The strange phenomena dissipated, and the alchemy furnace extinguished.
For a moment, the mountaintop fell into silence, save for the clang of the furnace lid dropping back to the ground, wobbling stubbornly before settling.
The three of them—
Wait, no. Two people and one pill were now lost in thought.
"Master, I'm inside Li Mo’s stomach."
Tang Xiaobao’s muffled voice echoed.
He was speaking from within Li Mo’s abdomen—more precisely, his dantian.
"I don’t feel uncomfortable at all. In fact..."
Li Mo’s expression twisted oddly.
Well, of course it was weird! Who wouldn’t be disturbed if someone started talking from inside their belly?
And to make matters worse, he couldn’t decide—was he practicing martial arts or cultivating immortality now?
In the world of immortal cultivation, this would at least qualify him as a Golden Core expert...
Hell, he might as well be at the Nascent Soul stage.
"........"
Xue Jing wanted to say everything was fine, but as an Inner Realm powerhouse, he was currently seeing stars.
After a long silence, the old man stumbled toward Li Mo like a madman, grabbing him by the neck and shaking him violently.
"Spit Xiaobao out right now!"
"Damn it! Our Dan Ding Peak has spent thousands of years and generations of effort refining him, and you just swallowed him whole? Huh?!"
The old man was on the verge of a breakdown.
Li Mo felt dizzy from the shaking.
"Master, I’m fine," Tang Xiaobao quickly interjected.
After a pause, he added,
"Li Mo’s dantian is... surprisingly spacious."
"Wait, what’s that over there?"
"We all need to calm down."
Li Mo’s lips twitched uncontrollably.
He swore on his life—his original plan was just to refine the Golden Crow blood in the alchemy furnace while doing Tang Xiaobao a favor, securing a future investment.
Well, the investment had succeeded.
The system had already notified him.
But who could’ve predicted that, under the pull of his inner energy, he’d somehow dragged Tang Xiaobao straight into his dantian?!
A quick internal scan confirmed it—
There it was. A golden Dragon-Tiger Pill, bouncing cheerfully atop a fiery two-leafed lotus in his dantian.
Xue Jing stared at him with eyes full of resentment, his aura darker than a vengeful ghost’s.
Li Mo forced a bitter laugh.
"Let’s just... figure out what actually happened first."
"...Fine."
Xue Jing took several deep breaths to steady himself.
And so, Li Mo recounted the final moments inside the alchemy furnace in detail.
Xue Jing’s expression shifted from disbelief to stunned realization.
"My theory from back then... was actually correct? Just the method was wrong?!"
"An External Pill technique can truly form a Mystic Core?!"
Li Mo’s face grew even stranger.
He hadn’t even reached the halfway point of the Jade Liquid Realm, yet here he was, suddenly a Mystic Core cultivator.
"Honestly, I still don’t understand how Mystic Cores are condensed in the first place."
"And... what exactly was your theory back then?"
Xue Jing sighed.
"A Mystic Core is the solidified essence of a person’s ‘qi.’"
"But accumulating ‘qi’ is painfully slow—not everyone has endless rare treasures to consume."
"So, I theorized: Could we skip the body’s natural qi-gathering process? Instead, refine external ‘qi’ directly through alchemy, condense it into a pill, and then absorb it into the body."
His expression was complicated.
Even he had dismissed it as wishful thinking later.
Yet today, his perfect hypothesis had manifested—through Li Mo and Tang Xiaobao.
The difference was that Li Mo had a unique physique, and Tang Xiaobao wasn’t an ordinary pill—he was a Nine-Aperture Dragon-Tiger Pill.
Not to mention, the two had to refine together in the furnace, their energies resonating in sync.
Well...
It was unlikely anyone else could replicate this feat.
"How does it compare to a real Mystic Core?" Li Mo asked curiously.
"That depends on the pill’s quality."
Xue Jing’s face remained troubled.
"A Mystic Core can be projected outside the body, right?"
Li Mo pondered, as if struck by inspiration.
"If I follow the method for circulating a Mystic Core, could I release Tang Xiaobao?"
"That... I don’t know. But we can try."
Xue Jing discreetly retracted the "Torrential Diarrhea Pill" from his sleeve—a powerful laxative he’d been ready to use.
