Chapter 2: Soul Spring (Part 2)

Guo Shier smiled and said, “No need. Go with Uncle Luo. Hehe, I think you still need to vent some more. You didn’t get enough satisfaction earlier, did you?”
Eagle Demon also laughed. He indeed hadn’t had enough. Just as he wanted to continue fighting, the Mutated Talisman Bear was killed by Guo Shier. He said, “Alright, be careful. I’ll wait for you tomorrow. I need to move around a bit too. I’ve hardly fought since advancing in rank; I feel a bit numb.” He had always followed Guo Shier, with few opportunities to fight. Those he encountered were either super experts or low-level professionals—too strong to fight and too weak to bother with, which almost drove him crazy.
Guo Shier nodded, called out to everyone, then flew into the air. After briefly orienting himself, he headed toward the lake area.
It wasn’t long before Guo Shier returned to the island. He flew straight up to the mountain peak. Qi Wu Zhen was still sitting there, the flame in front of her rising and falling, seemingly unchanged from when he left. Yet upon closer inspection, some differences could be noticed. Besides its dazzling white glow, the flame occasionally flashed other colors, easily overlooked if not paid attention to.
Qi Wu Zhen glanced at him briefly before focusing back on the flame. Cultivating Thousand-Layer Harmonious Flame wasn’t easy at all.
After waiting for a long time, Qi Wu Zhen finally cast a spell. Countless virtual talismans merged into the flame, followed by many souls and soul beads. The sheer quantity stunned Guo Shier. He lamented inwardly—if he reached such a level, where could he find so many souls?
After all, Guo Shier still had Gu Xi Bi to help collect souls and soul beads. Even so, seeing the number of spirits Qi Wu Zhen used made him doubt himself. After all, this was just the sacrificial treasure she was refining, not the altar. If it were the altar, who knew how many souls would be needed?
The handsome old man was even more shocked. He was hiding inside the altar, which Guo Shier had concealed in his hair, so he could clearly see Qi Wu Zhen refining the sacrificial treasure. What amazed him wasn’t just the large number of souls used, but also Qi Wu Zhen’s mastery—her control over the fire was perfectly exquisite, beyond what even he could achieve, despite having once been an expert himself.
After a while, Qi Wu Zhen let out a sigh.
Guo Shier asked curiously, “Sister Zhen, what’s wrong?”

Qi Wu Zhen said, “It’s a pity—we’re missing a Soul Spring. I once had an excellent top-grade Soul Spring, but it was completely drained while I was asleep. The magma was too hot; the Soul Spring couldn’t withstand it and was vaporized. With a Soul Spring, the refining process could be accelerated several times over.”

Guo Shieru anxiously searched through the ancestral memories and quickly found records about Soul Springs. He gasped in shock and said, “There’s such a thing… How come I’ve never heard of it?”

A Soul Spring is a type of spring with extremely wide-ranging uses. It’s an excellent auxiliary for crafting sacrificial treasures or building altars. Most miraculously, if there’s a Soul Spring inside an altar, it can stabilize the owner’s soul. In this world, high-level professionals are all masters of souls, so the benefits of having such a Soul Spring go without saying.

Soul Springs are divided into natural and artificially cultivated ones. Those found in the wild are natural Soul Springs, usually of lower quality. Truly good Soul Springs are cultivated within altars, but a natural Soul Spring is required first. Soul Springs possess strong vitality and bring great benefits to the altar’s owner. However, they are extremely rare. Guo Shieru had traveled across many continents and secret realms yet had never even heard of Soul Springs.

Cultivating a Soul Spring requires a large amount of spiritual energy and a special storage space designated for it. Any Soul Spring is a treasured secret of altar-level professionals and is never revealed easily.

Soul Springs are classified into top, middle, and lower grades, with natural Soul Springs generally not being graded.

The old man’s soul trembled slightly as he said, “Stop thinking about it. Even I’ve never seen a Soul Spring, let alone you. It depends on luck, and frustratingly, even if one is right beside you, you might not be able to recognize it.”

Guo Shieru searched the ancestral memories again. Sure enough, there were records stating that Soul Springs cannot be detected. He couldn’t help asking, “Sister Zhen, the ancestral memories say… Soul Springs can’t be detected. How did you find one?”

Qi Wu Zhen smiled and said, “It may be undetectable to you, but I can… And I know of a place where there’s a Soul Spring.”

Guo Shieru was overjoyed. He asked, “Can we go there?”

Qi Wu Zhen replied, “You want to go too?”

Guo Shieru nodded vigorously. It would be foolish not to. He said, “Yes, of course.”

Qi Wu Zhen said, “I haven’t been there in a long time. If those Soul Springs are still there, then there should be no problem.”

