"Second Brother Tian," Gu Yao looked earnestly at Tian Feirong's expression, speculating that perhaps he only had a partial understanding of his own situation. "I believe your aptitude is likely better than what is being revealed. The reason for your inability to progress in cultivation is that someone has drugged you, making your body unable to retain spiritual energy, like a sieve."
Changye Chi looked at Tian Feirong with surprise and sympathy. Who would be so ruthless as to ruin Tian Feirong's future? He had spent several days with the Tian family in the Ten Directions City, and they seemed quite harmonious.
Tian Feirong's expression stiffened, and his body became tense. When he spoke again, his voice trembled slightly, "Really? I've been drugged?"
"Yes," Gu Yao believed in Xu Chen's words. "So, Second Brother Tian, do you want to remove the drug and enhance your aptitude? Think about how long it's been since your cultivation has made any progress."
Tian Feirong clenched his fists, and his eyes turned slightly red. "Gu Yao, do you know the antidote? Can you refine that antidote? I... I..." When he truly faced the answer, his mind became chaotic, unsure how to deal with this reality.
Gu Yao patted his shoulder and said, "Second Brother Tian, take your time to consider. Whatever decision you make, I'll support you. If you want to remove the drug, once the materials are ready, I can immediately prepare the antidote for you."
"Okay." After uttering this word, Tian Feirong seemed to release all his strength, turning around and heading back to his room with a defeated demeanor.
Little Fatty stared at Tian Feirong in astonishment. He had never seen Tian Feirong so devastated before. Wondering if he knew something, he turned to Gu Yao. Upon seeing Gu Yao staring at him intensely, he felt uneasy.
"Gu Yao, why are you looking at me like that? I haven't been drugged." Little Fatty subconsciously moved a few steps away, considering his grandfather's status; who would dare to drug him under his watch? Unless someone wanted to die.
Gu Yao chuckled. Even if Little Fatty had been drugged, he wouldn't be able to tell. The situation with Tian Feirong was only known because of the information from Xu Chen. Gu Yao waved his hand and said, "I know about this. I just wanted to ask if you want to enhance your aptitude and accelerate your cultivation speed."
Little Fatty was once again shocked and looked at Gu Yao with a strange expression. "Have you lost your mind? Items that enhance aptitude are all rare treasures. If they were easy to obtain, I would have used them long ago."
His grandfather had considered improving his aptitude, but after searching for so many years, he hadn't found many useful things. He could only stuff him with various elixirs and repeatedly warned him not to rely solely on pills; otherwise, the foundation would become unstable.
Changye Chi signaled with his eyes to stop Gu Yao from continuing. He looked at Little Fatty coldly and said, "There are many ways for extraordinary individuals to transform their bodies and enhance their aptitude. Gu Yao has been fortunate to have a renowned mentor since childhood. Although others might not be aware, he possesses a potion that can purify spiritual roots. Whether it works or not, it can be tested with a detecting artifact. However, if you want to take it, you must first make a solemn vow against inner demons. Without Gu Yao's permission, you are not allowed to disclose it to anyone, even your closest kin."
Gu Yao gratefully looked at Changye Chi. He had the same intention but was beaten to it by Changye Chi.
Xu Chen, tossing around in the spatial realm, wondered how he became Gu Yao's master. When did this happen? Did this kid, Changye Chi, even know about his existence? He immediately inquired about it from Gu Yao.
Gu Yao was taken aback. He didn't expect that Xu Chen would be aware of the situation outside. He quickly replied, "Brother Night has no knowledge of it. I cannot explain the senior's presence and origin." Revealing such secrets would expose everything.
"So, you mean this kid stumbled upon a treasure without knowing its worth? Ugh! I'm not that stupid!" Realizing his mistake, Xu Chen's spiritual body became even more agitated.
Gu Yao chuckled. Even if Little Fatty had been drugged, he wouldn't be able to tell. The situation with Tian Feirong was only known because of the information from Xu Chen. Gu Yao waved his hand and said, "I know about this. I just wanted to ask if you want to enhance your aptitude and accelerate your cultivation speed."
Little Fatty was once again shocked and looked at Gu Yao with a strange expression. "Have you lost your mind? Items that enhance aptitude are all rare treasures. If they were easy to obtain, I would have used them long ago."
His grandfather had considered improving his aptitude, but after searching for so many years, he hadn't found many useful things. He could only stuff him with various elixirs and repeatedly warned him not to rely solely on pills; otherwise, the foundation would become unstable.
Changye Chi signaled with his eyes to stop Gu Yao from continuing. He looked at Little Fatty coldly and said, "There are many ways for extraordinary individuals to transform their bodies and enhance their aptitude. Gu Yao has been fortunate to have a renowned mentor since childhood. Although others might not be aware, he possesses a potion that can purify spiritual roots. Whether it works or not, it can be tested with a detecting artifact. However, if you want to take it, you must first make a solemn vow against inner demons. Without Gu Yao's permission, you are not allowed to disclose it to anyone, even your closest kin."
Gu Yao gratefully looked at Changye Chi. He had the same intention but was beaten to it by Changye Chi.
Xu Chen, tossing around in the spatial realm, wondered how he became Gu Yao's master. When did this happen? Did this kid, Changye Chi, even know about his existence? He immediately inquired about it from Gu Yao.
Gu Yao was taken aback. He didn't expect that Xu Chen would be aware of the situation outside. He quickly replied, "Brother Night has no knowledge of it. I cannot explain the senior's presence and origin." Revealing such secrets would expose everything.
"So, you mean this kid stumbled upon a treasure without knowing its worth? Ugh! I'm not that stupid!" Realizing his mistake, Xu Chen's spiritual body became even more agitated.
