The Pill's Drawbacks

As evening slowly approached, Chen Lin put down the Artifact Refining Tome and went over to the rabbit cage. The rabbit was still hopping about energetically, showing no signs of anything unusual.

At last, he felt reassured.

The pill he had refined smelled much like the Enlightenment Pill described in the book belonging to the woman from Shuiyue Pavilion, though its appearance differed somewhat from the description.

But he had no time for more careful testing now. Whatever the pill looked like, all that mattered was that it was not poisonous.

"You cost me over three hundred spirit stones. I hope you'll be of some use!"

Once he was certain the pill would not poison him to death, Chen Lin swallowed it in one gulp.

Pungent, sour, and bitter.

Even swallowing it whole subjected Chen Lin's taste buds to a brutal assault.

Soon, however, a profound, mysterious sensation welled up within him, leaving him no attention to spare for the taste.

As that sensation arose, Chen Lin felt his thoughts become extraordinarily active. Many things he had forgotten came back to him one after another, and his thinking became clear and orderly, allowing him to identify the crux of a problem in the shortest possible time.

What?

First he was startled and doubtful, then overjoyed. He hurriedly took out the Detailed Explanation of Elementary Spells, turned to the page on the Object Manipulation Art, and began reading.

This time, he immediately felt the difference.

He had thought he had already studied this spell thoroughly, but looking at it now, he discovered many hidden key points he had overlooked.

And just as he had suspected, although his previous deductions using scientific theory had been rigorous enough, they had neglected the differences between the scientific system and the cultivation system.

After working through it afresh, Chen Lin took out the Xiaoyao Sword, experimenting as he continued to deepen his understanding.

This time, he was like a fish in water. He quickly mastered many difficult points, finally getting a taste of what it felt like to be a genius.

A quarter of an hour later.

While Chen Lin was happily absorbed in his practice, his body suddenly shuddered, and the mysterious sensation rapidly ebbed away like a retreating tide.

Immediately afterward, he let out a miserable scream, clutched his head, and collapsed to the ground.

He rolled about, screaming, his head feeling as though countless steel needles were stabbing into it. Only after a long while did the skull-splitting pain slowly subside.

"Could there be something wrong with this pill?"

Reduced to a miserable state by the agonizing pain, Chen Lin could not help questioning the pill's reliability.

Yet that mysterious sensation had undoubtedly been real, and it had indeed improved his comprehension.

In just that quarter of an hour, he had essentially learned the Object Manipulation Art and could already use it proficiently.

With a thought, the Xiaoyao Flying Sword rose into the air. Under the control of the Object Manipulation Art, it moved like a nimble little fish, responding as naturally as his own arm.

It seemed the pill's effects were quite good after all.

Had he relied on slow, painstaking practice, reaching this level with the Object Manipulation Art would probably have taken at least several months, perhaps even more than half a year.

But now, it had taken only a quarter of an hour.

Of course, that speed also owed something to the long time he had already spent practicing.

Even so, the effect was astonishing.

But although its effects were good, its side effects were equally obvious. That wrenching, unbearable headache was truly more than he could stand.

"Forget it. As long as the pain doesn't kill me, I'll have to keep using it. Learning a few more spells will greatly improve my chances of staying alive."

As he muttered to himself, Chen Lin's gaze grew resolute.

More than the torment of pain, he feared the bizarre situation here.

After glancing at the rabbit, which was still hopping about energetically inside its cage, Chen Lin rested for a while, then began making talismans.

Early the next morning, he took the Fireball Talismans he had made to the Market. After selling them, he bought another batch of ingredients for refining Enlightenment Pills.

Once home, he began refining pills.

After an entire day of repeated attempts, he finally obtained another two pitch-black pills with pungent, nose-stinging odors.

After cleaning the Iron Cauldron Pill Cauldron, Chen Lin stared at the two pills for a long while. Finally, he gritted his teeth, picked one up, and swallowed it.

Along with the pungent, sour, astringent taste, the mysterious sensation appeared once more.

Not daring to waste any time, he immediately began studying the Wind-Walking Art.

Sure enough, as his comprehension improved, he gained a new understanding of the spell, as though everything had suddenly opened up before him.

He suppressed his wild delight and devoted all his attention to understanding it.

A quarter of an hour later.

"Aah!"

Agony struck, and Chen Lin once again clutched his head and collapsed to the ground.

This time, the pain actually lasted a little longer than before, and it had grown considerably more intense.

Once the agony passed, Chen Lin's expression turned grim.

