NOVEL NEXT Chapter 64 Conditions
Leopard Fetus Muscle-Changing Pills are made from precious and profoundly nourishing medicinal ingredients such as leopard fetus, deer fetus, and seal kidneys. These pills greatly benefit Martial Practitioners by aiding the accumulation of Vital Energy.
When Chen Ku easily extracted the leopard fetus from the mother leopard's corpse, his blade merely trembled with Force Power, and it was done. This was indeed Huang Gun's inherent ability: the Unity of Move and Force. This power, now coursing through him, not only allowed him to effortlessly master the integration of Force Power and Moves but also enabled him to instantly master the Lion Rolling Ball move of the Ox Splitting Knife Skill, reaching the Great Achievement level.
And just as Chen Ku temporarily experienced this Unity of Move and Force and his Great Achievement in the Ox Splitting Knife Skill, text appeared on the Transformation Diagram in his Heart Sea.
[Diagram Master satisfies one of the cultivation conditions for the Third Transformation]
The awakening condition of the Third Transformation Diagram?
Last time it was the same; when he touched the silver note of One Hundred Taels, it seemed to have triggered the condition and manifested itself.
Chen Ku immediately looked at it.
[Third Transformation Diagram]
[Awakening conditions: One thousand taels of silver, ten thousand catties of Crow Sink Sand, Great Achievement in one Force Transformation Martial Art, the Unity of Intent and Force realm, and ten catties of First Realm Demon blood.]
Chen Ku reviewed the conditions. Compared to previous transformations, the need for money—or rather, 'precious metals'—hadn't changed.
Crow Sink Sand was a precious, heavy sediment found beneath rivers, much denser than iron, and an important material required in forging certain weapons. He knew so much about it because a significant amount had been incorporated into his Nu Dragon Staff, making it incredibly heavy.
The requirement for a Martial Arts realm remained, and an additional personal realm requirement was added on top of it. Besides this, Evil Qi had now been replaced by ten catties of demon blood.
When he killed Huang Gun, he had obtained some information about power levels. Although he was still unclear about the specific categorizations above Inner Qi, he knew that a common Demon comparable to an Inner Qi expert was termed a 'First Realm Demon'.
However, as Chen Ku looked at the sequential conditions for the Transformation Diagram for the third time, he couldn't help but feel:
Besides the demands for my own Cultivation, why do the other requirements seem a bit like sacrifices?
Chen Ku couldn't figure it out. He just vaguely felt that when the Transformation Diagram had consumed money previously, it was as if it were devouring offerings on an altar. Now, in addition to gold, silver, and copper coins—precious metals—there was also demon blood...
An offering? A sacrifice using demon blood?
Could it be asking me to slay Demons and protect the Three Realms?
Chen Ku was amused by his own baseless thought.
Well, as long as it doesn't require my own blood, it's just demon blood, right? It should be obtainable at the Medicine King Hall; besides, it could also be bought with money.
Ultimately, it still boils down to making more money.
As long as there is money, many conditions can be achieved with it.
Suddenly, Chen Ku noticed a line of small script above the Third Transformation Diagram.
[From Three, All Things Are Born; At Seven, Change Is Certain]
(Note: After achieving the Third Transformation, the Divine Skill 'Fetus Transformation Refining Shape' will be derived.)
What does 'From Three, All Things Are Born; At Seven, Change Is Certain' mean? And what is 'Fetus Transformation Refining Shape'? I've heard of 'Fetus Transformation Shape Shifting'... one of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Divine Powers... Refining Shape and Shape Shifting...
Chen Ku, having read many books, had some conjectures but couldn't be entirely sure. Fetus Transformation Refining Shape and Fetus Transformation Shape Shifting—how big of a difference could a single word make?
'From Three, All Things Are Born; At Seven, Change Is Certain'? A Divine Skill appears with the third diagram? Could it be there's also a Divine Skill with the seventh diagram? Or even... the thirteenth and twenty-seventh as well?
Chen Ku felt an even greater anticipation for achieving the Third Transformation.
Money? I just recently found a way to earn money, but it was temporarily disrupted by the Huang Gun affair...
Chen Ku headed towards Ke Yansheng's house.
"What? You want to see how the bait mouse discerns medicine from poison?" Ke Yansheng asked, pausing in surprise upon hearing Chen Ku's request. "Why this sudden idea?"
Chen Ku touched his nose and said, "Elder Ke, have you forgotten? My pharmacology scores were also the highest. It's been over two months since I joined the Butcher Court, and I've only been involved in butchery. I haven't participated in the medicinal preparation process at all yet."
Seeing Chen Ku touch his nose, Ke Yansheng couldn't help but remember Chen Ku's terrifying talent in identifying medicinal properties that day.
