Customized Body Tempering Pill
The final exam storm at Rockefeller School of Witchcraft and Wizardry finally passed without major incident. Thanks to the phenomenal sales of his "Eastern Wisdom Pill" and Ling Yao's inhuman "exam tutoring" abilities, Finn Leaver miraculously managed to barely scrape by and not fail. This only fueled his boundless admiration for Ling Yao, like the endless waves of a vast ocean.
"Miss Ling! You are my second parents! My guiding light! The brightest lighthouse on my life's journey!" Finn held his few barely passing report cards, his eyes brimming with tears of excitement, wishing he could kowtow to Ling Yao on the spot.
Ling Yao was busy tallying up her recent income—mainly those glittering magic cores—and without even looking up, casually tossed him the lowest-quality fire-type magic core: "Here, take this and get some brain-boosting."
Finn hurriedly caught it, so moved he almost fainted on the spot. Look at that! This is the demeanor of a true master! Even a casual gift is a magic core! Although the energy fluctuations of this magic core are so weak they're almost negligible, it's a gift from Miss Ling! It's incredibly meaningful!
He carefully tucked the magic core into the innermost pocket of his robes, deciding to treasure it as a family heirloom.
Just as Finn was pondering how to further express his gratitude, the weathered wooden door of the shop was carefully pushed open. A tall young man in a knight cadet uniform peeked inside, his face filled with hesitation and curiosity.
"Excuse me... is this the 'Eastern Secret Medicine'?" The young man's voice was loud and clear, carrying the straightforwardness characteristic of a knight.
Finn immediately switched back to shrewd businessman mode, a professional smile plastered on his face: "That's right! This student has excellent taste! Our shop specializes in all kinds of secret Eastern potions and magical items, guaranteed effective, no deception! Would you like the 'Wisdom Pill' for mental alertness, or the 'Radiant Skin Dew' for beauty and health? Or perhaps a few 'Gentle Breeze Talismans' to experience the charm of Eastern magic?"
The young knight cadet was a bit bewildered by this barrage of sales pitches and quickly waved his hands: "No, no! I heard... I heard you have some special medicine that can enhance physical fitness?"
As he spoke, he subconsciously puffed out his muscular chest, but a hint of barely concealed embarrassment crossed his face: "I'm Karl Iron Shield, a third-year student at the Knight Academy. Next month is my graduation combat assessment, and my physical fitness test has always... always been just a little short of passing."
Finn sized him up. Good heavens, that build, those muscles—he looks like he could kill a bull with one punch. And this is considered "just a little bit short"? Are the Knight Academy's standards for giants?
Carl seemed to sense Finn's confusion, a blush rising on his dark face, his voice lowering slightly: "It's because my endurance test wasn't up to par... I always run out of stamina for long marches and prolonged battles."
Oh, Finn suddenly realized. So it's because of poor endurance! He knew that well! The "Ling's No. 1" stamina potion was for that very purpose!
"That's easy!" Finn slapped his thigh, turned around, and took out a small crystal bottle from the counter. "Our signature product, 'Ling's No. 1,' is a cure for all kinds of physical weakness! One sip will refresh your mind, two sips will keep you tireless forever, and three sips will grant you immortality..."
Before he could finish, Carl hurriedly interrupted, "I've tried that! It does work to some extent, but the effect isn't lasting enough! The assessment lasts for several hours straight; what I need is a more... more fundamental enhancement!"
Finn was stunned. A more fundamental enhancement? This touched upon a blind spot in his knowledge. He subconsciously turned to look at Ling Yao.
Ling Yao finally put down the magic core in her hand and looked up to examine the knight student named Karl. Hmm, good foundation, vigorous blood and energy, but his meridians seemed a bit blocked, which made his energy flow less smooth and his stamina less than ideal.
Strengthening the body? Isn't that just the most basic body tempering? In her original world, any outer disciple could easily concoct several body tempering pills using common medicinal herbs.
