Successful preparation

After returning to Chang'an City from Mount Tai, Zhang Xuezhou ended his long journey.

But he was also prepared for the long journey ahead.

After obtaining an extremely complex map from Cai Ma, Zhang Xuezhou only had a vague idea of the direction of the Western Kunlun Holy Land.

He spent a long time examining the map before finally putting it behind his head and returning to reality.

"The Empress Dowager's investigation into the gourd case shouldn't extend to my home!"

These ten days or so were extremely fulfilling for Zhang Xuezhou, except for the matter of Yi Shuo, which he had not yet finished.

Faced with the case of the gourd, Zhang Xuezhou had no solution whatsoever; his only option was to wait.

When the Empress Dowager had exhausted all her methods and lost patience, when those involved in the case were tortured or died, and when the Empress Dowager had given Yi Shuo a guarantee against possible severe punishment.

Yi Shuo's attempt to assassinate her enemy was a dead end, and only a renewed investigation of an old case like this could allow her to rely on official power to turn the tide.

But Yi Shuo needs to gamble on whether her life is tough enough, and whether she will be implicated in the gourd case and fall into death.

Zhang Xuezhou's responsibility was to safeguard the gourd and continuously intensify the interrogation of the case until it was resolved.

In the current case of the gourd case, anyone who gets involved is doomed. Even if he tries to find out information or inquire about those involved, he could easily get implicated. So he can only stay out of it and wait for the outcome.

"In twelve days, I'll take the gourd and fly to the Western Kunlun Holy Land. Then, no matter how hard they look, they won't be able to find it!"

After pondering the matter for only a moment, Zhang Xuezhou began to focus his mind and body on reality.

A slight tingling sensation returned to Zhang Xuezhou's head, and he was very satisfied with this state.

X432 therapy had little therapeutic effect on his brain injury; it could only help prevent his symptoms from worsening.

Zhang Xuezhou's condition is now somewhat milder than before. This is partly due to the large dose of Spiritual Qi he received in Mount Tai, and partly due to the smell of the Heavenly God General Medicine detected in the laboratory.

The scents of these medicines are from Zhang Xuezhou's deduction of the Heavenly God General Medicine.

None of the many products he developed were successful, but Zhang Xuezhou never expected that the medicinal vapor would have a beneficial effect on him.

This is somewhat similar to how the Empress Dowager of Palace of Peace and Happiness received ambergris incense to barely maintain her physical condition, while Zhang Xuezhou experienced the effects of medicinal fumigation.

Zhang Xuezhou was completely clueless about drug development and could only try to balance Yin and Yang as much as possible. He never expected that there would be such residual effects.

Just like refining Outer Core or the Nine People Sect's medicine-making techniques, these all led Zhang Xuezhou to new research directions.

Lying inside the X432 device, Zhang Xuezhou didn't get up immediately, but slowly began to recover as his physical condition returned to normal.

At this moment, he was able to quickly think about many related matters concerning himself and try his best to deduce new feasible drug solutions.

Even if there are some backup plans, Zhang Xuezhou will not be negligent in the slightest.

His backup plans are becoming increasingly rare. For example, it's difficult to acquire large quantities of X864 gene drugs, and it's unlikely that he can easily obtain Nine Treasures Wine. The effects of cross-industry influences may be difficult to cure. Only drugs he develops himself can give him real confidence.

The reason he kept pushing the Gene Sequence was to enhance his mental resistance so that he wouldn't be defeated when he encountered Huang Daoxian. Being able to prevent mental clashes is a skill, but recovering after being defeated also requires Zhang Xuezhou to make advance preparations.

All theories ultimately need to be put into practice!

Zhang Xuezhou spent a while deducing the drug combination. When his vision went slightly dark, he looked again and saw Zhang Manqian standing outside the X432 device.

"I received an alert that the device has been deactivated. This treatment is over. Are you feeling any better?" Zhang Manqian asked.

"So fast!"

After Zhang Xuezhou entered a state of Grain Avoidance, his bodily functions operated extremely slowly, which also meant that he could withstand very little consumption from high-end medical treatment.

