Chapter 247: The Gallbladder of Extreme Poison
After Zhou Ming parted ways with the Scorpion-Lion, he immediately returned to the Underground Dark River Camp and convened the camp’s upper management to arrange various matters.
The most important task was the defensive work of the underground caverns. To ensure the camp’s safety, Zhou Ming privately instructed Su Mei that, if necessary, she could allow the catwoman Aina to assist.
After handling the miscellaneous affairs within the camp, Zhou Ming finally returned to his own small building.
“Sir, this is the record report.”
When Zhou Ming returned to the Lake-center Small Building, Aina was the first to present the experimental record report.
Since the catwoman Aina had been captured by Zhou Ming, over the subsequent year or so she had occasionally served as his experimental assistant. As such, she was already capable of handling some simple tasks.
Inside the second-floor laboratory, Zhou Ming accepted the report Aina handed over, flipped through the experimental data she had recorded, and then cross-checked it against the condition of the Petri dishes.
After confirming that there were no issues whatsoever, he finally raised his head to look at her, a satisfied expression appearing on his face.
“Aina, in three days I will be going out for a period of time. Apart from taking good care of Tianqiong, continue observing the subsequent changes of Petri Dish No. 3.”
“Additionally, if anything unexpected happens at the camp, you must obey Su Mei’s commands. Do you understand?”
“Please rest assured, sir. Aina knows what to do.”
Ever since she had been captured by Zhou Ming and became a maid, Aina had gradually come to understand her master. She knew that he did not care about her beauty, but rather about whether she possessed value.
Only by demonstrating her value could she live better under her master’s command.
Therefore, after Zhou Ming had her assist with experiments, Aina devoted herself wholeheartedly to studying the scientific research knowledge that felt like heavenly scripture to her.
“Good. You may leave.”
After dismissing Aina, Zhou Ming finally focused his attention on the resources obtained from the Scorpion-Lion in exchange for the Sapphire Fish.
Aside from ten thousand Source Crystal Coins, there was also a low-grade Original Meditation Method, as well as a rare-grade Transcendent Equipment.
“Steel-Cleaving Sword?”
A longsword roughly three feet in length and three fingers in width appeared in Zhou Ming’s hand.
Using his spiritual power to sense the information left behind by the Forgemaster within the equipment, Zhou Ming immediately gained a general understanding of the item in his hand.
Name: Steel-Cleaving.
Grade: Rare.
Effects: Sharpness, Hardness, Blade-Shattering Slash.
The specific effect of Blade-Shattering Slash was to unleash an extremely powerful slash by damaging the Steel-Cleaving Sword itself.
It could be repaired using Source Crystals, but as the number of uses increased, the amount of Source Crystals required would also increase.
“Blade-Shattering Slash just happens to make up for my lack of frontal assault methods.”
After understanding the effects of the Steel-Cleaving Sword, a trace of joy appeared on Zhou Ming’s face.
In future head-on confrontations with enemies, when facing opponents with extremely strong defenses, he would at least possess a means to break through defenses.
As for the expenditure of Source Crystals, compared to his own life, it was not worth mentioning.
After casually playing with it for a moment, Zhou Ming placed the Steel-Cleaving Sword back into his Spatial Ring, then took out a scroll.
“Evergreen Pine Endures Diagram.”
This was the low-grade Original Meditation Method that the Scorpion-Lion had found for Zhou Ming. By transforming into an evergreen pine rooted in heaven and earth, one would comprehend its unyielding resilience and the artistic conception of everlasting existence.
However, as an Original Meditation Method, cultivating the Evergreen Pine Endures Diagram naturally carried certain risks.
That was the tendency to become immersed in the state of undying and unaging, unable to awaken, and ultimately turn into a withered skeleton within a beautiful illusion.
Nevertheless, this meditation method had an additional benefit: it could enhance the toughness of spiritual power and prevent damage on the spiritual level.
“I wonder if fusing the Evergreen Pine Endures Diagram can transform my self-created Heart-Observing Moon-Gazing Diagram meditation method into a high-tier meditation method.”
