Making a Basic Life Potion

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

Chen Chuan did not attend the small apprentice gathering Professor Hailey had told him about.

In fact, it was not just the gathering he had missed. Over the past month, Chen Chuan had attended only one session of the four basic courses and had missed almost all the classes after that.

After all, the Wizard Academy had no subject exams.

Your level determined which level of courses you attended.

Chen Chuan had spent most of the month immersed in the basic theory of potion making.

He had converted the villa's basement into a laboratory of his own.

Chen Chuan exchanged all the remaining materials in his ring for basic magic stones.

Including the basic magic stones he already had, Chen Chuan now had exactly sixty.

Although a complete set of basic potion extraction and brewing equipment cost nearly a hundred basic magic stones,

Chen Chuan still managed to find a set of basic potion extraction and brewing equipment from Aikte, the blue-robed apprentice at Alex's Potion Cottage. There was no telling how many owners it had been through.

After all, potion making had a very high barrier to entry, but it really did make money.

Every year, many gray-robed students tried their hand at making potions.

But most of them came away empty-handed.

Though the secondhand equipment was somewhat worn, its core components were still in decent condition. It had cost him a full fifty basic magic stones.

Chen Chuan spent an entire day getting the laboratory fully set up.

The walls were hung with all kinds of dried herbs, and several glass jars filled with liquids stood in a corner, each giving off a different scent.

"All right, everything's ready." Chen Chuan took a deep breath and pulled a notebook from his pocket. It was Harvitt's Basic Theory of Potion Making, which he had obtained from the old book stall.

All-Spell Analysis had fully absorbed the knowledge it contained. Now it was time to put it into practice.

Following the book's instructions, Chen Chuan began preparing his first potion—the Elementary Life Potion.

Why the Elementary Life Potion?

First, it was the most elementary kind of potion and also the one with the greatest demand on the market.

Second, he already had ten sets of materials for the Elementary Life Potion, a gift from the apprentice who had sold him the equipment.

Thanks to All-Things Analysis, Chen Chuan was already thoroughly familiar with the process of making the Elementary Life Potion.

He mixed moonlight grass and morning dew flowers in a specific ratio and placed them in the extractor.

As the extractor ran, the herbs gradually broke down, and the liquid began to turn a pale green.

Chen Chuan watched every step with complete concentration, afraid of making any mistake.

Two hours later, the first bottle of Elementary Life Potion was finally complete.

The liquid glowed faintly in the glass bottle, giving off a fresh herbal scent.

Chen Chuan carefully sealed the potion, then began preparing the second bottle.

Late into the quiet night, the lights in the villa remained on.

Chen Chuan had successfully made three bottles of the Elementary Life Potion. He felt they did not look perfect, but their effects should be fine.

He leaned back in his chair, exhausted, and rubbed his sore eyes.

When apprentices first started making potions, their success rate was generally below ten percent.

Only when your success rate for basic potions reached sixty percent could you be considered to have mastered the basics.

How long that took depended on talent and resources.

Most students accumulated experience over a long period, slowly improving their success rate.

But thanks to All-Things Analysis, Chen Chuan had mastered the basics as soon as he started making potions, achieving a success rate of nearly sixty percent on his first attempt.

He had used five sets of materials for the Elementary Life Potion to make three bottles, and he was very happy with the result.

"Time to test the effects." Chen Chuan took out one of the bottles, tilted his head back, and drank.

The cool herbal liquid slid down Chen Chuan's throat and into his stomach.

Chen Chuan smacked his lips. It tasted like a mouthful of freshly squeezed grass juice, with a faint sweet aftertaste.

A warm current spread from his stomach and quickly flowed through his limbs and body.

Chen Chuan was surprised to find his fatigue fading at a visible rate. Even his eyes, which he had rubbed too hard moments ago, felt refreshed.

He held out his left hand. The green pattern beneath his skin glowed faintly, as if pulsing with joy.

"It really works," Chen Chuan murmured, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes.

The Elementary Life Potion sped up the body's recovery when a person was injured. It also boosted energy, relieved fatigue, and had some anti-inflammatory and antitoxin effects.

It was an essential potion for apprentice-level practitioners.

Although the quality of Chen Chuan's potions matched the passable-grade Elementary Life Potions he had seen at the potion cottage that day, he certainly could not sell them for the same price the shop charged its customers.

After all, at five stones a bottle, people placed more trust in large shops or well-known potion makers.

Chen Chuan found that moonlight grass and morning dew flowers were relatively cheap.

Two sets of life potion materials cost one basic magic stone.

At a sixty percent success rate, Chen Chuan estimated that his profit could reach five times his costs.

Of course, he still took quite a long time to make them at present.

He stood up and stretched, feeling full of energy. He had recovered even faster than he did after physical training in the military district.

Returning to the workbench, Chen Chuan began sorting the remaining materials.

Chen Chuan spent another day using up all the remaining materials, producing three more bottles of the Elementary Life Potion. His materials were now exhausted.

Early on the third morning, Chen Chuan got up and carefully placed five bottles of potion in a cloth bag. He specifically picked out the best-looking one, intending to test the waters at Alex's Potion Cottage first.

There were not many people on the commercial street yet, and Chen Chuan headed straight for the potion cottage. When he pushed open the door, the familiar scent of herbs greeted him. The blue-robed apprentice Aikte was arranging the shelves behind the counter. He raised an eyebrow slightly when he saw Chen Chuan.

"Do you need something?" Aikte asked flatly, clearly not remembering the customer who had only visited once before.

"I'd like to sell some potions." Chen Chuan set the cloth bag on the counter and pushed a bottle of the Elementary Life Potion toward him.

Aikte took the bottle and examined it closely. A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. "Did you make this Elementary Life Potion yourself? It doesn't look like much, but the quality is pretty good."

"Yes, I've been studying potion making lately," Chen Chuan replied without betraying any emotion.

Aikte weighed the bottle in his hand. "We sell the Elementary Life Potion for five magic stones a bottle here. But if I buy them from you, I can only offer three."

Chen Chuan's expression remained unchanged, though he was calculating how the profits would be divided. Three stones a bottle was within his expectations.

He took out the other three bottles and placed them all on the counter.

Aikte nodded, turned, and took a small cloth bag from beneath the counter. He poured out twelve basic magic stones and pushed them in front of Chen Chuan.

Aikte pushed the magic stones onto the counter. "That's twelve basic magic stones for four bottles of potion."

Chen Chuan silently put away the magic stones and nodded. "I'll bring more next time."

Aikte adjusted his glasses. "If you can maintain this quality, I can consider offering you a fixed purchase price. But your supply has to be consistent—at least five bottles every week."

Chen Chuan nodded without hesitation. For the time being, he had no other sales channels.

With a steady sales channel to bring in income, he only needed to focus his efforts on making potions.

It would not only save him a great deal of time but also give the potion cottage a shared financial interest with him, which would help with future potion sales.

"Please get me another ten sets of life potion materials."

Chen Chuan pulled out five basic magic stones and gave them to Aikte.

Aikte glanced at the basic magic stones and gathered eleven sets from the herb cabinet beside him.

"I'm giving you an extra set. If you can make better potions later, remember to sell them to me. I'll give you a generous price."

Chen Chuan nodded silently and looked at the Refreshing Potions on the counter.