The volatile energy inside Ye Fang's chamber had barely settled when the Little System manifested once more, her blue holographic screen shimmering into view. This time, her expression was entirely different—her nose was scrunched up, and she was pulling a face, staring at Ye Fang as if looking at a clueless, overly proud toddler.
"Host, you can stop patting yourself on the back now," the System remarked with a heavy dose of sarcasm. "Do you truly believe that the sweat you broke throughout the night means you've conquered the First Phase? The cold reality is that this wasn't even 0.01% of the first step. You have merely scratched the outermost varnish of the surface."
Ye Fang, who had been breathing a sigh of relief while savoring his newly heightened power, went utterly numb. "What? 0.01%? I spent the entire night feeling my soul simultaneously incinerate and freeze to death, and you're telling me that was nothing?!"
Hovering in the air, the System waved her hand, projecting a complex graph of the chamber's residual energy onto her screen. "Host, the Supreme God–Demon Soul Manual is not some third-rate technique you can master in a single night of meditation. This is not your mundane Qi cultivation. To achieve a true breakthrough in this manual, even centuries of absolute penance can fall short. Granted, you have managed to grasp a shred of control over your divine and demonic energies, which—congratulations—kept you alive. But if you wish to genuinely breach the First Phase, you require a flawless, absolute equilibrium of God Qi and Demonic Qi. Until these two primordial forces merge within your soul in perfectly equal parts and pristine purity, you cannot take the next step forward."
Ye Fang's eyes shot wide open. He bolted upright from the bed, visibly startled. "Are you mocking me? Where in the heavens am I supposed to scavenge pure God Qi and Demonic Qi on this wretched Tianxia Continent? Mortals here beg and bleed just for a sliver of ordinary spiritual energy! Do you expect me to march up to the gates of Heaven and Hell with a begging bowl?"
He began to pace the room restlessly, his mind racing at breakneck speed. He knew the looming crucible of Hao Huo Mountain was an absolute death trap; venturing there without a significant surge in power was nothing short of suicide. Suddenly, he froze, a sharp glint cutting through his eyes.
"Wait!" he uttered, locking his gaze onto the System. "I still have 500 System Points locked in reserve. Can I not leverage these points to purchase a resource from the System Mall? I know I can't refine the God–Demon Spiritual Lotus yet because my mortal vessel would disintegrate under its cataclysmic pressure, but MAPS? Surely 500 points can buy something to keep me breathing until I conquer Hao Huo Mountain?"
The System's screen instantly cascaded with rows of glowing data. "Host, your tactical intuition is heading in the right direction. 500 points are modest, but the lower tiers of the System Store house hidden treasures that can satisfy your immediate crisis."
"Then lay them out before me! We march for Hao Huo Mountain immediately. The City Lord and Yan Kai Long already have their eyes pinned on my shadow. I need something that can anchor that exact equilibrium of God and Demon energy you just lectured me about."
"Behold, Host, you have two paths," the System quantified. "First, you could purchase vials of Low-Grade Divine Essence and Fallen Demon Blood. They will grant a temporary, unstable balance. However, a far superior alternative exists—The God-Demon Meridian Pill. Its price is exactly 500 points."
"What makes this pill so exceptional? Will it grant me an absolute breakthrough?"
"No," the System countered flatly. "But it will reinforce your spiritual meridians to such a staggering degree that the moment you breach the Secret Realm of Hao Huo Mountain, you will be capable of directly devouring the Ancient Fire Energy locked within. That primordial flame will gorge your Demonic half; from there, you merely need to hunt down an equivalent source of God Qi to match it."
Ye Fang weighed the choice in silent calculation before nodding grimly. "Do it. Authorize the transaction. I know this path is a tightrope. Relying on a warrior like Yan Kai Long is a dangerous gamble in itself. He thinks he caught a glimpse of my golden eyes, but he has no inkling that he merely witnessed an infinitesimal drop of an endless ocean."
