After leaving the Martial Pavilion, Lin Feng hurriedly returned home and into his courtyard.
Without wasting time, he brought out a large basin and poured water into it before adding the various herbs and materials one after another.
Soon—
The clear water gradually turned dark green.
A thick medicinal scent filled the room instantly.
Lin Feng took a deep breath.
Then slowly removed his clothes.
Splash.
He stepped directly into the basin.
The moment his body submerged—
A scorching pain penetrated every inch of Lin Feng's flesh.
"Agh!"
His eyes snapped open.
The green medicinal liquid within the basin seemed to come alive, surging toward his pores like countless tiny needles stabbing his bones and internal organs while simultaneously correcting every damaged meridian. Every crooked vein seemed to have been forcefully dragged back into its natural position.
The pain was far beyond what he had expected.
His muscles trembled violently.
Veins bulged across his arms.
The medicinal solution rapidly lost its color as strands of emerald energy seeped into his body.
"Just as I thought…"
Lin Feng gritted his teeth.
"The injuries are far worse than they appear."
The damage left behind after his cultivation had been crippled was not limited to his meridians.
His flesh.
His bones.
Even his internal organs had suffered varying degrees of hidden damage.
Normally, such injuries would remain dormant for years.
However, the moment someone attempted to advance to higher realms, those hidden defects would emerge and become fatal obstacles.
Fortunately—
He now possessed a method to repair them.
Lin Feng took out a blood-red pill from the sealed container. If anyone from the Alchemist Association earlier was present, they would recognize that this pill was the Great Blood Coagulation Pill he refined earlier. But only Lin Feng knew that this wasn't any Blood Coagulation Pill.
"Fortunately, the Alchemist Association had the materials for the Foundation Mending Pill."
Yes, this was an entirely different elixir which, according to the alchemy inheritance he received, used the same materials as the Blood Coagulation Pill with the exception of one, which is why even someone as skilled as the Vice Pavilion Master couldn't see through it and probably just thought that material added was merely Lin Feng's own tweak of the recipe.
He shook his head, pushing all the distracting thoughts out of his mind, swallowed the pill, then closed his eyes.
Closing his eyes, Lin Feng circulated the cultivation technique given to him by the system.
Immediately, the medicinal energy flowing through his body changed direction.
Instead of scattering randomly, it began gathering toward the damaged areas.
Crack.
Crack.
Tiny sounds echoed from inside his body.
The damaged meridians that had remained stagnant for years slowly began repairing themselves.
The process was slow.
Painfully slow.
Yet Lin Feng could clearly feel the improvement.
His originally blocked circulation pathways were gradually becoming smoother.
Even his breathing felt lighter.
Hours passed.
The moon rose high into the night sky.
Inside the room, steam continuously rose from the basin.
The medicinal solution had already faded from dark green to a pale, almost transparent color.
Nearly all of its medicinal essence had been absorbed.
After an unknown amount of time, his eyelids, which had previously been closed, trembled, and he opened his eyes. Lin Feng's eyes shone with brilliant light for a moment, then vanished like an illusion.
"What a pity. Although it succeeded in mending my foundation and meridians, it's still unable to expel the negative energy absorbed from Zhao Lei."
Lin Feng mumbled, then sighed in frustration because, despite consuming so many precious materials, it seemed he still underestimated the extent of his injuries and the impact of absorbing beyond his current capabilities. He took note of that, never to do it again.
Still—
The current him was no longer as vulnerable as he was with his injuries. Although the dark force was a hidden injury, he could at least defend himself now if he encountered trouble.
A smile appeared on his face.
"Good."
"At least there is progress."
As long as it worked, the rest was merely a matter of gathering resources.
Compared to having no hope at all, this result was already excellent.
He continued running the cultivation technique to further stabilize his present condition, and before he knew it, another hour passed.
Finally—
The last trace of medicinal energy disappeared.
Lin Feng slowly opened his eyes.
The basin water had become completely clear.
Not a single medicinal property remained.
Stepping out, he grabbed a nearby robe and put it on.
Then he clenched his fist lightly.
Boom.
A muffled sound echoed.
The air around his fist distorted slightly.
Lin Feng's eyes lit up.
"My physical strength increased by nearly thirty percent."
The improvement was significant.
If he were to face his previous self now, victory would be even easier.
After stretching briefly, he sat cross-legged on his bed.
His thoughts shifted toward another matter.
Removing the dark force roaming around inside of him.
"Sigh, expelling dark energy is no simple matter. Right now, I can only apply two methods."
"One is to invite a cultivator at least one realm stronger than the person whose energy is inside you, so I would need a Martial Spirit cultivator to take action."
"The second is a medicinal elixir called the Body Purging Pill."
"This kind of pill was created for this exact kind of situation. It forces all kinds of energies that don't belong to one's body out of the body."
