Emily eyes Aaron coldly. He looks apologetic and says, “Sorry! I messed up the time. I thought I said nine o’clock.”

  Emily takes a deep breath. This is the first time in her life she’s gone on a date with a guy her age, and it’s also the first time she’s been stood up.

  And she’s sure the other person did it on purpose.

  Beneath Aaron’s seemingly sincere face, she sees the acting of one of her own kind.

  Exhaling sharply, her cold expression instantly melts into a dazzling smile. “It’s okay. I just got here myself. You’re up this te, so you must be trying to convince your friend to quit training the force, right? Has he come to his senses? Please don’t tell me he’s still stubborn about it. Tell your friend one more thing...”

  Aaron interrupts, “Thanks for the concern, but my friend suddenly fell ill st night and died.”

  With that, Aaron strides into Potion Hall.

  He uses facial recognition to enter the exclusive brewing room.

  “What potion do you want to brew?” Aaron asks.

  “What are you good at brewing?” Emily looks around the brewing room curiously.

  It’s her first time inside.

  “Calm Potion.”

  “You can brew Calm Potion?” Emily says in surprise.

  She’s very familiar with that potion.

  “What’s so surprising about that?” Aaron shows a trace of pride. Then he adds, “No matter what potion you want to brew, you have to buy the herbs yourself.”

  “Then Calm Potion it is!” Emily rummages through her bag for a while before pulling out a gold coin card. “Here. It has one million gold coins. Buy herbs.”

  “What! How much?” Aaron’s eyes widen.

  “One million gold coins.”

  Emily shoots Aaron a gnce and repeats herself.

  Aaron struggles but his small shred of conscience makes him warn, “That’s way too much. You won’t need that much gold coins.”

  With the average talent of a pharmacist apprentice, you make about five potions a day.

  Each Calm Potion requires herbs costing one thousand coins, so daily expenses are about five thousand gold coins.

  One million gold coins will st Emily two hundred days.

  “This is the card with the smallest amount I have on me.”

  Aaron suddenly turns around.

  Emily stands under the soft glow of the light, which gently falls on her fair face. Her stunning eyes seem to hold the brilliance of a thousand stars.

  At this moment, Emily, with the backpack on her shoulder—

  That creamy white backpack—

  And the stack of dazzling gold coin cards inside it,

  Two words fsh through Aaron’s mind.

  “So beautiful!”

  Seeing Aaron’s expression, Emily’s lips curl into a bright smile. “After covering the cost of the herbs I use, the rest of the money is your hiring fee.”

  “During this time, I will give everything for you,” Aaron says as he takes the card, his face lighting up with enthusiasm. “Let’s get started right away!”

  There are still some leftover Calm Potion herbs in the brewing room, just enough to come in handy.

  With the card in hand, Aaron is extremely eager. Making money? No problem at all.

  “First, break down the herbs. According to the trace elements they contain, gather the ingredients needed for the formu.”

  “The toxin in Ironback Beetle can be neutralized or left as is, but you need to repce Mingn Herb with Clover.”

  “Watch the color changes. If it gets too complicated, just ignore them and add Ground Beetle’s blood at the end.”

  “What a pity, it failed.”

  “You didn’t add enough Mingn Herb.”

  “No worries. Failing is normal when you first start brewing potions.”

  “Failure is the stepping stone to success.”

  ……

  After failing repeatedly, Emily shows no sign of impatience. Instead, it seems to ignite her fighting spirit.

  Her mood shifts from calm at first to a spirited, determined little lion refusing to give up.

  At night, Ava calls, urging her to come back for dinner. Only then does Emily drag her tired body out of the brewing room.

  Aaron accompanies her downstairs.

  Under the yellow streetlight, Emily stands there wearing a light-colored jacket on top and slim straight-leg jeans below, showing off her long, straight legs.

  Suddenly, she turns her head, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “I still like your rebellious side. Get back to it tomorrow.”

  Before Aaron can reply, Emily turns and walks toward Ava.

  Ava looks at her confused. “What happened? Did I miss some juicy gossip?”

  Emily replies casually, “Nothing much. He stood me up. I wanted to get back at him, but seeing him so easily bow to money, I don’t feel like I’ve conquered him.”

  Ava groans and rubs her forehead.

  For the next several days, the two spend their time brewing potions in the brewing room.

  Their retionship heats up—or rather, the tension and sparks fly.

  They often exchange sharp remarks.

  Emily usually leaves around dusk, while Aaron works te into the night brewing the force potion.

  Five nights ter, Aaron looks at the potion in his hands with a smile full of joy.

