It's alright, the Black Sword will take action.

Lin Mo left Liu Yishou's alchemy room, feeling somewhat at ease.

Turning around, they arrived at the larger alchemy workshop next door.

The air here is thick with the aroma of herbs.

More than a dozen specially made large pots were bubbling away.

Shi Qin moved among them, her face covered in cigarette ash, yet she was full of energy.

He was directing several alchemy apprentices to control the heat and add ingredients.

When she saw Lin Mo come in, her eyes lit up and she quickly walked over.

"Mr. Lin! You're back!"

Shi Qin's voice was tired, but even more excited.

"Master... oh, it's Master Liu. He improved the formula and process, and we're now mass-producing the base essence of 'Qingyuan Spiritual Liquid'! The efficiency is several times higher than when we were refining the Stone-Clad Herbs!"

"Master?"

Lin Mo caught the nuance of this title.

Shi Qin smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

"Yes! Master Liu said I have some talent and is willing to take me on as a disciple, teaching me more profound alchemical knowledge! Mr. Lin, thank you! If it weren't for these resources and opportunities you brought, I might have spent my whole life..."

Lin Mo waved his hand, interrupting her: "That's your own skill. When will you have a batch of finished medicine at the earliest?"

"We have notified Aotemu to purchase the raw materials. They are on their way and should arrive in 3 days at the earliest. Once the raw materials arrive, we can process enough to make two large barrels of wood."

Shi Qin estimated it and said with certainty.

Lin Mo frowned, dissatisfied with the speed, but there was nothing he could do about it.

"Hurry up. If you need anything, just contact Otmu."

He did not linger; he left the workshop and went straight back to the courtyard where he was temporarily residing in the city lord's mansion.

As soon as I opened the door, a rich and pure aura of life energy rushed towards me.

In the center of the room, the Dark Ink Spider King's egg still lay quietly in the nest made of the essence of various beast kings.

However, compared to three days ago, the purplish-black patterns on the eggshell have begun to slowly flow as if they were alive.

The eggshell itself became increasingly translucent, and a curled-up shadow could be vaguely seen inside.

"what?"

Yin Xue emerged from Lin Mo's collar, his blood-red eyes fixed on the spider eggs.

"This little guy... incredible! It's only been a few days? He's already starting to emanate the life force of a Beast King! Although he's still very immature, his essence has already begun to transform!"

She flew around the spider egg once, carefully sensing its presence.

His tone grew increasingly astonished: "Not even born yet, and already possessing such a terrifying foundation... This can no longer be considered an ordinary descendant of the Dark Ink Spider King. This is a 'Primordial Beast King'! The potential for future growth... is simply immeasurable!"

Yin Xue looked at Lin Mo with a complicated expression: "If you nurture it well, it might... become a regional overlord in the future, and it might even be qualified to compete for the title of 'Demon King'."

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo's gaze also fell on the spider eggs.

He could clearly feel the vitality emanating from the other end of the soul connection and a vague yet intimate sense of dependence.

This was a pleasant surprise.

Just as he was observing the spider eggs, he heard hurried footsteps outside the door.

"Boss! Boss! We've found the essence!"

Otmu, carrying three black wooden boxes about a foot square, tumbled and crawled in.

The wooden man's face was full of excitement.

He carefully placed the three wooden boxes on the table, rubbing his hands together, and said, "As you instructed, the best essence of Mingbei City is all here! They're all from level 50 Beast Kings!"

Lin Mo stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the three wooden boxes.

Each box lid has a short label attached.

He raised an eyebrow slightly: "Just three?"

Given the scale of Mingbei City and the years of operation of Liu Sanguan, he originally thought the quantity could be even greater.

Otem scratched his head and explained, "Boss, the Empire strictly controls essences above level 50! Every single one has to be recorded. Most of them are monopolized by the royal family, high-ranking nobles, the Hero Association, or those top academies. Very few actually reach the market. These three were bought at a high price from a few black market merchants. I heard that the Empire cracks down hard on private transactions of high-level essences; if you're caught, it's a serious crime."

Lin Mo understood.

Indeed, those above level 50, whether human or monster, are not to be underestimated.

