Tracing the Source
The time between Zhang Xuezhou leaving the North Rehe Research Institute and Zhang Xuezhou return to the institute was not long.
In just a day and a half, Zhang Xuezhou had already returned to the research institute.
Ren Anran accompanied him back, while Wang Haoran checked into the Jishi Medical Center and returned to his old room where he had lived for a long time.
It was rare to see Song Fengying put down her live stream, as she adjusted the schedule to align with the committee's youth challenge event.
As for Zhou Rihui, he can only save his ear by getting stitches.
Of all the people, Zhou Rihui was the most unhappy.
Are you planning to make medicine?
Perhaps busy with independent work outside the institute, or perhaps focused on issues in Qing'an, the usual bustling activity at Zhang Xuezhou's research institute had largely subsided, with only Zuo Denggao wandering around.
Zhang Manqian couldn't stand Zuo Denggao wasting so much time, so she beat him up.
After a brief meeting, Ren Anran followed Zhang Xuezhou to the laboratory.
"I'd like to adjust and combine some of the necessary medications," Zhang Xuezhou nodded. "I've also recently become very interested in the Heavenly God General Secret Medicine, and I want to see if I can reduce the negative effects of the medications to maximize the effectiveness of the X864 gene drug!"
"It's definitely better to be prepared for both possibilities!"
Ren Anran nodded.
The Scarlet Alliance State is not without gene-based drugs for mental health, and X432 high-end medical treatment is one of them. However, advancing the development of such gene-based drugs requires countless trials and combinations, and they lag behind the Aomeijia Alliance in this regard.
Zhang Xuezhou brought up the old story again, and many related matters concerning the Heavenly God General Secret Medicine immediately came to Ren Anran's mind.
In the past, they were afraid of being investigated when promoting drug research, but now that Ren Yisheng and others have taken a leading position on the Sequence Committee, the probability of being investigated when promoting their research has been reduced to an extremely low level.
Moreover, Zhang Xuezhou and his team did not need to use people as consumables for drug testing; they had the necessary testing facilities of their own.
Many people can receive the Heavenly God General Secret Medicine by suppressing their pain through the Supreme Purity True Technique.
Zhang Xuezhou was unable to cast spells, Ren Anran could only manage a limited amount, but they still had Zhang Manqian, who possessed the ability to cast spells.
As long as the person receiving the secret drug injection is of a lower level, Zhang Manqian can suppress their pain and complete the injection without causing death.
"Speaking of which, the Heavenly God General Secret Medicine is just like the pills you make; they are both made from plant herbs," Ren Anran said.
"We've only been in the modern pharmaceutical industry for a few decades," Zhang Xuezhou said with a smile. "In the past, we relied on plants and animals to make medicine!"
"Can the pills you refine be extracted like the Heavenly God General Secret Medicine?" Ren Anran asked.
"Well... how will we know if it will work if we don't try!"
Zhang Xuezhou was about to reject Ren Anran's idea, since the Pill Formula taught to him by Zou Bugui did not include any modern pharmaceutical methods, and had no connection with modern chemical reactions in pharmaceutical manufacturing at all.
But upon seeing the slight glint in Ren Anran's eyes, Zhang Xuezhou instantly changed his response.
Do you think it's difficult to get together?
Ren Anran was incredibly insightful.
To be honest, Zhang Xuezhou's pseudo-psychology content was actually taught by Professor Ren Anran. The way of speaking that worked for others had no effect on Ren Anran whatsoever.
The moment the words left his mouth, Ren Anran understood Zhang Xuezhou's true answer.
"We'll only know if we try," Zhang Xuezhou said seriously. "There was indeed no way before, but who knows if there won't be a way after we try!"
"That's right!" Ren Anran said happily.
Whether it works or not, you have to try to know the result.
Moreover, the materials Zhang Xuezhou used to prepare the medicine were not expensive, so the cost of trying it wouldn't be too high.
Ren Anran wasn't making a random suggestion; she genuinely wanted to see if Zhang Xuezhou could leverage the benefits of advancements in modern technology.
The Heavenly God General Secret Medicine is an example of formula-based medicine manufacturing.
Few people travel this road, but that doesn't mean it's impassable.
Just like their Realm Technique, continuous combination will inevitably lead to innovation, thereby gaining the possibility of progress.
"What are the difficulties involved?" Ren Anran asked.
"The equations for these elixirs' reactions are extremely complex, and our current technological level cannot accurately reflect them. We can only use general descriptions like yin-yang harmony and yin-yang balance!"
The main principle behind Zhang Xuezhou's elixirs is the balance of Yin and Yang, which is also the tenet of the Yin-Yang School.
If yin is excessive, use yang to balance it; if yang is too intense, nourish yin to neutralize it.
If asked what other principles his Yin-Yang School alchemy lineage had, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't explain why.
Whenever medicinal properties are similar, he relies on this method of harmonization to achieve complementarity, adjusting them according to the alchemical experience of his predecessors.
He asked Zou Bugui many strange questions, Zou Bugui patiently answered.
From the very beginning of his alchemy practice until now, Zhang Xuezhou has been copying Zou Bugui, even when choosing real-world medicinal herbs. None of the pills he has refined have exceeded the scope of the Yin-Yang School alchemy.
However, turning solid pills into small tablets and liquids using modern technology is an extremely complex process, and Zhang Xuezhou has no confidence in it at the moment.
"If you... if you can't adapt your pills to modern technology, can you trace them back to their origins?" Ren Anran asked.
"Tracing the source?"
"It's about reverse-engineering the Heavenly God General Medicine, turning it into an oral medication," Ren Anran said. "This might significantly reduce the irritating side effects, and since your body has extremely high resistance to toxins, you can tolerate the side effects of oral medication!"
"Wonderful!"
Zhang Xuezhou gave a thumbs-up.
Since the Heavenly God General Medicine, everyone has followed the procedures of the Luofu Imperial Family and has never thought of breaking out of the framework.
Even Zhang Xuezhou believed that the Heavenly God General Secret Medicine was a complete accomplishment.
He never considered creating a similar elixir to the Heavenly God General Medicine's Elixir.
Zhang Xuezhou's fixed mindset led him to focus only on the results, while neglecting the fact that many of the raw materials used to make the Heavenly God General Medicine were also related to plants and animals.
In the alchemy of the Yin-Yang School, the use of animal and plant materials is extremely common, and it is even not uncommon to use materials from demonic creatures.
Zhang Xuezhou originally wanted to adjust the medicine for cultivating the Longevity Technique and replicate the Heavenly God General Secret Medicine to try to weaken its strong effects, but Ren Anran's reminder was very interesting, so he immediately put aside his original plan and focused his attention on the matter of turning the Heavenly God General Secret Medicine into pills.
"Perhaps the Heavenly God General Medicine, or made some oversight, ultimately resulting in a drug with extremely negative side effects!"
Watching Zhang Xuezhou pill-making process was never normal, criticize the Heavenly God General Secret Medicine's Heavenly God General Secret Medicine and even express extreme dissatisfaction with its negative effects, Ren Anran couldn't help but chuckle. She thought about those pills whose negative effects were so severe that they required cultivation to overcome them, and realized that Zhang Xuezhou was also a master of overlooking his own shortcomings.