Situ Lei’s expression darkened further. Various speculations circulated in the mysterious potion world, not only about the possibility of consuming an elixir of eternal life, but also the chance of becoming a deity. Of course, some mysterious apothecaries proposed that the true path for an apothecary was to formulate a panacea—a 10,000 Spirit Elixir (I)—that could instantly and completely restore any injury or cure any illness.

Whenever apothecaries encountered mysterious apothecaries, they often used this assertion to mock the latter group.

“The 10,000 Spirit Elixir?” Qian Jin looked at Situ Lei and Srubat. “Although that elixir is not completely successful, it is about eighty percent there.”

“Eighty percent?” Nuoleita threw back his head with a cold sneer. “Can your so-called eighty percent be given to someone to consume?”

Qian Jin shook his head. The eighty percent figure was data provided by Ou Lala. As for whether the 10,000 Spirit Elixir at an eighty percent completion level was safe to drink—the answer was naturally no! The greatest difference between mysterious potions and standard potions was that if standard potions were slightly short on ingredients, the worst that happened was suboptimal effect. But with mysterious potions, even a slight deviation meant that regardless of whether the completion rate was eighty percent or ninety-nine point nine percent, drinking it could still kill someone.

“Stand aside!” Nuoleita advanced toward Duan Feng Bu’er, waving his hand and shoving Qian Jin’s shoulder. “Are you a foolish mysterious apothecary? Then don’t presume to do the work of us apothecaries!”

Authority? Qian Jin deliberately retreated as Nuoleita pushed him. In combat, one might not retreat, but when a friend’s injury needed treating, what was wrong with stepping back? If retreating ten steps ensured the fastest healing, so be it. An Authority-level apothecary was entitled to some temperament.

“Nuoleita, you…” Situ Lei puffed out his chest and stepped forward, but when he saw Qian Jin raise his arm to block him, his face grew heavier, darker than gathering storm clouds. “Mr. Qian Jin… he insulted the great mysterious apothecary…”

“If he can heal Bu’er, then let him insult me,” Qian Jin shrugged indifferently. A foolish mysterious apothecary? If Ou Lala had heard that, Nuoleita wouldn't have enough lives to die a hundred times over. You are lucky to have met someone as easygoing as me.

“Indeed, the injuries are quite severe,” Nuoleita pulled out a pair of glasses from his robes, placing them on the bridge of his nose, meticulously examining the damage sustained by Duan Feng Bu’er’s body. “More serious than I imagined!”

Qian Jin looked at Nuoleita with perplexed curiosity. Wasn't this person supposed to be the most authoritative apothecary for external injuries outside the Zhence Dynasty? The closest person to an Apothecary Master? Why was he so slow at diagnosing the wounds? At this speed, I could have examined myself three times over, and even had time to find a corner to relieve myself.

“Th-then… th-then,” Nuoleita produced a pair of tweezers from his robe, gently pinching and pulling at the torn edges of Duan Feng Bu’er’s wounds while observing closely. “These wounds are torn from the inside! The internal damage is even worse than the exterior.”

Qian Jin felt an impulse to walk over and beat Nuoleita senseless. Does judging this kind of problem require picking at it with tweezers? Isn't this the basic qualification of an apothecary? Could it be? Does an Authority External Injury Apothecary employ some special diagnostic technique with this method? Is this something I haven't learned?

Nuoleita repeatedly used the tweezers to gently pry open several of Duan Feng Bu’er’s wounds for careful observation. Finally, he carefully put away the instrument and waved toward the door. “Bring my medicine chest. His injuries are too severe! Take out the two potions contained in those white jade bottles. Yes! Those white jade bottles that cost three thousand gold coins each. He must orally take the Rebirth Elixir and apply the Ice Condensation Skin Coagulant Ointment…”

“What did you say?” Qian Jin lunged in front of Nuoleita, his eyes locked onto his. “What did you just say? Rebirth Elixir? Ice Condensation Skin Coagulant Ointment?”

“What about it?” Nuoleita’s face radiated indescribable smugness as he crossed his arms and smiled down at Qian Jin. “You know the Rebirth Elixir and the Ice Condensation Skin Coagulant Ointment too? How about that? Didn't expect I could formulate them, did you? Startled, aren’t you?”

Suddenly, Qian Jin raised his hand and grabbed the lapel of Nuoleita’s robe, hoisting him up like a small chick, lifting him completely off the ground. Everyone watched as Nuoleita’s legs kicked frantically in the air.

“You… what are you doing?” Nuoleita’s smugness instantly transformed into confused panic. His head whipped toward Pan Hongxuan. “Elder Hongxuan, what is going on here? You owe me an explanation, or else…”

Pan Hongxuan’s face was also etched with bewilderment and shock. What was with this young man? Why the sudden explosion of temper? Even if the Family Head thinks highly of you, even if you hold a grudge against standard apothecary science due to your mysterious background, you can’t act like this! This is the Pan family premises! Even the princes of the Zhence Dynasty would not commit such an impolite act, especially toward a top-tier apothecary.

