IWYTBW - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Washing Away Impurities from the Body Like Washing Away Procrastination.

Yi Zhen stood in the bathroom, facing a gigantic bathtub. Boiling hot water was ready, poised to gush down from the faucet at any moment.

“First pour in the tree resin…” Yi Zhen tore open the viscous sac and poured the bright red resin into the bathtub, stirring it as it mixed with the boiling water. “You know, I feel like I’m teaching a potions class at Hogwarts.”

[Oh, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a setting from a colossal book world. It has been deemed ‘one of the fortresses that cannot be conquered to this day’ by successive generations of players. I know of that world.]

Yi Zhen: “......Thank you, but I didn’t ask for that.”

He covered his nose with his sleeve to bear the increasingly pungent smell, letting the tree resin boil in the heated water. Following the steps he had practiced, he quickly broke the giant centipedes’ chitin armor into pieces and ground them into a powder. By this time, the tree resin had started to lose its color from the boiling.

Yi Zhen proceeded to grab the urchin-shaped venom gland, carefully pricked it, and squeezed out drop after drop of venom, mixing it into the dark brown powder.

The scent of the spider venom was shockingly strange, and it had a strong stimulation effect. Yi Zhen had no choice but to wear a gas mask to handle it.

“How strange…” He furrowed his brow. “I seemed to see a dark green hue present within the venom. Doesn’t the Dawn Galaxy Encyclopedia explicitly state that it is pure black in color?”

[The poison gland you are holding in your hand is indeed a thick, pure black liquid.] Tai’a replied, [Perhaps you saw wrongly.]

Yi Zhen blinked. At this point, he didn’t dare to rub his eyes, as his hands were busy stirring the mixture in a clockwise direction. Once the venom and centipede armor powder had been mixed thoroughly, he set the bowl aside, waiting for the foul paste to expand and soften in response to the water vapor.

“Now, decocting the medicine.” Even though the bathroom was spacious, the temperature had already become quite high, causing sweat to gather like a stream on Yi Zhen’s forehead, eventually dripping down from his chin to the floor. In another corner of the bathroom, he set up a small clay pot, using his still weak psychic powers to form tendrils that sorted out alien plants used for detoxification, carefully placing each bud and leaf into the boiling water to simmer.

This step is used to neutralize the excessively harsh toxins. This is arguably the most crucial step, because if the toxicity is not controlled within the range that the human body can withstand, Yi Zhen might never see the sun again.

While keeping an eye on the fire’s intensity, he also had to monitor the boiling state of the tree sap, stirring it occasionally. Running back and forth, he was so busy that he couldn’t even spare a moment to wipe the sweat off his face, completely caught up in a whirlwind of tasks.

The timer set by the optical brain emitted a “ding” sound, and Yi Zhen hurriedly turned his head, “All right, the poison mixture should be ready to... Hm?”

Staring at the small bowl, he was momentarily puzzled.

“What is... this?” Yi Zhen squinted his eyes, examining the poison mixture closely.

The dark brown powder of the plate armor mixed with the pure black liquid should not have produced any other color. Yet, Yi Zhen witnessed a more striking ink-green hue than before, flowing like smoke, winding and rising in wispy strands among the paste.

“Tai’a, do you see that?” Yi Zhen said, scarcely able to believe his eyes, “This dark green, this dark green...”

[I am a sentient being without senses, so I believe I cannot ‘see’,] Tai’a said calmly. [I have not observed the color dark green, but, your medicine is being overcooked.]

“Damn!” Yi Zhen hurriedly rushed over to save the situation, quickly scooping up another spoonful of cold water to add in, stimulating the medicine’s potency.

“Something is off,” he said, “I’m certain I saw something... a kind of dark green hue, flowing like smoke. How could you have not noticed it? Even if it were an illusion, it shouldn’t appear twice in succession.”

Tai’a suggested, [Perhaps using your psychic senses will fetch you the answer you seek.]

Yi Zhen: “That makes sense.”

