"You... you're saying my Wild Bull Potion..." Granny Yao stared blankly at Qian Jin, "has reverted to a Mystic Potion?"

"Well, a little bit," Qian Jin shrugged. "The potion contains a draught to restore magic power. That’s like refilling a dry pool—it achieves what is possible, and that is our pharmaceutics. But the discipline of Mystic Potions is for madmen. Their goal is to turn the impossible into reality. Take the already full pool, for example; their goal is to make that full pool hold even more water..." "It's impossible to put more water in there..." Granny Yao shook her head repeatedly.

Qian Jin shrugged again. "That's why Mystic Potion studies are called the discipline of madmen. Their goal is to turn the impossible into reality." "You..." Granny Yao's eyes widened even further, and she tentatively asked, "You... you don't happen to know about Mystic Potion studies as well, do you?"

Qian Jin quickly shook his head. He dared not voice that thought. Although the Endless World seemed completely different from his own, if those words somehow reached the Dou Realm and were overheard by Eulala in the Endless World, she would probably kill him! "I don't even dare claim to understand Mystic Potion studies, and you speak of it like that? Fine! Let me learn some Mystic Potion knowledge from you!"

Qian Jin instinctively raised a hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, forcefully shaking off the imagined scenario that surfaced in his mind. This was indeed a terrifying prospect.

"Then do you truly understand pharmaceutics?" Granny Yao still couldn't believe it; Qian Jin was so young! At his age, becoming an apprentice pharmacist would already mark him as highly talented! Yet, he had just been explaining concepts pertaining to the mastery level of a pharmacist, not the level of an apprentice. Qian Jin scratched his head, flicking some rainwater from his hair. "I wouldn't say I understand it; I've studied a little." "Studied a little?" Granny Yao's eyes were filled with bewilderment. Could someone who had only 'studied a little' make such deductions purely by scent? What did that make me?

"Mhm, studied a little. I wouldn't say I understand it," Qian Jin considered. Compared to Adams, 'studied a little' was probably accurate. Understand? Compared to someone like Adams, who claimed to be a Grandmaster Alchemist, a pharmacist like himself who could create almost all Grade Seven potions could probably only be called a beginner.

Granny Yao's yellow eyes darted around, casting a strange look over Qian Jin for a long time. "Who was your pharmaceutics master?" "Adams." "Never heard of him." Granny Yao raised an eyebrow, looking deep in thought. "I haven't heard that name in the True Strategy Dynasty. Could he be from the Demon Race? Or perhaps the Barbarians?" "Neither Barbarian nor Demon," Qian Jin waved his hands repeatedly. "He lives in a small village; nobody knows him."

"Oh~ Is that so." A hint of disbelief colored Granny Yao's face. There was no such thing as self-taught pharmacists in this world. He was probably just using a fake name to conceal his identity. Never mind, she herself had hidden her identity here after storming out of the Alchemist Guild in a rage years ago. "This..." Qian Jin pointed toward the latrine in the distance. "Granny Yao, shouldn't we first prepare some anti-diarrhea medicine for them?" "I can't make it," Granny Yao spread her hands. "Even though the Wild Bull Power Potion turned into a powerful laxative, it was still a Grade Five potion, right?"

Qian Jin nodded. This potent laxative, flawed by a recipe error, was not just a Grade Five potion but one of the finest among them, bordering on Grade Six. If Granny Yao had never created a top-tier Grade Five potion before, she had just set a new personal record in pharmaceutical history! Though, this record was rather inglorious.

"Then you should know that very few pharmacists master every Grade Five potion," Granny Yao stated helplessly. "Once one reaches the level of a true Pharmacist, unless you are an astonishing genius, you are bound to choose one specific direction within pharmaceutics to pursue. For instance, I focus primarily on medical potions, with a slight dabbling in auxiliary potions like the Wild Bull Power."

Qian Jin listened quietly. After two years of studying potions, he realized he didn't truly grasp the industry. At least, what Master Adams had taught him about pharmaceutics differed significantly from what Granny Yao was explaining. "A true pharmacist should be an all-rounder! Only learning one branch? They'll never aspire to create a God-tier potion in their lifetime!"