"Alright, let’s give it a shot."
Li Mo patted his stomach.
"Got it. I’ll cooperate, Junior Brother Li."
Tang Xiaobao gave a little hop on the lotus petal.
And so, Li Mo began channeling his energy.
The liquid qi in his dantian instantly surged, just as before.
But this time, there was an added presence—a miniature sun.
The Eight-Aperture Dragon-Tiger Golden Core spun mysteriously, radiating boundless light.
ROAR—
Above Li Mo’s head, the phantom forms of a dragon and tiger materialized, majestic and imposing.
"This power..."
Li Mo felt the energy coursing through him, reminiscent of when he’d tapped into the World Seed’s strength.
He could probably execute the complete "Sevenfold Heaven-Sundering Fist" now.
Eager to test it, he threw a punch.
The unleashed storm of dragon-tiger qi sent shockwaves through Xue Jing’s Inner Realm, distorting the very heavens.
Incredible!
"A true Mystic Core cultivator wouldn’t even possess a tenth of this power."
Xue Jing’s expression grew even more complicated.
Of course, this was also because Li Mo’s dantian foundation was absurdly strong.
"Alright, enough playing around."
Xue Jing scowled.
"Tang Xiaobao, come out now."
"On it!"
Li Mo awkwardly halted his movements.
Then, a faint glow emerged from his dantian.
A golden pill materialized out of thin air, spun around a few times, and upon landing, transformed back into the young boy.
"How do you feel?"
Xue Jing quickly asked.
"Pretty good!"
Tang Xiaobao didn’t notice any discomfort and even chuckled,
"And from now on, Master, you won’t need to seal me anymore. I can now prevent my qi from leaking on my own."
Previously, Xue Jing had always worried that his pill fragrance or aura might leak, causing unnecessary trouble.
After a moment of thought, Tang Xiaobao added,
"Also, I feel that cultivating together with Junior Brother Li is much more effective than when I was just a pill alone."
"This feels like getting a taste of the Mystic Pill stage in the Inner Breath realm ahead of time," Li Mo remarked, then grew curious.
Once he condensed his own Mystic Pill, could Senior Brother Xiaobao still transform into a Dragon-Tiger Pill and enter his dantian?
Using his Heavenly Fate Divine Eye to observe Tang Xiaobao now, he was surprised to see the boy’s fortune had already turned purple.
Noticing the pensive look on the young man’s face, Xue Jing’s expression shifted slightly.
His thoughts wandered far and wide.
Xiaobao had been on Dan Ding Peak for thousands of years.
Over the centuries, he had been handled by successive elders and even stolen once by a true disciple.
Yet, against all odds, he had formed such a miraculous bond with Li Mo.
Fate truly was the most wondrous thing in the world...
With a sigh, Xue Jing suddenly said,
"I should consider myself fortunate that Xiaobao has taken another step closer to perfection in my generation."
"Since the two of you can cooperate so well, you can travel together to the Blood Phoenix Secret Realm."
"That will put my mind at ease."
Blood Phoenix Secret Realm.
Hearing these words, Li Mo snapped back to attention.
Could this have something to do with the Ice Block?
After all, the Ice Block was still his number one benefactor.
"Indeed, this is also thanks to you," Xue Jing said as he sat down, brewing a cup of tea and handing one to each of them before continuing leisurely,
"The Blood Phoenix Secret Realm was originally targeted by the Demon Summoning Sect. After the news leaked, they abandoned their plans and left in a hurry."
"They had intended to force open the secret realm using sinister methods but had to abandon their efforts midway."
"Now, the realm can only accommodate cultivators up to the Observing Divinity stage."
"Genius disciples from various sects in the Eastern Wasteland Domain—even those from other domains—will gather there to explore."
......
P.S.: The cultivation stages in this book are: Blood Qi, Inner Breath, Observing Divinity, Inner Scenery, Outer Scenery, Law Body, Grasping Mysteries, Transcending Heaven, and Immortal.
The Mystic Pill corresponds to the late stage of Inner Breath.
There won’t be too many convoluted sub-stages—everything is fixed from the start.
The protagonist’s Immortal Physique begins to play its most significant role from the Observing Divinity stage onward. As for Li Mo’s path to Observing Divinity, no readers have guessed it correctly yet. Heh.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
