Chapter 59: Foundation

In Yan Ruoxi’s view, Chen Meng’s most pressing issue right now was still the college entrance examination. He ought to devote all his energy to preparing for it. Asking questions like these was simply a waste of time.

Chen Meng could see what Yan Ruoxi was thinking and said helplessly, “I might soon advance to become a Divine Body lifeform—give me… about eleven days more.”

At those words, Yan Ruoxi was taken aback. “Aren’t you still in high school?”

Chen Meng straightforwardly explained his situation to her in brief, and after hearing it, Yan Ruoxi was left completely stunned.

Whether it was killing Wang Jie or defeating a second-tier Divine Body cultist, both feats were nothing short of astonishing. If Chen Meng hadn’t told her himself, she never would have believed it.

“So that’s how it is,” Yan Ruoxi murmured, gazing at Chen Meng, no longer seeing him as an ordinary high school student. Such accomplishments were beyond even her abilities.

Now that Yan Ruoxi was asking him this question, it no longer seemed strange. She thought for a moment, then said slowly, “To advance from an ordinary person to a first-tier Divine Body lifeform, there are five potions in total. Each potion focuses on a different attribute: the Vermilion Red potion for strength, the Azure Blue potion for speed, the Black Iron potion for defense, the New Green potion for reflexes, and the Pale White potion for perception. These five potions represent the five core human capabilities, or rather, five attributes.”

Chen Meng nodded. He was already somewhat familiar with this.

Yan Ruoxi continued, “Once the potion enters your body, it circulates and is absorbed, transforming your physical state and shifting you toward a Divine Body. Because everyone’s body is different—different potions, environments, genetics, and so on—everyone’s digestion speed varies. According to the latest data, for the first-tier Divine Body potion, the fastest recorded digestion is two months and nine days, while the slowest takes seven years.”

“Seven years at the slowest?” Chen Meng murmured, unsure how long it would take him to process the advancement potion. If it really took seven years, that would be rather disheartening.

“In terms of average digestion time,” Yan Ruoxi added, “the Vermilion Red potion ranks first, followed by Black Iron, then Pale White, with Azure Blue and New Green last. Of course, this is just for reference. Some people have such exceptional conditions that after taking New Green, their digestion is even faster than those who take Vermilion Red.”

These details had a significant impact on Chen Meng’s choice of potion.

“As for the specific differences between the potions: the Vermilion Red focuses on strength, but that doesn’t mean the other potions don’t increase strength at all—they just don’t increase it to the same extent. Right now, the highest recorded punch force for a first-tier Divine Body is 1000 kilograms, achieved by someone who took Vermilion Red, while the best result for other potions is 909 kilograms. Likewise, the top speed for a first-tier Divine Body is 25 meters per second for those who took Azure Blue, versus 22.7 meters per second for those who took the other potions.”

Yan Ruoxi, a true academic, used the most straightforward data to illustrate the gap.

Chen Meng fell into thought. The differences were significant: a 91-kilogram difference in strength and 2.3 meters per second in speed. In some situations, those gaps could be fatal.

“Is it possible to take all five potions at once?” Chen Meng mused aloud. That way, all five attributes would be maximized.

Yan Ruoxi was taken aback. She realized Chen Meng was truly inexperienced; this was basic knowledge.

“Of course not. The ingredients in the five potions are incompatible. Taking any two together leads to death, let alone all five. Though Divine Body scientists are researching solutions, so far it seems unsolvable. Even in the wilderness, where humans first began cultivating Divine Bodies, after all these years, no one has overcome the issue of potion incompatibility.”

Yan Ruoxi patiently answered him truthfully.

“That’s quite disappointing,” Chen Meng sighed. If such a blessing existed, it would never fall to someone like him.

“But there is another way,” Yan Ruoxi added, noticing his interest. “Although you can’t take all five at once, after digesting one, you can continue with another of the same tier.”

“Really?” Chen Meng’s eyes lit up, but seeing Yan Ruoxi’s expression, he frowned. “Is there a catch?”

“Time,” Yan Ruoxi replied calmly.

“Time?”

“Yes. If you take all five potions, the time needed multiplies by five. If two people start at the same time, and one finishes all five first-tier potions, he’s still just a first-tier Divine Body, albeit with all attributes at the maximum of his tier. Meanwhile, the other person could already have moved on to the second- and third-tier potions, becoming a third-tier Divine Body. At that point, the latter could crush the former with just a flick of a finger. If you were the one left behind, wouldn’t you feel like crying?”

Yan Ruoxi chuckled helplessly as she finished.

Chen Meng nodded. He’d feel worse than just like crying—he’d probably want to die. It was like everyone starting school together, but while others had reached fifth grade, you were still repeating first grade. No matter how well you mastered first-grade material, those in fifth grade could still beat you easily.

Yan Ruoxi looked at Chen Meng, then seemed to recall something. “There is an unconfirmed theory, though. It says the more advancement potions you take, the stronger your foundation becomes. When you reach the pinnacle of Divine Body cultivation, those with stronger foundations are mightier and have greater potential. But since our Divine Body cultivation has been around for only a hundred years, research on ‘foundation’ is still a blank slate.”

“Foundation?”

“Yes. Actually, this idea comes from the wilderness, and there must be some truth to it. For example, I’ve heard that Major General Hong Qing in our country took several more advancement potions than others, and now he’s virtually unmatched among his peers. He also finds it easier to master Divine Body secret arts. Perhaps it’s related.”

Chen Meng fell into deep thought. Once again, his previous assumptions were overturned. It was out of the question to ask Hong Qing himself, but he might be able to consult Hong Qing’s father. Chen Meng decided he needed to ask the old man for advice.

“Senior, which of the five Divine Body advancement potions do you think is the most valuable for advancement?” Chen Meng considered for a moment before asking his final question, which would determine his choice.

“If you’re judging purely by combat ability, the best is Azure Blue. No matter how strong or tough you are, absolute speed leaves you defenseless. But for survival, I think Pale White is best. That potion, which boosts perception, lets you sense danger early. Once you become a Divine Body, fighting is common, but being able to anticipate and avoid danger is just as important,” Yan Ruoxi said with certainty.

She thought for a moment and added, “I’ve already taken the Azure Blue potion and nearly finished digesting it. Next, I’ll take the Pale White potion.”

Chen Meng was stunned—his senior also intended to build that mysterious, perhaps non-existent, powerful foundation.