Dragon-Tiger Pill

Back at the dormitory, Mo Yun pushed open the door and looked at the empty room. For a moment, he found himself unaccustomed to it.

Usually, when he returned from work, Xiao Liu would already be lying in bed, groaning about his aching back.

Tang Yin would be fiddling with his few accessories in front of the bronze mirror.

Han Tang would usually be reading beneath the lamp, while Tie Zhu washed his feet in silence. Luo Shan spent most of his time leaning in a corner with his eyes closed, and Zhang Qiang often sat on the edge of his bed in a daze.

With all of them crammed together, the room was noisy and bustling, but warm and cozy all the same.

Now he was the only one there, and even the sound of his breathing seemed unusually clear.

"I really do need some getting used to this..."

In his previous life, he had only just finished his college entrance exams when a truck sent him to his next life, before he could even enjoy living.

He had been a day student throughout elementary, middle, and high school, so he had never experienced having roommates.

He had never expected to experience it as a menial worker in this life.

Mo Yun shook his head and put those thoughts aside. He took the thick volume of True Explanations of the Pill Dao from inside his robe, went to the window, and began reading.

The pages were yellowed and worn at the corners, giving off the faint herbal fragrance unique to the Spirit Herb Garden.

He turned the pages one by one, his expression intent.

The opening section laid out the general principles, discussing the origins and development of the Pill Dao.

"The Pill Dao refines the essence of heaven and earth, transforms the spiritual vitality of plants, and gathers it into pills. Consuming them can strengthen the body, prolong life, and advance cultivation..."

Mo Yun read silently, his brows gradually furrowing.

The book was far more profound than he had imagined.

After the general principles came a section on basic medicinal theory, covering the characteristics and medicinal properties of various spirit herbs, and how they complemented or counteracted one another.

Lingzhi, for instance, was warming in nature, replenished qi and nourished blood, and worked in mutual reinforcement with ginseng.

Snow lotus was cold in nature, cleared heat and purged toxins, and conflicted with Fire Spirit Fruit.

Blood-Stopping Grass preferred shade and had to be harvested before the morning dew dried...

The content was complicated, with countless entries, and many points received only a brief mention, leaving readers to comprehend and appreciate them on their own.

Mo Yun's head felt swollen from reading, and his temples throbbed.

"No wonder Zhou Bo said he hadn't gained much after studying it for over thirty years. This book is way too difficult!"

He rubbed his temples and shook his head with a wry smile.

Still, he did not lose heart and continued reading.

As he studied bit by bit, he noticed the pale blue Virtual Panel in his mind flicker slightly, as though it were recording something.

Mo Yun's expression sharpened, and he broke into a grin.

"The panel can record martial arts, and it can record skills like the Pill Dao too. Anything I master stays mastered, just the same. As long as I keep studying, I can improve little by little.

"In other words, as long as I'm willing to put in the time, I'll eventually make something of it!"

Mo Yun took a deep breath and continued studying.

An hour later, he closed the book and rubbed his sore eyes.

True Explanations of the Pill Dao was indeed profound. An hour of reading had left him dizzy and muddleheaded. He understood most of its contents only vaguely, and had truly grasped very little.

"This is just too hard..." Mo Yun stared speechlessly at the ceiling.

"At this rate, if I rely on figuring it out myself, who knows what year of the monkey and month of the horse it'll be before I get anywhere with the Pill Dao."

After some thought, he picked up the notebook Liu Niang had given him.

The notebook was much thinner than True Explanations of the Pill Dao. It had a kraft paper cover, and the handwriting inside was neat and graceful, clearly written with care.

He opened the first page and read, "For beginners in the Pill Dao, the foundations come first. Without understanding medicinal properties, controlling the heat, or knowing the airflow vents, one cannot produce a pill..."

After turning several pages in succession, Mo Yun's eyes lit up.

"This is good. Simple and easy to understand!"

He continued reading.

The notebook's contents were much simpler than True Explanations of the Pill Dao. Many points were explained in great detail, even with illustrations, such as how to distinguish good lingzhi from bad, how to judge the right time to harvest Blood-Stopping Grass, and how to process snow lotus flowers.

Most importantly, the notebook contained many of Liu Niang's own insights. For instance, Fire Spirit Fruit liked heat and feared cold. Its roots had to be kept warm during transplanting, or it would inevitably wither within three days.

Snow spirit flowers were delicate, and water must not touch their leaves when watering them, or they would rot.

These were all lessons learned through practice, and they were extremely useful.

Mo Yun became increasingly engrossed, and another hour passed before he knew it.

By the time he closed the notebook, his knowledge of the Pill Dao had become much clearer.

By consulting Liu Niang's notes, he could actually begin making sense of many passages in True Explanations of the Pill Dao that he had not understood before.

"Liu Niang's notebook is practically a beginner's guide to True Explanations of the Pill Dao!"

Mo Yun reckoned that Liu Niang had learned all her Pill Dao skills from Zhou Bo as well.

His expression settled, and he summoned the panel.

[Special ability: Pill Dao (not yet initiated)]

The words "not yet initiated" still glowed faintly, but seemed a little brighter than before.

"It's working!" Mo Yun grinned.

"So if I study the notebook together with True Explanations of the Pill Dao, it won't take too long to get started?"

Soon, however, he calmed down.

He remembered Liu Niang's warning not to let the Pill Dao interfere with his martial cultivation.

"This world is too dangerous. My priority is still to improve my martial strength as quickly as possible. The Pill Dao can wait for now."

Mo Yun weighed the pros and cons and soon made his decision.

"I'll set aside two to four hours each day outside martial practice to study the Pill Dao. I'll treat it as balancing work and rest!

"After all, constant martial practice can get tedious. Giving my mind a change of pace might actually make me more efficient!"

With that thought, he put away True Explanations of the Pill Dao and the notebook, then rose and left the dormitory.

It was still early, and the sunlight was bright.

Mo Yun walked to the open ground in front of the dormitory, loosened up his muscles and joints, then assumed his fighting posture and began practicing the Nameless Fist Technique.

He had practiced this testing technique he had learned from Commander Li for nearly two months, and already knew it by heart.

But today, the moment he began, he felt a difference.

Ever since his Tiger-Crouching Fist had broken through to minor accomplishment and his Tiger-Crouching Stance had caught up, his understanding of this fist technique had deepened another level.

Every punch flowed with a sense of seamless harmony, as though the technique had become part of his body. He could execute it naturally, without needing to think.

"I'm not far from a breakthrough!"

[Nameless Fist Technique (minor accomplishment)]

"I wonder how much energy the Nameless Fist Technique will give the White Mark once it breaks through to solid proficiency..."

Delight surged through Mo Yun, and he put even more effort into his movements.

Once, twice, three times...

Sweat soon soaked his clothes, but he showed no intention of stopping.

During his fourth repetition, something seemed to occur to him, and he abruptly stopped.

"I nearly forgot the Dragon-Tiger Pill!"

Mo Yun let out a heavy breath of stale air, focused his mind, and took two porcelain bottles from inside his robe.

One held Qi-Blood Pills that gleamed crimson; the other held uniformly milky-white Dragon-Tiger Pills.

Commander Li had said that Dragon-Tiger Pills were potent. He had to wait until his Stance Training reached minor accomplishment and his cultivation formally entered the middle stage of Bright Force before taking them.

Now his Stance Training had broken through, and his cultivation had reached the middle stage of Bright Force. It was time to begin tempering his sinews and bones, making this the perfect moment to take a Dragon-Tiger Pill.

"I'll take a Qi-Blood Pill first, then a Dragon-Tiger Pill, and see how they work."