Putting down the medicine spoon, he picked up the small bowl again. His mental force tightened in mid-air, extending tendrils to tentatively touch the dark green mist.

He “bumped” into some kind of entity.

Perhaps it is not quite appropriate to say it was a physical form, but his mental power truly touched the shape of the fog. At that moment, it was as though something sinister, cruel, and sticky brushed over the cortex of his brain.

The room was as hot as a steam sauna, yet Yi Zhen still shivered intensely. He couldn’t help but flinch slightly, but he didn’t give up. He tried to wrap around it and bit by bit, he “pulled” it off the poison.

His experiments were fraught with difficulty. From the outset, the smoke drawn out would immediately dissipate into the overly warm air. Soon, Yi Zhen conceived of a method. Clumsily manipulating his mental energy, he crafted a crude tic-tac-toe grid to hold the dark green fog.

With just this one action, he exhausted all his mental strength. His body trembled, cold sweats cascading over hot ones without cease. Yet, Yi Zhen’s eyes shone with an unprecedented brightness. He felt as if he was on the verge of uncovering an unknown entity, about to unravel a secret of immense importance.

The mist was gradually expelled, extracted, and swept away by him, settling into a small net woven by mental power, accumulating into a dense cluster. Tai’a had been silent for a long time, but finally spoke now, tone heavy and solemn.

[Yes,] it said in a deep voice, [I saw it, within your spiritual realm, I truly saw it.]

“What is it?” Yi Zhen gasped heavily, his entire body soaked as if drenched in sweat, dripping wet. He could hardly conceal his excitement and curiosity, “What is this?”

[It is an element; it is a concept,] Tai’a replied. [You saw beyond the veil, and you extracted a concept.]

Meanwhile, the bowl of sinister and dark paste, its toxicity capable of claiming the lives of dozens, dried up and cracked right before Yi Zhen’s eyes. It gradually faded to a grayish-brown color, and finally, with a “snap,” it crumbled into powder.

[The Concept of ‘Poison’.]

“Concept...” Yi Zhen observed the mist caught in the net of his mental power nonchalantly. “Really? That sounds so cool...”

“DING DING DING DING DING——!” The little ceramic pot behind Yi Zhen let out a piercing scream as it was lifted by the steam, almost causing Yi Zhen’s mental net to collapse on the spot. He hurriedly turned his head and lifted the lid of the pot.

... As expected, this batch of medicine was ruined.

[The poison’s toxicity no longer needs to be controlled by an antidote.] Tai’a suddenly said, [As the protagonist of the world, this world is extremely worthy of you. You can now comprehend the essence of matter and derive the concepts they depend on. With this talent, you will surpass everything, and there will be no other individuals more powerful than you.]

As it spoke, Tai’a let out a sigh. [You will become a god, Player. Perhaps this world really does have the authority to bestow such power upon you, but even that is far from enough. You do not yet understand the terrifying nature of this ability. It is enough to make even the laws that watch over all living beings bow their heads in servitude to you, forcing them to kneel in the mortal realm... Regardless, I offer you my congratulations.]

Yi Zhen was rather stunned. “Why are you learning how to sigh like a human?”

[I thought the subtle “sighing like a human being” action perfectly matches the uncanny valley theory. It makes you feel both familiar and creeped out, thus taking my words more seriously.] Tai’a answered. [So, are you taking it seriously now?]

Yi Zhen: “...... No, thank you! I don’t think I’m a god. If I was as good as you said I was, would I need to rely on the system reward’s awesome buff? I could directly extract Rong Hongxue as a ‘human’ concept! Though I don’t know what he’ll turn into after the extraction...”

Tai’a fell silent.

[You’re right.] Its tone became somewhat relieved. [I made a big fuss over nothing, so I’ll withdraw all the comments I made to you 56 seconds ago. Just pretend you didn’t hear it. Thank you.]

Yi Zhen rolled his eyes and remarked, “Don’t mention it.”

At this moment, the tree resin had already shed its bright and dangerous red hue in the constantly heated boiling water, revealing a pinkish-white color. Yi Zhen turned his head and took a deep breath of hot air.

