Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

However, after the initial surprise came a deeper sense of unease. Such extraordinary power could not have been without cause; could it have been without effect?

Every successful fabrication triggers a surge of fortune and inevitably involves deeper layers of cause and effect.

The revival of the "Golden Elixir Formula" has triggered the fortune of alchemy. What if it were to revive an earth-shattering offensive technique or the method for refining a heaven-defying magic weapon?

What kind of karmic backlash will this bring?

Will it trigger some unspeakable force in the dark?

Furthermore, what if the "fabricated" content is not based on "fragments of truth," but is purely "falsehood" that goes against the natural order? Will it result in a backlash, or trigger an unpredictable calamity?

The greater the power, the greater the unknown and the greater the risk. Shen Mo never believed in free lunches. Behind this seemingly smooth path, there must lie profound darkness and unimaginable dangers.

"We must be cautious...we must verify it." He suppressed the turmoil in his mind. The most urgent task was to further confirm the patterns and boundaries of this ability.

"Junior Sister Xiao," he called softly.

The shadows rippled like water, and Su Xiao's figure quietly appeared, still dressed in black, his aura as cold as ever: "Sect Leader."

"How's the progress at the Pill Hall? Any unusual activity?" Shen Mo asked, but his gaze wasn't directed at her; instead, it remained fixed on the direction of the Scripture Pavilion.

"Reporting to Senior Brother Sect Leader, Junior Sister Xiaocao is leading the research group and making rapid progress. They have completed the preliminary theoretical derivation of the simplified version of the 'Golden Condensation Pill'—'Minor Golden Condensation Powder'—and are preparing for the first physical trial."

"The main ingredients used are replaced with 'Jade Marrow Lingzhi', 'Star Pattern Grass Mutant', and 'Earth Fire Essence' to replace the original main ingredients, supplemented with thirty-six kinds of mid-grade spiritual herbs, and the improved 'Micro Dust Star Guiding Array' to enhance the medicinal properties."

"According to Junior Sister Xiaocao's estimate, although this powder is far inferior to the original pill, if successful, it can increase the chance of a Foundation Establishment cultivator condensing a lower grade three golden core by 15%, and the chance of condensing a middle grade three golden core by 50%."

Su Xiao spoke steadily, reporting the intelligence monitored by the Shadow Guards: "The morale of everyone in the Pill Hall is high due to their participation in this research, and three Pill Masters have recently broken through their bottlenecks."

"Furthermore, regarding the origin of the elixir formula, the theories of 'the legacy of the patriarch' and 'the sect leader's deduction and completion' have been deeply ingrained in the core of the Pill Hall, and no one questions them."

Shen Mo nodded slightly. The effect was even better than he had expected.

This not only proves that "fabrication" can attract good fortune and promote inheritance, but its "products" (even simplified versions) also have real and considerable value.

This undoubtedly increased his confidence in the ability to "recover".

"How is the outside world reacting?" Shen Mo then asked.

"The activities of the Blazing Sun Sect and the Heavenly Sword Sect intensified, with them gathering information on details of pill formulas and the 'Falling Star Sea' secret realm. The Profound Yin Sect has been in frequent contact with the two sects, seemingly plotting something."

"Chen Hao of Baibaoge has secretly raised the prices of a batch of obscure medicinal materials with similar names or effects to the main ingredient of 'Ningjin Dan' and has begun to acquire related ancient books and fragments of pill formulas, seemingly to profit from them, or... to find clues."

Su Xiao paused for a moment, then added, "Furthermore, Fairy Ling Shuang of Xuanbing Pavilion visited Elder Han privately three days ago, seemingly showing interest in the 'Golden Condensation Pill,' but her attitude was rather reserved, and she did not overstep any boundaries."

Elder Han used the excuse that "the sect leader is in seclusion and has not yet reached a conclusion" to temporarily quell the situation.

A cold smile curved Shen Mo's lips. The fish was indeed biting the hook, and even more eagerly than expected.

