Transmigration: The Peerless Immortal Husband

Alchemy and medicine share certain similarities, but alchemists and pharmacists cannot necessarily solve all the difficult problems.

However, Gu Yao accepted the body-refining technique because Hu Master had told him that the cultivator’s son had been further harmed after practicing this technique. Gu Yao was very curious whether the issue was due to his constitution or the defects in the technique itself.

He walked toward the young cultivator, who was sitting weakly in a reclining chair and struggling to salute him. The young man looked to be in his early twenties. His father had already reached Foundation Establishment, but it was clear that he had recently become mentally and physically exhausted due to his son’s condition.

Gu Yao checked his pulse and probed with his divine sense to carefully examine the situation inside his body. Xu Chen, intrigued, also observed.

After examining him, Gu Yao was deeply puzzled; he had never encountered such a situation: “Senior, have you encountered something like this? It’s not just the meridians shrinking; even the dantian is affected. Although the situation has eased since he stopped practicing the technique, based on the symptoms, it seems like the progress has merely slowed down.”

If the shrinking continues, this person will not survive. Even now, it’s almost as if he is paralyzed.

“I’ve seen something similar, though the situation here is different. The outcome may be similar, but who concluded that his constitution isn’t suitable for body-refining? First, take a look at that technique. I suspect the issue lies within it,” Xu Chen replied.

Gu Yao nodded inwardly and sat down to examine the jade slip that the middle-aged cultivator had handed over. Many people had gathered around, but they didn’t rush him. The middle-aged cultivator, though anxious, had been waiting this long, so he wasn’t in a hurry for a quick resolution.

The young cultivator looked at Gu Yao with a flash of envy in his eyes. Though he and Gu Yao were around the same age, Gu Yao had already grown into someone he had to look up to.

Gu Yao multitasked, asking Xu Chen about the causes of similar situations while examining the cultivation method in the jade slip.

Xu Chen didn’t hide anything and explained some of the more common causes. One of the most frequent was the ‘Soul-devouring Insect’. This type of insect was usually cultivated by cultivators themselves, and it would stealthily infiltrate their bodies to consume the spiritual energy within. If it hid in the meridians or dantian, once the spiritual energy was consumed, the meridians and dantian would naturally begin to shrink.

Human creativity is limitless, so cultivators who liked to take shortcuts and engage in evil practices had developed many different kinds of parasitic insects based on the ‘Soul-devouring Insect’. Even Xu Chen, who had seen much, couldn’t guarantee that he had seen every type.

When these parasites burst out of the body, it was often the moment when their masters were retrieving them. These parasites could be more beneficial than rare spiritual herbs or pills, as the spiritual energy within them could be fed back to the master, saving them years of arduous cultivation. This method was especially appealing to those with poor aptitudes, offering a fast track to power.

Gu Yao was shocked and surprised. He didn’t expect such things existed, let alone that cultivators were capable of refining them. It sounded truly sinister. In his previous life, he had never heard of such things, though in the history of the insect tribes, there was mention of a parasitic insect that could absorb a host’s memory and control it, even hiding among humans.

After quickly scanning the cultivation method, it seemed there wasn’t much wrong with it. This body-refining method appeared to be relatively gentle and not an extreme path. However, after reading it, Gu Yao felt that something was off about it.

“Brother Ye, you take a look too.” Gu Yao handed the jade slip to Chi Changye, who was more experienced in such matters. After reading it, he transmitted the contents to Xu Chen.

“This is incomplete!”

Almost at the same time, Xu Chen and Chi Changye voiced the same conclusion, though only Gu Yao heard Xu Chen’s voice in his spiritual sea.

“What?” The middle-aged cultivator was stunned. “So the issue is with the technique, not my son’s constitution? Then… does that mean I’ve harmed my son?”

“This technique looks gentle, but in reality, it’s very domineering,” Chi Changye’s cold voice rang out. “At every stage, the amount of spiritual energy required by the technique is immense. When external supplies are insufficient, it begins to draw from within.”

“That’s right, this kid’s right,” Xu Chen praised in Gu Yao’s spiritual sea. “This technique is indeed domineering. This young cultivator, already injured, can’t withstand it. Of course, the more he cultivates, the more it worsens.”

The middle-aged cultivator swayed slightly. He didn’t doubt Chi Changye’s explanation, as it perfectly matched his son’s symptoms. It was indeed the technique’s domineering nature that caused this. However, their family had a traditional cultivation method, and no one had touched this body-refining technique, so they never knew the consequences it would bring.

He sighed bitterly. “Senior Chi, I don’t know what’s missing from the technique, and whether my son’s body can recover.”

Chi Changye replied, “What’s missing is a method to provide external supplementation of large amounts of spiritual energy. Usually, this is achieved with spiritual herbs or pills. Without matching supplemental methods, this technique is not suitable for use.” He also wouldn’t approve of Gu Yao practicing this technique. Over time, similar consequences would inevitably occur.

“As for recovery? For now, take some targeted pills to supplement and help restore your energy,” Xu Chen suggested. Beyond that, he wasn’t sure. After all, he was an amateur in this area, Chi Changye thought to himself.

