Shen Yuan Ring

Shijiazhuang

The scene was sealed off by the Ji family after the incident. Ji Daoyi and Wang Yueyue were only allowed to enter to investigate after they identified themselves.

They arrived at the morgue first, and the stench of rotting corpses filled the air as soon as they reached the door.

Ji Daoyi said in surprise, "It hasn't been long, and the corpse is already smelling bad. That shouldn't be the case."

Wang Yueyue also frowned, puzzled. Logically speaking, the corpse of a cultivator should not smell so quickly.

When the two of them went inside to check, they realized that the stinking corpses were all ordinary people.

These ordinary people, just like the initial information they received, were all fatal with a single blow. After looking at a few bodies, Ji Dao shook his head and stopped examining them.

Seeing that Ji Daoyi stopped examining the corpses after checking only a few, Wang Yueyue couldn't help but ask, "Daoyi, why did you stop examining the other corpses?"

"Sister Yueyue, these ordinary people were probably just people the murderer killed to cover their tracks. Even if we examine them, they won't provide any clues. Didn't you say that all the cultivators in Shijiazhuang are withered? I think examining their bodies might provide useful clues for our investigation."

"That's fine."

Before long, Ji Daoyi had examined several mummies and had some guesses in his mind, but in order to verify his guesses, he decided to listen to Wang Yueyue's thoughts first.

"Sister Yueyue, how exactly did these cultivators die?"

"No one struggled, as if they were unaware that their essence was being extracted. Moreover, they were all having their essence extracted while they were alive, so their corpses were dry and devoid of any vital energy."

"Therefore, I guess that all the cultivators in the manor were controlled by him in some unknown way, and they should all be in a coma. The only possibility that he was able to gather all the cultivators in the manor at once is that they were all gathered by the manor lord, and then they were controlled by the murderer."

"That's probably it. Otherwise, there's no way to explain why all the cultivators in the manor died overnight."

(Moreover, the murderer should be an alchemist. These people in Shijiazhuang must have taken a drug similar to a mind-altering powder before he extracted their essence and blood from them alive.)

Thinking of this, Ji Daoyi examined each of the mummies again and indeed smelled the residual scent of bewitching powder on their hands.

"Sister Yueyue, I think I know how these people died."

"How did you die?"

"These people must have taken a mind-altering drug before they died, causing them to fall into a coma, and then their life essence was extracted while they were still alive. The distorted shapes on their faces were probably caused by their bodies' instinctive reactions."

Wang Yueyue nodded in agreement upon hearing Ji Daoyi's analysis. She hadn't expected that Ji Daoyi would discover such an important clue on the mummified corpse in such a short time.

Seeing Wang Yueyue nod in agreement, he couldn't help but keep her in suspense again: "Sister Yueyue, I have some good news, I don't know if you want to hear it."

"Did you figure out who the murderer is from the clues you just saw?"

"How could that be? I just looked at the body. How could I possibly know who the murderer is? I don't have any psychic abilities to directly ask those ghosts."

"What's the good news?"

"My good news is that I have a lead: the murderer is very likely an alchemist, and his cultivation level is no higher than the Tendon Refining Realm, and more likely the Organ Refining Realm. Otherwise, he couldn't have made so many people take the mind-controlling powder, let alone use it to knock them unconscious before making his move."

"Then what do we do next?"

"Of course, we should investigate the nearby shops to see who has recently bought the elixir for making the mind-controlling powder, or whether any unfamiliar alchemists or suspicious individuals have appeared."

"Aren't you afraid that he already has enough elixirs and doesn't need to buy them?"

"That's possible, but it doesn't stop us from investigating first. Since he went to such great lengths to refine the essence blood, it means that this essence blood must be of great use to him. Maybe he wants to use this essence blood to refine pills, and he might be in the alchemy room right now. Oh right, how could I forget about the alchemy room?"

In Daoshu City, there are only two places with alchemy rooms: one is the Pill Hall, and the other is the various major forces.

For ordinary people without connections who want to refine pills themselves, they would rent a pill refining room from the Pill Hall.

With a direction for their investigation, Ji Daoyi and Wang Yueyue discussed it for a moment. Wang Yueyue was responsible for gathering information about nearby shops, while Ji Daoyi was responsible for going to the Pill Hall, since he was an alchemist and it was the most appropriate place for him to go.

Another important reason is that his master is from the Pill Hall, and he is a disciple of the Pill Hall. Even if something goes wrong, he can reveal his identity to protect himself.

In just half a day, Ji Daoyi arrived at the city gate of Daoshu City.

The towering city gate was flanked by dozens of guards clad in silver armor, each with a solemn expression and holding a long spear. Above the gate, a huge plaque bore the three large characters "Daoshu City," the calligraphy powerful and vigorous, exuding an inviolable majesty.

"After several months, I've returned once again. Although I've been to Daoshu City many times, this is the first time I've walked in from here," Ji Daoyi murmured, looking at the plaque.

In the past, Ji Daoyi always entered Daoshu City in a carriage pulled by beast horses, and never had the opportunity to enter through the city gate himself. Today, as he walked through this gate, he had an indescribable feeling that he had never experienced before.

After wandering around the city, Ji Daoyi finally found the Pill Hall. Because he had only ever visited the Ji family's territory before, he only knew about other places by word of mouth.

Upon entering the Pill Hall, he encountered a beautiful receptionist who politely asked, "Hello, young sir, I am receptionist Li Xiaoxiao. May I ask what brings you to the Pill Hall?"

Ji Daoyi responded politely: "Hello Xiaoxiao, my name is Ji Daoyi, you can call me Daoyi; I came to the Pill Hall to get certified as a first-grade high-level alchemist, I don't know what the process is like."

Li Xiaoxiao was shocked to hear that the child in front of her wanted to be certified as a first-grade high-level alchemist, but she was also secretly relieved.

"Mr. Dao Yi, have you ever been certified as a first-grade alchemist before?"

"No, this is my first time at the Pill Hall for certification."

Li Xiaoxiao heard that Ji Daoyi was here for certification for the first time, and that he had already been certified as a first-grade high-level alchemist. As a receptionist at the Pill Hall, she was quite familiar with the alchemist certification process; to be certified as a first-grade high-level alchemist, one needed to refine a Meridian Opening Pill.

So Li Xiaoxiao tentatively asked, "Mr. Dao Yi, to be certified as a first-grade high-level alchemist, one needs to be able to refine the Meridian Opening Pill. Are you sure you can refine it successfully? Moreover, alchemist certification requires certification at each level. That is to say, you need to be certified as a beginner first, then as an intermediate, and finally as a high-level alchemist."

Upon hearing this, Ji Daoyi nodded and said, "Xiaoxiao, just tell me directly how I can get certified as a first-grade advanced alchemist."