Tisia, as Vice Dean, needed no trip to the Experimental Building for the virtual laboratory. With a mere flash from a ring worn by Ren Yinlan, the surroundings dissolved, whisking him and Yang Ying directly into the virtual lab.

Tisia's virtual laboratory differed significantly from the one Yang Ying typically used; the equipment here was far more advanced and varied, clearly personalized to Tisia's specifications—it was his private domain.

There were six Pharmacist Assistant Robots, a considerable surplus compared to what the Experimental Building offered.

"Igor, my virtual laboratory is linked to the Experimental Building's system. Since you left all one hundred potions there, you must have requested a virtual storage locker, correct? You can summon that locker here as well," Tisia instructed.

Yang Ying nodded. He connected his light brain to the virtual storage locker and, with a wave of his hand, the container materialized within the laboratory.

Yang Ying approached and opened the locker. A spectrum of colored lights immediately captivated Tisia.

Of course, as a seasoned pharmacist, Tisia had witnessed far more breathtaking sights. He had visited numerous large-scale, real-world pharmaceutical laboratories. The medicine cabinets there dwarfed this storage locker, housing many Grade Nine and even some Grade Ten potions. The latter, if present, were always kept in vaults, heavily secured, never mingled with other compounds. Those were tangible potions, not mere virtual constructs.

Even in the Pharmacy’s own Experimental Building, such cabinets existed, tucked away in the uppermost laboratory, containing numerous precious concoctions.

Thus, Tisia's focus wasn't on the Grade Seven potions themselves, but on what they represented: A fact—the student Igor had indeed managed to synthesize one hundred Grade Seven potions within three months. This display wasn't just about potions; it was irrefutable proof of the student Igor’s aptitude for pharmaceutics!

He examined the potions from start to finish, occasionally lifting a vial, uncorking it, and inhaling the scent near his nose. After all, some potions—black, colorless, or brightly tinted—could easily be confused by appearance alone; one needed the aroma, sometimes even a small taste, to confirm their properties.

After verifying all one hundred potions, Tisia was finally certain. Everything displayed here spanned from Grade Seven, Type Four potions up to Grade Seven, Type Seven, all crafted through spiritual processing. There was no deception, no inferior substitutes mixed in.

"Good, good," he pronounced twice. "To produce these one hundred Grade Seven potions means the intricacies of Grade Seven compounding should no longer pose a challenge to you. This collection encompasses every spiritual processing technique required for Grade Seven work. Continuing with the novice-level curriculum is truly no longer suitable for you."

Yang Ying’s lips curved upward slightly. "Then, Professor Tisia, may I assume you agree?"

Tisia nodded. "Yes, Student Igor, I agree to grant you access to the Grade Eight courses."

"In that case, may I take this opportunity to also request permission to log into the virtual laboratory from outside the Experimental Building?" This was one of Yang Ying's primary objectives; having to enter the building every time he wished to use the virtual lab was extremely inconvenient.

"That decision is beyond my authority; only the Dean can approve such a request," Tisia shook his head. Yet, his tone shifted. "However, I will report this matter to the Dean. You can accompany me shortly; I doubt the Dean will refuse."

Yang Ying replied, "Then I place everything in your hands."

Tisia clapped his hands, and the scene of the virtual laboratory gradually faded, like reflections on water, rippling outwards as the office environment reappeared around them.

"The Dean is likely in the Experimental Building right now. He is overseeing a critical experiment and rarely returns to his office," Tisia explained, signaling Yang Ying to follow him.

The two left the teaching building and proceeded to the Experimental Building, ascending the spiral corridor until they reached the laboratory located on the very top floor.

The laboratory door was sealed, guarded by stringent external security measures; it was evident that the entry protocol would be unusually complex.

"We won't go inside. This laboratory maintains a high level of confidentiality, off-limits to new students," Tisia stated. "We will summon the Dean out here."

Summoning the Dean proved simple; Tisia used a thought projection to convey the message.

Shortly after, the laboratory door opened. Dean Faskerlen emerged, clad in head-to-toe seamless, pure silver attire. It was the standard experimental suit for pharmacists, designed to offer substantial protection against unexpected explosions during spiritual processing, preventing any splattered fluids from reaching the skin.

"Student Igor, have you truly completed all two hundred Grade Seven courses and managed to create one hundred Grade Seven potions?" the old Dean asked immediately. Clearly, Tisia had relayed the entire situation via thought projection, but because the matter was so exceptional, the Dean sought confirmation.

"Yes, I have accomplished that," Yang Ying confirmed.