The antidote’s creation was a failure, but he didn’t want to waste his one chance due to this mistake. He looked at his mental net. The concept known as “poison” was lurking within it, eagerly writhing.

His mind rapidly mulled over everything he knew as Yi Zhen steadied his mind, resolutely pulled the mask off his face, and removed his tunic.

For this one last try, he manipulated the mental net while standing in front of the bathtub. Puffing up his cheeks, he softly blew out a deep breath.

A thin layer of dark green mist rose and drifted over the steaming water. There was no wind, but a tiny whirlpool formed spontaneously, which then caused the entire tank of water to churn violently.

Yes, it worked. Yi Zhen relaxed and carefully controlled his mental net, pouring out a little more. The fog was like a thread, spreading out in the whirlpool.

Without having scales or a measuring cup, he could only rely solely on his intuition. In addition to controlling the amount of poison used, Yi Zhen continuously recalled his actions and the formula. He pried open a jade-colored peach-like fruit and squeezed its juice and soft pulp into the other end of the bathtub, the rich and sweet scent permeating through the air and invigorating his senses.

“The fruit of the Baijie grass,” Yi Zhen wrapped the seed in the fruit’s skin and threw it away, then turned around to open the sealed box, “and also the Royal Jelly of the Xinglu bees.”

Apart from the giant thorn tree resin, this is the most expensive ingredient among all the materials. Given Yi Zhen’s current assets, he dared not neglect it. Carefully, he pinched the plump piece of honeycomb with his fingers, the creamy yellow sweet nectar trembling as it dripped into the water.

According to the records of the Dawn Galaxy Encyclopedia, tree resin itself is a special medium. Its mild and stable properties allow it to release the medicinal properties of materials in the order they were added. Those potion masters known as alchemists regarded it as a universal solvent for a long time, which even once led to the extinction of the native giant thorn trees.

Despite looking innocently naive, Sha Baitian’s ability to obtain two exceptionally precious ingredients for the medicinal recipe truly made Yi Zhen view him in a new light.

Not until the last drop of royal jelly was squeezed out did Yi Zhen throw the dried-up honeycomb into his mouth, chew it, and swallow it, finally considering everything ready.

Between his lips lingered a rich and lingering fragrance. Prepared mentally, Yi Zhen stepped into the bathtub. Although the heating had been turned off, the water was still quite hot. He slowly sat down, feeling the warmth seeping into his pores.

Yi Zhen’s breathing became rapid, and soon, his entire body flushed red as if he had guzzled ten jin of strong liquor, feeling a scorching heat all over. Invisible flames refined his flesh and bones, as ceaseless warmth surged into every limb and bone, almost bursting forth from every orifice.

The concept-level pure poison doubled in ferocity, causing him to grit his teeth so hard they creaked. Sweat poured out like slurry, and he found himself completely powerless, limbs so weak they felt like noodles.

The sharp and scorching pain surged so powerfully through his marrow that Yi Zhen could almost trace the path of every blood vessel in his body by following the direction of the heat flow. Perhaps these were the so-called meridians, and the process known as cleansing the marrow and purifying the veins required forcibly expanding their capacity, shattering the impurities that clogged them, thereby enabling a person to more keenly sense the universe and communicate with all things.

Yi Zhen felt that his current state was akin to a lump of dough that had been left out for too long, now being crushed by someone. Piece by piece the hard crust was picked off, then pulled and tugged until it became soft again. Meanwhile, he had to make an effort to monitor the use of poison with his muddled consciousness... It was truly a torturous ordeal, only the ambition for power, from beginning to end, supported his backbone.

The stifled screams twisted into bizarre gurgles in his throat, as filthy blood mixed with sweat incessantly seeped from his pores.

It seemed that there were no great grievances or heart-wrenching past events that would justify someone fighting to the death in such a desperate manner. However, for some reason, the desire to control one’s own fate overwhelmingly surpassed the intense pain, reigning supreme above all else.

