Turns out, I am a good cook. That, or my comprehension is crazy good.
I looked at the pills spat out by the dispenser, the so-called [Pill Preservation Storage].
[Three Spirits True Wisdom Pill]
Grade: Peak Second Grade
Completion: 96.2%
Traits: Enhances mental cultivation; enhances qi cultivation; slightly enhances understanding of beast-type techniques; slightly enhances understanding of water-based techniques.
The pills looked like clear blue marbles. They are the size of a typical jawbreaker back in my previous world.
I collected them all inside an unused pill bottle.
96.2%...
I need to raise this up to 100%.
This modern alchemy cauldron made it easy to cook pills. It isn't as extensive as I thought. I only need ten minutes of rest before I can continue cooking en masse.
There are quite a lot of spiritual materials stocked up during the past year. I specifically looked up recipes that fit the resources I have today. The golden orb did not fail me here.
It's time to convert them all to drugs today…
*****
Nagazora City, Chiba Academy.
"...eally scary."
"Ah."
Chiba Academy's "Queen", Raiden Mei, snapped out from her daze. She noticed the group of girls near her seat talking about the most recent incident.
Two days ago, someone caused a biological attack. A pair of homemade explosives and toxic gas were found at the scene. An entire district had to be cordoned off. It is said that the victims numbered around the hundreds, with more than a dozen killed.
"Oh, that's right! Raiden-san, aren't your headquarters in that district too?"
Mei reacted quickly and regained her composure.
"Yes. The suspect was apprehended by security personnel from our side…"
The girls' circle quickly integrated Mei to their side. Her identity as the daughter of ME Corp's founding CEO granted her an extremely high status. It garnered respect from others along with other mixed intentions.
Ring-!
The class bell rang. It prompted everyone to stay within their seats and stop talking. Their homeroom teacher arrived. The entire meeting took twenty minutes. Then came four subjects, each taking fifty minutes.
Ring-!
The lunch bell seemingly liberated everyone. The sound of chatter began to grow.
That was when Mei's surroundings fell strangely silent.
'What?'
She looked around and saw everyone acting as usual. It was she who couldn't hear anything!
'Meet me at the rooftop.'
A man's voice came from nowhere. Moments later, the sounds in her surroundings returned.
"...ei-san?"
The girls around her were startled to see Mei suddenly stand up. Her frantic appearance earned their concern.
"No. I am fine. Thank you for asking."
"The infirmary is not far. Do you…"
"No, thank you. I will head there myself."
She stepped out of the classroom.
'Am I hearing things..?'
Just as her composure came back, a distinct sharp voice answered her doubts.
{"You are not hearing things."}
"Who—?"
{"Just do as he says. Come to the rooftop."}
Mei stood frozen in the hallway. Her mind is in shambles.
'I am hearing things…'
The sharp voice sounded very similar to hers. It has a compelling aura that makes everyone follow her.
'...The rooftop.'
Mei thought there was no harm in looking at the rooftop. Unlike other schools, Chiba Academy does not lock their rooftops.
Soon, she arrived on the rooftop. Not once did the two voices emerge.
Click-!
The door was opened. Mei was greeted by the sunlight. It is not as dazzling as during summer. It is currently late in September. The high temperatures became lower.
Tap.
Tap.
Near the criss-crossed fence, Mei saw the back of a man. His shoulder length hair is tied to its back. It is reminiscent of a wolf cut. He wore a black long sleeve folded on his elbow. It is paired with black pants and black leather shoes.
The exposed skin on his arms possessed fine muscle lines and flawless skin—to the point it emitted a tangible glow.
The man is nothing short of an immortal god descending to earth.
The moment he looked at her, Mei's thoughts halted.
Shi Tian's full profile dealt her a critical hit. The perfect facial proportion was found on him.
No matter what mystical qualities he held, his appearance is at the next level. Shi Tian's original appearance is already above-average in his previous world. Once enhanced by immortal cultivation, it becomes a whole new level in and of itself.
{"I expected more from you. How disappointing."}
Mei snapped out of her daze.
"Hello, Miss. I am sent by your father to check on some special things."
"Father..?"
"It is the voice inside your head. The other you."
Shi Tian gave her a smile.
"{What do you want to do?}"
Mei's mouth spoke uncontrollably. The vibe and majesty suggested it came from the other Mei.
She belatedly reacted and covered her mouth.
"I know of a friend. She has a similar case as yours. I helped her solve that problem. She became stronger, too." He paused before speaking, "There's no need to hijack Miss' mouth. Speaking in your mind will suffice."
{"You can read minds? What a pervert."}
Seeing Shi Tian and the literal "voice" in her mind speak, Mei felt lost. Her worldview collapsed. There was the "schizophrenic voice" inside her mind. There is also a handsome young man who can talk to it.
"...Miss?"
Seeing he gained her attention, Shi Tian let out a low cough. He knew he had to explain something to her.
"Supernatural things exist."
Crackle-!
A small flame dragon emerged from his palm. It then turned into a scaled down mountain, a metallic light, a drop of water, and then a small forest. Each time these changes occurred, Mei felt their sensations clearly.
The hotness of flames, sharpness of metallic light, gentleness of water, and so on.
Things did not end there.
Fuzz-!
An ice sculpture of chibi Mei appeared atop his hand. Shi Tian flicked it with his finger, sending it to her grasp.
"There is a force called honkai. It is responsible for more than half of the natural disasters you have seen. The biological terrorist attack three days ago is one of them."
It took five minutes to briefly explain Honkai's nature. He skipped a lot of things—Anti-Entropy, Herrschers, and Gems.
All she needs to know is the "impact" she can cause.
"In short, your ability to control honkai energy needs to be rectified." He explained.
Mei fell silent.
{"You want to prevent me from touching these worms?"}
"That's one thing. The people who tried to kidnap you are not humans, but Herrschers."
{"I am not blind. Those worms' desires are used by the Herrscher. So much for being of the same kind."}
"You can trust me if you'd like."
{"I will judge it myself."}
Before she knew it, Shi Tian and Mei's other self spoke more than Mei herself.
"Excuse me." She softly called out.
"Yes?"
"What can I do?"
Shi Tian did not speak. Spiritual qi began to appear on the school's rooftop. It was then guided towards Mei.
"..!"
The latter was surprised, but she found herself trusting Shi Tian. She did not make any noise.
Flutter-!
The spiritual qi influx caused a gust of wind to blow over. Mei swiftly reacted and held her skirt down.
The entire ordeal took ten seconds.
'High grade… Thunder Spirit Root.'
Today, the count of High Grade Spirit Roots on Earth increased to eight.
*****
A/N: Bonus chapter.