Peerless Spirit Master - Chapter 8

“Why is this happening?”

Ye Guilan sat there, her features almost scrunched, feeling like her head was going to burst from all the thinking.

What was going on? A whole month had passed, and her strength hadn’t changed at all.

She had swallowed dozens of Spirit-Building Pills, but not even the slightest ripple appeared.

Ever since her Spirit Seed awakened, she had consumed large amounts of Spirit-Building Pills, and the burst of spiritual energy inside her had sent her straight to Apprentice Level Five. That made her ecstatic-her Spirit Seed awakened, and she reached Apprentice Level Five right away. Such speed was more than satisfying.

She thought she’d get another big boost in just a few more months, but to her surprise, her Spirit Seed became totally unresponsive-no matter how many Spirit-Building Pills she took, it wouldn’t stir up even the tiniest wave.

She’d been stuck at Apprentice Level Five for a whole month now.

“Something must be wrong somewhere…” Ye Guilan muttered. She couldn’t figure it out. She had planned to ask Ye He for help, but her father had gone on a trip while she was sleeping.

Ye Guilan sat there, propping up her chin with her hand.

If Spirit-Building Pills weren’t working, maybe she should try something else?

Ye Guilan slipped into Ye He’s alchemy room. Although it wasn’t her first time here, she was still amazed by the rows upon rows of shelves, the countless little boxes stacked everywhere-so many she had lost count.

She didn’t dare to rummage at random; she was only here to try her luck, hoping to spot something on the table that might suit her.

She looked around, but found nothing. Feeling a bit deflated, Ye Guilan sat at the table and spaced out. How much longer would she be stuck at Apprentice Level Five?

Her Spirit Seed had awakened far too late. At sixteen, even the worst others were rarely still at the Apprentice Level.

She’d started so late-it was natural to want to catch up.

She was anxious. Really anxious.

Not long ago, she’d even thought about making Liu Ruyu return her things, even if he had to cry for it. But now, she was stuck at this bottleneck.

Ye Guilan bit her lip. “Am I really going to be stuck like this?”

“Hm? What’s that smell? Why does it smell so much like the Spirit-Building Pill?”

The whole room was filled with the scent of medicine. Luckily, Ye Guilan had a keen nose. She followed the scent and casually opened the compartment where it was strongest.

Inside lay a beautifully crafted porcelain bottle. Ye Guilan took a deep whiff-sure enough, it had the exact same sweet-and-sour hawthorn scent as the Spirit-Building Pill.

She seemed to be drawn in by the aroma, almost enchanted, as she opened the bottle and downed its contents in one go.

Sweet and sour. Not bad at all.

“Guilan! Dad’s home!”

At dusk, Ye He returned, dusty from the road. He was about to go to his daughter’s room, but stopped at the door of the alchemy room.

He pushed open the door and walked in. As soon as he saw Ye Guilan, he smiled and strode inside, but after he got a good look, his smile turned to worry.

Ye Guilan was slumped over the table, her cheeks flushed, her eyes glazed, her whole body exuding the scent of hawthorn pills. At that moment, she looked just like a hawthorn fruit.

Ye He helped her up and patted her rosy cheeks, noticing the medicine bottle that had fallen beside her hand.

This kid-could she have drunk the Primordial Spirit Nurturing Liquid? That stuff-how could her body handle it at her current stage!

“Guilan? Guilan!” Ye He called anxiously, gently patting her cheek.

Ye Guilan’s big, misty eyes blinked as if she finally recognized him. Suddenly, she gave a silly grin and said, “Dad… Daddy…”

Once again, she flung herself into his arms with a burst of enthusiasm, nearly leaping at him.

Ye He’s body jolted, his heart instantly going soft. He couldn’t bear to let go-he treasured this rare dependence.

“Daddy, don’t go… don’t go…” Ye Guilan murmured, clinging tightly to him.

Ye He was so moved his eyes filled with tears. He also wondered who exactly this “Daddy” was that she kept calling for, making her miss him so much.
Ye He originally thought something serious would happen, but he didn’t expect that Ye Guilan had simply fallen asleep.

