When you’re in a good mood, everything seems pleasant. That was exactly how Feng Hao felt now, humming a little tune as he headed for the Alchemy Department.
The Mansa quickly landed in a corner of the Alchemy Department. This was where Sun Yaowen’s laboratory was located. Few people ever passed through this area, so it was usually deserted.
What surprised Feng Hao was that as soon as he got out of the vehicle, he saw a familiar figure coming out of the laboratory. It was the Armored Warrior, Xie Kuangfeng!
’Strange, what’s he doing here?’ Feng Hao was bewildered, quietly watching Xie Kuangfeng leave.
Walking into the laboratory, he found the scene had been turned completely upside down. The once neat and orderly lab was now a chaotic mess.
On the central workbench lay the corpse of the Otherworld Fiend. Its limbs had been cut up beyond recognition and emitted a faint, peculiar odor. It wasn’t foul, but it was nauseating.
"You’re finally here, kid," Sun Yaowen said irritably. "Your protective suit is over there. Hurry up, get it on, and get to work."
"You got it." Feng Hao chuckled and nodded, pulling the pure white protective suit on. As he examined the fiend’s corpse, he asked, "By the way, Old Sun, what was Xie Kuangfeng doing here?"
Sun Yaowen, who was intently focused on cutting the fiend’s limbs, replied casually, "That kid’s my apprentice now."
"Apprentice?" Feng Hao was taken aback. "Xie Kuangfeng is interested in alchemy?"
"Of course not. He’s learning armored combat from me," Sun Yaowen said with a dismissive pout.
"You know armored combat, too?" Feng Hao asked incredulously.
"Bullshit. I’ve always been an Armored Mage," Sun Yaowen shot Feng Hao an annoyed glare and tossed a set of tools to him. "Less talk, more work. If you don’t know what you’re doing, watch and learn."
Feng Hao gave a scornful laugh. "Don’t worry. When it comes to the field of alchemy, there’s nothing I can’t do."
With that, under Sun Yaowen’s astonished gaze, Feng Hao took his tools, moved to the opposite side of the bench, and began to dissect with practiced skill.
"Not bad, kid. Your technique is very practiced!" Sun Yaowen said, amazed.
"Naturally." Feng Hao grinned smugly. With a light flick of his scalpel, the fiend’s corpse split open. He continued his dissection, but soon noticed something was wrong. "Huh? Where are the bones and internal organs?"
Sun Yaowen gave him a look that said ’you’re still too green,’ and smiled wryly. "This is what’s special about Otherworld Fiends. They have no internal organs or bones. They’re just life forms composed of a special kind of matter."
"Uh, that defies all logic!" Feng Hao said in disbelief.
"If it followed logic, it wouldn’t have so much research value," Sun Yaowen said seriously. "According to some ancient texts I’ve consulted, Otherworld Fiends aren’t even life forms. To be precise, they should be called death forms."
"All their characteristics are the opposite of life within our domain. Perhaps in their eyes, we’re the aberrations."
Feng Hao was completely baffled, but his curiosity only grew. "What a bizarre creature."
"It gets even more bizarre. A while ago, I found an Ancient Jade Scroll that contained information about the Otherworld Fiends. According to the scroll, they come from outside the universe. They have no physical form of their own and only coalesce into various shapes upon entering our universe. In other words, other Otherworld Fiends might not look like this at all," Sun Yaowen said mysteriously.
"What’s outside the universe?" Feng Hao asked curiously.
Sun Yaowen said thoughtfully, "In current academic theory, the space outside the universe is called the [Time Realm]. Only those who have actually been there know what it’s really like."
"People can go outside the universe?" Feng Hao exclaimed.
"What’s so strange about that? After a Mage reaches level 100, they can break free from a planet’s constraints and roam the cosmos. Those who are stronger can even escape the universe. During the great cosmic catastrophe back then, didn’t the Cosmic Alliance Army fight their way out of the universe?" Sun Yaowen said with a pout.
