A bottle of life potion wasn't much in quantity. Forty-one bottles barely filled a single package. Feng Lin carried them on his back without drawing any attention.
By the time he got home, it was already late at night. His parents, exhausted from a long day's work, had fallen asleep with his younger siblings. Feng Lin slowed his steps, careful not to disturb them, and quietly slipped into his dim little room. He didn't drink the life potion right away.
The Green God-3 advanced nutrient fluid he had consumed earlier hadn't been fully digested yet. Downing too much nutrition at once could easily lead to indigestion.
First, he opened the geneticist's research notes and began reading. In this interstellar era, the notes weren't kept in such outdated forms as handwritten records but were preserved as real-time recordings on chips.
The chip emitted a bright glow, projecting a three-dimensional hologram. A figure in a white lab coat stood in a room resembling a chemical laboratory, holding test tubes in both hands, mixing something. A blood-red liquid bubbled like magma, rolling and churning violently.
*Pop!* Suddenly, a loud explosion rang out. Something had gone wrong at some step. The potion burst apart, shattering the test tube into pieces. The figure in white seemed to have anticipated this, dodging nimbly without injury.
But the disappointment on his face was unmistakable. He spoke slowly to the camera: "Today is Star Date 9982, March 17th. The boiling blood potion has failed again! I've lost count of how many times this is—a hundred, three hundred, a thousand? I'm almost numb to it, but no matter what, I have to keep going. Only by successfully brewing the boiling blood potion can I become a true geneticist. That's my dream. I can't give up..."
With this narration, the footage showed him busying himself again, repeatedly attempting to brew the red potion, failing time and again, yet never willing to quit. The scenes shifted, all recordings of his genetic research.
Feng Lin watched intently, gaining a general understanding of geneticists. Geneticists delved deep into genetic theory and developed it as a foundation, but they specialized in various fields. Some excelled at concocting potions to aid cultivation, known as genetic pharmacists. Others developed gene armor that synergized with the human body, called genetic armorists...
Even among geneticists, the gaps between fields were immense. The person in the footage, named "Alos Lincoln," was a scholar in genetic pharmacology, skilled in brewing genetic potions.
Elixirs, treasures, gene armor, martial arts—all these cultivation resources had grades: Low Martial, Mid Martial, Super Martial, High Martial. Only by brewing a Low Martial-grade potion could one be considered a true geneticist. The boiling blood potion was one such example. After consumption, it caused the blood to boil, unleashing the power of one's genes instantly, boosting combat strength by a full 50% beyond normal.
The cost was that the effect lasted only an hour, after which the user would suffer severe qi and blood depletion, entering a month-long period of weakness. It wasn't to be used lightly except in dire situations. Even so, the boiling blood potion was in high demand among true cultivators. With such a potion, a crisis could mean an extra life—who wouldn't want that?
And the life potion Feng Lin treasured so much was merely a grade-less potion, a byproduct of brewing a Mid Martial-grade potion called "God's Blood." Realizing this, Feng Lin grew even more determined to become a geneticist.
If even a byproduct held such value, how much would a true genetic potion be worth? It was unimaginable. The notes contained a wealth of information, but the most valuable part was the record of three genetic potions: boiling blood potion, steel-hardening potion, and transformation potion. Unfortunately, the equipment and materials needed to brew these potions were astronomically expensive, far beyond what Feng Lin could afford.
For now, he could only gaze at this treasure trove without entering, feeling deeply regretful. He carefully browsed through the genetic notes and stumbled upon a highly useful piece of information.
It was a technique for consuming life potions. Ordinary people couldn't take life potions directly—it would burst their bodies. But it wasn't absolute. If diluted, it could be used by mortals. However, life potions couldn't be diluted with water; they required nutrient fluid.
It turned out that nutrient fluid was a simplified version of life water technology, naturally compatible with perfection. By heavily diluting life potion with nutrient fluid, it could be given to ordinary people. But the minimum requirement was mid-grade nutrient fluid. Low-grade nutrient fluid was completely inferior, filled with impurities. Mixing the two could cause unpredictable reactions, even backfiring and harming the user.
"Huh?" Feng Lin suddenly remembered. From Kroto and the others, he had not only looted 100,000 star coins but also seized twenty bottles of mid-grade nutrient fluid. Perfect for an experiment.
He took out a bottle of mid-grade nutrient fluid. A fresh fragrance wafted out, filled with the scent of vegetables and fruits, stirring a strong appetite. Carefully, he retrieved a bottle of life potion. It was amber-colored, semi-solid like jelly, very peculiar, with a faint, mysterious aroma.
Just one sniff made Feng Lin feel as if all his meridians had been unblocked, his entire body clear and open. He cautiously dripped a single drop of life potion into the mid-grade nutrient fluid. The two merged perfectly, blending like milk and water.
"It works!" Feng Lin rejoiced and drank it down.
The nutrient fluid entered his body, turning into a warm current. He immediately felt a soothing warmth spreading through every part of him. Every cell in his body writhed, devouring the nutrients greedily, like a long-dried desert encountering a once-in-a-century downpour, absorbing everything frantically.
It tasted good! Feng Lin smacked his lips in lingering satisfaction, but that was all.
Shaking his head, the concocted nutrient fluid, though effective, wasn't much use to him anymore. After all, his vitality was already at 1.9, and he had overdrawn too much before. He needed better nourishment.
"Who's there?" Just then, Feng Lin suddenly sensed something wrong. It felt like someone was spying on him. His gaze shot out like an arrow, sharp and fierce.
"Ah! Ah!" Two consecutive screams rang out, as if startled by Feng Lin. Two small figures in pajamas were so frightened they fell to the floor, not daring to breathe.
Feng Lin focused his eyes and saw it was his younger brother, Feng Cheng, and sister, Feng Xin. His expression softened into a gentle smile. "What are you two doing here?"
The two children stared at him in fear, intimidated by his earlier sharp look, and stammered, "We smelled something good... and... and woke up!"
The two kids had sallow faces, malnourished, their eyes fixed on the mid-grade nutrient fluid in Feng Lin's hand, swallowing repeatedly.
Woken up by the scent of the nutrient fluid? Feng Lin smiled at them and beckoned. The younger siblings cautiously approached.
Feng Lin handed them a bottle of mid-grade nutrient fluid. "Here!"
"This is for us?" The two couldn't believe it, their faces full of craving. Though they desperately wanted to drink it, they shook their heads and reluctantly pushed it back, saying to Feng Lin, "Big brother, aren't you going to drink it? This is mid-grade nutrient fluid. If you drink it, maybe your vitality will break through, and you can take the college entrance exam!"
A warmth surged in Feng Lin's heart. He reached out and tousled their dry, straw-like hair, smiling. "Big brother has already had some. You two drink it!"
"Really?" The two looked at him suspiciously.
Seeing Feng Lin nod, Feng Cheng and Feng Xin, being just kids, couldn't resist the temptation. They grabbed the nutrient fluid and sipped it slowly, their faces filled with happiness and contentment.
They even licked the droplets from the corners of their mouths, like thirsty little beasts in a desert finding a water source, still craving more.
Feng Lin smiled gently.
A second life, a new beginning, new family... Full and satisfied—the simplest kind of happiness! He wanted to protect this simple happiness.