The next morning, just as dawn was breaking and the sun had yet to rise, the company was ready to depart.

Shi Yan mingled with the medicine slaves, his expression placid, betraying no sign of abnormality, moving forward silently with the group. Johnson, who had prepared to witness Shi Yan’s degradation, was taken aback by the calmness he now exhibited.

In the preceding days, every medicine slave who had consumed the Heartbreak Powder would wake up with a face as pale as parchment, utterly weak, some too feeble to walk. Even the robust ones would show visible pain, wracked with anxiety.

Yet, Shi Yan walked with steady steps, his complexion ruddy, clearly unaffected. This filled Johnson with suspicion.

After observing for a while and confirming Shi Yan was indeed well, Johnson frowned and moved to the front of the formation, reporting Shi Yan’s condition to Mo Yan Yu and Karu.

“Pay him no mind,” Karu said with complete composure. “Since that brat is a martial artist, he won't show signs easily. Once the vital essence in his body is depleted, he’ll be just like the others. I know the efficacy of the Heartbreak Powder intimately.”

“Mmm, you may go. Just keep a close watch on him,” Mo Yan Yu instructed coolly.

Seeing that both of them were so unconcerned, Johnson didn't press the matter further. He dutifully returned to the rear of the procession, keeping his eyes tightly fixed on Shi Yan, fearful of any unusual movement from him.

“Master, how long do you think before he’s in unbearable agony?” Mo Yan Yu hesitated after Johnson left, asking Karu. She secretly wished Shi Yan was already writhing on the ground in pain; that would bring her satisfaction.

“Relax. By tonight, it should be about right.”

Daylight slipped away, and the moon quietly ascended into the night sky.

After the company settled down, Karu and Mo Yan Yu approached Shi Yan again. They saw him sitting on the ground in the distance, head bowed low, feasting heartily, seemingly oblivious to the poor quality of the food in his hands.

“Master, this fellow doesn’t seem like…” Mo Yan Yu trailed off, unable to finish. Shi Yan’s manner of eating was far from refined, yet by all appearances, he showed no signs of suffering.

Karu’s face slowly darkened. He let out a cold snort. “Are you doubting my ability to refine medicine?”

“I dare not,” Mo Yan Yu shook her head. “Master has already proven the marvelous effect of the Heartbreak Powder on the other medicine slaves. I am merely puzzled why… he remains unharmed. Could it be that Master accidentally omitted an ingredient in his last batch of Heartbreak Powder?”

“Miss Mo, though I, Karu, am not some high-tier Alchemist, I wouldn't make such a blunder in this matter,” Karu was clearly displeased, his face stern. “If you don't trust my abilities, we can part ways right now.”

“Master, please calm your anger. Yan Yu didn't mean it that way; I was just curious. Master must not misunderstand…” Mo Yan Yu forced a smile.

“Hmph!” Karu didn't spare Mo Yan Yu another glance. His figure shot forward like lightning, swiftly approaching Shi Yan.

Shi Yan kept his head down, pretending not to see Karu, but inwardly he marveled at Karu’s speed, secretly glad he hadn't acted rashly the day before, otherwise, he would have been completely overpowered by Karu.

Besides being an Alchemist, Karu was also a martial artist who had stepped into the Innate Realm. Shi Yan, on the other hand, was merely a martial artist at the Second Heaven of the Acquired Realm, just beginning to control the vital essence within his body. The gap between them was a chasm; there was no hope of victory by force—acting rashly would only be seeking death.

“Whoosh! Whoosh!”

Karu’s figure flashed through the air, producing a strange sound. In an instant, Karu stood before him.

Shi Yan calmed his mind, set down the food in his hand, and looked up at Karu.

Karu’s gaunt face was filled with chilling coldness. He struck out like lightning, gripping Shi Yan’s left arm. His dry fingers pressed against Shi Yan’s arm, and streams of vital essence, pure as electricity, suddenly surged into Shi Yan’s arm. They traveled along the meridians of his arm, circled his stomach and intestines, before slowly returning, finally dissolving into Karu’s fingertips.

Karu’s condensed vital essence was extremely potent. As it traversed Shi Yan’s meridians, Shi Yan felt a dull, growing pain in his channels.

“Huh…” Karu frowned in confusion, muttering softly, “This is wrong. The potency of the Heartbreak Powder is clearly still present, so why does he still have surplus vital essence, and his stomach and intestines aren’t corroded? He’s just a low-tier petty martial artist; he shouldn't have such pure vital essence, it shouldn't sustain him this long…”

Shi Yan allowed himself to be held, offering no resistance.

