Zhao Liuyun dismissed the idea of [Physician] as he thought about it.
It wasn't that Soul Master patients were of higher quality, but rather that the individual's poisoning was stubborn, difficult to detoxify, and life-threatening.
If not for his Martial Uncle's honeysuckle spirit, such a deep-seated toxin, which had almost claimed the person's life, could never have been cured so quickly.
For a [Physician], a high-quality patient meant someone with an almost incurable ailment.
And Zhao Liuyun actually thought of one such person.
Chronic fatigue, deep poisoning, even reaching the bone marrow, passed down to his descendants, and whose true form even the transformed Soul Beast Xiao Wu couldn't recognize back then—
The Blind Douluo, Dugu Bo!
Detoxifying him would undoubtedly cause the [Physician] profession experience to surge.
Coincidentally, the Eye of Ice and Fire was unavoidable because of him; this was already one of Zhao Liuyun's goals.
As his thoughts flowed, he began to meticulously examine what medicines the shop had, planning to use the knowledge from the Poison Chapter to formulate a few more potent toxins for self-defense.
"Snow Muscle Flower Fruit, none."
"Heart Devouring Mushroom, none."
"Phantasmal Mist Flower, also none."
"Black Blood Thorns, still none."
Zhao Liuyun's brows gradually furrowed. Why was everything he wanted unavailable?
"Corpse Fragrance Begonia, here."
His eyes flickered, and he continued to check, but the corresponding poisonous herbs were missing.
Searching the entire shop, he still couldn't gather enough medicinal ingredients to prepare the few famous poisons from the Poison Chapter of the Manual of Hidden Weapons.
There were quite a few poison-attribute Soul Beast materials and various types of toxic herbs; it wasn't impossible to formulate his own.
However, the toxicity of self-formulated poisons was difficult to control and required testing, making them far less stable than the mature poison recipes in the Poison Chapter.
Zhao Liuyun was still not giving up: "Martial Uncle, do you have Phantasmal Mist Flower in the shop?"
This was a hallucinogenic poisonous herb that could be used to concoct a hallucinogenic poison mentioned in the Poison Chapter, called "Flower is not Flower."
Zhao Liuyun was a Spirit-type Soul Master, and this kind of hallucinogenic poison might combine with his soul skills to produce remarkable effects.
"What do you need Phantasmal Mist Flower for?" His Martial Uncle looked puzzled. "Its pollen can confuse the mind and cause hallucinations. It's not easy to gather, and the Spirit Hall's gatherers usually avoid it when they see it."
"Just to prepare some things for self-defense," Zhao Liuyun didn't hide his intentions.
There were quite a few poisons in the Poison Chapter that could complement mental soul skills, but he was keen on "Flower is not Flower" for its silent, impossible-to-guard-against characteristic.
"We don't have any."
"Then what about Snake Saliva Grass?"
This poisonous herb's leaves secrete a colorless, oily mucus, which also causes mental confusion upon contact.
"None."
To prevent his Martial Nephew from continuing to ask, Huang Xin quickly explained:
"Unless it possesses medicinal value, or someone posts a mission at the Mercenary Guild, very few people specifically collect such dangerous poisonous herbs."
"Mercenary Guild?" Zhao Liuyun heard an unfamiliar but expected term.
Huang Xin nodded: "It operates out of the tavern and is also a subsidiary industry of Spirit Hall."
"Ordinary people can post missions there, and mercenaries will assess and accept them. Spirit Hall takes a commission and guarantees the mission."
"But—"
Zhao Liuyun clearly understood the unspoken words of his Martial Uncle.
"As I said, apart from soul rings and the almost impossible-to-find soul bones, everything else in the Soul Hunting Forest is the wealth of Spirit Hall!"
"If you want to take out these medicines or poisons, you must have the Spirit Hall personnel evaluate their value and pay a fee."
That is, posting a mission not only required paying the mercenary's reward but also paying Spirit Hall to purchase the required items.
And what Zhao Liuyun needed were poisons, which were rarely collected, making the cost of posting such a mission inherently high.
Not to mention having to pay Spirit Hall as well.
He still had over a thousand gold soul coins, but he was far from being able to spend extravagantly.
Looked at this way, to save money, it was best to collect them himself.
He would only need to pay Spirit Hall a sum of money and could save the mercenary reward.
He calmly thought it over.
An average person needs a warrant to enter the Soul Hunting Forest and would also face the dangers within.
They were probably more inclined to post a mission.
This way, the money spent could be reasonably recovered.
The money spent was also the currency of the two great empires. Spirit Hall played the good guy and still made a profit in the end.
They seized all the benefits. They really knew how to make money!
