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.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
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?
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
