Chapter 8: Chapter 8 Soul Master
Those were two jade bottles, quietly lying inside were green spiritual liquids.
"Mid-grade Qi Cultivation Liquid! It's mid-grade Qi Cultivation Liquid!"
Jiang Fan was overjoyed beyond words.
He knew it, his father would definitely leave him some cultivation resources.
These two bottles of mid-grade Qi Cultivation Liquid solved his urgent need!
He hurriedly picked up the Qi Cultivation Liquid, only to find a letter and a bamboo slip underneath.
Seeing the letter, his heart skipped a beat as he trembled while opening it.
The handwriting inside was indeed his father's.
"Fan, when you see this letter, your father would have been dead for three years, right?"
"Has your seed sprouted? Have you married Xu Yining? Are you healthy and safe? How do you look now?"
"Father really wants to know, but alas, I can no longer see."
"Father hopes you comply with my instructions in opening the wooden box, as the items inside are useful only when the seed has sprouted."
"The two bottles of mid-grade Qi Cultivation Liquid are left for you to break through your current realm."
"But the most important thing is the bamboo slip underneath. Father had mediocre talent and could only grasp a smattering after a lifetime of study, barely becoming a two-star soul master."
"I hope my son can surpass me and become a great soul master, thus having the means to protect yourself."
"Finally, this wooden box was left to you by your mother. She said that when you become a five-star soul master, you can open the hidden layer of the box."
"Failing to open the hidden layer is father's last regret."
"If you ever get to open it someday, remember to burn a paper and tell me what's inside."
"Keep going, my son."
"Your life will have many twists and turns, never give up no matter what, okay?"
Droplet after droplet of tears fell onto the letter.
Jiang Fan felt as if his father was bidding him a final farewell right in front of him.
"Father..." he clenched his fists, tears streaming down, "I will strive to live, definitely! Definitely!!"
After a long time, he wiped away his tears.
Reverently putting the letter away, his heart surged with emotion.
"So, father was once a two-star soul master."
Soul masters were the most prestigious profession in this world, without exception.
They possessed extraordinary soul power, capable of performing various wondrous soul techniques and refining pills used by martial artists.
Unlike the medicines of ordinary people.
The pills needed for cultivation were all made from various aged heavenly materials and earthly treasures.
These heavenly materials and earthly treasures grew in deep mountains and old forests over the years, absorbing both spiritual energy and, inevitably, impurities.
To remove these impurities, one could only rely on powerful soul power to strip them away.
Therefore, a soul master was both a mysterious and unpredictable expert and an irreplaceable alchemist.
Lonely Boat City's Qin Family became the top medicine-refining family because every generation of family heads inherited the Qin Family's heirloom, a treasure capable of temporarily enhancing one's soul power.
The enhanced level was roughly of soul master apprentice caliber.
Even so, this made the Qin Family one of the foremost houses in Lonely Boat City, with a stomp of their feet causing the entire city to tremble.
The might of a soul master was evident.
Jiang Fan, dry-mouthed, unrolled the bamboo slip. If he could learn even a smattering and become a two-star soul master like his father, wouldn't he be able to control the wind and rain?
On the bamboo slip were strange, twisted characters.
At a glance, they couldn't even be considered characters.
Moreover, looking at them made him dizzy.
"'Taiyin Soul Technique, Upper Chapter,' authored by: Eight-star Great Carefree Venerate."
"Only those with powerful souls can decipher these characters. Others who read it lightly suffer severe headaches; severely, their souls are destroyed. Practice with caution."
Jiang Fan then understood that the characters should not be viewed with his eyes but recognized with his soul.
The fact that he could decipher them indicated that his soul was stronger than the average person's, qualifying him to become a soul master!
This delighted Jiang Fan immensely; he hurriedly continued reading until headaches forced him to stop.
He quickly sat cross-legged in front of the grave, quietly digesting what he had read.
Just like when he practiced the "Pure Wind Scripture," he comprehended these contents very quickly.
In just half a day, he opened his eyes, gleaming with expectation.
"Father, I seem to have learned some ways to use my soul."
Looking at the two bottles of mid-grade Qi Cultivation Liquid in front of him, he drank one and tucked the other in his chest.
As the potent Qi Cultivation Liquid entered his body, it emitted abundant spiritual energy.
Jiang Fan quickly cultivated, greedily absorbing this spiritual energy.
Soon after, his body shook.
He joyfully opened his eyes, "I've broken through to the third layer of Qi Cultivation! Mid-grade Qi Cultivation Liquid has such an effect; I wonder what the effects of top-grade and highest-grade would be like!"
