Rivers of the Night

Chapter 745: Psyche

[Important Announcement Below]

Theron didn’t have this matter confirmed. He was just making guesses, but the moment he had the thought, he closed his eyes and reflected on the pill formula.

’It’s not a word game...’

Moonlace Nectar, Silken Lotus, Dawnthorn Essence, Axura Mallow Spirit Drop, Veilroot Ember, Jade Briar Heartspire, Sundrop Blooming Resin, Frostpetal Serene Core, Starbloom Crystal Pith, Glimmerleaf, Mirrored Iris Soul Sap, Twin Poppy Seed...

Those were the twelve ingredients on the list. Theron had long memorized them, but even after turning them over in his mind several times, trying to rearrange the letters and even the words, he found himself running into a wall.

There was no hidden message here, at least not in a language that he was used to.

The idea that it could potentially be in another language made Theron pause for a moment. It wasn’t impossible. Who was to say only one language was spoken in this world?

He had learned about different languages in the library. Originally, he thought everyone just spoke in one language, and he had yet to run into another. But it was very possible that outside of this galaxy, there were things he had yet to experience that could vastly change the deductions for this code.

However, Theron dismissed the idea for the time being. There was no use in trying to take a path he knew he couldn’t. He wouldn’t even know where to start with such a thing.

But there were many ideas he hadn’t explored yet, one of which was the most likely.

Maybe the secret of the pill formula wasn’t in the words, but in the properties of the Mana Herb itself. This was the answer that Theron was also dreading because he was no Wood Mancer, nor was he a seasoned alchemist.

He had yet to study anything about Mana Herbs, so he knew nothing about their abilities. However...

He had his library, and he had the Nightingale Ancestor Bird. So, he began to ask.

Moonlace Nectar was a nocturnal Mana Herb that bloomed under the full moon and could only be pollinated by likewise nocturnal beasts. It was oddly gentle for what it was, and it was great for providing spiritual clarity. Usually, faster cultivation was a byproduct of consuming it, but the main effect was actually a slight boost in comprehension speed...

Silken Lotus could only grow in fresh bodies of water with an elevated concentration of Mana. Its leaves were incredibly fragile, moving like silk under the influence of the winds, and when it was consumed, it could make one either languid or calm depending on the strength of one’s soul.

Many liked to use it in teas, and some of the local high-class brothels used it as a test for women who wanted to join their quarters. It required especially high resistance not to fall asleep upon consuming it, and those that met that threshold could remain calm even in the most stressful of situations, allowing clarity of thought and soul...

One after another, Theron cross-referenced what he learned with what his library told him would be likely characteristics of these Mana Herbs.

While his library didn’t have a well-documented list of Mana Herbs, what it did have was many books on botany and evolution. Theron had a strong understanding of what characteristics were triggered by evolution and why certain things went extinct while others flourished.

He paired this understanding with the inner workings of most plant types.

Ironically enough, as he did this, Theron realized that his comprehension of Mana Herbs was probably as good as any alchemist’s. All he needed to hear was the description of a Mana Herb and he could guess its abilities and what it could do. He still allowed the Nightingale Ancestral Bird to tell him about each one, slowly cross-referencing his own guesses with the reality...

Only to find that his own explanations were actually much deeper and stronger than any the Nightingale Ancestral Bird gave him.

Theron had always known that the library was invaluable to him. But this was the first time he had seen it playing out in real time in such obvious fashion.

Back when he was stuck in Sadie’s grave, it was also the library that saved him. But back then, he had already had a general understanding of Ebonstone, so it hadn’t felt as obvious to him. Even so, it was thanks to his library that he grasped the characteristics of the stone that made up Sadie’s casket. Thanks to that, he was able to take advantage and change things to his favor, breaking free and escaping.

Now, something similar was playing out. He didn’t know the names of these Mana Herbs until now, but after hearing about them, he felt like he had known them his whole life.

Finally, they reached Twin Poppy Seed.

It was mostly known for its drug-like properties. Often used as a base in many alcohols, it was the key to allowing powerful cultivators to get drunk.

Because of that, it wasn’t much of a surprise that someone like the Merchant King would have a strong hold on the market. It wasn’t even all that odd that he would restrict it either. No one would even second-guess why.

Something so valuable spoke for itself. It didn’t have to be tied to the pill formula for the Merchant King to have a reason. It was quite clever, really. This way, no one questioned anything.

Unfortunately for Theron, though, even after going through all of these items one by one, he didn’t have an obvious answer. But... there was something he had noticed.

Whether directly or indirectly, all of these ingredients seemed to have some effect on the mind. From Moonlace Nectar to Twin Poppy Seed... though they didn’t have identical effects, they were very similar in their function nonetheless.

Some harmed the mind, some helped, but they all affected the mind.

The Primordial Earth also impacted the mind. The Entanglement Inheritance was mostly one of the soul and Mana Control, originating in the mind. Even [Entangling Clone] was never truly meant to be used as a physical manifestation, but instead a spiritual one fused with your body.

The Angel and Demon Doctrines spoke for themselves.

Theron felt like he was on to something, but the idea was still too vague in his mind. This wasn’t the first connection he had found between all the inheritances, so what made this one different?

Theron reached out a finger and began to write. Trails of Water Mana followed his finger as he began to deduce something.

The pill formula existed, but there was something on it that went beyond just the ingredients. The method through which it was concocted and formed was also labeled and explained in detail, as were the directions for the timing of entry and which ones to put into a cauldron first.

Theron ignored all of it but the timing and order of entry. That was all that mattered.

One after another, he deduced the paths of entry and the reactions of his body to each one. Then he chained them together, using time and order in unison.

The Water Mana in the air began to react to an odd flow as though it was reacting of its own accord, almost like it was...

Cultivating.

The moment Theron felt this, he knew that he had found the answer.

The pill formula might be useful, sure, but it was only part of the equation. What it hid within was far more valuable.

A cultivation method.

But not just any cultivation method.

A method of the soul.

It was so very ironic. Matriarch Hall wanted to kill Theron for precisely such a Soul Method. What neither Theron nor she knew was that Theron had actually had one on his person this entire time.

However, this cultivation method was still just the tip of the iceberg.

Theron retracted his finger, laying his palms down and relaxing. He breathed in and exhaled slowly.

There was no circulation pattern for the soul. You didn’t have Meridians for something that was amorphous. Instead, a Soul Method—or this one, at least—was related to a continuous change in mind state.

Every Mana Herb represented a different state of mind, and if you wanted to manifest change in your soul, you had to move through these states one by one, resisting the overwhelming changes. When you went from the first state to the last, you would finally have completed one cycle.

If Theron had found this earlier, he might have been completely incapable of doing anything. His mind state was too chaotic. But now...?

He was as calm as could be.

When he finished the first cycle, a flame of gold flickered to life on his forehead, wisps of golden fires forming out of the corners of his closed eyes.

Then he completed a second cycle, and then a third.

His soul became denser, and his Primordial Earth began to rumble and glow.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

The hidden booklet within Theron’s psyche began to flip wildly.

The Angel and Demon Doctrines were finally reacting.