Hu Master and the others had never seen this cultivation method before. After all, it had been passed down in someone else’s family, so they never imagined the result would be like this. Now, with no more reservations, Chi Changye handed the method over, and Hu Master began to look it over. As a Golden Core alchemist, Hu Master could indeed sense some inconsistencies in the method, but he wasn’t as experienced with body refining as Chi Changye, so he didn’t catch the issue as quickly.

In the end, the middle-aged cultivator left with the few pills that Gu Yao had provided, bitterly smiling as he left with his son. Gu Yao could only offer some pills aimed at repairing the meridians and replenishing spiritual energy, hoping to alleviate the damage caused by spiritual depletion, which led to the shrinking of the meridians and dantian. However, a complete cure was not something he could think of at the moment, and Hu Master felt the same.

The cultivation method was left behind, but no one in the Guild showed any interest in it, even wanting to distance themselves from it as much as possible.

Gu Yao stayed behind, continuing to study the method while wondering if there was any way to solve the problem. Xu Chen suggested a method.

“Earlier, weren’t we talking about it? Did you think that all ‘Gu’ insects are evil?”

“Is there a good kind? Is the method related to the ‘Soul-devouring Insect’? Could it be used in reverse? Does that mean we’d have to cultivate a ‘Soul-devouring Insect’ first?” Gu Yao asked, curious.

Xu Chen smiled. “You’re quite clever. You grasped that so quickly. Not all ‘Gu’ insects are evil. There’s a type of medicinal Gu used by Gu masters to heal others. It’s not just about devouring and harming. However, Gu masters generally have a bad reputation, so those who practice this art often hide their identities. And once cultivators learn there’s a shortcut like this, do you think they can resist touching that ‘Soul-devouring Insect’? That’s why most Gu masters go down the wrong path, with very few able to keep to the right course.”

“However, medicinal Gu are rare and hard to obtain, let alone cultivate. I’ve only heard of such things, but I don’t know the specifics. Don’t expect the Pill Pavilion to have records on this matter; they don’t.”

Gu Yao didn’t feel disappointed. The existence of the Pill Pavilion was already extraordinary, and to expect it to cover everything was simply too greedy.

Gu Yao passed on Xu Chen’s explanation to Chi Changye, who hadn’t heard of Gu masters, but had seen cultivators who used insects for combat. Still, it sounded a little different, which just showed that Chi Changye’s knowledge was limited in this area.

After just two days, Gu Yao decided to take his leave. He had another matter to attend to, and Hu Master didn’t try to keep them. He apologized, saying, “I’m sorry you came all this way for nothing.”

“President, you’re too polite. It’s not something you could have foreseen. I’m also sorry I couldn’t help that fellow cultivator, but it seems the path of alchemy is still a long one. There’s much for me to learn,” Gu Yao said. Since Xu Chen had mentioned that, aside from reversing the use of Gu insects, if his strength progressed further, he could refine a pill to help that cultivator resolve his issues. Even if the meridians and dantian were destroyed, with enough mastery in both cultivation and alchemy, he could rebuild them. This filled Gu Yao with renewed determination.

Hu Master watched the four of them leave. With his grandson’s successful foundation establishment, there wasn’t much more he could do aside from preparing for the next step. He could foresee that their time on the Tianlin Continent would grow shorter, and a sense of reluctance filled his heart.

No matter how reluctant Hu Master felt, he wouldn’t stop his grandson’s steps. Only by leaving here could his grandson continue to pursue his path of cultivation. The space on Tianlin Continent was simply too small.

“I didn’t expect it to be hidden in the South Mang Mountain Range.” The four of them stood on a flying magical artifact, looking down at the mountain range below.

The South Mang Mountain Range was extremely famous on Tianlin Continent. Many of its mountains were shrouded in mist year-round, and the mist contained miasma, so ordinary cultivators didn’t dare to enter lightly. However, there were also places within that had rich spiritual energy, where many rare spiritual herbs grew. These were highly sought after by cultivators, so there were still many who ventured there in search of opportunities.

Gu Yao knew that in Alchemist’s Cauldron City, there were many shops selling spiritual herbs from the South Mang Mountain Range. Some merchants had set up shops outside the safe zones of the mountain, buying the harvests from cultivators who entered the mountains.

“Let’s go. We’ll head in.” Chi Changye glanced at the distribution of the mountains below and controlled the flying magical artifact, heading straight into the thick mist.

The sight of the flying magical artifact diving straight into the mist was quickly noticed by several cultivators below, sparking a lot of chatter.

“Who’s this fool, so bold and reckless, thinking they can just fly in here? Doesn’t he know how dangerous it is? He’ll probably end up dead without even knowing how.”

“Why is it that you can’t allow someone to be strong? Some people have the confidence to enter like that, like Senior Chi from Tianfu Academy. What part of the South Mang Mountain Range couldn’t he go to?”

“Do you think Senior Chi would have the time to run to the South Mang Mountain Range? There’s only one Senior Chi on Tianlin Continent, not everyone can do that.”