“Qian Jin, Qian Jin! Put Mr. Nuoleita down quickly…” Pan Hongxuan hastily lifted his leg. “He is…”

“A fraud!” Qian Jin spun around to face the approaching Pan Hongxuan, flicked his wrist, and tossed Nuoleita straight out the door. He secretly regretted trusting the Pan family’s introduction so readily—top-tier apothecary? External injury expert!

How could this be top-tier? How could this be an expert? Qian Jin watched Nuoleita fall heavily to the ground, looking utterly disheveled. This man’s skill in treating external injuries was inferior even to mine! The pain Bu’er just endured from having his wounds pried open with tweezers was suffered for nothing.

“You call me a fraud?” Nuoleita, still sitting on the ground, had his sparse eyebrows twitching violently, twisting his expression into a grimace as he roared. “You call me a fraud?!”

“Why else?” Qian Jin glanced down at Nuoleita with contempt. Uncle Adams had told me many times that I was just a novice in the field of apothecary science, and I should seek humble instruction from apothecaries. I thought I had found an authoritative, top-tier external injury apothecary, but his skill level…”Bu’er’s injuries are this severe, and you dare suggest using the Rebirth Elixir? Ice Condensation Skin Coagulant Ointment?” Qian Jin snatched up the two medicine jars sitting by the bed, containers that could be bought for just a few copper coins, and twisted the lids open. “These are inferior to the Rejuvenation Elixir and Life Regeneration Ointment I have right here, in terms of effect.”

“What?”

Nuoleita, half-risen, froze in place, squatting midway as he stared blankly at the two copper-coin jars in Qian Jin’s hand. “You… what did you just say? These worthless jars contain the Rejuvenation Elixir and Life Regeneration Ointment? Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! This is impossible!”

Nuoleita shook his head repeatedly, his frequency so fast that to a normal person, it looked as if two heads were growing from his neck.

“The Rejuvenation Elixir? The Life Regeneration Ointment in these broken jars?” Nuoleita’s eyes were filled with shock, disbelief, and stunned confusion.

Pan Hongxuan looked at Qian Jin doubtfully. Although he didn't know what the Rejuvenation Elixir was, he could tell from Nuoleita’s reaction that these were two remarkably potent medicines.

Qian Jin turned and began tending to Duan Feng Bu’er’s injuries, not forgetting to look up and address Pan Hongxuan. “Elder Hongxuan, I greatly admire the combat strength of the Pan family’s Nine-Headed Serpent bloodline. But in terms of judgment in other areas, I am truly disappointed. An apothecary of this caliber… tsk tsk… is not just generally poor… Be careful of being deceived.”

Pan Hongxuan wondered if his hearing was failing him. While Nuoleita might not be the strongest apothecary for external wounds, he was famous among both the Barbarian and Demon races. Not just generally poor? Be careful of being deceived? Pan Hongxuan’s eyes flashed with a look of appeal as he turned toward the two mysterious apothecaries beside him.

Although mysterious apothecaries and standard apothecaries were sworn rivals, both held a professional honor. No matter how much they disliked the other side, they would not lie outright.

Situ Lei looked at Pan Hongxuan, then at Qian Jin, and finally his gaze met the equally bewildered eyes of Srubat. Nuoleita did indeed possess some skill in external injuries; how could he be deemed ‘not just generally poor’ by Qian Jin? And to be warned about being deceived?

Lucifer Flowing Water widened her single beautiful eye, staring at Qian Jin’s busy back in astonishment. She vigorously dug into her ear, suspecting she had misheard Qian Jin’s assessment of Nuoleita. A fraud? This was Nuoleita! Lucifer Flowing Water looked at the still half-squatting Nuoleita—this was an apothecary whom even His Majesty the Demon King wished to hire at great expense! If he joined the Demon Race, he would be a talent likely to promote their development in potions! And yet, Qian Jin called him not just generally poor? Then what exactly qualified as generally poor?

“Sigh,” Qian Jin sighed repeatedly while attending to Duan Feng Bu’er’s body. Where have all the truly capable apothecaries and mysterious apothecaries in the Zhence Dynasty gone? Have they all been divided up by the three ultimate bloodline families and the Imperial Family? Or are they hidden within the General Union? Why haven’t I encountered a single apothecary or mysterious apothecary with real ability? Someone like me, labeled a useless novice by Teacher Adams, is stronger than these people.

Qian Jin finished bandaging Duan Feng Bu’er’s body and straightened his back slightly. The Rejuvenation Elixir and Life Regeneration Ointment he concocted in the Ancient Barren Sand Sea, utilizing mutated flora, normal flora, and the vegetation of the Ancient Barren Sand Sea, were completely depleted in one go. It seemed he needed to find time to purchase medicinal ingredients at an auction to mix healing potions later.

Nuoleita stood up and slowly walked back to the bedside, sniffing the remaining residue of the Life Regeneration Ointment. He looked up at Qian Jin, puzzled. “This… this is truly the lost Life Regeneration Ointment?”

Lost? Qian Jin looked down at Nuoleita with pity. This fraudulent apothecary was truly pitiful, not even knowing the formula for the Life Regeneration Ointment, yet insisting it was lost! Apothecary science has developed for so many years; they have long since developed Level Ten potions superior to the Life Regeneration Ointment…

This is the second update; there will be another update in an hour (To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, please support the author and purchase the genuine edition!)