"You little beast..." Gu Zhiming was furious, unexpectedly refuting him openly.
"Don't keep calling me a little beast. If I'm a little beast, what are you? An old beast?" Gu Yao mocked.
"Alright, alright, indeed reversed. You little bastard are truly born rebellious. Forget about ancestral heritage, you even harmed your own sister. Aren't you afraid of divine punishment?" Gu Zhiming's anger surged.
"All this talk, any fresher topics? Only Gu Xing is allowed to attack me, but I can't resist? Whose rules are these? Enough, same old story, don't bother me. Brother Guard, sorry for the trouble." Gu Yao sounded weary.
"It's okay; it's my duty."
"Brother Chi, let's go back. Don't let unrelated people delay our time."
"Okay." Late at night, towards the Tian family guards outside, he clasped his fists, activated a hand gesture, and the door closed automatically, ignoring Gu Zhiming's furious expression.
Certainly, for cultivators like him, careful observation allows imitation. However, his cultivation and spiritual strength are not in the same league as Gu Yao. Gu Yao's proficiency in operating under such weak conditions—could this be an innate talent and divine ability?
"Of course, I can't compare myself to seniors." Gu Yao never argues with flattery, just compliments.
His chin indeed lifted higher. Gu Yao chuckled inwardly, then watched as Xu Chen reached for a alchemy book from the shelf and tossed it to Gu Yao, saying, "I think you don't need to delve into other alchemy techniques. Mastering this Soul Refining Technique is enough."
During this period, Gu Yao had been working on the fundamentals of alchemy, studying basic books. He hadn't started practicing formal alchemy yet. Xu Chen's recommendation was spot-on, and with joy, Gu Yao touched the cover of the alchemy book. However, he resisted the immediate urge to flip through it and decided to wait until he had finished handling the potions in his hands.
Xu Chen was somewhat surprised. This guy could really keep his composure. If it were another alchemist hearing such a description, they would eagerly sit down to immerse themselves. The alchemy here was highly sought after, especially the Soul Refining Technique. However, this technique had strict requirements for cultivators. If one couldn't meet the requirements, they might face a backlash due to insufficient soul strength during cultivation, which would be counterproductive.
But alchemists capable of practicing the Soul Refining Technique were all outstanding in their field. Yet, Xu Chen couldn't help but doubt Gu Yao's abilities given his poor aptitude. Could this guy with such low talent really reach the pinnacle? Placing hopes on him—was that a wise decision?
Well, now that the treasure acknowledged this guy as its master, he had nowhere else to go. Let's see how far this guy can grow.
With no one else acknowledging ownership, stuck in this aura-depleted alchemy tower, he was reaching his limit.
"Thanks for the guidance, senior. I'll focus on studying when I have time," Gu Yao expressed gratitude to Xu Chen.
"Hmph, if your cultivation doesn't improve, studying is in vain," Xu Chen dampened Gu Yao's enthusiasm.
Gu Yao didn't see it as Xu Chen discouraging him; instead, he nodded in agreement. "Senior is right. I also believe improving cultivation is crucial. Only then can I have the ability and time to research alchemy."
Seeing Gu Yao's eyes light up more as he spoke, Xu Chen couldn't help but smirk. This guy was truly obsessed with alchemy.
Gu Yao carefully put away the Soul Refining Technique book. Once his mental energy recovered, he immersed himself entirely in potion-making, ignoring everyone around him.
Finally, he took out a demonic beast's inner core. Xu Chen raised an eyebrow, curious about what kind of potion Gu Yao was concocting. Some ingredients seemed to come from ordinary herbs, and their purpose was unknown.
As his mental energy slowly penetrated the inner core, Gu Yao immediately felt a ferocious beast lunging at him, its large mouth ready to devour him. The dangerous sensation made his mind sway; a misstep could lead to a setback.
Prepared, Gu Yao condensed his mental energy into a sharp point, piercing towards the ferocious beast. With a sound like a burst balloon, the beast seemed to deflate.
Gu Yao had processed the inner core of an advanced insect species, refining a potion to enhance genetic talent. The crucial part was taken from the insect core, similar to what he thought about the demonic beast's inner core. Both contained residual hostility after death, and consuming them without proper handling could lead to backlash.
Handling the inner core was a delicate task, removing impurities and extracting only the most essential part.
The more Xu Chen watched, the more amazed he became. He hadn't expected this Qi Condensation Third Layer kid to handle the inner core of a high-level demonic beast. The innate strength of his soul was also surprisingly strong. Such luck made Xu Chen envious; it meant a higher starting point in cultivation, likely leading to a significant advantage among peers.
Perhaps balance existed in the world. With such a high starting point in soul strength, his spiritual roots' aptitude had to be poor. This thought brought some balance to Xu Chen's mind. Life was challenging to balance.