He filled the hole in front of the grave, bowed to his father's tombstone, and then got up to head back to the city.
He did not return to the Xu Family but instead went to a desolate Treasure Pavilion.
The Treasure Pavilion was the Chen Family's shop, the second medicine-refining family in Lonely Boat City.
The Chen Family didn't have the Qin Family's luck of owning a soul power-enhancing treasure, so they could only refine rough pills, and their business was far from as good as the Qin Family's.
Jiang Fan, upon arrival, changed into a broad black robe and wore a mask, then walked into the shop.
Minding the shop was the Treasure Pavilion's shopkeeper, lazily lying on a chair, saying, "What would the customer like to buy?"
Jiang Fan shook his head, holding a small stone in his mouth to muffle his voice.
"Not buying."
Oh?
The shopkeeper, with an eight-character mustache, looked at Jiang Fan in surprise, "Then, do you have heavenly materials and earthly treasures to sell?"
Some lucky martial artists would sell valuable herbs they discovered to reputable shops, which wasn't unusual.
"Not selling either."
The shopkeeper frowned, "This is a place for business. If you're not buying or selling, why are you here?"
Jiang Fan took out the mid-grade Qi Cultivation Liquid he had tucked away and placed it on the counter.
"For exchange."
The shopkeeper frowned, his gaze sweeping over, landing on the mid-grade Qi Cultivation Liquid.
He was slightly taken aback at first, his eyes showing unfamiliarity, then he suddenly jumped from the reclining chair and quickly walked over, exclaiming, "This, could this be mid-grade Qi Cultivation Liquid?"
"It's been ten years, and I'm seeing mid-grade Qi Cultivation Liquid again!"
His tone was somewhat excited, looking at Jiang Fan with reverence, calling out loudly, "Quick! Don't just stand there; bring tea for this gentleman!"
"The best tea!"
Jiang Fan was slightly surprised, ten years?
Could it be the Qi Cultivation Liquid refined by his father?
He said expressionlessly, "No need for tea, I want to exchange for these materials, how much can your shop provide?"
He picked up a pen on the counter and wrote down the materials.
"Materials for Qi Cultivation Liquid?"
The shopkeeper grew even more excited, his tone filled with awe, his posture unconsciously bending, "Could it be that... sir, you are a soul master?"
Throughout Lonely Boat City, apart from Qin Changsheng, no one else would need materials for Qi Cultivation Liquid.
Unless he was a soul master, preparing to refine Qi Cultivation Liquid.
Jiang Fan's tone turned icy, "Do you want to know?"
The shopkeeper was startled, immediately smacking his lips, "Forgive my nosiness, sir. Please pardon me."
If this man indeed was a soul master, ten lives would not be enough to atone for offending him.
"Less nonsense, how much can you offer?" Jiang Fan said.
The shopkeeper quickly replied, "According to the market price, one bottle of mid-grade Qi Cultivation Liquid is ten thousand taels of silver. The materials for Qi Cultivation Liquid cost one thousand taels of silver per set. You can exchange for ten sets of materials."
His gaze shifted, the shopkeeper rubbed his hands, "But sir, if you have more Qi Cultivation Liquid to sell us, I can decide to give you eleven sets of materials."
Jiang Fan paused, ten thousand taels of silver?
Low-grade Qi Cultivation Liquid was only five thousand taels per bottle.
The price of mid-grade had doubled!
But considering its effects were twice as potent as low-grade, it made sense.
After a moment's thought, Jiang Fan nodded, "Okay."
The shopkeeper was overjoyed, hurriedly fetching eleven sets of materials and presenting them to Jiang Fan, rubbing his hands, "To be honest, sir, tomorrow is the exhibition of medicine-refining families in Lonely Boat City. If you have extra Qi Cultivation Liquid, could you sell it to us at the event to enhance our Chen Family's prestige?"
Seeing his almost pleading expression, Jiang Fan slightly nodded, "I'll try."
Then he left the Treasure Pavilion.
After ensuring no one was following, he found an alley to remove his disguise and calmly walked back to the street.
Just a few steps later, he heard a sneer.
"Oh? Who is this?"
Lu Zheng, smiling broadly, rode a horse with Qin Changsheng beside him. They reined in their horses and stopped as they saw Jiang Fan.
Glancing at the nearby Treasure Pavilion, Lu Zheng sneered:
"Family Head of the Qin Family, some people are daydreaming, thinking they can buy low-grade Qi Cultivation Liquid?"