Chapter 21 The 1st Practical Operation

The laboratory of the Institute of Potions at the Holy Sanctuary...

For example, the laboratory here is only accessible to members of the Institute of Potions. It's incredibly difficult for outsiders to borrow it, especially someone like Wang Feng, who has become notorious within the institute. He's definitely on the blacklist.

However, it's clear that there's always a back door in any place, no matter how narrow. If you can find that entry point precisely amidst the whiteness, you can eventually squeeze through.

Fantasy stepped forward, using someone else's identity and spending ten lire to rent the lab for half a day.

Fantasy was very excited. His mother often said, "It doesn't matter if you're slow; as long as you follow smart people, you can make money."

This time, to gather the materials, Fantasy had bet everything he had. For H8, for love!

He didn't know what Wang Feng was going to refine, but he knew the name now—it was quite impressive, 'Eagle Eye'!

This potion is used by martial artists and gunners. It sounds like something valuable that could fetch a high price.

Thinking about the high price, Fantasy felt a bit excited and couldn't help but close the door and look over at Wang Feng.

On the other side, Old Wang hadn't even started yet. He was enthusiastically examining all the equipment in the lab, as if he were in an exhibition hall.

He looked at each item one by one: melting crucibles, secret silver spoons, crystal measuring cups, Sax's balance scales, industrial refining alcohol... Each one seemed so familiar. In a daze, he felt like he was back home, forgetting about the filthy basement. Ugh.

"Good stuff, good stuff." Old Wang was about to express his thoughts.

"Afeng, Brother Feng!" Fantasy winced, "Stop touching things and get to work! This place charges by the hour!"

Old Wang chuckled, stretching out his fingers, feeling both anticipation and excitement. He wondered if he could succeed, as this was his first practical attempt.

But when his fingers touched the vessels, Old Wang felt a sense of familiarity and mastery, as if it were ingrained in his soul. It seemed God hadn't abandoned him; he was still useful!

His emotions surged, and he composed himself. Under Fantasy's intense gaze, he calmly opened the material bags.

Golden Thorn Grass, Earth Vine Flower, Ice Fog Lotus, Moonlight Vine... These seemingly ordinary low-level potion ingredients were actually quite valuable on the market.

The sealed packaging bags were meticulously crafted, with the air inside extracted using syringes. Some even had diluted medicinal liquids injected into the roots to keep the herbs fresh.

Cutting open the packaging bags, the first ingredient was Golden Thorn Grass.

As its name suggests, the pale yellow stems were covered with sharp thorns. They looked tender and cute, but the thorns carried a potent toxin. A prick could cause arm paralysis for half an hour, and if not treated promptly, amputation might be necessary.

Yet, the essence of refining these herbs lay in extracting the toxic fluid from the thorns.

"Axi, assist me. Use a small knife to pry open the thorns and squeeze out the white liquid inside," Old Wang instructed.

"No problem, Afeng! But... could you please not describe it so disgustingly?" Fantasy was enthusiastic; this task was easy for him.

However, after half an hour, Old Wang looked over, "What the hell, Axi, are you kidding me? You've only done six?"

"Afeng, this stuff is poisonous. I'm not immune. What if I get poisoned?" Fantasy said, delicately prying each thorn.

"Alright, step aside. I'll do it myself!" Once he started working, Old Wang was efficient. Some materials couldn't be exposed to air for too long.

Old Wang picked up a Golden Thorn Grass,

and after a moment, Fantasy grinned, "Look at you, always criticizing me." In the next second, he swiftly inserted, lifted, and pried the thorns with a small knife. Within twenty seconds, he finished processing it, quickly placing it in a test tube, crushing and squeezing out the liquid, removing the remaining branches, and sealing the tube.

Fantasy was stunned, impressed. Good job, indeed. No wonder he was chosen as a king.

The remaining Golden Thorn Grass was processed by Wang Feng in less than ten minutes. Fantasy sat on a stool watching, feeling oddly comfortable watching Wang Feng work.

Wang Feng was fully immersed, handling ten different herbs with varying methods—some requiring meticulous precision, others involving numerous steps. Watching him, everything seemed orderly and natural. In less than half an hour, the entire table of materials was transformed into neatly arranged bottles and jars.

Watching this process was therapeutic for those with obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

"You're doing great! You'd make a successful potion assistant!"

Although Fantasy didn't understand potions, he knew that every potion master would appreciate such neat and tidy assistance. Unfortunately, he had taken the wrong path.

"What are you waiting for?" Old Wang spoke, "Can you heat up the crucible?"

"Sure thing!" Fantasy finally found something he could do, and the two worked enthusiastically together.

With someone helping, the tedious tasks became more manageable.

Fantasy was an outsider, finding everything clean and efficient. But if a potion master saw this process, they would be amazed. Even for first-class potions, it would take years of practice to achieve such proficiency.

Next came the mixing, adjusting, and refining.

While Fantasy could understand the initial steps of processing herbs, he was completely lost with the subsequent steps.

Wang Feng operated methodically, handling various bottles and jars filled with colorful liquids. The materials in the melting crucible had turned into a green broth, emitting a strange smell.

Carefully extracting a green liquid from it, he added drops from the prepared bottles, one by one.

Bubbles formed and burst in the test tube, changing the color from green to blue, then red, and finally a deep purple.

Fantasy held his breath, sensing that Wang Feng's movements were becoming smoother and more graceful. After adjusting all six components, he saw Wang Feng gently shaking the test tube, followed by a peculiar reaction. A pungent odor wafted from the colorful test tube.

Fantasy was thrilled. Had they succeeded so quickly?