After level 50, ordinary players can basically only use essences around level 40, and their attribute growth and the skills they can learn are limited.

In this way, the empire can not only maintain stable rule, but also concentrate resources to cultivate more loyal people.

To be able to get three under these circumstances already shows that Ultraman is quite capable.

He opened the wooden boxes one by one.

Inside the first wooden box was a piece of silver-white metal with a surface covered in fine spiral patterns.

It felt cold and heavy to the touch, with faint sounds of wind and thunder echoing in my ears.

【Tag: Storm Thunder Eagle King Essence lv51】

The second wooden box contained a section of ice crystal spine about the thickness of an arm.

It exuded a bone-chilling cold, and tiny ice crystals condensed in the surrounding air.

【Tag: Polar Ice Python King Essence lv52】

The third wooden box contained the most peculiar items.

It was a mass of reddish-black gelatinous substance that kept wriggling and changing shape.

【Tag: Corrupted Slime King Essence lv54】

Lin Mo's gaze slowly swept across the three wooden boxes.

Yin Xue flew around the three wooden boxes once, her little brows furrowing slightly.

"The Thunder Eagle King is known for its speed, so it will most likely learn a skill that greatly increases speed. The Polar Ice Serpent has the best defense, and as for the Corrupted Slime, that guy has extremely strong vitality and also has an area-of-effect attack skill..."

Originally, after Yin Xue pointed out the characteristics of the Thunder Eagle King, Lin Mo was almost ready to choose that essence.

But Lin Mo hesitated after hearing about the area-of-effect attack skill.

Lin Mo pondered for a moment, his gaze finally settling on the constantly writhing mass of [Corrupted Slime King Essence].

He has no shortage of speed now.

Its defensive capabilities have reached a terrifying level.

The only thing it lacks is an area-of-effect attack capability that can clear out large numbers of mobs.

With the current attribute values, a powerful area-of-effect skill is more valuable than simply enhancing one's personal attributes.

Moreover, even if you're unlucky and don't learn an area-of-effect skill, you can still use the Black Sword to modify the skill.

He was also somewhat curious whether Black Sword would intervene this time.

Having made up his mind, Lin Mo no longer hesitated.

He waved for Ottmu to put away the other two wooden boxes.

He then picked up the wooden box containing the essence of the Slime King and sat down cross-legged in a relatively open area in the center of the room.

The dark red and black gelatinous substance continued to emit a murky aura, causing the surrounding air to distort slightly.

Lin Mo took a deep breath and composed himself.

At this moment, Yin Xue flew in front of him and reminded him: "You are devouring essence across 20 levels. Even I couldn't do it back then. Remember to stop immediately if anything unexpected happens."

Lin Mo nodded slightly as he looked at Yin Xue, who had a serious expression on his face.

Then he placed his hands lightly on top of the essence, and his spiritual power slowly extended out.

Begin to channel the violent and filthy energy within.

The process was more difficult than expected!

This essence contains not only energy, but also a corrupting will so strong that it almost takes physical form!

It is not as sharp as the Wind Wolf King.

It's not as eerie as the Dark Ink Spider King.

Instead, they were like slippery tentacles, eroding his mental energy in the opposite direction, trying to pollute his consciousness and distort his will!

"snort!"

Lin Mo groaned, cold sweat instantly beading on his forehead.

The corrupted slime king's remaining chaotic will is extremely tenacious.

If Lin Mo hadn't possessed a mental strength exceeding ten thousand and an iron will, he probably would have already been influenced by it.

Time passed little by little.

Lin Mo's body trembled slightly.

Occasionally, strange dark red lines appear and disappear under the skin.

As time went by, he gradually suppressed his chaotic will.

Three skills slowly appeared before my eyes.

[Strong acid spray], [Phase-healing], [Division and proliferation]

Lin Mo frowned slightly, somewhat disappointed. None of these three skills were the wide-range attack skills he wanted.

Just as he was thinking this...

hum!

The black sword that had been hanging quietly at his waist suddenly emitted a deep and excited tremor!

The deep lines on the sword seemed to come alive.

Immediately afterwards, a familiar sensation rushed along Lin Mo's arm and straight into his mind!

Black Sword's skills need to be modified again!