Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and Feng Hao had more or less settled into his life in this new world.
Miao Feng, his convenient new disciple, was doing quite well. Since he already had a solid foundation in alchemy, he was easy for Feng Hao to teach.
Furthermore, with Feng Hao's help, the Miao Medicine Tower was also bustling with preparations to get back in business.
As time went on, Miao Feng's respect and admiration for Feng Hao grew. After all, the skill of a Ninth-level Alchemist was on full display, and every step of his alchemy process was something Miao Feng could study for a lifetime.
"Master, the pills are all ready. Are we opening tomorrow?"
Looking at the counters brimming with all sorts of medicines, a smile unlike any he'd had before bloomed on Miao Feng's face. After his father's tragic death, he wouldn't have dared to even dream of this. And it was all thanks to his mysterious master.
"Then we'll open. Just be careful not to expose my identity," Feng Hao said, sitting lazily behind the counter and letting out a yawn.
"Don't worry, Master. I know what to do," Miao Feng said with a smiling nod.
During this period, Feng Hao had been using Magic Crystals to meditate and cultivate. His Genetic Tree had quietly advanced to level three. To his exasperation, his convenient disciple, Miao Feng, was apparently already level twelve.
As it turned out, the kid was a student at the Rongcheng Mage Academy and was currently on break.
Feng Hao hadn't been particularly interested in academies, but Miao Feng's explanations piqued his curiosity about the Mage Academy. The most important factor was something called Demon Patterns.
Demon Patterns were the foundation of all Secret Techniques. Each Demon Pattern was a natural pathway for Magic Power, and by combining these pathways, one could acquire all sorts of powerful skills.
For an ordinary person, the only way to learn about Demon Patterns was through a Mage Academy. Therefore, Feng Hao decided to go with Miao Feng to the Rongcheng Mage Academy when the new term began, hopefully to enroll as a student himself.
After all, skills were crucial for a Mage. For someone like him, whose attribute growth was abysmal, skills were the best way to supplement his actual power.
Early the next morning, the Miao Medicine Tower opened for business right on time.
Perhaps thanks to its former reputation, quite a few passing Mages stopped in to have a look. When they saw the dazzling array of high-quality pills, their eyes went wide, and they immediately crowded around Miao Feng, peppering him with questions.
Fortunately, Miao Feng already had a story prepared. He announced that he had been accepted as a disciple by an Alchemy Master, and that Feng Hao was his senior brother.
Many of the old customers marveled at Miao Feng's good fortune. After buying the medicines they wanted, they left in high spirits.
In just two days, news of the Miao Medicine Tower's reopening spread throughout the city. The rumors about the mysterious Alchemist behind it grew wilder and more fantastical with each telling. It couldn't be helped; the quality of the pills at the Miao Medicine Tower was simply too high.
High-grade pills were a rare sight in other pharmacies, but at the Miao Medicine Tower, the pills were mid-grade at a minimum. High-grade pills were plentiful, and they even had legendary perfect-grade pills.
For a time, Rongcheng buzzed with discussion about the Miao Medicine Tower:
"Hey, did you hear? The Miao Medicine Tower is open again. They have nothing but high-quality pills."
"You're telling me! I heard that kid, Miao Feng, found himself an incredible master—a Level 5 Alchemist at least."
"Some say that mysterious Alchemist was a good friend of the late Master Miao."
"That's what I think, too. Otherwise, why would an Alchemy Master take a kid like Miao Feng as his disciple?"
"Heh heh… In any case, the Beixing Clan is probably in for a major headache now."
"Yeah. Wasn't the Beixing Family's monopoly in Rongcheng all thanks to Master Miao? I bet that mysterious Alchemist is definitely going to get justice for him."
"No doubt about it. Having an engagement broken off so humiliatingly… if it were me, I'd have fucking exploded with rage!"
...
Meanwhile, the Beixing Clan had naturally heard the news as well.
Patriarch Beixing Kuang held the pills his subordinates had purchased at a high price from the Miao Medicine Tower, his expression ghastly. He had tacitly approved of his daughter, Beixing Ran, breaking off the engagement, but now, he was sick with regret.
"Father, you're not having second thoughts, are you?" Beixing Ran asked, looking at him with a worried expression. She complained, "There's no way I'm marrying that poor brat."
"I wish I could have second thoughts, but you already tore up the marriage contract," Beixing Kuang said, his face ashen.
The thought of his clan facing the wrath of an Alchemy Master made Beixing Kuang want to die. Who could have possibly known that Master Miao, Miao Qing, had such a mysterious friend?
"So what if I tore it? Our clan is powerful. What's there to be afraid of?" Beixing Ran said with a pout.
"What does a girl like you know? You will stay put in this house and not go anywhere until I say so. Do you hear me?" Beixing Kuang glared, his voice filled with uncontrollable rage.
"I don't want to! I'm not done having fun yet," Beixing Ran protested.
"It's not up to you to cause trouble." Beixing Kuang snorted, then turned to the steward at his side. "Uncle Luo, have some men watch this girl. She is not to take a single step out of this manor before the academy term begins."
"Understood, Patriarch," Steward Luo replied with a nod.
And so, amid Beixing Ran's desperate cries, she was confined to her personal courtyard.
...
Back at the Miao Medicine Tower, Miao Feng was gleefully counting the earnings from the past few days.
As their reputation grew, their daily income increased. This immense success had long since allowed him to forget the pain Beixing Ran had caused him. Now, he had only one thought: to focus on studying alchemy under Feng Hao and strive to become stronger.