Feng Hao’s mind reeled. As a model student who had received a scientific education, Sun Yaowen’s words completely overturned his worldview and his understanding of the cosmos, filling him with a sense of boundless aspiration.
’So Mages can become that powerful?’ Feng Hao’s eyes flickered with emotion.
Sun Yaowen smiled, lips pursed. "The essence of being a Mage is a process of continuous evolution. Going from level one to one hundred is just the process of evolving from an ordinary life form into a cosmic one. Your aptitude is decent, kid. Breaking through to level 100 is just a matter of time for you."
"What about you?" Feng Hao asked, puzzled.
"It’s impossible for me. My aptitude is average, and I’m obsessed with alchemy. It’s taken me most of my life just to evolve to level seventy-nine," Sun Yaowen said with a wistful smile.
"Haven’t you ever wondered what it’s like after level 100?"
Sun Yaowen gave a serene smile and pointed at the fiend’s corpse. "Others might wonder, but my interest and my goals all lie in alchemy. If I can thoroughly master the art of incorporating poisons into medicine within my lifetime, I’ll be more than content."
Feng Hao couldn’t help but feel a sense of respect. They were both Alchemists, but in terms of philosophical dedication, Sun Yaowen was clearly on a much higher level than him.
But that couldn’t be helped. After all, to him, being an Alchemist was just a side profession.
"Right, how far have you gotten with your research?" Snapping back to the present, Feng Hao asked with a slight smile.
Sun Yaowen took out a corrupted Magic Beast Crystal Core, his eyes shining with excitement. "I’ve been studying the toxins of the Otherworld Fiend for the past few days. It turns out this toxin has a strong degenerative effect on primal genes."
"Take this Tier Five Crystal Core, for example. After being corroded by the toxin, it has degenerated into a Tierless Crystal Core, completely losing all the properties of a Crystal Core."
Feng Hao frowned. "The Crystal Core might degenerate, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a Genetic Tree would, right?"
"No, no, no. A human’s Genetic Tree and a Magic Beast’s Crystal Core are essentially both forms of primal genes. The difference isn’t that great," Sun Yaowen chuckled.
"Then what’s the specific difference between a Crystal Core and a Genetic Tree?" Feng Hao pressed.
"The reason a Crystal Core and a Genetic Tree manifest in two different forms is mainly due to the different innate foundations of humans and magic beasts. To put it simply, humans are born with weaker physical bodies, so their evolution tends to focus on physical enhancement. Magic beasts, on the other hand, are born with lower intelligence, so their evolution tends to focus on intellectual enhancement," Sun Yaowen explained patiently.
Feng Hao was enlightened, but still had a doubt. "Even so, wouldn’t experimenting on a Genetic Tree yield better results? After all, your research is intended for humans."
Sun Yaowen said irritably, "You think I don’t want to? Genetic Tree tissue is forbidden from being sold. The only way to get it is through murder and robbery."
"That’s true." Feng Hao nodded sheepishly. This was the Mage World, after all. It was only natural that trading Genetic Trees was forbidden, just like how the buying and selling of organs was illegal on Earth.
"With such a terrifying toxin, it’s hard to imagine what medicinal properties it could have. What’s your initial hypothesis?" Feng Hao mused.
"My initial hypothesis is to use the toxin’s degenerative ability to eliminate the evolutionary bottlenecks of the Genetic Tree. If that doesn’t work, at the very least, I want to cultivate an antibody for this toxin and make a contribution to the soldiers on the Otherworld frontlines," Sun Yaowen said seriously.
"That’s a good direction. There should be a certain possibility of success," Feng Hao nodded in agreement.
He then joined Sun Yaowen, and together they began to research and explore in earnest...
Time flew by as they researched. In the blink of an eye, it was night. Feng Hao piloted the Mansa back to the apothecary, and life returned to its peaceful rhythm.