Because the ingredients used were quite ordinary, the resulting pill was only first-grade—the lowest tier.
Still, even the lowest tier pill becomes incredibly valuable when enhanced with six alchemical patterns.
—Alchemical patterns, on the surface, appear as intricate lines on the pill, kind of like the colorful swirls on a lollipop.
But in truth, they represent the concentration of medicinal power.
The more patterns, the more potent the pill, and its value increases exponentially.
For an average alchemist, producing even a single pattern is enough to be honored as a guest by major sects.
Roughly estimated, this six-pattern pill would be equivalent to the effect of ten bottles of lower-grade Agility Potion.
“Eat it.”
I fed one each to the little Qilin and the little octopus.
Professor Ishida had just mentioned in his lecture—each type of stat-boosting potion only works once per creature.
For example, if someone takes a lower-grade Agility Potion, the next one has to be a mid-grade version to have any effect.
The same applies to pills made from the same formula.
This batch yielded two pills.
Tossing the extra one would be a waste, and selling it would be a hassle—might as well give it to the little octopus.
Ahem, it definitely wasn’t because I remembered how envious and longing Cluru looked watching the match yesterday and then deliberately poured effort into refining two six-pattern pills…
I, a dignified Immortal Lord, would never be so soft-hearted!
After swallowing the pill, the little octopus looked ecstatic.
As a thank-you, it wrapped itself tightly around the Qilin, entangling its limbs, neck, and horn.
The Qilin blushed deeply, letting out a soft, ambiguous moan.
Ignoring the antics of the two little creatures, I focused back on the lecture.
“And finally, I have some good news for everyone.”
Good news?
Professor Ishida suddenly got all mysterious as he held up a document to the class.
“Last night, Teacher Xiao Yuan and I went to the Spirit Association. After assessment and verification, the Association has officially reinstated our school’s qualifications for field training. That means…
We can restart our training expeditions!
We can go out into the wild to contract a second spirit, challenge dojos in other cities, and search for places where spirits can evolve!”
That… actually sounds kind of fun?
Judging from the expressions around me, the other students were on the verge of crying from joy.
Cheers erupted throughout the entire herbal garden.
“Our first destination is to cross Mount Qin and head to Chang’an City’s Rock Dojo. The dojo master’s Terracotta Warrior Spirit is very strong. Students who can should learn techniques that counter rock-type spirits and practice along the way.”
“I hope every student tries to take on the challenge. Having a provincial-level dojo badge adds bonus points for the college entrance exams!”
“Teacher, teacher, when do we depart?”
Class monitor Xinyue stood up and voiced the question on everyone’s mind.
“Mount Qin is dangerous. The school needs time to survey the weather and local beast activity. The soonest would be in about a month.”
Then why even tell us now—every student’s face practically screamed this line.
“I’m telling you early so you can study hard this month and prepare for the expedition. Oh, and one more thing…”
Professor Ishida pushed up his glasses slyly.
“Anyone who fails this month’s exam won’t be eligible to participate in the expedition.”
“That’s too cruel!” The underachievers howled in despair.
“Especially you, Xiao Luoxian.”
Huh?
Why am I being called out again…
“Don’t think having a legendary spirit gives you a free pass! This month, Teacher Xiao Yuan and I will personally supervise you and Cluru. Study. Hard.”
……
So cruel. Truly, unbearably cruel.
All the other students have been enrolled for over two years.
The knowledge gap is massive—how could a regular person possibly catch up in a single month?
—Fortunately, Cluru and I are not regular people~
Having undergone body refinement, our bodies now carry spiritual energy, and our memory has vastly improved.
At this moment, Cluru stared at her textbook in mild confusion.
Was it just her imagination?
Why were these knowledge points so easy to memorize…?
She could remember everything after just one read.
Even those English vocabulary words were instantly imprinted in her mind.
Wait a second… could it be…
She fell into deep thought, carefully analyzing the situation, and then—an epiphany!
Turns out, she was actually a hidden genius!
After seventeen years, her dormant talents were finally awakening?!
Awesome!
“Don’t worry!” Cluru suddenly became brimming with confidence.
One tentacle pulled me into her arms, while another lifted my chin.
With a devilish grin, she said, “From today on, I’ve got your back. No one’s going to bully you.”
