CH 25 - 26

Chapter 25: Contempt of 120 Points

Due to financial constraints, Xiao Qingyang was unable to purchase higher-level spiritual plant seeds, thus he couldn't produce higher-level healing potions in the short term.

However, in order to earn more money and improve his alchemy skills, Xiao Qingyang had already begun researching the recipes for other potions.

Xiao Qingyang had never relaxed his studies on the properties of related spiritual plants in this world. He had memorized a lot of information about these plants and even compared them to the ones in his own world that had similar functions.

With the experience gained from researching healing potion recipes twice before, Xiao Qingyang discovered that the usage of spiritual plants in this world, which served as substitutes for the ones in his own world, followed a pattern. This knowledge allowed him to save a considerable amount of time while researching other potion recipes.

Apart from healing potions, the second type of potion Xiao Qingyang planned to research was an enhancement potion. This potion could strengthen the human physique, making one's physical qualities more robust. It was a favorite among dwarves and the most urgently needed potion for him at the moment.

Of course, the robust physiques of dwarves were the result of both innate traits and diligent training. The enhancement potion could only add a finishing touch.

Xiao Qingyang wasn't sure if such enhancement potions existed in this world, but fortunately, there were spiritual plants that could serve as substitutes for creating them. The following period would be a time of exploration and experimentation.

Having learned from previous lessons, Long Jingze, just like the old steward, had become accustomed to the frequent sounds of explosions. He could even continue his activities as if nothing happened, with the explosions serving as background music.

As long as the explosions occurred frequently, it meant that Xiao Qingyang was studying new potions.

Long Jingze was surprised by the high frequency of these explosions because other novice alchemists might not even reach the stage of causing explosions initially. They would often get stuck at handling spiritual plants for a long time before reaching the stage of fusion, and then explosions would occur due to fusion errors.

However, Xiao Qingyang almost always smoothly reached the fusion stage, indicating that he was extremely skilled and meticulous in handling spiritual plants.

Although there were frequent explosions during Xiao Qingyang's potion-making process, it didn't last long. Moreover, once he succeeded once, the success rate afterwards was very high. This was undoubtedly an excellent achievement for an alchemist.

Xiao Qingyang had a high talent for alchemy, and if he received proper guidance and systematic learning, his potential could be even greater.

Initially, Long Jingze speculated that Xiao Qingyang might be a secret weapon raised by some family. But after so many days had passed and apart from Xiao Qingyang and the old steward, he hadn't seen a third person here.

If he were really a secret weapon raised outside, everything from his food and clothing to his accommodations would be exquisite, and there would be no shortage of servants or mentors. However, Xiao Qingyang lacked all of these, forcing Long Jingze to overturn all of his previous speculations.

Moreover, based on the current situation, Xiao Qingyang seemed more like someone who had been exiled to this remote and uninhabited planet. But which family would be foolish enough to abandon such a talented alchemist?

This puzzled Long Jingze greatly, but the only thing he could be certain of was that if Xiao Qingyang had truly been abandoned, he would give that family a contemptuous score of 120 points, and the royal family would never employ such a short-sighted fool in the future.

At that moment, in the distant old residence in the Imperial Capital Star, the head of the Xiao family suddenly sneezed.

Head of the Xiao family: It's getting chilly. I should put on some more clothes.

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Chapter 26: This Crown Prince Isn't Worried at All

In fact, the number of spiritual plant species required for the enhancement potion was slightly fewer than that for the healing potion, but the research difficulty was by no means lower.

The healing potion could be considered relatively mild among all potions, and the required attributes of the spiritual plants were also gentle. However, the same couldn't be said for the enhancement potion. A slight mistake could result in an explosion far beyond what the healing potion could compare to.

Therefore, during the process of refining the enhancement potion, Xiao Qingyang's face was almost never free from anxiety. He didn't even dare to wear new clothes because each explosion could transform him instantly from a runway model to a beggar disciple. It wasn't until the recipe for the enhancement potion was researched that he finally put an end to these dark days.

"I finally managed to refine it." Xiao Qingyang looked at the pale blue potion in his hand, feeling both emotional and excited.

Even in his previous life, when he first learned to refine the enhancement potion, it wasn't as difficult as it was now. But fortunately, the result was good.

This was an enhancement potion. Drinking it would make his body stronger, and when combined with exercise, his physical strength would definitely increase significantly.

Because of the success with the previous two healing potions, Xiao Qingyang couldn't wait to pour the enhancement potion into his mouth. He was truly fed up with his weak current physique.

However, the moment the potion entered his oral cavity, Xiao Qingyang felt as if millions of ants were crawling all over his body. It started with a tingling sensation, followed by tiny stings that caused him to let out an uncontrollable scream.

"Ah!" Xiao Qingyang couldn't hold himself up any longer and collapsed straight to the ground, groaning in pain.

Long Jingze had been meditating with his eyes closed, but he immediately opened them upon hearing Xiao Qingyang's agonizing scream. The scene before him made his eyes turn bloodshot with anger.

