Chapter Twenty-Nine: My Disciple’s Peculiar Gift

“Come with me!”

Seeing Murong Xun’s confusion, Modo only smiled mysteriously. After closing the door to the apothecary, he led him through a door at the back of the shop.

Though he had many questions, since the Mage Tower vouched for Modo and this was already a quest, Murong Xun simply followed.

Passing through the doorway, Murong Xun felt as if he had crossed some invisible barrier. Inside, he found himself in an alchemy laboratory.

“Welcome to my workshop!” Modo introduced his private domain with pride.

For an alchemist, the workshop was their most vital sanctuary—the birthplace of a life’s masterpieces.

“You’re still a novice,” Modo said. “You may have great talent, but you lack systematic training. Let me show you how it’s done.”

He approached the workbench, selected the materials, and with practiced ease, concocted a potion in less than two minutes.

[Leaf of Life: A master’s casual creation.]
[Star Rating: Common, three stars.]
[Effect: Usable in combat. Instantly restores 100 health points. Ten-second cooldown. Maximum of ten bottles per hour.]

“A trifle like this takes me only a moment to make, and I can craft them in batches. Each bottle fetches fifteen to twenty gold Langmas on the market, but I rarely bother.”

Modo gazed at Murong Xun. “Do you know why?”

“Because it’s too cheap?” Murong Xun hesitated before voicing his guess.

“Right, but not entirely—it’s about cost!” Modo carefully washed the test tubes, handling them as tenderly as a lover.

“It seems like each batch only requires minimal cost, and you could make a fortune selling the final product. But that’s not the case. An alchemist’s time is precious!”

“Maximizing profit within a set unit of time?” Murong Xun caught his meaning.

“Unit of time? An interesting way to put it!” Modo smiled, understanding the concept.

“A single Leaf of Life costs just three gold Langmas to make, and once crafted by me, its value increases fivefold. But that’s far from enough. I’d rather spend months concocting a bottle of Dragon’s Breath!”

“Your greed will spur you forward, but don’t let it blind you,” Modo warned solemnly.

Murong Xun listened, deep in thought.

“I’ll teach you from the simplest potion. For something like Leaf of Life, you need four basic ingredients. But you must know which can be prepared in advance, and which must be handled on the spot…”

After some earnest words, Modo wasted no time and began explaining the preparation of the Leaf of Life.

He repeated the process several times, ensuring Murong Xun memorized every step before allowing him to try it himself.

“No, you added the golden sand too slowly. Again.”

“Wrong—the order is crucial. Not too early, not too late. Try again.”

“Better, but the proportions are off. Once more!”

With each failure, under Modo’s guidance, Murong Xun’s skill improved rapidly.

Had he glanced at his own status panel, it would have been flooded with messages:

You have received guidance from Master Alchemist Modo and observed his process. Insights gained. Alchemist subclass unlocked: You are now a Level 1 Potioner.

Under Modo’s direction, your understanding of potion-making has improved!
Under Modo’s direction, your understanding of potion-making has improved!
Under Modo’s direction, your understanding of potion-making has improved!
Under Modo’s direction, your understanding of potion-making has improved!
…

Similar notifications filled the log, interspersed with level-up announcements.

After countless repetitions, Murong Xun finally succeeded in making a Leaf of Life.

But as Modo examined the result, his expression turned odd.

He had clearly taught a healing potion—so why did it look more lethal than a Crow of the Profane Night?

[Magic Potion: Leaf of Life. A strange creation.]
[Star Rating: Common, two stars.]
[Effect, self-use: Instantly restores 150 health points.]
[Effect, others: Reduces 2 health points per second for 100 seconds.]

What was meant to be a healing potion had somehow become a deadly poison!

Yet, seeing the finished product, Modo was delighted. His suspicions were confirmed—this truly was a child of darkness.

Murong Xun had no inkling of what the old man was thinking, only that he was pleased with his own progress.

Everything else was illusory; only the hard-won improvement in his skills felt truly solid.

If he had been practicing with his own materials, who knew how long it would have taken!

“You’ve mastered the Leaf of Life. Now, I’ll teach you how to make the Crow of the Profane Night.”

An alchemist’s repertoire did not stop at restorative concoctions; they produced many things beyond the imagination of others. Many potions inflicted negative effects, all crafted by their hands.

After a detailed explanation, Modo demonstrated the process, producing a finished sample as reference.

He had expected Murong Xun to fail several times, but to his surprise, the young man succeeded after just one failed attempt.

“Genius! Do you realize what a genius you are?” Modo was beside himself with excitement as he held the potion.

On the cusp of the end of his own life, to encounter such talent was the greatest gift imaginable.

Even if this disciple’s creations were somewhat… unconventional.

A standard Crow of the Profane Night would appear as follows:

[Crow of the Profane Night: A master’s casual work.]
[Star Rating: Common, three stars.]
[Effect: Inflicts a loss of 150 health points over three minutes.]

But the potion before him was this:

[Magic Potion: Crow of the Profane Night. An unexpected creation.]
[Star Rating: Two stars.]
[Effect, self-use: Increases health cap by 10 points, +10% to health attribute for ten minutes.]
[Effect, others: +10% health for ten minutes; afterward, the subject’s complexion will be sallow for three days.]

Bizarre as the results were, a ten-minute, ten-percent health boost from a common potion was astonishing. Such effects belonged to advanced elixirs, not humble brews.

This was exactly what a master like Modo strove for: to create the most potent potions from the simplest ingredients.

And now, Murong Xun had achieved this on talent alone.

A few minor side effects—what did that matter?

Modo didn’t mind in the least.