There was a brief silence. It wasn't that he had forgotten this matter. The reason he regarded Chen Ku as a precious gem, aside from Chen Ku's Martial Talent, was precisely because of Chen Ku's talent as a Pharmacist, wasn't it? It was precisely because of this that he was confident Chen Ku could take on a leading role in the future, shouldering both the Pill Prescription and Martial Arts responsibilities of the Butcher Court.
However, the Pill Prescriptions and other formulas of the Medicine King Hall were all closely guarded secrets, even more precious than their Martial Arts techniques. Even the most common prescription or formula used by Martial Practitioners for training, including broth formulas, were worth three to five thousand taels of silver.
Why, you ask? These were the culmination of countless sacrifices by generation after generation, who personally tested drugs through poison ingestion, meticulously adjusted ratios, and passed down this knowledge over hundreds of years as their precious inheritance. To put it another way, even if the Medicine King Hall were destroyed by external forces one day, as long as these prescriptions still existed, it could easily re-establish itself anywhere. Therefore, these formulas could only be taught after one had officially become a Disciple and their status in the inheritance was formally established.
Chen Ku, of course, knew this, so he said, "Elder Ke, I'm not asking to participate in formulating any important Pill Prescriptions right now. I just want to observe general pharmacological practices. After all, in this domain, I currently only recognize some common medicinal materials. I want to build a more solid foundation and see if I can gain some inspiration from observing how the bait mouse discerns medicines."
Upon hearing this, Ke Yansheng no longer felt conflicted. If it was just observing ordinary diagnosis and prescription for common ailments, Chen Ku could indeed be allowed to participate. After all, formulas for things like the common cold were sometimes found in widely circulated medicinal chants.
"Alright then, I'll take you to see the pharmacy behind the Butcher Court. But how did you find out about the bait mouse?"
"Senior Brother Jiang mentioned it. I was curious; I heard this creature is quite remarkable."
Before long, Ke Yansheng had led Chen Ku to the pharmacy. This place comprised several rooms. Apprentices and workers would send processed beast medicines here to be ground and dried. Inside, designated Pharmacists formulated the medicines, while guards outside ensured no unauthorized person could access these rooms.
Chen Ku saw that the rooms were categorized into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow.
"The beast medicine formulated in the 'Mystic' room already includes cultivation-aiding medicines like the Leopard Fetus Muscle-Changing Pills. You can start by observing in the 'Yellow' room; there's also a bait mouse there..."
After Ke Yansheng entered and greeted the people inside, he let Chen Ku in.
Inside, an elderly Pharmacist with white hair, wearing a melon-skin cap, was weighing Deer Antler powder with a scale, then carefully adjusting the amount with a small spoon...
"Is that the bait mouse?" Chen Ku's expression was one of astonishment.
The creature was about a foot long, resembling a large, gray-furred rat, but it had a rabbit's head and a large, bushy tail like a squirrel's. Most strangely, as it scampered around the cage, a patch of its belly was exposed and translucent, allowing one to clearly see its internal organs—the heart beating, the blood flowing.
So this is the bait mouse! No wonder it's used in medicine. Not only can it neutralize hundreds of poisons, but it also has a naturally transparent belly, like a built-in ultrasound!!
Chen Ku immediately stepped closer to scrutinize the small creature intently, memorizing its scent.
"Don't get too close. This creature is extremely valuable. For many years, the Medicine King Hall has only had a few of them, and they are used repeatedly," said the white-haired Pharmacist, Yao Yuan, his voice indifferent as he continued his work without turning around.
"Why not get more?" Chen Ku asked. "I heard they can be found near Two Realms Mountain."
Ke Yansheng sighed and said, "To be precise, it's not that they are found at Two Realms Mountain. This Strange Beast is native to the Yuan Country. It's only because Two Realms Mountain is close to Daji that this creature occasionally crosses the border, allowing it to be captured. But you know that's a border area; with national boundary markers in place, one cannot easily trespass..."
Chen Ku thought to himself: Cannot easily trespass? But aren't there many who smuggle goods across the border?
He knew Ke Yansheng's words were likely not the true reason. It was more probable that the Medicine King Hall was wary because these creatures were a sensitive matter, being a specialty of the Yuan Country. If they possessed too many, it would be tantamount to 'smuggling Strange Beasts and colluding with a foreign power,' a serious charge. Thus, they deliberately controlled the quantity to avoid giving anyone a pretext to accuse them.
Yet, from this, Chen Ku gleaned a crucial piece of information.
This meant... if this creature is a Strange Beast unique to the Yuan Country, then beyond Two Realms Mountain... could there be many bait mice there?