Zhou Ming naturally did not forget that for a Beast Tamer to improve strength, meditation methods were of paramount importance.
Now that he had obtained another low-grade Original Meditation Method, he naturally began considering integrating it into the Heart-Observing Moon-Gazing Diagram that he had created.
However, considering that he would accompany the Scorpion-Lion to Tamu World in three days, Zhou Ming could only temporarily put away the Evergreen Pine Endures Diagram and begin preparing for the journey to Tamu World.
Zhou Ming’s greatest trump card was the Gallbladder of Extreme Poison, a Transcendent organ he had modified using several types of Ironthread Snake venom and other toxins.
After using it in the Panlong Mountain Range, the power of the snake venom nurtured by the Gallbladder of Extreme Poison had greatly declined. However, over the subsequent year, through continued fusion of various toxins, Zhou Ming had gradually restored the power of the fused snake venom.
Zhou Ming estimated that once he advanced to Transcendent Master, the Gallbladder of Extreme Poison within his body, which resembled an exquisite jade carving, would be able to automatically nurture terrifying fused snake venom.
And now, he planned to once again fuse the hemolytic venom extracted from the Blood Beast, as well as the snake venom he had recently developed, into the Gallbladder of Extreme Poison to further enhance its power.
At the same time, he would also rework the spell that complemented the Gallbladder of Extreme Poison—Gathering Sand · Poison Art · Vitality Withering.
After all, the improvement work on the Gallbladder of Extreme Poison had long since been underway. Now, only the final steps remained to be completed, so it would not take much time.
As Zhou Ming began the toxin preparation work, syringe after syringe filled with various lethal poisons appeared on the experimental platform.
On the second day, when the toxin preparation was completed, more than a dozen syringes shimmered with bizarre and sinister colors.
When Zhou Ming saw the cold gleam emanating from the needle tubes, he could not help but recall the pain brought by inserting the syringes into his gallbladder.
However, for the sake of improving his strength, he could only grit his teeth and accept the subsequent modification of his own gallbladder.
Afterward, Zhou Ming placed the prepared syringes onto a tray, then stood up and walked toward the meditation room.
…
Alliance Calendar Year 683, the first day of August. Half a month had passed since the Alliance Legendary Saint had taken action.
At this moment, Zhou Ming, who had just finished modifying his gallbladder, appeared before the Scorpion-Lion with a pale complexion.
“You’re not telling me that because you couldn’t see your catwoman maid for a short time, you fought nonstop in your lair for three days and three nights, are you?”
Zhou Ming had not concealed Aina’s existence from the Scorpion-Lion when facing his inquiries.
After all, with the Scorpion-Lion’s intuition and analytical ability, concealment would be useless. Thus, Zhou Ming had simply admitted it outright.
After Zhou Ming reunited with the Scorpion-Lion, since the aftereffects of the gallbladder modification had not yet fully dissipated, the other party directly assumed that Zhou Ming had engaged in a three-days-and-three-nights battle with the catwoman.
“I already have a girlfriend.”
Zhou Ming himself did not notice that, when facing the Scorpion-Lion’s teasing, he instinctively regarded Lei Yuan as his girlfriend.
In the past, he would never have had such a reaction.
Perhaps Lei Yuan’s efforts on his behalf had already begun to slowly melt the icy coldness in Zhou Ming’s heart.
After all, how many men would not like a woman like Lei Yuan?
Beautiful, cute, always thinking of him, and capable of helping him—only thinking of giving, never of taking.
“When your talented academician girlfriend finds out that you secretly raised a catwoman, I wonder if you’ll still be able to say that.”
Thinking about the fact that Zhou Ming could keep a catwoman, even the Scorpion-Lion felt a faint sense of jealousy rising within him.
After confirming that Zhou Ming was fine, the Scorpion-Lion did not delay any further and headed toward the airship takeoff and landing field.
The Dimensional Rift controlled by the Duanmu Family was located in the Northern Wasteland.
The two of them needed to take the Duanmu Family’s private airship to get there.