I need to surpass Rong Hongxue, Yi Zhen thought vaguely. I need to defeat those book transmigrators who eye me like prey. I need to become more powerful, until no one can threaten my life or force me into doing things I don’t wish to do. I want the gazes of others to disintegrate into nothing more than dust, their opinions to fall and scatter like ash... Yes, although I don’t yet understand why this urge is so intense, I must achieve this.

Apart from this, there are no excuses that can make me retreat.

Exclusive Side Quest : Beginner Completed

Quest Rewards:

《 Illustrations of a Hundred Weapons 》 or 《 The Book of Poisons 》

[Please make a selection, player]

“Poison! Book!” Despite the excruciating pain that muddled his senses, Yi Zhen, upon hearing the system’s reward for the first time, still managed to squeeze out two words through clenched teeth without any hesitation.

Exclusive Branch Mission ②: Born into Nobility Triggered

Quest Content:Cultivation in Progress

Finally, I’ve succeeded in purifying my marrow! I couldn’t help but smile with delight as I ran my fingers over the newly acquired ‘Poison Manual’ in my hands. But upon flipping through its pages, my heart sank. The entire manual only contained a single mental cultivation method. What did this mean? Was I only able to learn this one method?

Quest Rewards:

x1 Peach Blossom Poison Trap

x1 Cold Lake Viper

x1 Internal Energy Self-Circulating System

-

[Learn the cultivation method from 《The Book of Poisons》:
《 Jade Alchemy of the Eastern Sea 》?]

[Yes/No]

“I’ll Learn it!” Yi Zhen painfully shouted with blurred vision, almost tearing his throat apart, “Yes! Accept! Learn!”

A faint “ding” sound reached his ears, and the wild force clashing within his meridians gradually evaporated, turning into a cool and gentle breath that began to flow around Yi Zhen’s body.

Initially, it was just a strand as thin as a hair. As it surged more times, it gradually amassed as a line, constantly washing over Yi Zhen’s battered body, and at the same time extinguishing the burning poison.

As if after being exposed to the sun for hours during the hottest period of summer, he was suddenly submerged in ice water. The piercing agony was gradually alleviated. The clear stream brought by the ‘Jade Alchemy of the Eastern Sea’ cleansed his torn meridians, and then the medicinal effects of the Baijie Grass and Royal Xinglu Bee Jelly began to take effect. It was as if every inch of Yi Zhen’s flesh and blood tasted the rich, fragrant sweetness and was thoroughly nourished by this comfort.

——The test was over, and he had successfully passed the difficult challenge.

Exclusive Branch Mission ②: Born into Nobility Completed

Quest Rewards:

x1 Peach Blossom Poison Trap

x1 Cold Lake Viper

x1 Internal Energy Self-Circulating System

Tai’a said: [You have done well, Player. Now you may rise.]

As his first time coming across inner-strength cultivation-methods, Yi Zhen laboriously sat up from the bathtub, and attempted to use his mental power to wield the clear qi circulating within his meridians. It seemed that even without him having to recite chantings or practicing acupressure points, the 《 Jade Alchemy of the Eastern Sea 》 began to operate continuously.

As the marrow cleansing ended, Yi Zhen felt like an entirely different person. His five senses were sharper than before, several times even. He could sense that with each revolution of the refined qi, his hearing and sight became even clearer.

“What’s this…Ugh, it smells like hell.” Yi Zhen immediately held his breath and looked down into the bathtub. Good heavens, how could this possibly be the medicinal bath? It looked like a mud pond, more so than a medicinal bath.

His body was covered in a layer of foul-smelling, dark grease that would have made anyone gag. He staggered towards the nearby shower, turned on the water, and scrubbed himself relentlessly. He washed himself five times, even using the so-called “strong cleaning shower gel that washes away dirt like an inveterate vice!,” before he finally felt clean.

As he changed into the new, plush garments, Yi Zhen realized that he seemed to have lost weight.

It wasn’t his imagination. At this moment, he felt so energized that he could almost jump to the ceiling in a single bound. His body felt light and full of vitality as he walked. Looking in the mirror, he seemed to have been cleansed of years of accumulated dust, shining with a newfound brightness.

