Under the potent medicinal effects of the Experience Pill, the surrounding Magic Power surged forward like a tidal wave breaking through a dam.
As the magical aura flowed along his meridians and converged in his sea of consciousness, his Genetic Tree rapidly grew from the nourishment. It finally shed its sapling form and sprouted its first branch. His physical functions also underwent a massive transformation under the constant cleansing of the Magic Power, leaving him feeling entirely reborn.
This was the cultivation process of a Mage: by nurturing the magical genes within their bodies, they gradually replaced their mortal genes and reached a higher level of existence. The cultivation of a Mage was divided into stages of ten levels each, with every stage granting a tremendous boost in power. The most prominent change was the Genetic Tree sprouting Talent Branches, bestowing Mages with unparalleled enhancements. It was no exaggeration to say that every Talent Branch brought about a qualitative leap for a Mage. Furthermore, their lifespan would also increase as the Genetic Tree grew.
"What will my tier-one talent be?" Feng Hao wondered, unable to wait any longer.
He quickly used his Divine Sense to inspect it. Having read about the basic principles of Talent Branches in beginner books, he was acutely aware of how crucial they were to a Mage.
The greatest characteristic of magical genetic information was that it could be deciphered by Divine Sense. As his Divine Sense enveloped the branch of the Genetic Tree, he could clearly perceive its abilities and effects:
[Double effect for hidden force damage.]
The brief genetic message made Feng Hao's eyes widen. "No wonder the books say every stage for a Mage is a qualitative leap. This talent literally doubled my damage output. That's terrifying!" he exclaimed.
A Genetic Tree's branches were determined by the growth of its elemental root system. The higher the growth, the greater the chance of developing a corresponding talent. Since Feng Hao had primarily allocated his points to his meridians, awakening a meridian-type talent was completely within his expectations. Alternatively, one could use a Magic Beast Crystal Core to guide the advancement and obtain other types of Genetic Tree branches. However, the success rate of this method was relatively low, and failing would inflict severe damage to the body.
BOOM!
Just as Feng Hao was immersed in the joy of his advancement, a sudden burst of mysterious energy exploded within him. The blood in his entire body began to surge wildly as if boiling, its speed increasing faster and faster!
The high-speed flow brought a searing, piercing pain to his blood vessels, feeling as though countless iron needles were rampaging inside them. Under the excruciating agony, his body began to violently tremble. Cold sweat poured out of his pores and dripped heavily down his skin.
"What is going on? Did something go wrong with the advancement?" he wondered in panic.
Completely clueless about what was happening inside his body, he only felt that he was teetering on the edge of collapse. His black pupils began to dilate continuously until both eyes turned completely pitch-black. Only then did the agonizing pain begin to recede, and his blood flow finally slowed down.
"Phew, it's finally over," he breathed out, exhausted beyond measure.
However, just as he thought the mutation had ended, an even more powerful wave of mysterious energy detonated. His recently calmed blood flow skyrocketed once more, instantly accompanied by intense agony.
At the same time, a massive, shadowy silhouette materialized in his sea of consciousness. Emitting an unimaginably tyrannical aura, it resembled a descended Demon God. As the secondary mutation occurred, the black phantom abruptly opened its eyes—one black and one blue. They were terrifyingly demonic, yet an undeniable look of bewilderment and shock could be clearly felt in its gaze.
The phantom quickly dissipated, but the mutation raged on. This wave of energy felt even more feral than the last, violently crashing through his body alongside his soaring blood!
Every second of agony felt like a year. He didn't know how long it lasted, but by the time everything finally subsided, Feng Hao was utterly drenched in sweat.
"What exactly just happened? And what was that inexplicable black phantom?" he thought.
As he sank his consciousness back into his sea of consciousness to inspect the changes in his body, a familiar yet ancient stream of genetic information rushed toward him. The two inexplicable mutations just now were actually him awakening a legendary Racial Talent! Judging from the vague genetic information, his racial talent seemed absolutely overpowered.
"Earthlings actually have a racial talent? Is this a belated halo for a Transmigrator?" he pondered.
Perhaps because the racial talent was far too profound, his Divine Sense could not perceive much of its data. Fortunately, he still had his cheat-like attribute panel. Summoning the interface, the specific details of his racial talent appeared before his eyes:
Racial Talent: Mutated Black Pupils
Talent Ability: Upon activation, both eyes will turn completely black. Concealment capabilities are doubled, and the ability to graft the Genetic Tree is acquired.
Mutation Ability: Can replicate and intercept Talent Branches through blood, and graft them onto other homologous Talent Branches.