Guo Shier couldn’t help but exclaim, “It’s here! It must be here!” Fortunately, the handsome old man was already overjoyed, constantly repeating, “Oh my god, the Soul Spring… Oh, there really is a Soul Spring… I must be dreaming, oh my god… The Soul Spring… We can get the Soul Spring now… This kid… is simply… absolutely lucky, oh… the Soul Spring…”

Qi Wu Zhen giggled and said, “Alright, alright. Since you’ve helped me for so long, after the refinement is done, I’ll take you there.”

Guo Shier repeatedly said, “Thank you, Sister Zhen.” From the inherited memories, he had seen that if they could obtain the Soul Spring soon after entering the altar, there was a chance to cultivate it into a top-grade one. Having such a Soul Spring would be of great help to him.

The handsome old man remained silent; he could no longer speak, too intoxicated with joy in the altar. When he still had a physical body, he had searched for the Soul Spring many times but never seen one in reality until his death. He never expected that becoming a sacrificial spirit would give him this chance.

Guo Shier examined the inherited memories and knew the importance of the Soul Spring, but he didn’t realize the handsome old man was even more desperate for it.

Once the handsome old man regained his senses, he immediately informed Guo Shier that they must obtain a Soul Spring at all costs. Guo Shier wondered, “Handsome Old Man, why? Sister Zhen promised to take us there to look for it. If it’s there, we’ll definitely get it. If not… there’s nothing we can do.”

The handsome old man replied, “Have that woman come up with a way. Kid, let me tell you—the importance of the Soul Spring isn’t any less than that of the Ancient Ink Lotus!”

Guo Shier was stunned. No matter how he considered it, the importance of the Ancient Ink Lotus was undeniable, second only to his Soul Scripture. Could the Soul Spring really be that important? Guo Shier knew the handsome old man would never talk nonsense about important matters, so his desire for the Soul Spring grew even stronger.

Qi Wu Zhen smiled slightly and said, “I have a special spell that can detect whether a spring is a Soul Spring. It’s a very simple spell. Do you want to learn it? If so, I’ll pass it on to you.”

Guo Shier immediately replied, “Yes!” Such spells were usually kept as secrets, and few people would share them. It would be foolish not to take it.

Qi Wu Zhen touched Guo Shier’s forehead, and he knew she was passing on the knowledge to him. He focused his attention right away and quickly received the inherited memories. It was a very simple spell, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Is it that simple?”

Qi Wu Zhen said, “Of course. There are many types of Soul Springs. Although natural Soul Springs aren’t of high quality, they still vary in quality.”
The handsome old man wailed in the altar, “Damn it… This is too devastating. I can’t even find a Soul Spring, yet this guy knows they come in different qualities and can even choose… Sigh, I’ve lived in vain… So sad.”
Guo Shier didn’t pay attention to the handsome old man. Seeing that time was nearly up, he began to recite scriptures silently. Waves of spiritual energy spread out, and Qi Wu Zhen immediately showed an intoxicated expression.
To thank Qi Wu Zhen, Guo Shier recited the scriptures silently for over four hours straight this time.
Qi Wu Zhen was very satisfied. Since she needed to refine the sacrificial treasure, she couldn’t climb into Guo Shier’s arms and could only lean on his shoulder. Only after he finished reciting did she sigh softly and say, “If I can’t experience such spiritual waves again, I’ll really miss you…” These words could easily be misinterpreted.
Guo Shier, however, didn’t misunderstand. He knew clearly that Qi Wu Zhen was only interested in his spiritual waves, not necessarily in him as a person. He had never harbored any feelings for her either. This woman was too fierce—even men couldn’t compare to her. She could be a friend, but as a lover or sweetheart? Better not. He wanted to live a few more years.
Qi Wu Zhen was secretly amazed, as few men could remain so calm in her presence, especially when she teased them with flirty words. In fact, if Guo Shier had had any improper thoughts, she would have killed him without hesitation. Before falling into slumber, she had already killed countless men who tried to take advantage of her.
Guo Shier wasn’t a saint. It was because everyone in their team was terrified by Qi Wu Zhen’s brutality, especially the handsome old man in the altar, who treated her like a ghost and still didn’t dare show up. It was impossible for Guo Shier to have any foolish thoughts. Even if Qi Wu Zhen was as beautiful as a fairy and acted gently, he would stay as far away as possible.
It was precisely because Guo Shier behaved well and had those miraculous spiritual waves that Qi Wu Zhen gave him a second glance. She had hardly any friends in her life. Those she met before falling asleep might have had their bones turned to dust by now. After waking up, Guo Shier was the first friend she had met, so she was willing to share some things with him.
When Guo Shier noticed Qi Wu Zhen staring at him intently, he felt a chill and asked, “What’s wrong?”