"Just this?"

Han Yu opened his eyes to observe his Sea of Consciousness, staring at a mysterious symbol on the fat belly of the bottle, feeling a sense of absurdity in his heart.

That's a cultivator from a prefecture!

And it got exchanged for just such a rune?

How is that possible? At least throwing that group of cultivators into the water would make a splash, but here it's only worth one rune?

"Aren't you going to explain this? What's going on here?"

Han Yu asked, looking at Glass, who was standing with arms crossed and a pouty face.

Glass looked like a withered eggplant and said dejectedly.

"Only three percent revived, what's there to be proud of?"

After speaking, Glass was particularly frustrated. Her revival was becoming increasingly distorted, while the bottle's revival was getting on the right track.

What exactly went wrong?

Three percent?

Han Yu was taken aback, not having any standard in mind. Is that a lot or a little?

Judging by the Artifact Spirit's sullen demeanor, does it mean that this time, the commotion has revived a large part of the bottle?

He then noticed the two new miniature hands on the Artifact Spirit, and couldn't help but exclaim, "Heck, it's one thing to resemble my childhood face, but what's with this new look now?"

Glass was growing increasingly bizarre, with hands extending from the root of the ears, truly giving him a fright.

His words seemed to ignite a powder keg, as Glass's emotions exploded, and she passionately danced in a frenzy within the Sea of Consciousness...

----

Five days later.

Mo Family Council Hall.

His cousin was bewilderedly summoned here, having been recently deeply engaged in research on independent flying magical artifacts, just starting to make some progress when a family elder came looking for him.

Upon entering the Council Hall, the Mo Family's "Three Great Idlers" were idly waiting for him.

Sixth Uncle Mo Xingzhi never liked mechanical techniques and was always in charge of the Mo Family's external mechanical business. It's said that he's recently been selling flying shuttles to major sects and even collaborating with the Imperial Court.

If he truly manages to expand his business, popularizing flying shuttles, it's possible that in the future not only cultivators but even ordinary people might use flying shuttles in place of carriages and horses, making travel between state prefectures more convenient.

Mo Yushu, the head of the clan and the dean of the Divine Strategy Institute, usually handles the entire Mo Family's affairs, naturally unable to immerse himself in mechanical techniques like other Mo Family members.

Master Qiu is Mo Yushu's right-hand man, handling most of the Mo Family's everyday operations.

The term "idlers" is just a misconception; these three are either nowhere to be found when busy or have only a few days of leisure.

Mo Yushu saw his son come in, handed over a piece of paper with a peculiar expression. It was information brought back by the family's Sixth; he had read it several times, finding it increasingly bizarre.

"Xiuwen, take a look at this."

His cousin took the letter, full of confusion, and carefully read it.

Wow!

Just one glance at the content was extremely sensational. Does this count as the entire Smoke Wave Prefecture's cultivators being completely compromised?

What kind of compromise?

The beginning was the palace guard from Smoke Wave City going to Celestial Water Sect to seek their Guardian Lord, only to be almost scared to death upon arrival.

Outside the entire Celestial Water Sect, sat thousands of cultivators densely packed, each like old monks entering meditation, with faces showing neither joy nor sorrow.

The palace guard finally found the Guardian Lord in the crowd, only to discover their Guardian was in such a bizarre state.

Trying to call him, and Xu Yin merely opened his eyes slowly, glanced indifferently at his subordinate, then closed his eyes to continue meditating.

Not only him, but the palace guards also tried shaking the surrounding cultivators, only to find they were all like this.

Even the whole area was eerily silent, devoid of birds, beasts, or insect sounds, a chilling sensation rushing up his spine, making him scramble back frantically.

In just two days, the matter reached the Imperial Court, causing a considerable commotion in the Cultivator Realm.

Any major sect with some standing was invited by the Imperial Court to Smoke Wave Prefecture, facing a group of meditating cultivators. The high-tier cultivators from these major sects couldn't figure out any issues at all.

Ultimately, reports arrived at the Celestial Essence Nine Sects' desks, and with such a major event, it was impossible for the Nine Sects to sit idly by, so each sent people over.

"Your Sixth Uncle and Master Qiu's insights are in the back, take a look," Mo Yushu said solemnly.

His cousin turned the page and quickly looked through it.

According to the Nine Sects' collective conclusion after inspection, these cultivators' bodies showed no issues; rather, they were in excellent condition, and this so-called meditative state was actually a kind of mental realm cultivation.

However, the people from the Nine Sects couldn't understand why this state seemed compulsory, continuous, and uninterruptible.

More frighteningly, the cultivators in this meditative state were virtually incapable of any action. As long as they didn't emerge from the meditative state, they couldn't function like normal people.

Currently, they even needed to be fed artificially to maintain bodily functions.

The matter was indeed strange and exceedingly bizarre.

"But what's this got to do with me? Why call me over?"

His cousin, though intrigued by the odd news, wondered why he was specifically called to see it. He was skilled in mechanics, but such matters weren't his expertise.

Mo Xingzhi looked at him with a peculiar expression, slowly speaking.

"Actually, there's something else not recorded here, and it was jointly decided by the Nine Families."

At this point, the three people in the Council Hall all gazed at Cousin with strange looks in their eyes.

