Memories faded, and the illusions gradually dissipated.
Feng Lin stood frozen in place, a brand-new memory already forming in his mind—the Furnace Alchemy Art.
But he paid it no mind, instead fixating on that fleeting, inexplicable glance from the ethereal old man, which sent a chill down his spine.
A coincidence?
Feng Lin shook his head.
Though it lasted only an instant, he was certain he hadn't misseen it.
That ethereal old man had deliberately ignored the doubts of the many disciples, choosing instead to explain those mundane basics.
After finishing, perhaps having achieved his goal, he shifted to teaching the Furnace Immortal Sect's most renowned alchemical method—the Furnace Alchemy Art.
This was an alchemical technique capable of harnessing the power of heaven and earth, using the dual energies of yin and yang as fire to refine all things. It possessed miraculous effects and served as the overarching principle for all alchemy within the Furnace Immortal Sect.
Every alchemical method in the sect, regardless of rank, was an extension of this core principle, much like how countless Daoist classics derived from the *Tao Te Ching*.
The myriad of wondrous techniques left Feng Lin utterly captivated, lost in awe.
By the time he had finally committed the alchemical secrets to memory, all the visual memories had vanished.
He savored the experience for a long while, and as he recalled the old man's strange behavior and eerie gaze, an inexplicable, baseless thought arose in Feng Lin's mind.
Every word and action of that ethereal old man seemed deliberately staged for someone—and that someone was...
Feng Lin!
This idea was bold and wild, and even Feng Lin startled himself upon reaching this conclusion, yet he believed it wholeheartedly.
Especially at the end of the vision, the old man's final soft laugh echoed clearly in Feng Lin's ears, unforgettable: "Descendant, the Great Calamity of Dharma Extinction is coming! The legacy of my Furnace Immortal Sect is now in your hands!"
In Chinese mythological records, powerful cultivators who reached realms comparable to gods or demons often possessed the ability to foresee the future, peering into the secrets of fate. Could the same be true of this ethereal old man?
But predicting events millions of years into the future—wasn't that too far-fetched? That old man's strength among gods and demons was certainly no joke!
And what was this so-called Great Calamity of Dharma Extinction?
...
Feng Lin's mind itched with unease, feeling as though he had brushed against the truth of an ancient mythological era, yet it remained distant, as if he knew nothing at all.
Countless guesses swirled in his mind, but no clear conclusion emerged.
Suddenly, as if realizing something, his expression tightened. He pushed his mental energy to its limit, condensing it into a sharp needle and driving it fiercely into those crystalline lifeforms.
The crystalline lifeforms let out desperate squeaks before their life force fell utterly silent.
Cold sweat dripped from Feng Lin's forehead. He was forcibly unleashing his mental energy to destroy the spirits of these crystalline beings, killing them all.
Because in his momentary lapse, he had already revealed something unusual.
If mental genes were strengthened to a certain degree, they could probe the secrets of ancient divine medicines with mental energy. He couldn't hide this, but Feng Lin also couldn't allow this ancient Chinese legacy to fall into the hands of Frank and Echo, descendants of white men.
Those not of our kind are bound to have different hearts.
As a descendant, it was his duty to protect what the ancestors left behind, preventing it from being seized by those with ulterior motives.
As for what he would say next, Feng Lin already had a plan.
After receiving the inheritance of the Furnace Alchemy Art, Feng Lin didn't rush to leave. Instead, he immediately began studying it, lest anyone suspect something was off.
He deliberately calmed down, pretending to continue researching the previous records, while inwardly pondering the gains from this encounter.
It turned out that the paste before him wasn't some ancient divine medicine at all, but a unique pill from the Furnace Immortal Sect—the Primordial Creation Pill.
According to the Furnace Immortal Sect's cultivation theory, the human body is composed of 60 trillion Primordial Insects.
This Primordial Creation Pill could infuse its medicinal power into every Primordial Insect, causing a complete transformation of bones and body, unlocking the body's maximum potential, and elevating life essence to an incredibly high level in an instant.
