Chapter Seventy-Four: The Elixir of Wisdom

Gao Wu knew that Huang Hai had fled abroad. Outwardly, he said nothing, but inwardly he felt immense pressure.

What a joke—Huang Hai was a follower of the demon god at the warrior level. Strictly speaking, Gao Wu had no real grudge against him. If Huang Hai sought revenge, he should be going after Song Chunqiu, or at least the Song family. There was no reason to trouble Gao Wu.

Yet, despite all logic, Gao Wu couldn’t shake the feeling that Huang Hai would return for him. It unsettled him deeply.

The so-called Angel of Death’s vessel—just hearing the name spelled trouble!

Registering as a hunter and gaining a license to carry firearms did nothing to solve the real problem. Warriors could resist modern firearms with their source power fields, and even if only for a minute or two, it meant handguns and similar weapons posed little threat to them.

If he wanted to protect himself, he couldn’t rely on guns. The only way was to improve his own strength as quickly as possible.

The next day, accompanied by Shang Qingjun, Gao Wu went to the organizing committee of the Xuetao Cup, where he also met Shang Zhenglin.

Shang Zhenglin’s attitude toward Gao Wu was noticeably warmer this time. He personally handled all the procedures for Gao Wu, transferring the money into his account within ten minutes and handing him the Prajna potion.

Gao Wu thanked him profusely and promised to visit his third uncle when he had time, exchanging pleasantries before returning home with the potion.

The official potion always came with a special neutralizer.

At home, Gao Wu repeated his habit of counting the money in his account dozens of times. Seeing the string of zeros, he felt genuine joy—the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curl upward.

With money, he could improve his family’s living conditions, buy beautiful clothes for Sister Jun, purchase premium supplements for the old man, and afford high-grade potions for himself.

The balance in his account wasn’t just money—it was the foundation for his family, the hope for a better life...

After savoring the moment, Gao Wu picked up the Prajna potion.

He injected two milliliters of the potion first, without using the neutralizer.

From past experience, he was certain the neutralizer would reduce the efficacy. If he could withstand the side effects, there was no need to use it.

The Prajna potion acted directly on the central nervous system—a very dangerous drug.

Statistics showed that seven percent of people who used it suffered severe hallucinations, sometimes even leading to suicide.

Among all potions, those that enhanced mental power were the most dangerous.

Though confident, Gao Wu dared not be careless. He sat quietly, waiting for the effects to manifest.

Within a minute, he felt a heaviness between his brows, followed by a sudden jolt at the crown of his head, as if a channel had opened, letting his consciousness fly out through this window.

In a haze, Gao Wu felt he was floating in the air, even seeing the back of his own head. His perspective soared higher, breaking through the roof and rising into the clouds.

Dongjiang City unfolded beneath his feet—buildings, roads, vehicles, pedestrians—all so vivid and real.

Gao Wu’s gaze shifted to the towering Jinsheng Hotel in the city center. Seeing the glass observation hall on the top floor, he immediately realized that everything he saw was merely a hallucination pulled from his memory.

The great battle on the fifteenth had already blasted the hotel’s observation hall to pieces.

With this realization, the visions before him shattered like bubbles. He opened his eyes and found himself still sitting in the chair, but his senses were now astonishingly acute.

He could see dust floating in the room, feel the cold air swirling through cracks in the door and windows, smell the faint rot accumulating in the bathroom, hear the television downstairs...

His eyes, ears, nose, and body—every sense seemed to have multiplied tenfold, letting him perceive subtle changes in color, sound, smell, temperature, texture—every facet.

At the same time, Gao Wu felt a surge of intense pleasure throughout his body and mind, a sensation far stronger than any he had experienced before.

After a while, this overwhelming pleasure ebbed away.

He felt a sense of loss, as though something precious had slipped away. Looking at the Prajna potion on the table, he couldn’t resist the urge to inject it again.

But his powerful rationality held him back.

He was amazed—the pleasure from the Prajna potion was much stronger than the Flying Squirrel potion. Moments ago, he’d felt an omnipotent sense of control, an exhilarating thrill beyond all senses.

The heightened sensory perception was merely a byproduct of this euphoria.

“This stuff is downright sinister!”

Gao Wu opened the Infinite Merit Book and saw his lifespan reduced by about three days—an insignificant number to him.