Tisia then spoke, "Dean, Student Igor has demonstrated the progress he made over these few months. I believe he is ready for the next stage of learning and is qualified to log into the virtual laboratory from outside the Experimental Building."

"Remarkable," light flared in Faskerlen’s eyes. "You possess formidable mental power, and I always held high hopes for your future, yet you have still exceeded my expectations."

He paused in thought, then decreed, "Very well. I agree to allow you to use the virtual laboratory from outside the Experimental Building. Professor Tisia, please open the Grade Eight courses for him."

The old Dean produced a small insignia from his pocket, emitting a silver beam that pierced the sapphire embedded on Yang Ying's forehead. "Done. The formalities are complete. You may use the virtual laboratory from outside the Experimental Building."

The Imperial systems were undeniably efficient.

Yang Ying inclined his head. "Thank you, Dean."

The old Dean smiled. "No thanks necessary; you earned this through your own effort. Now, I sense my potion has reached a critical reaction stage, so I must leave you both. Off you go." With that, he opened the door and returned to the lab.

Tisia then directed his ring toward Yang Ying's sapphire, releasing a focused light. "You now have access to the Grade Eight courses in the library."

After thanking Tisia, Yang Ying proceeded alone to the library, eager to test the Grade Eight material. Following his routine, he secured a small private room on the sixth floor, and then summoned the repository of knowledge available to him.

The several hundred Grade Seven courses he had previously accessed were now diminished by nearly a third. Yang Ying calculated there were still three hundred and twenty-five Grade Seven courses remaining, which he intended to complete if time allowed, for knowledge is priceless.

However, the immediate priority was the newly unveiled five hundred-plus Grade Eight courses.

Although Grade Eight courses only required the mastery of twenty subjects—a fifth of the Grade Seven requirement—the total number of Grade Eight courses was in no way smaller than the total for Grade Seven!

Yang Ying was prepared for this and felt no surprise. Having spent three months at the Academy, it would have been a dismal failure not to know the sheer volume of Grade Eight courses offered by the Pharmaceutical Institute.

The sheer number of Grade Eight courses not being fewer than Grade Seven was not unusual. On Earth, some once likened knowledge to drawing circles on a sheet of paper: the area inside the circle was known knowledge, and the area outside was the unknown. The more one knew, the larger the circle's area and the longer its circumference, meaning greater contact with the unknown.

The further knowledge advanced, the faster its total volume grew, making any single individual's grasp seem increasingly negligible.

The largest body of knowledge in the Academy resided in the Grade Ten courses, and their sheer quantity was comparable to the combined total of Grades Seven, Eight, and Nine.

Each Grade Ten course represented the culmination of decades of intense effort by Imperial scientific predecessors. For an ordinary person to master even one was a lifetime achievement.

The task for students who accessed these courses was to stand on the shoulders of those predecessors, delve deeper into the subject, surpass previous findings, and subsequently form new Grade Ten courses, waiting for interested juniors to inherit and expand upon them.

In reality, Grade Ten courses could scarcely be called 'courses'; they were research trajectories, representing the absolute frontier of Imperial technology.

Returning to the matter at hand, the luminous sphere representing the Grade Eight courses before Yang Ying was visibly larger than the Grade Seven spheres. If a Grade Seven sphere was about the size of a fist, the Grade Eight sphere was comparable to the space between two clasped hands.

Yang Ying submerged his consciousness into one of the Grade Eight spheres. An ocean of knowledge surged toward him, containing several times the sheer volume of data found in the Grade Seven spheres. Yet, one similarity remained: the majority of the content concerned pharmaceutical knowledge—the deep properties of compounding materials and the principles by which those properties were converted into medicinal effects.

Specific applications, such as potion formulas and compounding steps, occupied only a small fraction. Yang Ying could memorize a formula with a glance, but he did not overlook studying the underlying principles, for only by understanding the rationale could he generalize and truly master the essence of that particular medicine.

In the Empire, pharmacists were required to be creative scientists, not mere compounding laborers who merely memorized recipes and steps, knowing the superficial phenomena without grasping the essential nature or the causes behind them.

The first Grade Eight potion Yang Ying focused on was, naturally, the long-anticipated Grade Eight, Type Eight compound: the Apex Gene Activation Potion.

The several inherent flaws found in the Advanced Gene Activation Potion had been completely resolved in this Apex version. The methods of remedy were exquisitely refined, as if by a deft hand weaving fine thread, mending every shortcoming and rendering the activation and awakening process smooth and foolproof.

Of course, commensurate with its vastly superior effect, the required materials for its synthesis had ascended to a whole new tier.