Yi Zhen examined his reflection in the mirror. He was originally pale, but it was the pallor of someone weak and ill. At this moment, however, he was as radiant as if imbued with a handful of moonlight, and his originally somewhat dim eyes [e/n: okay originally it said his forehead... I regret nothing]now shone with a jade-like luster.

Yi Zhen gazed into the mirror for a long moment before resolutely turning away.

“Alright, I can’t look any more; otherwise, I’m going to fall in love with myself.”

He couldn’t hide his joy and casually clicked into the System to glance at his character card.

Name: Yi Zhen

Gender:Male

Age:23

Career:None

Special Identity:The Protagonist

Strength: 31.3 (Rating Level: C+)

Mental Strength:30 (Evaluation Level: C)

Agility:22 (Assessment Level: C-)

Comprehensive Assessment:

You’ve grown stronger, yet without losing a hair on your head. The physical strength of a standard adult is enough for you to pilot a mech, while the mental fortitude of an adult ensures you’re less susceptible to being manipulated by higher-level pilots. As for agility, you are now capable of dodging an attack from a small hunting dog – a cause for celebration indeed, truly a cause for celebration!

Nice!

Three Cs allowed Yi Zhen to hold his head high and breathe a sigh of relief. Remembering that just two weeks ago, he was a person with a D in physical strength and an E in agility, a true weakling, he couldn’t help but feel even more exhilarated.

Feeling stronger is truly wonderful.

He flipped open the 《 Book of Poisons 》 and began to study it meticulously. He discovered that the entire scripture was divided into three major categories: hidden weapons, Gu poisons[e/n: 蛊gǔ: arch. Legendary venomous insect / to poison / to bewitch / to drive to insanity / to harm by witchcraft / intestinal parasite , accepting name suggestions aha...], and mental techniques. The last category had only one branch, which was the 《 Jade Alchemy of the Eastern Sea 》 that was currently operating automatically within Yi Zhen’s body.

The explanation isn’t particularly obscure and is all in plain language: 《 Jade Alchemy of the Eastern Sea 》, by practicing this technique, one can make their inner qi flow like waves and tides, circulating endlessly without fatigue. It also allows one to hold their breath and conceal their presence, silent and still, like a jade sculpture or a fossil, blending seamlessly with the surrounding environment... Thereby hiding their tracks, undetectable by the outside world.”

He pondered for a moment before saying, “Very well, the skill of an invisible assassin.”

As he scrolled further, he discovered an article attached at the top named “Twelve Techniques of the Laurel Breaking Darts,” detailing the methods of throwing hidden weapons, alongside a list of poison formulas and their antidotes, trailing like a wisp of smoke.

With a heart full of excitement, Yi Zhen opened the first page of the remaining chapters on hidden weapons and Gu poisons.

“Blood Thorn…” He caressed the smooth pages of the book, pondering over the introductory course of the hidden weapons chapter, “Shaped like a lotus pod, standing tall and graceful as jade. A single Blood Thorn is assembled from thirteen petals of fine iron, and at most, it can be imbued with thirteen different deadly poisons. Once it bursts open and the poisons enter the body, not even gods can save the victim…”

Beside the text narration and production tutorial, there is also a hand-drawn three-dimensional sketch of a blood caltrop. It truly resembles a tightly wrapped, unopened lotus bud. However, each petal is stained with a striking shade of blood.

Exclusive side mission ③: Blood Tribulus Triggered

Quest Content: Femme Fatale

My martial arts journey has begun! However, it seems that I didn’t choose to be a righteous and open-hearted hero. Instead, I’ve embarked on a different path—one that’s darker, more direct, and unscrupulously pragmatic.

It’s time to craft my first concealed weapon, but before that, there’s still a lot of preparation work that needs to be done.

Quest Rewards:

Lightness Body Technique x1

Mustard Seed Panther Pouch x1

Celestial Wolf Bow Blueprint x1

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______e/n________:advance chaptershere :D