Xu Yun, a young girl, quickly brought up several vials of potions. With a soft, melodious voice, she said, "Mentor, please drink your medicine."
Three vials of potion.
One shimmered with a faint red hue, its liquid crystal clear.
Another emanated a subtle orange glow, its contents filled with tiny bubbles, resembling carbonated soda.
The third was a pale blue, as if carrying the fragrance of flowers.
One had to admit, compared to the previous stamina potions and energy recovery potions, the appearance of these few potions was not just a few times better; it was out of this world.
They looked like products that would make people willingly open their wallets.
Of course, the poor appearance of the earlier stamina potions was due to the base having very few facilities back then, no pharmaceutical room, and a lack of various mystical herbs. Yin Ling could only use weakened versions of herbs found in the real world as substitutes.
The potions produced were labeled 'Inferior' in the game, considered floor-level potions.
However, this was not due to Yin Ling's lack of skill, but purely a case of a clever cook being unable to cook without ingredients.
Now, with complete facilities and dozens of mystical materials, Yin Ling had long since improved the 'Stamina Potion' and 'Energy Recovery Potion'.
This made their appearance equally excellent, their efficacy significantly stronger, and their side effects reduced.
At this moment, Fang You's gaze fell upon the three potions before him.
Skill 'Detect' used.
Salvation System recorded.
"Healing Potion (White · Excellent)"
"Purification Potion (White · Excellent)"
"Calming Potion (White · Excellent)"
"Notification: ... Silver Ling, an Apostle of Destiny, has crafted an 'Excellent' rated Healing Potion. Related blueprints have been self-generated and can be viewed by clicking for specific recipes."
"Hint: ..."
"Hint: ..."
Their appearance and effects were fine.
It was just...
He had also consumed excellent-rated Energy Recovery Potions before, more than once, and had experienced their effects profoundly.
"Ahem, there's no need for a taste test. Silver Ling, your skill level, as your mentor, I absolutely trust you, infinitely trust you."
"Indeed, after all, these potions are all ordinary and wouldn't have much effect on you, Mentor."
He had dodged it, thankfully.
Just as he thought this, he saw Yin Ling, dressed in a white lab coat, turn around and tinker with something. When he couldn't help but step forward to investigate, he saw her holding a vial emanating a faint glow.
The corners of her lips curled slightly. "Those three ordinary potions might not be useful to you, Mentor, but this secret medicine, I specially crafted it for you."
She emphasized "specially."
This was a bottle of 'Physical Secret Medicine,' not a regular white-grade secret medicine, but a Type II secret medicine, rated green in the game.
"Physical Secret Medicine · Type II (Green)"
"Description: Can slightly enhance a character's physique. Similar to Type I Physical Secret Medicine, only one dose of a specific tier of Physical Secret Medicine can be used. The second dose will be ineffective."
"Note: This potion was meticulously crafted by Silver Ling with a perfect rating, maximizing the effects of the Type II Physical Secret Medicine."
A perfect rating!
The difference in efficacy between a perfect rating and an excellent rating was not significant, but 'perfect' truly meant that Silver Ling had put in a lot of effort, and perhaps some luck, to create this gem-like potion.
It was perfect, radiating an alluring glow.
"Mentor, it's time to drink your medicine."
Unlike a taste test, drinking the three basic potions would have been pointless for him. However, he would eventually have to drink this Type II Physical Secret Medicine, and drinking it now was the same as drinking it later.
Moreover, it was a unique, perfect-grade secret medicine produced by Silver Ling.
He couldn't let her down.
He unscrewed the cap and drank it in one gulp.
The slightly warm liquid flowed down his throat. There was a bitter taste, but it wasn't too intense. Was this the power of a perfect rating!
"Mentor, how do you feel?" Yin Ling asked, a subtle, almost imperceptible smile playing on her lips.
Fang You answered honestly, "Quite good, your craftsmanship is excellent."
At that moment, the potion's effects began to spread within him.
When he had used Type I Physical Secret Medicine before, his body would become heavy and he would fall asleep, a form of self-protection. But now, his physique was strong, and the enhancement from the Type II secret medicine was not very significant.
He could handle it completely.
A warm current flowed through his limbs, and he could feel his physique strengthening little by little, but at the same time, it seemed like there was… there was…
A bitter taste rose from the depths of his throat.
It was the bitterness of the secret medicine, faint at first, gradually deepening with the surge of warmth within him. The bitterness welled up from the core of his being.
Slight bitterness! Medium bitterness! Intense bitterness! Unspeakable bitterness!
It felt like a bitterness originating from his soul. Despite being extremely bitter, his stomach felt no discomfort; there was only bitterness.
It was bitter everywhere.
Yin Ling watched him with a smile. "Mentor, the effect of the secret medicine is quite good, isn't it?"
Setting aside the bitterness, the effect was indeed good!
But…
Alas, for secret medicine, efficacy comes first, efficacy comes first. The bitterness could be endured.
Facing Yin Ling's gaze, Fang You gave a tearful thumbs-up.
Afterward,
He underwent further physical examinations by Yin Ling. His panel already indicated the effect: his physique had increased from '23.4' to '24.9', a growth of 1.5 physique units.
However, what appeared on the panel was merely a small number, nothing more.
Therefore, he had two tubes of blood drawn by Yin Ling on the spot, and then some patches were applied to his bare torso to monitor his body's changes as the secret medicine took effect.
Wait a moment,
Fang You lay on the bed, watching Yin Ling work on him, and mused that he, the mentor, was likely being treated as a test subject!
