The moonlight still shone on the stone steps; Feng Lingtian hadn't moved an inch.
He had been flipping to the page about the Mist Concealment Grass in his journal for a while, but while his eyes were fixed on the page, his mind wasn't on the medicinal properties. Three days—he wasn't just saying that offhand.
Back when he was watching Su Mei'er and Lu Qing play a doubles match in the Soul Fighting Arena, Feng Lingtian had thought about this question: If there were a pill that could temporarily change the user's Martial Soul characteristics, Soul Skill color, and even Soul Power aura, then no one would be able to deduce their true identity based on these clues. At that time, it was just a thought. Now that Feng Xiaotian had formally presented this question to him, the thought should become a reality.
Feng Lingtian bit open the cap of the charcoal pencil and laid out his thoughts on the blank page of his journal. Mist Concealment Grass as a base to blur the aura of Soul Power —he already possessed this herb. Form Transformation Grass to shift the aura and appearance of the Martial Soul — Dugu Bo should have this herb. Theoretically, the combination of these two herbs could solve the problem of disguising the Martial Soul and aura.
However, there were two problems he couldn't solve immediately.
First, the properties of the Mist Concealment Grass and the Form Transformation Grass are incompatible, so something is needed to harmonize them.
Second, physique. Even if the Martial Soul changes but the height and body shape remain the same, the person can still be recognized.
Feng Lingtian circled the two questions in his notebook and closed it. He wanted to go find Dugu Bo immediately, but when he looked at the sky, he realized it was already very late and he shouldn't disturb him. He had no choice but to suppress his urgency and lean against the stone steps to review the ideas he had previously conceived.
As I pondered, my eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and I drifted off to sleep. The journal slipped from my knees and lay open on the floor, the morning breeze gently turning its pages.
Before long, dawn broke. Sunlight shone on the stone steps of the training ground, waking Feng Lingtian from the light. He stood up abruptly, and after regaining his senses, he ran towards Dugu Bo's courtyard at the foot of the back mountain.
The courtyard was specially arranged for Dugu Bo by the academy. When Feng Lingtian ran over, Dugu Bo was squatting in the corner pulling weeds. After hearing Feng Lingtian's purpose, he raised his eyelids. " Illusory Form Pill? You dare to dream of it." After saying that, he threw the herb in his hand into the bamboo basket next to him, stood up, and patted the mud off his knees. "Come with me."
Dugu Bo led him into a small hut on one side of the courtyard, took three boxes from a shelf, and placed them in front of Feng Lingtian. " Form Transformation Grass. Combined with your Mist Concealment Grass, it can solve the problems with your Martial Soul and Aura." He opened the first box, "But these two herbs clash, so you need this— Illusory Heart Grass. It's neutral to slightly cooling in nature, specifically used to harmonize them."
Feng Lingtian took the Form Transformation Grass and the Illusory Heart Grass, but didn't leave. He held the two boxes in his hands, stood there, his gaze still fixed on the densely packed labels of the medicines, his lips moved slightly but then he pursed them.
Dugu Bo glanced at him, but didn't urge him. He slowly gathered the weeds in the bamboo basket to one side. After waiting a few moments, seeing that Feng Lingtian was still standing still, he finally spoke, "Any more questions?"
"We also need to address the issue of body shape," Feng Lingtian said. "If our height and build don't change, we'll still be recognized."
Dugu Bo paused for a moment, then took a small wooden box from the shelf, inside which lay several dark yellow dried flowers. " Bone Shaping Flower. It can cause subtle deformations in bones within a short time. When combined with Illusory Heart Grass, its effects can extend from localized bones to the entire body—it can increase height or decrease it, depending on your dosage." He then held up a finger. "The pharmacological chain of the four herbs is much more complex than that of the three. Bone Shaping Flower is potent, Mist Concealment Grass is mild, and Illusory Heart Grass and Form Transformation Grass balance both ends in the middle. You need to control the dosage ratio yourself."
Feng Lingtian hugged the three boxes to his chest and nodded vigorously. "Thank you. Without you, these two questions alone would have kept me stuck for days." Dugu Bo waved his hand, turned around, and continued to squat back in the corner to pull weeds.
