A month later.
That night, Lu Yi looked up at the full moon and let out a long breath.
He had kept a Mandrake leaf in his mouth for an entire month. The sensation had been far from pleasant.
To avoid mistakes and make the ordeal easier to bear, he had barely eaten all month, drinking only water. Meditation had replaced sleep entirely.
Fortunately, he was now a Soul King. Cultivating Soul Power could make up for some of the strain on his body.
Tonight was the full moon. A few clouds dotted the sky, but they would not interfere with the next steps.
When the clouds drifted past and the moon emerged in full, a small, transparent Crystal Bottle appeared in Lu Yi's hand.
He uncorked it and deposited his saliva inside, then placed the Mandrake leaf from his mouth in the bottle to soak.
Only after moonlight had thoroughly bathed the Crystal Bottle did Lu Yi add a silver teaspoon of dew.
He had collected those few drops from a cave where sunlight never reached and no one had ever set foot.
Finding a cave that gathered morning dew rather than water seeping from its rock walls had taken considerable effort.
As the dew entered the bottle, a fleeting glimmer seemed to flash within. Lu Yi finally smiled.
So far, every step had gone according to plan. Nothing had gone wrong, and the next two steps allowed more leeway.
He plucked one of his hairs and placed it in the bottle, then immersed a Death's-head Hawkmoth Pupa.
With the few ingredients added in the proper order, Lu Yi screwed on the cap and buried the Crystal Bottle in a hole he had prepared.
Done with it all, he breathed a long sigh of relief.
Every step of the