"Genetic Tree... grafting?" Feng Hao exclaimed out loud, his eyes brimming with utter disbelief.
It was common knowledge that Mages could only obtain one Talent Branch per stage, and even that was enough to create a massive disparity in power between individuals. Yet, this racial talent of his allowed him to gain an extra talent at every single stage. This could no longer be described as merely powerful; it was entirely heaven-defying!
"So what if my attribute growth is poor? In the face of this heaven-defying racial talent, none of that matters," he mused.
Feng Hao couldn't help but throw his head back and burst into wild laughter. All his worries about poor attribute growth and his subclass status were instantly thrown out the window. Equipped with such a reality-breaking ability, he practically possessed a hidden profession and was destined to ascend to the pinnacle of the world.
In addition to that, activating the Mutated Black Pupils doubled his concealment abilities. Although it paled in comparison to the grafting ability, it was still an incredibly formidable trait.
"I'm just not sure if that black phantom is a good or a bad thing. Maybe it's somehow connected to the Mutated Black Pupils?" Thinking of the shadowy figure that had inexplicably appeared in his sea of consciousness, Feng Hao couldn't help but feel a tinge of concern. "Never mind, raising my strength is the priority right now," he mumbled.
Letting out a helpless sigh, he decided to stop dwelling on it and resumed his cultivation.
The medicinal effects of the remaining three Experience Pills grew progressively weaker. This was especially apparent after reaching level ten, as the amount of Magic Power required for each subsequent level increased significantly. After absorbing all the Experience Pills, he had only managed to reach level fourteen.
He skillfully absorbed all his gene elements according to his previous allocation plan. Feeling as if he had been entirely reborn, his body brimmed with explosive power. Summoning his attribute panel once more, he saw that every single stat had far surpassed the realm of ordinary humans:
Gene Level: 14
Qi Blood Value: 6300 (2100)
Vitality: 29 (15)
Magic Power Value: 140
Strength: 206 (108)
Hidden Force: 728
Magic Damage: 98
Defense: 175 (21)
Gang Qi: 420
Speed: 441 (105)
Attack Speed: 201 (117)
Divine Sense: 168
Breath Concealment: 140
Divine Sense Intensity: 28
Weakness Enhancement: 28
"With 728 points in hidden force paired with my tier-one talent, my damage output should be considered quite excellent among Mages of the same level," he thought.
Nodding in satisfaction, Feng Hao rushed into the bathroom, washed the grime off his body, and changed into a clean set of clothes.
Miao Feng had returned from his errands quite some time ago, but perhaps knowing that Feng Hao was cultivating, he hadn't gone inside to disturb him. Seeing Feng Hao step out with a look of elation, Miao Feng couldn't help but exclaim, "Master, you're already level fourteen?"
"What's there to make a fuss about? It's not like you don't know the effects of an Experience Pill," Feng Hao replied. Even though he played it off nonchalantly, he was actually incredibly smug on the inside. "By the way, how did the task I assigned you go?"
"The items have been delivered to the three major families. Now we just have to wait for their reactions," Miao Feng replied seriously.
"Very good," Feng Hao nodded approvingly. "I suspect the people from the three major families will come tonight. Make sure to hide my true identity when they arrive."
"Rest assured, Master."
`「Inside the study of the Beixing Mansion.」`
Beixing Kuang wore a gloomy expression as he listened to Chief Steward Luo's report. "Have they already started contacting the other three major families this quickly?" he asked in a deep voice.
"I have confirmed it with our scouts. That brat, Miao Feng, indeed made contact with the other three families today, although the specific details of their interactions remain unclear," Chief Steward Luo reported.
"And what about our investigation into that mysterious Alchemist?"
"Well... I have kept men closely monitoring the Miao Medicine Tower, but we haven't found a single trace yet."
Beixing Kuang frowned. "Not even a single clue?"
"No," Chief Steward Luo shook his head helplessly. "Furthermore, that boy named Feng Hao also has a highly mysterious background. It's as if he appeared out of thin air in Rongcheng. We can't dig up a shred of information on him."
"It seems this friend of Miao Qing will be quite difficult to deal with," Beixing Kuang remarked, a bitter look crossing his face.
At that moment, a servant in peculiar attire rushed into the room in a panic. Dropping to one knee, he presented a sealed letter. "Patriarch, one of our deep-cover spies has sent an urgent message."
The expressions of Beixing Kuang and Chief Steward Luo drastically shifted. Over the years, they had planted many sleeper agents within the other families, and these spies would never reveal themselves unless it was a matter of utmost importance. Receiving an urgent message now could only mean a massive catastrophe had occurred.