Zhao Liuyun secretly sighed. After checking all the medicinal ingredients in the shop, he silently grabbed a medical book and immersed himself in it.
He decided to first steadily strengthen his body while earning enough [Physician] profession experience.
Unlike his teacher Bai Hong's place, there were many surgery-related medical books here. Reading all of them could also bring in a considerable amount of General Experience.
When a patient arrived, he would assist his Martial Uncle with diagnosis and treatment, combining work and study.
Time flew quickly; in a blur, three days had passed.
Zhao Liuyun was still going through the cycle of "medicinal bath, dietary supplements, and training."
Only, he had additionally incorporated the use of half a [Adjustment] to vibrate his muscles with soul power after training.
Even just half a [Adjustment] could more rapidly alleviate physical fatigue.
In just three days, Zhao Liuyun felt his strength had increased significantly, and his muscles had become more powerful.
His body was frail, which made any subtle growth easily noticeable when observed.
Even the pain seemed to have lessened.
His Martial Uncle Huang Xin said: "That's how it is. Only the first time is the most painful and the hardest to endure."
As the body grew stronger, the pain would become increasingly minor.
His physical growth was promising, but the acquisition of [Physician] experience was poor.
Many people came and went in the shop, but most only bought insect repellent powder, snake repellent powder, or antitoxins.
Genuine Soul Master patients who needed treatment were far less numerous than imagined, and the source was extremely unstable.
Sometimes no one appeared for an entire day, sometimes one person came, and occasionally a few more.
However, there were no serious injuries. He only gained 60 points of [Physician] profession experience in three days, averaging just 20 points a day.
It looked like a lot, but the problem was that it was all based on luck. He might not encounter anyone for several days in a row, and the [Physician] experience would then stagnate.
His Martial Uncle said this was the norm.
Zhao Liuyun immediately gave up his original idea of "sharpening the tool doesn't hinder the cutting of wood"—first achieving the second promotion for the [Physician] profession to enhance the [Focus] trait.
Considering the profession related to physical traits and the poisonous herbs required for formulating toxins, he decided not to wait any longer.
The advancement of [Physician] could be left for later.
The medicinal bath wouldn't run away.
It was better to strive for a new body-related profession sooner.
After careful consideration, Zhao Liuyun expressed his intentions to his Martial Uncle:
"Martial Uncle, I want to become a mercenary."
This was the profession he had chosen.
Mercenary, Soldier, Knight...
Without exception, the traits of these professions were mostly related to physical fitness.
Soldier and Knight were official professions, requiring enlistment in the military.
Perhaps Zhao Liuyun would try to transfer to them in the future for faster trait acquisition, but not now.
Mercenary only required registration at the Mercenary Guild, making it the most suitable choice.
"Mercenary?" Huang Xin didn't object, merely saying calmly, "Tell me your reasons."
Zhao Liuyun looked serious, meeting his Martial Uncle's gaze: "I need to work hard to earn money for the medicinal bath and Soul Beast meat."
"The insect repellent powder and antitoxins sell well, but the money isn't enough."
Limited by finances, his Martial Uncle Huang Xin had planned a medicinal bath for him once every seven days.
Only then could the profit earned cover the consumption and avoid overspending.
While the arrangement was reasonable, it only considered the balance of income and expenditure and neglected efficiency.
The efficacy of one Dragon Blood Tree medicinal bath could only last for three days, leaving a gap of four days in between.
Zhao Liuyun wanted to change the seven days to five days, or ideally, three days.
He also needed more Soul Beast meat for dietary supplements.
Everything required money, more money!
Moreover, to acquire the [Mercenary] profession, the prerequisite was naturally to become a mercenary.
Three days had been enough for Zhao Liuyun to understand the entire Soul Hunting Town and learn what professions he might obtain.
There was a blacksmith shop here.
[Blacksmith] was a decent profession, but Zhao Liuyun's strength was still too low.
Although Tang San was young, he had climbed and run in the mountains since childhood, developing a strong physique.
Furthermore, he had memories and experience from his previous life of forging iron, allowing him to skillfully use the strength of the Mysterious Heaven Hands and Controlling Crane Catching Dragon, making him fundamentally different from Zhao Liuyun, a pure beginner who could only selectively practice from the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record.
Among other professions, Zhao Liuyun had considered [Herb Gatherer].
This line of work prioritized keen eyesight, quick hands, and agile movements, which somewhat aligned with the skills of a [Thief].
However, after much thought, the possibility of gaining physical traits was too small, and he ultimately abandoned the idea.
After several weigh-ins, the path of the [Mercenary] was the most reliable after all.
Although it was a gamble and he might not necessarily gain traits for a robust physique, perhaps only combat-related traits.
Compared to the alternatives, however, [Mercenary] was certainly worth a try.