Chapter 8: The Heart Nurturer

Chapter 8: The Heart Nurturer

Ning Xiaochuan crushed the Heart Nurturing Grass, absorbed it into his bloodline, and then stored it within the Heart Nurturing Cauldron.

Holding the Low-Grade Profound Stones in both hands, he used his Martial Arts Profound Qi to shatter them into crystalline particles, which he then absorbed into his bloodstream and drew into the Heart Nurturing Cauldron.

Every person possesses a Heart Flame within their body, and its energy is immense. For a warrior at the Fourth Level of Profound Qi, the Heart Flame is even more powerful—strong enough to refine Heart Nurturing Grass.

The medicinal essence of the Heart Nurturing Grass, originally in a gaseous state, began to liquefy.

The first drop of Heart Nurturing Liquid successfully condensed.

Success!

He could become a Heart Nurturer!

Ning Xiaochuan’s heart swelled with excitement. A single drop of Heart Nurturing Liquid was worth 8,000 Small Coins—four times the value of a single stalk of First-Grade Heart Nurturing Grass.

Continue!

Only a small portion of the Heart Nurturing Grass’s medicinal essence had been consumed. More Heart Nurturing Liquid could still be condensed!

A second drop of Heart Nurturing Liquid formed!

Then a third!

In the end, he failed to condense a fourth drop. After all, this was his first time refining Heart Nurturing Grass. Producing three drops was already an extraordinary feat.

Most Heart Nurturers could only condense a single drop of Heart Nurturing Liquid during their first attempt. Only the most exceptional geniuses could grasp the technique of refining Mystic Medicine right away and produce two drops in one go.

"Only three drops… If I could’ve condensed a fourth, I’d have earned another 8,000 Small Coins. Ah, well. This will have to do for now."

Encased in Martial Arts Profound Qi, the three drops of Heart Nurturing Liquid traveled through his blood vessels and dripped from his fingertips into three small vials prepared in advance.

The Heart Nurturing Liquid was a translucent green, no larger than a dewdrop, and carried a faint, sweet fragrance.

Ning Xiaochuan hurriedly sealed the vials. These were treasures! He couldn’t let them evaporate!

Roughly estimated, the three drops were worth 24,000 Small Coins—a tenfold increase in value.

As for the damaged Low-Grade Profound Stone, originally the size of a Black Peach, it had shrunk by about a tenth of its mass.

"Hah! I’m really about to strike it rich!"

Ning Xiaochuan was naturally thrilled. Becoming a Heart Nurturer meant a steady flow of wealth from now on!

"My Profound Qi has increased again. Refining Mystic Medicine can actually boost cultivation—this is truly a win-win situation."

What Ning Xiaochuan didn’t know was that other Heart Nurturers couldn’t increase their cultivation while refining Mystic Medicine. Only a freak like him, possessing the Seven Wonders Divine Demon Heart Palace, could achieve such a feat.

Because his Heart Nurturing Cauldron resided within his Heart Ventricle, during the refining process, it also tempered the crystalline particles of the Profound Stone, converting them into strands of Profound Qi. These were assimilated by the Heart Ventricle, merging into his bloodline and naturally enhancing his cultivation.

Other Heart Nurturers, however, housed their Heart Nurturing Cauldrons within their Martial Arts Heart Palaces. Since the Martial Arts Heart Palace inherently rejected foreign substances, the Profound Qi within the stones couldn’t be directly absorbed—only infused into the medicinal liquid.

This was also why ordinary warriors couldn’t directly absorb Mystic Medicine into their bloodstream. Both blood and the heart naturally resisted foreign matter. Only pills refined by a Heart Nurturer through the Heart Nurturing Cauldron could be directly assimilated.

In short, the Heart Ventricle could accommodate any foreign substance, assimilating it and transforming it into something beneficial for the body.

Refining the Heart Nurturing Cauldron and tempering the Heart Nurturing Grass took Ning Xiaochuan most of the day. By the time he finished, the sky had already darkened to dusk. Ning Xiaochuan decided to sell the three drops of Heart Nurturing Liquid now.

...

Ning Xiaochuan arrived before a massive six-story building with jade pillars, crimson walls, and marble floors, exuding an air of solemn grandeur. Many people were entering, the vast majority of them martial artists. Above the gate hung a gilded plaque—Golden Roc Heart Nurturing Hall.

The Golden Roc Heart Nurturing Hall was one of the top three Heart Nurturing Halls in the Yulan Kingdom, backed by immense wealth and influence. It was a pillar industry of the Golden Roc Financial Group, with numerous branches across the kingdom and even its own roster of recruited Heart Nurturers.

Rumors said that the mastermind behind the Golden Roc Financial Group was none other than the first king of the Yulan Kingdom—the Great Golden Roc King! With such a background, its prestige was unshakable.

"Young lady, I’d like to sell some Heart Nurturing Liquid. Could you tell me which counter I should go to?" Ning Xiaochuan bowed slightly to a maid at the entrance, speaking politely.

"Are you a Heart Nurturer?" The maid, no more than sixteen or seventeen years old with fair skin and dressed in pristine white robes, asked curiously.

Ning Xiaochuan thought for a moment, then flashed a bright smile and nodded.

"Oh heavens! It should be this humble servant bowing to you, Heart Nurturer! Forgive me, forgive me! I didn’t know the proper etiquette and disrespected you!" The maid paled in fright and immediately knelt to kowtow.

This young man before her was a revered Heart Nurturer, while she was merely a lowly servant. How could she dare accept a bow from a Heart Nurturer? If word got out, she’d be lucky to escape with just a broken leg.

