For seven consecutive days, Feng Qi had worked tirelessly without sleep, finally completing the data entry into the Crimson Research Institute's database.
Leaving the data archives, he headed straight to the Crimson Research Institute's cafeteria for a large meal.
After finishing dinner, he made his way to Wei Wei's private laboratory.
The lab door wasn't locked, so he walked right in.
Wei Wei's private lab was spacious, spanning over 500 square meters.
Inside, it housed some of the most advanced experimental equipment of the current era.
On the north side of the lab, an entire wall was dedicated to a custom-made glass cabinet, neatly divided into compartments, each holding various colored rune crystals extracted from Domain Creatures.
Every rune crystal compartment was labeled, detailing their classification and attributes.
At the moment, Wei Wei was wearing transparent protective goggles and was dressed in a full-body protective suit.
She held a test tube filled with a bubbling liquid, completely focused on her experiment.
Seeing this, Feng Qi chose not to disturb her, fearing it might interrupt her progress.
After a few moments, Wei Wei finally let out a deep breath.
Turning around, she looked directly at Feng Qi and asked:
"You've finished entering all the data?"
"Yeah, it's all recorded."
"I knew the moment you stepped in."
Feng Qi raised an eyebrow.
"You're not a cultivator. How did you sense me?"
Wei Wei smirked.
"I may not be a cultivator, but my perception and sensory awareness are extremely sharp."
"It's this talent that allows me to perform precision rune modification surgeries."
"Fine control over subtle details is my innate gift."
As she spoke, Wei Wei picked up a glass test tube from the equipment tray.
"I've successfully created the mental soothing agent."
"But I haven't tested its effects yet."
"Why don't you be the first to try it?"
Feng Qi glanced at the pale golden liquid, still bubbling slightly in the tube.
He couldn't help but ask:
"This isn't poisonous, right?"
Wei Wei rolled her eyes.
"Relax. This agent is derived from the 'Golden Spirit Fruit' found in the Golden Coin Domain Field."
"The plant itself contains no harmful energy—it only carries mental stabilizing properties."
"My adjustments were purely to enhance its soothing effects."
"If it weren't safe, do you think I'd let you test it?"
Hearing this, Feng Qi was reassured.
He stepped forward, took the golden liquid from Wei Wei's hand, and was about to drink—
Then he suddenly paused, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Wait a second."
"Did you record all the data for this formula?"
"If I drink it now and it works, won't it be wasted?"
Wei Wei chuckled.
"Of course, the entire preparation process has been recorded."
"All the data is saved."
"If I need to replicate it, it's simple."
"You don't need to worry—just drink it."
With that reassurance, Feng Qi stopped hesitating.
He lifted the pale gold liquid and drank it in one go.
The liquid had no taste, as if it were pure water.
As it slid down his throat, he felt no immediate reaction.
He instinctively opened his Reality Feedback Panel, checking to see if there was any increase in energy levels.
But just as Wei Wei had claimed, the agent contained no additional energy properties—his energy bar remained unchanged.
Just as he was about to ask if it had any real effect, a sudden wave of relaxation washed over him.
It was like a gentle breeze cooling his mind, and his entire body instinctively loosened up.
Then, for a brief five seconds, a surge of intense cerebral euphoria hit him—
The mental burden he had carried for so long seemed to momentarily fade away.
Observing his reaction, Wei Wei smirked.
"So? Effective?"
Feng Qi exhaled slowly.
"It works, but only for about five seconds."
"The effect isn't very strong."
Hearing this, Wei Wei frowned slightly.
"Only five seconds?"
"Looks like the formula still needs tweaking."
Feng Qi shrugged.
"It's not a failure."
"I could just drink more of it, right?"
Wei Wei shot him a deadpan look.
"You're oversimplifying things."
"The Golden Coin Domain Field was purged five years ago."
"All the spiritual plants within it were harvested and distributed across various cities."
"The Crimson Research Institute has very limited reserves of Golden Spirit Fruit."
"Until we find a way to permanently counteract your accumulated emotional burden, we need to ration it carefully."
"If this were so easy, wouldn't I just let you eat the fruit directly?"
"Why bother refining a formula at all?"
Feng Qi scratched his head.
"…Fair point."
Wei Wei thought for a moment and then said:
"Alright, wait here."
"I have another approach I haven't tested yet."
"Let's see if the second method works better."
"Got it." Feng Qi nodded.
Wei Wei immediately got to work.
She headed to the cold storage unit and retrieved three Golden Spirit Fruits.
This was the first time Feng Qi had gotten a clear look at them.
