Determination flashed in Ling Xi's eyes. He stopped hesitating, opened his mouth, and swallowed the pill from the bottle in one gulp.
The moment the pill entered his mouth, before Ling Xi could even chew, it turned into a torrent of energy that surged down his throat and spread through every part of his body.
At that moment, Ling Xi was only a One-star Dou Practitioner, and the meridians in his body were naturally thin and fragile.
Under the force of the energy released by the Ninth-grade Mysterious Pill, the Mysterious Origin Saint Sculpting Pill, his old meridians were almost instantly shattered, one after another.
"Damn..."
The agony of his meridians rupturing made Ling Xi's whole body convulse almost instantly.
"Damn System... You... You fucking... didn't you say... there wouldn't be a problem!"
A mouthful of bloody foam spilled from the corner of Ling Xi's mouth. The intense pain made him curse the system furiously.
But the only response was the system's deathly silence.
"Ah...!"
A muffled roar was forced from Ling Xi's chest.
The Mysterious Origin Saint Sculpting Pill's medicinal power rampaged through his body, sweeping through practically every part of him.
Under the force of the medicine, his shattered meridians and the impurities in his body turned into black, filthy blood, which seeped out through his pores.
In moments, a thick layer of black blood scab had formed across Ling Xi's skin.
Ling Xi curled up on the ground, his expression almost numb. Every breath brought searing pain throughout his body, as though he were being forcibly dismantled and rebuilt.
"Qi Vortex...!"
Enduring the pain, Ling Xi's trembling voice took on a note of urgency.
The Mysterious Origin Saint Sculpting Pill's medicinal power had finally reached Ling Xi's dantian.
The tiny Qi Vortex within his dantian represented his current One-star Dou Practitioner cultivation.
If the Qi Vortex were destroyed, his cultivation would either decline at best or his foundation would be damaged, leaving him unable to make further progress for the rest of his life.
"Crack!"
A sharp sound seemed to ring out inside Ling Xi's body. Under the force of the Ninth-grade Mysterious Pill, the incredibly thin and fragile Qi Vortex in his dantian was utterly pulverized.
Ling Xi's body convulsed violently once more.
Now, in addition to the pain, he felt an indescribable emptiness in his lower abdomen. The Dou Qi throughout his body also dwindled in an instant.
"Damn... System... You... son of a bitch!"
Mustering the last of his strength, Ling Xi managed to curse once.
The next moment, he could hold on no longer and passed out.
It was only after he had lost consciousness, as if the pill had finally finished wreaking havoc inside him, that the Mysterious Origin Saint Sculpting Pill's medicinal power began to condense in his dantian.
A faint purple-gold light flickered as the violent medicinal power gradually calmed.
Enveloped in the purple-gold light, the shattered meridians in Ling Xi's body reformed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
A faint purple-gold sheen glimmered across the new meridians, which were countless times sturdier than before.
In his dantian, the shattered Qi Vortex also began to gather again under the pull of the medicinal power.
At last, the Qi Vortex enveloped the remaining medicinal power and condensed anew into a vortex several times larger than before.
As the Dou Qi within the Qi Vortex circulated, wisps of purple-gold medicinal power continuously nourished Ling Xi's flesh and blood.
"Mm..."
He had no idea how long it had been before Ling Xi slowly opened his eyes.
"What happened to me...?"
Ling Xi sprang up instinctively.
"I think I passed out just now..."
After staring blankly for a moment, the confusion in his eyes gradually faded. Ling Xi hurriedly sensed the condition of his body.
"My meridians seem to have reconnected... The Qi Vortex... it's back too!"
Feeling an indescribable sense of comfort and fullness inside him, Ling Xi couldn't help clenching his fists.
Crack... crack... crack...
A series of crisp pops, like beans frying, came from the joints all over his body.
"Ah!"
Ling Xi couldn't help letting out a soft moan.
Comfortable!
It felt so good!
The sensation of being reborn was so exhilarating that Ling Xi almost felt dazed.
It was as if his body didn't even belong to him anymore.
"My meridians are countless times sturdier than before, and my Dou Qi is incomparably more abundant. Even my soul power has improved tremendously."
"The impurities in my body have also been completely purged."
"And the remaining medicinal power of the Mysterious Origin Saint Sculpting Pill seems to still be nourishing my body nonstop."
Carefully feeling every change within himself, Ling Xi grinned so widely it seemed his smile might reach the back of his head.
"No wonder it's a Ninth-grade Mysterious Pill. Calling this a complete rebirth would be no exaggeration."
Although the Mysterious Origin Saint Sculpting Pill couldn't directly increase one's Dou Qi or strength, its foundation-forging effect—giving someone the potential to become a Dou Saint—was enough to drive countless people mad.
In this era, with no Dou Di in sight, a Dou Saint represented the strongest combat power around.
After washing off the hardened scabs and foul-smelling grime, Ling Xi looked in the mirror and was very pleased with his body.
The Ling Clan's people were already the most beautiful among the Eight Ancient Clans.
After taking the Mysterious Origin Saint Sculpting Pill, Ling Xi's already exceptional appearance had gained an even more elusive quality.
He had even grown a little taller, and his face had lost some of its childishness.
"But with such a huge change, I'm afraid I won't be able to fool anyone who's paying attention."
After his initial excitement, Ling Xi gradually calmed down.
It was the same old saying: a man is not guilty of a crime, but the possession of a treasure is.
His potential, bearing, body, and soul power had all undergone earth-shattering changes. There was no way to conceal all of it.
If people discovered something strange about him, then as a Descendant Citizen with no backing and only a first-grade bloodline, anyone could trample him at will.
"I'll just have to take it one step at a time."
Ling Xi sighed. Although he had the system, he still needed time to grow.
"I wonder where I am in the original story's timeline. I remember the Ling Clan was the first of the Ancient Races to be wiped out by the Soul Clan."
"My strength is only that of a One-star Dou Practitioner, and my bloodline is only first grade. There's no point in staying with the Ling Clan."
Rubbing his chin, Ling Xi thought it over.
"Since I have the system, it's best to leave the Ling Clan as soon as possible."
Although Ling Xi felt some kinship with the Ling Clan, the Soul Clan was simply beyond his ability to oppose.
When the Ling Clan was wiped out, even Xiao Yan, the chosen son of the Dou Qi Continent, had only been an ordinary Dou Venerate.
"The most urgent thing is to figure out exactly what time period I'm in. Only then can I make plans for the future."
"The major Ancient Clans are almost all isolated from the outside world. I'll also have to think carefully about how to leave the Ling Clan."
Just as Ling Xi was thinking, the system's notification sounded in his mind again.
"Ding. The sign-in location has been refreshed. Please complete your sign-in at the Dou Skill Pavilion in the East Ling City Clan Academy."
Before you continue