"Slap~"
"Slap slap"
Before Tang Qi, something resembling octopus tentacles was writhing, looking incredibly "fresh," while nearby, Professor Rick Cassel was temporarily in a state of wailing, utterly unable to attend to anything else.
It's easy to understand, anyone who did what he did would fall into such a state.
Infusing the knowledge one possesses into a small piece of limb and then forcefully severing it to use as a bargaining chip in a trade.
Such an act would only occur under very special circumstances.
For instance, here it happened because of the special "activated" state of the Shadow Cage Mushroom, coupled with Cassel being in a soul-infused state.
To prevent Professor Cassel, who was in a state of frenzied pain, from acting irrationally, Tang Qi disregarded the strange feeling in his heart and reached out to grab the frantically squirming "octopus tentacle."
Perhaps due to the secret medicine knowledge contained within or the impact of the soul power. Unlike the other pitch-black tentacles, this one was bright red, looking much like one that had been cooked.
Although it was the shortest one, its length still exceeded half of Tang Qi's palm.
At the bottom, there were indeed a number of small suction cups.
Tang Qi grasped it and looked earnestly, the special interface that had flashed by before slowly appeared.
[Curios: Essos Fragment.]
[State: Incomplete.]
[Information Fragment: A fragment cut from the activated Essos Ghost Grass, infused with some soul power, and some memory information related to secret medicine. Memory acquisition method: Ingestion or concoction of corresponding secret medicine.]
"Indeed!"
Tang Qi now understood what the odd premonition in his heart was, having faintly guessed it when Professor Cassel began separating the secret medicine knowledge.
To acquire that knowledge, Tang Qi either had to swallow the Ghost Grass Fragments containing the memory information.
Or, he had to concoct the corresponding secret medicine.
The latter was clearly the better method, helping Tang Qi absorb the knowledge to the fullest extent without wasting it.
Unfortunately, Tang Qi himself needed to plunder to gain secret medicine knowledge, and naturally, he couldn't concoct the secret medicine until after he had succeeded in the plundering.
And Professor Cassel was even more pitiable.
He voluntarily stripped away that knowledge; this was a one-time, irreversible process.
Once that "octopus tentacle" was severed, it meant Professor Cassel would forever lose the secret medicine knowledge he had learned with such difficulty.
Once he became sober, that part of his memory would vanish.
Thus, Tang Qi really had no second choice.
He knew this, so after looking, he didn't hesitate at all.
With a lift of his hand, he decisively stuffed the reddish, yet still slimy, octopus tentacle into his mouth.
The silver-white teeth instinctively began to chew, but at that moment, the octopus tentacle seemed to come to life, gurgling as it breached the barrier of teeth, then surged towards Tang Qi's stomach.
Boom!
An indescribable sensation erupted at that moment.
Tang Qi started retching violently, his eyes bulging, and horrifying visions emerged in his mind, as if he were looking at an extremely dark world. At his feet, a small stream was flowing slowly, but oddly so.
Upon closer inspection, he realized what was flowing wasn't water, but rows of pitch-black, slimy creatures resembling snakes, pushing and shoving to move forward.
It was an indescribable yet utterly terrifying feeling, especially when Tang Qi became distracted and looked again, he was horrified to find himself at the end of the black stream — all those disgusting creatures were surging into his mouth...
At this moment, Tang Qi suddenly remembered something he had read in some mystical books.
Secret Medicine is an incredibly magical yet horrifying power.
Some friendly Secret Medicine Schools produce elixirs that create delightful illusions upon ingestion.
Some of the less friendly ones would only produce horrific illusions.
Or perhaps, they are not illusions but curses that act upon the soul.
The most critical point is that secret medicine isn't defined as the liquid shaking inside a test tube; it's rather an Extraordinary Power that isn't restricted to any form.
That "octopus tentacle", which contained all of Professor Cassel's secret medicine knowledge, might have transformed into some kind of secret medicine the moment it was severed.
In other words, Tang Qi is indeed acquiring knowledge in secret medicine now.
However, at the same time, he is also under an unknown attack.
It's not necessarily Professor Cassel's doing, it could more likely be the source of this knowledge.
Could it be that this unknown School of Secret Medicine is testing Tang Qi? Or directly aiming to eradicate any leaks?
"Hmph!"
"I guessed as much, obtaining the mysterious knowledge that leads to a profession wouldn't be so simple."
While resisting the hallucinations in his mind, Tang Qi retches and his whole body is tear-stained and in a sorry state.
In such a state, he suddenly steps forward and with a "swoosh" of his dagger, he nails Professor Cassel, who is still wailing, to the desk again.
He then has no more time to waste and sits down directly on the ground.
"Humm"
"Melter!"
Without any hesitation, he activates the Golden Furnace Meditation.
The golden Sun is instantly conjured by Tang Qi. When he opens his eyes again, the illusion remains the same; the black stream composed of countless disgusting creatures is continuously flowing towards his mouth, seemingly not noticing that Tang Qi has already become a blazing Sun.
These disgusting creatures burn up silently, much like the abnormalities that rush from the dark crevices during his cultivation; they disintegrate into dust-like golden light points merging...
No change?
Nor retreat?
So, could it just be a passive negative effect attached by the Essos Fragment or the knowledge of secret medicine within it?
Huff!
Huff, huff!
Such slick, disgusting illusions might have a terrible effect on ordinary people, likely torturing them into madness, but it's clear that they can no longer harm Tang Qi, who has transformed into the golden Melter.
Soon, the meditation ends.
The illusions disappear!
The strange sensation in his stomach also recedes!
No more retching!
Tang Qi slowly opens his eyes, and a very special feeling surges forth at this moment.
His head feels a bit swollen, his mind filled with many strange, special pieces of knowledge, waiting for him to comb through them.
"Humm"
Subconsciously, Tang Qi suddenly looks at himself.
His eyes narrow, and a special interface about himself slowly emerges.
"Hmm?"
This surprised sound comes because he sees significant changes.
"I've succeeded!"
Upon seeing a new line of small text suddenly appear in the Skill section, a flash of joy immediately surfaces in Tang Qi's eyes.