Chapter 152: Lingxiang Pill
Chapter 152: Lingxiang Pill
“How about that? Was I right?”
Seeing the thoughtful expression on Lin Mu’s face, Yao Xianxian gave a slight smile.
“You make a good point. Now that I think about it, it is really quite strange.”
Lin Mu nodded.
“The Luo Family rose during World War II and built their fortune in the United States, but the true core of the conglomerate is actually in Europe, not within U.S. territory. The Luo Family patriarch back then was a man with considerable foresight.”
Yao Xianxian set down her cup, resting her chin in her hand. “According to what I know, the Luo Family has a highly powerful family guard unit. This guard unit has always stayed in Europe; it hasn’t left.”
“What? Luo Huafu was attacked, but this guard unit didn’t go to support him? They just stayed in Europe?”
Lin Mu frowned slightly. What was the point of such a family force if they couldn’t even protect the Family Head?
“This means they have something in Europe far more important to guard than the Family Head’s safety.”
Yao Xianxian said meaningfully.
“Even if something happens to the Family Head? Does protecting those things still matter?”
Lin Mu asked disbelievingly.
“Those are the Luo Family’s true core technologies. As long as they remain, the Luo Family possesses limitless possibilities. Even a comeback wouldn’t be difficult. For a large family, the importance of any individual, no matter how high their position, is limited. The family’s legacy is the key thing.”
Yao Xianxian gave a mysterious smile. “As long as the legacy survives, a family, even if it declines temporarily, will eventually rise again. The Luo Family already has the potential to become such a legacy family.”
“Do you know what kind of legacy it is?”
Lin Mu asked.
“Not the specifics. But I know it relates to technology, not Ancient Martial Arts lineage.”
Yao Xianxian replied very confidently.
“Technology… that is definitely possible. Ancient Martial Arts inheritance requires time, heritage, and accumulation. Although the Luo Family has immense wealth and influence, their recorded history is shallow. They haven’t reached that level yet. Given this perspective, it seems their reliance can only be on technology.”
Lin Mu thought it over briefly and understood the key point.
“So, how did you feel fighting those Superpower Users this time?”
Yao Xianxian changed the subject with a smile.
“Not bad. Before they advance, Superpower Users’ strength definitely surpasses that of ordinary Masters. Combined with their unique Superpowers, once they train for a while, their strength can surge ahead incredibly easily. This is something Martial Artists can’t hope to match for a long time.”
Lin Mu took a sip of coffee. “However, later on, we will leave them further and further behind. Especially after cultivating Zhenqi, that gap will widen gradually.”
“I haven’t fought any Superpower Users before, only heard that their strength is extraordinary. Their abilities are bizarre and varied. Not easy opponents, you absolutely must not let your guard down if you meet them, or you could easily get seriously hurt by underestimating them.”
Yao Xianxian nodded deeply in agreement.
“Exactly. I encountered one particularly powerful close-combat Superpower Expert. His Superpower allows him to freely twist all the joints in his body. His attack angles are fundamentally unpredictable. If you faced him, your chance of winning would be less than twenty percent.”
Lin Mu said with a laugh.
“That strong?”
Yao Xianxian didn’t quite believe it. She had already reached the peak of the Subtlety Realm and was just about to touch the threshold of cultivating Zhenqi.
“Of course. If I didn’t call upon Zhenqi, defeating him would require at least two hundred moves, no less.”
Lin Mu nodded very seriously.
“For you to give such high praise, that person must indeed be formidable!”
Yao Xianxian said slowly. She knew Lin Mu’s strength. After all, no secret stays hidden forever, and the Yao Family had people within the Dragon Protection Corps itself.
The two chatted some more, discussing parts of the script’s plot. Afterwards, Lin Mu escorted Yao Xianxian back to her hotel before returning home himself.
“Did the big star not invite you to stay over?”
As he stepped into the dark living room, a voice came from the direction of the sofa. Ye Zixi hadn’t gone upstairs to sleep; she was sitting cross-legged on the carpet in front of the sofa, practicing Meditation.
“Why not go back to your room?”
Lin Mu smiled slightly, walking over to the sofa and sitting down.
“They were asleep, so I came down to cultivate. Seeing how strong you are now, you’ve pulled so far ahead. If I don’t work hard at cultivation, I’m afraid you’ll leave me in the dust completely.”
Ye Zixi opened her eyes and pouted.
“You’re a girl. Why do you need such great strength?”
Lin Mu asked with interest. He slid down from the sofa onto the carpet, sitting beside Ye Zixi.
“Aren’t Martial Artists supposed to pursue the peak realm? Otherwise, why cultivate Martial Arts? Is it really just for health?”
Ye Zixi gave Lin Mu a sidelong glance.
“Well then, you’ll need to cultivate diligently. Working hard occasionally but not consistently just won’t do.”
Lin Mu laughed and ruffled Ye Zixi’s hair.
“Ugh! Don’t mess up my hair!”