Still, for someone whose constitution far surpassed the average, losing lifespan showed just how forceful the Prajna potion was.

The real danger, though, lay in the overwhelming pleasure it brought to the nervous system—once tasted, it was hard to pull away.

Its addictive potency was its most terrifying aspect.

Gao Wu now desperately wanted to inject more, to experience that pleasure again.

Yet he forcefully suppressed this urge and began silently reciting the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Mantra.

The spiritual light transformed into a dancing azure dragon, calming his mind instantly.

After reciting the mantra a hundred times, Gao Wu opened his eyes feeling peaceful and serene, with all craving and agitation swept away.

Checking the Infinite Merit Book again, he found that the three days of lost lifespan had returned. Clearly, the Prajna potion did little actual harm to the body—the real threat was its addictive nature.

Fortunately, the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Mantra worked wonders, resolving both the bodily craving and soothing the mind.

To test the potion’s effects, Gao Wu injected another two milliliters, this time simultaneously using two milliliters of the neutralizer.

He quickly entered a euphoric state, though this time the intensity and duration of pleasure were far less—several dozen times weaker than before.

He soon regained clarity, carefully sensing the difference between the two experiences and opening the Infinite Merit Book to find his lifespan reduced by only a day.

The neutralizer worked very well, significantly reducing the side effects and addictive nature of the Prajna potion.

At the same time, it clearly diminished the potion’s strengthening effect on the central nervous system.

Suddenly, he understood: the intense addictiveness was part of the drug’s effect—resisting it was integral to enhancing spiritual power.

The neutralizer minimized the dangers, but also neutralized most of the efficacy. For ordinary warriors, this was naturally a good thing.

He possessed the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Mantra and an extraordinary constitution, enough to counter all the side effects of the Prajna potion, so he could fully harness its strengthening effects...

After dinner, Gao Wu chatted with the old man in the living room, taking the opportunity to ask about hunters.

He had nothing to do over winter break, so it was a good chance to upgrade from apprentice hunter.

Though the old man had never been a hunter, he had served in the military for years and had extensive experience dealing with aberrant beasts.

Hunter certification required going into the virtual realm to hunt aberrant beasts—a test that shouldn’t be too difficult.

The key was entering the virtual realm, where anything could happen. Gao Wu was confident, but more information was always helpful.

The old man supported Gao Wu in becoming a hunter. Since he’d chosen the warrior’s path, it was inevitable he’d encounter aberrant beasts and demon god followers. Having hunter status made things much easier.

"According to human standards, aberrant beasts are divided into seven levels. Level one corresponds to warriors, level two to intermediate warriors, and so on. Level four matches martial masters, level seven matches martial kings.

"In general, aberrant beasts have bodies far stronger than humans and can wield source power far beyond that of humans at the same level. Our true advantages are intelligence and weaponry.

"But at level six, aberrant beasts already possess intelligence comparable to humans. If a level seven aberrant beast broke into the real world, it would be a catastrophic disaster. That’s why every secret realm has a large garrison—to prevent high-level aberrant beasts from entering reality.

"Of course, source power is thin in the real world, which heavily suppresses aberrant beasts. It’s like a big fish from the sea stranded on land—most of its strength is gone.

"The difference in source power between the two worlds can even directly kill most aberrant beasts..."

The old man outlined the basics—knowledge taught at school, though not emphasized or explained as thoroughly.

He continued, "The virtual realm lies between reality and the other world, possessing features of both, with source power levels in between.

"Source power strongly interferes with wireless electronics, but in the virtual realm, electronic devices can barely function—this is a huge advantage for humans.

"The hunter test is usually to hunt inferior aberrant beasts, at most level one. Modern weapons can deplete the beasts’ protective source power field; after that, killing them is easy.

"Since the test is in Yunling City’s virtual realm, you’ll probably hunt snow wolves. The strong adults are level one aberrant beasts, which are solitary due to their high energy needs. Any group of three to five snow wolves won’t have condensed source power..."

He had previously avoided discussing the warrior’s path, the virtual realm, or aberrant beasts, since knowing wouldn’t solve anything and might only fuel Gao Wu’s curiosity.

Gao Wu was listening intently when his phone buzzed. He saw a voice message from Shen Yue.

He excused himself to the old man, stepped aside, and answered. Shen Yue’s excited voice came through: “Old Gao, good news—great news!”