Adams' furious expression, seen while roaring, reappeared in Qian Jin's mind. For the past two years, he had only received an all-rounder education! He must be an all-rounder! "Although diarrhea could be considered medical..." Granny Yao smiled wryly, "who among normal pharmacists would research a Grade Five laxative and its antidote?"

"Regarding medicine to treat diarrhea, I estimate..." Granny Yao thought seriously. "The best I could manage would be Grade Two, and that wouldn't even be a targeted cure. Even if it's all diarrhea, without hitting the exact pharmacology, the effect won't be great, right?"

Hua Yan Bu Jian's masked eyes shone with pity as she glanced toward the distant outhouse. "Must they really suffer diarrhea all day?"

Granny Yao's aged face, etched with wrinkles, conveyed embarrassment. "It seems now the only option is for me to brew them some Grade Three tonics. Tomorrow, when they are utterly exhausted from the purging, they can drink these to recover for a few days."

"That..." Qian Jin scratched his head. "I'm afraid they might not last until tomorrow at this time... The potion you gave them was the strongest among Grade Five potions. You should know its potency... Even Demon Extermination Warriors using Battle Qi to resist the effects will be completely limp by tomorrow, right? It would be a miracle if these men don't purge themselves to death." "Then let's prepare the body-replenishing potions now!" Granny Yao gritted her yellow teeth. "It's the only way they can hold out until tomorrow." Qian Jin felt a pang of sympathy for the bandits, imagining how often Granny Yao must have used them as potion test subjects. "Ahem..." Qian Jin coughed again. "Perhaps I should try?"

"You can cure diarrhea?" Granny Yao looked at Qian Jin as if he were a specter. There was a saying in pharmaceutics: an antidote is harder to create than a poison! While this laxative wasn't a poison, creating an antidote meant tackling something complex. Being able to create an antidote was hard enough; creating such an obscure Grade Five antidote?

"I see you have some Thousand-Petal Garlic and a bit of Five-Colored Gecko," Qian Jin walked toward the pharmacy. The agonizing screams echoing from the four bandits in the latrine constantly brought back the miserable memory of being poisoned by that Mystic Potion master, Eulala. "Thousand-Petal Garlic? Five-Colored Gecko?" Granny Yao blinked. Weren't those used to treat rheumatism and bone ailments? They had no effect on diarrhea.

Qian Jin found a small pot, placed several ingredients that seemed pharmacologically unrelated inside, and carefully stirred them with a glass rod.

Granny Yao watched Qian Jin's technique, repeatedly shocked. Forget whether the boy actually understood pharmacology; just this practiced motion of creating a potion was something many pharmacists, even Master Alchemists, couldn't achieve! "Add three more grams of limestone..."

A plume of white mist rushed out of the pot as the limestone was added. Qian Jin stirred the mixture in the pot carefully, his expression tense. Although Mystic Potions exploded eight out of ten times, making them far more dangerous than regular potions, it didn't mean regular potions never exploded. At least the potion he was making now wasn't strictly a potion, nor did it qualify as a Mystic Potion, but the probability of explosion was still not low.

Pharmacists and Mystic Potion masters, though both carrying the title of 'potion maker,' were inherently hostile to each other; neither would initiate contact with the other. Qian Jin, who studied both, was exceedingly rare. Unconsciously, he sometimes mixed up knowledge from pharmacology and Mystic Potion studies, blending them as long as they were effective.

However, such blending always led to trouble in the Endless World, a concern he didn't have in Xiaoji. "Now, six grams of eggshell..."

Qian Jin tossed the eggshell into the pot, put force into his legs, and used the dust near his sole—

His mastery of the Nine Battles of Demon Extermination propelled him out of the pharmacy. The liquid in the iron pot churned violently, looking exactly like a volcano about to erupt!

Hua Yan Bu Jian's eyes behind her iron mask flashed with shock. She swept up Granny Yao and shot through the air in a crimson streak. As Qian Jin’s feet touched the ground, she was already beside him.

