Experiment & Accident
Zhou You certainly wouldn't use himself as a test subject. Although he was confident in the potions he made, he wouldn't risk his life to experiment on them.
In the end, they asked Yue Guan for help and found a primate Soul Beast with fifty years of cultivation to conduct the experiment.
As Pharmacist, Yue Guan naturally needs to test new drugs on a regular basis, so he keeps many Soul Beasts that can act as "Xiao Bai".
Primate Soul Beasts are the creatures that are most similar to Soul Masters in terms of physiology. Their internal organs, nervous system, skin and flesh tissue, and anatomical structure are extremely similar to those of humans. They also contain Soul Power in their bodies, making them ideal experimental subjects.
The three potions produced represent three different areas of enhancement: skin and flesh, tendons and bones, and internal organs.
It subtly corresponds to the three realms of [Threefold Reversal].
Originally, Whale Rubber was a potent and overly hot medicine, containing a natural yang toxin. When taken directly, its strong medicinal properties made it work as quickly as a potent drug.
However, while it works quickly, its effects are not long-lasting, and because Whale Rubber needs to strengthen the user's entire body, some of its medicinal power will inevitably be lost.
The loss of medicinal potency, when accumulated, will stagnate and become a kind of Evil Fire, forcing the user to release it.
This is also the reason why Huo Yuhao couldn't control his little Huo rampage in "Douluo Continent II: The Peerless Tang Sect".
However, by neutralizing and modifying it with other medicinal materials, the utilization rate of Whale Rubber can be greatly improved and the loss of medicinal power can be reduced. In order to ensure that the medicinal power can be fully absorbed, Zhou You specially designed a segmented absorption mode.
The first step is to strengthen the internal organs and circulation system of the drug-taking object. This step is to improve the absorption efficiency and digestive function of the experimental object, and to prepare for subsequent drug administration.
The second step is to strengthen muscles and bones. Many people lack a correct understanding of "strength" and believe that as long as they build up muscles, they can infinitely increase their strength.
In fact, the strength of "strength" depends on multiple dimensions. The number of muscles is only the most superficial one. Its true composition is also related to the strength of tendons, bone density, and nerve recruitment ability.
Among these factors, bone density determines the foundation of strength. If bones are brittle, no matter how much muscle or strength you have, it's all for naught. You'll break your own bones with just a little effort, and it's laughable to even think about fighting like that.
Therefore, the purpose of the second step of the experiment was to strengthen the human body's overall framework and build a solid foundation, just like setting up steel bars before pouring cement.
The third step involves strengthening the muscles, skin, and the entire nervous system. This step is the most delicate and takes the longest.
The three steps will take more than ten days.
Although it doesn't have the immediate effect of direct ingestion, its advantage lies in the gentleness of the entire process, minimal side effects, and meticulous enhancement methods, which can steadily strengthen the physical condition of experimental subjects to the extreme.
Years later, Zhou You had forgotten the effects of directly consuming Whale Rubber in the original story. He could only use himself as a standard to roughly estimate that this process should enable his physique to reach a level sufficient to withstand Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.
However, this is just an estimate, since there are too many factors that can affect the process of absorbing Soul Ring: one's own physical condition, mental preparation, and the ability to cope with attacks from Soul Beasts.
Different Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts have varying degrees of difficulty in absorbing Soul Rings, so we can only give an approximate value.
"Alright, let's begin." Zhou You took a deep breath and administered the first dose of medicine to the experimental monkey.
Three days later, the monkey's ability to absorb food increased dramatically.
After observation and comparison, it was found that the experimental subject did not experience weight loss despite a significant reduction in food intake, but its stool volume decreased substantially.
Analysis of the fecal composition revealed that the monkey's nutrient absorption efficiency had increased, and its utilization of ingested substances had become more complete and thorough.
Zhou You then conducted various modern physical tests on the experimental monkeys and found that their cardiopulmonary function, digestive function, internal circulation function, reabsorption function, Poison Arts, etc., were all significantly improved.
Even their intelligence showed some improvement, marking the successful completion of the first step of enhancement.
Even Yue Guan was amazed by this and couldn't help but get deeply involved.
He had a premonition that Zhou You had come up with something extraordinary.
Next, Zhou You carried out a second step of enhancement on the experimental subjects. The experimental monkeys seemed to know that what Zhou You was doing was beneficial to them, and they cooperated very well, obediently taking the second dose of medicine.
After taking the medication, the experimental monkeys showed a significant increase in appetite and food intake. Clearly, the increase in bone density cannot occur out of thin air; it requires nutritional support.
So Zhou You and Yue Guan began to provide the monkey with unlimited food. In just a few days, the monkey grew taller, but it also became thinner.
Moreover, the monkey's strength has increased significantly. Zhou You test showed that it was about 15% stronger than before taking the drug, an increase achieved without a significant change in muscle mass.
The situation is stabilizing and improving.
Finally, the final step has arrived, and both Zhou You and Yue Guan are eagerly awaiting the final result.
In order to observe the changes of the experimental objects up close and record data, Zhou You has been staying at Yue Guan's place these past few days, and the two have become very familiar with each other.
In recent days, in addition to observing and recording data, they have also been further revising the proportions of medicinal materials to make them more perfect. Naturally, this process has involved mutual discussion and even debate.
The two often forgot each other's rank, cultivation level, and age, and simply exchanged ideas as a pure researcher and Pharmacist, from which both benefited greatly.
So, when it came to the crucial final stage of verifying the results, both of them paid close attention to the condition of the experimental object, completely disregarding anything outside of the experiment.
The third time I took the medication, something seemed wrong.
The experimental monkeys did indeed experience a significant increase in physical strength, transforming from small, thin monkeys into large, robust individuals with silver backs. However, their mental state became listless and lethargic.
Seven days later, the enhancement ended, and the experimental monkey's physical fitness was indeed improved in all aspects, but its consciousness also came to an end at the peak of the enhancement.
On the fifteenth day of the experiment, the experimental subject remained unconscious and, after clinical examination, was determined to be brain dead.
"This..." Yue Guan frowned, "The experiment failed?"
Zhou You examined the corpse and confirmed that the monkey's brain activity had completely stopped, but its body had not yet begun to lose temperature.
"Did you see any results?" Yue Guan couldn't help but ask, noticing that Zhou You was very calm and seemed unaffected.
"It's hard to say now." Zhou You shook his head, turned around, put on a pair of leather gloves, and held a scalpel modified from a bamboo knife in his hand. "You can't tell anything just by looking at the surface. Let's dissect it and see."
Yue Guan's eyelids twitched slightly, and she subconsciously took a few steps back.
Sometimes he really couldn't understand how this kid could do such terrifying things so nonchalantly.
He had wanted to complain when Zhou You was analyzing the feces of the experimental monkeys before; how could this kid study such filthy stuff with such a calm expression?
Yue Guan had seen a lot in his life, but he had never met an oddball like Zhou You.
They look so polite, but they do the creepiest things...