  After wasting forty or fifty batches of herbs over the past few days, he finally succeeds in brewing the force potion.

  Back home, Aaron drinks the force potion, senses the force, draws it in, and cycles through the force nodes.

  Suddenly, he opens his eyes and reaches for the iron rod beside him.

  Years of working as a miner have made him accustomed to keeping the iron rod close at all times.

  Master Scott appears in the room.

  “Good vigince,” Master Scott nods approvingly.

  “Master, why are you here?” Aaron asks, surprised.

  Master Scott’s whereabouts are usually unpredictable. Unless he summons someone, he’s hard to find.

  “I’m heading out for a trip and might not be back for a month. During this time, you must train hard. When I return, you will come with me to a certain pce,” Master Scott instructs.

  “Are we going to the wilderness?”

  “No need to ask now. You’ll know when the time comes.”

  “Yes, Master.”

  “Hm? Haven’t been training much tely? Why is your force so low?” Master Scott asks, sensing the force fluctuations around Aaron with some surprise.

  “Master, I ran out of force potion, so my progress has slowed down a bit.”

  “Ran out?” Master Scott looks puzzled. “One potion sts at least three days. It’s only been six days. How could you have used it all up?”

  “My force potion’s effect sts shorter for me than for others.”

  “Only two days?”

  “Two… two hours,” Aaron says awkwardly.

  Master Scott falls silent for a moment.

  Two hours...

  That talent can no longer be called poor, it’s something else entirely.

  Wait, Aaron was definitely training just now.

  Noticing Master Scott’s confusion, Aaron expins, “I just brewed the force potion today.”

  Master Scott remains speechless again, his expression full of mixed emotions.

  Normally, the force potion sts three to five days.

  Five days for average talent, three days for slightly below average.

  Two hours... calling him useless is actually putting it mildly.

  But brewing the force potion from scratch, without guidance, even a pharmacist with exceptional talent would need months.

  And Aaron did it in five days.

  His talents in both potion-making and force adept abilities are suffocatingly impressive.

  After a long pause, Master Scott finally says, “Have you ever considered giving up on being a force adept and focusing solely on learning to be a pharmacist?”

  Aaron tilts his head, looking at Master Scott.

  What does that mean?

  Is he looking down on me?

  No good, too te now.

  “I’ve never thought about it,” Aaron says stubbornly, shaking his head.

  “In a couple of days, you’ll receive an invitation to a pharmacist exchange conference in the Linta Region. You should go,” Master Scott says.

  “A pharmacist exchange conference?”

  “Yes. The Imperial Academy’s enrollment is coming up. Some pharmacists who came from the Linta Region and now teach at the Imperial Academy will come back early to hold an exchange conference and share some potion-making knowledge,” Master Scott expins.

  Pharmacists are generally academic professionals, but as you climb higher, faction rivalries become intense.

  Those pharmacists who left the Linta Region naturally want to recruit local potion-making talents in advance.

  Though their motives aren’t entirely pure, they do share a lot of valuable potion knowledge at these conferences.

  “If you want to keep training your force abilities, it’s best to pass the Level 1 pharmacist exam this year and get into the Imperial Academy. Inside, there are rare treasures that can improve your talent. But before that, you need to improve your potion-making skills,” Master Scott says.

  Although Aaron’s talent for potion-making is terrifying, even the best cook can’t work without ingredients.

  Without proper teaching, everything is just empty talk.

  Relying only on potion knowledge circuting in the market, it’s impossible to pass the Imperial Academy’s exam.

  And Master Scott himself has had no time to personally teach Aaron recently.

  When Master Scott mentions the Imperial Academy again, Aaron’s eyes flicker with interest.

  This year’s Imperial Academy enrollment really seems extraordinary.

  “Master, what exactly is inside the Imperial Academy?”

  “There’s a lot involved. I can’t expin it all to you right now. But in short, this year’s enrollment is the grandest since the founding of the Empire. The Empire’s greatest treasures will be open to these students.”

  A bright gleam shines in Master Scott’s calm eyes.

  “I won’t let you down, Master,” Aaron promises.

  “All right, here are some potions to go with your Poison Technique. Take them during this period,” Master Scott says, pulling out several potions. “Dilute them before drinking. The exact ratios are recorded in the Poison Technique manual.”

  Aaron takes the potions, and Master Scott waves his hand. A bck fme suddenly appears out of thin air, swiftly imprints itself onto Aaron’s forehead, then vanishes.

  “Master, what is this?”