If she could create a perfect-rated secret medicine, why did she need to collect so much data!
"It's all for the continuation of the flame, Mentor."
"And don't forget, I'm a physician. Is there anything wrong with doing what a physician should do?"
It seemed like there wasn't.
He just felt that Yin Ling had a slightly devious smile when she laughed. Was it his imagination?
"Hey, wait, don't pull down my pants!"
The young girl was blushing!
…
"Beep—"
The door to the pharmaceutical room opened. Fang You tidied his not-so-neat clothes and walked out.
His legs were a bit weak, so he wasn't walking fast.
Don't misunderstand, he was startled. They initially said two tubes of blood, but then it became two more, and soon it was eight tubes. And the blood-drawing needle was terrifying – ordinary needles couldn't even pierce his skin, so Yin Ling had to use a "big killer."
After the blood was drawn, he drank a healing potion, and its effect was indeed significant. The needle marks healed instantly without needing to be pressed.
But,
There were two nurses in the pharmaceutical room!
After drawing blood and drinking the medicine, Yin Ling fiddled with him for a while longer before letting him leave.
His legs were trembling.
He leaned against the wall.
"For the continuation of the flame, this mentor has sacrificed too much."
…
Fang You returned to his dormitory and immediately placed a super large order with Yin Ling. Thirty to forty sets of the three basic potions, in groups of 100, were to be delivered first.
"The cost of these basic potions is not high. On average, only one unit of mystical herb is consumed for every ten potions."
Of course, a considerable amount of various real-world herbs were still needed for the mix.
But compared to the scarce mystical herbs, anything obtainable from the real world wasn't overly expensive, even things like ginseng or cordyceps… Besides, their group, "Xinhuo" (Spark of Hope), could grow them themselves.
There were already some existing stocks of the three potions. He instructed Xiao Huan to put them on the exchange list.
"Healing Potion will be priced at 0.3 contribution points, Purification Potion at 0.5 contribution points. As for the Calming Potion… the main buyers are the Investigation Bureau and the Supernatural Hunters. We'll bundle the Purification and Calming potions for sale later and decide on a price."
"The raw materials for these potions are easy to find. However, for the Type II Physical Secret Medicine, Yin Ling said the current materials are only enough for 6 bottles. The raw materials are far from sufficient… There are also few in the secret grounds of the Investigation Bureau. We might need to focus on the 'Guijie' (Ghost Realm)."
"The 'Guijie' exploration function can hint at treasures 'nearby.' So, can we specify a search?"
Currently, there was no one in the Ghost Realm, and the entire interface was black and gray, useless.
He closed it.
He then checked the status of Yiluo Xi and Xing Jing Lei. Both were in the process of 'Third Awakening,' and their situations were still unclear.
Among them, the third-person observation perspective of Yiluo Xi.
This girl was sitting in the training ground, her fists clenched, muttering in an incomprehensible dialect. As she muttered, she stood up and began to punch and kick.
"Die, die, die, die!"
"I, Yiluo Xi, will ascend to the pinnacle of the world step by step! How can I yield to a mere triple awakening!"
"I don't want to write any心得 (心得 is a type of reflection or experience report)!"
Fang You: …
She seemed very spirited. It was probably fine.
He then switched to Xing Jing Lei's perspective.
A man with a thick chest hair was currently…
Holy cow, that was too much for the eyes!
Close it, close it!
He washed his eyes and waited for a while, then heard a pleasant notification sound.
"Ding!"
"Notification: Apostle Xing Jing Lei's third awakening successful. Physique and spirit enhanced, awakening ability cap increased, talent improved."
"Notification: Apostle Yiluo Xi's third awakening successful. Physique and spirit enhanced, ..."
"They both succeeded?"
"Not a single one failed to write a report of failure."
"As of now, there's only An Jianyou's failure report for the third awakening."
He felt a slight disappointment.
However, with two major generals of the organization's strength greatly improved, and the third-awakening team expanded to 5 people, the strategic deployment of "Xinhuo" would be easier.
"Xing Jing Lei could previously fight two three-star ghosts alone. Now, after the third awakening, it's unlikely he can still defeat a disaster-level ghost in a single match, but dealing with three-star ghosts will definitely be much easier. He can probably take on three or four, or even five, by himself."
"As for Yiluo Xi, her combat power fluctuates quite a bit. She's very strong in some areas and very weak in others, just like An Jianyou. She's fine against those dull and silly ghosts, but if she has to deal with cultists…"
He shook his head.
She needed to practice her skills, and the matter of advanced combat suits also needed to be addressed.
He went out to the training ground and encouraged Xing Jing Lei for a while. Then he went to the adjacent one. Yiluo Xi was wielding two long fire snakes, which spun rapidly around her slender body, forming a blazing ring of fire in an instant.
"I've developed a new way to use my abilities!"
She put her hands on her hips,
Looking like she wanted to be praised.
Fang You praised her, and at the end, he reminded her, "Remember to write your awakening report. I'll check it tonight. If it's not up to standard, you'll have to rewrite it."
Huh?
The girl froze, her eyes glazed over.
It made one want to… assign her more homework.
Unfortunately, he didn't have any on hand.
He said, "Your sisters have accumulated quite a bit of mystery. After joining the association tomorrow, they can start their awakenings."
"Really!"
Once they awakened again, Zi Luo and the others would be double-awakened, and could be considered master-level experts throughout Donghuang!
Their sisterhood would become powerful!
Yiluo Xi imagined this, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up.
Fang You was also thinking.
After the second awakening, where should Bai Shuang, Xi Lan, and the others be assigned?