Elderly Prince: My Spirit Increases by 1 Point Daily

He studied it for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea but only managed to grasp the meaning of the opening, which spoke of the difference between the Alchemy Dao and the Medical Dao.

"The Pill Maker seizes the fortune of heaven and earth, Refining Essence and Qi, in pursuit of the ultimate!"

"The Physician observes the changes of yin and yang, harmonizes the five elements, and emphasizes balance!"

"Only by unifying medicine and alchemy can one comprehend the mysteries of life and death."

...

In Xia Wuyang’s view, the text meant that to practice this scripture, one must first master medical principles before cultivating Alchemy. Furthermore, each realm required medicine as its foundation; otherwise, success was simply impossible.

This was completely different from orthodox Alchemy. In orthodox Alchemy, pill-making was primary, while medical skills were merely supplementary—an extension of the Alchemy Dao, so to speak.

Some Alchemists focused solely on the art of refining elixirs, completely ignoring medical skills. Even though mastering Alchemy meant they could easily improve their medical skills with just a fraction of their time and effort, they were unwilling to do so.

It was truly easy for Alchemists to cultivate medical skills.

This also explained why this Middle Level Spiritual Scripture was left untouched. For most Alchemists who sought quick success, this cultivation method was too time-consuming, too demanding, and far too difficult. They were better off cultivating other Pill Scriptures.

While a Middle Level Spiritual Scripture was of a very high Level, becoming a Spirit Pill Master also had a Cultivation Realm requirement: one had to reach the Qi Refining True Monarch Level and condense True Flame Power. Otherwise, becoming a Spirit Pill Master was impossible.

But throughout the world, how many Martial Artists could become Qi Refining True Monarchs, let alone Alchemists?

For Xia Wuyang, however, this Spiritual Scripture was practically tailor-made for him.

He possessed the Supreme Talent Seven-Aperture Exquisite, so his Comprehension was already far beyond that of ordinary people, often allowing him to achieve sudden epiphanies. Although the *Herbal Tomb* was astonishingly difficult and tedious to cultivate, it wasn’t a challenge for him.

The Heart-devouring Poison afflicting Pan Mo also required an extremely profound understanding of medical principles to comprehend its toxicity. A typical orthodox Alchemist would have no idea where to even begin.

’This is it!’

Although it wasn’t comprehensive in terms of alchemy and elixir crafting, Xia Wuyang didn’t need that at the moment. When the time came, he could just cultivate other Alchemy Dao scriptures.

It would just cost some extra time and energy, a price he could afford to pay.

Back in Wenhua Hall, Xia Wuyang immediately began studying the *Herbal Tomb*. His more than one hundred and fifty points of Spiritual Power shone brightly as he pushed his Comprehension to its absolute limit, gradually beginning to make progress.

The book treated the human body as a small universe, where each organ corresponded to the changes of the five elements. Illness was a manifestation of imbalance in this universe, and elixirs were the tools to harmonize yin and yang.

The more Xia Wuyang studied, the more he could sense its vastness and profundity.

Even better, the book recorded a special diagnostic technique: the Lingxi Finger. This wasn’t the famous technique of the same name from the wuxia novels of his past life, but one unique to the *Herbal Tomb*.

With the help of the Lingxi Finger, a Cultivator could probe all parts of a patient’s body and clearly perceive the location of the ailment. The stronger their Spiritual Power, the clearer the perception. This was a perfect fit for Xia Wuyang, as Spiritual Power was currently his greatest strength.

Perhaps because he was so worried about Pan Mo’s condition, or perhaps because his Seven-Aperture Exquisite was at work, Xia Wuyang quickly saw through the beginning of the *Herbal Tomb*.

However, he was still a ways off from mastering the basics. Even so, he had already surpassed anyone who had previously attempted to cultivate the *Herbal Tomb*. Those people had spent a great deal of time and couldn’t even comprehend the beginning, let alone actually practice it.

He continued studying until late into the night. Even while being intimate with the Qiuci Dancer, the words of the *Herbal Tomb* still flowed through Xia Wuyang’s mind.

But he didn’t continue his studies, because he had something more important to do.

A cold glint flashed in Xia Wuyang’s eyes. After applying a Disguise, he became a phantom shadow, flitting over layers of palace walls and sneaking into Evergreen Hall.

The Fourth Prince, Xia Wulei, was still recuperating from his injuries. He wouldn’t recover for at least a year or so. The security around him was even stricter than before, if not more so.

To Xia Wuyang, however, these few guards posed no threat. He easily bypassed all security and arrived at the Sleeping Palace of the Fourth Prince, Xia Wulei.

At that moment, Xia Wulei was tossing and turning on his bed, the pain from his injuries clearly making it difficult for him to sleep. Beside him lay a young Palace Maid he had toyed with to death.

"Pan Mo... This is the price you pay for rejecting me!" Xia Wulei’s eyes were filled with venomous hatred, his face twisting into a hideous grin. "I will make your life a living hell, a hundred times more painful than mine! Only then will the hatred in my heart be appeased. And that bastard Xia Wuyang—when the time is right, I’ll make you pay, too."

Just as Xia Wuyang had guessed, Xia Wulei was indeed the one who had poisoned Pan Mo. Pan Mo had only offended Xia Wulei recently; it couldn’t have been anyone else.

A flicker in his eyes, Xia Wuyang immediately activated the Soul Capturing Technique and read the prince’s surface-level thoughts.

Coincidentally, Xia Wulei was mulling over this very matter at that moment, allowing Xia Wuyang to clearly uncover the beginning and end of the whole affair.

The Fourth Prince, Xia Wulei, and Consort De held a grudge over his Qigong Deviation, believing it was all Xia Wuyang’s and Pan Mo’s fault. Otherwise, Xia Wulei would never have suffered a Qigong Deviation during his Cultivation.

But their attempt to deal with Xia Wuyang had turned into a joke, and they had been warned by Emperor Xia, so for the time being, they didn’t dare make a move against him.

So, they decided to deal with Pan Mo first and then target Xia Wuyang later. After some plotting, they bribed a Maid close to Pan Mo, devised a plan to lure her out, and poisoned her with the Heart-devouring Poison.

This strange poison wasn’t immediately fatal but would cause its victim to suffer endless torment. The mother and son wanted Pan Mo to die a slow, agonizing death. More than that, they wanted Xia Wuyang to watch helplessly as the woman he loved suffered.

After learning the truth, killing intent surged within Xia Wuyang. If he didn’t have to maintain his Disguise, he would have truly loved to slice this vicious mother-son duo into a thousand pieces.

Besides, simply killing them would be letting them off too easily. He would make the mother and son suffer a punishment a hundred times more painful than Pan Mo’s.

What did Xia Wulei love most? Nights of debauchery, of course. In that case, he would ensure the prince could never be a man again.

He unleashed his improved Nether Acupuncture Needle, silently destroying Xia Wulei’s Yang Meridian. He made it look as though Xia Wulei had aggravated his severe injuries by attempting to cultivate, causing him to fall unconscious.

When he woke up, he would only think he had been careless, not that someone had plotted against him.

And when he later discovered he could no longer do the things he loved, as his manhood gradually withered away until he was no better than a eunuch, the feeling would surely be worse than death itself.

As for the main culprit, Consort De, what did she care about most? Besides her precious son Xia Wulei, it was naturally her status in the Harem, Emperor Xia’s favor, and the image she had painstakingly cultivated for so many years.

’Very well. I’ll start with those.’