully restored." Zhao Ge was delighted.

After so much turmoil, he had finally regained his peak state.

"This medicine is so miraculous? Let me try one too. By the way, Master, will it harm me if I take it?" Li Yi picked up a pill and asked curiously.

"No harm at all. If you're ill, it heals; if you're healthy, it strengthens. It's pure treasure herb essence—deeply nourishing," the alchemist smiled.

Though ordinary people would waste it, the Soul-Returning Pills belonged to the Zhao Family Martial School—and Li Yi was their senior disciple. Even if he ate them all, it was only right.

Li Yi, driven by curiosity, swallowed a pill.

More than a pill, it was a casing enclosing pure essence—when broken, the essence surged upward.

But quickly, the essence was captured by the tiny figure in Li Yi's consciousness, absorbed entirely.

That inner figure, as if fed a delicacy, grew slightly larger—and Li Yi's consciousness felt polished, stronger than before.

"Big Brother Li, your eyes…" Zhao Xi exclaimed.

"What about my eyes?" Li Yi asked.

Rong Niang added: "Senior Brother, your eyes are glowing—brighter than usual. I might be imagining it."

"My eyes are brighter? Is that possible?" Li Yi's expression shifted slightly.

He could feel the Soul-Returning Pill helped him—significantly. Just one pill had transformed his spirit. He also sensed his Guidance Art would now be easier, smoother to use.

Zhao Ge, his master, noticed too. He squinted: "Meng De, my injury is healed—the Soul-Returning Pill no longer helps me. Take the rest and eat them all. Also, Master Shen, ask your alchemist to prepare a third batch. After today, please help me procure more herbs for Soul-Returning Pills. When the ingredients are ready, refine several more batches. I'll cover all costs for the Zhao Family Martial School."

His disciples didn't understand, but his experience was sharp—he saw at once that the Soul-Returning Pill aided Li Yi's cultivation, perhaps even strengthening his innate spiritual ability.

That alone was enough.