Meridian-Opening Pill

Biodata

Appearance

• Shape and texture: Round, ivory-colored, and smooth as jade 3.
• Fragrance: Opening its box releases a scent that refreshes Yu Bu'e’s mind and lifts his spirits; the fragrance is also noticeable when he wears the pills at school 3 4.
• Packaging: Each initial prize-wheel pill appears in an identical small square box with golden lining 3.
• Distinctive holes: Yu Bu'e pierces pills with a needle and threads them into a necklace. These holes later become a recognizable feature of pills supplied by him—not an inherent feature of Meridian-Opening Pills 4 26 44.

Abilities & Effects

Spirit Meridian Opening

The pill helps martial artists open spirit meridians, with results varying between recipients and pill quality 3 8 49.

• Yu Bu'e’s pill dissolves immediately in his mouth into a warm, sweet liquid; chewing is unnecessary 3.
• Its warmth moves through his chest and lower dantian before spreading through his meridians and limbs 3.
• Successive openings occur over time rather than all at once: Yu Bu'e opens his ninth meridian first, his tenth roughly half an hour later, and his eleventh afterward 3.
• Lingering medicinal effects can continue assisting cultivation after the initial openings 5 19.

Martial Aptitude Improvement

• Yu Bu'e’s system-recorded martial aptitude changes from Unremarkable to Outstanding after consumption 3.
• He expects this improvement to make further Meridian-Opening Fist practice more productive 3.

Usage Limits

• One-time consumption: A person can take a Meridian-Opening Pill only once. Students who already consumed ordinary pills regret being unable to use Yu Bu'e’s superior version 3 25.
• No guaranteed three-meridian result: Talent affects effectiveness, and ordinary pills do not necessarily reproduce the results of Yu Bu'e’s pills 8 49.
• Not a Qi Refining cultivation method: Opening twelve meridians allows Yu Bu'e to sense spiritual energy, but he still needs a suitable technique to absorb it 19.
• Unverified claims: Students attribute charm enhancement, lifespan extension, demon-beast-killing ability, and resurrection to the pills. These are rumors, not demonstrated effects; Yu Bu'e rejects the resurrection claim 15.

Acquisition

• A prize-wheel spin costs 1,000 envy points, motivating Yu Bu'e to provoke classmates’ envy before his first acquisition 1.
• His first eight draws all produce Meridian-Opening Pills, leaving him with more than he can personally use 3.
• A later drawing session produces five more pills before the sixth spin lands on the Weapons section, disproving his suspicion that the wheel only awards pills 17.
• He obtains another three after rumors spread about Chen Jiliao’s unsuccessful purchase offer 28.
• Conventional Meridian-Opening Pills are commercially available, and Elder Guan can refine them himself; Guan Jinchu is therefore puzzled by his interest in Yu Bu'e’s supply 26 31.

Market Value

Prices vary considerably. Yu Bu'e explicitly recognizes that the inflated result of his classroom auction does not establish a fixed value for every pill he owns 20.

Story Role

School Displays and Auction

Yu Bu'e initially seeks a pill to improve his chances of qualifying for the Martial Arts Academy. After consuming one, he photographs his remaining supply for WeChat Moments, then wears eight threaded pills to school to generate jealousy points. The necklace alone earns him more than two thousand points before Luo Feixuan arrives with breakfast 1 3 4 5.

News that one pill opened three of his meridians turns him into a persuasive advertisement for his own stock. Students crowd outside his classroom seeking medicine, leading him to announce a one-pill auction. The event also makes the apparent value of his necklace much more striking to classmates 11 12 20.

Chen Family Dispute

Tang Zhifeng seeks the same exceptional pills used by the Zhao and Chen families for his grandson. Luo Feixuan uses access to this supply as leverage against Chen Qiao, demanding ten percent of the Chen Corporation’s shares rather than accepting his offers of money or a smaller stake 19 20.

Tang rejects Chen Jiliao’s expensive substitute because it lacks the small hole associated with Yu Bu'e’s pills. After Yu Bu'e refuses to sell to Chen Jiliao, Luo Feixuan arranges protection for him, while Chen Qiao orders his son to obtain a pill by any means 26 27 28.

Helping Gu Ming’s Family

Yu Bu'e wants to help Gu Ming, who supported him after his family’s loss, but believes his teacher would refuse a direct gift. Luo Feixuan instead arranges for Manager Wang to sell Yu Bu'e’s prepared pill to Gu Ming for his son, Gu Muchen 29 42 43.

At home, Gu Ming recognizes the significance of the hole through the pill and chooses not to investigate further. Remembering how Yu Bu'e handles his pill necklace, he asks Gu Muchen to wash it before taking it 44.

Brilliant Star Pavilion Appraisal

Yu Bu'e presents eight pills for barter at the Brilliant Star Pavilion auction. Uncle Zhao offers to buy the entire supply, while other guests rush to secure some for their own relatives 49.

Zhang Qiaosheng sees the pills as a way to attract high-end customers and raise the Pavilion’s standing: even its best existing stock cannot reliably give people of mediocre talent three or four new meridians at once. Elder Guan’s subsequent immortal-grade appraisal strengthens their prestige, although he declines to assign an exact rank 49 50.

Trivia

• Tang Zhifeng assumes the holes must have a deeper purpose and laughs at the idea that anyone would drill them merely to wear the pills around their neck—the exact reason Yu Bu'e made them 4 26.
• The suggestion that the holes are an anti-counterfeiting measure comes from Tang’s companion; it is speculation, not their actual purpose 26.
• Wu Yang jokingly calls Yu Bu'e’s version a “Supreme Immortal Pill” before Elder Guan formally appraises it as immortal grade 25 50.