The world had been changing for twelve days, and the consumption of his device was between twelve and fifteen percent. But after a moment of thought, everything went black, and the rest of his treatment was over.

"You must be in a deep sleep," Zhang Manqian said. "Eight and a half hours have passed since your scheduled wakefulness period!"

"I blinked and eight and a half hours had passed. It seems my mental state has weakened to such an extent that I can't even withstand the effects of a device like X432!"

From a top-tier expert in mind control to a nobody whose influence even the X432 device couldn't withstand, Zhang Xuezhou realized his strength had declined drastically.

He is likely to be unable to contend with even Song Sijia at this moment, and will be suppressed to the point of being unable to move by her Dragon Might Combat Technique.

Zhang Xuezhou pondered for a few seconds, and couldn't help but frown slightly.

"Sister, how's An Ran Pharmaceutical?" Zhang Xuezhou asked, activating the device.

"We finished up yesterday and refined sixteen potions. I used one and felt the effect was excellent," Zhang Manqian said with satisfaction.

"You've reached the fourth stage of Mental Strengthening?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"A breakthrough in one fell swoop!"

Zhang Manqian nodded repeatedly, signifying a great leap forward in her abilities.

However, a few slight twitches remained on her facial muscles, indicating that she had clearly suffered considerable pain.

"I will strive to become thoroughly familiar with all the content in Chapter Five, so that I can reach even greater heights when conditions allow!"

Thinking about Kong Anguo's breakthroughs in just one year, Zhang Xuezhou also gave Zhang Manqian the same advice.

This even includes Zhang Xuezhou himself, such as his physical body technique with One Hundred and Eight Thousand Acupoints, which he apparently mastered in one night.

If it weren't for the presence of the Daoist Randeng, he might have only needed an hour to complete the process, given the right conditions.

Having a well-thought-out plan makes encountering fortuitous opportunity smooth sailing, while being unprepared means that even riding the wave of the times will only lead to drifting aimlessly. Making appropriate preparations in advance is never a bad thing.

"Sister An Ran said I haven't been able to take injections for the past few years," Zhang Manqian said. "This kind of drug might only be effective up to three times. The risks increase and the effects decrease with each subsequent dose. I took a shortcut in my training in this area, and my Mental Strengthening ability is likely stuck at the fourth stage!"

"I've recently become very interested in these kinds of drugs; maybe there will be some good ones!"

"Right?"

Zhang Xuezhou enthusiastically recommended the possibilities of his research, but when he saw Zhang Manqian blinking repeatedly, he had no choice but to take back what he had said.

His pharmaceutical business has been fraught with controversy over the years. Even his closest friends have suffered at Zhang Xuezhou's hands. People have little confidence that Zhang Xuezhou Zhang Xuezhou can develop good drugs, but they firmly believe that he is likely to develop drugs with severe side effects.

For the participants in the drug trials, their hope wasn't to gain any benefits from the drug, but simply that Zhang Xuezhou wouldn't actually cause any deaths.

I've been thinking about... lately.

Thinking that the "Zhongni Qiguan Shuo" he had obtained would be useless to Zhang Manqian, and that the rapid advancement of the physical body technique would disrupt Zhang Manqian's cultivation of the Poison Avoidance Instruction, Zhang Xuezhou's heart, which had been raised, couldn't help but be put down again.

He ultimately felt that forcing someone to learn something won't work, and whoever can learn it is doing so with their own skill.

Of course, if Zhang Manqian could advance the physical body technique, even if it was only to a basic level, Zhang Xuezhou thought it would be a good thing.

"What are you thinking about?" Zhang Manqian asked suspiciously.

"I'm thinking, you can watch me think!"

If he weren't recuperating in the X432 device, the first thing Zhang Xuezhou would do upon obtaining usable data would be to organize his memories, followed by translating it into the language of the Scarlet Alliance State.

Even with his brain damaged, he still placed the matter of the Heavenly God General Medicine in the second priority, lest any oversights or omissions in his memories be difficult to remedy.

He gave Zhang Manqian a vague reply, which puzzled Zhang Manqian. She felt that Zhang Xuezhou seemed to have undergone an inexplicable change since returning from Qing'an Province.