Li Ruoxi had just been about to speak when Xiao Yu, somehow, was already sitting beside her.
Xiao Yu wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. Her scammer of a best friend had sold her out before even getting any benefits—was she worried Xiao Yu would never find anyone who wanted her?
"Ruoxi and I are going to the restroom."
Xiao Yu did not dare look Chen Mo in the eye and forcibly dragged Li Ruoxi away from the study area.
"Xiao Yu, why do I feel like you're taking me away to silence me?" With Xiao Yu gripping her, Li Ruoxi felt a chill down her spine. She looked at Chen Mo. "You'll have to 'explore' that answer yourself, or someone might kill me. Remember, you owe me a favor..."
Chen Mo had not expected things to turn out like this. Still, Li Ruoxi's words gave him an initial understanding of Xiao Yu.
After steadying himself, Chen Mo continued reading the book in his hands. Right now, he was putting all else aside in pursuit of knowledge.
Before long, Xiao Yu returned to her seat alone. Her face was still slightly flushed.
"Ruoxi was talking nonsense just now. Don't mind her."
"She's quite nice. It's just a pity she didn't tell me the last piece of information."
The moment he said that, the blush that had yet to fade from Xiao Yu's face flared up again, turning red all the way to her ears. She turned back and continued reading.
Chen Mo smiled and lowered his gaze to his book.
In one morning, he finished ten books on medicinal illustrations and pharmacological analysis. That was quite an achievement. Adding the six professional textbooks he had read last night, he had already completed sixteen books.
Old Shu had said that after reading a hundred science and engineering books, he could obtain a technology. To Chen Mo, that was an irresistible temptation.
He had also found all the medicinal ingredients required for Human Potential Development.
After lunch, Chen Mo escorted Xiao Yu back to her dormitory. He did not return to his own dormitory, instead heading out of the university.
Having obtained Low-Level Human Potential Development Technology, he was not going to merely read it. It contained methods for Human Potential Development, along with prescriptions and instructions for use.
It sounded rather mysterious.
However, he could not carry out Potential Development in the dormitory. He had to rent a room outside the university; otherwise, too many things would be exposed.
Near Binhai University, renting a place was truly a little expensive. A one-bedroom apartment with a living room and bathroom cost 1,300 a month.
There was one advantage, though. It was someone else's vacant property, fully furnished, and the bathroom even had a bathtub, which made it convenient for medicinal baths.
After paying two months' rent and a deposit, Chen Mo's face fell when he saw the tiny amount left in his bank account. He would have to find a way to make money in the future, or he would be letting down both his powerful brain and the Sci-Tech Library.
After briefly tidying the room, Chen Mo went to a nearby traditional Chinese medicine market to buy the herbs he needed.
The rent had already made his heart ache, and the medicinal ingredients made it hurt all over again. His already pitiful balance became even more miserable.
For low-level Human Potential Development, if he had a proper medicinal agent, one dose would be enough. But with an ordinary medicinal bath, he needed three sessions. This was only the beginning, so there were not many ingredients required, and they were all common herbs. Otherwise, he truly would not have been able to find enough of them.
He brought back two bags containing thirty-two types of medicinal ingredients, more than ten jin in total. Following the recorded quantities and requirements, he ground them all into powder.
More than ten jin of medicinal powder had cost him over 1,500. That was why it hurt so much.
Back at the rental, he followed the instructions: boiling some of the herbs in water, placing the rest in the bathtub, and adding hot water. After going back and forth for over an hour, he finally prepared the medicinal bath.
Looking at the pitch-black liquid steaming before him, Chen Mo swallowed hard, as if he had swallowed a cockroach whole.
The medicinal bath looked rather terrifying. If it had not come from the Sci-Tech Library, he truly would not have known what kind of bizarre concoction he had made.
He quickly stripped off his clothes. After hesitating for a moment, Chen Mo stepped into the bathtub.
Hiss...
The scalding medicinal bath made his eyes fly wide open. He sucked in a sharp breath and nearly jumped straight out.
According to the records, refining these medicinal liquids could produce a substance capable of activating human potential, forming a medicinal agent.
Without equipment to extract that substance, he could only suffer through it.
What kind of ridiculous science was this?
Enduring the burning heat, Chen Mo quickly lowered himself into the tub. His skin was scalded bright red, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans ran together and dripped into the medicinal bath.
Before long, overwhelming exhaustion swept over him, and he leaned against the bathtub and drifted into a groggy sleep.
He did not know how long had passed before Chen Mo regained consciousness.
The massive doors of the Sci-Tech Library stood before him. Without hesitation, Chen Mo pushed them open and entered.
"Old Shu, does that thing I made actually work?" When Chen Mo saw Old Shu, his face was full of misery. "I felt like I'd fallen into a pool of boiling sewage."
"Of course it works. Good medicine tastes bitter. It isn't body wash—did you expect it to be comfortable and fragrant?" Old Shu said. "The heat opens your pores, accelerating your skin's absorption of the substances that stimulate potential. It also promotes blood circulation, carrying them throughout your body and increasing the medicine's effectiveness."
"That actually sounds pretty reasonable." Chen Mo scratched his head. "So once I wake up, there'll be changes?"
"It's already complete. You'll see the effects once you leave." Old Shu said, "Next, you'll need to use equipment to adapt to your strength. Just train according to the instructions."
"Understood."
After chatting with Old Shu for a while, Chen Mo finally closed the book and left the Sci-Tech Library.
After passing through the door of light, Chen Mo, lying in the bathtub, slowly opened his eyes. The thick medicinal smell rushed into his nostrils, instantly waking him up.
Sitting up from the bathtub, he found that the medicinal liquid was still black, but the steam had disappeared.
After rinsing the remaining medicinal liquid from his body, Chen Mo noticed the changes in himself. Walking to the mirror, disbelief flashed through his eyes.
His body had grown slightly taller. He did not have explosive-looking muscles, but his lines were even and smooth, making him look very pleasing. When he tensed his body, the muscles hidden beneath his skin quickly surged forth, filled with a sense of powerful beauty.
Chen Mo felt as though he had endless strength throughout his body. He was not yet accustomed to that strength. According to the book, he still needed to train, to learn how to control and adapt to it.
"I've gotten more handsome again." Pulling on his clothes, Chen Mo stroked his chin in the mirror, a narcissistic smile at the corner of his lips.
After cleaning up the bathroom, Chen Mo left the rental.
He bought a membership at a gym near the university. After dinner, he hurried toward the library.
There were quite a few people in the library on a weekend evening. Chen Mo chose several books on computer science, then walked to the study area and sat down beside Xiao Yu.
Sensing someone beside her, Xiao Yu turned her head. When she saw Chen Mo, her eyes brightened slightly. She noticed that Chen Mo seemed somewhat different.
"Do you think I've become more handsome?" Chen Mo lowered his voice and spoke into Xiao Yu's ear.
Hearing that, Xiao Yu chuckled softly. Ignoring his narcissism, she turned back to her studies. When Xiao Yu smiled, Chen Mo could feel the envious, jealous, and resentful gazes around them falling on him.
This was not a place for conversation, so Chen Mo turned his attention to computer programming languages.
His money was nearly gone, so he had to find a way to earn some. With his powerful brain, learning things was easier and faster for him than for others. That was his advantage.
In this era, the fastest place to make money was the internet, but the prerequisite was mastering computer technology.
New book—if you like it, please add it to your bookmarks and give it a recommendation.
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