Interstellar Farming: I Make Potions and Climb to the Top

Ning Xuan sat on a meditation cushion, her eyes gently closed and her hands resting naturally on her knees. The soft light pouring over her gilded her with a faint halo, as invisible energy radiated outward from her.

Ning Xuan was cultivating; her spiritual power and Bloodline Energy naturally overflowed. As the four Half-beastmen sensed her spiritual power, their perpetually stinging Spiritual Seas found a rare moment of tranquility, and the restless Bloodline Energy within them gradually calmed. Nine-tailed, Lan Xin, and Di Youlin were already accustomed to this. For Qinghe, however, it was the first time he had so intensely felt the changes Ning Xuan’s spiritual power brought to his body.

As flawed products of genetic fusion, Half-beastmen endured the agony of conflicting bloodlines from the moment they were born. In their youth, they were prone to manic, irritable rages and displayed extreme destructiveness. As they aged, they gradually adapted to the pain caused by this internal conflict.

Unfortunately, this adaptation couldn’t eliminate the crisis latent in their genes. Instead, it would erupt after they turned eighteen, like a ticking time bomb that could cause their spiritual power to collapse at any moment, reducing them completely to beasts.

Qinghe felt a wave of dizziness—not from pain, but from a peculiar sense of comfort. The spiritual power radiating from Ning Xuan was like a gentle current, seeping into his Spiritual Sea and soothing the churning waves within. The Red Dragon bloodline still flowed through his veins, but it was no longer rampaging wildly. It grew peaceful and calm. Even the near-constant, tearing pain in his bones and muscles began to subside, bit by bit.

Qinghe undid his bracers and found that his crimson Dragon Scales—usually hard and agonizing, like thorns embedded in his flesh—had become exceptionally soft. They now clung to him like a second skin, gone was the sharp, alien sensation.

It wasn’t just the Dragon Scales on his wrists—the ones across his arms, limbs, chest, and abdomen had all softened. His body, which had felt as if it were pierced by countless steel needles, was suddenly free. It was as if all the needles had been plucked out at once, leaving him feeling incredibly light.

Half-beastmen have to endure the pain of their conflicting bloodlines from birth, and the more powerful their Exotic Beast bloodline, the more intense the suffering. For Half-beastmen with powerful Bloodline Talents like Qinghe and Di Youlin, the pain they bore was unimaginable to an ordinary person.

The Qinghe Family was powerful. Although they had sent him to be raised collectively in a Half-Beastman Tribe since he was a child, they had been silently monitoring his growth from behind the scenes. Thus, as soon as he turned eighteen, through his family’s machinations, he was assigned a master to follow. This former master was a young S-Class Controller from a prestigious family. His youth implied great potential, and the family hoped that with the Controller’s help, Qinghe could survive the long and dangerous bloodline fusion period and find a new life.

Unfortunately, Qinghe’s Bloodline Talent was too powerful; simply staying by the Controller’s side was not enough to effectively soothe his restless spiritual power. Though the young S-Class Controller coveted Qinghe’s beauty, the moment Qinghe removed his clothes and revealed the sharp, crimson scales beneath, the Controller’s expression turned to one of disgust and revulsion. What followed was endless abuse, until Qinghe finally lost control and killed him.

Qinghe stared blankly at the receding Dragon Scales, touching the smooth, delicate skin of his wrist. The scales hadn’t vanished. Instead, they had retracted beneath his skin, resembling tattoos. They no longer looked ferocious and terrifying; on the contrary, they looked like flower petals. And this change was all because of Ning Xuan.

’Ning Xuan’s Spiritual Power Level isn’t even that high,’ he thought. ’So why can she make my scales recede without even touching me?’

Qinghe looked at Ning Xuan, and a tight, aching sensation flooded his long-numb heart. He couldn’t name the feeling, but it made him feel that perhaps there was some hope in life after all.

Ning Xuan’s Cultivation session lasted for three hours. Yun Han and the others, having finished their dull welcome banquet, returned one by one. Seeing that Ning Xuan was cultivating, they each went to their own rooms.

After concluding her Cultivation, Ning Xuan called Yun Han, Lin Mo, and Chen Nan inside. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Can you summon your Companion Spirits?" Ning Xuan asked.

Chen Nan circulated his energy. A large, golden bird with green eyes emerged from his body and perched on his shoulder. Little Jin gazed at Ning Xuan with a mixture of fear and longing. When it saw Ning Xuan extend a hand, it cheerfully hopped onto it.

Bloodline Energy circulated within Lin Mo, and with a flash of dazzling white light, a massive white tiger appeared behind him.

The White Tiger’s body was pure snow-white, save for a single blue marking on its forehead that glowed brilliantly. It stood majestically beside Lin Mo, head held high, its golden eyes glinting with an intimidating light. The White Tiger let out a low, powerful roar that made the objects in the room tremble slightly.

Yun Han’s brow furrowed. After a moment, he shook his head. "Contractor, I can sense Little White, but I can’t summon it."

Yun Han could clearly feel Little White’s presence; it coursed through his bloodline like a ball of white light. He could summon his Bloodline Energy and even use Talent Skills like Annihilating White Light, but he simply couldn’t summon the creature itself.

"Have Di Youlin come in," Ning Xuan instructed Chen Nan.

Di Youlin entered moments later. "Master, what are your orders?"

"What percentage of your full strength can you use?" Ning Xuan asked.

Di Youlin’s expression changed. "My spirit body is being suppressed. I can only use about seventy percent," he answered honestly. Di Youlin’s Bloodline Talent was on par with Yun Han’s; it was just that for Half-beastmen, the Mutant Beast Gene manifested in their physical bodies, and they did not possess Half-Life Spirits.

Based on the feedback from Yun Han and the others, Ning Xuan reached a preliminary conclusion: due to the rules of the New Star Body, the spiritual power of any Spirit Controller with a Spiritual Power Level above S-Class was restricted. Even though Yun Han and Lin Mo had SS-level spiritual power, and Di Youlin and Qinghe had SSS-level spiritual power, they could only exert the strength of an S-Class.

In addition to spiritual power, Companion Spirits were also restricted. Ning Xuan’s Fire Spirit Vermilion Bird, a Legendary Level Companion Spirit, was suppressed by the rules and couldn’t fully materialize, but she could still use its Vermilion Bird Fire. Yun Han’s White Tiger, a Mythical Level Companion Spirit, was also suppressed by the rules and couldn’t be summoned, though he could still use its Talent Skills.

Companion Spirits below Mythical Level were not significantly affected.

’Although our abilities are partially restricted,’ she concluded, ’the team’s overall strength is still formidable.’

After analyzing the officially released information, Ning Xuan quickly formulated a preliminary plan. "Since we’ve confirmed our coordinates, of the mission objectives, we’re closest to the Red Sand Sea. Furthermore, the route in that direction passes through two large safe zones, as well as several areas that might contain a spiral nebula. We’ll rest here for two days. The day after tomorrow, we set out for the Red Sand Sea."