She beckoned to Finn with her finger. Finn immediately scurried over and listened intently.
"Ask him how strong he wants to be," Ling Yao said succinctly.
Finn quickly turned around and repeated exactly what Ling had said: "Miss Ling asked, how strong of an effect do you want?"
Carl's eyes lit up as if he saw a glimmer of hope. He clenched his fist and exclaimed excitedly, "The stronger the better! As long as I can pass the test, I can endure any pain! There are no cowards in our Iron Shield family!"
The stronger the better? Ling Yao raised an eyebrow. This young man has guts! She likes clients with ambition!
She recalled the lowest-grade version of the Body Tempering Pill recipe. It seemed that the main ingredients in this world had substitutes, and the efficacy... was probably only one ten-thousandth of the original? It shouldn't kill anyone.
So she nodded to Finn, indicating that she could take the job.
Finn immediately understood and gave Karl a "you've hit the jackpot" look: "Classmate, you're really lucky! Miss Ling is willing to specially customize an enhancement potion for you! However, this kind of secret potion is not easy to make, and the price..."
"Money is no problem!" Karl unhesitatingly unfastened the money pouch from his waist and slammed it onto the counter with a thud; it sounded quite heavy. "As long as it works! This is the deposit!"
Ling Yao glanced at the money pouch and sensed several earth-elemental magic cores with decent energy inside, which immediately brightened her mood. She got up and walked to the back room, ready to start working.
Considering this was her friend's first attempt from another world, Ling Yao, unusually displaying her humanitarian spirit, further reduced the already meager amount of medicinal herbs in the recipe by half. Even so, she felt she was being a bit too kind to a child.
The refining process was a foregone conclusion. It was still that small, broken crucible, and the same ordinary medicinal herbs. Under Ling Yao's completely unreasonable intervention, they quickly fused into three pills the size of longan fruits, dark in color, and emitting a strange smell.
Ling Yao came out with the pills and handed them to Karl, unusually adding a few extra words: "Take one pill at a time with warm water. Repeat every three days."
Karl was overjoyed. With trembling hands, he accepted the three unremarkable and even somewhat suspicious-looking pills, carefully wrapped them in velvet cloth, paid the balance (and contributed a few decent magic cores), and left with profuse thanks.
As Finn watched Carl's departing figure, he couldn't help but lean close to Ling Yao and whisper, "Miss Ling, how effective was the medicine?"
Ling Yao weighed the newly acquired magic core in her hand and said casually, "It won't kill me."
Finn: "......" What kind of guarantee is this?
However, the very next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the door of the "Eastern Secret Medicine" shop was pounded on loudly, accompanied by Karl Iron Shield's booming, almost excessively loud, roar: "Miss Ling! Mr. Liver! Miracle medicine! It really is a miracle medicine!"
Finn, with his hair all messy and still half asleep, opened the door and was almost blinded by the human torch-like figure outside.
Karl Iron Shield stood in the morning light, his body steaming with heat, his eyes shining like two magical searchlights, and his face beaming with an extremely excited, almost manic smile. His knight cadet uniform seemed to be stretched taut by his bulging muscles, and he looked like a savage beast that had just broken free of its shackles, his energy overflowing with nowhere to go.
"I feel so good! I've never felt this good before!" Carl waved his arms excitedly, his voice so loud it could be heard all over the street. "After taking my medicine last night, I felt all hot and energetic! I ran a full hundred laps around the training field! Not tired at all! I even lifted all the training weights! A breeze!"
Finn stared at him, dumbfounded, then glanced at the sky. "Brother, what time is it? Have you been up all night?"
"Ah! Right! I came to express my gratitude! And to buy some more of that miracle drug!" Karl said, reaching for his purse again.
"Stop, stop, stop!" Finn quickly stopped him. "Miss Ling said that you can only take one pill every three days! You can't take it randomly!"
Carl paused for a moment, then waved his hand dismissively: "It's nothing! I feel great! Taking another one will definitely make it even better!"