"Roar!" Long Jingze quickly ran to Xiao Qingyang's side and tried pushing him with his small paws, but Xiao Qingyang didn't respond at all. His brow furrowed in pain, and he lay there, suffering.

Long Jingze desperately wanted to lift Xiao Qingyang onto the bed, but with his current small stature, he couldn't even manage to push him. All he could do was turn around and run downstairs to find the old steward.

When the old steward arrived, Xiao Qingyang was almost drenched in sweat from the pain, curled up on the ground like a tiny, pitiful figure that evoked great sympathy.

"Young Master!" The old steward was taken aback upon seeing the situation and quickly had the robot assist in lifting the young master onto the bed. He then activated the inspection mode to conduct a full-body examination.

During the wait, both the old steward and Long Jingze were anxious. One didn't know what exactly had happened in Xiao Qingyang's room, while the other knew but couldn't articulate it. They could only worry helplessly.

After the robot completed its examination and indicated that Xiao Qingyang's body had no problems, in fact, it was even better than before, the old steward and Long Jingze didn't believe it. After all, Xiao Qingyang was still lying in bed, groaning in pain. How could there be no issues at all?

However, this planet was too remote, and apart from this all-purpose robot, there was no other doctor available to diagnose Xiao Qingyang. Even if they wanted to take him to another planet, they would have to wait for a flight to arrive.

The flights from this planet to other planets only operated once a month, and that month had already passed.

Just when the old steward and Long Jingze didn't know what to do in their worried state, Xiao Qingyang finally regained some consciousness. He tried hard to maintain his composure and said to the two, "I'm... fine. Tomorrow, tomorrow will be better. Don't... worry."

He hadn't expected the potency of the enhancement potion to be so strong, or perhaps he had overestimated his current body.

The enhancement potion would make a person's body stronger, naturally resulting in some modifications to the body. However, for someone whose body was already strong, these modifications would be inconsequential. But for someone with a weak body like Xiao Qingyang, the enhancement potion needed to be taken in stages.

In his previous life, Xiao Qingyang had directly consumed the enhancement potion, forgetting the weakness of his current body. That was what led to the current situation.

However, he could endure this pain. As long as he endured the discomfort of the modifications, his body would undergo a significant improvement, which was a good thing for him.

But the old steward and Long Jingze, who didn't understand the specifics, couldn't truly ease their minds. Even though Xiao Qingyang reassured them, they still believed he was just trying to comfort them.

...

Due to Xiao Qingyang's body being extremely frail, much weaker than he had imagined, the enhancement potion took a full two days and nights to modify his body, gradually alleviating the pain.

Fortunately, although it was painful, it was within a tolerable range. Just the thought of his body getting much better afterward made Xiao Qingyang silently endure the ordeal, gritting his teeth.

After the two days passed and he finally felt the pain subsiding, Xiao Qingyang's eyes immediately welled up with tears, stinging with a surge of emotion.

During those two days and nights, he hadn't shed a single tear. Yet now, when it was all over, tears involuntarily filled his eyes.

The old steward's cooking speed was getting faster, and soon he brought a bowl of fragrant and thick porridge.

The rice used to make the porridge was the wild rice that Xiao Qingyang had occasionally discovered some time ago. Of course, he had also saved some of these rice grains as seeds, planning to find a place to cultivate them himself so that he wouldn't have to worry about running out of rice in the future.

"Grandpa Du's cooking keeps getting tastier. I'm going to eat until I'm full," Xiao Qingyang praised without hesitation after finishing a bowl of porridge.

The old steward was indeed delighted to hear that.

Although Xiao Qingyang repeatedly emphasized that his body was really fine, even better than before, he was still forced by the old steward to stay in bed for two more days before being allowed to get up.

With the previous two days added, it had been a total of four days. For Xiao Qingyang, who loved the great outdoors and nature, it felt like his body was going to grow moldy. As soon as he received permission, he wasted no time in rushing out of the door.

Taking a deep breath, he felt that the outdoor air was fresher and more comfortable.

"It feels so good." Xiao Qingyang stretched out in a big yawn, slightly squinting his eyes towards the sun, his expression lazy and content.

After the enhancement, his body had indeed improved significantly, but it had only reached the level of an ordinary person. To regain his level from his previous life, he still had a long way to go.

However, with his increased physical strength, Xiao Qingyang felt that his body was much more relaxed than before. At least now he didn't have to stop and rest every time he walked a certain distance.

The sale of the enhancement potion also made it onto his agenda.

First, Xiao Qingyang searched on the Star Network for the enhancement potion but found that there was no such medication with that name. Then he searched for the potions available in this world to see if there was anything similar.

As a result, he only found a similar one called Ability Enhancement Potion, but it only worked for those with abilities, providing a small boost to their powers and having no effect on physical strength.

Xiao Qingyang sensed a business opportunity. If there was no such potion in this world, then it represented an untapped market. His enhancement potion would definitely be in high demand, even among ordinary people. He should be able to earn a good amount of star coins from it.

The thought of a substantial income made Xiao Qingyang unable to help but chuckle.

Since coming to this world, he had realized that money wasn't everything, but not having money was absolutely unbearable.