[Chapter 468: Beauty Pills]
On February 14th, Valentine's Day, all the women had returned to the estate. Linton spent the entire day playing games and partying with everyone, making it a lively and joyful celebration.
The next day, he took advantage of his recent free time to fly by private jet to his Montana farm estate with Sophie Marceau, Cristiana Reali, Monica Bellucci, Noriko Sakai, and Madonna along with her daughter. Of course, his assistants Meena and Li Xiaoran came along, as well as two nannies.
Though it was mid-February, Montana remained bitterly cold, with snowflakes drifting in the air and a thick, white blanket covering the ground everywhere. But thanks to the quartz pendants the women wore, none of them felt the cold. The stunning scenery enchanted Sophie, Cristiana, Monica, and Noriko.
Only Meena and Li Xiaoran, bundled in heavy down coats, still shivered despite the warmth.
Once inside the garden protected by a weather array, the temperature inside steadied around 27 degrees Fahrenheit (-3°C), a heaven compared to the chill outside. Meena and Li Xiaoran finally felt the garden's warmth embrace them.
For Sophie, Cristiana, Monica, Noriko, and Madonna and her daughter, the quartz pendants radiated a steady warmth, making it feel like springtime. They eagerly shed their bulky coats and returned to elegant and stylish attire.
Although Sophie, Cristiana, Monica, and Noriko had heard by phone how beautiful the garden was, nothing compared to seeing it in person. It completely surpassed their expectation.
Next came a joyful time of savoring gourmet food, admiring the views, having snowball fights, playing games, hosting parties, and even performing little skits. In this magical place, Sophie, Cristiana, and Monica seemed to unleash their playful spirits, even engaging in a sort of "pregnant ladies' antics" with Linton.
Who could possibly handle that? Even a seasoned player like Linton himself could barely keep up, expending tremendous energy every night.
...
Of course, Linton's visit wasn't just for vacation. He planned to use this rare free time to craft the Beauty Pills and the Vitality Elixir.
He had bought all the necessary ingredients over six months ago but had been too busy to start. Now, with the chance to accompany Sophie and the others, he set aside time to focus.
After two days of fun, during which the four ladies picked their rooms, study, villa, and exclusive personal attendants, Linton let them handle their own schedules during the day.
He retreated alone to the adjacent three-story office building. On the first floor, he had set up two large rooms, each equipped with cutting-edge pharmaceutical machines purchased last year.
Unlike the cultivation alchemy furnace, this gear was electric, allowing precise temperature control, plus functions for crushing, extracting, fusing, and shaping the ingredients.
Because earthly herbs lacked spiritual energy, the final elixir had to undergo one last step -- the "spiritual infusion" -- literally imbuing with life force to activate its supernatural effects.
This setup was foolproof: with the right recipe and ingredients, making potent pills shouldn't be difficult.
All the herbs sourced last year were stored here.
He started with the simpler Beauty Pills, made from 11 herbs.
He measured out a pound of each, ground them finely, and stored them with labels. Following the recipe, he heated and extracted each herb individually to eliminate impurities and capture their essence.
This was the toughest step. Each herb required a unique temperature and duration, but the recipe didn't specify these details.
Therefore, he had to test each herb under various temperatures to find the optimal extraction conditions.
Thanks to his strong spiritual insight, Linton could observe the process clearly.
Still, on the first day, he only figured out the best conditions for five of the herbs.
The next day, he tested the remaining herbs. Building on prior experience, the process went smoother, and by nightfall, he had found the best temperatures and timings for all eleven herbs.
Nighttime meant more parties, laughter, and good times.
On day three, combining the extracted essences according to their precise ratios, he began melting them at varying temperatures to find the best fusion point.
The entire day consumed over 50 portions of raw materials, with only incomplete success. However, he sensed success was close.
On day four, after losing over 20 portions, he finally succeeded in melting the ingredients into a cohesive pill mass.
The final step was shaping. The machine automatically pressed the mass into ten molds, each forming a pill about the size of a soybean.
Five minutes later, he obtained ten rounded pills.
The pills looked unremarkable on the outside, but through his spiritual senses, Linton witnessed them immediately beginning to absorb life energy from the air -- a clear sign they were taking in ambient spiritual energy as designed.
The estate's inner garden sat at the center of a large life energy gathering array, where the spiritual energy concentration was notably high. For ordinary people, living here improved health and extended life.
Although it was not enough for genuine cultivation due to the lack of underground energy veins, the spiritual energy originally came from a thunder trial Linton passed here, lightning infused underground and transformed into life energy.
Still, the amount of energy was limited. If Linton used it to cultivate, his power would quickly drain the life energy, reverting the land to a lifeless state within a day.
Even in the inner garden, the air's life energy concentration was limited, so the pills took time absorbing the energy.
Before infusing the pills' spiritual energy, Linton tested their raw effect. He swallowed one pill and focused inward with his spiritual sight.
As expected, he felt a faint medicinal force seeping into his entire skin, though barely perceptible. While the effect was minimal, it might be stronger for ordinary people.
In terms of enhancing appearance beyond commercial topical products, it wasn't a breakthrough -- at best, it lacked side effects.