Finally, after Finn pleaded with him and almost had to cling to his leg to dissuade him, Carl reluctantly agreed to follow the "doctor's orders." However, he refused to leave and squatted at the store entrance, starting to do push-ups while loudly counting, attracting the attention of early-rising passersby.
Finn clutched his forehead in pain. He felt that Miss Ling seemed to have... caused another unexpected little mishap this time.
However, this is just the beginning.
Over the next two days, Karl Iron Shield became the most dazzling (and noisiest) sight at Rockefeller College.
His energy was outrageous. During the day, he would sweat profusely on the training ground of the Knight Academy, breaking many endurance records and leaving his instructors and classmates in awe. At night, he would go to the entrance of "Oriental Secret Medicine" and squat there, doing push-ups or squats, while constantly muttering "I feel great", "There are no cowards in the Iron Shield family", and "Long live Miss Ling".
He even took the initiative to act as a security guard at the small shop. Whenever he saw a suspicious person approaching, he would stare at them with his big, round eyes and question them. His excited demeanor scared away several other spies from the chamber of commerce who wanted to learn from him or gather information.
Finn went from being worried to becoming numb, and eventually even got used to having a free, walking, human-shaped billboard and bodyguard at the store entrance.
Until the evening of the third day.
Carl appeared at the store entrance on time as usual, but his soaring energy seemed to have reached its peak. He had undergone a three-hour high-intensity self-discipline training session, which included, but was not limited to: weighted cross-country running, sword slashing, and a one-hour continuous charge against a dummy.
Finally, he let out a roar that sounded like a victory declaration, which shook the surrounding area, and then... he fell straight backward, crashing to the ground with a thud, and remained motionless.
Finn was checking the accounts in the store when he was startled by the roar and the loud noise that followed, and he quickly ran out to check.
Karl lay sprawled on the ground, eyes closed, face flushed, his muscles twitching slightly involuntarily, a strange, satisfied smile on his lips, and snoring loudly—he had actually passed out from exhaustion!
"Miss Ling! Something's wrong! Carl... he seems to have fainted!" Finn rushed back into the store in a panic to call for help.
Ling Yao slowly walked out, glanced at the knight student sleeping like a dead pig on the ground, and reached out to feel his pulse.
"It's nothing." She withdrew her hand, her tone flat. "I'm just exhausted. I'll be fine after a few days of sleep."
"Sleep...sleep for a few days?" Finn stammered. "But...it's not right for him to just lie there like this in front of the shop!"
In the end, Finn had no choice but to resign himself to his fate and run to the Knight Academy to report the news. A short while later, several equally tall and burly knight cadets followed Finn and looked at Karl lying on the ground, fast asleep and unable to be woken up no matter what they did. They exchanged bewildered glances.
"What's wrong with Karl?" a student asked cautiously.
Finn chuckled awkwardly, forcing a smile as he explained, "Uh... he probably... fell asleep from exhaustion after training so hard?"
The knight cadets looked at Karl, who was fast asleep as if he had just survived three days and three nights of battle, and listened to his unwavering snoring, their expressions complex. In the end, they had no choice but to work together to carry their sleeping beauty back.
It is said that Karl Iron Shield slept for three days and three nights before waking up. When he did, he found that his stamina had not changed, but his memory of the sustained high was somewhat blurry; he only vaguely remembered that he seemed to have experienced an incredibly exhilarating battle.
Meanwhile, news that the "Eastern Secret Medicine" contained a "strengthening potion" with such potent effects that it could make someone euphoric for three days before they fell into a deep sleep also spread like wildfire, quietly circulating among the Knight Academy and some people who sought power, attracting more curious yet somewhat fearful glances.
Ling Yao's assessment was: "Her constitution is too weak; she can't handle the nourishment."
Finn glanced at the several more inquiries from the burly men in the store and silently raised the price of the "customized enhancement potion" by another 30%.
After all, with such "significant" results, it's reasonable for the price to be a bit higher, right?
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