Chapter 9: Blood Soul Stone (Part 1)

Guo Shier said, “I also hope it’s a low-level mutated talisman beast. We haven’t yet trained through battles, and low-level mutated talisman beasts pose less of a threat. I hope everyone can give it their all this time.”
Lan Hu remained silent. For some reason, she felt a bit afraid of this little boy. Guo Shier took out some braised meat and distributed it among them, saying, “Let’s start moving after eating. Uncle Eagle Demon will give orders. It’s best to lure the mutated talisman beast over and then kill it together!”
Eagle Demon said, “No problem. Everyone, eat now. After that, the great talisman martial artists should follow me… to lure the mutated talisman beast!”
Yang Qi said, “My charm isn’t enough. You guys go and lure it…” He sneaked a glance at Lan Hu.
Everyone’s gaze turned to Lan Hu, who grew furious and shouted, “Do you want to die?” The others burst into laughter. Sun Min’er said, “It’s to lure the mutated talisman beast, not to… flirt… Hehe, sister… no, Lan Hu… I was just joking, don’t get angry, hehe…”
Lan Hu said, “I’m not angry! I’m very happy!” She grinned, revealing her snow-white teeth, but there was no trace of joy on her face.
Guo Shier found it amusing. This girl was truly childlike, full of childishness.
Eagle Demon said, “Let’s gather together to search for the mutated talisman beast. Once we see it, follow my commands strictly. Don’t lose order, understand?”
Lan Hu said, “Got it, uncle.”
Sun Min’er and Peng Yuanwang replied respectfully. They feared not only Guo Shier but also this fierce old man.
Eagle Demon flew low to the ground and shouted, “Let’s go!” Lan Hu reacted fastest and took off right after him. Sun Min’er and Peng Yuanwang hurriedly followed. Guo Shier shook his head and turned to ask, “Fat Yang, have you guys ever gone out for training before advancing to master?”
Yang Qi smiled bitterly. “Where would we find the time? After inheriting the teachings of the Illusory Path, we need to spend a lot of time advancing and gaining the necessary strength. Unless one has great natural talent, they’ll be quite old by then… We’re considered to advance relatively quickly. If it takes another seven or eight years, we won’t even get a chance to enter the Bloody Secret Realm for trials. That would be truly tragic.”
Guo Shier said, “So, you guys have never had any training at all. This is your first time going out for trials… and here you are? Goodness, that’s quite extravagant.”

Xuan Ai said in confusion, “What’s so strange about that? Twelve, aren’t you the same? But… you’re so young yet have already reached the level of a senior grand spellcaster. You must be a key disciple under cultivation by the sect, or perhaps a disciple of some top-tier professional, right?”
Guo Twelve replied calmly, “Of course I’m curious… An elder gave me an address for the Spellcraft Sect, saying I could enter once I became a senior grand spellcaster. That’s all they said. Out of curiosity… I came in.”
Xuan Ai stared at Guo Twelve speechlessly for a long time before saying, “You’re a little monster, and your elder is an even bigger monster. I’ve never seen anyone treat disciples like this.”
Guo Twelve retorted with a smile, “You’re the monster! I really like it here. I can level up quickly, and I don’t care about those mutated spell beasts either. As long as I’m careful, there’s no danger… By the way, Xuan Ai, besides fast cultivation and having mutated spell beasts to hone my spellcraft skills, what else is there?”
Xuan Ai realized now that this kid knew nothing. No wonder he was willing to bring them, a bunch of good-for-nothings. Fortunately, he was young and didn’t care about time passing or delaying his own cultivation. He said, “Of course there’s more… Don’t you collect Blood Soul Stones? Blood Soul Stones are the local specialty here, and everyone who enters has this task.”
Guo Twelve asked, “Blood Soul Stones? What are they used for?”
Even Fat Yang couldn’t hold back anymore. He said, “They’re one of the key materials for building soul altars. They’re extremely rare. Strangely enough, only grand spellcasters can find them, and only senior grand spellcasters can refine them. Once you reach the level of Mad Master, you can no longer find or refine them… Don’t ask me why. I don’t know either.”
Xuan Ai said, “Everyone who enters here has this task: to find Blood Soul Stones and refine them… Taking them back allows you to exchange them for a lot of things. Of course, you can also keep some for your own use. Hehe, who can guarantee they’ll reach such a high level? Keeping them might not be useful… The seniors said they used whatever they found for exchanges.”
Guo Twelve was almost certain that Li Ran needed Blood Soul Stones. He asked, “Have you found any Blood Soul Stones?”
Xuan Ai smiled bitterly. “The source of Blood Soul Stones is in the Black Mist Area. Where am I supposed to find them? I was almost starving to death. If not for you, not to mention Blood Soul Stones, just surviving would have been a problem. If you hadn’t asked… I would’ve forgotten about this altogether.”
Fat Yang added, “Me too. I never even thought about Blood Soul Stones. My top priority is just to survive!”

