Chapter Twenty-Three: Test Subject Rabbits

Chapter Twenty-Three: Test Subject Rabbits

Perhaps it was the blessing of the goddess of luck. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Eli Mason.

He sprinted towards the discarded pouch, covering the distance in a few quick strides. Bending down, he picked up the pouch and quickly opened it, pulling out the amulet his parents had given him.

The moment his palm touched the amulet, a calming sensation washed over him. The restlessness and discomfort vanished instantly, and all the abnormal phenomena in his body disappeared as if they had never existed. Everything seemed to return to normal.

Now, Eli didn't care about the changes happening to him. He held the amulet gently in one hand, bringing it close to his eyes. With the other hand, he slowly and gently rubbed it, focusing all his attention on it.

After a long while, Eli sighed, stopped rubbing the amulet, and shifted his gaze away from it.

Eli didn't know that the danger he narrowly escaped wasn't "deviation" but "inner demons" invading his mind. If he hadn't acted quickly and used the amulet to drive away the inner demons, he would have soon fallen into a hallucination, controlled by the demons, and died in a frenzy. He only learned this much later, when he embarked on the path of cultivation.

Inspecting his body's condition, Eli found everything to be in order. To his delight, his cultivation had even increased significantly. Although he hadn't broken through to the fourth level, he had reached the peak of the third level, just a step away from the next breakthrough.

The unexpected surprise brought a smile to Eli's face, but he quickly suppressed his excitement. He feared another emotional disturbance could lead to a real deviation, and he wasn't confident he could escape unscathed a second time. He carefully placed the amulet back into the pouch, intending to store it safely.

"Hmm?" Eli noticed an item he had long forgotten about—a small, mysterious vial.

He had completely forgotten about this vial. If not for seeing it now, it would have remained in oblivion.

Compared to four years ago, Eli's knowledge and insight had improved tremendously. Through extensive reading of Doctor Mo's collection of books, he had gained much wisdom, and his intelligence had grown due to his cultivation. He could now easily tell that this small vial was an extraordinary artifact with unique properties.

His task now was to uncover the vial's true value and see if it could benefit him. Leaving it unused would be a waste of its mysterious potential.

Eli took out the vial but didn't open it immediately. He re-examined it with his four years of gained insight, looking for anything he might have previously overlooked.

Unfortunately, after several thorough inspections, he found nothing new.

Deciding not to waste more time, Eli carefully opened the vial. The tiny drop of green liquid remained at the bottom, unchanged from four years ago.

Eli knew the vial's secrets likely lay in this drop of green liquid. To discover its properties, he needed to conduct some live experiments on small animals.

It was nighttime, and going out to find animals was inconvenient. After the afternoon and early night's events, Eli felt exhausted. Besides, performing experiments under dim light would be futile if he couldn't observe the changes clearly.

After considering his options, Eli decided to get a good night's rest. With his energy restored, he could conduct the experiments the next day. He hoped that the morning would bring a significant discovery.

The next morning, Eli washed up and went to the large kitchen outside the valley for breakfast. When Doctor Mo was on the mountain, meals were delivered to the Mystic Gate, and Eli enjoyed this privilege. Now, with Doctor Mo away, the kitchen staff no longer brought food, making Eli feel the sting of their opportunism and appreciate the power of authority.

After breakfast, Eli didn't leave immediately. Instead, he found the kitchen manager and used some small silver coins to acquire two lively gray-haired rabbits, which he brought back to the Mystic Gate.

Back at the valley, Eli tied the rabbits in a sunny spot in the herb garden, letting them bask in the sun.

Once the rabbits were exhausted and parched from the heat, Eli found a large white porcelain bowl. He carefully poured the green liquid from the vial into the bowl and added some clean water.

The tiny drop of green liquid easily dissolved in the water, turning the entire bowl a bright green. The sight of the vibrant green water brought a deep sense of coolness to Eli's heart.

Holding the bowl of diluted liquid, Eli approached the thirsty rabbits and placed the bowl nearby.

The sun-baked rabbits eagerly crowded around the bowl, drinking the water in large gulps. Eli didn't want them to drink too much at once, so he took the bowl away after they had consumed half of it.

He stood aside, holding the bowl, patiently waiting for the rabbits to show any interesting reactions.

It didn't take long—within the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn—the rabbits started to jump around restlessly. Their movements became increasingly agitated and violent. Then, astonishingly, their bodies began to develop egg-sized lumps under their fur, which multiplied rapidly, covering their entire bodies. Soon, these lumps merged, making the rabbits look as if they had inexplicably doubled in size. Compared to their small heads, their bloated bodies looked quite comical.

The rabbits' swollen bodies only lasted a short while before they began to inflate even more, like balloons being pumped full of air. The inflation accelerated over time, turning the rabbits into two enormous spheres, like giant watermelons, ready to burst.

Watching the rabbits' grotesque transformation, Eli was taken aback.

Everything happening was beyond his expectations. He had imagined the unknown liquid to be either a deadly poison or a powerful elixir, but never had he anticipated such a horrifying sight. The rabbits' bodies swelled as if someone was inflating them, creating a scene both terrifying and surreal.

Eli knew he had stumbled upon something extraordinary. The green liquid's effects were beyond anything he had ever seen. He realized that further exploration and understanding of this liquid could hold incredible potential, possibly even altering the course of his cultivation journey.

With a renewed sense of purpose, Eli carefully stored the remaining liquid and decided to continue his experiments. The secrets of the green liquid beckoned, and Eli was determined to uncover them, no matter what it took.