Chapter 45: Deep Water Clam Pearl + Advanced Body-Forging Potion

Song Chi immediately hurried over.
"Dad, what are you examining over there?"
Song Zhao glanced sideways at his son without answering, then quickly turned his attention back to the star map in front of him.
Seeing this, Song Chi glanced over at the kitchen. Noticing that his mother was not paying attention to the living room, he leaned close to Song Zhao's ear and asked in a low voice:
"Dad, did the titanium crystal investigation yield any specific news?"
Song Zhao's expression remained unchanged as he replied indifferently, "This is not something you should be involved in. Just focus on preparing for your third alien starfield deployment."
Though Song Zhao's tone was calm, Song Chi, who had lived with him for thirty years, understood him all too well. Usually, his father was easygoing, but when he truly meant business, his voice would become even more detached. And decisions made in moments like this were never easily altered.
If he were to continue pressing the matter of the titanium crystal, his father might actually lose his temper. At the mere thought of his dad's wrath, Song Chi wisely kept his mouth shut.
After lunch, he briefly mentioned to his parents that he intended to devote the next five or six days entirely to practicing the Psionic Guidance Technique, instructing them not to worry if he didn't step out of his room during this period.
Song Zhao and Chen Lixia nodded without asking any further questions.
As a technique that the Fireseed human civilization had spent tens of thousands of years successfully deducing and another nearly two hundred thousand years continuously perfecting, the effects of the Psionic Guidance Technique were far beyond imagination.
By utilizing absorbed psionic energy to replenish the body's consumption of vital energy, it couldn't quite achieve the legendary breath-absorbing inedia found in web novels, but going ten days or half a month without eating or drinking was quite normal.
However, consuming food rich in blood-qi energy could further accelerate the cultivation of the Psionic Guidance Technique, which was why the vast majority of people still ate normally.
Before returning to his bedroom, Song Chi tentatively asked his father a question.
"Dad, do we have any channels to acquire high-grade body-tempering potions?"
It was originally just a casual inquiry, perhaps born from a subconscious lingering glimmer of anticipation regarding the "Dinghai Song Family" his father had previously mentioned. But the moment the words left his mouth, Song Chi instantly felt he was overthinking things.
If the so-called "Dinghai Song Family" truly held considerable influence, how could one explain the fact that he had never received any preferential treatment as a "noble descendant" over the past thirty years?
Could it be that the Dinghai Song Family of today was left with nothing more than a single high-tier visualization diagram?
To Song Chi's great surprise, however, Song Zhao's subsequent reply shattered his doubts.
"High-grade body-tempering potions? Do you need these?"
"While potions of this grade are exceptionally potent, they also place extremely high demands on one's physical fitness. Generally, only those at Level 10 or above in the Guidance Technique can use them. Are you sure you want to try it now?"
Awakening from his brief daze, Song Chi asked uncertainly, "Dad, do you mean you can actually get them?"
Song Zhao shook his head.
"It's not a matter of whether I can get them. Your dad has them right on hand. If you want them, go get them yourself—they're in the bookcase on the right side of the study."
With that, he tossed over a key and asked once more for confirmation.
"Are you sure your body can handle it? The medicinal efficacy of a high-grade body-tempering potion is extremely domineering. If your physical fitness falls short, not only will it fail to accelerate your cultivation, but it will also damage your body."
"I managed to acquire a few deep-water clam pearls over three hundred years old during this alien starfield exploration; that should do the trick."
Hearing Song Chi's reply, Song Zhao pondered for a moment before nodding.
"Deep-water clam pearls over three hundred years old are relatively rare. Although their age is a bit low, they should barely suffice. Go ahead and take them."
"I originally planned to let you use them after your guidance technique advanced to the First Rank. Since you have the good fortune to obtain a few deep-water clam pearls of decent age, using them early is fine too—the higher-grade body-tempering potion will yield even greater results."
Excitedly, Song Chi ran to the study. Using the key his father gave him, he unlocked the bookcase and successfully retrieved an exquisite potion box containing just three vials. Judging by the markings and colors along the edges of the vials, they were undoubtedly high-grade body-tempering potions.
Gazing at the three delicate purple vials, Song Chi's eyes flickered with a dazed expression. From this moment on, his perspective on the four words "Dinghai Song Family" underwent a profound shift.
After a moment of hesitation, he decided to take all three vials.
He still had five deep-water clam pearls on hand. The 700-year-old and 900-year-old pearls would each be more than enough to match one high-grade body-tempering potion, while the remaining three 300-year-old deep-water clam pearls could be used together to neutralize a single portion of the high-grade body-tempering potion.
Compared to the potency of a single high-grade body-tempering potion, a single 300-year-old deep-water clam pearl was clearly insufficient to fully tame its tyrannical medicinal nature, but using three together would be just about right.
Moreover, using them together wouldn't waste the effects of either; it would merely prolong the potion's duration significantly.
"Dad, I'm taking all of them."
Song Zhao nodded slightly, indicating his consent, while his mother on the side gave another worried piece of advice.
"Son, don't push yourself. Use them according to your own limits. The moment your body can no longer bear it, stop cultivating immediately."
"Got it, Mom."
...
Holding the three high-grade body-tempering potions, Song Chi hurried back to the Market.
Inside the all-attribute cultivation room, once he had adjusted his physical condition to its absolute peak, he swallowed the high-grade body-tempering potion mixed with the powder of three 300-year-old deep-water clam pearls.
Instantly, Song Chi felt a wave of burning heat spread through his abdomen, followed immediately by a massive surge of ungentle energy erupting from his stomach, rushing frantically into every bone and joint of his body.
Crack, crack, crack!
His entire skeletal structure emitted faint cracking sounds. While it sounded alarming, Song Chi's actual physical sensation was quite pleasant. There was no unbearable, tearing agony; instead, a comforting numbness spread throughout his body.
Correspondingly, the speed at which psionic energy poured into his body became astonishing. If the cultivation speed had been 60 when taking the intermediate body-tempering potion mixed with a single 300-year-old deep-water clam pearl, the cultivation speed now reached 100.
While this speed didn't vastly exceed his previous rate, the duration of the potion's enhancement lasted a full three days—three times longer than before.
Three days later, when Song Chi emerged from his cultivation session, his Psionic Guidance Technique had dramatically jumped from Level 5 to Level 6, having also traveled a considerable distance along the path toward Level 7.
Relishing the sweet taste of success, Song Chi did not stop his cultivation. Instead, he directly pulled out the second high-grade body-tempering potion, adding the powdered pearl of the 700-year-old deep-water clam.
Once the neutralization process was complete, he swallowed it down in one gulp.
The efficacy of this vial was several times more terrifying than the previous one. This time, the sensation throughout Song Chi's body was no longer mere numbness, accompanied as it was by a sharp, noticeable pain. Fortunately, it remained manageable, and his body could still endure it.
However, Song Chi understood that he would not be able to use the 900-year-old deep-water clam pearl anytime soon—unless he wished to rupture every blood vessel in his body and leave himself with incurable hidden injuries.