Fierce Side Effects, Human Ties

The next day.

Five full moons hung from the dome, brimming with faint silver radiance. Grasses and flowers glowing in every color vied in splendor, and beneath their light, the coffin-like stone houses scattered among them no longer seemed quite so dreary.

A stone house.

Splash...

A delicate-looking youth with a deathly pale face carried a wooden bucket and threw water into the room. Bucket after bucket, he had no idea how many he had poured, until the walls and floor gleamed like mirrors and the stench no longer rushed into his nostrils. Only then did he set down the bucket and let out a breath of relief.

"I underestimated the effects of the Meditation Fluid. I really wonder how Senior Brother Xiang concocted it—and how he kept taking it for so long..."

Thinking of everything that had happened yesterday, Zhu Yu's cheek twitched. He shook his head, casting aside his stray thoughts, then summoned his panel with a thought.

[Attributes: Physique 0.9, Spirit 4.6]

Though the Meditation Fluid's side effects were severe, its efficacy was unexpectedly excellent.

After meditating for one night, he had condensed three Soul Particles in one go. The price was a permanent reduction of 0.1 in his physique.

[The body has suffered erosion from potent toxins. Some functions have permanently weakened...]

Zhu Yu pulled up the monitoring information from the True Sight Eye, his brows knitting slightly. His physique had only dropped by 0.1, yet he felt as though he had been gravely ill; weakness seeped from every corner of his body.

This was also his first time taking the Soul Dispersing Pill and Meditation Fluid in succession.

If he did this a few more times, forget Qi Refining—whether he would even be able to stand was uncertain.

"How did Senior Brother Xiang avoid it?"

Zhu Yu suddenly thought of Xiang Sui.

Although the combination of the Soul Dispersing Pill and Meditation Fluid had intensified the toxins that caused vomiting and diarrhea, compared to Xiang Sui, who had drunk who knew how many bottles, it was merely a firefly beside the moon.

And given Xiang Sui and Liang Kuan's family backgrounds and ages, they should have reached Qi Refining long ago.

"I can ask about it while buying more Meditation Fluid..."

The thought flashed through Zhu Yu's mind. He did not dwell on it, instead slowly walking into the room.

After signing the contract, Xiang Sui and Liang Kuan were clearly taking the matter seriously. When six full moons appeared beneath the dome, they once again brought people to the stone house. Just as last time, there were still five of them.

"Junior Brother, what happened to you?"

When they saw Zhu Yu emerge from the room, pale and weak-faced, the two were startled. They hurried forward to ask. They had finally found a way to earn Spirit Stones, and they did not want it to die halfway through.

"It's nothing. I just cultivated after taking the Meditation Fluid Senior Brother Xiang refined." Zhu Yu waved a hand indifferently, then praised him. "As expected of someone from an alchemist Lineage. The Meditation Fluid you refined works astonishingly well."

After a pause, he turned to Liang Kuan, whose face was full of shock, and asked, "Senior Brother Liang, do you still have any Meditation Fluid? I'd like to buy a few more bottles."

"Huh?"

Liang Kuan looked stunned, then nodded. "I do, but..." He secretly glanced at the person beside him, stopping short.

Xiang Sui's expression was complicated. He did not know whether to be happy or worried. He was happy that someone finally acknowledged the Meditation Fluid, yet worried that Zhu Yu might suffer an accident if he took too much.

As its creator, he knew better than anyone how severe the Meditation Fluid's side effects were.

Xiang Sui shook his head and pointed at the five people behind him, who were watching curiously. "We'll talk about that later. Junior Brother, you should teach first."

"Yes, yes, teach first."

Liang Kuan nodded frantically from the side.

Before this, he would have loved nothing more than to sell all the Meditation Fluid in his possession to Zhu Yu. But things were different now. Zhu Yu was his money tree; if anything happened to him, there would not even be a place to cry.

"Alright."

