In the instant Wen Zhixing collected the Fortune Fragment, an abnormal flush of color swept across his pale face.
It felt as though something within his body was being rapidly drained away.
Wen Zhixing let out a muffled "HMPH...", suddenly feeling weak in his body.
A strong sense of discomfort swept over him.
If it had been an ordinary person whose life-span was reduced by a month, it wouldn't have mattered, but Wen Zhixing was different.
He was a dying man, already physically weak.
Even the loss of just a month's life-span was almost too much for him to bear.
Still, he clenched his teeth and persevered, not letting himself fall.
In the distance, above Qiu Yinger's head, a gray halo began to flicker uncertainly, then detached itself.
The halo grew brighter and fluttered towards him like a butterfly, eventually sinking into the space between Wen Zhixing's brows.
Qiu Yinger was unaware of this, and her figure gradually receded into the distance.
[Gray Fortune Fragment +1.]
[Gray Fortune Fragment (1/1) has been collected. No synthesis required. You can obtain one of the following fortunes:]
[1. Acquire the constitution: Revival of the Withered Tree.]
[2. Acquire 1 Fortune Point.]
[3. Acquire the fortune belonging to Qiu Yinger.]
"Choose one of three... COUGH... COUGH, COUGH, COUGH!"
Whether it was due to overwhelming excitement or his body simply failing him, Wen Zhixing was overcome by another violent fit of coughing.
Revival of the Withered Tree... It seems Heaven hasn't abandoned me!
Even though his body felt on the verge of collapse, a faint smile touched Wen Zhixing's lips.
This fortune seemed tailor-made for him. He knew precisely what he needed now. Fortune Points were good, but he had nothing worthwhile to spend them on at the moment. As for Qiu Yinger's fortune, it was far too unpredictable; he would never choose it.
Without delay, Wen Zhixing mentally selected the first option.
[Acquired constitution: Revival of the Withered Tree!]
[Your luck has exploded, obtaining a Legendary Level constitution!]
[Revival of the Withered Tree: Blazing Gold Quality. Can rejuvenate a withered body. Each time the body enters a withered state, it will undergo nirvana. After nine nirvanas, it will shed its mortal form.]
Actually Blazing Gold Quality! Wen Zhixing's eyes immediately lit up. He had struck it big, finding a golden legend in a Gray Fragment! The fortune reward was like opening a card pack. There were blue skies and white clouds, and then there were golden legends... And each recovery means undergoing nirvana, eventually even shedding this mortal coil... That meant even if I were drained completely, as long as a single breath remained, my body would trigger [Revival of the Withered Tree] and initiate nirvana. So, if [Revival of the Withered Tree] is triggered often enough, could I perhaps achieve a saintly physique, or even immortality?
Wen Zhixing clasped his hands tightly, his excitement palpable.
[Revival of the Withered Tree triggered.]
[Your body begins its first nirvana.]
[Your body is undergoing a new transformation.]
[Your Body Recovery Speed doubles.]
[Your Pure Yang Body begins to awaken.]
The next moment, a surge of vibrant life force emerged within his body, which had been on the brink of collapse, like withered wood.
This vitality quickly traveled through the meridians in his body, circulating throughout.
An indescribable sense of comfort suffused his entire being.
Wen Zhixing felt revitalized.
He could feel his body slowly transforming, and even his long-listless blood began to stir.
An unprecedented sensation of well-being washed over him.
Wen Zhixing slowly lifted his hands, a strange luster flickering across their withered skin.
This is... Wen Zhixing still found it somewhat unbelievable.
His previously aged and frail form now unexpectedly radiated vitality.
It was as though he was experiencing a rekindling of life. Perfect timing. Now that I have this elixir, any changes can be attributed to it.
Wen Zhixing looked down at the jade bottle and jade slip in his hand, smiling with satisfaction.
Previously, even if I knew the elixir had problems, I would have consumed it just to survive. But now, times have changed. I can recover slowly by relying on my own constitution.
With this thought, Wen Zhixing pulled out the elixir and cultivation skill he had acquired from Qiu Yinger earlier.
Soon, a prompt box appeared before him.
[Wonderous Soul-devouring Pill: Gray Quality, an exclusive elixir of the Wonderous Palace, made with nine great tonics combined with poison. It can stabilize the foundation and cultivate vitality. Infused with Euphoria Grass, it can plunge one into a state of intoxicating reverie and is addictive. Furthermore, if one stops taking the pill, the toxins in the pill will counterattack, causing the body to endure torment as if by fierce flames and the agony of a thousand ants tearing at the heart—a fate worse than death!]
[Spend ten Fortune Points to upgrade to White Quality.]
[Not recommended for consumption.]
The creator of this Wonderous Soul-devouring Pill has such a venomous heart!
Wen Zhixing frowned. My suspicions were spot on. If I had ingested that Wonderous Soul-devouring Pill, I would have been utterly ruined. Even if I had escaped, I would likely have crawled back, begging for the elixir—truly a fate worse than death. A dual assault on body and spirit! This is something I must never touch.
Following that, he turned to look at the jade slip in his hand.
[Wonderous Skill (False): Gray Quality, an exclusive cultivation skill of the Wonderous Palace. This skill cultivates rapidly and requires taking the Wonderous Soul-devouring Pill for cultivation. However, those who practice this skill have flawed foundations and are innately restrained by practitioners of the true Wonderous Skill (True).]
[Spend ten Fortune Points to upgrade to White Quality.]
[Not recommended for practice.]
Seeing this, Wen Zhixing felt no great surprise.
It was roughly what I had expected. This cultivation skill is definitely not a good thing. After all, a cultivation skill and elixir meant for a 'furnace' could hardly be beneficial.
"This cultivation skill, however, is a bit troublesome," Wen Zhixing frowned.
I can choose not to consume the elixir for now, but the problem with the cultivation skill still needs to be resolved. If I don't practice this Wonderous Skill, others will eventually find out. At that point, they might kill me outright or use other means to control me. Although I could use Fortune Points to upgrade the skill, I don't know what the upgraded version would entail. What if, after the upgrade, the skill becomes even more detrimental? I can only... take it one step at a time...
Wen Zhixing put the items into his robes, sighing softly.
For the next seven consecutive days, Wen Zhixing confined himself to his room.
His body continued to undergo changes.
During this time, he could sense others checking on his condition, and meals were delivered daily.
Wen Zhixing also cooperated by occasionally stepping out to display his 'condition'.
Over these days, although he did not practice the Wonderous Skill, he studied it in depth.
Some of its explanations concerning cultivation realms proved quite enlightening, even though they were simplistic and even contained errors and omissions.
Fortunately, whenever this occurred, a prompt would usually pop up.
Wen Zhixing finally gained a general understanding of the path of cultivation.
Regrettably, the jade slip only recorded the first three realms of cultivation:
Shedding Mortal Realm, Qi Movement Realm, Mysterious Might Realm.