(Bonus Chapter-Please Vote with Monthly Pass) Compared to Me, Han Li's Cultivation Speed Was Like a Snail
The night grew deeper.
Inside the side room, Fang Yu's figure was faintly visible in the dim, flickering candlelight and the spiritual light emanating from the five Foundation Establishment Pills.
His fingertips shimmered with light, his expression more focused than ever before.
Beneath the open, ancient bronze cauldron, flames of spiritual energy burned silently, radiating a scorching yet stable aura.
Inside the cauldron, the Spirit Herb began to ooze juice under the unseen high temperature, emitting a faint "sizzling" sound. The strange medicinal fragrance mixed with the unique smell of the sow permeated the small room, creating an indescribable atmosphere.
On the heavy bronze cauldron, the sow, used as a living lid, seemed to sense the rising energy inside and the warmth emanating from beneath her rear. Her initial fear and struggles gradually subsided, leaving only weak grunts. Her belly rose and fell with her breath, strangely conforming to the cauldron's opening, maintaining a delicate balance.
The Spirit Fire beneath the cauldron leaped under Fang Yu's precise control, sometimes blazing like the sun, sometimes warm like water.
Inside the cauldron, the essence of various Spirit Herb began to slowly fuse and react under the guidance of the high temperature and the spiritual power injected by Fang Yu.
A more powerful and purer wave of medicinal power began to brew, like a dormant volcano slowly accumulating strength.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Fang Yu's forehead as he focused intently, strictly following every subtle instruction that Laojun continuously gave in his mind. "Increase the firepower of the Qian position by 30%, and slow down the withdrawal of the Li position. Add the herbs from the Dui position now, enveloping them with the spiritual power of the Zhen position."
Time passed little by little.
The five Foundation Establishment Pills on the table still shone brightly, as if silently watching this extraordinary "alchemy" process.
The sound of the medicinal liquid churning inside the cauldron gradually became viscous and muffled. Each boil was accompanied by a burst of rich, exotic fragrance that was almost overwhelming, but most of it was blocked by the huge body of the sow above, and could only seep out in wisps through the gaps.
The sow seemed to be somewhat dazed by the constantly rising heat and increasingly intense strange energy; her grunts became low and intermittent, and her eyelids began to droop.
At a certain moment, when Fang Yu put the last main ingredient—the fifty-year-old "Spirit Condensing Flower" that he had "picked up" at the auction—into the cauldron, a strange change occurred!
The thick walls of the cauldron instantly turned crimson and scorching hot. A violent energy far exceeding the previous levels, along with a blinding blood-gold light, mixed with thick medicinal mist, erupted violently from the only gap at the mouth of the cauldron, from the edge where the sow's fat body was not completely pressed against the cauldron's rim!
"Awooo—!!!"
The sow, who was originally drowsy, was suddenly turned upside down by this sudden change, as if boiling oil had been poured over her head, and let out a heart-wrenching, heart-wrenching scream!
Its massive body, covering the mouth of the cauldron, was violently lifted upwards by this terrifying impact. The thick pigskin and fat made a chilling "sizzle" sound the moment they came into contact with the hot and violent energy flow, and a strange smell mixed with the aroma of burnt meat and strange medicine instantly filled the entire room!
Fang Yu was jolted by the sudden Havok of the explosion, and staggered back two steps before regaining his balance.
He didn't bother wiping the ashes off his face. He suddenly looked up and stared intently at the violently trembling, red- Branding Iron bronze cauldron, and the large sow at the mouth of the cauldron, screaming in agony and with her skin torn open by the violent energy flow, but unable to be completely blown away because of her size.
Amidst the swirling smoke, countless dazzling golden-red patterns seemed to be frantically roaming, colliding, and merging inside the bronze cauldron. A terrifyingly immense pressure, accompanied by indescribable and powerful medicinal force, surged and leaked from the small opening, impacting the walls of the simple room and emitting a buzzing echo.
"Did it work? Or did it explode?!" Fang Yu's heart jumped into his throat, his voice hoarse with uncertainty.