"At the scene, a Pill was also found on the body of Sect Leader Lou Yanwen of the Celestial Water Sect. A Pill that, just by staying near it, could accelerate one's cultivation speed!"

Cousin suddenly felt a jolt in his heart.

That can't be!

As soon as he heard the word 'Pill', a figure flashed into his mind, especially since this figure was highly likely to appear there.

"I sent a message that the Celestial Water Sect in Smoke Wave City was looking for him, it shouldn't be him, right?"

Cousin murmured softly.

"Your friend might have inadvertently set up Unparalleled Tower."

The one who interjected was the old steward, his tone assertive, as if convinced it was Han Yu.

The discovery of such a Top-Grade Pill naturally caused a sensation. With the people of the Nine Sects present, the Pill's ownership could not possibly be that of an individual; it was immediately decided that the Nine Sects would study it together.

Unparalleled Tower promised to share the Pill's research results with the other eight families, thus borrowing the Pill first-hand.

Hurriedly returning to the sect, they immediately gathered their own Pharmacists of the Divine Gaze Realm and assembled a group of disciples from the Other Shore Realm to begin experiments.

"That's great!"

This seemed alright on the surface, Cousin said in confusion.

"Don't rush, listen to what Master Qiu has to say."

Mo Xingzhi seemed to have thought of something funny, and chuckled unexpectedly.

The old steward's calm face also broke into a smile.

"The news transmitted over said that Unparalleled Tower's Great Pharmacist analyzed all day and night, and by the next day, those disciples had to be carried out for emergency treatment. I heard they were all reduced to skin and bones, their qi and blood severely depleted, in a horrible state."

Understanding why these three were so sure it was Han Yu didn't take long for Cousin. Just hearing the symptoms, he was sure it must be Han Yu's handiwork. Only he could create a Pill with such ridiculous effects and severe aftereffects.

Reducing those in the Realm of Transcendence to Ginseng King-like states, and causing mere Divine Gaze Realm individuals to suffer qi and blood depletion did seem insignificant.

However, their expressions turned uneasy.

This time, Han Yu's commotion was larger than before, and the range of its impact was broader.

Mo Yushu contemplated with a serious expression, then looked up at Cousin.

"Do you have any certainty about whether your friend is a force for good or evil?"

Han Yu's ability in crafting Pills had eventually been underestimated; judging by the spell of obsession this time across an entire prefecture, this ability was already quite fearsome.

If he were on a crooked path, Mo Family certainly could not continue to cover for him, and might even have to expose him to the other eight families.

Mo Yushu was deeply conflicted at this moment. If the Ginseng King's issue had been revealed sooner, it might have garnered some goodwill from several families.

Now, if this matter erupted post-revelation and it was discovered Mo Family was aware, it might not be easy to justify.

Not to mention those eight old immortals who drank Ginseng King bathwater would hardly let Mo Family off if things were to be clarified.

Just the thought of it caused an intense headache.

Cousin naturally caught the implied message in Mo Yushu's words and hastily waved his hands, saying immediately, "He's definitely not a bad person. He should be a good person... right!"

Mo Yushu glanced at him helplessly, then looked at his sixth brother and the old steward, and asked, "Since we've covered for him once, should we do it again? What do you think?"

The old steward nodded; he had never been one to object to Mo Yushu's decisions.

Mo Xingzhi suddenly looked up and smiled, "When did we ever help him? We know nothing at all, where's the cover-up?"

This realization dawned on Mo Yushu like a revelation. Yes! Just steadfastly claim ignorance.

——

Extreme Yang Peak, Unparalleled Tower.

A middle-aged man of forty, with gray hair at the temples and a tuft of white hair on top, firm-faced, sat at the table, listening calmly to his disciple's report, fingers tapping occasionally on the tabletop.

"The second batch of disciples entered within ten meters to cultivate, and indeed, the speed of cultivation was remarkable. After forcibly interrupting cultivation at midday, the elders checked and found they consumed thirty percent of their qi and blood, yet the cultivating disciples did not feel their qi and blood depleting."

Bian Renjie was not resigned; giving up such a powerful Pill was truly a pity. With some preparation this time, he was ready to conduct experiments with the second batch of disciples.

"Have those of the Divine Gaze Realm tried it?"

Bian Renjie tapped the table and asked.

The disciple quickly bowed and responded.

"I personally tested it, and those in the Divine Gaze Realm see no growth in cultivation, but when True Essence accelerates, qi and blood also deplete."

"Moreover, the depletion is subtle and gradual. Were it not for the elders' firm assertion, I would have doubted I had consumed thirty percent of my qi and blood in just half a day. For those deeply focused on cultivation, it's very easy to lose all qi and blood and die."

Bian Renjie immediately turned sullen.

This meant the Pill was only effective below the Divine Gaze Realm, yet the accompanying qi depletion was a major issue. Prolonged cultivation could be lethal, making it not as miraculous as imagined.

"What if it's consumed?"

Bian Renjie pondered and asked.

The subordinate's expression turned conflicted, as they had posed this question to the sect's Pharmacists too.

"Our sect's Pharmacists estimate that even those in the Divine Gaze Realm might die if they consume it."

Utterly useless, just estimations. Bian Renjie ceased further inquiry. After several days, if the Pill could have been deciphered, results should have come long ago.

Unfortunately, the Great Elder was still researching the Ginseng King...

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