Zhang Tie had just filled two buckets beneath the waterfall and hoisted the carrying pole onto his shoulder when he saw Chen Ming rushing over along the mountain path.
"Master, you-"
Before Zhang Tie could finish, Chen Ming planted a foot on a blue-gray rock by the bank and launched himself into the air, straight toward the pool.
A series of crackling explosions burst from within him in midair, as though something were detonating inside his body. A foul, fishy stench spread through the air.
Splash!
Water sprayed everywhere. Chen Ming plunged headfirst into the deep pool and did not surface for a long while. A layer of thick, black impurities gradually floated to the surface, spreading outward in wispy strands.
Zhang Tie stood rooted to the spot, the carrying pole pressing against his shoulder, not daring to move.
Zhang Tie was not particularly bright, but he had lived long enough to understand one thing: do not look at what you should not see, and do not ask what you should not know.
Zhang Tie shouldered his buckets, lowered his head, and hurried up the mountain. His steps were three times faster than on the way down.
Chen Ming sat cross-legged on a rock at the bottom of the pool, his eyes closed, letting the water wash over his body.
The Pseudo-Spirit Root Pill was more potent than he had expected. When he swallowed it, he had felt only a slight warmth. A quarter of an hour later, however, his insides had felt like a boiling pot. Something churned through his meridians, forcing a layer of black grime out of his body. He had no time to return to his room and could only jump straight into the pool to expel it.
It was much better now. The heat had receded, replaced by an unprecedented clarity-he could sense that the spiritual energy in the water was denser than on the bank. This was the fake spiritual root at work.
Underwater, Chen Ming tried drawing in energy according to the method in his memories. It was the "Evergreen Technique" that Doctor Mo had hidden in a secret compartment in his bookshelf.
Chen Ming circulated it along the correct route. A thread of cool energy seeped through his fingertips and slowly sank along his meridians. It was slow, like droplets wearing through stone. But he truly felt it-spiritual energy had entered his body.
Unfortunately, the amount was far too small for a breakthrough.
Chen Ming emerged from the water and climbed onto the bank. With no one around, he used his lightness skill to dart back to his quarters, dripping wet.
In front of the wooden cabin, Zhang Tie was sweeping with a broom. The sound of something cutting through the air behind him startled him so badly that he dropped it.
"N-no! I didn't see anything!" Zhang Tie kept his head lowered, his voice trembling.
With a grim expression, Chen Ming walked a circle around him. Water dripped from his hair, spreading into a wet patch on the floor.
"It had better stay that way." Chen Ming's voice was cold as a blade. "If I hear so much as a whisper-"
Chen Ming did not finish, but Zhang Tie shuddered all over and nodded frantically.
Chen Ming went inside and changed into dry clothes, then came back out to sit on a stool in the herb garden.
The system panel.
[Identity] Mo Juren (human) [Martial cultivation] First level of the Xiantian Realm [Immortal cultivation] Not yet initiated [Spiritual root] Fake spiritual root [Energy] 2 points
He had a fake spiritual root now, but only two energy points remained. The last draw had used up one point.
He switched to the draw interface. Multicolored segments spun around the wheel, their halos dazzling his eyes.
"Ding. One draw."
The wheel spun for a dozen breaths before stopping on a yellowed sheet of paper.
Obtained: [Qi Refining Pill Formula]
Chen Ming took it out and examined it. It was a handwritten pill formula, neatly penned, detailing the ingredient ratios and refining method for Qi Refining Pills. Strangely, though, the edges of the paper were made of a material he had never seen before, something like beast hide mixed with silkworm silk.
(Far away, in a sealed land overseas tens of thousands of miles distant, the dark figure was frowning. The system he had created had strict limitations-it could not transmit items exceeding its energy level out of thin air. He had plenty of treasures on him, but a junior at the Qi Refining stage could not use them at all. With no other choice, he had scraped a little powder from the surface of an ancient pill, mixed it with dirt, and rolled it into pills. Then he had torn the flyleaf from an ancient book, imprinted the pill formula onto it, and tossed it into the system's transmission channel.)
Chen Ming knew none of this. He only thought the formula had arrived at just the right time.
"Another draw."
"Ding. One draw."
The wheel spun again. This time, it stopped on a black pill flickering with green light.
Obtained: [Qi Gathering Pill] ×1 Effect: Assists in drawing spiritual energy into the body and improves Qi Refining efficiency.
Chen Ming stared at the pitch-black pill with a complicated expression.
Of the three pills produced by the system, he had already soiled his pants twice. The shadow hanging over his mind was enormous.
