Chapter 965: Feel the Pain (Request Monthly Votes)

Then he opened another silver metal box, which contained the same type of potion—hundreds of bottles of Dream Potion.

Inside was a pink liquid.

He put all other items into the Source Core World, leaving only one bottle behind.

But this potion wasn’t meant to be drunk—it was meant to be inhaled.

He uncorked the bottle, and an unusual fragrance instantly spread out.

“Huh~”

Lin Qi absorbed the strange scent through his nose and mouth.

“Huh huh~”

Amid a gentle breeze, the fragrance entered his body and surged into his brain.

Lin Qi felt his vision blur, and the surroundings began to shift.

In an instant, intense pain surged through his heart.

“Sss~”

This pain felt unbearably familiar—every part of his body began to tear apart, muscles, tendons, bones, and internal organs all crushed into fragments.

Then reshaped anew.

This was the agony he endured during his awakening and transformation.

One effect of the Dream Potion was to awaken the most painful memory of the absorber.

Usually, it was physical pain.

But if the pain wasn’t enough, it would fabricate more—like amplifying ordinary bodily pain countless times.

But Lin Qi’s past suffering didn’t need amplification.

He had endured it once and never wanted to relive it.

Yet now he had to relive it again.

“Huh huh~”

Lin Qi’s body began to shake violently—the sensation of being utterly shattered and remade from within was excruciating.

Pain devoured his reason.

Even the countless shocks he’d endured in the Bridge of Dreams couldn’t compare.

Reliving it, Lin Qi felt the same searing agony.

At the same time, he absorbed more fragrance, and the liquid in the bottle rapidly diminished.

The Spirit-Defending Elixir he’d taken earlier also activated, guarding his consciousness.

Allowing Lin Qi to maintain clarity throughout.

Any other genius would have collapsed at the start.

After an hour

“Huh~”

Lin Qi opened his eyes and exhaled a foul breath, his expression weary, his spirit drained.

But the Spirit-Defending Elixir was still working—not only protecting his mind but also restoring his consumed mental energy.

After a moment, its effect faded, and he recovered.

He looked again at the Dream Potion—the liquid inside had completely evaporated, fully absorbed.

“Huh~”

Lin Qi exhaled slowly.

That hour had been truly torturous.

But having endured it, he felt his willpower had slightly strengthened.

His tolerance for pain had also improved a little.

This proved the Dream Potion was effective.

He could continue using it.

After resting briefly, he took another bottle of Spirit-Defending Elixir, then opened another Dream Potion.

“Inhale~ Exhale~”

Soon, the familiar pain resurfaced.

Lin Qi faced another long ordeal of agony.

Though agonizing, he forced himself to endure it—for the sake of strengthening his willpower.

Sustained pain, without iron will, could not be endured.

After all, as one’s realm advanced, physical attributes surged—muscle strength, defense, and recovery all improved dramatically.

Physical pain became nearly nonexistent.

Recreating the suffering of ordinary people plagued by illness was not easy.

Yet many geniuses had risen from the bottom.

Some geniuses’ willpower corroded over time.

Others grew stronger with time.

Lin Qi was one of the latter.

The unending pain made him want to give up.

With his strength, he could quit anytime.

But then a Dream Potion worth five million cultivation points would be wasted.

So to avoid waste, he had no choice but to bear it.

Yet a single bottle of Dream Potion lasted too short a time.

So he opened several bottles at once, absorbing more fragrance to prolong the effect.

But to train his will, he still had to endure it.

The longer it lasted, the more violently his body trembled.

【You absorbed the Dream Potion, endured endless agony in the illusion, and held on—your willpower has been tempered!】

……

The interface also displayed a message confirming his willpower had indeed improved.

This validated his perseverance.

One week later

“Huh~”

Dressed in a black robe, Lin Qi’s trembling ceased. He opened his eyes, his gaze filled with unimaginable exhaustion.

He looked at the silver metal box before him—fifty bottles of Dream Potion had been used.

At first, he’d pushed too hard; though his willpower had been tempered, the pain was unbearable.

He could barely hold on—he needed proper rest.

He chose to return to his villa to recuperate.

……

One month later.

“Chiiii!”

On the training ground, Lin Qi, clad in a black long robe, swung his all-black Jin Ting Spear, executing spear techniques.

The fierce energy circled his body as his spiritual perception radiated outward.

“As my willpower improved, my control over spiritual energy also rose—even becoming more resilient.”

“This is an unexpected bonus.”

Lin Qi mused to himself.

He could feel his willpower had strengthened, his spiritual control had reached a new level, his perception had become sharper, even transformed.

This was an indirect boost to his combat power.

For the past month, he had been relaxing.

He read books, practiced spear techniques, watched TV and movies from Blue Star, and even played virtual games.

Honestly, the virtual games were well-made.

If not for his strong will, he might have become addicted.

This was what Master Lei Zun had taught him.

After using these potions, mental anguish hindered further cultivation—you must learn to relax.

Tension and release, balance work and rest.

Only then could willpower improve steadily.

He felt his mood had greatly improved after a month of rest.

Other geniuses might rest even longer.

After a period of tempering, they needed extended breaks—sometimes to contemplate the Laws.

Because compared to strengthening willpower, they preferred to comprehend the power of the Laws.

Thus, most took vast amounts of time to pass the Bridge of Dreams.

An average of two thousand years to pass meant some legendary geniuses took far longer.

“Boom!!”

Lin Qi suddenly thrust forward the great spear in his hand, and the space exploded, revealing numerous black spatial fissures.

Lin Qi felt the power within.

He sheathed the great spear and sat down again.

He took out two metal boxes from the Source Core World and opened them: one contained Spirit-Protecting Elixir, the other Nightmare Crystals.