From that day on, Feng Lingtian repeatedly tested the proportions in the hut. The first pill he refined was a burnt, grayish-black color, and nothing changed after swallowing it—the dosage of the Bone Shaping Flower was too low. The second time, he increased the Bone Shaping Flower to one part, and the Soul Power aura changed, but it was inconsistent in strength. His body changed less than half an inch before bouncing back. The third time, he adjusted the catalytic temperature, using his Soul Power to envelop the medicinal materials and slowly heat them up. The four kinds of medicinal powder gradually melted into a bright green liquid, which, after solidifying, resembled a peeled green bean.
He swallowed the pill in front of the mirror. Three breaths later, the person in the mirror began to change—he grew two inches taller, his shoulders broadened by half a hand, and his overall appearance became three or four years older. He released his Soul Power, Peregrine Falcon Martial Soul appeared behind him, its feathers changing from bluish-gray to dark brown, and its falcon-like outline becoming much more rugged.
It's done.
He refined another batch, producing six emerald green pills, each one translucent, and then ran towards the training ground.
On the training field, Feng Xiaotian finished recounting the training situation of the past two days. Zhong Yue and Shi Yan had done extra practice on the connection of the defensive line, and several details of the Defensive Counterattack Formation were scrutinized one by one: Zhong Yue's tortoise shell rotation speed was half a beat faster, Shi Yan's bell shield center of gravity was prone to being too far back, and the gap between the two left a half-step vulnerability.
"However, this isn't something that can be fixed in a day or two," Feng Xiaotian said. "Once Lingtian's pills are refined and he enters the Soul Fighting Arena, we'll continue to hone his skills in actual combat."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the door to the training ground was pushed open.
Feng Lingtian stood at the door. He hadn't slept much for three days; his hair was a mess, and there were two dark circles under his eyes, but his eyes were surprisingly bright. He opened his palm, revealing six emerald green pills. "Success! This batch yielded six—who wants to try first?"
"I'll try!" "Let me try!" The training ground erupted in cheers.
Feng Xiaotian raised his hand to suppress the noise, his gaze sweeping over everyone before he spoke after a moment, " Su Mei'er, Ji Ning, Zhong Yue, Bai Yu, Su Ran, and me. Let's try first."
After selecting the six people, he explained, "Su Meier is a control type, Ji Ning is an agile attacker focusing on short-range attacks and quick escape, Zhong Yue is a defender, Bai Yu is a support, Su Ran is a food type, and I'm a strong attacker. Five roles plus one food type, that's enough coverage. If there are no problems, Ling Tian will expedite the refining of the rest tonight, and the whole team will take the pills tomorrow."
"If there are no problems, Lingtian, finish refining the rest tonight as an extra effort, and the whole team will take the pills tomorrow." Feng Xiaotian finished speaking and glanced at Feng Lingtian. "Only refine one batch tonight, and go to sleep immediately after you're done."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Su Ran added from the side, "Right, we'll come pick it up tomorrow morning. Vice Captain, don't stay up until dawn again." Feng Lingtian smiled and distributed the six pills to the six people.
After distributing the medicine, Feng Lingtian added, "After swallowing it, activate your Soul Power to let the medicinal properties circulate throughout your body's meridians."
The first to change was Su Mei'er. She activated her Soul Power, and the phantom of the Wind-Winged Spirit Fox appeared behind her—only one of its nine tails remained, its fur, which had been a mix of blue, purple, and red, had turned into a uniform light blue, and it had become shorter and its slender figure had become rounder.
"Nine tails turned into one, and even the size has shrunk." Su Mei'er looked down at herself and couldn't help but laugh. "It's so hard to get used to." She tried to release her first Soul Skill, Wind Lightning Chain flew out from her side—the lightning arc disappeared, and it turned into a pure Wind Attribute chain, but from the appearance, it was just an ordinary Wind Attribute Control System Soul Skill.
Su Ran circled around Su Mei'er, clicking his tongue in amazement. "Sister, you've really gotten so much shorter." Su Mei'er rolled her eyes at him, a slight smile playing on her lips.
Feng Lingtian was taken aback.
Su Ran calls Su Mei'er "sister"?
He looked at Su Ran, then at Su Mei'er, his mouth slightly open, as if he wanted to ask something but ultimately didn't.