The Golden Spirit Fruit was about the size of a regular apple, its entire surface shimmering in a soft golden hue, with a nearly invisible red glow faintly pulsing around it.
Wei Wei first crushed all three Golden Spirit Fruits, extracting a light golden juice from them.
Then, she retrieved several pre-prepared spiritual herbs and began experimenting with different mixtures, hoping to enhance the effects of the Golden Spirit Fruit.
Unlike Feng Qi's experience with brewing Clear Mind Brew, Wei Wei's mental soothing agent refinement process was incredibly intricate.
Watching from the side, Feng Qi could barely keep up with the complexity of her method.
After an extended period of meticulous mixing and refinement, the newly enhanced Golden Spirit Fruit potion was ready.
Wei Wei handed over the test tube once more.
Feng Qi took a deep breath and drank it all in one go.
This time, the effect lasted approximately two seconds longer than before, but the intensity of the effect had weakened slightly—
The result was still far from ideal.
Wei Wei frowned at the feedback.
"Don't leave just yet."
"I'll try adding stronger stimulant herbs."
"If it works, it might dramatically enhance the potion's effects."
Hearing this, Feng Qi nodded immediately.
"Take your time, Wei-jie. I'm in no rush."
Wei Wei turned to her private laboratory's control panel, searching through various research records.
After several hours of cross-referencing herbal properties, she formulated multiple new refinement strategies.
Now, it was time to gather the necessary resources.
Together, they headed to the Crimson Research Institute's underground resource vault, located on the eighth basement level of the facility.
When the elevator doors opened, eight massive metal vault doors stood in front of them, each labeled with an engraved metal plaque.
The vaults were classified as follows:
Spiritual Herb Cold Storage
Spiritual Stone Repository
Spiritual Ore Repository
Domain Creature Remains Cold Storage
Rune Crystal Storage
Class-S Experimental Records Vault
Domain Creature Blood Storage
Special Resource Repository
Wei Wei led Feng Qi to the Spiritual Herb Cold Storage.
After undergoing multiple security verifications—password authentication, iris scan, fingerprint recognition, and voice identification—
The thick metal doors slowly slid open.
Inside was a ten-meter-long corridor, leading to another reinforced metal door.
Once again, they repeated the verification process before the final vault opened.
A rich medicinal aroma instantly filled the air.
A vast warehouse filled with neatly organized spiritual herbs lay before them.
The four corners of the storage room each housed a spiritual energy generator, which used constantly replenished spiritual stones to maintain optimal conditions for herb preservation.
Wei Wei approached a nearby computer terminal and entered a search:
"Crystal Spirit Fruit."
A black notification box appeared on the screen:
[Crystal Spirit Fruit (Location): Aisle 8, Row 3, Slot 3 – Current Stock: 3 Tons]
Following the coordinates, Wei Wei retrieved a batch of Crystal Spirit Fruits.
Then, she returned to the terminal, entering a new herb name to locate additional ingredients.
This process repeated multiple times until all the necessary materials were gathered.
During the resource collection, Wei Wei also withdrew more Golden Spirit Fruits, aware that the upcoming tests would consume them quickly.
With everything prepared, they returned to Wei Wei's private lab.
Now came the tedious process of refining the new formula.
Feng Qi patiently observed from the side.
Every time Wei Wei completed a new formula, he tested it immediately, carefully evaluating its effectiveness.
However, despite numerous refinements, the results remained unsatisfactory.
To increase potency, Wei Wei experimented with adding highly stimulating herbs.
This was a delicate process.
She had to ensure the stimulants boosted the Golden Spirit Fruit's effects without overpowering or neutralizing its properties.
Achieving this balance required a mix of scientific data and constant experimentation.
Completely absorbed in her work, Wei Wei lost track of time.
By the time morning arrived, she had finally produced the eighth batch of the mental soothing potion.
This time, the potion wasn't golden—it had turned a faint red.
"Done."
"Try this special enhanced version."
"The medicinal properties are much stronger."
"I've pushed the formula to its limit—any further, and it'll disrupt the Golden Spirit Fruit's natural effects."
Feng Qi took the test tube from Wei Wei, raised it to eye level, and examined the crimson liquid inside.
Then, without hesitation, he drank it all in one gulp.
This time, it wasn't tasteless.
The moment the liquid touched his tongue, a spicy, burning sensation surged straight to his brain.
It felt like cheap, low-quality liquor—harsh and overpowering.
Forcing himself to swallow, the fiery sensation seared down his throat, leaving a trail of burning pain.
