Chapter 425: Metamorphosis Pill
Ning Xuan knew that people like Yu Mingche, Di Youlin, Lin Mo, and Ying Yaoshi all had their own powerful backgrounds. Although Yu Mingche claimed to have little contact with the Yu Family, after so many years in the government system, he had naturally built up his own Direct Lineage faction. The others were no different. Since they all had their own factions, conflicts were inevitable, and she had no desire for her own people to develop feuds from such friction.
The moment Ning Xuan finished speaking, Yu Mingche immediately stepped forward. “Rest assured, Family Head. I will supervise them. If I notice anything unusual, I will mediate promptly.”
The others also voiced their assent, promising to heed the Family Head’s guidance and prevent any infighting.
After everyone paid their respects to Ning Xuan, the final recognition ceremony concluded. Lan Xin bid farewell to Ning Xuan and departed for the Ten Thousand Meteor Star Domain Battlefield.
The families of Lin Mo and Chen Nan invited Ning Xuan to their respective family banquets, and she accepted. These banquets were essentially another form of recognition ceremony. As the dominant party in their contracts, Ning Xuan was naturally the guest of honor.
While attending the banquets, Ning Xuan also discussed several collaborations with the Lin and Chen Families. These potential partnerships had been prepared in advance by Yu Mingche to strengthen their economic ties. The deals were beneficial to both the Lin and Chen Families, so they naturally wouldn’t refuse.
The events went smoothly, leaving both guests and hosts satisfied. By the time Ning Xuan returned to Central Star, Chen Nan had remained with the Chen Family to oversee the projects, a task expected to take several months to half a year. Lin Mo had to return to the Second Legion, as he had many military affairs to handle and his current leave was short.
When Ning Xuan returned to her villa, Yu Mingche told her about Di Youlin’s conversation with his parents, leaving her lost in thought. ‘The Prajna Fruits… it really is time to put them to use. Since the Di Family wants them, as long as they’re sincere about cooperating, I suppose I can give them a few.’
Then she remembered Lan Xin begging her to save Qinghe. She had also promised Chairman Wang a couple of days ago that she would go take a look. ‘I wonder if Qinghe’s current condition allows for the use of a Prajna Fruit.’
‘Perhaps I can go see him in a few days.’
Ning Xuan retrieved a bright red fruit from her Space Bracelet and examined it closely. Besides its vibrant color and pleasant aroma, the fruit seemed unremarkable.
“Ming Che, do you think Lan Xin’s path of advancement can be replicated?” Ning Xuan asked.
“Xuanyuan, given Lan Xin’s condition at the time, he would have died from genetic collapse long ago if you hadn’t forcibly linked with him. There’s no way he would have survived otherwise. The primary purpose of the Prajna Fruit is to refine Metamorphosis Pills. Spirit Controllers at the Half-Metamorphosis Stage who have reached the peak of SSS-level can break through to the Transcendence Realm after taking one.” Yu Mingche hadn’t known much about the Prajna Fruit’s effects before, but he had spent the last year or so gathering information and had recently made some progress.
“A Metamorphosis Pill? Is that a type of Elixir Pill? What’s its grade? Do you have the Elixir Recipe?” Ning Xuan asked, her curiosity piqued.
“I don’t. It’s said that because everyone’s internal Mutant Beast Gene differs, each person requires a unique Elixir Recipe. Some also say the key difference is the medicinal primer, which is the user’s own blood.”
“Metamorphosis Pills are incredibly rare. Some Spirit Controllers at the Half-Metamorphosis Stage who have been stuck at the peak of SSS-level for a long time will consume a Prajna Fruit directly. Doing so gives them a chance to break through to the Transcendence Realm. If they fail, their power is great enough that they will, at worst, drop a level rather than die. So, the Prajna Fruit is really something for experts at the Half-Metamorphosis Stage. The news that you possess them has already spread. From now on, you truly cannot leave Central Star.” Much of the information Yu Mingche was sharing had come from Ying Yaoshi, who, after all, had already reached the peak of SSS-level.
“There can’t be that many experts at the Half-Metamorphosis Stage in the entire Federation, right? If what you’re saying is true—that these Prajna Fruits are not only useless but potentially fatal for ordinary people—then aren’t they just a huge liability for me to have?” Ning Xuan asked, raising an eyebrow.
“That’s right. However, experts at the Half-Metamorphosis Stage are forbidden from setting foot on Central Star, so as long as you remain here, you shouldn’t have any major problems,” Yu Mingche said, nodding in agreement.
“Ming Che, if these fruits are useless to ordinary people, then demand for them shouldn’t be very high, right? If I were to put some up for auction, could that divert some of this attention?” Ning Xuan asked after a moment of thought.
‘After all, I picked an entire cluster of Prajna Fruits.’ The tree had been enormous. If she hadn’t picked a thousand fruits, she had at least picked several hundred. She wouldn’t feel the slightest pinch tossing a few dozen into an auction.
“That’s one possible solution,” Yu Mingche said with a sigh. “However, the great families, like the Mo Family, the Guo Family, and even the Di Family, seek the Prajna Fruit for other reasons.”
“They all have their own private pharmaceutical research labs where they use Prajna Fruits in Genetic Potions. Although a portion of the fruit’s efficacy is lost in the process, test subjects have a seventy to eighty percent mortality rate, sometimes even higher. But if they succeed, their power skyrockets, just like Lan Xin. There are many Half-beastmen with genetic defects and Spirit Controllers with severely polluted Spiritual Seas or abnormal Mutated Values who are willing to risk death for a chance at a new life. They volunteer as test subjects to gamble on their luck.”
“That’s why the demand for Prajna Fruits has always been very high. Before now, they had only ever been found in the Chaotic Divine Domain. The reason a Prajna Fruit tree exists on the New Star Body is likely because the planet is saturated with Original Star Power,” Yu Mingche explained.
“I remember the formation of the spiral nebula was also related to Original Star Power. It seems newly formed celestial bodies are always treasure troves,” Ning Xuan remarked with a sigh.
“That’s exactly why every newly discovered celestial body is so fiercely contested. Over the past year, if those major powers hadn’t been so focused on their schemes for the New Star Body, the threats to your personal safety would have been far greater,” Yu Mingche said.
In the past year, factions like the Military Department, the Seven Great Families, the Starry Sky Academy, and the Star Sky Council had scoured the New Star Body but failed to find a second Prajna Fruit tree.
The Prajna Fruit tree that Ning Xuan had picked bare had long since been jointly claimed by the major powers.
“Speaking of the New Star Body, the Military Department has been supervising it, right? How is the development progressing? When can we go back?” Ning Xuan asked curiously.
Whenever Ning Xuan saw the glittering gold jewelry and sparkling gems inside her Space Bracelet, she was reminded of her days exploring the New Star Body.
‘Back then, Yu Mingche was possessing the body of my Companion Spirit, the Nine-tailed Fox. That Little Fox was actually pretty cute.’
“We can’t go for the time being. However, according to my sources, the resource survey on the New Star Body is nearly complete. It might not be impossible for us to go exploring there again in the future,” Yu Mingche said.