60 trillion Primordial Insects?
Wasn't that the same as the number of human cells?
Could it be that these Primordial Insects referred to human cells?
...
Feng Lin's mind churned with speculation, finding it highly plausible.
Mythological civilization and technological civilization were different systems. Though both had studied the human body to an advanced level, their terminology wouldn't match. For instance, cells were called "Primordial Insects" in mythological civilization, just as the old man had referred to "life magnetic fields" as "fate numbers"...
Feng Lin didn't make a fuss over these details. Instead, a look of ecstasy spread across his face.
From this alchemical art, he had already uncovered the secret of how the pill contained immense medicinal power yet could be taken by ordinary people.
There were two reasons.
First, the pill was perfectly spherical—a highly rational geometric structure that could firmly lock in the medicinal power. Once ingested, it wouldn't release its power all at once but would slowly seep into the body, avoiding overwhelming strain.
Second, alchemy was an art of creation. Each pill, once formed, became a living entity capable of spontaneously adjusting its life magnetic field to adapt to different bodies, somewhat akin to mental hypnosis.
Through comparison, Feng Lin realized that Giant Pharmaceutical was nowhere near the right path.
The theoretical system of modern gene potions ran counter to alchemy, sharing little in common.
The theory behind gene potions was derived from the ancient Western mythological alchemy of turning stone into gold and the superhuman theories developed from interstellar technology. It focused on analyzing medicinal properties, further refining effects, and making them work.
In contrast, the core theory of alchemy was the art of life creation, treating pill-making as a simulation of the universe's creation, thereby producing truly living things—a divine work of creation.
Alchemy and gene potions were entirely different theoretical systems. Simply mimicking drug effects could never capture the true essence of alchemy.
Seeing these research records, Feng Lin felt relieved!
He now knew how to handle the situation, how to appropriately show he had made a discovery without revealing the secrets of these ancient pills.
Throughout this journey, Feng Lin had grown deeply wary of Giant Pharmaceutical's many oddities and had to stay on guard.
He then resumed his experiments, even pretending to mix potions in an attempt to simulate the alchemical process.
"Look! He's mixing a potion. Could he have actually found something?"
"Not sure! Let's watch and see."
...
Frank and Echo exchanged glances, closely monitoring Feng Lin's every move.
Feng Lin began preparing the potion, but unlike before, he no longer simply blended the ingredients. Instead, he used fire to refine the drugs.
Unlike gene potions, which relied on technology to precisely control components and adjust properties, mastering alchemy required proficiency in mental techniques—what the mythological era called divine thought.
Only intangible divine thought could perceive the myriad wondrous changes during alchemy, allowing for subtle manipulation to turn the mundane into the miraculous.
Feng Lin had no alchemy furnace, and his cultivation was still too low to produce living pills.
But that didn't mean he couldn't incorporate some superficial aspects of alchemy into gene potions!
The unique drug structure of pills, which locked in medicinal power, was a key reason they worked for ordinary people. If he could adapt this to gene potions, might it achieve the same effect?
Feng Lin speculated quietly, without full confidence, but it was worth a try.
He extended his mental energy, closely monitoring the reactions of the drug components, guiding them to transform into a pill-like structure. He made the large drug molecules intertwine into a tight, unified shape, locking the medicinal power firmly within.
He employed some techniques from the Furnace Alchemy Art, but only the basics.
Yet that was enough. Feng Lin was astonished to find that under his mental control, the gene potion rapidly crystallized, gradually forming a wondrous, intricate geometric structure.
This way, he could showcase his new discovery, gain higher regard from Giant Pharmaceutical, access more of their internal secrets, and avoid exposing too much of his own.
Feng Lin's novel method of preparing the potion, so different from the norm, immediately caught Frank and Echo's attention.
"Strange, did you notice? Feng Lin has been roasting the potion with fire the whole time. What's he doing?" Frank said in a low voice.
