Chapter 156: Soul Dew & Heavenly Secret

RuYi guided him patiently.

Moon followed his instructions and soon sank deep into his consciousness.

There, he witnessed a strange sight.

A tiny human figure sat within a vast sea, surrounded by overflowing energy.

He assumed that the energy filling the sea was the soul energy RuYi had mentioned.

Carefully, Moon guided a single drop of it out and fused it with the other ingredients.

The cauldron rumbled almost immediately.

The moment the soul dew merged with the other materials, the fusion accelerated nearly tenfold.

Moon struggled to keep control of the process.

His hand seals grew faster and faster as he tried to keep up with the surging energy.

Beads of sweat formed on his forehead under the pressure.

The cauldron groaned again.

Soon, the fused mixture separated into nine small beads.

Moon cast his final seal.

The pills shot out of the cauldron, each one glowing with a soft golden light.

Nine pills.

Four red and five golden, they floated and danced in the air before him.

Moon’s eyes finally lit up. He collected the pills and jumped to his feet, his eyes crinkling with laughter as he turned toward RuYi, who was still sitting elegantly on a rock.

"Master..." he began, but the words of gratitude caught in his throat. He didn’t know how to thanks this favor with just word.

RuYi gave him a small nod. "Try again," he said. "This is still average."

Moon’s excitement deflated at once.

’Average? Even my father could barely refine high-grade pills, and he was a master mage.’ He thought.

He looked down at the vial containing the five golden pills. There was no way they could be called average!

As if reading his mind, RuYi mercilessly added, "They’re only high-grade. There are no inscriptions yet, and you’ve made only five."

His voice remained gentle, but his words pierced Moon’s heart all the same.

Moon sat back down with a grim expression.

Seeing his reaction, RuYi felt a little guilty.

He cleared his throat and tried to soften his words.

"Ahem... You’ve done well. You should try learning a faster set of seals. Your hand seals are also avera—"

He stopped when he noticed Moon glaring at him with a pair of pitiful eyes.

"...All right. You’ve done very well, considering you have no proper master."

RuYi’s voice lowered, though his expression still made it clear that he wasn’t entirely impressed.

"What hand seals are you practicing?" He moved closer and sat cross-legged in front of Moon on the stone platform.

"I don’t know. They were recorded in a jade slip, but there were no remarks or explanations." Moon answered, now feeling a little confused.

When the Moon Goddess had given him that jade slip, he had still been a novice. There had been no clear identification of the technique.

’Did you give me some garbage alchemy technique back then?’

Moon silently questioned the Moon Goddess, feeling a little cheated.

[I already gave your mother’s spatial necklace. You can always find a high-grade one inside by unlocking the shelves with your own ability.]

Moon’s lips twitched. ’Isn’t it like giving me my own stuff as a reward?’

[I don’t have any access to the cultivation world.]

The Moon Goddess sounded genuinely upset, so Moon decided not to make fun of her this time.

He turned to RuYi. "Are you an alchemist?"

"No. I am just a plant spirit," RuYi replied plainly. "But I can guide you. Your hand seals are not low-level, but they are not suitable for you either. You need to change them if you want to refine top-grade pills."

After thinking for a while, he added, "Your soul technique is good enough for now. But you should change that too before you reach Supreme grade."

Moon was stupefied by how casually RuYi said, ’Before you reach Supreme grade.’

As far as he knew, the highest realm in this world was Saint grade.

Supreme grade was only one level below it, and even then, only a few elders had ever reached it.

He suddenly felt intimidated in front of RuYi.

He had always known that Lupine and the other spirits were not simple, but their friendly attitudes had often overshadowed their true identities.

Only now did Moon realize how enormous the gap between them really was.

And all this time, he had probably been missing a great opportunity to receive their guidance.

"I don’t have any proper alchemy technique," Moon admitted, lowering his head.

RuYi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"For now, keep doing what you’re doing. We can search this Lost Realm. There should be some leftover or hidden techniques here. After the full moon, we can search together."

"Isn’t this Lost Realm only for the five inheritances? How could there be other hidden things?" Moon asked.

His face remained calm, but inside, he was practically screaming.

’Say it! Say it! How many secrets are you hiding?’

RuYi knitted his brows, completely unaware of Moon’s inner turmoil.

"Who said this place was only for five inheritances? This place was a broken part of—"

CRAK CRAKKKLLLE.....

Before he could finish, the sky suddenly cracked open. A blinding white light flashed across the entire sanctuary.

Moon felt a thin pain in his backbone.

When the light faded, the figure sitting before Moon had turned into a charcoal statue.

RuYi shook his hands.

His charred skin cracked, and wisps of spiritual qi trickled from the fissures.

Moon sat frozen in place.

His ingredients had burned, but fortunately, the cauldron remained intact. His robe was slightly scorched, yet he was unharmed.

The thunderbolt had clearly targeted RuYi alone.

Before Moon’s eyes, RuYi’s blackened figure slowly collapsed onto the stone and dispersed into the air.

Moon’s stomach dropped.

"Goddess!" he cried out.

[It’s not me! This broken realm is not mine. It is not a part of Monalis...]

CRAK CRAKKKLLLE.....

The sky rumbled again.

[Sigh. My child, I told you that you don’t have enough XP to ask. All I can say is that he broke the rules, so he received a warning from Heaven. Don’t worry. He will be back again after his soul mends.]

Moon stared up at the crackling sky, a sudden chill creeping through him.

Mending his soul?

What did that mean? Had RuYi’s soul just shattered? And for what?

He had just said that this place was not—

Moon abruptly cut off the thought.

What if the next thunderbolt targeted him?

He remained motionless, guilt weighing heavily on his chest as he stared at the spot where RuYi had disappeared.

What if Ugo returned and asked where he was?

His thoughts tumbled over one another. He could no longer concentrate on the pills, nor did he have any desire to continue refining them.

He stood up and began walking around the pond.

The sanctuary was deadly silent, and the silence seemed to gnaw at him with every passing moment.

"Goddess," he called.

There was no reply.

"Lady Selene..." he tried again.

Still, no answer came.

Had even the Moon Goddess detached herself from him?

Moon felt utterly broken.

He paced back and forth before suddenly deciding to enter the Flaming Garden.

He had left Leo there earlier and had never brought him out. Now, with no one around, the loneliness felt even heavier.

So he thought to bring out Leo.