Clearly, the spirit infusion step was necessary. Only with enough spiritual energy could the pills transform, enabling incredible beautifying effects.
With that in mind, Linton descended underground and retrieved quartz stones from a spatial ring, arranging a small life energy gathering array over five acres, compressing the energy into a one-square-meter area.
Upon activation, the energy surged sharply at the array's core, reaching fifty times normal levels.
Linton placed the remaining nine pills in the center. Through his spiritual vision, each pill developed a tiny vortex, rapidly absorbing the life energy and visibly changing.
Initially gray and dull, the pills gradually turned green. After about 40 minutes, absorption stopped, the pills achieving a translucent quartz hue and emitting a fresh fragrance.
Linton swallowed one, attentively tracking the effect.
This time, he experienced a very different result. The pill released an unknown energy that flowed toward the skin, moisturizing it. Soon, his skin felt a cool sensation.
Although at his cultivation, his flawless skin remained unaffected, the medicine's mechanism was confirmed, and it was clear there were no side effects.
He wondered how effective it would be for ordinary people and decided it was time to test the pills on others.
...
After deactivating the array, Linton returned to the main house and gathered Sophie, Cristiana, Monica, Noriko, and Madonna.
He handed out five pills.
"These are my personally crafted Beauty pills. Each of you take one and see how it works."
Sophie, who was pregnant and had a ravenous appetite lately, grinned, "Wow, they look delicious. Are they edible snacks?"
"You can treat them like treats, but the main effect is beautifying. Who wants to try first?"
"I'll go," Sophie volunteered, popping a pill into her mouth.
"Tastes like nothing."
"Don't move, try to feel if there's anything special."
Madonna, Cristiana, Monica, and Noriko all watched Sophie closely.
Within ten minutes, Sophie exclaimed, "Wow, I really feel it -- the skin all over my body feels a bit cool, like when I used to apply facial masks. Do these pills work on the entire skin surface?"
Since being with Linton, none of them had needed facial masks anymore, but Sophie still recalled the familiar soothing feeling.
"Why don't you take off your clothes so we can check if your skin has changed?"
"Okay! Let's see if my skin looks better," Sophie said confidently, stripping down so everyone could observe.
The tests proved the pills wasted on her. Thanks to Linton's long-lasting energy, their skin had already reached near perfection.
Each of them had radiant, supple skin.
Though the pill stimulated a subtle response, there was no significant improvement to be had.
Next, Madonna, Cristiana, Monica, and Noriko each took a pill and sensed similar subtle changes.
...
After reminding them to keep this secret, Linton summoned Meena and Li Xiaoran to the office and gave them the last two pills.
"Meena, you've been envious of Madonna and the others' skin, right? Try this pill."
"Boss, this pill can improve looks?"
"Take it and feel the effect."
Meena eagerly swallowed the pill without hesitation.
Soon, she excitedly reported, "Boss, I feel it -- a cool sensation all over, like a facial mask."
"That's right. Li Xiaoran, accompany her to the bathroom and see if her skin changes."
From the bathroom came surprised voices from Meena and Li Xiaoran.
"Oh no, my skin is breaking out with little black spots! Li Xiaoran, check my back."
"There are a few on your back, too..."
Fortunately, Linton's voice came through, "That's normal -- it means the pill is starting to take effect, clearing impurities from your skin. The first time can have strong results. After washing, it will be fine."
Through his spiritual awareness, Linton saw everything more clearly than they did. The changes were fine for a single Beauty Pill. The toxin and dead skin deposits near the surface were expelled.
More extensive purification required continuous use for at least half a year.
The first dose showed the most dramatic effect; subsequent doses would not be as noticeable.
In any case, the pill worked. The recipe from the cultivation world was truly powerful.
"How long does it take?"
"Until the cooling sensation stops."
About thirty minutes later, a voice from the bathroom said, "Boss, the cooling feeling's gone. Can I wash now?"
"Go ahead."
Water ran, and after about ten minutes, louder exclamations rang out.
"Wow, Meena, your skin really improved -- not just lighter but radiant."
"Let me see myself!"
"Wow, it really did! My skin feels more hydrated and glowing."
Meena and Li Xiaoran came out, their faces lit up with excitement as they looked at Linton.
"Boss, can I have a pill too?"
"That last one's for you."
However, Li Xiaoran's effect was weaker, likely because her skin was already good.
Then Linton called in housekeeper Erica and gave her the final pill.
The poorer her baseline skin, the more obvious the improvement.
Though life on the estate's inner garden for over four months had nurtured Erica's body, the pill still caused significantly more black spots to emerge for her.
After washing, the changes were dramatic -- she looked at least two to three years younger.
Having personally experienced the pill's astonishing effects, who wouldn't want to keep taking it? The three eagerly looked at Linton until Meena finally spoke up.
"Boss, can we get more of these pills in the future?"
"Of course. Work hard, and these pills will never be lacking for you."
"Yeah! Boss, you're the best! I love you!" Meena cheered, planting kisses on Linton's cheeks from both sides while Li Xiaoran followed suit timidly. Erica hesitated but held back due to being married.
"But the current production is limited, so you have to keep it secret."
"Don't worry, Boss, I won't tell a soul."
*****
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