Gu Yao laughed. He had known that Xu Chen often spoke without thinking, and many times, his words did not match his esteemed image.
However, Gu Yao was puzzled by Xu Chen's words. Did he mean to admit that he was Gu Yao's master? Or was Xu Chen himself unaware of the ambiguity in his words?
Since Xu Chen didn't say anything further, Gu Yao suppressed this matter for now. Little Fatty, rubbing his ears, looked at Gu Yao in disbelief, seeking confirmation if everything Gu Yao said was true.
Gu Yao, finding it not thrilling enough, added, "This is only for the current stage. Once my strength rises a few more levels, there should be another opportunity for improvement. I don't know if there's any limit in the end. Of course, I can't wash away your spiritual roots. The original number of spiritual roots remains the same."
Little Fatty got so excited that his face turned red. Tianfu Academy represented the thickness of spiritual roots numerically, making it clear how this value affected a cultivator. In other words, Gu Yao had a potion that could continually increase this value. Even if there was only a slight possibility or a marginal improvement, Little Fatty was willing to take the risk.
"I'm willing! I can endure the pain!"
"Heart Demon Oath!" Changye Chi reminded him.
This reminder was like a bucket of cold water poured over Little Fatty's head. The flesh on his face twisted for a moment. If he took the Heart Demon Oath, wouldn't it expose his identity? Also, there was the previous speculation that he might have been blamed by Gu Yao. He didn't know how to face Gu Yao with his true identity.
Gu Yao laughed, "Do you need some time to consider?"
"No!" Little Fatty refused without thinking. After standing still for a while, he spoke in a mosquito-like voice, "Actually, I'm the one who..."
"You are the grandson of the Sect Master Hu that has been sought after in the Ten Directions City, Hu Weicai?" Gu Yao teased.
"Ah! You know?" Little Fatty exclaimed.
Gu Yao chuckled, "I guessed it. It's just that your timing was too perfect. Combined with mentioning Sect Master Hu and the strange look you had when seeing him, Brother Night and I speculated if you were related to him."
Little Fatty covered his face, feeling embarrassed. He hadn't expected others to have already figured out his identity. Despite thinking he could hide and stay unnoticed in Tianfu Academy, it turned out to be futile.
Little Fatty sneakily peered through his fingers. Not only did Gu Yao have a playful look, but Changye Chi's facial expression also softened. Both of them were looking at him.
Covering up was useless; it was purely self-deception. Little Fatty gave up, put down his hands, and solemnly swore not to disclose secrets under the name of Hu Weicai. If he violated the oath, the Heart Demon would hinder his cultivation progress.
As soon as the oath was made, both Little Fatty and Gu Yao felt a restraining force descend. This feeling made Little Fatty breathe a sigh of relief, while Gu Yao became curious. Such phenomena did not exist in the interstellar world. It confirmed once again that this life was entirely different from the previous one, with strict constraints imposed by the Heavenly Dao on cultivators.
Gu Yao reminded himself not to make promises easily, as once promised, he had to fulfill them at all costs. However, this constraint also relieved him of many concerns, allowing him to assist Little Fatty more freely.
Gu Yao handed over a list. Some of the materials were already in possession of Little Fatty, and the list contained only the indispensable ones. Particularly, considering Little Fatty's main spiritual root was Earth attribute, the required materials for the potion had some variations. Most importantly, they needed a core from a Earth attribute beast.
Little Fatty took a look, and the most expensive item was the beast core. The other materials were practically worth nothing in terms of spiritual stones. With some skepticism but more anticipation, Little Fatty immediately understood the purpose of these materials. Meanwhile, Gu Yao provided another list towards Tian Feirong's room. Little Fatty instantly grasped the use of the materials on that list. Without saying a word, he accepted both lists and went out to gather the items.
He dared to say that Tian Feirong would definitely be willing to use the antidote. Who wouldn't want to step on those who had humiliated them in the past? When Little Fatty returned with the collected materials, Tian Feirong had already come out of his room. His eyes were somewhat red, but his expression was firm, showing no signs of regret.
"Tian Second Brother, rest assured. Your antidote will be prepared together with the potion for Little Fatty's enhancement. The enhancement potion will also be useful for you. As for what it is, you can ask Little Fatty." Gu Yao didn't reveal Little Fatty's true identity to Tian Feirong. Whether to tell or not was entirely up to Little Fatty's decision.
After saying this, Gu Yao entered the alchemy room to start the potion-making process. The materials for the antidote were comparatively more expensive. He had encountered two of the items when in the Ten Directions City, having bought them instinctively since he had never seen Gu Yao. Now, these materials proved useful.
Outside, Tian Feirong had just received an overwhelming piece of information that was hard to digest. Following that, he learned about the enhancement potion and its effects from Little Fatty. His mouth hung open in disbelief, his face full of incredulity. Little Fatty finally saw an ally and patted Tian Feirong's shoulder, saying, "I didn't fully believe it either, but you'll see the effects once you use the potion. Just for this, I specifically bought a testing artifact. It cost me quite a few spiritual stones. I'll let you know; you owe me these spiritual stones in the future."
Tian Feirong nodded dazedly. He trusted Gu Yao more than Little Fatty. Whatever Gu Yao said would definitely come true. So, at this moment, a wave of excitement surged in his heart, eventually freezing into a big, happy smile on his face.
After the night passed, Gu Yao emerged from the alchemy room. Tian Feirong and Little Fatty had been waiting outside, not even catching a wink of sleep. Changye Chi continued with his routine as if these two individuals didn't exist.