“Master, how is it?” Mo Yan Yu walked over, asking curiously.

“Let’s wait another day and see,” Karu said with a grim face, unable to fathom what was happening. He didn't entertain the thought of a ‘Martial Spirit’ because it was not something ordinary martial artists possessed, nor had he heard of a ‘Martial Spirit’ capable of bodily regeneration.

Mo Yan Yu nodded. Though filled with suspicion, she didn't dare say much, only casting a strange, hard look at Shi Yan, harboring some sinister thoughts of her own.

The next evening, Karu and Mo Yan Yu came again. After re-examining Shi Yan’s body, they found his stomach and intestines still intact. Karu’s expression grew even worse. He said they would wait one more day.

The third night, the pair returned once more. Karu checked again, still with no breakthrough.

On the fourth night, Karu arrived again.

This time, Karu held two bowls of Heartbreak Powder. When he reached Shi Yan’s spot, he instructed Johnson to summon another medicine slave named Gu Luo. He ordered Shi Yan and Gu Luo to drink the newly refined Heartbreak Powder together.

Shi Yan cooperated perfectly and drank his dose.

“I refined these two bowls of Heartbreak Powder at the same time,” Karu stated coolly after watching him finish.

Mo Yan Yu nodded. “If Gu Luo’s body begins to rot, it proves there is an issue with this fellow’s constitution. I understand Master’s intention.”

“Mmm,” Karu nodded. “We will return tomorrow at this time to compare and find out.”

That night, Shi Yan sat on the ground, his expression grave as he slowly circulated his vital essence.

That single thread of vital essence was gradually stretched within his body, extending throughout the main meridians. As his thoughts shifted, the essence moved deftly, flowing swiftly from one meridian to another. Following the impulse of his mind, the thread shuttled between various channels, truly like a nimble spirit snake.

Slowly, that thread of essence traveled along the meridian of his arm to his right index finger. Shi Yan concentrated intently, and the essence slowly retreated back into the arm's meridian, then suddenly accelerated, rushing toward his index finger with the force of a long rainbow, its speed increasing continuously!

“Sizzle! Sizzle!”

A strange sound emanated from his fingertip, accompanied by an intensifying sharp pain. The entire thread of essence surged into his index finger. Shi Yan’s finger trembled slightly, like the vibrating tail of a rattlesnake.

The essence gathered in his index finger, continually colliding, but was forcibly blocked by the skin and flesh at the tip. No matter how hard he tried, the essence could not breach this final barrier of skin and flesh, making it impossible for it to exit the body.

“Hoo!”

Exhaling deeply, Shi Yan reluctantly drew the vital essence back to his lower abdomen, muttering almost inaudibly, “Still no good…”

The Acquired Realm consists of three Heavens: cultivating vital essence is the First Heaven; skillfully controlling the essence so it can circulate through the meridians at will is the Second Heaven; and being able to force the essence to break through the flesh and flow out of the body is the Third Heaven.

Shi Yan could already manipulate his essence at will, placing him in the Second Heaven. These past few days, he had continuously cultivated, gathering more essence, attempting to let it flow out of his finger, hoping to break through to the Third Heaven. Unfortunately, after several attempts, each time the skin at his fingertip acted as an insurmountable obstacle.

“It seems martial cultivation is not achieved overnight. My vital essence is still not strong enough.” After another failure, Shi Yan sighed internally, realizing his predicament had made him overly anxious.

He knew that by this time tomorrow, his body would still be safe, unaffected by the Heartbreak Powder, but the medicine slave named Gu Luo would inevitably suffer from intestinal corrosion, potentially spreading to his internal organs.

Once Karu made the comparison, he would realize there was nothing wrong with his Heartbreak Powder, and naturally, he would understand that Shi Yan’s body was abnormal. At that point, new trouble would surely arise. Mo Yan Yu might move to eliminate the potential threat without hesitation.

It was also possible that by early tomorrow morning, Gu Luo would show clear symptoms of poisoning from the Heartbreak Powder. Perhaps Shi Yan would face misfortune as early as tomorrow morning, and the martial artists, who would not be deep in cultivation as they were now, would be watching him—leaving him no opportunity.

Looking up at the sky full of stars, Shi Yan’s expression gradually hardened. He knew that if he wanted to escape, he had to act tonight!

…