BXBX NOVEL Chapter 116: The Mystic Potion
The cave once again quieted down. Gabriella continued with her meditation and Qian Jin also slept wearing that hat. Sophia was left to herself, looking at Qian Jin blankly while their previous conversation echoed in her head.
"No one has given up on you. It’s you who gave up on yourself." Sophia murmured and the memories of how she had become a warrior in the first place overwhelmed her. "I gave up on myself? What has this young man been through? How can he say this at his age?"
The village in the morning was full of life. As Qian Jin reached Blake’s Blacksmith Shop, he heard waves of noises breaking out in this quiet little courtyard.
"Blake, has that kid still not forged his own weapon? You aren’t playing tricks with us so you can keep the apprentice to yourself, right?"
"I bet he is. You just don’t want us to have your apprentice, so you are holding him back from weapon forging. You did it on purpose."
The rough bass mixed with the crisp soprano, and Blake’s Blacksmith Shop was transformed into a lively market.
Qian Jin recalled the two unfamiliar voices. One belonged to the strong, bearded and fat pharmacist Adams, while the other belonged to an unkempt middle-aged woman, the mystic pharmacist Eulalia.
Qian Jin opened the half-closed door, causing it to creek. The two pharmacists who were in the middle of interrogating Blake were drawn at once.
"Oh, it’s you. You finally came." Adams almost flied to Qian Jin in a few strides carrying his athletic build. He patted Qian Jin on the shoulder with his two furry hands. "Go. Go with me today. I will show you the great Pharmacy... "
On the other picture, Eulalia was no longer blocking Blake’s path. She walked in quick and short steps to the door, stopped the young man who was about to be kidnapped by Adams and said, "The great Pharmacy? Then the Mystic Pharmacy is the greatest. Of course you should learn the greatest first."
Taking advantage of his height, Adams scowled at Eulalia with an oppressive look. "Shame on you for calling your poison the greatest. It has killed more people than it has saved. Today we will learn about the great Pharmacy first."
"Hmph." Eulalia straightened her shoulders, which revealed her nice figure. The unkempt mystic pharmacist had an average height, but she had the word “statue” written all over her body. She said disdainfully, “If your potions were so good, why couldn’t it even cure a common disease, leaving the patients all stuffed with your ‘great’ potion? "
"You..."
"Shut up. Both of you." Blake separated the two quarreling people with his pipe just in time before things got serious.
"Twelve hours later, he will go to the Mystic Potion Shop for three hours, and then he will go to Adams’ shop." Blake waved his hand against the two and ordered, "You can go now."
The two pharmacists looked at each other blankly for a few seconds. After looking at the heavy hammer held in Blake’s hand, they lost their ability to say no.
"Alright..." They answered with weak and blurred voices, and then went out of the yard step by step. They reluctantly turned around to take another look at the lovable young man.
Taking his time, Qian Jin carefully observed the old blacksmith. The two pharmacists were at least respectable demon fighters, but they didn’t even resist Blake at all. It wasn’t only because of his prestige. Mostly likely, he wasn’t only a blacksmith, but also a strong fighter.
"Carry on where you left off last time for ten hours." Holding his pipe, Blake returned to the corner of the door and shrunk himself into a ball. It was so difficult to picture him as a master. He then said casually, "For the remaining two hours, read whatever you like."
With a rustic laugh, Qian Jin went to the furnace as usual. Blake totally got into him. Qian Jin had been used to reading since childhood when he was in charge of the Qian’s Family library. Day by day, he had gotten really into it. With a room of professional blacksmith books lying there, it would be a torture if he couldn’t read more.
After taking a deep breath, Qian Jin accelerated his Warrior Power in the 108 energy reservoirs to the limit of 60 cycles per minute. He suddenly clutched the hammer, and his right foot lifted slightly. The burning charcoals in the stove startled harmoniously, and [Innumerable Shadows] had instantly moved Qian Jin to another position.
The half-closed eyes of Blake lit up at once and the half-smoked tobacco in the smoke pot also burned up, causing a light to bloom that had never appeared before.
The second strike of the Eighteen Blade Elevating Strikes heavily smashed onto the iron, squeezing out a brilliant red fire. Next, Qian Jin used Innumerable Shadows a second time for the next move.
"Stop." Blake raised his hand and said, "Do not use your Warrior Power or the Forging Breath Technique. Don’t use it until you are physically exhausted..."