By the time the potion reached his stomach, it felt like his insides were being turned upside down.
If this wasn't made by Wei Wei, he would've suspected it was poison—
It felt like an assassination attempt.
However, Feng Qi had absolute trust in Wei Wei.
As the burning sensation intensified, his body's natural healing ability activated, rapidly repairing any minor damage.
At that moment, it felt as if a giant bell had rung inside Feng Qi's mind. His vision twisted and spun, the world tilting and righting itself over and over again in rapid succession. At the same time, the oppressive weight that had been pressing down on his spirit suddenly lightened, as if it was being gently washed away by an unseen force.
This sensation lasted for about three minutes before gradually fading. Just then, the voice of the narrator echoed in his mind:
[Damn, that old woman is impressive. I could sense that your mind was clouded with dark energy, but that Golden Spirit Fruit potion just now actually managed to disperse one of those clouds. That means some of your accumulated negative emotions were actually purified.]
Hearing this, Feng Qi's curiosity was immediately piqued. "So, exactly how many of these 'dark clouds' are clogging up my spirit?"
[I didn't count precisely… but if I had to guess, there's at least a hundred or so.]
Feng Qi: …
After hearing the narrator's explanation, he turned to look at Wei Wei. "Wei-jie, this potion is really effective, but it's nowhere near enough. I'm going to need a lot more of it."
Wei Wei shook her head. "This formula is extremely potent. The intervals between doses can't be too short. Each time you drink it, it's like scrubbing your mind clean. If you take too much too quickly, it might actually cause damage to your spirit."
[She's got a point. Your body has insane self-healing capabilities, but your mind doesn't have the same kind of regenerative ability. If you overuse this kind of intense mental cleanser, it could actually backfire. Your spirit needs time to adjust in between doses.]
Listening to both Wei Wei and the narrator, Feng Qi nodded in understanding. Then, he turned to Wei Wei again. "So, how often do you think I should take it?"
"I can't give you an exact dosage yet. First, we need to assess your current mental resilience. Then, we can determine the right schedule for consumption."
Feng Qi agreed without hesitation.
Following Wei Wei, he left the private lab and headed to the Crimson Research Institute's medical examination room.
In truth, the institute already had a record of his physical and mental data stored in their archives. However, every time he returned from the Future Dream Realm, both his physical strength and mental resilience changed significantly.
This meant that his previous data was outdated and had to be updated with a fresh evaluation.
Under Wei Wei's guidance, he underwent a comprehensive mental strength test.
Once the results were compiled, Wei Wei took the printed diagnostic report and studied it carefully. Then, she moved over to a medical console, inputting the new data into the system.
On the large display screen, a 3D model of his body appeared, alongside a data chart for the Mental Soothing Agent's properties.
After making several calculations and comparisons, Wei Wei turned to him and stated: "The results are in. Your mental resilience is quite impressive. Based on this data, you can safely consume up to 500 milliliters per day."
Feng Qi was momentarily stunned. "A full bottle a day? You're telling me I have to drink this stuff like it's medicine?"
[That's the reality. Unless you somehow acquire an ability that can heal your mind, or unlock an "Infinite Memory" talent, the repeated high-intensity trips to the Future Dream Realm will eventually consume you. You'll be drowned in your own negative emotions and turn into a lunatic.]
[Speaking of which, I just thought of something—what if you're already insane? What if I'm just a voice in your head, and none of this is real? What if you've been locked in a mental asylum all along, just talking to yourself?]
[Maybe this whole "Future Dream Realm" scenario is just the fantasy of a delusional kid sitting in a classroom, daydreaming about saving the world. What if you're actually in a hospital right now, and you've never woken up?]
Feng Qi: …
[…Wait, you're not actually taking that seriously, are you?]
Rolling his eyes, Feng Qi muttered, "You're just a dumbass system."
After that, he followed Wei Wei back to her private lab.
With the data she had gathered, Wei Wei spent several hours refining and producing an entire box full of Mental Soothing Agents, neatly packed and ready for him to take home.
Although the potion's effects were limited, it would significantly alleviate the buildup of negative emotions over time.
Feng Qi was genuinely grateful for Wei Wei's help.
After storing the box of potions, he prepared to leave.
On his way here, he had taken a taxi. But this time, Wei Wei had arranged for him to take one of the Crimson Research Institute's military transport vehicles for the ride back.
Sitting in the back seat, watching the cityscape blur past the car window, he made his next decision—
His next destination was the Black Abyss Domain Field.
There, he planned to seize the Miracle Bracelet.