Chapter 5: Lightning Martial Soul

Shi Yan opened his eyes and stared absentmindedly at the drug slaves not far away.

Most of these people had entered into a contract with Mo Yan Yu and became drug slaves because of their poverty. As long as they could endure for half a year, not only would they gain their freedom, but they would also receive two hundred purple crystals. Of course, if they died from testing the medicine, their families would receive the same amount of money.

On the Divine Grace Continent, one black crystal is worth one hundred purple crystals, which equals ten thousand blue crystals. The average annual income of ordinary people is only about five or six purple crystals. Earning two hundred purple crystals would take a drug slave forty years of hard work.

When the contract was signed, their families received fifty purple crystals, and the remainder would be paid after half a year. If they tragically died, the purple crystals would be passed to their families. For these people, two hundred purple crystals might be what they would never earn in their lifetime, which is why they took the risk.

However, when they first made the agreement, they had no idea that testing the medicine would be so cruel. Almost every few days, one of them would die from testing the medicine, and their deaths were extremely tragic. This made them live in constant fear, giving rise to many thoughts.

Unfortunately, the contract was clearly written in black and white: once signed, they could not withdraw halfway. This meant that for half a year, they had handed over their lives to the Mo family. If they did not comply with the agreement and dared to escape, the Mo family had the right to kill them.

Heaven doesn't give out free meals. By the time they realized how cruel the drug testing was, it was already too late. They could only hold on.

Shi Yan knew in his heart that none of these drug slaves would last until the end. He knew that sooner or later, they would die—perhaps even tomorrow, one of them would perish from testing the medicine. He was well aware of his own limited abilities and couldn't change this, so he avoided interacting with them. With no emotional ties, he wouldn't feel sorrow when they died.

Shi Yan furrowed his brow and stealthily glanced at the alchemist, Karu, who was sitting high in the earth dragon sedan chair, before quickly withdrawing his gaze.

From the five white medicine bottles embroidered on Karu's chest, Shi Yan knew that he was a Level 5 alchemist of the mortal grade. Alchemists were a rare and special group in this world, even rarer than martial artists.

Almost every alchemist was also a martial artist, and the pills they crafted could enhance a martial artist's cultivation. Only a very few powerful alchemists could create special pills that could even enhance the abilities of a martial artist's "Martial Soul."

Unlike the ten realms of martial artists, alchemists were classified into five grades based on their proficiency in pill creation: Mortal Grade, Mystic Grade, Spirit Grade, Saint Grade, and Divine Grade. Each grade was divided into seven levels.

Each alchemist grade had its own special symbol. Mortal Grade alchemists embroidered a white medicine bottle on their chest, Mystic Grade embroidered a flame, Spirit Grade embroidered medicinal herbs, Saint Grade embroidered a pill, and Divine Grade embroidered a pill furnace. Karu's five white medicine bottles indicated that he was a Level 5 alchemist of the mortal grade, a clear indication of his rank.

Because alchemists' pills could change a martial artist's constitution and enhance their essence, alchemists held a very high status among martial artists. Due to their rarity, every alchemist was sought after by major forces, making their position even more prestigious.

Karu, a mere Level 5 alchemist of the mortal grade, had been brought to the Mo family by Mo Yan Yu from the Medicine King's Valley of the Divine Blessing Empire. The Mo family, like the Shi family, was one of the five major families of the Merchant Alliance, and they, too, had a "Martial Soul"—the power of lightning. Many members of the Mo family were born with the "Lightning Martial Soul," which grew stronger with their cultivation.

The Mo family was engaged in the medicinal material business within the Merchant Alliance and had always been trying to recruit alchemists, but alchemists were eccentric and proud, rarely willing to be bound by a family, so the Mo family had never been successful.

Although Karu was only a Level 5 alchemist, it was still not easy for the Mo family to convince him to join. Mo Yan Yu must have used some method to persuade him, as Karu agreed to come from the Medicine King's Valley to the Mo family to refine medicine.

However, Karu seemed to walk a crooked path. He had a great interest in creating poisons, which were considered an unorthodox field of alchemy. To make poisons with precision, testing on beasts was ineffective—human subjects were required. This led to the creation of the drug slaves.

"Let's go!" A light command from Mo Yan Yu came from the distance. The resting martial artists immediately stood up, packed up, and prepared to set off. The drug slaves, huddled together, quickly got up, fearing they might be beaten if they lagged behind.

Shi Yan silently stood up, coldly glancing at the graceful yet venomous figure in the front of the line. He couldn't help but let out a faint snort before obediently following the group ahead.

Within the Merchant Alliance, the Mo and Shi families had never gotten along. Three years ago, when the Mo family and the Shi family fought over a mine, Mo Yan Yu's fifth uncle was killed by Shi Lang. Afterward, the Mo family retaliated fiercely, killing many of the Shi family's guards. Since then, the two families had secretly engaged in numerous underhanded battles.

Shi Yan knew that if he exposed his identity as the original owner of the body, he would not only fail to gain his freedom but might also die even faster.

Fortunately, the original owner of this body had no "Martial Soul" and did not like martial arts. He had never participated in any martial arts activities within the Merchant Alliance, so Mo Yan Yu didn't recognize him. Otherwise, his situation would likely be even worse.

At night, the moon was like a silver disk, and the stars sparkled.

The Mo family set up camp by a small river. The earth dragons made "huffing" noises as they rested quietly by the riverbank. The Mo family martial artists ate dried meat, laughing as they discussed several well-known courtesans from the Qinglou in the Merchant Alliance.

Several daring martial artists, while Mo Yan Yu's back was turned, occasionally sneaked a glance at her graceful figure, swallowing their saliva. They knew that women of Mo Yan Yu's rank and status were beyond their reach, so they could only satisfy themselves with a glimpse.

Shi Yan silently sat down, preparing to continue circulating the essence within his body. Suddenly, he noticed Mo Yan Yu and Karu walking directly toward him from the front of the group.

Shi Yan's heart sank, knowing that trouble was coming. His expression gradually darkened.

"The effect of the Heartbreak Powder is too strong. Ordinary civilians can't withstand it. Two have died in just six days. Looks like only martial artists can endure it. That kid has been kept alive for so long. I think he's recovered quite a bit lately. It's time for him to serve a purpose..." Karu laughed sinisterly, holding a bowl of black, mushy liquid in his left hand.

"Master, don't hold back. Feel free to have your way with him, but don't let him die too easily," Mo Yan Yu chuckled lightly.

"Heh, don't worry, Miss Mo. Since this has fallen into my hands, it won't be a quick death. You've seen the effects of the Heartbreak Powder before. Those poor civilians rotted away slowly from the inside. The stronger the body, the slower the decay, which naturally means the pain lasts longer. Just watch carefully," Karu laughed loudly, clearly enjoying the situation, completely disregarding Shi Yan's feelings.

"That's the best outcome," Mo Yan Yu nodded, her beautiful eyes filled with cold light, clearly harboring deep hatred for Shi Yan.

In the days since, whenever she thought of Shi Yan's blatant violation of her personal space, she was filled with rage. She had never even let her fiancé touch that "forbidden area," but Shi Yan had gotten to experience it first. This left her frustrated and embarrassed to the point of nearly vomiting blood.

"I'll drink it," Shi Yan said flatly, steadying his hand to take the bowl of Heartbreak Powder, and drank it all in one go.