He had never imagined that the pill's side effects would change, becoming increasingly severe!

If that was the case, he had no idea how many more doses he could endure. His earlier plan to use these pills to work through every spell he could buy had gone up in smoke.

What frustrated him even more was that this pill's duration had not been enough for him to become proficient in the Wind-Walking Art.

Circulating his mana, Chen Lin slowly floated up from the ground, but before he had risen even half a foot, he began running out of power.

Worse still, while hovering, he could not move his body at all.

He could only be said to have glimpsed the threshold. He had not even achieved minor mastery, much less proficiency.

"No, this isn't right. Since it's the Wind-Walking Art, I should be drawing on the wind. I shouldn't be practicing indoors!"

Suddenly, something occurred to Chen Lin. He slapped his forehead, tidied up a little, and pushed open the door.

As the weather warmed, the ice and snow had gradually melted, and monster beast attacks on the city had become less frequent.

Even so, Chen Lin did not dare venture too far outside the city. Instead, he began practicing the Wind-Walking Art in a deserted spot on the edge of Shanty Town.

Just as he had expected, the spell worked much better in an open area. There happened to be a light breeze that day, and by drawing on it, he could already float about three feet above the ground and move slowly downwind.

Having never experienced floating in midair before, he found it wonderfully novel and spent a while thoroughly enjoying himself.

But after playing around for a while, he stopped.

Even in its current state, the spell was still completely useless.

He had not learned this spell to perform tricks, but to fight and escape. Its current capabilities clearly fell short.

He would therefore have to deepen his understanding of it further.

Besides, this was a flight spell. He would not dare use it casually without becoming proficient. Falling halfway through a flight would be disastrous.

After resting for a while, he took a small bottle from his pocket, pulled out the stopper, and tipped out the remaining Enlightenment Pill.

Relying on his own comprehension would not work. He still had to take the pill.

After checking his surroundings once more and confirming there was no danger, he closed his eyes and shoved the pill into his mouth.

Then he began practicing with complete concentration.

At first, he was still somewhat clumsy, but as he practiced more and his understanding of the spell deepened, he began rising higher and higher, and his speed through the air increased as well.

By the end, he could even rise more than twenty feet above the ground, though he remained somewhat clumsy. He could only fly in a straight line, his speed depended on the wind, and he was nowhere near as agile and free as a bird.

But this was already the limit of the Wind-Walking Art. It was only a low-level spell, after all, and he could not expect too much.

Sensing that his time was nearly up, Chen Lin hurried back to the ground.

Before long, he clasped his head with practiced familiarity and leaned against a large tree, convulsing repeatedly.

The pain had intensified again, driving Chen Lin to dig both hands into the bark until they were drenched in blood.

Only after a long while did he return to normal.

Chen Lin shook out his sweat-soaked robes, stared blankly for a while, and prepared to return to his lodgings.

But the next moment, his entire body tensed, and his eyes narrowed as he looked a short distance away.

Someone was standing there!

"Old Yu?"

Just as he pressed his hand against the Xiaoyao Sword's hilt, Chen Lin cried out in surprise.

He knew this man. It was Yu Yuehai, the reclusive old man who lived in the same courtyard as him.

"Why are you here?"

Although they lived in the same courtyard, he knew little about the man and rarely interacted with him, so Chen Lin remained on the highest alert.

"Heh, Fellow Daoist Chen, you truly are a man of great perseverance. You can even endure such torment of the mind. I certainly underestimated you before."

A faint smile creased Old Yu's aged face as he repeatedly looked Chen Lin over, making Chen Lin's hair stand on end.

"What do you mean? What exactly are you trying to do? I suggest you stop playing these sinister games, or don't blame me for showing no mercy!"

Chen Lin's tone hardened. Without waiting for an answer, the Xiaoyao Sword he had been gripping suddenly shot out, hurtling straight toward the man!

Having lived two lives, he understood well that the first to strike gained the upper hand. Besides, the man could not possibly have appeared here at this moment without some purpose, so he attacked without hesitation.

Still, he was not a ruthless man and did not wish to recklessly take another person's life. He aimed the sword at the man's shoulder rather than a vital spot, leaving room to smooth things over if he had misjudged him.

But his expression changed immediately.

The man merely raised a hand and effortlessly caught the flying sword between two fingers, where it vibrated with a buzzing hum.

"Tsk, tsk. Quite decisive, but unfortunately not ruthless enough. A woman's softheartedness!"

The old man flicked his wrist, and the flying sword snapped into two pieces with a crack.