As usual, Bat’s Eye Medical Hall seemed rather deserted.
The medical hall charged high fees, and its patients were mainly the wealthier commoners, such as mercenaries, and a few nobles; the numerous lower-class poor seldom visited.
After treating a patient, tranquility returned to the medical hall once again.
“Mr. Orio, I would like you to guide me in potion-making,” Ivan suddenly said.
Justine looked at him in surprise upon hearing this, then something crossed her mind, and a barely noticeable smile appeared on her face as she thought there would be an interesting drama to watch.
Old Orio did not answer, clearly somewhat displeased.
Having spent some time with Old Orio, Ivan had roughly figured out his personality, and this time he chose to be direct.
“This is a universal breathing potion recipe, I hope it pleases you.”
He directly handed over his bargaining chip, which was the Whirlpool Potion recipe given to him by his father.
This tactic was good; Justine’s expression subtly changed as she intently watched the developments.
Old Orio took it and glanced at it, his gaze fixed on the parchment for a long time, making the other two hesitant to interrupt. Justine even stepped back wisely, being careful not to glance at the potion recipe.
Ivan waited anxiously.
After a while, Old Orio’s voice finally broke the silence, “Tell me, what potions do you think could replace Whirlpool Flower and Barro Grass?” His gaze still rested on the recipe.
Here it came, Ivan knew this question was crucial, so he didn’t rush to answer.
[Apothecary Skill: lv1(6/100)]
[Knight Breathing Skill: lv0(9/10)]
[Linguistics Skill: lv0(1/10)]
An invisible panel, unseen by others, appeared in his eyes, revealing that his Apothecary Skill had improved significantly, thanks to finishing volumes one, two, and three of the Herbs Record, yet it had plateaued there, since Old Orio hadn’t provided any further books or guidance.
Ivan could completely understand this, after all, Old Orio had only lost a drinking bet once and was already beyond generous with his teachings.
‘Enough, let’s give it a try.’
He pondered for a moment and clenched his jaw, then used the Light of Wisdom he gained from increasing Apothecary Skill by one level.
In an instant, his mind seemed exceptionally clear and agile, as the various herbs he had learned about vividly surfaced in his mind, their effects, hidden properties, and precautions all clearly understood.
The possible effects of different herb combinations sparked thoughts in his mind, seemingly without limit.
This was the effect of the Light of Wisdom, enhancing insight and spirituality by three times.
Realizing he had only two minutes, Ivan quickly set aside other thoughts and focused on pondering the herbs and process of making the Whirlpool Potion, combining his knowledge of herbs to find a combination that could replace Whirlpool Flower and Barro Grass.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the medical hall was especially somber.
Justine, seeing Ivan deeply engrossed in thought, felt a mix of annoyance and anticipation. After two or three minutes, she heard Ivan sigh inexplicably, as if experiencing some reluctance and regret.
“You could consider using Silver Fish Flower and Mouse Bellflower Root.”
“Or, do not change Barro Grass, use Water Wheat Susswassertang Fruit, and possibly add a bit of Ripple Stone Powder.”
“Using Water Olive, Black Spider Flower, plus Grand Saber Spider gland fluid could be worth trying to see their effects, it might provide some insights.”
The potion recipe was an integrative whole, changing a core ingredient required altering others as well, so Ivan offered three potential substitutes.
Having said this, he looked expectantly at Old Orio.
Old Orio lifted his head and then nodded slightly, “Not bad.” With that, he briskly put away the recipe.
It was a success!
Ivan’s eyes brightened and he couldn’t suppress a smile.
Seeing this, Justine pursed her lips.
Actually, she wasn’t so upset at the moment; from Ivan’s imaginative responses just now, she could sense his talent and creativity, and she had to admit she was somewhat inferior.
Moreover, she knew now how to seek mentorship.
The next morning, Old Orio called Ivan into the apothecary lab.
“Boom.”
Under Justine’s eagerness gaze, the door closed tightly, shutting her out from the view.
‘Ah—bastard!’
Justine felt sour, even though she was the first to arrive.
[Apothecary Skill Experience Point +1]
[Apothecary Skill Experience Point +1]
[Apothecary Skill Experience Point +1]
[Apothecary Skill: lv1(9/100)]
In the apothecary lab, Old Orio meticulously instructed Ivan in handling herbs and in making simple potions of disinfectant and hemostatic powder, allowing Ivan to experience the spiraling increase of experience points.
By the end of the morning, the Apothecary Skill Experience Points had increased by 3 points, whereas when he studied by himself, it would take at least two to three days to increase by one point.
Ivan inwardly praised, this was the difference between learning secretly and true transmission, the gap was indeed significant.
From that day on, Ivan became a true apothecary apprentice of Old Orio.
This stimulated Justine, who was always looking for ways to find a recipe for Breathing Secret Medicine like Ivan so she could truly become a disciple under Old Orio.
…
A month later.
In the martial arts arena of the Cassia Swordsmanship Hall, two young men were crossing swords in one corner.
“Hah.”
At that moment, Donnie grunted lowly, gathering all his strength into one sword strike, slashing again towards the front.
“Well done.” Facing such an attack, Ivan was not afraid; he advanced his sword step and his Quillen Sword deftly struck the weak spot of the opponent’s iron sword, effectively blocking the attack.
Ivan stepped back half a step, stably parrying the sword strike.
Donnie stood drawing his sword back, “No more, no more, my swordsmanship is not as good as yours.”
Once again he had failed to defeat Ivan, which left him somewhat helpless. Even though he surpassed the opponent in strength and speed, he lost due to Ivan’s swordsmanship, only achieving a draw.
Ivan was also somewhat unsatisfied, “Swordsmanship is merely secondary, Breathing Method is fundamental.”
Strength: 1.5, Agility 1.3, Body Constitution: 1.1, Spirit: 1.4
Over the past month, he constantly strived, his strength had increased by 0.2, while agility and body constitution had only increased by 0.1, a progress rate that was hard for him to be satisfied with.
Donnie was different, having purchased the Gushing Potion twice, his true strength was higher than Ivan’s, forcing him to rely on swordsmanship to compensate for his combat power, barely maintaining an even situation of neither winning nor losing.
Speaking of swordsmanship, he had to mention the last time his Knight Breathing Skill had advanced to level 1.
The Small Light of Wisdom that time brought many benefits, not only did it provide a deeper understanding of the Breathing Method, but it also gave him insights into basic swordsmanship, riding skill, and archery. The latter seemed like an adjunct to the former, thoroughly revisited all at once.
After the basic swordsmanship was sufficiently honed, he successively learned the Gushing Sword Skill and the family-handed-down Frog-style Sword Technique, making significant progress in swordsmanship, surpassing Donnie by a margin.
Unfortunately, the basic Breathing Method remained just that — a basic method, and no deeper understanding could change its innate limitations; the efficiency remained low.
Donnie said, “I’m going to buy the last Gushing Potion, are you coming?”
“Together.”
Ivan thought seriously, remembering the Gold Coins he had just earned, and chose to agree.
Donnie laughed and slapped his shoulder, “That’s right, spend the Gold Coins on potions, and after enhancing your strength you can earn even more Gold Coins, Gold Coins beget Gold Coins.”
The two entered the Swordsmanship Hall together and when they emerged, each had a small bottle of Gushing Potion.
“I need to make a trip to the Central Library, see you later.”
“What are you going there for, it’s not cheap.”
“I have my plans.”
Under Donnie’s puzzled gaze, Ivan headed towards West City of Flying Fish Port, he needed to raise his Linguistics Skill to level 1 to obtain more Light of Wisdom, he had big plans.