The appearance of the Golden Elixir formula was like a boulder thrown into a murky pond, startling not only the fish and shrimp at the bottom of the water, but also the jackals on the shore who stretched their necks.

"Keep a close eye on them, especially the collusion between the Xuan Yin Sect and the Lie Yang and Tian Jian Sects. We must not let them succeed in the blood sacrifice."

Shen Mo instructed, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, "Furthermore, leak the vague clues we 'accidentally' obtained about the possible connection between the 'ancient altar' in the Northern Desert and the Xuan Yin Sect to neutral sects like the Hundred Herbs Sect and the Green Wood Temple, which are on good terms with us but deeply resent the Xuan Yin Sect, through secret channels."

"Remember, make it look like they found it themselves."

"Yes." Su Xiao accepted the order, her figure swaying slightly as she prepared to blend into the shadows.

"Wait a minute." Shen Mo called out to her, pondered for a moment, and said, "Junior Sister Xiao, secretly consult all the books in the Scripture Pavilion that are marked as 'Ancient Anecdotes,' 'Myths and Legends,' 'Sect History,' or 'Unknown Master's Notes,' especially those that are incomplete, vague, or seem absurd."

"Make a separate copy and send it to me secretly. Do not alert anyone, including Elder Han."

A very subtle hint of surprise flashed in Su Xiao's cold eyes, but she didn't ask any questions. She simply bowed and said, "Your subordinate understands."

The figure vanished into the air like ink in a painting.

Shen Mo sat alone, his knuckles unconsciously tapping lightly on his knees. He needed to verify, to verify even more.

Does this "revival" power only work on content related to "alchemy" and "inheritance"? Does the pattern of its "manifestation" depend on the number and degree of "belief"?

Does verifying the "fabricated" content require some potential causal connection with the history of Qingyun Sect or with the author himself?

The neglected scrolls and absurd legends in the library served as the best "experimental materials".

He would select some seemingly worthless fragments that left room for "imagination" or "completion," attempt to "fabricate" them, and then observe whether they would trigger similar changes in fortune or produce some kind of "echo" in reality.

This time, he needs to be more proactive and more cautious.

Several days later, on the top floor of the Sutra Repository, in the Forbidden Books Library.

What's stored here isn't forbidden martial arts techniques, but rather "miscellaneous books" that have been shelved due to their antiquity, bizarre content, and difficulty in distinguishing their authenticity.

It is rarely visited by people on weekdays, and dust accumulates there.

Shen Mo waved his sleeve to brush away the accumulated dust on a long sandalwood table. Dozens of jade slips, seven or eight ancient animal hide scrolls, and some broken bamboo slips and bone fragments that Su Xiao had quietly brought were neatly stacked on the table.

These were all "materials" that she had secretly selected over the past few days, materials that met Shen Mo's requirements.

Shen Mo casually picked up a jade slip and immersed his consciousness into it.

It contains a legendary tale about "Master Liuyun," which says that when the master was young, he encountered a "mermaid woman" on the shore of the East Sea and was given a piece of "mermaid silk" by her. This silk was impervious to swords and spears, and could not be damaged by water or fire. It was later destroyed in a great battle.

The account is vague and incomplete, more like a folk tale from the streets.

He picked up another roll of animal skin, on which was written a fragmented ballad in an ancient, almost pictorial script. The gist of the ballad was a praise of a "Venerable Wood Virtue" who "commanded all beasts and danced with the mountain spirits," who once protected the creatures of the region, but whose whereabouts were later unknown.

The image is accompanied by a simple drawing, resembling a human but not quite, with vines wrapped around it and living alongside wild animals.

There is also a bone fragment engraved with several twisted runes, with annotations by later generations. It is suspected to be a fragment of some lost ancient contract for "beast taming" or "spirit communication," but no one can decipher it.

Shen Mo browsed through them one by one, but his mind was immersed in the faint connection with the Myriad Laws Source Pearl, trying to capture that trace of "inspiration" or "resonance".

Most of the records have disappeared without a trace, like stones sinking into the sea.