Chapter 4

In the dense forest, calm was quickly restored, except for the dozens of bodies on the ground and the thick scent of blood in the air. Ling Tian, however, had not left the ten-step radius around the carriage from start to finish.

After all, the members of the Fire Wolf Gang were mostly displaced people from around Shitang Town, who had turned to banditry out of necessity. Even though they had some martial skills, their cultivation levels were not particularly high. Most were at the initial or intermediate stages of the Corporeal Realm, with only a few at the advanced stage. Only their leader, Red Wolf, had fortuitously become a Condensation Essence Realm powerhouse.

As a high-stage Condensation Essence Realm powerhouse, Ling Tian's strength was more than enough to crush all the members of the Fire Wolf Gang. With the fine steel meteorite bow in hand, a lethal weapon, it was an incredibly easy task to eliminate the leaderless gang members.

After resolving all the members of the Fire Wolf Gang, there was no trace of excitement on Ling Tian's face. In fact, Ling Tian had experienced countless bloody battles, and slaughtering a group of Corporeal Realm martial artists was hardly enough to excite him.

Ling Tian knew that today's ambush was almost a death sentence for himself and Mu Xian. The reason they were able to reverse the situation and survive was entirely because Mu Jitu was instantly killed by him.

Moreover, the unexpected death of Red Wolf was another significant factor.

Ling Tian carefully recalled the entire process, and his gaze eventually fell on the carriage. In today's events, Mu Xian's words and actions were filled with mystery. The scene where Mu Xian instantly killed Red Wolf lingered in Ling Tian's mind.

Thinking back to the stark contrast between the two times he had fought Mu Jitu, and considering Red Wolf's panic and shock when faced with Mu Xian's assassination, Ling Tian naturally understood that it was not because he and Mu Xian were too strong, but because there was something wrong with Mu Jitu and Red Wolf.

Soon, Ling Tian discovered a fresh lump of medicinal mud on the ground beside the carriage and noticed the dark green marks on the hilt of the black sword. He quickly lifted the pearl curtain and urgently grabbed Mu Xian's hand.

When Ling Tian found that Mu Xian's palms still had traces of dark green liquid, his expression became extremely peculiar.

"Is it a Spirit-Annihilation Potion? And it's fresh. Could it be that Xian'er prepared it on the spot? And Xian'er is not the waste that everyone says, but a Spirit Alchemist?" Looking at the sleeping Mu Xian, a flash of intense heat and joy appeared in Ling Tian's eyes.

"If Xian'er is a Spirit Alchemist, then Xian'er can adjust his own body, not only avoiding the threat to his life but also possibly embarking on the path of cultivation, just like his father, becoming a legend in Shitang Town."

"If Xian'er is a Spirit Alchemist, then his aunt's sealed spiritual power might also be unsealed, adding a noble Spirit Master to the family, and the Mu family's combat strength will immediately rise to the top of Shitang Town."

"If Xian'er is a Spirit Alchemist, then the various crises facing the family will be resolved..."

"..."

Sitting by the carriage, Ling Tian became more and more excited and enthusiastic, so much so that he didn't even notice that Mu Xian had already woken up in the carriage.

As soon as Mu Xian opened his eyes, he found a large face like a millstone right in front of him, with a gaze so intense it seemed to melt him.

After a long while, Mu Xian finally recognized it was Ling Tian's face and let out a sigh of relief, asking softly, "Uncle Ling, have you taken care of all the Fire Wolf Gang members?"

Ling Tian nodded and then asked with a passionate look, "Xian'er, tell me quickly, was the Spirit-Annihilation Potion you made? Are you a Spirit Alchemist?"

Mu Xian was taken aback by the question. He gently pulled his hand away from Ling Tian, took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, and while wiping the medicinal mud residue from his hands, replied, "Uncle Ling, you're giving me too much credit. It's true that I made the Spirit-Annihilation Potion, but being a Spirit Alchemist is not that easy."

Seeing the intense heat in Ling Tian's eyes not diminish at all, Mu Xian continued to explain, "I just became a doctor through long-term illness, so I have a good understanding of some common herbs. I also happened to find the formula for the Spirit-Annihilation Potion in the college library, which is how I learned to make it."

"Is that really all there is to it?" Ling Tian stared at Mu Xian for a long time, seeing the sincerity in his eyes and realizing he wasn't just trying to placate him. He couldn't help but feel disappointed, and his eyes dimmed.

Mu Xian felt a twinge of guilt. He had hidden his ability to refine medicines from Ling Tian because he was in a dangerous situation, with many unknown enemies lurking in the shadows. If he were a waste, the hidden enemies wouldn't pay much attention to him. But if he revealed his ability to refine medicines, the enemies would surely try to eliminate him.

Although Ling Tian was trustworthy, he was straightforward and wore his heart on his sleeve, so Mu Xian didn't want to take the risk.

