Chapter 3: Body-Strengthening Elixir

In the blink of an eye, he was back in a derelict steel slum, having returned by the floating cable car. Chu Yun entered a shabby house, changed into the uniform of the garbage station's substation, and left home once more, taking the shuttle subway to the garbage station.

In his previous life, Chu Yun had worked part-time at the garbage station, where he stumbled upon a ring that housed the soul of Ye Xinghe. After putting on the ring, Ye Xinghe was unexpectedly reborn. Initially, Ye Xinghe had intended to quit this job, but on second thought, he realized that the physical constitution of Earthlings, as a first-level civilization, was utterly lacking—so much so that he simply could not practice the “Proud Heaven Technique” he had cultivated in the past. After all, Ye Xinghe hailed from a fifth-level civilized planet, and there was simply no comparison.

To cultivate the Proud Heaven Technique, one needed at least the foundation of a fifth-rank warrior’s strength; otherwise, Chu Yun’s body would be unable to withstand it. Moreover, resources were severely lacking here—many advanced technologies and martial arts knowledge from higher civilizations would never be disseminated to this forsaken place. Even though the planet’s factions appeared formidable, in Ye Xinghe’s eyes, they weren’t even qualified to survive on a fifth-level civilization planet. Simply put, it was like a flock of weaklings pecking at each other.

Judging by this planet’s civilization and its martial artists, the highest level was peak warrior, with perhaps a few individuals possessing lord-level strength.

As someone with past experience, Chu Yun understood the grading of martial prowess.

The basic martial artists were of the warrior class, divided into nine ranks.

Then came the fighter class, also with nine ranks.

Only after that was the lord class.

Of course, lord-level strength here did not mean that all city lords or territorial lords on Hope Continent would possess such power.

Even if there were lords on this planet, there would not be many, and they would be as rare as phoenix feathers.

Given Chu Yun’s current circumstances, reaching fifth-rank warrior strength in this lifetime was likely impossible. Even though Ye Xinghe was once a king, the dire conditions here severely limited any chance for a swift rise—lacking resources and opportunities at every turn.

At present, the garbage station was his only lifeline.

The transfer station received refuse from the entire Universal Alliance—garbage from across the cosmos was dumped here. Ye Xinghe believed that perhaps he could find discarded relics and scraps of high civilization among the refuse. The locals lacked both the technical skill and discerning eye to recognize treasure, but Ye Xinghe was different; what was useless to others might be invaluable to him.

No sooner had he clocked in and taken the garbage bulldozer into the landfill, than his smart wristwatch vibrated.

Chu Yun activated the watch and, with a twist of his finger in the air, a virtual projection appeared before him.

It was Mo Yu. Seeing that Chu Yun had answered the video call, Mo Yu waved a vial in his hand: “Guess what I’ve got here?”

“Body-Tempering Elixir?” Chu Yun replied. “Where did you get that?”

“During last year’s assessment, my family wanted to make sure I’d pass, so they bought me a bottle. But I passed without needing it. I only just managed to sneak it out of the house. You need every bit of improvement you can get. You already repeated a year once. If you have to repeat again, people will laugh themselves to death.”

Chu Yun forced a wry smile—he’d already been laughed to death.

His very presence had lowered the bar for Watcher Martial Academy in Sentinel City. Those students who had tried everything and still failed to gain entry were all curious if Chu Yun was secretly the dean’s son.

Body-Tempering Elixir was expensive here, considered a high-end commodity on this planet. Only high-level apothecaries could craft it. Ordinary apothecaries were akin to attending physicians at hospitals; intermediate apothecaries had mastered genetic medicines; only the advanced ones had the skill to make elixirs that could enhance a martial artist’s abilities. On this planet, high-level apothecaries were exceedingly rare, only a handful existed, each highly respected by all factions, and every year the major powers would commission batches of Body-Tempering Elixir to boost their young members’ strength.

Ye Xinghe found the only comforting thing about Chu Yun’s life was having a loyal friend like Mo Yu—a brother he could truly count on.

“It’s alright, Old Mo, don’t worry about me. You should use that elixir yourself. This year, I’m definitely making it into the Elite Class. Just wait and see,” Chu Yun said.

“Stop being so stubborn. Where are you? I’ll bring it over. This stuff sells for a fortune on the market—50,000 gold coins a bottle!”

Chu Yun’s salary at the garbage station was only 200 gold coins a month; 50,000 would take him twenty-five years of work without spending a penny. That was why, even before his death, Chu Yun had never stood a chance of reaching fifth-rank warrior strength—his circumstances and family background simply didn’t allow it.

“I really don’t need it, Old Mo. Take it back. If your father finds out you stole it, he’ll probably skin you alive. I’ve got to start work—let’s talk later.” And with that, Chu Yun hung up the virtual call.

Afterwards, he picked up the garbage inventory forms, glanced over the items on the list, and grinned.

“Low-grade Body-Tempering Elixirs—trash that’s been phased out by fifth-level civilizations, yet you treasure it as if it were gold.” He snorted in disdain.

Body-Tempering Elixirs were products of second-level civilization planets, used to boost martial prowess. By the third-level civilizations, as apothecaries advanced to alchemists, these elixirs were eliminated in favor of refining pills in alchemical furnaces, making the medicine purer and more potent. By the fourth and fifth levels, these elixirs were all but obsolete.

For Earthlings, and other exiled races from second-level civilizations, these elixirs were still suitable for improving their bodies and strength. If not for his limited physique, Chu Yun would have loved to refine pills to enhance himself, but he feared his low-civilization body could not withstand the gifts such medicine would bring.

Even so, there were different grades of Body-Tempering Elixir.

The one in Mo Yu’s possession was low-grade, typically a novice’s trial product—a bit crude. As apothecaries honed their skill, the elixirs became more refined and potent.

Standard elixirs on the market were graded as Class B, with a 30% medicinal purity—suitable for martial artists up to fifth-rank.

Those above fifth-rank generally used intermediate-grade elixirs, with a purity of 55%, classified as Class A, and beneficial even up to ninth-rank fighters.

But intermediate-grade elixirs were difficult to acquire; for an apothecary, refining to 55% purity was no easy feat, let alone the 75% purity of high-grade elixirs. Many city lords and heads of powerful clans coveted intermediate elixirs, while high-grade ones were only occasionally released to low-level planets through auction platforms when higher civilizations had surpluses and needed funds.

In saturated high civilizations, prices were low, but on these lower planets, the price soared. The annual quota for high-grade elixirs sold on Earth was strictly limited; planetary trade officials would not allow offworld merchants to exploit the market, so distribution was typically assigned to a designated merchant with a set annual supply—once used, a bottle was gone for good.