“Do your homework! And stop saying weird stuff out of nowhere!”
Whack! Teacher Xiao Yuan smacked Cluru’s tentacle with a ruler.
“Wuuuu…”
Cluru’s tentacle recoiled immediately, and she dejectedly lowered her head to continue her homework.
This weirdo…
I didn’t really get what was up with her just now, but I didn’t dwell on it.
Back in the other world, I’d seen countless tales of losers turning their lives around.
Like that one outer sect errand boy who accidentally inherited a great cultivator’s legacy and suddenly gained terrifying power.
From then on, he changed completely—becoming arrogant and ruthless.
He beat up every cultivator who had ever argued with him and even betrayed his sect.
Stories like that? All too common.
Especially for cultivators who have long been downtrodden or humiliated, the sudden acquisition of power makes it all too easy for them to fall into darkness.
I wonder… What about Cluru?
Now that she’s undergone body refinement, she possesses perfect aptitude for cultivation.
Starting today, she’ll enter a rapid growth phase.
Once she grows up, her personality will probably change too.
She may no longer need me—her little cuddle pillow in the basement.
Ha. That’s fine by me.
I could use the break…
“I meant it,” Cluru suddenly said.
“Huh? I mean what?” I was completely lost.
“What I said earlier.” Her deep violet eyes shimmered like a clear pool, revealing the sincerity in her heart. “I was serious.”
Pfft—
Oh please.
You wanna protect me, the Immortal Lord?
Did you even build your foundation yet?
Smack! Smack!
Two slaps from a ruler landed squarely on both our heads.
“You two think I’m invisible or something?!”
……
Thankfully, Teacher Xiao Yuan wasn’t cruel enough to force round-the-clock tutoring on us.
“You may go out to gather supplies. Be back before dark.”
Hooray~!
The moment she allowed us to leave, a wave of relief washed over me—as if a heavy burden had lifted.
Hard to believe that, after surviving countless life-or-death battles in another world, I could still feel this kind of joy at a simple reprieve from studying.
It felt like…
I’d gone back seventeen years.
As if those seventeen years really were nothing but a long dream.
I was still me.
“What are you spacing out for? We’ve been waiting forever!”
Senior Xinyue waved at us from the doorway.
“You really didn’t need to wait…”
“You two look so small—how could we let you go to the shopping mall on your own? What if some creepy old guy tried to lure you away?”
“…Fine.”
I don’t like being treated like a kid, but what can I do when Cluru insists on this form?
“Professor Ishida just released the travel route—from Kang City to Chang’an City, we’ll follow the Han River for part of the journey, then cross Mount Qin. The entire trip is over 300 kilometers. And once you factor in exploring and capturing spirits, we’ll be spending about a month in the mountains.
That means—we’ll need lots and lots of supplies. And to carry all that, we’ll need a really sturdy backpack.”
As expected of the class monitor.
She was thinking exactly what I was.
When I heard “training expedition,” my first thought was also: get a bag.
Although… mine doesn’t need to go on my back.
“Senior Xinyue, have you heard of a spatial ring?”
“A spatial ring? You mean those inventory rings from novels? And you still insist you’re not a cultivator?!”
“It’s just… a Qilin ability.”
Yes, yes, it was all me.
I’m just that amazing.
The Qilin rolled its eyes and gave up trying to argue.
“There’s no way spatial rings actually exist, right?”
Xinyue said skeptically.
“Scientifically speaking, that would require tech like spatial transfer or particle compression—it’s just impossible…”
“Storage accessories with built-in space are extremely rare, but they do exist.”
Even in the other world, any equipment with an inventory function was worth a fortune.
After all, it involves the laws of space itself.
To make a spatial ring, you’d either need the corpse of a beast that inherently possesses space laws—those beasts are absurdly powerful, essentially max-level threats.
Or the crafter must personally comprehend spatial laws— Which is even less likely.
Those laws are incredibly difficult to grasp, and most artifact forgers aren’t strong enough in the first place.
Back when I was trying to find a way back to Earth, I spent a long time searching for the law of space.
Thankfully, I found it.
And during the journey home, my understanding of that law deepened even further.
Creating a spatial accessory should be possible for me now…
I think…
This is my first time trying, so I don’t know what might go wrong.
It… probably won’t destroy the solar system?
Probably. 0v0