"Excellent! Absolutely excellent!" the middle-aged woman exclaimed, shaking Qian Jin's arm. "Luck! It is a crucial element for a Mystic Alchemist. I can feel it—you possess an extraordinary natural gift for becoming a Mystic Alchemist! I have decided to take you as my apprentice!"

Qian Jin's eyes widened as he stared at the woman. Apprentice to a Mystic Alchemist? This... If he were on the Upper Demon Battlefield cutting down demons, he wouldn't so much as blink!

Forget the Upper Demon Battlefield; even if he were to take a dagger and assassinate the current Great Demon King, he wouldn't feel a shred of fear! A warrior dying on the battlefield—that is glory!

But to die in this Mystic Alchemist's laboratory? That would be utterly ignominious...

"I am Black’s apprentice..."

"I don't mind; you can have two masters."

"But I mind..."

"It’s fine, I’ll just speak with Black about it."

"What I mean is, I don't want to be a Mystic Alchemist. My ambition is to become a great Warrior, a great Blacksmith, or a great Apothecary... Let's just pass on the Mystic Alchemist path..."

"What?" The woman’s piercing voice once again ripped through the quiet of the village. "You would rather learn that trashy pharmacy than the world's greatest, most mysterious, and most glorious art of Mystic Alchemy?"

Qian Jin felt a headache coming on watching the woman’s slightly unbalanced state. If this woman were some kind of magical beast or intended to kill him, he could simply strike her down to save his life. But this woman was merely obsessed with the prestige of her profession, and for that... he truly couldn't bring himself to lay a hand on her.

Furthermore, looking at it from the woman's perspective, Qian Jin knew she meant well. Most importantly, if the woman accidentally knocked over a test tube, he might instantly be reduced to ash. Who knew if death in such a manner would even allow him to return to this Endless World? If he truly couldn't come back, the loss would be far more than just a little; he still hadn't had time to read those books on forging in Black’s room.

Bang! The wooden door was violently shoved open. A fat man, built like a bear and sporting a thick, bushy beard, was brandishing a test tube of his own. His eyes blazed with a fury capable of charring a man to charcoal as he snarled viciously at the middle-aged woman, "Olala! Who are you calling trashy pharmacy? Your so-called Mystic Alchemy dares to insult the noble discipline of Pharmacy!"

"Adams, you dull bear! I said your practice is trashy! How could a mere elementary pharmacy practitioner like you ever comprehend the nobility and grandeur of Mystic Alchemy?"

"Olala, you shrew..."

Qian Jin stood between them. The usually peaceful village had erupted into noise louder than any marketplace. These two alchemists from different disciplines were shouting curses potent enough to shake the very foundations of the village.

A good opportunity! Better to escape now! Qian Jin had given up on buying any potions. If these two continued their tantrum, who knew if it would lead to physical conflict, culminating in the entire laboratory exploding?

"Don't you go anywhere!" Adams, as strong as a bear, moved with blinding speed, his hand slamming down on Qian Jin’s shoulder. His heart plummeted—this alchemist was actually a Demon-Slaying Warrior! Gods above... what exactly was in this village?

"Don't you leave!" Almost simultaneously, Qian Jin felt another hand clamp down on his other shoulder—it was Olala’s grasp.

Heavens... how many Demon-Slaying Warriors were there in this village? Even the regular Alchemist and the Mystic Alchemist were Demon-Slaying Warriors? Qian Jin sadly realized that back in Oakland, besides Fabredus and the City Lord, he was practically unrivaled. Even against the general of the City Guard, using the secret Qian Family’s Kun Dou technique, he was certain he could strike his opponent down immediately. Yet, in this tiny village, he was constantly outmatched!

"Kid, you have good aptitude for potion work. Come study pharmacy with me," Adams, bear-strong, grinned at Qian Jin. "I promise you can become the greatest Apothecary."

Qian Jin offered a helpless, bitter smile. Adams was clearly just trying to stir trouble. Potion aptitude? Had he done anything to show talent? It was merely a retort born out of irritation with Olala.

"You dare try to steal my potential apprentice?" Olala thrust her chest out, her proud breasts seeming ready to burst through her robes. "He is to be my apprentice in Mystic Alchemy."

"Nonsense, he hasn't even agreed yet! I just heard him say he wants to be an Apothecary..."

"That’s because he hasn't understood the greatness of Mystic Alchemy yet. Once he does, he'll realize how utterly incompetent and insignificant you Apothecaries truly are."

The man and woman squabbled like fighting cocks, their incessant bickering filling the air. Qian Jin wanted to leave but couldn't. Suddenly, he spotted an elderly figure appearing at the doorway.

Qian Jin had never found Black so endearing. Seeing Black slowly approach at that moment felt like encountering a savior. It wasn't fear of the two Demon-Slaying Warriors; it was because they were part of this warm village, and despite having no prior contact, he genuinely liked them.

"What's all this racket?" Black’s single sentence instantly silenced the two squabbling alchemists.

Qian Jin breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, he could...

"Just take him on as an apprentice together," Black’s suggestion made Qian Jin, who had just felt like he'd clawed his way up from a cliff edge, feel as if he'd been kicked straight back down into the abyss.

"Agreed!" the two fighting alchemists roared in unison. "I get ten hours, you get six."

"You two get four hours each," Black held up four fingers. "I’ll take twelve hours."

The two alchemists fell silent, then looked in unison at Black’s weary expression and protested softly, "That's a bit short..."

Black raised a hand, propped his chin in thought, completely ignoring Qian Jin’s pleading gaze, and stated seriously, "Then six hours."

The two alchemists immediately nodded, looking as if they feared Black might change his mind. "Starting today?"

"In a while, after he forges a real weapon." Black pushed them aside and tugged Qian Jin out of the room, turning back at the doorway to call out, "Since he's your apprentice, that Fatigue-Relief Mystic Powder..."

"Yes, yes!" Olala rummaged through a box and tossed a packet over. "This should cover ten uses."

Qian Jin helplessly followed Black back to the forge and once again picked up the blacksmith’s hammer to shape the Hundred-Year Glacial Iron Ore into Glacial Iron Essence.

Qian Jin no longer used the perfectly smooth first strike; instead, he immediately employed the second strike he had just begun learning.

"Wait a moment. Change hammers."

Black handed him a hammer fifty pounds heavier than the previous one. Qian Jin twitched the corner of his mouth. Just looking at the second strike, he knew the difficulty was immense. The arc of the swing, the precise trajectory, and the final force required—even with his current hammer, it was hard enough to learn. And now, he was changing hammers? F

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