But immortal cultivation waited for no one. As for Han Li-in the original story, that kid would begin cultivating in secret not long after picking up the little bottle. Chen Ming had to gain the strength to protect himself as soon as possible.
Chen Ming stood, clenched the Qi Gathering Pill in his hand, and headed toward the waterfall again.
This time, he had learned his lesson. Upon reaching the pool, he first removed his outer robe and hung it on a branch. Only after stripping down to his shorts did he put the pill into his mouth.
Bitter. Even more bitter than the Purifying Pill, like chewing a mouthful of goldthread root.
Once the pill entered his stomach, there was no abdominal pain this time. Instead, a fierce surge of heat exploded from his dantian and rampaged through his meridians. Chen Ming gritted his teeth and sat cross-legged in the shallows, guiding that power along the correct route of the Evergreen Technique.
Wherever the heat passed, his meridians felt as though they had widened by an inch. Fresh impurities seeped from his pores and were washed away by the pool water.
But this time, there was no foul stench. Only a faint herbal scent.
After roughly an hour, the heat gradually subsided. Chen Ming opened his eyes.
A faint but unmistakably real cluster of energy rested deep within his dantian, slowly rotating.
Qi Refining first layer.
He opened the panel:
[Martial cultivation] Second innate stage [Immortal cultivation] Qi Refining first layer (early stage)
His martial cultivation had risen by a level as well. The Qi Gathering Pill had not only helped him draw in spiritual energy, but also nourished his muscles and bones.
Chen Ming stood up in the water, feeling as light as though ten pounds of lead had been lifted from his body. He put on his clothes and walked back to his quarters.
Zhang Tie had finished sweeping and was standing helplessly outside the cabin. His eyes lit up at the sight of Chen Ming returning, but he quickly lowered his head again.
Chen Ming was in a good mood today. For the first time, he found the honest, simple-hearted boy much more pleasing to the eye.
"Zhang Tie, come here."
Zhang Tie jogged over and bowed. "Master."
Chen Ming walked to the bookshelf and pulled a thin, yellowed booklet from the third shelf. Its cover bore the words "Through-the-Back Fist."
"A fist technique I practiced in my younger days. It follows a fierce, forceful approach, in the same vein as the Elephant Armor Skill you're learning. Take it and practice."
Zhang Tie accepted the fist manual, his eyes shining brightly enough to give off light. He had practiced the Elephant Armor Skill for two months and was covered in injuries, but no one had ever taught him how to fight. This was more precious than anything else.
"Thank you, Master!" Zhang Tie grinned, revealing a row of white teeth.
"Go on. Come see me once you've mastered it."
As though granted a grand pardon, Zhang Tie ran off clutching the fist manual.
Chen Ming watched him go, his gaze darkening slightly.
In the original story, Zhang Tie had eventually died in a possession experiment. But that was because Doctor Mo needed a vessel, and Zhang Tie's aptitude was insufficient. Now Chen Ming had no need to possess anyone-he had a fake spiritual root, a system, and a path of his own.
Perhaps Zhang Tie's life could be saved.
When Zhang Tie returned to his own room, he found Han Li standing at the door, looking impatient.
"Brother Zhang!" Han Li hurried over upon seeing him and took a small emerald-green bottle from inside his robe. "Do me a favor and open this bottle."
Zhang Tie took the bottle. It was palm-sized, its jade warm and smooth, with a stopper of some unknown material sealing its mouth. He gripped it with both hands, veins bulging and his face turning crimson with effort, but it did not budge.
"I can't open it." Zhang Tie handed the bottle back to Han Li and spread his hands.
Han Li took it with a sigh. "Thanks, Brother Zhang. I'll think of something else."
Han Li turned and walked back, his retreating figure looking a little forlorn.
Zhang Tie watched him disappear into the distance, scratched his head, and went inside to practice his fist technique.
The great banyan's canopy blotted out the sky and sun. Clinging to a horizontal branch with one hand, Chen Ming watched through gaps in the leaves as Han Li entered his little cabin, set the bottle on the table, and stared blankly at it.
The Heaven Palm Bottle, the divine treasure that had changed Han Li's fate in the original story, could hasten the maturation of spiritual herbs and accelerate time. It was Han Li's greatest mainstay on his journey from mortal to supreme sovereign of the immortal realm.
Chen Ming licked his lips. He now had a system, a fake spiritual root, and cultivation at the Qi Refining first layer, but he lacked spirit stones, pills, and resources. If he could get his hands on the Heaven Palm Bottle...
"No hurry," he muttered to himself. "Even Han Li can't open that bottle yet. What's the rush?"
Chen Ming flipped off the tree and landed soundlessly, disappearing into the dusk.