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nOnce Alex got the information for himself, he took back his sword and brought out the shards of broken spear that belonged to Pearl’s father. He showed it to the old man, waiting for him to say something useful.

nPearl had stayed back in the alchemy court for not just his work, but to train as well. While Alex and the others were gone, he wanted to cultivate with great focus so that he could catch up to his brother soon.

nThe old man checked the spear for a while before his eyes narrowed.

n“This… this isn’t regular metal,” he said as his eyes widened slightly. “Dragon Scales. This spear has dragon scales.”

nAlex blinked. He hadn’t noticed such a thing regarding the spear. “Where did you find it?” the old man asked.

n“My brother received it from his father,” Alex said.

n“Your brother’s father is quite lucky then,” the old man said.

nSilvermist seemed surprised at the side, but Grimsight showed no visible reaction. The man already knew Pearl was a White Tiger pretty clearly, so he could imagine how his father, another White Tiger, could get his hand on some Dragon scales since the Azure Dragon and White Tigers were quite close.

n“Is it an incredible material?” Alex asked.

n“It is incredible for anyone with Wood spiritual root, lightning particularly,” the man said. “This transfers lightning quite strongly. In fact… I can still feel some of the lightning aura within it. Strange, this isn’t regular lightning.”

n“Can it be fixed?” Alex asked. “I want it strong like my sword, senior. Are there other materials I can add to it to make it stronger?”

n“There are, and I would even suggest reforging it. The spear by itself is quite weak, so it needs something strong to make it more than usable,” the old man said. “But… you said your friend got it from his father?”

nAlex nodded.

n“Did his father make this spear or did he find it?” the old man asked.

nAlex thought for a bit and shook his head. “I do not know the answer to that question, senior,” he said.

n“Hmm…” the old man seemed concerned.

n“Is something wrong?” Alex asked.

n“I am debating on whether it can be saved or not,” the man said.

n“It?” Alex asked. “Can the spear not be reforged?”

n“I’m not talking about the spear,” the old man said. “But rather the nascent spirit inside of it.”

nAlex paused for a bit before understanding what the old man meant. “What?” he asked out loud, nearly shouting. “There is a nascent soul within that spear?”

n“Yes,” the old man said. “But it is nearly dead. You need to find out if this spear was made by your brother’s father or not. If it was, then you need him to take away the nascent spirit inside of it before it is reforged. Or else, the spirit within it will die.”

nAlex frowned deeply. “My brother’s father is dead, senior. There is no way of finding that answer. Can the spirit not be helped in another way?”

nThe old man thought for a bit. “If your brother’s father did make this spear, then there might be a way,” he said.

n“Please go on,” Alex said.

n“There is a high chance that this spear was blood-refined, just like your sword, as well. If it was made by your brother’s father, then there is a chance, a very tiny one, where he can take away the spirit instead.”

nAlex felt hope growing back. “That can be done? My brother can take away the spirit within the spear?” he asked.

n“Maybe. There is no guarantee,” the old man said. “And it’s a very small maybe. But there is a chance. The closer your brother was to his father, the better. Not just speaking about bloodline but also their general connection.”

n“The spirit is nascent, so it is no different from an infant recognizing the face of its father and mother who it interacts with so often. If your brother has that level of connection with his father, then the chance does go higher.”

nAlex was already stumped at the thought that bloodline mattered, so when the second set of requirements came, he didn’t even know what to say. Pearl was so far removed from his father’s bloodline that it wasn’t even funny. Not only was his father’s bloodline within him destroyed to save him, but he was a completely different species as well. Not to mention, he had never even seen his father, so the connection simply wasn’t there at all.

nAlex feared there was no way to save the spirit unless he found a way to give Pearl the bloodline from his father’s side. The old man listed out a few different materials, not all of which were metal, to be added to the spear. Alex noted those down.

n“Thank you, senior for all the help,” Alex said, taking back the spear shards. He placed them back into his Soul Space, only now noticing the slight increase in weight he felt in his Soul Space that came from taking something that had a spirit.

nIt was a feeling he felt every day with how many living beings he had in his Soul Space that he didn’t notice the presence of the soul before this.

n“You said my disciple’s sword was not that good, did you not?” Silvermist asked from the side.

n“I only claimed that his craftsmanship was poor, but that makes sense given how long ago he had made it,” the old man said. “No doubt the young man has learned a lot by now.”

n“Then you wouldn’t mind with him training here for a few months, would you? Just to get the basics right so that when he makes his sword again later, he doesn’t mess it up like he did last time,” Silvermist said.

n“I… do not know if I can just let anyone work in my workshop,” the old man said. “It’s a matter of the shop’s integrity, fellow Daoist. I hope you can understand.”

n“I will pay you if that is what you need,” Silvermist said.

n“That is not the issue here,” the old man said, clearly starting to get a little frustrated with how Silvermist spoke.

n“Then what about a pill?” Silvermist asked. “I will pay you with a pill.”

nSilvermist brought out a box and handed it to the old man. “That is your payment. Train my disciple for a few months.”

nMadhammer didn’t know what to say. He was starting to get angry, seeing how the man before him seemed to think he could make anything happen by just saying things.

nBut then, he smelled the aroma surrounding the box and slowly opened it.

nHis eyes widened in shock as he noticed the stark pill veins on top of the pill, 9 of them. Not only that, he could feel something else from the pill.

nA Pill Soul.

n“This!” the man cried out in surprise, looking back at Silvermist. “Who… who are you?”

nGrimsight sighed. “Forgive me for the late introduction, brother Madhammer. This is Peerless Alchemist Silvermist.”

nThe man’s eyes widened. “You… are alchemist Silvermist? One of the 10 stars?” Silvermist grinned. “The one and only.”

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