This alchemy session lasted a full two days without stepping out of the room. Xu Chen had prepared meals for Gu Yao, but he didn't rush to knock on the door; luckily, Gu Yao had some food stored in his spatial pouch, so hunger wasn't an issue.
The two returned to the courtyard. Chi Changye saw Gu Yao's calm expression and worriedly asked, "Is this really okay? The father-son blood relationship is a karmic bond, and cultivators cannot completely ignore it."
Gu Yao smiled. While he might not understand the karmic relationships in cultivation as well as Chi Changye, even if there were such connections, they were not significant. After all, he wasn't the original person: "Don't worry, Chi family... Gu Yao has already paid with his life."
After saying this, Gu Yao walked straight to his room without explaining the meaning behind his words.
Chi Changye watched Gu Yao's figure disappear into the room, still pondering his words. Has Gu Yao died once before? Then who is the person standing in front of him now?
The words sounded strange, and Chi Changye couldn't make sense of them.
However, it was good that Gu Yao decisively severed ties with the Gu family. From what he knew about the Gu family, it was a pit. If Gu Yao really went back, he might be swallowed whole. If there were karmic debts with the Gu family, there were certainly other ways to repay them.
Gu Zhiming was so furious that his body trembled. He wanted to level the entire courtyard, indifferent to the life or death of those inside. However, with the Tian family guards watching, he could only swallow his anger, leave with a dark expression, and the guards followed him.
Gu Zhiming's return didn't surprise Gu Chen. It further confirmed his suspicions. Without the Gu family, Gu Yao had indeed become a different person, someone who made Gu Chen feel uneasy. Without the support of the Gu father and the Gu family, he could only rely on himself. He was the support for Gu Xing and his mother.
Tian Feirong, having learned the situation, came to visit the two. In his view, the Gu family and Gu Zhiming were shameless. Hearing Gu Yao's sharp retorts made him burst into laughter. Gu Zhiming called Gu Yao a little beast, and Gu Yao called him an old beast. Isn't that how it was? Without old beasts, where would little beasts come from?
This kind of Gu Yao suited Tian Feirong's taste. Occasionally exchanging banter, most of his time was spent refining medicines in his room. If only they could cultivate the same interests, it would be great.
Luckily, he didn't express this thought in front of Chi Changye; otherwise, Chi Changye might be willing to risk a second injury to cut him down with a sword.
This time, Tian Feirong brought the demonic beast inner core that Gu Yao needed. A demonic beast with both wood and fire attributes was rare, and its inner core even more so. Fortunately, luck was on their side. Tian Feirong had just acquired two single-attribute inner cores and was about to deliver them to Gu Yao when he received the news that they had procured a double-attribute inner core. He hurriedly brought it over.
Gu Yao was delighted and immediately plunged back into his room. Tian Feirong, who had prepared to boast about his achievements in front of Gu Yao, could only stare dumbfounded at Gu Yao's closed door. Use it and throw it away? Was that really okay?
Fortunately, the lightning charms drawn by Chi Changye comforted his wounded soul. Carrying the charms, he happily went home to boast about his achievements.
Gu Yao played with the inner core in his hand, clearly feeling the dual-attribute spiritual energy inside. Such an inner core could be refined into a pill, providing significant assistance to his cultivation. However, at his current level, he couldn't use this inner core to refine pills yet.
This was the inner core left by a high-level demonic beast. Sensing the spiritual energy within, he also felt the fierce and evil aura left by the demonic beast after its death. Handling this inner core wasn't easy. After some thought, Gu Yao flashed into the alchemy tower. It was safer to operate here, and he could control the process more easily because this was his territory.
Saving the inner core for last, Gu Yao began processing various spirit herbs, including some ordinary ones. This was his first time operating inside the spatial pouch, and as he thought, it was more convenient than outside.
After processing another spirit herb, he looked up and saw a phantom figure floating in front of him. Gu Yao rolled his eyes. Dressed in white, what's the difference from a ghost? In fact, this soul-body was not much different from a ghost.
Seeing that Gu Yao finally had some free time, Xu Chen, with genuine interest, asked, "Your method of handling spirit herbs is quite unique. You rely entirely on your spiritual sense to remove impurities and conduct refinement. It seems that, aside from having a naturally strong soul, your proficiency in precise control with your spiritual sense is also remarkable."
Rarely did Xu Chen willingly come out to exchange ideas. Since Gu Yao's mental energy was a bit fatigued, he continued the conversation: "Isn't it the same for seniors? Can't other alchemists achieve this level of refinement?"
"Of course, my method is more sophisticated than yours," Xu Chen raised his chin arrogantly, "but compared to other alchemists, there are merits in your approach. Not all alchemists subdivide and precisely control their spiritual sense like you do; it requires extremely high control over one's spiritual sense."