Red Jade Pill

The room was very quiet.

Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged on the bed, his hands resting naturally on his knees.

As the Heavenly Creation Cauldron began to operate, the soul power within his body was slowly drawn away, continuously flowing into the cauldron through the connection between his consciousness and it.

The consumption was not particularly fast.

With his current level-eleven soul power, he could bear it completely.

Huo Yuhao had originally worried that the moment he began refining pills, this great cauldron would suck him dry.

Now, it seemed he had overthought things.

A supreme treasure of the Great Dao was still reasonable.

At the very least, it had not made a rookie who had only just obtained his first soul ring shoulder a cost he could not possibly endure.

About ten minutes passed.

The consumption of soul power suddenly stopped.

Deep within his sea of consciousness, the Heavenly Creation Cauldron trembled lightly.

Buzz.

The mist of creation covering the cauldron's mouth slowly dispersed.

Nine round pills flew out, hovering quietly above the cauldron.

With a thought from Huo Yuhao,

the nine pills appeared in his palm at once.

Each pill was no larger than a fingernail. They were translucent dark red throughout, smooth on the surface and completely free of impurities.

They looked as though they had been carved from red agate.

Their appearance was rather good.

He just did not know how effective they were.

The instant that thought arose, information came from the Heavenly Creation Cauldron.

Strengthen the foundation and nourish the essence.

Nourish the blood and vital energy.

Strengthen the body and improve one's constitution.

That was all.

Huo Yuhao waited for quite a while, but no more detailed explanation came.

"That's it?"

He looked at the pills in his palm, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

The description was not entirely useless, but it was extremely vague.

How much could it strengthen him?

Were there any side effects?

How long would one pill take to absorb completely?

The Heavenly Creation Cauldron did not say a single word.

Anyone who did not know better would think this was some unlicensed product with no manufacturer, no label, and no guarantee.

Still, Huo Yuhao did not hesitate for long.

The Heavenly Creation Cauldron had a one-hundred-percent success rate in pill refining, and every finished product was guaranteed to be of perfect quality.

Since that was the case, he would know by trying one himself.

Huo Yuhao picked up a pill and held it beneath his nose for a sniff.

It lacked the fishy stench of whale glue that made one question life itself. Instead, it carried a faint medicinal fragrance.

Very good.

On that point alone, this pill-refining attempt was already half a success.

He opened his mouth and swallowed the pill directly.

The moment the pill entered his stomach, it rapidly dissolved.

A gentle current of heat spread from his abdomen, flowing through his blood to every corner of his limbs and body.

Huo Yuhao's body trembled slightly.

It did not hurt.

Nor did any domineering medicinal power rampage through his body.

His entire body turned pleasantly warm, and the soreness caused by his daytime training quickly eased under the nourishment of that warm current.

Overall, it felt like soaking in a hot spring.

It was so comfortable that it made him want to fall asleep immediately.

Huo Yuhao hurriedly composed himself, closed his eyes, and entered meditation as he usually did.

His breathing gradually steadied.

The red jade-like pill continuously released its medicinal power, nourishing his weakened body bit by bit.

Over the years, he had often gone hungry and cold at the White Tiger Duke's Estate, and his body had long accumulated numerous deficiencies.

Even after arriving in the Sun Moon Empire, where Ju Zi arranged nutritious meals for him every day, there was no way to make up for everything within just a few days.

But this pill was different.

Its medicinal power did not simply replenish his blood and vital energy. It was slowly improving the foundation of his body.

No one knew how much time passed.

Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

The moon outside the window had already risen high into the sky.

An hour had passed.

He rose from the bed, clenched his fists, and moved his arms.

His body felt much lighter.

The exhaustion left behind by his daytime training had vanished, and his hands and feet carried a sense of strength they had not possessed before.

The change was not especially exaggerated, but it was unmistakable.

Moreover, during that hour, he had only absorbed a small portion of the pill's medicinal power.

Most of the remaining medicinal power lay dormant throughout his body and had not been wasted.

When he continued training in the future, that medicinal power would gradually be stimulated and become nourishment for his body's growth.

"Good stuff."