"A precise assessment, Host," the System validated. "Yan Kai Long gravitates toward your shadow because he glimpsed the raw terror of a supreme leader within your aura. But heed this warning: the moment you cross into the domain of Hao Huo Mountain, you will clash not just with mortals, but with ancient remnants that will instantly decipher the dual nature of your soul. You must master the shifting temperaments of your God and Demon states. If you succumb to a memory void in the heat of a life-or-death battle, Yan Kai Long will sever your throat instead of guarding your back."
"I am well aware. That is precisely why mastering this Soul Manual is non-negotiable. A single night of agonizing meditation has taught me how to transmute absolute pain into raw power. Whether it is 0.01% or 100%, I will not halt my stride. 500 points are a small price to pay for a vessel that can withstand the wrath of the heavens."
The System executed the transaction. [ TRANSACTION COMPLETE. ITEM DISPATCHED TO SYSTEM INVENTORY. ] "The pill has been secured within your storage," the System announced. "Host, your journey has transitioned from mere cultivation to a desperate war for your very existence. The sun has breached the horizon... and your destiny will be decided upon the burning crags of the crimson peak."
Ye Fang unfurled his palm. With a flash of azure light, a dark, earthen-colored pill materialized in his hand. Arcane crackles of golden lightning and blood-red sparks rippled across its surface intermittently. This was the newly acquired God-Demon Meridian Pill.
He scrutinized the alchemical pearl, then looking into the empty air, pressed the System further. "System, my inventory still holds the pills you granted me during our initial binding. The God-Demon Rebirth Pills and the God-Demon Physique Temporary 100% Activation Pill... how exactly do they differ from this Meridian Pill? Do they serve the same purpose?"
A subtle ripple distorted the air, and the System's chillingly grave voice echoed directly inside his mind. "Indeed, Host. Your suspicion is correct. These three elixirs belong to entirely distinct classes of creation. I withheld the absolute breakdown earlier to prevent overwhelming your mortal senses, but the hour has come for you to grasp the architecture of your inventory."
The System projected a clear, comprehensive breakdown of the three elixirs onto the holographic display: "First, the God-Demon Rebirth Pills—this is a supreme, heaven-defying medicine capable of granting an ordinary mortal—even a modern soul completely devoid of a cultivation base—the boundless, cataclysmic might of a true God and Demon for a strict duration of three hours. You possess 5 of these pills. This is an ultimate trump card designed to rip you from the jaws of absolute death, but the power it bestows is strictly transient."
"The second one," the System continued, transitioning the data on the display, "is the God-Demon Physique Temporary 100% Activation Pill. This elixir directly targets your current physical vessel. For a strict window of three hours, it will accelerate your physique, elevating your defensive and offensive parameters to a zenith that leaves mortal comprehension in the dust. It is designed to transform you into an absolute, invincible war god upon the battlefield."
The System's voice sank into an even deeper, more ominous register as she indicated the earthen-colored pearl resting in his palm. "However, this—The God-Demon Meridian Pill—is fundamentally superior to the other two in terms of evolutionary growth. It is not transient; it is not a temporary illusion. Its sole purpose is to permanently expand and reinforce your spiritual pathways into 'God-Demon Meridians.' Once consumed, your internal channels will forever mutate into the Permanent God-Demon Meridian Network. Since your vessel already hosts the primordial God-Demon Physique, this pill will entirely re-architect your internal biology. It will transmute your very foundation from mere stone into absolute, indestructible Vajra (Diamond)."
Ye Fang's eyes shot wide open, a mixture of awe and predatory hunger reflecting in his gaze. "What? Truly? These three elixirs possess such terrifying properties? This means I can fundamentally rewrite my entire reality in a single night!"
Without wasting a single breath, without a shred of hesitation, Ye Fang tossed the God-Demon Meridian Pill into his mouth and swallowed it whole.