Digested flesh and Dean's departure
The String Knight listened to Lu Yuan's calm and composed words, but simply looked at him intently, slowly shook his head, and sighed with unwavering certainty:
"You don't need to learn from me anymore. With the skills you've demonstrated today, no matter how poor your foundation is, you will inevitably become a true Empire Grand Potion Master in the future. That's a top-tier existence, a whole level above a pharmacist like me who has passed the advanced Potion Studies certification. After I go back, I can compile the basic pharmaceutical techniques into a book. You can just study and learn from the book slowly. I can't teach you, nor can I be your teacher."
As he spoke these words, the String Knight looked at the excessively young student before him, his eyes swirling with complex emotions that were impossible for outsiders to comprehend.
To say that he didn't actually want to become Lu Yuan's teacher? The answer is definitely yes, more than anyone else in the North Campus!
When Lu Yuan made a name for himself in the assessment room and passed the Intermediate Certification, the String Knight immediately went to check Lu Yuan's enrollment file. When he saw that this exceptionally talented student did not have any Potion Studies teacher's name on his list, he immediately had the idea of taking Lu Yuan as his last disciple.
However, considering that the person was personally brought from Bronze City by the Blue Knight, and that it was unclear what arrangements the Blue Knight and her teacher had for Lu Yuan, she reluctantly gave up the idea of taking him as a disciple.
Having witnessed firsthand how Lu Yuan single-handedly Twist the deep- Mutation of the Fourth Order Pathway, the String Knight knew better than anyone that he was truly unqualified to be Lu Yuan's teacher.
As long as Lu Yuan possesses this heaven-defying ability, he will inevitably rise to the level of a Grand Alchemist. He will definitely have a place among the top alchemists in the entire Lu Yuan Auris Empire. This is a foregone conclusion, and there is no other possibility, unless Lu Yuan dies on the way before he fully matures!
Thinking of this, the String Knight's gaze swept subtly over Lu Yuan's slightly pale face, and a deeper layer of contemplation crept into his mind.
Judging from Lu Yuan's cautious actions of insisting on sending everyone away and locking the door alone to carry out the rescue, the price he paid for using this Lu Yuan -defying healing ability, or rather, certain things revealed during the rescue process, are definitely not something to be revealed. What other person in this world possesses the ability to forcibly correct Fourth Order being far beyond their own level without paying any price?
Since Lu Yuan has his own secrets, the String Knight, as a senior of the North Campus, naturally wouldn't pry into them. However, he had already secretly made up his mind that he would let Lu Yuan continue to develop freely along his own path, but the Academy's secret protection of Lu Yuan would have to be appropriately increased from today onwards!
After properly handling the handover and cleanup of the Infirmary, Lu Yuan's life in the North Campus returned to a seemingly peaceful routine.
For the next three days, Lu Yuan would go to the Infirmary near the Hanging Tower every day to check on the Blue Knight's recovery and change her aura-stabilizing potions. In the evenings, he would return to his own hut, close the door, and practice his [Defense] incantation.
The morning after the rescue ended, Lu Yuan opened his eyes as he woke up to familiar Gray-White Text popping up at the edge of his vision.
[Sanity: +15...150.5/200]
Lu Yuan, who had just sat up in bed, glanced at the line of writing and was momentarily stunned. He blinked instinctively and looked at it again.
Normally, he would wake up naturally at exactly 2 PM every morning, but today, without any warning, it was 3 PM, a little earlier than usual!
Lu Yuan sat on the edge of the bed, stunned for a moment. He looked down and gazed into the depths of his Flesh and blood, where the warm medicinal power was still slowly emanating from his limbs and bones. He felt the blood and qi fluctuations that were more abundant and robust than a few days ago. His mind instantly realized that this extra bit of rationality was clearly a follow-up effect of the bottle of [Dragon Blood Potion] he had drunk the night before last.
As Oden had said before, the medicinal power of the Dragon Blood Potion, which remained deep within his Flesh, would continuously transform his body. Now that his physique and blood energy had become stronger, the abundant vitality in turn nourished and replenished his spirit and mind, and even his daily naturally restored sanity value had increased.
Having figured this out, Lu Yuan's lips curled into an undisguised smile. Gaining a little bit of sanity every day would accumulate into a considerable foundation over time. This bottle of Dragon Blood Potion was definitely worth it.
The good news didn't stop there. Just as he finished washing up as usual and was on his way to the Infirmary to change his dressing, a barely perceptible ripple suddenly came from the vast Sea of Knowledge deep in his left eye.
The small piece of Flesh belonging to the "Holy Sovereign" that was forcibly torn and dragged into the Sea of Knowledge through the opening a few days ago in the Land of the Dead Silence has finally been completely digested by the Sea of Knowledge after two days and two nights of continuous washing and erosion. A line of brand new Gray-White Text popped up in the center of Lu Yuan's vision without warning.
[Forbidden Studies - Scholar: +0.3...2.5/5]
Seeing the Scholar's entry jump forward by 0.3 points, directly advancing to more than half of the 2.5 progress mark, Lu Yuan paused slightly, a hint of undisguised joy flashing in his eyes. The small piece of rotten flesh that high-ranking being had dropped was indeed incredibly lucrative. At this rate, the day he would truly cross the threshold of the Fourth Order was getting closer and closer.
Next time I go, I'll prepare in advance so I can Taboo to get more money from that philanthropist.
During the three days he spent looking after the Blue Knight, his classmates Blanca, Leon, Harvey, and Dean, who was about to leave, also came to visit him.
The group gathered in a quiet private room in a Side Hall of the Academy. Back in their late-night chat in the cabin before entering the Land of the Dead Silence, Dean had mentioned that his family was in charge of the defense of Cold Crow City and that they would have to leave the Academy in ten days. At that time, Blanca had made a promise to get together again when Dean left. Now that the ten-day period had arrived, Dean had already packed his bags, and today's gathering was a special farewell party for him.
Wearing her Awakening Coat, Blanca expertly poured a cup of hot tea for each person at the table. She picked up her cup, took a sip, and her usually cheerful and outgoing face now held an unusual seriousness. She then took the initiative to start a conversation:
"The main reason we've gathered here to see Dean off is to share information about the upcoming arrangements. Now that we've all come to the Northern Knight Academy, we'll definitely need to help each other on the battlefield. The Northern Territory is about to descend into complete chaos. I just received the latest news from home: the Academy's dispatch mission, which was originally scheduled to take another ten days or so, will definitely be brought forward significantly."