Zhu Yu was in no hurry. He nodded faintly, turned to the five people, and smiled. "Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters, this way, please."

"Thank you, Teacher Zhu."

Perhaps Xun Su, Ni Ying, and the others had spread the word for him. The five obediently bowed, then entered the room with faint excitement.

Liang Kuan followed behind Zhu Yu like a bodyguard.

Xiang Sui did not go in. Instead, he paced back and forth outside, his brows tightly furrowed. From time to time, he looked toward the stone house. Hearing the orderly sounds of teaching within, he seemed to make up his mind. He shook his head with a laugh. "So be it. It's only an incomplete technique..."

He swept his gaze around, then turned and headed down the path he had come from.

Time flowed like water, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

"Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters, take care."

"Teacher Zhu, no need to see us off."

The five disciples, who had only recently entered the sect and had now been drenched in knowledge, cupped their hands in salute. Then, with their minds full of insights, they hurried toward their residences.

"They're all fine immortal seedlings..."

Watching the five figures disappear, Zhu Yu smiled. He looked up at the eleven full moons hanging beneath the dome, then turned and returned to the room.

Inside the room.

As Liang Kuan spoke with Xiang Sui, he rolled three Spirit Stones in his hand as though playing with walnuts. Seeing Zhu Yu return, he immediately raised a thumb and grinned. "Junior Brother, you're becoming more and more like a great master. In my opinion, it won't be long before we have to raise the price for your lessons."

Making a comical face, he spread his hands and sighed. "Otherwise, everyone will want Junior Brother to teach them. How could you possibly divide your time?"

Xiang Sui stood with his hands behind his back. Perhaps because he had stopped taking the medicine, his bearing had improved slightly. Smiling, he nodded. "No rush. Let's wait a few more days and see. If it's appropriate, we'll raise the price then."

"Hm?"

Zhu Yu froze and looked over in confusion.

Had they not said they would wait until he reached Qi Refining and gained some reputation before raising the price? Why had they suddenly changed their minds after only one day?

Seeing the questioning look in his eyes, Liang Kuan could not wait to explain why.

It turned out that Xun Su, Ni Ying, and the others had caused their ideas to change so quickly. After returning, they had each succeeded in meditation and opened their Divine Seas, fiercely advertising Zhu Yu among their close friends.

"So quickly..."

Zhu Yu looked surprised, but upon thinking it over, he did not find it strange.

The Basic Meditation Method, which the True Sight Eye had analyzed to minor mastery, might not have come closest to the essence of the Basic Visualization Method, but it had certainly surpassed the insights of most Qi Refining cultivators.

With his exhaustive explanations on top of that, and the five having excellent talent as well, opening their Divine Seas in a day was not difficult. After all, this was not Qi Refining, which required time to accumulate.

Seeing Zhu Yu quickly regain his calm, Xiang Sui silently praised him. He took out a booklet from his sleeve and stuffed it into Zhu Yu's hands, instructing him:

"Though the Meditation Fluid is effective, taking too much does more harm than good. Until you have mastered this technique, Gold-Chewing Iron-Eating, do not take it for now."

"A technique!"

Zhu Yu froze. Looking at the thin booklet in his hands, inscribed with Gold-Chewing Iron-Eating, he raised his head and stared in shock at Xiang Sui, who appeared utterly calm and composed.

He had guessed that Xiang Sui had a way to avoid the Meditation Fluid's toxic erosion, but he had never expected it to be a technique.

What surprised him even more was that Xiang Sui had simply given it to him!

He had not asked for Spirit Stones, nor had he made any demands!

Liang Kuan, standing to the side, also looked at Xiang Sui in shock. Compared with Zhu Yu, who came from the Spirit Desert and knew nothing, he understood all too well how precious a technique that could be taught to others was.

Even the lowest first-rank, low-grade technique would fetch at least a thousand Spirit Stones at an auction in the market. Techniques with special uses would only cost more.

"Is this the confidence of a Foundation Establishment household..."