"The first option is out of the question because where would I even find a Spirit Realm cultivator to intervene? And even if I do find one, there is nothing that I currently have that can tempt such a great cultivator to help. I may not even get his help but instead get myself into trouble."
"So that means the second option is best, but even though, with the money saved by not paying for the previous materials, I can afford it, I don't have a cauldron."
"Ahh, and a good cauldron sometimes costs more than the materials themselves."
Lin Feng shook his head, rubbing his temples. Facing these kinds of problems, he would rather fight strong enemies for a thousand rounds.
Speaking of problems, Lin Feng suddenly remembered the formation jade slip he received after he won the bet.
He waved his hand, and an azure jade slip appeared in his hands from the system space.
Then he said dejectedly while fiddling with the slip:
"This would require me to comprehend for at least a couple of days to understand because, even though it's a jade slip containing information, according to family records, most of the information is scattered and unorganized, which requires arranging and comprehending. That would take some time."
Time which he didn't have, as the family competition was fast approaching.
As he began to debate internally whether to use the slip or ask the Deputy Association Master for assistance in refining it, the first ray of sunlight penetrated through the window and shone onto his face.
And with it came a sound.
[DING!]
[24 HOURS ARE UP AND SIGN-IN IS REFRESHED!]
[AUTO SIGN-IN BEGINNING!]
[DING! CONGRATULATIONS TO HOST FOR OBTAINING A ONE-TIME COMPREHENSION CARD! PLEASE RETURN TOMORROW FOR ANOTHER SIGN-IN!]
Hearing the system's notification, his face froze as if petrified.
Then, after a dozen or so breaths, his face turned into one of pure joy.
He couldn't believe his luck.
He quickly extracted the card from the system space.
In his hand appeared a small card resembling a business card from his previous life. Inscribed on it was a human figure without a face performing various martial arts moves.
The information about it appeared in his mind.
"Using this card, within the duration of a quarter of the time of an incense stick, anything can be comprehended. Be it cultivation techniques, alchemy, formations, any cultivation problems, or even comprehending Heavenly Dao laws. However, you can only use it to comprehend one thing."
"So that means if you have a cultivation problem and also need to comprehend a technique, you can only choose one of the two, not both."
"This... this is so heaven-defying. System, I love you!"
Lin Feng was so excited he almost screamed at the top of his voice but stopped himself, not wanting to draw attention to himself.
He remained excited for a few breaths, then forcefully calmed himself down.
Taking a deep breath, he finally returned to total calmness.
"Alright, now that we have this, plans have changed. Let's first test this out."
Following the system's guide, he broke the card into two.
It turned into a bright light that rushed into his forehead.
He suddenly felt an indescribably cool sensation wash over him.
Every challenge that had previously seemed impossible now appeared within his reach.
It felt as if the world held no mysteries before him.
But he quickly restrained himself, remembering his purpose and not wanting to waste this precious opportunity.
He took out the jade slip.
Lin Feng immediately pressed it against his forehead.
The next instant—
An enormous stream of information flooded into his mind.
Formation fundamentals.
Runic structures.
Energy circulation patterns.
Array construction methods.
Countless pieces of knowledge surged forward.
Fortunately, Lin Feng's spiritual perception had already grown considerably stronger than that of ordinary cultivators.
Otherwise, the sudden influx alone would have been enough to leave him unconscious.
Several hours later—
He finally opened his eyes.
A look of astonishment appeared on his face.
"Formation Masters truly deserve their reputation."
Compared to alchemy—
Formations were even more complicated.
A single mistake in one rune could cause an entire array to collapse.
Yet the power they could unleash was terrifying.
Defensive formations.
Illusion formations.
Killing formations.
Gathering formations.
Some powerful arrays could even trap experts far stronger than the person who created them.
Lin Feng quickly understood why Formation Masters were so respected.
Not only were they rare—
They were difficult to provoke.
Who knew how many traps a Formation Master might have hidden?
Just as he was digesting the information—
A particular section caught his attention.
Formation Eyes.
His pupils contracted slightly.
The formation beneath the cauldrons used by the Alchemist Association.
The formations protecting Qinghe City.
Even defensive arrays around major sects.
All required a Formation Eye.
Without one—
The formation could not function.
The stronger the Formation Eye, the stronger the array.
Lin Feng nodded thoughtfully.
His understanding deepened considerably.
Soon—
A trace of exhaustion surfaced as the comprehension card's time passed, combined with the eventful couple of days without rest he had endured.
He had participated in multiple assessments.
Refined pills.
Won a wager.
Visited the Martial Pavilion.
Absorbed medicinal energy.
Studied formation knowledge.
Given his current cultivation, fatigue was unavoidable.
After all, he had not yet reached the realm of fasting and an inexhaustible physique.
"Time to rest."
He lay down, having already formed an idea of how to get the cauldron he so desperately needed.
Within moments, sleep claimed him.
He had an exciting day ahead of him.