Guo Shier asked, “How do we find Blood Soul Stones?”
Xuan Ai replied, “Use two hand seals, but it will consume soul power!”
Guo Shier was shocked. He realized that people on the Advanced Talismans Continent were well aware of the functions of souls. On the Intermediate Continent, aside from a few advanced professionals, many didn’t understand this. As for those on the Lower Continent, they knew nothing about it at all. The gap was quite significant. He immediately said, “Teach me!”
Xuan Ai nodded. “Sure, it’s something everyone knows.” They were two very simple hand seals applied to the eyes. When he performed them, Guo Shier clearly saw two talismanic patterns flash in his eyes. Xuan Ai explained, “The stronger the soul power, the clearer the vision and the wider the range.”
Yang Pangzi added, “It doesn’t last very long. A beginner master can hold it for at most two minutes, while an advanced master can last eight to ten minutes. I don’t have any hopes… Blood Soul Stones are extremely rare. Without the talismanic patterns in the eyes, it’s impossible to detect them. And after years of searching, they’re even rarer now.”
Both of them had no hope for Blood Soul Stones, which showed just how scarce they were.
Guo Shier asked, “Besides Blood Soul Stones, what other materials are needed for a Soul Altar?”
Xuan Ai said, “There are three main materials and countless auxiliary ones…”
Guo Shier was secretly pleased and asked, “Which three?”
Xuan Ai smiled bitterly. “How can you not know anything? The three main materials are Blood Soul Stones, Zuleng Wood, and Anluo Stone. Blood Soul Stones and Zuleng Wood aren’t needed in large quantities. The most needed is Anluo Stone, which is also hard to find. I heard it’s produced in the Lower Continent.”
Guo Shier’s heart pounded. Anluo Stone! The North Talismans Sect produced Anluo Stone, and it was already under the control of the Chenxiao Sect. Of these three materials, Blood Soul Stones could be obtained here, Anluo Stone could be collected from the North Talismans Sect, and as for Zuleng Wood, there would always be a chance to find it later.
Xuan Ai said, “Shier, don’t bother. To build your own Soul Altar, you need to reach the rank of Advanced Grand Sage at the very least. We still don’t know how long it will take to become a Sage… I’d be satisfied if I could reach the rank of Grand Sage in this lifetime. As for becoming an Advanced Grand Sage, I haven’t even thought about it.”
Guo Shier said, “If we don’t collect them now, it will be troublesome when we need them. Xuan Ai, don’t be so discouraged. If you give up now, there really won’t be any hope of reaching the peak of your profession.”

Xuan Ai shook his head. He understood that to reach the peak of one’s career, one needed to possess a certain level of potential; otherwise, no matter how hard they tried, it would be difficult to advance. He said, “I know confidence is needed, but just having confidence isn’t enough… Forget it, let’s not talk about this.”

Guo Shier carefully recalled those two spells, asked a few questions, and then cast them immediately. Sure enough, his eyes grew slightly warm, and he immediately felt a difference—as if he were wearing infrared glasses, with everything around him appearing different.

Yang Qi said, “After using the spells, if you see a Blood Soul Stone… you’ll know. I heard the blue ones are Blood Soul Stones. Once the spells lose their effect, the Blood Soul Stones become ordinary stones that need to be refined to turn red.”

Guo Shier said, “It’s that complicated? Huh, I can see through the gray mist!”

Xuan Ai said, “This is originally a spell meant to see through mist. Its original name is the Bright Eyes Spell, and every great spellcaster uses it.”

Guo Shier said, “It seems… I’m just a country bumpkin…” The Dark-Winged Scorpion suddenly raised its two pincers and waved them in the air in protest, seemingly dissatisfied with Guo Shier admitting he was a country bumpkin.

Xuan Ai stepped back and asked, “Is the insect talisman you have sealing a mutated talisman insect?”

Guo Shier replied, “It’s a Dark-Winged Scorpion.”

Xuan Ai was surprised. “That’s an ancient talisman insect! This talisman is quite good—the scorpion already has a spirit. You should continue to cultivate it so it can progress alongside you.”

Realizing his knowledge and understanding fell far short of Xuan Ai’s, Guo Shier thought for a moment before asking, “Are the inheritances of the Illusion Path different from each other?”

Yang Qi quickly replied, “Of course. There are simple versions of the Illusion Path and advanced versions, with different inheritances as well. Advanced versions of the Illusion Path can inherit a large amount of soul memory, and one can selectively accept these inheritances. With enough time, one can learn them systematically.”

Guo Shier glanced casually into the distance and saw several figures flying low toward them. He said, “It seems Eagle Demon Grandmaster has returned…” Then he saw a huge shadow and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow, what mutated talisman beast have they brought?”

Xuan Ai and Yang Qi both formed hand seals and looked into the distance.

Guo Shier said, “Don’t fight here! Let’s go meet them!” He jumped onto the scorpion’s back and said, “Everyone, come on!”

Xuan Ai and Yang Qi climbed onto the scorpion’s back, and Guo Shier immediately drove the Dark-Winged Scorpion toward the edge of the dead tree forest.

In less than a minute, they saw Eagle Demon returning with three others. He shouted, “It’s mutated wild lions!”

Blue Coral shouted, “It’s a Level 4 Mutated Mad Lion! Get ready to fight!” Upon seeing Guo Shier, the Eagle Demon immediately turned around and yelled, “Follow me! Hold it off!” He charged at it. There was no way to retreat now; with Guo Shier and three other great spellcasters present, they had to stop the Mutated Mad Lion so that Guo Shier and the others could launch their attacks.