After confirming several times, Ye He realized that nothing was wrong, and this conclusion made his heart race even more. The Primordial Spirit Nurturing Liquid-if someone at Apprentice Level Five swallowed it, they should have exploded and died on the spot.

When Ye Guilan woke up, her head felt heavy and her feet light; she was still dizzy.

But the strength that had been stuck for so long finally showed some movement, advancing just a little bit.

“The Spirit-Building Pill doesn’t seem to work for me anymore.”

She looked at Ye He, who had returned at some point, and said, “I’ve been stuck at Apprentice Level Five for a month now.”

“The Spirit Seed in your body… seems to have been underestimated.”

Ye He spoke thoughtfully, “What you drank in the pharmacy was the Primordial Spirit Nurturing Liquid, a Spirit Gathering Level medicine. Normally, someone at Apprentice Level shouldn’t even touch it, but you drank it and nothing happened. That shows just how big an appetite your Spirit Seed has.”

Appetite? Ye Guilan instinctively looked at her own abdomen. Yes, she had eaten so many Spirit-Building Pills with no effect-what more did it want to consume?

“Since your Spirit Seed can handle the Primordial Spirit Nurturing Liquid, it can naturally handle the Lesser Primordial Pill as well. Switch to the Lesser Primordial Pill from now on.”

Ye He continued, “Seeing how focused you are on improving your strength, are you planning to participate in the small sect selection next March?”

Ye He wore an expression that said, “I knew it,” but Ye Guilan was taken aback-she hadn’t thought that far ahead.

To make a name for oneself in this world, one had to start by joining a small sect.

“With the speed you’re advancing, getting into a small sect shouldn’t be a problem.” Ye He looked at Ye Guilan with a beaming smile. “If your father could make the Ye family a bit bigger, I’d get you a direct entry slot. I wonder if that’s something money can buy.”

Ye Guilan clicked her tongue and quickly said, “No need, I think I’ll be fine on my own.”

Ye He smiled even more happily, his large hand reaching out to ruffle Ye Guilan’s hair. “Guilan, you really are different now. In the past, if something could be bought with money, you wouldn’t have thought of any other way.”

Ye Guilan awkwardly pulled at the corner of her mouth, not knowing what to say.

Ye He chuckled softly. “I actually like the current you more. It’s as if you’re finally living as yourself. Even though you say you want to rely on yourself, I’ve already prepared for you. Here, these are Lesser Primordial Pills.”

Ye He then handed a box to Ye Guilan. When she opened it, rows of pills resembling chocolate malt balls were neatly arranged inside. Ye He said with a smile, “I just gave them to you a bit earlier than planned. Try them. If you still hit a bottleneck in your cultivation, I’ll think of something else. I can also make more Primordial Spirit Nurturing Liquid.”

Ye Guilan’s mind spun rapidly. Where had she seen the Primordial Spirit Nurturing Liquid in the booklet? She remembered that the ingredients were bizarre and rare, and the success rate for making it was only three percent!

Such a father, Ye Guilan-did you really not see him for sixteen years?

Maybe she really didn’t. If she had, she wouldn’t have ended up here.

Ye Guilan nodded. “Are everyone’s Spirit Seeds like this? I mean… do they all have such a big appetite?”

Ye He shook his head. “Of course not. Although everyone’s Spirit Seed is different at birth, after years and accumulation of strength, they eventually follow similar paths. But for a Spirit Seed to require so much spiritual energy at the Apprentice Level is extremely rare.”

Ye He chuckled. “This also proves that your Spirit Seed is extraordinary.”

“How is it different?”

“We’ll have to wait until you reach the Spirit Gathering Level. Only when you see what your Spirit Space looks like can you determine the path you’ll take in the future.”

Ye He stood up. “If you can forge your own path, your father will be truly gratified.”

Ye Guilan sat on the bed, watching her father’s departing figure, feeling as if he had something more to say.

She looked at the box in her hand, and at the chocolate malt ball-like pills inside. She couldn’t help but take one and pop it in her mouth. It tasted so good that her eyes narrowed in delight-chocolate flavor.