"Bloodline Warrior!" Qian Jin took a few extra glances at the masked woman beside him. He had assumed she was merely a powerful female warrior, but she could activate the power of her bloodline. In that split second, her strength was in no way inferior to Nilah, the Two-Star Dark Guard Giant Troll Bloodline Martial Master! In fact... perhaps even slightly higher.

The bloodline power engaged and disengaged so quickly that Qian Jin couldn't analyze the fleeting red markings on her lower face to guess what kind of Bloodline Warrior she was.

"Next time, give a warning first," Hua Yan Bu Jian patted her chest, looking at the iron pot boiling and swaying violently. "Why are potions supposed to explode so rarely?"

"Rare doesn't mean never," Qian Jin shrugged. "When I compound potions, the chance of explosion is at least thirty times higher than with regular potions."

Granny Yao stared at Qian Jin, eyes wide. "You are a Mystic Potion Master, aren't you?"

Qian Jin shook his head. "I really am a Pharmacist."

Granny Yao nodded gently. Indeed! A pharmacist this young! She only said he 'studied a little' before, but now he’s exposed! He really is a pharmacist! A Demon Extermination Warrior and a Pharmacist? Where did such a freak emerge from? Even a Bloodline Warrior would envy such talent! "Bu Jian," Granny Yao smiled with maternal kindness. "You have good taste; this boy is quite suitable."

The boiling pot ultimately did not explode; the liquid merely rolled violently in the pot for a while before settling down.

Qian Jin stood outside the door, watching the settled contents. He had encountered this situation before with Eulala; he thought there would be no issue, but when he approached the potion, it suddenly exploded again, despite having supposedly cooled down.

Qian Jin waited patiently for ten minutes. Then, activating the Wind and Cloud Golden Body technique, he walked into the pharmacy, and Duan Feng Bu Er carried out the truly stabilized potion. "Take these and distribute them. It should take effect soon enough." Hua Yan Bu Jian took the iron pot with a word of thanks and turned to rescue the four bandits currently suffering miserably by the commode.

Qian Jin walked back into the pharmacy, found a clean iron pot, took the gathered medicinal materials from his robes, ground them bit by bit into powder, and slowly added them to the pot over time, finally stirring gently with a glass rod.

Granny Yao's pride as a pharmacist had vanished entirely. She sat quietly on the side, like an elementary student listening to a teacher, staring intently at Qian Jin's stirring technique, lost in thought.

"This seems a little like Master Cromwell's technique, but it's different," Granny Yao murmured, her shock multiplying tenfold. This! This stirring technique held profound secrets!

Stirring wasn't just about cooling the liquid in the pot; it was also about mixing the ingredients thoroughly. But could one truly mix the powders perfectly evenly?

No! Granny Yao was certain. Even Master Alchemists could not perfectly homogenize the powders! However, Master Alchemists had a higher level of stirring skill, achieving better uniformity, resulting in potions that were naturally superior to others of the same type.

Could potions truly not be mixed evenly? Granny Yao looked hesitantly at Qian Jin's wrist. Though the stirring appeared the same, the position, speed, and force within the pot varied significantly. Could this technique possibly achieve uniformity?

Two hours later, Qian Jin left happily, carrying a pot of Grade Seven potion, leaving Granny Yao sitting on a stool, still in a daze.

Grade Seven! A Grade Seven potion! Granny Yao clenched her fists. This boy actually created the absolute pinnacle of pharmacist creations—a Grade Seven Bone-Mending and Growth Potion! She hadn't misjudged! Even if she couldn't make it, she could still gauge the approximate grade of a potion just by smelling or looking at it.

Grade Seven Potion? He called that 'studied a little'? Granny Yao felt an urge to chase after Qian Jin and beat him up. Someone who could make a Grade Seven potion claimed not to understand pharmaceutics? Just 'studied a little'? What pretense! What was wrong with young people nowadays? Were they all so eager to feign modesty? Did it feel good to shock others?