Bang...
Without the assistance of Warrior Power, even with an unusually strong body, Qian Jin still could not complete the move with Innumerable Shadows. He helplessly fell to the ground.
Qian Jin shook his head and sighed with some suspicion. "Can it be accomplished without using Warrior Power?" However, he remembered that when Blake exerted Innumerable Shadows, there was no trace of Warrior Power or the Forging Breath Technique being used.
"If you can do it, why can’t I?" Qian Jin wiped the dust that had stained his face when he fell and stood up again. "It takes just some falling down. What the big deal?"
Bang... bang... bang... bang...
The splashing dirt became denser and denser in the small yard. Although he was free from pain caused by the collision with the protection of the Wind and Cloud Stone Body, his fatigue was still there. His clothes were completely soaked in sweat before he knew it.
Blake leaned over the door half-awake. His pupils shined weakly, but he was satisfied. How fast people improved was not that important. What really mattered was persistence.
Ten hours later...
Qian Jin lied on the ground out of breath, with all his limbs stretched out. He looked at Blake in admiration. No matter how strong he was, the old blacksmith could always find a training method to squeeze the last bit of his strength, Warrior Power, and heat energy generated by the Forging Breath Technique.
After a short break, Qian Jin staggered to the anti-fatigue hot spring. Although neither his Level 3 Demon Fighter nor the Forging Breath Technique strength had been restored, his brute force and spirit had returned to its peak state.
Book. The book. Qian Jin quickly ran into the Thatch Room filled with knowledge of blacksmiths. He looked through Blake’s works eagerly, especially the Basic Forging Breakdown.
To any discipline, practice was important, but so was the corresponding theoretical knowledge. This was especially true for different forging techniques. Pairing different metals with different weapons and the best way to use a weapon were only recorded in these books. Blake would never talk about these things.
As for the Zence Empire, similar kinds of forging skill records were classified. Usually only a few people had access to them. The confidentiality was in no way inferior to that of the Advanced Training Scroll.
Blake monitored the diligent young man through the door. Constant appreciation could be seen in his eyes. A blacksmith who was always immersed in forging would never become a master, but rather just a hammer-waving blacksmith. Equipped with knowledge, he might become God-tier Blacksmith Master.
The more Qian Jin read, the more highly he thought of the book. The effort concentrated in this thin book was for more precious than thousands of pounds of iron. It was a miniature record of his forging experience. Many facts recorded there gave him enlightenment in the areas that he was stuck on before. Even some mistakes could be corrected by reading the book.
Treasure. If the Advanced Training Scroll was a secret weapon for warriors, then Blake’s works could be honored as treasures for any blacksmith. The Zence Empire might possess a variety of scrolls, but there was a shortage of books on forging skills.
For a bookworm, two hours was just a blink of an eye.
"How unfortunate that I can’t take these out." Qian Jin regretfully shook his head, placing a wooden chip in it as a bookmark. Then, he carefully returned the book to where it belonged.
It was not the first time Qian Jin had come to the Mystic Potion Shop. Last time, he came here to buy the mystic powder which could restore his physical strength quickly.
The memory was still a lingering fear to Qian Jin. Who knew if there would be an explosion more terrible than the Forbidden Spell once he stepped into the room? Maybe he would be kicked out of the Endless World. Ever since the Mystic Pharmacists existed, there had been abundant rumors about the lab explosion which caused the death of several Demon Fighters.
Qian Jin kept his Warrior Power in the 108 Energy reservoirs running at its maximum capacity. He was ready to escape at any time in case something might happen once he set foot into the shop.
Just like before, Eulalia who was wearing a large red apron was busy moving some different weird syrup tubes. From time to time, she would mix two different liquids together, which increased the temperature of the boiled liquids even more; it felt like it could explode at any time.
"You’re here." Eulalia put down the tubes and waved to Qian Jin, "Come over."
Along with Eulalia, Qian Jin walked to the back of the shop. He maintained full alertness of the boiling test tubes every step he took. Ahead of Qian Jin, Eulalia walked very fast. She did not pay any attention to what was under her feet. Sometimes, she would step on a purple flower, causing it to release a harsh scream. However, this seemed like nothing to the woman. She kept walking, and the purple flower freed was finally free from her foot as it stopped screaming.