[Sloth]

"Senior, I'll take this book back with me, then." Fang Hong closed the silk book and said, "I was quite fond of studying fate analysis before I transmigrated. This will give me something to look through when I get back."

"Just don't become so absorbed that you neglect your cultivation."

Rogue Person Xuanyin said casually, "If you can learn even a fraction of this and read a person's Fate-Chart Divine Baleful, you'll benefit from it for the rest of your life."

Fang Hong nodded obediently, then asked curiously, "When I practice, would a high-level cultivator notice if I examined their Fate-Chart Divine Baleful? If they discovered me, that would be troublesome."

"Don't practice on Golden Core or Nascent Soul Cultivators," Rogue Person Xuanyin warned. "Examining Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators should be fine."

"I understand."

Fang Hong put away the silk book.

Rogue Person Xuanyin paused, his gaze shifting. "Speaking of which, if you really do learn to read people's Fate-Chart Divine Baleful, remember to find me a disciple. Ideally, their chart should have 'Robbery Sha, Great Depletion, Heavenly Canopy Configuration, and Heavenly Yi Noble.'"

Three inauspicious stars and one auspicious one? Why would he want a fate chart like that?

Fang Hong was somewhat puzzled, but he did not ask further, merely nodding in agreement.

The two chatted a while longer. Only then did Fang Hong learn that Rogue Person Xuanyin had happened to discover him while visiting the Shangqing Sect to abduct disciples that day. He had then substituted the plum tree for the peach, disguising himself as Fang Qing and slipping into the Fang family's party.

During that time, he had also sneaked into the Shangqing Sect unnoticed to "gather inspiration," painting their Golden Core elder Zhu Yan as the "cover girl" of that issue of his "Romantic Painting Album."

His conversation revealed a witty, humorous, and irreverent nature. Without the slightest airs of a mighty Golden Core cultivator, he came across as an easygoing, plump middle-aged man.

Yet Fang Cheng did not dare underestimate him in the slightest.

Someone who could casually sneak into the Shangqing Sect to peep at a Golden Core elder, then abduct a group of newly admitted disciples right before its assembled experts, had to possess some genuine ability.

Moreover, according to Chai Hongzhou, this Elder Jin's Dao companion was Feng Shuyue, who ranked fourth on the Golden Core Rankings!

As a transmigrator, surely he couldn't be doing worse than his own woman?

After they had chatted for a while, Fang Hong tactfully rose to take his leave.

Rogue Person Xuanyin asked as though joking, "Little Fang, why don't you become my disciple after you reach Foundation Establishment?"

"Sure." Fang Hong agreed at once.

Within the Yin-Yang Sect, only personal disciples were eligible to take Golden Core elders as their masters. When inner and outer disciples encountered cultivation problems, they could only seek advice from True Disciples.

Rogue Person Xuanyin picked up his brush and rose to paint again, waving a hand. "Off you go. Remember to come to me if anything comes up."

Fang Hong acknowledged him, bade him farewell, and left.

A moment later, Rogue Person Xuanyin set down his brush and studied his new work with satisfaction, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.

On the paper was a portrait of Fang Hong.

North Island of the Yin-Yang Sect.

Inside the white jade tower.

After Fang Hong and Su Yao returned, she took out the Dao Enlightenment Flower, and the two began studying their newly acquired inheritances together.

On the way back, Su Yao had asked why the master of the Teaching Hall had wanted to see him. Fang Hong had merely mentioned that the man had once impersonated Fang Qing, brushing past the matter with a brief explanation.

With the Dao Enlightenment Flower's assistance, he gained an initial grasp of the Qi Refining cultivation method in the general principles of the Black Water True Explanation in less than two days.

The azure sea magical power within him began transforming into netherworld heavy water magical power, its spiritual radiance shifting from brilliant azure to a somber, deep black.

Once he mastered this method, his aura took on something of an abyss's depth and boundlessness.

The Black Water True Explanation was extremely domineering. Less than three days after he mastered it, all the original azure sea magical power in his sea of qi had been converted.

Within his sea of qi, forty-nine drops of netherworld heavy water formed a somber, deep-black stream that flowed with a gentle burble.

The magical power cultivated through the Azure Sea Mysterious Art was lower earth-grade. Converting it into middle heaven-grade magical power inevitably entailed some loss.

After this round of cultivation, Fang Hong's cultivation had fallen back to the fourth level of Qi Refining.

