Chapter 13

The Force of the Soul.
The next day, by the time You XiaoMo leaves his room, his neighboring brothers have already left for the Hall of Enchanted Herbs. You XiaoMo’s interaction with them is neither hot nor cold. Usually, when they encounter each other he would give the usual greetings, nothing more. Therefore he definitely does not have a tight relationship with them. They must be aware of their own precarious situation. After all, their inborn talent is not much. Furthermore, they are the newest disciples. So, they have to be more conscientious, heading off to look for elder disciples early in the morning, in order to get on their good side. You XiaoMo is the last to arrive.
Once again, the person leading them today is Elder brother Fang ChenLe. Because of his earlier good impression of You XiaoMo, he simply nods his head in acknowledgement at You XiaoMo without rebuking him when he arrives. As for a few of the other disciples, who were ready displeased at having to wait just for him alone, upon seeing that Elder brother does not reproach him, it only increases their dislike for him. You XiaoMo feels ashamed for being late, unaware that feelings of resentment towards him have begun to arise in the others. It can’t be helped, he was reading late into the night, so he woke up late.
Only after You XiaoMo takes his seat, does Fang ChenLe start today’s lesson. The work of a mage is to refine magic pills. But that does not mean one is able to do it just because one wants to do it. That’s because there is a very important factor that is needed – the force of the soul. Only souls with colored auras possess this force. Therefore the first step in becoming a mage is to stimulate this force. How to stimulate this force is the most important point of Fang ChenLe’s lecture today.
“There is a risk to stimulating this force, but it’s definitely not a huge risk. As long as you follow the steps I give you, there wouldn’t be any problems.”
As he says this, Fang ChenLe personally hands each person a magic herb. Once everyone has gotten one, he continues his explanation.
“What you have in your hands is a magic herb called Soul herb. It is a level two magic herb. It’s not quite like other magic herbs. It’s chief use is not to refine magic pills, but to stimulate the soul’s force. Now, pick out the most tender leaf in the middle and eat it. You will then feel its effect. You may feel a little pain but just endure it and it will pass.”
Hearing this, everyone is eager to try the magic herb. You XiaoMo is no exception. He carefully picks out the most tender leaf and places it in his mouth …… Fifteen minutes later, You XiaoMo finally regains consciousness. However, his head is covered in sweat. The back of his body completely drenched, as if he had just been fished out of water. The first thought that flashes through his mind is that he was duped. Now he understands what ‘a little pain’ really means. It’s not just a little but rather so much that he would have been better off dead. He almost killed himself by biting his tongue. Luckily he ultimately managed to persevere to the end. Looking at the others, although they have all survived through it, some appear more tragic than others, sprawled out on the floor.
“Looks like everyone survived the ordeal. Let Elder brother first congratulate everyone on successfully getting over the threshold into the world of alchemy.” Fang ChenLe beams at them, not in the least affected by the aggrieved expression in their eyes.
Although everyone feels that Elder brother is too cunning, no one dares to say so.
“Elder brother, now can we start refining magic pills?” You XiaoMo asks as he struggles to keep his wits about him.
“Of course, since you all have successfully stimulated the force of the soul. But first, I must warn you.” Seeing that he is the first to recover, Fang ChenLe gives him an approving nod. Everyone perks up their ears.
“I have already brought this up during yesterday’s lesson. Level one magic herbs are of the lowest level. Therefore it is easily available. So you all may have unlimited access to level one magic herbs. But for level two magic herbs, Earth peak will allot a predetermined amount to you each month according to your circumstances.”
You XiaoMo assumes that this is to prevent waste, but it also causes a huge problem. Before he could open his mouth someone beats him to it.
“Elder brother, what happens when we’ve used up our quota?”
“If you want more, you can only trade for it. There are two ways to trade. One way is to use your physical effort to collect merit points. And then use these merit points to trade for magic herbs. You can earn these points by cleaning the canteen or the Hall of Enchanted Herbs. You can help the elder disciples take care of magic herbs or guard the gardens and other such tasks.” Fang ChenLe smiles while speaking.
After hearing this everyone can’t help but look at each other in dismay. Clearly it was unexpected. After struggling to enter TianXin sect, they still have to carry out odd jobs.
You XiaoMo then asks curiously, “Elder brother, what about the other way?”
Fang ChenLe’s smile gets even deeper. “The other way is very simple. That’s to go down and buy them at the foot of the mountain. There are a lot of shops selling magic herbs down there. But you have to bear the expense yourselves. TianXin sect does not have strict regulations on this. Each disciple is allowed to go down twice a month.”
Hearing this, a few brothers heave sighs of relief. On the other hand, You XiaoMo’s expression darkens. This method is useless to him because he has no money. Looks like he has another assignment. Make money!