Beixing Kuang instantly shot up from his seat, hurriedly tearing the letter open. As he read its contents, his expression contorted through a myriad of emotions.
"Patriarch, what on earth has happened?" Steward Luo asked anxiously.
"See for yourself," Beixing Kuang replied tersely, tossing the letter straight over to him.
After scanning the letter, Chief Steward Luo couldn't help but gasp in shock. "Pills that can directly raise one's strength? How is that even possible?!"
"Since our spy in the Xiyue Family risked exposing their identity to send this message, it must be true. According to the letter, that little girl Xi Yueyao just underwent her magical awakening, and right after consuming the pill, she skyrocketed straight to level six," Beixing Kuang said, his face a stormy mix of uncertainty and dread.
"I will immediately send men to verify Xi Yueyao's situation. If this is truly the case, I'm afraid Rongcheng is about to be turned upside down," Steward Luo replied, his tone extremely solemn.
Beixing Kuang's brow furrowed tightly. He nodded and added, "Also, keep a close eye on Miao Feng's strength."
"Should we capture him and interrogate him?" Chief Steward Luo asked.
"It's already too late. The other three families have likely already dispatched people to protect him in secret." Beixing Kuang let out a bitter laugh, suddenly looking as if he had aged several years in mere seconds.
`「That night, just as Feng Hao had predicted, the Patriarchs of the Dongfang, Xiyue, and Nanyuan families gathered at the Miao Medicine Tower.」`
Miao Feng had never dreamed he would ever receive such treatment—facing the Patriarchs of three major factions in Rongcheng all at once. He was so incredibly nervous that his entire body trembled.
Feng Hao was equally nervous, but outwardly, he managed to maintain a relatively calm composure. He had no other choice. In a moment like this, he simply had to grit his teeth and bluff his way through it; if his true colors were exposed, they would be in deep trouble!
"I am Dongfang Wuji. You must be the Grandmaster's disciple, my young friend Feng Hao?" Dressed plainly but exuding a heroic spirit from his brow, Dongfang Wuji spoke. Although he was middle-aged, his imposing aura remained undiminished.
"Ahem, the Dongfang Head flatters me," Feng Hao replied, trying his hardest to act like someone accustomed to such grand occasions. He stood up and bowed slightly to the other two middle-aged men. "And you two must be Mr. Xiyue Peak and Mr. Nanyuan Bo, correct?"
"That's right, I am Nanyuan Bo," the burly Nanyuan Bo spoke up first, his tone somewhat impatient.
On the other hand, the Xiyue Family Head, Xiyue Peak, appeared rather gentle and elegant. Radiating a scholarly aura, he was also extremely handsome; he must have been the dream lover of countless young women in his youth.
Feng Hao subconsciously cast a few extra glances at the Xiyue Family Head. After all, when he first transmigrated to this world, he had happened to land directly in the back garden of the Xiyue Mansion. Strictly speaking, they shared a bit of fate. Moreover, it seemed his thief brother, Lin Luo, had stolen his daughter's unwashed underwear. He wondered if the Xiyue Family had managed to figure out that it was Lin Luo who did it.
"Let's cut to the chase. Might we ask your revered Master to make an appearance?" Dongfang Wuji asked, getting straight to the point.
Hearing this, Miao Feng hurriedly interjected, "My Master is unable to show himself due to special circumstances. I ask the three Patriarchs for your understanding."
The three Patriarchs furrowed their brows in unison. Nanyuan Bo, straightforward and blunt, scoffed, "Does the Alchemist look down on us?"
"You misunderstand, gentlemen. My Master truly has unique reasons that prevent him from exposing his identity," Feng Hao hastily explained.
"If the Alchemist won't even show his face, then how are we supposed to discuss the Experience Pills?" Nanyuan Bo grumbled, his face full of displeasure.
"Regarding the Experience Pills, my Master has granted me full authority to handle the matter. If you three have any requests, you can simply negotiate directly with me," Feng Hao said with a confident smile.
The three men were momentarily stunned, staring at Feng Hao with peculiar expressions. Even Xiyue Peak, who had remained silent the entire time, couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "Can you really make the decisions, young man?"
"Rest assured. I have followed my Master since I was a child. He entrusts me to represent him on many special occasions," Feng Hao paused, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "If you three only require Tier One Experience Pills, my Master won't even need to lift a finger. I can handle the refinement on his behalf."
"What?!" The three Patriarchs exclaimed in unison, staring at Feng Hao in absolute disbelief.