Ever since the "Pressure Cooker Nourishing Essence Paste" experiment was successfully completed, Zhang Shaozhong's kitchen has been completely transformed into a small alchemy workshop.
The air is permeated year-round with a peculiar aroma that is a mixture of medicinal fragrance and burnt smell.
Zhang Shaozhong, the "head of household" and "chief alchemist," has become completely obsessed with that pressure cooker.
He strictly followed Ling Qingxue's optimized recipe and cooking instructions, trying again and again, recording data, and adjusting the proportions.
Although the failure rate was still not low, with the mixture either being too thin or burning to the bottom of the pot, the number of successful attempts increased, and the quality of the "Peiyuan Paste" gradually stabilized.
This dark, gooey stuff, though its appearance and taste were disastrous—Night Enchantress described it as "worse than the swamp mud of the Demon Realm"—had undeniably real effects!
Every day, the three of them would share a portion of Peiyuan Paste without fail.
Zhang Shaozhong could clearly feel that the chaotic energy in his body was receiving continuous nourishment, and its growth rate was much faster than when he was simply "doing nothing" before!
Although we are still far from achieving a qualitative change from a quantitative one, the feeling of making progress every day gives him a lot of motivation.
Ling Qingxue and Ye Meier benefited more.
Their foundations were deep, and this amount of energy was a drop in the ocean compared to their original level. However, in this world where spiritual energy was depleted, this continuous, weak replenishment was like a trickle of water, slowly but steadily nourishing their damaged foundations and increasing their recovery speed slightly.
"At this speed,"
One day, after taking the "medicine," Ye Meier felt a trace of her demonic energy becoming more active within her body. She said, unusually seriously, "I estimate that in another ten or eight years, I might be able to recover to the Golden Core stage... uh, what level is that equivalent to here? Anyway, I should be able to flatten a building with one slap!"
Zhang Shaozhong grinned as he listened, and then slapped a building flat.
Is that even human?
Oh right, they weren't human to begin with...
Ling Qingxue, however, was more focused on the long term: "Although this method is good, the medicinal materials are ultimately ordinary and have their limits. When the efficacy of this formula weakens, we need to find materials of higher quality or containing different attributes of vital energy in order to continue to improve it."
Zhang Shao nodded and noted it down, which clarified his next goal—to find better materials for alchemy.
However, the peaceful days of "drug use" did not last long.
That day, Zhang Shaozhong, as usual (ps: Ling Qingxue and the others had recovered their cultivation to the Foundation Establishment stage last time, and their soul contract had also broken through to a distance of about 100 kilometers), prepared to go out to purchase a batch of medicinal herbs.
As soon as he reached the gate of the courtyard, that feeling of being watched returned! And it was even stronger than before!
He glanced around discreetly and noticed an unfamiliar gray van parked across the street. The windows were tinted dark, obscuring the interior, but he could sense several menacing gazes fixed on him.
"A lingering ghost..."
Zhang Shaozhong cursed inwardly, knowing that Zhao Dingtian had sent new "flies" again, and this time the people seemed to be much more professional than the previous two, and their aura was also more sinister.
He didn't alert the enemy, pretending he hadn't noticed anything, and went to the pharmacy to buy the medicine as usual.
When I returned, the van was still parked in the same spot.
Back inside, he explained the situation to the two big shots.
Ye Meier's eyebrows shot up immediately: "Is this never going to end? Do you really think I'm a pushover? Forget about setting up any illusions this time, just let me throw them and their cart into the moat!"
"Don't be impulsive!"
Zhang Shaozhong quickly stopped her, "These people are just spies, small fry. Touching them will only alert the enemy. I reckon Zhao Dingtian and that so-called Master Basong he hired are definitely up to no good!"
Ling Qingxue stirred her divine sense slightly and probed outside. A trace of solemnity appeared on her usually cold face: "The person who came this time carries a faint bloody and murderous aura. He is not an ordinary person who keeps watch. He is probably someone who has taken lives."
Zhang Shaozhong's heart sank.
It seems the other side is serious; they've even sent out such desperate criminals!
"They didn't dare to make a move in the downtown area. They probably wanted to wait for us to be alone or find an opportunity to sneak into the yard."
Zhang Shaozhong analyzed, "We need to strengthen our vigilance."
He thought for a moment and said to Ling Qingxue, "Fairy, could we strengthen the maze outside our courtyard? Ideally, it should be so strong that these flies can't even get close, and they'll get dizzy and run away on their own if they do!"
Ling Qingxue pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Alright. We need to use a few pieces of jade of slightly better quality as the array's core to activate the earth's energy; the effect will be even better."
He then looked at Ye Meier: "Big sister, the physical defense of the courtyard is in your hands! Set up any traps or mechanisms you like! As long as no one gets killed, you can do whatever you want!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Meier immediately perked up, rubbing her hands together eagerly: "Don't worry! I guarantee they won't leave alive! I've recently been studying the electrical circuits here, I can give them a 'surprise'!"
Seeing that one of the two big shots was in charge of "magical defense" and the other was in charge of "physical (technical?) traps", Zhang Shaozhong felt much more at ease.
That's the advantage of having teammates!
But he also knew that passive defense was not a long-term solution.
Zhao Dingtian and that Master Basong are like two venomous snakes, lurking in the shadows, ready to bite you at any moment.
"We need to find a way to take the initiative..."
Zhang Shaozhong stroked his chin, his eyes flashing. "At the very least, we need to find out what kind of methods that Master Basong has, and where they're hidden..."
In the days that followed, the courtyard appeared calm on the surface, but undercurrents were surging beneath.
Ling Qingxue used several high-quality Hetian jade pebbles that Zhang Shaozhong had bought back to rearrange an enhanced version of the maze formation and early warning formation.
Night Enchantress enthusiastically set up various small but insidious traps on the courtyard walls, doors, and windows, such as floor tiles that would suddenly generate electricity when stepped on, and devices that would spray powerful pepper spray when a door was opened, etc., having a great time.
While continuing his "pressure cooker alchemy" project, Zhang Shaozhong also began to consciously track down the stalkers using his enhanced perception and the Chaos Qi's sensitivity to energy, trying to find their hideout or, by following the clues, find the master Basong behind them.
Cultivation, alchemy, strengthening defenses, reverse tracking... the days were intense yet fulfilling.
Zhang Shaozhong could feel that under pressure, his chaotic energy circulated more freely, and his control over his power became more refined.
A crisis can also be a whetstone.
He believes that as long as they weather this storm, he and the two bigwigs will undergo a transformation!
While taking drugs, the powerful immortals and demons prepare to face their enemies!
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