  “When you encounter outcasts, use the force to manipute it. With this, you’ll be safe in the Linta Region,” Master Scott says.

  After finishing, his body gradually fades until he disappears completely.

  “Master Scott, what cultivation level does he have exactly?”

  Aaron touches his forehead, looking stunned at the spot where Master Scott vanished.

  Three days ter.

  Inside the brewing room.

  “Pffft!”

  A sudden fart breaks the silence, bringing a bit of awkwardness to the brewing room.

  Aaron, the culprit, shifts slightly without a word.

  He has been diluting the toxic potion Master Scott gave him according to the ratios in the Poison Technique manual and drinking it daily.

  But unexpectedly, the first potion causes some discomfort in his digestive system.

  Moments ter, another sound echoes.

  “Hey friend, you’ve been pretty ‘chatty’ tely,” Emily says, stepping back several paces until she stands under the ventition vent in the corner, her expression strange.

  Everyone knows the brewing room is supposed to be a quiet, enclosed space.

  “My stomach’s been acting up recently,” Aaron says with an awkward smile, knowing he can’t really argue back at her teasing.

  Emily spots some deep red Calm Potions nearby and casually asks, “What kind of potion is this?”

  “Calm Potion.”

  “Isn’t the finished Calm Potion purple?”

  “This is half-finished, not fully brewed yet.”

  “How much? I’ll take a few. Been overworking my brain tely, need some healing.”

  After this time spent brewing, Emily realizes her pharmacist talent is just okay, above average but nothing spectacur.

  “Take them! Just don’t tell anyone I made them. Once you’re out of this room, I won’t admit it.”

  “Why? Afraid someone will come after you if I get poisoned?”

  “Not in the mood to argue today,” Aaron snorts.

  He thought Ava was annoying enough, but it turns out her skills are less than one percent of Emily.

  This girl has a way of talking that can absolutely drive someone crazy.

  When they’re not close, she’s icy cold. Once familiar, Aaron’s only thought is that maybe it’s better to stay distant.

  “All right, that’s enough for today! I’ll come back once your bad breath is gone.”

  Emily casually grabs two Calm Potions, stuffs them into her bag, and strides out of the brewing room.

  “Bad breath?”

  Damn it.

  Aaron’s face darkens with frustration.

  Afternoon.

  Aaron puts the freshly brewed Force Potions into his backpack.

  Looking at nearly twenty bottles of Force Potion inside, a hint of satisfaction flickers at the corner of his eyes. Today, his condition is good, every single batch of Force Potion he brewed is a success.

  After packing up, Aaron turns to leave.

  “Aaron!”

  The brewing room door just opens.

  At the entrance, Lucas hurries over, clearly waiting for some time.

  “Lucas, I didn’t know you were outside. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

  “No worries, I just got here myself,” Lucas replies. “My master asked me to tell you to gather at the Potion Hall at nine tomorrow morning for a pharmacist exchange meeting.”

  “Pharmacist exchange meeting?” Aaron pauses, then recalls what Master Scott mentioned a few days ago. “Alright, I’ll be there on time. By the way, how many people are attending?”

  “Three.”

  “That few?”

  “According to the master, this kind of exchange is pretty exclusive. Only senior apprentices with an A grade or above in assessments can participate, and each person can only attend once. Those who attended st year can’t join this year,” Lucas expins.

  “I see.”

  Aaron nods.

  So the three must be him, Lucas, and Lucy, who ranked second this year.

  Only these three have A-grade ratings this time.

  “Aaron, remember to bring some clothes. The exchange sts five days, and with travel time included, it’ll take about two weeks.”

  “Got it.”

  The two chat for a while, then Aaron recalls Lucas asking for Calm Potion at Ava’s party. He returns to the brewing room and grabs a half-finished Calm Potion.

  “A few days ago, you said your brain felt overloaded, so I specially brewed this Calm Potion for you. But don’t tell anyone, or everyone at the party will come asking, and I won’t be able to keep up with the demand,” Aaron says, handing the potion over with a tired look.

  Lucas sees the Calm Potion, warmth spreading through his heart.

  At the party, he had mentioned it casually, not expecting much since Calm Potion is really hard to make.

  He never imagined Aaron would remember and actually brew one just for him.

  He had often heard that Aaron is simple and sincere, and meeting him today confirms it’s true.

  Looking at Aaron’s weary face, Lucas feels deeply moved.

  “Thank you so much, Aaron.” Saying this, Lucas pulls out his phone and immediately transfers five thousand gold coins to Aaron.

  Aaron frowns, “Lucas, what’s this about? I made the potion for you, not for money.”