"Master, we've already earned one hundred fifty thousand Magic Crystals!" Miao Feng exclaimed, his face flushed with excitement.
Feng Hao was by the Alchemy Furnace, tinkering with a new pill. Hearing Miao Feng's shout, he couldn't help but glance back and roll his eyes at him. 'What's so exciting about a little bit of money?'
Miao Feng smiled sheepishly and sidled over. "By the way, Master, what kind of pill are you refining? You've been tinkering with it for days."
"I'm refining something called an Experience Pill. I'm not sure if it will be a success."
'It really bugged him that his own disciple's level was so much higher than his.' But conventional cultivation was too slow. Out of options, he thought of the Experience Pills that existed only in games. He just didn't know if an Experience Pill would even work in a world without experience points.
"An Experience Pill? What does it do?" Miao Feng asked curiously.
"If it's a success, it should be a pill that can directly raise a person's genetic level."
Hearing this, Miao Feng's eyes went wide. "A pill that can directly raise your genetic level?" he said in disbelief. "Are you kidding, Master? How could such a pill exist in this world?"
"Maybe there is," Feng Hao retorted, pursing his lips as he continued to refine the Experience Pill.
"But… how could a pill possibly exist that directly raises your level?" Miao Feng scratched the back of his head, unable to wrap his mind around it.
"Ah, Xiaomiaozi, as an outstanding Alchemist, you must believe that nothing in this world is impossible. Only then can you reach for a higher realm!" Feng Hao said, putting on the profound airs of a grandmaster.
'In his mind, if something as unbelievable as transmigrating to another world could happen, what was truly impossible?'
Miao Feng lowered his head, lost in thought. Those words, which Feng Hao had casually tossed out to sound impressive, had instead opened a new door for him. His understanding of alchemy suddenly became much clearer.
"Haha, it's a success!"
As Feng Hao laughed, the Alchemy Furnace began to frantically draw in the surrounding magical energy, forming a vortex.
A few moments later, the vortex of energy subsided. He opened the Alchemy Furnace, and twelve familiar-looking pills appeared before him. They were the very same Experience Pills from the game *Mage*.
"This is the pill that can directly increase your power?" Miao Feng asked, stepping forward in amazement.
"That's right." Feng Hao nodded in satisfaction, took out an Experience Pill, and tossed it to him. "Quick, eat it. Help me test its effects."
Miao Feng looked at him with an aggrieved expression. "Why me?"
"It's just to test a pill, what's the big deal?" Feng Hao said, feigning a righteous tone. "Besides, this is a Tier One Experience Pill. Your level is perfect for it."
"Alright, then," Miao Feng replied meekly, closing his eyes and swallowing the Experience Pill.
The pill took effect quickly. Wisps of pure magical energy began to gather around him. Miao Feng's eyes flew open in pleasant surprise, and he eagerly sat down cross-legged on the floor to cultivate.
The effect lasted for nearly half an hour. Miao Feng seemed to become a black hole, frantically devouring the magical energy from the surrounding space.
"It's real! It's actually real!" When Miao Feng opened his eyes, his face was a mask of astonishment and disbelief.
Seeing this, Feng Hao grew excited as well. He hadn't expected the Experience Pill from the game to actually work. "Here, try another one."
Miao Feng didn't hesitate this time, swallowing the Experience Pill in one gulp and resuming his cultivation.
Half an hour later, he opened his eyes again, his expression a little strange. "The effect seems to have weakened quite a bit."
"Again." Feng Hao wasted no words, tossing him another pill.
...
"The effect weakened again, by quite a bit," Miao Feng reported earnestly.
"Mm, that's about what I expected. It seems you can only take three or four of these Experience Pills per stage," Feng Hao said with a slight nod. 'It's not like the game where you could take them indefinitely, but he was already quite satisfied with this result.'
Miao Feng stood up with a look of dawning comprehension, his face brimming with excitement. He had jumped from level twelve to level sixteen in the blink of an eye. 'He wondered how many people he would shock when school started again. Even the teachers would probably be stunned, right?'
"Master, you're simply incredible!" Miao Feng exclaimed, looking at Feng Hao with adoration.
"Less flattery, more focus on your alchemy." Feng Hao waved his sleeve like an enlightened master, casually tossing him four Experience Pills. He then said thoughtfully, "Keep one of these four pills. Find someone to deliver the other three to the other three great clans."
Miao Feng was taken aback. "Master," he said, confused, "even if we're targeting the Beixing Clan, there's no need to give the other three great clans a freebie, is there?"
"What do you know? First, we give them a little taste of the good stuff. That way, they'll be more willing when it's time to bleed them dry," Feng Hao said with a sinister grin.
"Master, you're brilliant!" Miao Feng understood instantly. He couldn't help but give a thumbs-up before rushing out the door in a great hurry to carry out Feng Hao's instructions.
After seeing Miao Feng off, Feng Hao went straight back to his room upstairs to begin cultivating.
The Experience Pill's effects proved to be remarkable. The Tier One Experience Pill was originally meant for Mages between levels ten and twenty; for a Mage like him who was below level ten, the effects were even more potent.
After absorbing the first Experience Pill, he shot straight to level eight. He estimated that the second pill would be enough to get him to the level-ten advancement, making him a true Mage. It might even be enough to stimulate the first branch talent of his Genetic Tree.
'He just wondered what his first-tier talent would be.'