Shaking his head, David Bolton directly took out the spirit pills that Emily Clark had given him, then fetched some medicinal herbs from his own pouch. The latter were ones he had specially prepared at the foot of the mountain, though he hadn’t expected to use them so soon.

With practiced skill, he selected several ingredients from the medicines—black dates, hidden wood, dried cloud, and others—mixing them in precise proportions. David Bolton then began to decoct the medicine.

—His room was extremely small, only about twenty zhang in area, yet it was equipped with a tiny kitchen, complete with pots, bowls, and a stove. David Bolton found this quite puzzling. During the entrance trial, they could have just set up a big dining hall for meals, but the Sun and Moon Profound Sect insisted that inner disciples cook for themselves.

But now, this was convenient for him. Otherwise, he would have had to take the Spirit Ascension Pill and Profound Origin Pill directly, which was the least efficient and most foolish method. Emily didn’t understand this, thinking that just giving him the Profound Origin Pill would suffice, but in fact, there were still some issues.

For his current body, the medicinal effect of the Spirit Ascension Pill was simply too strong. Only with other auxiliary methods could he absorb it perfectly and avoid further damage to his soul.

But just as he finished preparing the auxiliary medicine, Grace Green recovered from her self-pitying state and, like a curious kitten, stared at the medicine bottle.

“Is this the spirit pill you mentioned, master, that can enhance spiritual power? It looks a bit strange. I suggest master let Grace scan and analyze it first, to confirm the ingredients are harmless before taking it.”

David Bolton didn’t have time to bother with her and replied offhandedly, “Scan if you want, just don’t damage these pills, especially these two bottles—I need both.”

He had already taken out one Spirit Ascension Pill and one Profound Origin Pill from the bottles, ground them into powder, and sprinkled them into the medicinal decoction.

About sixty breaths later, once the two pills had completely dissolved and fully merged with the auxiliary medicine, David Bolton suddenly drank it all in one gulp.

Then, moving as fast as lightning, he inserted five silver needles into his own body, pinning them at his brow, both shoulders, waist, and abdomen. He then sat cross-legged, entering a state of thoughtless meditation, completely absorbed.

Chapter 0010: The Twelve Battle Realms

Once midnight had passed, David Bolton awoke from his meditation. As soon as he regained consciousness, he felt that his total spiritual power had indeed increased significantly—by nearly a tenth. The intensity had also improved by about the same amount.

As expected of the “Spirit Ascension Pill.” Although such a dramatic increase of “ten percent” was due to his own low base, this one hour’s gain was equivalent to about a month of cultivation.

David Bolton sighed inwardly; his own soul was truly too weak. As far as he knew, the effect of the “Spirit Ascension Pill” was far more than this. If used on someone else, even with the most ordinary aptitude, the increase in spiritual power would far surpass his own.

But there was no need for regret. He had indeed fully absorbed the medicinal effect of the Spirit Ascension Pill, and most of it had been used to repair the deficits in his soul.

The injuries in his soul were simply too severe. In the past three years, even though David Bolton had tried every method, he could only make his spiritual sense appear intact. In reality, it was still a complete mess inside.

Next, David Bolton leapt up and began performing some strange movements in the room. As time passed, his skin turned a bright red.

“Master, what are you doing now? Practicing Tai Chi? Doesn’t look like it. Maybe yoga?”

Grace had already finished scanning the spirit pills and now watched in amazement.

“This is the Sun and Moon Profound Sect’s Clear Body Cloud Technique, used specifically to expel medicinal toxins!”

David Bolton replied irritably, continuing the set of movements as before. By now, he was sweating all over, and the sweat he excreted was thick with a pungent odor.

Actually, this not only expelled medicinal toxins but also reduced the body’s resistance to the power of the spirit pills.

Whether it was the Spirit Ascension Pill he had just taken, or the Spirit Nourishing Pill and Spirit Accumulating Pill, after taking a certain amount, they would no longer be effective. And if the Spirit Ascension Pill was used too early, the effects of the Spirit Nourishing and Spirit Accumulating Pills would be greatly diminished in the future. Thus, for spirit masters, taking pills required a gradual approach.

This time, Emily Clark was determined to help him pass the three entrance trials, completely disregarding the consequences, which played right into David Bolton’s hands.

If he couldn’t become an inner disciple, he might waste years outside. So why not drink poison to quench his thirst at this point?

Besides the order of taking pills, each sect had its own unique methods to reduce the body’s resistance to medicinal pills.

The Sun and Moon Profound Sect’s Clear Body Cloud Technique was one such method. The version David Bolton was practicing was even more unique, as he had improved it himself, increasing its effectiveness by thirty to forty percent. He had originally intended to submit it to the Sutra Depository in exchange for contribution points, but hadn’t had the chance before trouble arose.

“Medicinal toxins? I told you before, I can help master detect them.”

“But if you detect them, does that mean I can’t take the pills? Everyone else uses them this way, just leave it.”

David Bolton didn’t stop until he had practiced the set of movements four times. Then he immediately rushed out to the bathhouse and washed himself thoroughly, feeling refreshed and light all over.