"Uncle Ling, although I'm not a Spirit Alchemist, I have already cultivated spiritual power. Maybe I will become a Spirit Alchemist in the future?" Seeing Ling Tian's disappointed look, Mu Xian felt a pang of sympathy and softly consoled him.

"Spiritual power? You mean you've embarked on the path of spiritual cultivation? But you were born with a broken meridian, and the requirements for spiritual cultivation are even more stringent than for martial cultivation!" Hearing Mu Xian's words, Ling Tian was full of disbelief and exclaimed in shock.

"Uncle Ling, spiritual cultivation does indeed have high requirements for the strength of the meridians, but it places even more emphasis on the strength of the soul. I have endured many pains and torments since childhood, which have made my soul extremely resilient. So, by a stroke of luck, I cultivated spiritual power. If I hadn't cultivated spiritual power, I wouldn't have been able to make the Spirit-Annihilation Potion, nor would I have successfully ambushed Red Wolf." Mu Xian smiled and explained patiently.

Hearing Mu Xian's explanation, Ling Tian's eyes lit up, and the many doubts in his mind were resolved.

In this world, besides martial cultivation, there is also spiritual cultivation. However, compared to martial cultivation, spiritual cultivation is much more difficult, so there are far fewer spiritual cultivators.

"Xian'er, you've had a hard time these past years. It's been tough for you." After a long silence, Ling Tian patted Mu Xian's shoulder and sighed softly, "If those people who always call you a waste knew you were a highly respected Spirit Master in their eyes, they would be so ashamed they'd want to find a mouse hole to hide in."

Mu Xian rolled his eyes inwardly at this. He wasn't sure if Uncle Ling had too high expectations for the previous owner of his body or if he was just too easy to fool. If spiritual power were that easy to cultivate, there wouldn't be so few spiritual cultivators in the world.

Although the previous owner of his body endured many pains and humiliations due to his broken meridian, these pains and humiliations did not strengthen his soul but rather damaged it severely. This was why the previous owner died from excessive shock during the first ambush.

Mu Xian was able to cultivate spiritual power because his soul from the future was exceptionally strong, and he brought with him a wealth of spiritual cultivation experience and top-notch spiritual cultivation techniques from the future, which allowed him to embark on the path of spiritual cultivation.

Upon learning that Mu Xian was not as weak as he had imagined and was a potential genius who could become a Spirit Alchemist, Ling Tian's mood greatly improved. The tough lines on his face softened, and a look of satisfaction occasionally flashed in his eyes.

"Xian'er, I've heard that Spirit Alchemists are extremely meticulous when refining spirit medicines, and there is also a success rate for refining spirit medicines. What is your success rate for making the Spirit-Annihilation Potion?" After a brief chat, Ling Tian asked Mu Xian with a serious expression.

Seeing Ling Tian's tense face, Mu Xian naturally knew the purpose of his question.

The Spirit-Annihilation Potion is a nightmare for Condensation Essence Realm martial artists. Any Condensation Essence Realm martial artist who smells the Spirit-Annihilation Potion will lose all their essence energy in a short time. Condensation Essence Realm martial artists, who are accustomed to fighting with essence energy, become even weaker than Corporeal Realm martial artists after losing their essence energy.

Currently, there are only a few True Essence Realm martial artists in Shitang Town, so Condensation Essence Realm martial artists are the main and decisive force of the major families. The Mu family's greatest crisis comes from the Condensation Essence Realm martial artists of the Elder Council and the collateral branches.

If Mu Xian could easily make the Spirit-Annihilation Potion, then the Mu family's crisis would be resolved, and the Mu family could use the Spirit-Annihilation Potion to break free from the oppression of the other two major families, even making them submit.

"Uncle Ling, the information you have is not incorrect. Refining spirit medicines is indeed a very precise process. Any minor mistake or change can affect the entire process. Factors such as divine sense, spiritual power, technique, and the quality of the herbs are all extremely important. I am currently a first-stage Spirit Master at the Soul Stabilization Realm. My ability to make the Spirit-Annihilation Potion was a superlative performance under high pressure. Repeating the process is almost impossible."

Mu Xian carefully considered his words and then softly answered Ling Tian.

As he spoke, Mu Xian lightly clenched his fists, an unconscious gesture he made when lying or facing difficulties.

The Spirit-Annihilation Potion is indeed difficult to refine because it has very strict requirements for the preservation time of the ingredients and the divine sense of the Spirit Alchemist.

The preservation time issue is relatively easy to solve, but divine sense is an unavoidable pain for all Spirit Alchemists. Some Spirit Alchemists start consciously training their divine sense from the day they begin cultivating spiritual power, yet they may still fail to successfully refine the Spirit-Annihilation Potion.

It is precisely because of the difficulty in refining the Spirit-Annihilation Potion that, although it is only a second-stage potion, many ninth-stage Medicine Saints may not be able to refine it. Refining the Spirit-Annihilation Potion has also become a means of competition and assessment among Spirit Alchemists.

However, this is only for other Spirit Alchemists. This rule does not apply to Mu Xian.