Chapter 5: Synthesizing the Herbal Codex, Returning to the Village
After sweeping clean the herb catalogs from the medicine shop, Su Ye, with his basket on his back, made another trip to the Spirit Hall.
Money makes the world go round — that saying couldn't be truer.
After spending a few gold soul coins to bribe some insiders, Su Ye successfully obtained eight illustrated guides on soul beasts designed for low-level soul masters.
With a full basket of books that felt quite heavy, Su Ye didn't return to Mingri Village right away. Instead, he found a hotel in the city to stay the night.
Clatter—
Books spilled from the basket onto the soft, plush bed.
In his past life, reading made him sleepy, but now Su Ye felt an odd fondness for it.
"Come on, one more time!"
Rubbing his hands together, Su Ye muttered to himself, confirming once again that synthesis was truly addictive.
Herb Catalog + Herb Catalog, Synthesize!
Ding!Acquired: Illustrated Guide to Basic Herbs
Two copies of Illustrated Guide to Basic Herbs, synthesize again.
Ding!Acquired: Fundamentals of Herbal Illustration
Ding!...
After a short while, Su Ye had two thick books in hand.
One titled "Herbal Codex: Volume I", containing illustrations and explanations of all herbs in the Douluo World.
The other, "Soul Beast Gallery", was, as the name suggested, a compendium on soul beasts.
"Herb knowledge…"
"Soul beast knowledge…"
"With this, I'm fully equipped!"
Su Ye stroked his chin, feeling a bit proud of his own strategy.
He wasn't a soul master, so he couldn't go to the Spirit Forest to hunt soul beasts via the Spirit Hall.
To obtain soul rings, soul masters must hunt wild soul beasts in the forest.
And if you're already deep in the woods, wouldn't it make sense to "till the land" while you're at it? If you don't clear the area well, how could new herbs possibly grow and absorb nutrients?
Hmm… I guess I'm helping plants solve their housing crisis.
"Sigh, if only I had a storage ring."
Looking at the two thick books before him, Su Ye scratched his head, feeling a bit troubled.
He couldn't carry this load around every day, and even the gold coins were heavy.
But as for storage rings — he didn't even know how to synthesize one of those.
"Forget it, I'll just leave them here for now."
Stashing the items into the cabinet and taking only the coins, Su Ye left the hotel again.
West of the City.
Following the sound of clanging metal, Su Ye arrived at a blacksmith shop.
A tall flagpole with flapping banners bore the symbol of a hammer.
Inside, over a dozen burly men were working feverishly, muscular arms swinging hammers as sparks flew everywhere.
Seeing Su Ye enter, a muscular man wearing an apron immediately tossed aside his cup and came over with a cheerful grin.
"Brother, coming to our place — looking to forge something?"
"No worries, our Shuta Brothers Blacksmith Shop guarantees top-notch quality!"
"If you don't believe it, ask around. Everything forged here gets rave reviews from our clients."
The man flashed a bright grin and gave a thumbs-up with fingers still stained with salt.
Su Ye asked directly, "How good are you guys at forging swords?"
"No problem, piece of cake."
Baal Shuta shut his eyes with a smug grin. Swords? That was his specialty. He could handle the needs of a small town like this in his sleep.
Noticing the shop mainly dealt with ironware, Su Ye asked again, just to be sure, "I want the swords made with rare metals — the harder, the better. Can you handle that?"
"Then you've come to the right place!"
Baal Shuta made an "OK" gesture with full confidence. "Let me tell you, as long as you can pay, unless the metal's too hard to melt — in my hands, it'll become a sword!"
Seeing the man so confident, Su Ye trusted him a little more. What he truly wanted was tough metal; the sword itself was just a cover.
Of course, he also hoped to synthesize a good sword — to make it easier to hunt soul beasts.
With that in mind, Su Ye pulled ten gold soul coins from his pocket.
"Alright then, forge me a hundred swords."
"This is your deposit!"
Hiss—Gold soul coins!
The dazzling shine lit up Baal Shuta's eyes. It had been ages since he'd gotten such a big order.
Just as he was about to take the coins, a thought struck him. His eyes bulged wide, and he shouted:
"Wait a minute— Did you just say a hundred swords?!"
"Yeah, about a hundred." Su Ye's voice trailed off slightly.
"You…" Baal Shuta's tower-like frame trembled — even the warmth of the sun couldn't hold him up.
This was… a hell-level request!
Realizing he might have been asking too much, Su Ye smiled and adjusted his offer.
"No worries — if you can't make that many, fifty will do. I'll go check out some other blacksmith shops later."
"..."Baal Shuta didn't say a word — he just clenched his fists silently.
Too Rash — Turns Out It's a Life-or-Death Situation…
Three days later, under the glow of the setting sun.
On the outskirts of Luo City, a slow-moving ox cart rumbled along a muddy road, hauling several large crates. Sitting atop the cart was a young man dressed in black fitted clothes.
The youth had sword-like brows and starry eyes — strikingly handsome. The ox walked slowly, occasionally letting out a low moo, while he sat calmly, engrossed in studying a book.
"Hmm… This Sanhua Fruit is even more effective than Qingling Grass. If I come across a whole tree, I'll strike it rich."
"Dozens of fruits… Might even synthesize a Ten-Thousand-Year Fruit King. Gotta remember this."
Rip—
Su Ye tore out the page directly. A good memory was no match for physical notes — easier to review later.
Moo—
Steering the ox cart, Su Ye returned to Mingri Village.
In the courtyard, Old Tom was lounging in a chair, enjoying a peaceful moment.
"Hey, Ye-boy, haven't seen you in days, and now you're back hauling a load of stuff. Where'd you go?"
"Nothing big — just went to take a look around Luo City."
"Luo City, huh? It's good to get out and see the world. Would've been even better if I'd known earlier — I could've taken you to visit my second son. He might've been of help to you."
"Oh right — you were asking about herbs, weren't you? I went up the mountain these past few days and picked quite a few. Planted them in my backyard. Help yourself whenever you need."
"..."
Only a few days had passed, but Old Tom seemed to be talking more than usual.
Though Su Ye had only been living here for about half a month, the old man's openness — especially his gentle, fatherly care — gave him a deep sense of warmth and kindness.
To be honest, Old Tom treated him like a grandson and had helped clean up many of his messes.
If it weren't for the system, Su Ye might've been content to live a peaceful life here in Mingri Village.
But now, his heart was already set on the wider world beyond.
Hopping off the cart, Su Ye sat down beside Old Tom. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke.
"Old man… I'm leaving."
In the trees above, the buzzing of cicadas sounded especially harsh.
Without asking for any specific reason, Old Tom nodded after a moment of silence. He knew Su Ye was someone with a vision — someone who was willing to act on his ambitions.
This little Mingri Village… was just too small for him.
"Is it urgent?"
"Yeah, I plan to leave tomorrow."
With a sigh in his heart, Old Tom tried to keep a calm demeanor. He slowly stood up, fanning himself with his cowboy hat.
"Leaving is good. You've been messing around with all those noisy gadgets — stirred up the whole village."
"Be sure to take everything you've tinkered with, or this old man won't dare live in this yard anymore."
Old Tom walked away slowly.
But beneath the brim of that cowboy hat, his figure looked a little more hunched… and older.
(End of Chapter)