Wash-Dust Pill

Shi Lan stood up and summoned the system panel.

Host: Shi Lan

Cultivation: Fourth Level of the Body Tempering Realm

Root Bone: 7 (one in ten thousand)

Cultivation Technique: Vajra Divine Fist (Minor Mastery), Jade Forging Art (Second Level)

Divine Ability: Heavenly Eye Qi-Observing Technique (Three Stars)

Strength Evaluation: A newcomer to martial arts

Looking at the panel before her, Shi Lan thought again of the Heavens Reincarnation System, which had always been terribly inconspicuous. Its name sounded impressive, but it was completely useless.

Shi Lan shook her head and opened the lottery interface.

[Two Basic Lottery Chances remaining. Would you like to draw?]

"Start the draw."

The wheel spun rapidly, countless items appearing and vanishing across its face, until at last it came to an abrupt stop.

[Congratulations, Host! You have drawn a one-star item: Bedroom Arts.]

Shi Lan's mind went blank. What the hell was this?

She hurriedly opened the system's temporary storage and took out Bedroom Arts.

A chorus of gasps rang through the room.

"Whew—impressive!"

"You can do that too?"

"How did you manage that move?!"

Half an hour later, Shi Lan closed the booklet, still reluctant to put it down, having learned quite a few new positions.

Bedroom Arts was a dual-cultivation technique. Some of its finer points were quite sophisticated, but it seemed to be missing a section; its explanation of the great Dao of balancing yin and yang was vague.

Once mastered, Bedroom Arts would let its practitioner spend the night with ten women without difficulty.

But what did that have to do with her?

Remembering that, Shi Lan gloomily sent the booklet back to the system's temporary storage, then started the lottery wheel again.

[Congratulations, Host! You have drawn a three-star item: Purple Tenuity Seven-Star Halberd (Replica).]

A weapon?

Shi Lan opened the temporary storage and took out a long case, nearly as tall as she was.

"So heavy..."

Straining, Shi Lan carried the case over and set it on the floor.

Shi Lan was now at the fourth level of the Body Tempering Realm. With the added benefits of the Vajra Divine Fist and the Jade Forging Art, her strength exceeded five hundred pounds—on par with an ordinary martial artist at the fifth level of the Body Tempering Realm.

With strength like that, she was still struggling to move this case. Whatever was inside had to weigh nearly three hundred pounds.

The moment Shi Lan opened the long case, a majestic, righteous aura washed over her, jolting her mind.

Inside lay a battle halberd in two sections. Its body was entirely purple, and its cross-shaped blade was as white as snow, radiating a bone-chilling cold.

Shi Lan took out the halberd and fitted the pieces together. The shaft felt smooth and warm in her hands, like polished jade. Dark patterns were engraved along its length, giving her a secure grip.

The halberd was nine feet four inches long, nearly half again her height.

A weapon this long and heavy was obviously not well suited to Shi Lan in her current state.

Moreover, Shi Lan sensed an extraordinary aura from the Purple Tenuity Seven-Star Halberd. It was certainly no ordinary weapon; her cultivation and discernment simply weren't sufficient to see what made it truly formidable.

"System, what's the story behind the Purple Tenuity Seven-Star Halberd?"

[The Purple Tenuity Seven-Star Halberd is the personal weapon of the Great Emperor of the North Pole, Purple Tenuity. Its item grade is nine stars. The item drawn by the Host is a crude replica.]

Shi Lan nodded. A three-star item was already the most powerful thing available in the basic lottery.

Last time she'd drawn the Heavenly Eye Qi-Observing Technique, and this time she'd drawn the Purple Tenuity Seven-Star Halberd. Maybe she really was lucky.

With both lottery chances used up, Shi Lan took out the other reward from her main quest: the Wash-Dust Pill.

The Wash-Dust Pill was much larger than a Body Tempering Pill. Its surface was dark red, and it was about the size of a baby's fist.

"System, what does this pill do? How do I take it?"

[Wash-Dust Pill: It can remake the body and cleanse it of impurities. It helps the Host expel the impurities accumulated within and return to the golden age for martial arts training. Swallow it directly.]

Shi Lan had wanted to start right away, but after glancing at the sky, she changed her mind. It had taken her from last night until now to refine a single Body Tempering Pill.

The Wash-Dust Pill's effects were surely far stronger than those of a Body Tempering Pill, so refining it would naturally take longer.

Zique would soon be bringing her medicinal meal, so swallowing it now would be inconvenient.

Before long, Zique came by as usual with the medicinal meal.

"Don't bring me tonight's medicinal meal. I don't feel like eating."

After turning down the evening meal, Shi Lan took out the Wash-Dust Pill and put it in her mouth. It dissolved instantly, becoming a cool liquid that slid down her throat.

Shi Lan felt none of the familiar warmth. Just as she began to wonder why, a pain like her bones were being crushed surged through her body.

Her expression twisted in an instant. She fell to the ground and curled up.

As waves of agony tore through her, Shi Lan clenched her fists so tightly that her nails pierced her palms, and bright red blood seeped between her fingers.

Who could possibly endure this...?

Shi Lan groaned in pain, her eyes bloodshot.

Hearing something amiss, Shi Feng leaped into the courtyard and called out, "Young Master, what happened?" As he spoke, he headed toward the door.

Hearing Shi Feng's voice, Shi Lan struggled to speak. "I-I'm fine. I ate too much at lunch."

Ate too much?

Shi Feng froze, then asked with concern, "Are you really all right?"

"I'm fine!" Shi Lan shouted, forcing back the groan that was about to spill between her teeth.

After fighting in the virtual space for so long, Shi Lan had grown used to ordinary injuries—severed hands and feet, or a few broken bones. But the pain brought on by the Wash-Dust Pill was ten times worse!

It was almost more than she could control.

After nearly half an hour, the pain gradually faded. Before Shi Lan could breathe a sigh of relief, she felt every pore on her body suddenly flare open. Threads of blood mixed with impurities began to seep out of her skin.

In moments, Shi Lan was covered in red, and the room filled with a pungent smell of blood.

Shi Feng caught the stench outside the door. His expression changed, and he began pounding on it.

"Young Master, are you really all right? Can you open the door and let me in?"

"Don't come in! I'm really fine!" Shi Lan shouted. She managed to struggle to her feet and stagger toward the bathroom.

"Open the door and let me check on you, all right?"

There was no answer from inside.

The smell of blood grew stronger. Shi Feng couldn't put his mind at ease, so he reached out with his Xiantian True Qi and unlocked the door. As soon as it opened, a wave of bloody stench rushed out.

Seeing the large patches of blood on the floor, Shi Feng's expression changed dramatically. He followed the trail and hurried to the bathroom door, knocking again.

"Young Master? Are you in there?"

"Don't come in! I'm bathing!"

Hearing the knock just as she stepped into the bath, Shi Lan nearly jumped out of her skin. She shouted in alarm.

After speaking, she suddenly realized that, in Shi Feng's eyes, she was a man. They were both men—what was there to hide while bathing?

Thinking this, Shi Lan hastily grabbed a piece of clothing and held it in front of herself, staring at the wooden door in alarm.

Outside the bathroom, Shi Feng didn't barge in as Shi Lan had feared. Instead, he fell silent.