Fortunately, he had quite a few spiritual pills that increased magical power.

Coupled with practicing Dragon-Phoenix Guidance with Su Yao from time to time and drawing on its ability to turn spiritual energy into rain, he refined another three drops of netherworld heavy water in just a few days, restoring his cultivation to the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining.

At this rate, I'll recover my magical power at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer in less than half a month!

After all, he had already expanded his sea of qi when he first broke through to the Qi Refining Sixth Layer. Cultivating anew this time merely meant replenishing his magical power.

Besides, his affection with Su Yao had deepened day by day. The two clung together like glue, utterly wrapped up in each other. Cultivation felt anything but tedious; instead, they delighted in it without tiring.

That day, after a thoroughly satisfying session of cultivation, Fang Hong went alone to sit quietly in an elegant room in the tower.

Su Yao knew that after each cultivation session, he liked to empty his mind and practice Contemplative Meditation. Thus, she neither disturbed him nor asked unnecessary questions, considerately leaving him space to be alone.

What Fang Hong was pondering at that moment, however, was the [Kunxu Company Canghuan Molecular Laboratory "Seven Great Medicines" Results Summary Report].

Since returning from the Teaching Hall that day, he had read the report no fewer than several dozen times.

The so-called [Seven Great Medicines] were seven formulations developed by the Kunxu Company to help transmigrators cultivate.

The first formulation could greatly strengthen a cultivator's physical body. Its code name was [Gluttony].

The second formulation could greatly strengthen a cultivator's Divine Sense. Its code name was [Pride].

The third formulation could greatly strengthen magical power. Its code name was [Greed].

The fourth formulation could evolve the genes of myriad beasts, allowing cultivators to temporarily transform into ferocious beasts. Its code name was [Wrath].

The fifth formulation could improve a cultivator's spiritual meridian aptitude and enhance their cultivation talent. Its code name was [Sloth].

The sixth formulation could temporarily amplify the effects of Auspicious Deities in a cultivator's fate chart, improving their fortune. Its code name was [Envy].

The seventh formulation came in two components, primary and secondary. Anyone who took the "secondary formulation" would develop fanatical adoration and unconditional obedience toward whoever took the "primary formulation." Its code name was [Lust].

The report detailed the preparation and synthesis methods for the Seven Great Medicines.

These seven formulations each had five grades, corresponding to the five cultivation realms of Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Spirit Transformation.

The report explicitly warned that extensive experiments had demonstrated a ninety percent chance of bodily collapse and the dispersal of the soul if someone took a formulation beyond their realm!

Although the formulations' effects were largely similar, their synthesis difficulty and spiritual material requirements differed by grade.

For the most basic first-grade formulations, one only needed to extract the required constituent mixtures from various spiritual plants, demonic beasts, and natural spiritual treasures in the cultivation world, then synthesize them.

Second-grade formulations required splicing and modifying the molecules of various raw ingredients, linking them together repeatedly to synthesize the target formulation's molecules.

The report also contained extensive experimental data comparing the medicinal effects of some of the Seven Great Medicines with similar spiritual pills from the cultivation world.

At the same grade, the Seven Great Medicines were more than ten times stronger than spiritual pills with comparable effects.

Moreover, they lacked the "pill toxin" side effects of traditional spiritual pills and were perfectly compatible with every type of cultivation art.

As for the last two formulations, [Envy] and [Lust], there was simply nothing comparable in the cultivation world.

Spiritual pills like [Sloth], which could improve someone's innate spiritual meridian aptitude, were extraordinarily rare in the cultivation world. Every one was refined from heaven-defying natural spiritual treasures, obtainable only through chance, not pursuit.

Yet here at the Kunxu Company, they had become formulations that could be mass-produced.

As expected of a company that dared to harvest the Golden Cores, Nascent Souls, and fate stars of this world's cultivators on a massive scale...

Fang Hong could almost imagine how the Kunxu Company's transmigrators must have found vast numbers of native cultivators for clinical trials when developing these Seven Great Medicines.

What exactly were these transmigrators pursuing, to be so insane?

He was baffled.

I still need to make proper preparations for the Seven Great Medicines. In particular, I need to put the [Sloth] formulation on the agenda as soon as possible.

Without a doubt, the [Sloth] formulation, capable of improving spiritual meridians and enhancing cultivation aptitude, was what he needed most at present.