Chapter 72: Ascending to Divine Physique Life

About two minutes later, a small window the size of a palm opened in the door of the pharmaceutical storage room. The staff handed out a dose of medicine stored in a thermal container, along with a sheet of paper. The paper detailed information about the contents of the vial, and when Chen Meng glanced at it, he saw that this batch of medicine had been produced in January of last year—it was already more than a year old. There were also a dozen or so precautions regarding the use of the medicine.

“Let’s go, I’ll take you to the Ascension Room,” Han Hao said.

He led Chen Meng directly to the third floor and found a room of about twenty square meters among a row of nearly identical doors. Inside the room were various medical devices: a defibrillator, a simple respirator, a negative pressure suction device, and others.

“These are just in case something goes wrong during your ascension process, so we can resuscitate you at once. Of course, the odds are low—if the medicine checks out, there’s usually no problem. Honestly, these devices have only been used once or twice,” Han Hao remarked casually.

“Once or twice?” Chen Meng was speechless.

“There’s no such thing as absolute certainty. Just because the medicine passes inspection doesn’t mean there won’t be any problems. As for these divine bodies, humanity is still at the starting line—we haven’t fully unraveled their mysteries yet,” Han Hao said calmly. “But don’t worry, it won’t cost you your life. There are doctors on standby. If anything happens, they’ll be here immediately.”

“I’d rather nothing happens. I really don’t want any issues,” Chen Meng said urgently.

Han Hao smiled, set the medicine aside, and continued, “I know you’re nervous, but if you want to ascend to a divine body, you have to relax. Scientific studies show that the more relaxed your body and the purer your mind, the smoother the ascension.”

“Let’s skip the ‘scientific studies’ for now. Just tell me how to ascend,” Chen Meng replied, exasperated.

“Alright, but there are still some things you need to know.” Han Hao paused. “First, about this vial: as you saw from the information, this Pale Elixir was produced by Xuanwu Pharmaceuticals, January nineteenth of last year. Its shelf life is ten years below zero Celsius or three years at room temperature. Our Law Enforcement Bureau stores it under proper conditions, so this vial is up to standard.”

“Next, the instructions. Taking a first-tier divine body ascension elixir will alter your physical functions, transforming your body from ordinary to divine. This can cause discomfort—fever, for example. Your temperature might spike above forty degrees Celsius. You might also have a rapid heartbeat, dizziness, nausea, even lose consciousness. All of this is normal. The entire process varies: some complete it in two to three hours, others may take five to six. After ascension, don’t leave right away—observe yourself for at least four hours to ensure there are no lingering symptoms. Only then can you truly consider the ascension a success.”

“Finally, after the ascension, your body’s abilities will be tested. Generally, becoming a divine body enhances all your attributes, and the extent of this improvement shows how much of the elixir you’ve absorbed. Usually, if you absorb a lot at the start, you’ll continue to absorb quickly in the future as well.” Han Hao purposely paused here. “But that’s not set in stone—there are ways to accelerate absorption later on.”

“Accelerate absorption?” Chen Meng frowned.

“Have you ever heard of the ‘use it or lose it’ principle? The more you push your body and approach its limits, the faster you’ll absorb the medicine,” Han Hao explained. “That’s it for now. After your ascension, I’ll give you a detailed handbook you can read at your leisure.”

“Alright,” Chen Meng nodded. “So can I take the medicine now?”

Han Hao glanced at his watch. “It’s ten forty-five in the morning. If your ascension goes smoothly, you should be done by around two this afternoon, and you’ll truly become a divine body.”

With that, he picked up the Pale Elixir and unwrapped it. Inside was a vial similar to the Azure Elixir Chen Meng had seen before.

“Swallow the whole vial at once,” Han Hao instructed. “It looks like glass, but it’s actually a special material humans can digest. When an ordinary person takes the ascension elixir, it’s best to swallow the vial whole. As it dissolves slowly in your stomach, the elixir will gradually seep out, preventing it from flooding your system all at once and lessening the pain of ascension.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Meng couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath—so there was such a trick to it.

“If you’re ready, go ahead,” Han Hao said.

“Alright.”

It was just over ten milliliters—hardly more than a mouthful for him. He picked up the vial, tilted back his head, and swallowed it whole, bottle and all, letting it slide down his throat into his stomach.

“Why isn’t anything happening?” Chen Meng asked, puzzled, a minute later.

Han Hao smiled, “You have to wait for the vial to be dissolved by stomach acid. That usually takes five to ten minutes.”

Hearing this, Chen Meng felt at a loss—all that anxiety, and he still had to wait a few more minutes for things to start.

“I’ll be right outside. If anything with your vital signs goes off, I’ll come in immediately,” Han Hao said, then left the room.

Left alone, Chen Meng felt awkward. Outside the room, Han Hao saw Liu Xue, who had come over in her wheelchair.

“Since when have you cared so much about someone else’s ascension to a divine body, Captain?” she teased.

“No choice. A friend asked me to look out for him,” Han Hao said with a helpless shrug. “What brings you here?”

Liu Xue hesitated before saying, “Captain, you probably haven’t seen it yet, but the bureau just sent an internal notice. You’ve been transferred to the Eastern District as Deputy Chief of Law Enforcement. The previous Chief was killed in the line of duty, so the position’s still vacant. You’re acting Chief for now—congratulations.”

Han Hao was taken aback, clearly surprised.

Liu Xue continued, “The Director is giving you a chance. If you do well in the Eastern District, you’ll likely get the opportunity to ascend to fourth-tier divine body, and then become the official Chief. You’ve basically earned enough merit.”

At this, Han Hao took a deep breath. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. There’s a world of difference between third and fourth-tier divine bodies.”

Liu Xue fell silent. If she were a fourth-tier, she could regrow her legs. But she was only first-tier, and hadn’t even digested half her ascension elixir.

As the two spoke outside, a sudden scream came from within.

“God, it hurts!”

Chen Meng curled up on the floor, feeling as if his body would split apart, burning all over as though he were on fire.

Liu Xue was startled. “Captain, aren’t you going to check on him?”

Han Hao pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, answering coolly, “He’ll get used to it. No one ascends to a divine body without some suffering.”

Liu Xue nodded, but as Han Hao started smoking, she quickly wheeled herself away—she couldn’t stand the smell.