"Using so many materials just to make a Grade Seven potion," Qian Jin hurried away, clutching the potion pot. "If Master Adams knew, he'd probably spit in my face again! He’d say I don't understand pharmaceutics and need to study diligently to cross the threshold into understanding it, right?"

Qian Jin pushed open the door to the three injured men’s room. Duan Feng Bu Er immediately frowned, his eyes fixed intently on the two iron pots in Qian Jin's hands, which contained a potion of incredibly strange color and odor. "Hey, what are you carrying? Why does it smell so pungent? You aren't planning on making us drink that, are you?" Fen Tu Kuang Ge's eyes narrowed with discomfort, and his body instinctively shifted backward.

Qian Jin looked down at the greenish, bubbling liquid in the iron pot. It emitted an awful stench and certainly had poor presentation, but his teacher had always scorned potions that tasted good, a trait they shared with Mystic Potions. "Medicine is for saving lives; what does it matter if it tastes good or bad? Caring about flavor is a cook's concern. A pharmacist only needs to brew medicine that cures illness."

Qian Jin smiled wryly, recalling scenes from class. He had been unconsciously influenced by his teacher to create a potion with such terrible aesthetics, but this was the frontier; without proper tools, achieving this much was decent.

"Hey, comrade... I've smoked cigarettes before, it doesn't hurt that much anymore..." Duan Feng Bu Er stared wide-eyed at Qian Jin approaching him. "I think Chick-Fried-Lettuce is our guest; there's no reason to treat the guest before..."

Duan Feng Bu Er clamped his mouth shut, staring at Qian Jin with an expression of absolute defiance, his teeth clenched tightly.

Qian Jin set down a pot of the soup, reached out, pinched Duan Feng Bu Er's nose, and slowly brought the potion toward his lips.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes... Duan Feng Bu Er's face flushed crimson. He couldn't endure it any longer and opened his mouth wide, desperate for a gulp of fresh air. The green, foul-smelling potion poured straight into his mouth. "Wuuu..." Duan Feng Bu Er’s flushed face quickly turned green, and his body fell weakly onto the bed, breathing in short, shallow gasps.

Fen Tu Kuang Ge's surprised eyes flickered with faint suspicion. Could it really be that bad? It shouldn't be! Duan Feng Bu Er always liked to joke...

Chick-Fried-Lettuce swept a cold glance over Duan Feng Bu Er, a faint trace of pride flashing in his pupils. Gulp... gulp... gulp...

After two gulps, Fen Tu Kuang Ge’s body went limp. His sallow complexion turned a ghastly green. The potion was truly awful.

Chick-Fried-Lettuce’s eyes remained cold. He showed no resistance to the potion Qian Jin brought, his expression perpetually calm and composed.

The potion slowly flowed into Chick-Fried-Lettuce's mouth. Duan Feng Bu Er's eyelids twitched watching him, but he managed to painfully give a thumbs-up. "Impressive! That tastes so awful, and you can still drink it. I admire you."

Qian Jin nodded repeatedly. Chick-Fried-Lettuce was sensible after all! He knew he was the most severely injured and decided to drink more...

Suddenly, Chick-Fried-Lettuce closed his mouth, blocking the potion outside his beautiful lips. He met Qian Jin's confused gaze and said calmly, "I drank one more mouthful than Bu Er. I win."

What? Qian Jin was stunned. Chick-Fried-Lettuce flopped back onto the bed, and the constantly placid muscles of his face instantly contracted and distorted. Duan Feng Bu Er finally couldn't help but burst out laughing. "I thought you were naturally expressionless. Turns out you were just holding it in the whole time." Chick-Fried-Lettuce looked at Duan Feng Bu Er and stated very seriously, "It tastes horrible." "Same here!" Duan Feng Bu Er felt that the distance between them had instantly shrunk because of this dreadful soup! "Comrade, come on! I’ll endure two more mouthfuls." Duan Feng Bu Er's face was filled with vibrant fighting spirit; an outsider might think he was preparing for some life-or-death duel.