Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 323: Chapter 323: The Pill’s Effect

WHOOSH!

A wind inexplicably stirred around Xiao Lin. The hot water in the wooden tub sloshed, and a splash spilled out, soaking the floor.

The Pill went down his throat. It didn’t have the texture of rotten fruit or moldy cakes he’d imagined; instead, it went down smoothly.

The Pill dissolved the moment it reached his stomach, its medicinal power transforming into a hot current that surged through his limbs and meridians.

The Core Formation foundation that Xiao Lin had forged in his early years with painstaking effort and countless methods melted away like snow.

"No... no..."

Terror finally filled his eyes.

The very foundation of Xiao Lin’s Core Formation—the spiritual chains that had begun to intertwine within him—now dissolved under the pill’s power, transforming into a massive surge of Spiritual Qi that rushed throughout his body.

Even though he had fallen to such a state and did not have long to live, with no chance of ever reaching Core Formation again...

...a great shock still ripped through his mind as he watched what he once valued more than life itself vanish before his very eyes.

With his palms resting on Xiao Lin’s shoulders, Bai Mo felt the raging torrents of Spiritual Qi beneath the skin.

’This is the true depth of a cultivator on the verge of Core Formation.’

’It’s surging and majestic. The difference between him and me right now is like a great river to a mere stream.’

Bai Mo fell silent for a moment. After some mental calculations, he still couldn’t fully grasp the power level of a Core Formation Cultivator.

The Core Formation Realm is a world apart from Foundation Establishment. It’s no exaggeration to say it is where one truly perceives the mysteries of heaven and earth and catches a first glimpse of the Great Dao.

’Trying to extrapolate from Xiao Lin to understand the whole realm was too naive of me.’

"Hngh... hngh..."

The trembling beneath his hands brought Bai Mo back to his senses. When he looked again, he saw that the massive amount of Spiritual Qi had receded back into Xiao Lin’s body.

His body radiated intense heat, causing the water in the tub to become scalding hot and give off wisps of white steam.

Xiao Lin had actually regained a sliver of strength from the process and was turning his head to glare furiously at him.

"Dog!!"

"Thief!!"

Hearing such venomous words burst from the man’s mouth, Bai Mo slapped him hard on the back without a second thought.

"Cough..."

The single bit of strength Xiao Lin had gathered was knocked right out of him, leaving him powerless once more.

Ignoring Xiao Lin’s shocked and furious expression, Bai Mo walked over to the nearby stone table, picked up a brush, and began to write.

’The Pill didn’t force the Spiritual Qi out of the Cultivator’s body; it only destroyed the foundation for Core Formation.’

’When the foundation is destroyed, the released Spiritual Qi seems to have another purpose, something related to Body Refinement...’

Ah Er had been watching from the side for a long time, witnessing the entire gamut of expressions cross Xiao Lin’s face.

’It seems that while this strange Pill is edible, it’s definitely not a good thing,’ it thought.

Ah Er looked again at the medicinal herbs scattered around the room, a newfound sense of reverence growing within it.

If not for its fear of angering Bai Mo, it would have long since taken a bite of these roots and stems, which were brimming with Spiritual Qi.

Only today was its craving finally and utterly extinguished.

With the excitement over, the sensible badger noticed the water stains on the floor and turned to fetch a rag.

Bai Mo recorded the details of this pill experiment, then pondered for a long while before writing down his hypotheses and thoughts.

"The path of pill research is a long and arduous one, just like this!"

By the time he set down his brush, Ah Er had already mopped the floor dry.

"There was no need to be in such a hurry,"

Bai Mo said casually as he walked over, dragged Xiao Lin out of the tub, and set him on the floor to the side.

SPLASH!

The Cultivator’s well-built body sent water splashing everywhere.

Ah Er stared blankly at the newly soaked floor, then heard Bai Mo speak.

"Just wipe it up. And put his clothes back on him."

Ah Er scrambled to obey, its movements clumsy and awkward.

Bai Mo removed the firewood, put out the fire, and emptied the tub. He then dragged the now-dressed Xiao Lin back to the dark prison.

It was rare to see a prisoner leave and actually return, so Xiao Lin naturally drew a lot of attention.

The old monsters, imprisoned for years, could tell at a glance that Xiao Lin’s physical body was likely in even better condition than before he’d left.

However, the sharp drop in his cultivation realm did not escape the notice of these fiends.

Many of these fiends had weathered their own storms to reach the Core Formation Realm, and they were extremely sensitive to that particular aura.