Ye Zixi lightly hit Lin Mu’s arm, then asked: “A-Mu, how do you make such rapid progress in cultivation? Is there any secret?”
“Hmm… my secret is that I’m exceptionally talented, a Martial Arts prodigy unlike any other in ten thousand!”
Lin Mu stated very solemnly.
“Go away! I’m being serious!”
Ye Zixi said with a huff.
“The most important thing in cultivation is persistent hard work. Any attempt to take a shortcut will become an obstacle blocking your further progress.”
Lin Mu smiled softly and touched Ye Zixi’s small head. Looking into her bright eyes in the darkness, his heart suddenly stirred. He leaned closer and placed a light kiss on her smooth forehead.
“Cultivate well. I’ll help think of a way. But my way is only assistance. Advancing in cultivation mainly depends on your own training. Don’t neglect it because of this.”
He tapped Ye Zixi lightly on the forehead. Lin Mu smiled, stood up, and went back to his room.
“Stinky A-Mu! Just because you’re a bit stronger now, you dare to lecture me? I’m your senior! I started practicing Martial Arts long before you know when!”
Ye Zixi wrinkled her delicate nose, waved a little fist in dissatisfaction, and then closed her eyes again, resuming her deep Meditation focus.
Back in his room, Lin Mu didn’t immediately start cultivating. He sat down silently, deep in thought. Images of many women flashed through his mind, one after another. Besides Ye Zixi and Ji Qinglan, not one possessed Martial Arts skills.
If he wanted them by his side for years to come, practicing Martial Arts was absolutely essential. Given time, in ten or twenty years, their youth would fade away, their beauty wither. By then, they probably wouldn’t even want to face him anymore.
But having spent time with them, Lin Mu had long realized that apart from Ye Zixi and Ji Qinglan, the other girls weren’t suited for Martial Arts practice. Putting it in Buddhist terms, they lacked the innate understanding needed.
If he still possessed his former strength, solving such a minor inconvenience would be effortless. He could even forcibly raise their cultivation directly above the Nascent Soul Stage. But now, everything became immensely complicated.
A myriad of rare and miraculous elixirs flashed through his mind like lightning. Unfortunately, none were possible to concoct now. Not only concocting; he didn’t even know where to find the materials. A helpless sigh escaped him.
Just as Lin Mu’s mind felt overheated from thinking and he prepared to take a break, an unusual pill suddenly surfaced in his consciousness.
Lingxiang Pill!
This pill could not be considered a proper elixir in the orthodox Cultivation World sense. It was originally concocted by mortals – a mortal branch of a major Demonic Path sect specializing in techniques of absorbing others’ cultivation essence. The Lingxiang Pill was their invention.
Its primary purpose was to enable ordinary people to practice basic Martial Arts, generating abundant essential vitality within their bodies for members of the sect to harvest and absorb.
Back when he was newly established in his cultivation and traveled widely, he once wiped out an outpost of this Demonic sect on a planet. Among the items obtained was the recipe for this Lingxiang Pill. At the time, such a pill was utterly useless to him. But now, it was precisely what he needed.
Recalling the Lingxiang Pill’s formula, Lin Mu immediately turned on his computer. He started researching information on various medicinal herbs, constantly comparing their properties. He aimed to devise a formula resembling the Lingxiang Pill using herbs existing on Earth.
The whole night was spent. He had only found substitutes for seven of the required ingredients; equivalents for the majority remained elusive. Yet, he wasn’t discouraged. He wasn’t familiar with Earth’s herbs himself, but that didn’t mean others weren’t.
Just then, the images of three people formed in his mind.
First was Yao Xianxian. An Ancient Martial Arts Family with such deep lineage as the Yao Family certainly possessed numerous ancient texts. They might know where to find herbs with similar pharmacological properties.
The second person was Ji Qinglan. The Ji Family also had an extraordinary background, evident in Ji Qinglan’s own Martial Arts skills. Their heritage was likely comparable to the Yao Family, possibly even surpassing it.
As for the third person, that was Zhou Shiyun. Having studied Chinese medicine intensively with Mu Renqing for years, her understanding of herbal properties far exceeded the norm. She might also be able to assist.
Thinking this, Lin Mu immediately opened a document. He listed out all the herbs needed based on their required properties. He then emailed separate lists to the three women, asking them to help search.
The first to call was Ji Qinglan.
“A-Mu, why do you need all these things?”
Her voice on the phone sounded thoroughly alert. Seemingly, she had also cultivated all night and hadn’t slept.
“Qinglan, I need to formulate a new medicine. But I can’t find good substitutes for many herbal properties. So, I was hoping your side could help see if it’s possible to find some information on these.”
Lin Mu gave a brief explanation.
“Formulate a new medicine? A-Mu, you mustn’t concoct medicines recklessly. If things go wrong, what you produce might not be a tonic, but something fatally poisonous.”
Ji Qinglan reminded him urgently. Instances throughout history of untrained people mixing improper herbs and losing their lives were too numerous to count.