Aunt Yun said, "What I can't figure out is how Feng Buqing of the Netherworld Organization got the news and found us."
Liu Wenyin said, "Perhaps someone from the Netherworld Organization has infiltrated the upper ranks of the Guan Kingdom."
Su Ze said, "Is it possible that the Guan Kingdom and the Netherworld Organization have reached some kind of cooperation?"
Aunt Yun shot him a glance. "That's a dangerous idea."
"But that's the only way it makes sense," Su Ze said. "We can now confirm that Li Gaojie is a spy sent by the Tiger King General. After the Tiger King General failed to attack us, he still had Li Gaojie follow us and pass along our location. Then, not long after, Feng Buqing caught up with us.
"It feels like the Tiger King General told Feng Buqing about us after his operation failed."
Aunt Yun shook her head. "Not very likely. If the Guan Kingdom dared cooperate with the Netherworld Organization, once the dominant nation, the Linhua Kingdom, discovered it, they would definitely face severe punishment."
Liu Wenyin frowned slightly. "It may not be impossible. The formula for the Skill Suppression Potion I developed this time is useful to ordinary evolvers, but it is even more useful to the Tainted Ones who specifically absorb human extracts. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that if the Netherworld Organization obtained this formula, it would be like giving wings to a tiger.
"I didn't understand why the Guan Kingdom valued the Skill Suppression Potion formula so highly before, but if they reached a deal with the Netherworld Organization, then it makes sense. The ones who truly want the formula are the Netherworld Organization!"
"This..." Aunt Yun still found it hard to believe. "You have to know that each of the six nations has a Saint Envoy sent by the Dominant Nation stationed there. Would they dare collude with the Netherworld Organization right under a Saint Envoy's nose? Do they not value their lives?"
Liu Wenyin smiled. "Aunt Yun, don't overthink it. These are only our guesses. There's no evidence to prove them."
She then looked at Su Ze. "I've said more or less everything I needed to say. Is there anything else you want to ask?"
"Two questions," Su Ze said. "First, what exactly is the Skill Suppression Potion? Second, what kind of organization is the Netherworld Organization?"
After a brief pause, Liu Wenyin answered, "The Skill Suppression Potion prevents an evolver from obtaining the skill within an extract when absorbing it. It's equivalent to leaving an empty skill slot. Then, the next time they absorb an extract, they will obtain two skills at once, making up for the missing skill.
"Furthermore, the Skill Suppression Potion can be used repeatedly. In other words, you can leave two, three, or even more skill slots empty."
"A miracle drug!" The moment Su Ze heard that, he understood the value of the Skill Suppression Potion.
"Wouldn't that mean I could leave a skill slot empty during the Pupal stage, then after evolving into the Cocoon Breaking Stage, directly absorb a skill from a Tier 3 extract?"
"Nice idea, but you're overthinking it." Liu Wenyin shot down Su Ze's attempt to exploit a loophole.
"Experiments have proven that it won't work. If you do that, you won't obtain two Tier 3 skills. Instead, you'll get one Tier 3 skill and one Tier 2 skill."
Su Ze was puzzled. "Where would that Tier 2 skill come from?"
Liu Wenyin explained, "A Tier 3 Exotic Beast isn't born as a Tier 3 Exotic Beast. It evolves from a Tier 2 Exotic Beast. The Tier 2 skill you obtain would come from a skill it possessed during its Tier 2 stage.
"It works on the same principle when Tainted Ones absorb human extracts.
"Take you as an example. You're in the Pupal stage, so if you were made into an extract, it would be a Tier 1 extract that could only be absorbed by Mortal Lifeforms. After absorbing your extract, they wouldn't obtain your Tier 2 skill, 'Regenerative Body.' Instead, they would randomly obtain one of the skills you mastered during your Mortal stage."
So that was how it worked!
It seemed this loophole couldn't be exploited after all.
Even so, the Skill Suppression Potion was still an extremely useful evolution medicine with plenty of room for manipulation.
For example, if an evolver had two vials of extract, one D-grade and one S-grade, he could use a Skill Suppression Potion to absorb the D-grade extract first, then absorb the S-grade extract. It would be equivalent to spending the price of one S-grade extract to obtain skills from two S-grade extracts.
"Holy shit!" Su Ze suddenly realized. "If the Netherworld Organization got this formula, wouldn't they take off like a rocket?"
Only then did he understand why Liu Wenyin had said that the Skill Suppression Potion was even more useful to the Tainted Ones.
Ordinary evolvers absorbed Exotic Beast extracts, and the quality of the skills they could obtain varied. Even an S-grade extract often contained only one top-tier skill.
For example, the Immortal Salamander extract Su Ze had just absorbed contained three skills, but only Regenerative Body counted as a top-tier skill. The other two were noticeably inferior.
Human extracts, however, had no such weakness.
Some geniuses raised by powerful families and major factions, as well as some renowned experts, were equipped with nothing but exceptional skills.
Take Su Ze, for example. Every skill he possessed was top-tier. If the Netherworld Organization turned him into an extract, then with enough time and enough Skill Suppression Potions, they could cultivate a genius who perfectly absorbed every one of his skills.
Likewise, the skills of other geniuses and experts could be copied this way.
Skill Suppression Potions paired with human extracts seemed to be the perfect match, capable of maximizing their value.
"Exactly." Liu Wenyin had a headache over this as well. "I'm starting to regret researching this medicine. It feels like it was tailor-made for the Tainted Ones."
"The good thing is that this medicine is ineffective on Saint-level lifeforms..."
"It doesn't work on Saint-level lifeforms?" Su Ze nodded. "That's good, then. If Saint-level lifeforms could use it too, things would probably truly spiral out of control."
After finishing the discussion about the Skill Suppression Potion, Liu Wenyin began answering Su Ze's second question and introduced the Netherworld Organization to him.
"As for the Netherworld Organization, I don't know all that much either. First of all, it is the only—and also the largest—faction composed entirely of Tainted Ones.
"There aren't many Tainted Ones in this world, but because they can't live among normal humans, they are forced to stay away from crowds and survive together in groups. That eventually formed the Netherworld Organization we know today."
Su Ze asked, "How strong are they?"
"Very strong!" Liu Wenyin said with certainty. "Powerful, mysterious, evil—those are all labels associated with them. Some say their influence isn't limited to the Linhua Continent, but extends across every human settlement on Blue Star."
"The six nations of the Linhua Continent are definitely no match for them. The only force the Netherworld Organization fears on the Linhua Continent is the dominant nation, the Linhua Kingdom."
"They're that strong?" Su Ze hadn't expected to provoke such a colossal force right from the start.
"You don't need to worry too much. With the Dominant Nation deterring them, they wouldn't dare act too recklessly within the Linhua Continent," Liu Wenyin comforted him.
"And compared with you, they definitely want to capture me more."
Su Ze nodded in agreement. Now that he understood the effects of the Skill Suppression Potion, he believed the Netherworld Organization was determined to obtain the formula in Liu Wenyin's hands.
"What do you plan to do next? Leave immediately?"
Liu Wenyin said, "We definitely have to leave. Only by returning to the Dongli Kingdom can I truly be considered safe. But I plan to rent a place in Mengka City first and wait until Aunt Yun recovers from her injuries before setting out."
"Also, I've already contacted the Dongli Kingdom. They'll send people to meet us as soon as possible."
Before you continue