Ning Xiaochuan hadn’t expected such a simple gesture of courtesy to frighten her so much. Feeling guilty, he quickly smiled and said, "I’m just here to sell a few drops of Heart Nurturing Liquid. If you could guide me, I’d be grateful. Thank you!"

Still shaken, the maid saw that the Heart Nurturer wasn’t angry with her and finally stood up, leading Ning Xiaochuan into the Golden Roc Heart Nurturing Hall with utmost reverence.

The other three maids nearby also sighed in relief and stood up.

One patted her chest. "Thank goodness the Heart Nurturer wasn’t offended."

"This Heart Nurturer is so kind—not at all aloof or unapproachable. And he’s so young! If only he’d take a liking to me and make me his maid," another said dreamily, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

"Keep dreaming! Do you think just anyone can become a Heart Nurturer’s maid? Even noble ladies from great families would jump at the chance, hoping for a word of guidance from a Heart Nurturer—it’d be an invaluable blessing!"

To these maids, Heart Nurturers stood at an unreachable height. Even the master of the Golden Roc Heart Nurturing Hall was a Great Heart Nurturer, a guest of honor in noble houses, someone who sat as an equal to marquises and kings!

"Heart Nurturer, please wait here for a moment. This servant will fetch the steward for you," the maid said after guiding Ning Xiaochuan to a counter, then respectfully withdrew.

Ning Xiaochuan smiled and nodded. After waiting for a moment, a beautiful woman dressed in a Heart Nurturer robe emerged from behind the counter. He quickly stepped forward, placing three small bottles on the counter, and said with a smile, "Honorable Steward, three drops of Heart Nurturing Liquid. How much do you think they're worth?"

Behind the counter, a stunning woman in a moon-white robe gently lifted her sleeves, revealing hands as fair and delicate as jade, her fingers slender and graceful like tender scallions. Her demeanor was elegant, her figure tall and graceful, her skin snow-white, and every movement exuded an air of nobility. Her name was Yu Qianqian, the Thirteenth Princess of the Great Golden Roc King's Manor!

Yu Qianqian held an extremely prestigious status. Dressed in a Primary Heart Nurturer robe, she had originally come to the Heart Nurturing Hall to seek guidance from the Great Heart Nurturer, Guo Shidao. Upon hearing a maid report that a young Heart Nurturer had arrived at the Golden Roc Heart Nurturing Hall, curiosity prompted her to personally receive him. After all, every Heart Nurturer was a figure worthy of respect, and if she could recruit him to the Golden Roc Heart Nurturing Hall, it would naturally be for the best.

Though both were descendants of noble houses, Yu Qianqian was a princess, while Ning Xiaochuan was merely a sickly heir of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House. Their statuses were worlds apart, so she had no prior interaction with him and had never met him before. Even if they had crossed paths, given Yu Qianqian's lofty position, she would hardly have taken notice of a frail invalid.

Yu Qianqian carried an innate air of nobility. Revealing a row of pearly white teeth, she opened one of the small bottles. A rich, fragrant medicinal aroma wafted out, so pure and intoxicating that she couldn't help but stare in surprise at the gaunt young man before her. "Did you refine this Heart Nurturing Liquid?" she asked.

Ning Xiaochuan replied, "Indeed. How much can these three drops fetch?"

"We must first test the grade, purity, and attributes of these three drops before setting a price," Yu Qianqian said, summoning a maid to take the three bottles to the second floor of the Heart Nurturing Hall.

Ning Xiaochuan wasn’t worried that the Golden Roc Heart Nurturing Hall would swindle him—three drops of Heart Nurturing Liquid were far too insignificant for such an institution.

Yu Qianqian's starry eyes shimmered like autumn moons as she conversed with Ning Xiaochuan. "I am Yu Qianqian, a Primary Heart Nurturer. May I ask your name, young master?"

"Ning Xiaochuan," he answered.

The name struck Yu Qianqian as somewhat familiar, but she didn’t dwell on it. "How long have you been a Heart Nurturer, Young Master Ning?" she inquired.

"I only condensed my Heart Nurturing Cauldron today and refined Heart Nurturing Liquid for the first time," Ning Xiaochuan admitted.

"So, you haven’t officially become a Heart Nurturer yet?" Yu Qianqian's heart leaped with delight, and she immediately began to recruit him. "Among the three great Heart Nurturing Halls, our Golden Roc Heart Nurturing Hall offers the highest benefits. Heart Nurturers who join us enjoy numerous advantages—generous monthly salaries, noble titles and official positions, discounted Mystic Medicine purchases, and monthly lectures from senior Heart Nurturers. Would you consider it, Young Master Ning?"

"You offer a monthly salary?" Ning Xiaochuan asked.

For a physician, stable income was the foremost consideration—everything else came second.

Yu Qianqian said, "Becoming a primary Heart Nurturer at the Golden Roc Heart Nurturing Hall comes with a monthly salary of 500,000 Small Coins. As your seniority increases, the amount will rise accordingly."

"Five hundred... thousand." Ning Xiaochuan's heart skipped a beat, and without hesitation, he replied, "Deal. It's settled!"

There was no way around it—this was a sum of wealth he simply couldn’t refuse.

One had to understand that even Ning Xin'er, a direct descendant of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House and a top-tier genius in the Divine Body Realm, only received a monthly allowance of 500,000 Small Coins.

By joining the Golden Roc Heart Nurturing Hall as a primary Heart Nurturer, Ning Xiaochuan instantly elevated himself to the status of a direct descendant of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House. Such was the prestige of a Heart Nurturer.

The maid returned holding three small vials, bowed respectfully to Yu Qianqian, and announced joyfully, "The test results are in—first-grade Heart Nurturing Liquid, supreme purity, and its attribute is... Mixed-element!"