"I don't know either! Fire is usually just for heating, evaporating liquid, and enhancing potency. If he keeps roasting like this, won't the potion dry out?" Echo wondered.
"Dry out?" Frank paused, then countered, "What if those ancient divine medicines, which appear as solid pastes, were synthesized this way?"
"Impossible!" Echo shook his head firmly, but after a moment's thought, he hesitated, "Maybe it's related, but it's definitely not that simple. Gene potions are extremely potent; they're made into liquid form to dilute the effects so the body can handle them. Even interstellar cultivators can't withstand the full force. If turned into a solid, the potency would be concentrated to the extreme. Once ingested, the burst of power would instantly tear a person apart!"
Frank didn't agree or disagree with his judgment. "If that's the case, why were the ancient divine medicines solid?"
Echo was left speechless but stubbornly held his ground, "Even if they were solid, there must be some secret to it. It's definitely not as simple as just roasting!"
Frank nodded, offering no rebuttal, and simply said, "Talking here is useless. Let's go see for ourselves."
With that, he stepped out first, heading toward the sealed laboratory.
Echo gritted his teeth and followed.
The moment they entered the lab, Feng Lin sensed it but pretended not to notice, continuing to refine the potion.
In the end, a pile of crystalline powder-like substance appeared in his hands, sparkling and dazzling.
"Feng Lin, what's this?" Frank asked.
Feng Lin feigned surprise, as if just noticing their arrival, and smiled. "This is a gene drug I made by imitating the ancient divine medicines."
"Oh?" Frank's expression shifted. "Have you actually discovered something?"
His gaze scrutinized Feng Lin, as if trying to see through all his secrets.
Without hesitation, Feng Lin nodded directly, showing no wariness and speaking openly. "I found that the spiritual energy in the ancient divine medicines was too dense, interfering with instrument detection. So I tried probing with mental energy and made a huge discovery—these pills have a crystalline internal structure. I wanted to see if I could replicate the effect of the divine medicines by mimicking it."
"Mental energy probing, crystalline structure!" Frank paused, surprised. "Feng Lin, have you awakened your mental gene?"
"Yes!" Since he had already slipped up, Feng Lin admitted outright. "I have some talent in the mental realm and awakened my mental gene, giving me mental detection abilities."
Frank and Echo exchanged a look, their expressions grave.
They knew that the mental gene was a rare and obscure high-level basic gene, not something one could awaken at will.
Feng Lin's casual tone belied the deeper implications.
Moreover, using mental energy to probe ancient divine medicines—Giant Pharmaceutical had tried that before. Why hadn't they made the same discovery?
Feng Lin didn't seem to be lying, which left only one conclusion.
His mental gene had been strengthened to an extraordinary degree, his mental power both immensely strong and incredibly fine, enabling such a remarkable find.
"Do you think these crystalline structures are the key to making ancient divine medicines safe for ordinary people?" Frank asked hesitantly.
"Exactly!" Feng Lin nodded. "The ancient divine medicines are composed of many crystalline macromolecules with an outer crystalline membrane. This unique structure might lock in the potency. When an ordinary person takes it, the membrane filters the release, allowing the power to seep out slowly for easy absorption..."
He presented his conclusion, mixing truth with falsehood, incorporating some of the most basic alchemical theories, but it was enough to baffle Frank and Echo.
Feng Lin wasn't worried about Giant Pharmaceutical uncovering the truth, because he had already eliminated all loose ends. By killing the crystalline lifeforms with his mental power, even if someone here awakened a mental gene, they wouldn't discover the secrets of alchemy.
Feng Lin didn't stop there. He added fuel to the fire.
"With this new discovery, I think if we can truly replicate the crystalline structure inside the ancient divine medicines, we might be able to recreate that miraculous effect. So I call this technique..." He paused briefly, weighing his words, before slowly enunciating five new terms.
"Crystalline Pharmaceutical Art."