Huo Yuhao looked at the remaining eight pills, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

Whale glue could strengthen the body and increase the number of years of soul ring that a soul master could withstand.

The pill before him could clearly do the same.

As for which was more effective, he could not judge for the time being.

After all, he had only taken a tiny bite of whale glue earlier.

Other than nearly vomiting up his breakfast, he had not felt anything obvious at all.

However, the pill's absorption process was gentler, and none of its medicinal power went to waste.

Most importantly, it tasted good.

More accurately, it had no strange taste whatsoever.

That alone was enough to crush whale glue into the ground.

Huo Yuhao gave it a very fitting name.

Red Jade Pill.

Simple and easy to remember.

As for any more powerful pills he refined in the future, he could give them new names then.

Huo Yuhao stored seven Red Jade Pills inside the Heavenly Creation Cauldron, leaving only the last one beside his bed.

He closed his eyes again and began meditating to cultivate.

It was already very late.

Based on the past few days, a certain future wife should be sneaking over about now.

Sure enough.

Not long afterward, the door was gently pushed open.

Ju Zi poked half her head inside. She first glanced at the bed, then skillfully entered the room and softly closed the door behind her.

She had just turned around

when Huo Yuhao opened his eyes on the bed.

Their eyes met.

The air fell quiet for several seconds.

Ju Zi stopped where she was, and a rare trace of awkwardness appeared on her face.

Clearly, she had not expected Huo Yuhao to still be awake today.

However, such a minor situation could not stump someone who had once been the Empress Dowager Regent.

Ju Zi quickly regained her composure, and a gentle smile returned to her face.

"It's so late. Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Huo Yuhao looked at her without saying anything.

Ju Zi walked to the bedside and said solemnly, "Children cannot stay up late, or they won't grow tall in the future."

Huo Yuhao: ...

Well, damn.

She had obviously come to crawl under his covers, yet after being caught, she was actually criticizing him for staying up late.

That thick skin truly was worthy of someone who had once been the Empress Dowager Regent.

"Big Sister Ju Zi, what are you here for?"

"To see whether you're resting properly."

"Do you need to look at the bed?"

"I can see more clearly this way."

Huo Yuhao had nothing to say.

He reached out, picked up the Red Jade Pill beside the bed, and held it out to Ju Zi.

"This is for you."

Ju Zi lowered her head to look, a trace of confusion appearing in her eyes.

"What is this?"

"Red Jade Pill."

"I've never heard of it."

"I just named it. Of course you haven't heard of it."

Huo Yuhao placed the pill in Ju Zi's hand and said seriously, "I refined it using whale glue and those medicinal herbs. Its effects are similar to whale glue's. It can strengthen the body and improve your physical foundation."

Ju Zi froze for a moment.

She looked at the red pill in her hand, then raised her head to look at Huo Yuhao.

"You know how to make medicine?"

"I know a little."

Huo Yuhao's expression did not change.

Throwing the ingredients into the cauldron and sitting there waiting counts as knowing a little, right?

The suspicion in Ju Zi's eyes did not fade.

An eight-year-old child had taken a few pieces of whale glue and ordinary medicinal herbs, shut himself in a room for several hours, and refined a pill she had never seen before.

No matter how one looked at it, it was absurd.

Yet she did not continue questioning him.

The Huo Yuhao of her previous life had grown into a god step by step, and he had always possessed many secrets unknown to outsiders.

Though the current him differed somewhat from the rumors, having secrets was only normal.

Ju Zi picked up the Red Jade Pill and put it straight into her mouth.

"You're just eating it like that?"

Huo Yuhao was somewhat surprised.

"You gave it to me. Why wouldn't I eat it?"

Ju Zi sat down by the bed, closed her eyes, and quickly entered meditation.

Huo Yuhao looked at her quiet profile, and his feelings suddenly grew complicated.

This woman was deeply suspicious by nature.

Yet when it came to him, she seemed never to have truly been on guard.

An hour later.

Ju Zi slowly ended her meditation.

She opened her eyes and immediately sensed the condition of her body.

A moment later, she abruptly turned toward Huo Yuhao. Her previously calm eyes were filled with shock.

"How many more Red Jade Pills do you have?"