Lin Lei had thought the potion would be very hot when he saw it bubbling and steaming. But once he got in, he realized its temperature wasn't high at all—only around fifty or sixty degrees.
Beibei, perched on his shoulder, dipped his mouth into the potion and took a sip.
Squeak, squeak~ (Boss, this potion isn't hot at all. It tastes great~)
Lei Lin grabbed Beibei by the scruff of his neck, lifted him out, and flicked him on the forehead. "It takes a lot of time to prepare this potion. If you like it, I'll make you another batch after the experiment."
"You're not allowed to interrupt me during the experiment!"
"Alright, Lin Lei. Let's try Potion No. 1 first."
"This is a Dragonblood Potion I made using the blood of a ninth-level Black Dragon. It's highly aggressive, but based on the skin test we just did, it's still within acceptable limits."
"To be safe, I've divided it into ten small portions. Drink one every ten minutes."
"If your internal organs can't take it, stop drinking. I'll pump your stomach and activate the Healing Magic Array to keep you safe!"
Lin Lei nodded and drank one of the portions Lei Lin had prepared without hesitation.
"Ah~~~"
As soon as he swallowed it, Lin Lei felt as though he'd gulped down a ball of fire. A burning line stretched from his mouth all the way to his stomach.
As it burned, it...
Strengthened his body!
When making a standard Dragonblood Potion, the brewer used various ingredients to neutralize the aggressiveness of the dragon blood.
That allowed the drinker to absorb its nutrients more gently, without having to endure so much pain.
But Lei Lin had made this potion to serve as a key that would awaken the Azure Dragon Bloodline inside Lin Lei, not to strengthen his physique.
In theory, then, this potion was dragon blood with as much of its vitality activated as possible.
The fact that Lin Lei only felt as if he'd swallowed fire that burned his stomach, rather than suffering so badly that his body convulsed and he couldn't speak, was a testament to Lei Lin's skill.
Listening to Lin Lei describe how he felt, Lei Lin took notes and said, "The burning sensation is intense, but still bearable."
"Hmm, you can still speak. We could reduce the proportion of Blue Heart Grass and other herbs that release the dragon blood's energy gradually."
Then he furrowed his brow slightly. "Are you feeling anything else?"
"For example, a cool or soothing sensation?"
"Do your muscles or skin feel unusual at all?"
Lin Lei, enduring the burning in his internal organs, shook his head. "N...no. It just... Ah~... Hss~... feels... like I'm burning. Hss~ And I'm... thirsty~"
Lei Lin watched Lin Lei carefully. "Hang in there. If you really can't take it, drink a little of the bath liquid."
"It contains the essence of quite a few herbs. It'll help you heal and quench your thirst."
"But I should warn you: drinking the bath liquid will affect how well your body absorbs the Dragonblood Potion!"
Lin Lei nodded to show he understood. He tilted his head back a little, though, to keep from accidentally drinking any of the bath liquid.
The experiment proceeded bit by bit. But even after Lin Lei had finished the entire Dragonblood Potion and his body had completed its strengthening, there was still no sign that he had transformed into a Dragonblood Warrior.
Lei Lin looked at Lin Lei, who had fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion, and furrowed his brow.
"Is it because the Black Dragon blood was stored for too long?"
When Lin Lei woke up that afternoon, Lei Lin immediately began the second round of experiments.
This time, he used a potion made from Saint Realm Silver Dragon Blood. Its effects far surpassed those of the ninth-level Black Dragon blood potion.
But...
It still failed!
There wasn't the slightest sign of an awakening!
Lei Lin wondered, "This Silver Dragon blood was fresh when I obtained it. Why hasn't there been any reaction?"
"I preserved the dragon blood's vitality so well, too!"
Three days later
Lin Lei finally woke from his coma. After moving around a bit, he felt the strength of his body, now that he had reached the level of a sixth-level warrior.
"This power really makes me feel full of life!"
Doehring said with a touch of envy, "Lin Lei, warriors can't compete with mages at the same level. If you awaken your Dragonblood Warrior bloodline, that's one thing."
"But since you didn't awaken it, I think you'd be better off focusing on magic training."
"After all, with physical strength alone, how could you stand up to a mage's fire and lightning attacks, or the meteorites raining down from the sky?"
"Even if you do awaken it, I'd still recommend focusing on magic training!"
A hint of disappointment flashed through Lin Lei's eyes. When he'd learned that Lei Lin was using Saint Realm dragon blood to make the Dragonblood Potion, he'd been excited.
Lei Lin really was impressive when it came to bloodlines. And with Saint Realm Silver Dragon Blood, Lin Lei had thought the Dragonblood Potion was very likely to help him awaken his Dragonblood bloodline.
But his hopes had been high, and reality had been harsh!
He'd failed!
Even though the two doses of Dragonblood Potion had strengthened his body to the level of a sixth-level warrior, they couldn't make up for the disappointment of failing to awaken his bloodline.
After all, as a member of the Baruch Family, earning his father's approval and bringing honor and prosperity back to his family had always been his goals.
That was why, even though he couldn't cultivate battle qi, he'd still trained his body and pursued the path of a warrior.
But the awakening had failed!
Seeing how dejected Lin Lei looked, Doehring felt a little awkward. He was just about to offer a few words of comfort when Lei Lin spoke up first.
"Don't be discouraged, Lin Lei. If you fail, just start over!"
"It's the bloodline of one of the Four Ultimate Warriors, after all. It's normal for it to be difficult to awaken. If it were that easy to succeed, it'd be cheapened, wouldn't it?"
Lin Lei felt a little better, but still sighed. "Big Brother Lei Lin, I just feel it's a shame to waste that Saint Realm Silver Dragon Blood."
"I don't know when I'll get the chance to obtain another portion of Saint Realm dragon blood."
Lei Lin paused, but didn't hide the truth. "You mean Saint Realm dragon blood? I've got more!"
"You didn't think I only had enough dragon blood to make one dose of Dragonblood Potion, did you?"
Lin Lei's expression brightened with joy. "Big Brother Lei Lin, you have more?!"
Lei Lin nodded. "Yeah, I do."
"What, you want to try having dragon blood burn through your body again?"
Lin Lei's mouth twitched. The pain from the Dragonblood Potion had scared him, but he wasn't afraid. He nodded. "I still want to try!"
Beibei, who had been chewing on a Magic Core nearby, sprang onto Lin Lei's shoulder. "Squeak, squeak~ (Boss, don't try it again. I heard what Big Brother Lei Lin said while he was recording the data these past few days.)"
"Squeak, squeak~ (According to Big Brother Lei Lin, the Dragonblood Potion has shown no sign of awakening your bloodline at all. It's only strengthened your body.)"
"Squeak, squeak~ (This stuff is useless except for making you suffer!)"
Lei Lin didn't know what Beibei was saying, but his instincts told him the little fellow wasn't saying anything nice about him.
He flicked Beibei on the forehead. "Were you badmouthing me, little fellow?"
"All those Magic Cores I fed you these past few days went to waste!"
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