Laojun said speechlessly, "Why don't you take a look at the pig first?"
Fang Yu casually cast a Medical Ninjutsu on the sow, then lifted her off the cauldron. Under the pig's resentful gaze, he looked into the cauldron with a feeling of unease.
Inside the bronze cauldron, where smoke and Golden Light intertwined, the raging energy flow finally subsided.
At the center of the cauldron, a perfectly round golden pill, the size of a longan, floated quietly!
Its surface was covered with a liquid Golden Light that seemed to be real. The mysterious patterns moved around on their own as if they were alive. Every time the golden patterns flashed, they brought out layers of visible spiritual energy ripples that spread outward, making the simple side room look like a sacred temple. The air was filled with indescribable, magnificent Daoist essence and pure medicinal fragrance.
"The pill is complete!" Fang Yu's spirits soared, all fatigue vanished, and his eyes blazed with a light even more intense than the golden pill itself. He reached into the cauldron and grabbed at it, "Let me taste this!"
"Wait!" Laojun's voice was like a bucket of cold water, instantly stopping his recklessness. "The elixir fire has just extinguished, the medicinal properties are not yet solidified, and the spiritual essence is still circulating in the cauldron. To forcibly take it now is like snatching chestnuts from a fire. At best, the medicinal power will be greatly damaged; at worst, the elixir will crack and the spiritual essence will dissipate! Let it rest for a moment and wait for it to 'settle and return to its origin'!"
"How long is 'a moment'?!" Fang Yu was like a gourmand with a mouthful of food, looking at a Manchu Han Imperial Feast but unable to touch his chopsticks, so anxious that he scratched his head and cheeks.
He paced back and forth around the bronze cauldron that was still radiating warmth, his eyes fixed on the tempting golden elixir.
Beside the bed, the large sow, whose skin had been scalded and was being slowly repaired by Medical Ninjutsu, whimpered weakly, adding to the absurd anxiety.
Time seemed to stretch out.
He would squat down to count the ants in the cracks between the bricks, then lean close to the cauldron to inhale the increasingly rich aroma of the elixir, muttering to himself, "Three minutes, five minutes, ten minutes."
After what felt like an eternity, fifteen minutes passed before Laojun finally relented. "The time is right, the medicinal properties are perfected, take the elixir!"
Fang Yu made a lightning-fast move, carefully picking up the warm golden pill with his fingertips.
Golden Core Acquired!
A strange and gentle warmth instantly spread from my fingertips to my whole body, as if I were holding a miniature sun, but without any burning sensation, only a wonderful feeling of complete comfort and relaxed blood circulation.
The pill itself was heavy, with a warm and smooth texture like jade, and the golden light flowing on its surface seemed to breathe gently with his pulse.
"What a treasure! This is the Golden Core?" Fang Yu examined it with great interest, his eyes filled with wonder.
"Not bad." Laojun's voice carried a hint of pride. "After taking this pill, the vast golden essence and fragments of the Great Dao Law contained within will be enough to help you connect the Tenchi Bridge and condense the Great Dao Golden Core! According to the cultivation path of this world, you can skip the Foundation Establishment threshold from the Qi Refining Stage and directly reach the Core Formation stage! Of course, they cannot see the profound foundation in you, so they will temporarily call it Core Formation."
Fang Yu, however, astutely grasped the key point. "Wait, what do you mean they can't see my deep foundation? What foundation do I have?"
Laojun seemed to have anticipated his question and explained in an extremely simple way, "To give you an example, when you play that game, your character's experience bar has already filled up with 99,999,999 experience points, but if you want to continue leveling up, you need to gain 1 point of experience n times in order to break through the current level one by one."
Fang Yu seemed to be deep in thought, Laojun said again:
"To put it simply, they can only see that you are currently at level Grade 3, but they don't know that you have already gained enough experience to support you to reach level two hundred. Do you understand? What you lack is a breakthrough, not experience."
Fang Yu was momentarily dazed, then said stubbornly, "Actually, you're not Laojun at all. You're just an old otaku who tricked me, right?"