HISS!

"I thought this new warden was just some foolish kid obsessed with the Alchemy Dao. I never expected him to be so ruthless—he’s on par with us!"

"And he has the gall to call himself a disciple of a prestigious sect with methods like these? Ptooey!"

"Exactly! Exactly!"

One of the fiends noticed Xiao Lin’s strange condition, guessed it was the result of a Pill, and immediately spoke up, drawing a chorus of agreement.

Mixed in with the chorus were a few particularly earnest and incongruous calls from the old man, Sun Qian.

Bai Mo paid them no mind. He unlocked a cell, tossed Xiao Lin inside, locked it again, and strode away.

In the days that followed, Bai Mo revised the Pill Formula again and again, creating numerous versions, but he still couldn’t achieve the desired effect.

More than ten days passed in a flash, and Mi Mountain received another visitor.

Hearing the sound of the large bronze knocker striking the gate, Bai Mo opened it to find a smiling disciple. Not far off, a small Flying Ship was moored.

The Suanni embroidered with gold thread on the disciple’s green robes immediately caught his eye, and Bai Mo knew who he was.

"What brings you here, Senior Brother?"

The visitor, a disciple from the Foreign Affairs Hall, was led inside by Bai Mo.

The Foreign Affairs Hall used the Suanni as its symbol. It was rumored that they actually kept a live Suanni.

"Junior Brother, you’re quite forgetful."

The green-robed disciple said with a smile as he walked with Bai Mo,

"You’ve been guarding Mi Mountain for exactly one month. It’s time for you to receive your monthly stipend."

With that, he took a red-tasseled pill bottle from his sleeve.

"These are Shock Soul Dream Return Pills. Three of them."

"When you take them, Junior Brother, be sure to find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. You must wait at least seven days between each dose. Be sure to remember this."

Bai Mo was quite surprised. He took the pill bottle.

"So punctual. Thank you for going to the trouble of delivering this, Senior Brother."

"Heh!"

The green-robed disciple was quite amicable.

"For an assignment like yours, Junior Brother, where you have no freedom to come and go, we certainly can’t afford to be negligent."

After a moment, he asked,

"I heard you were just promoted from the outer sect and came straight to Mi Mountain without a moment’s rest. It must have been very rushed."

"Are you facing any difficulties?"

Bai Mo had already prepared for this and replied,

"In the outer sect, I joined the Broken Blade Peak lineage. Now that I’m in the inner sect, I have no plans to change, so I’ll need to pick a day to go and formally register."

"Next month, I will need to be away for five days. Mi Mountain will be sealed during that time, so the Foreign Affairs Hall should be aware."

The green-robed disciple nodded.

"Do you know which day you plan to leave, Junior Brother?"

"The ninth. I’ll be back on the evening of the thirteenth."

The green-robed disciple took out a slip of paper and a brush to make a note. Then, Bai Mo recalled something else.

"Oh, right. In the prison, I met a man named Sun Qian, a Nascent Soul Cultivator. He is quite elderly in appearance."

"He claims he was captured by one of the Sect Elders, and that the elder at the time told him he would only be imprisoned for two hundred and fifty years."

"Now, that term is about to expire..."

The green-robed disciple was stunned.

"There’s a prisoner like that in the Mi Mountain prison?"

Bai Mo sighed.

"I found it strange as well. He didn’t seem to be lying, but there’s no record of him in the prison’s roster, which is why I’m asking you, Senior Brother."

The green-robed disciple frowned.

"I’ve never heard anything about this. I’ll go back and look into it!"

With their business concluded, Bai Mo exchanged a few more pleasantries with the disciple and offered him some tea.

The green-robed disciple waved his hand dismissively.

"Next time, perhaps. There’s another Senior Brother who herds beasts over by the deep pond. I have to deliver his stipend on time."

"The path to his place has been rough lately, so I can’t afford any delays."

With that, Bai Mo couldn’t very well insist he stay, so he saw the disciple out.

After watching the green-robed disciple board the small Flying Ship and soar away, Bai Mo turned and closed the gate.

He first returned to his stone house and took out a bag of dried seeds, then called for the medicine-pounding badger.

"I will be traveling in a few days. You are to stay on the mountain alone. You may not enter the house."

"Build yourself a temporary den on the mountain soon. While I’m gone, you are to sow these herb seeds."

"Plant them in the soil you’ve already tilled."

Bai Mo slowly laid out his instructions. Ah Er listened intently, nodding again and again.

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