Preliminary Thoughts on a Muscle-Building Potion

The moment the thought arose, it blazed through his mind like a wildfire sweeping the plains.

"Right, muscle-building." Li Ang abruptly rose to his feet and paced the room twice.

The wizards in the Wizard Tower, apprentices included, were mostly frail enough to be blown over by a gust of wind.

Perhaps those from the Elemental School were somewhat stronger, but the ones from the Potion School and Astrology School would practically topple over in the wind.

What if he could brew a safe potion that effectively strengthened the body and promoted muscle growth? That would absolutely have potential.

"I just don't know whether something similar already exists in this world..."

He thought of Mentor Eve. Asking her directly would undoubtedly be the fastest way.

But would constantly bothering her with questions—especially ones concerning the core direction of the competition—make her dislike him?

He needed something that could bring them closer. Money? Materials? Would Mentor Eve need gifts from a little apprentice like him?

Then, a flash of inspiration struck Li Ang. He remembered The Starlight Knight and Her Seven Little Companions, as well as her slightly embarrassed remark about "killing time."

"Novels—she likes reading novels!" Li Ang nearly laughed out loud.

He could not boast about anything else, but he had read and heard far too many webnovels in his previous life. While he could not remember many details clearly, he still remembered the core formulas and satisfying moments perfectly well.

He acted the moment he decided. Li Ang immediately took out paper and pen, thought briefly, and decided to borrow the opening of a classic broken-engagement tale.

He changed the protagonist's gender to female, made her a knight, and gave her a name more fitting for this world: Xiao Yilisha Yanfeng.

His pen rustled over the paper as he lavishly wrote an opening about a genius girl whose cultivation regressed for some reason, only for her snobbish fiancé to humiliate her by breaking off their engagement. In fury, she cried:

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—do not look down on a poor young maiden!" Whenever he could not recall a detail, he simply made one up himself.

Li Ang quickly finished the first dozen or so chapters. He carefully arranged the pages and bound them into a simple booklet. Looking at this plagiarized and adapted knight novel, he felt somewhat uneasy.

"I hope this will be useful."

The next day, the Potion School resumed classes after several days of suspension. The apprentices had finally finished copying the flyers yesterday.

Inside the small classroom on the fourth floor, the air was thick with an earthy, fishy smell.

On the podium, Mentor Karin still wore her usual lazy expression, but today, there was an enormous basket covered by black cloth in front of her.

"Today's lesson..." Karin tapped the desk, signaling that class had officially begun.

"Extracting venom from Greyrock Venom-Tailed Scorpions."

She lifted the black cloth. Inside the basket were dozens of smaller cages, each containing palm-sized scorpions with grayish-brown bodies and tails raised high, crawling about uneasily.

"Their venom is weak, but it is an auxiliary ingredient in several paralysis and pain-relief potions." Karin still spoke rapidly.

"The key to extraction is speed, accuracy, and steadiness. Use tweezers to grip them beneath the cephalothorax—yes, right here. They'll instinctively sting at the mouth of the glass bottle you hold out, and the venom will naturally flow out... Don't foolishly squeeze their tails."

She demonstrated once, her movements smooth as flowing water. A scorpion's venom shot precisely into a narrow-mouthed glass bottle.

"One cage per person, around twenty scorpions. Fill one standard crystal vial. Begin."

Ellie, the attendant, began handing out cages containing scorpions, along with the matching tools.

The classroom immediately filled with stifled cries of alarm and the sounds of frantic fumbling.

Although Karin had said the venom was very weak, the constantly opening and closing pincers and trembling stingers still made most of the apprentices' scalps prickle.

"Ah!" One apprentice made a mistake and got stung on the finger by a scorpion's tail, immediately baring his teeth in pain.

Karin glanced at him and said flatly, "It's fine. It'll hurt for two days. Continue."

Li Ang received his own set. Looking at the restless little creatures in the cage, he seriously suspected that a large part of this so-called practical lesson was to collect these basic materials for the school free of charge.

Still, he did not dare complain. He could only roll up his sleeves and begin.

Imitating Karin's movements, he precisely gripped a venomous scorpion at its vital spot.

Sure enough, the scorpion viciously thrust its stinger at the bottle mouth before it, and a stream of pale yellow liquid shot into the bottom of the bottle.

With his first success, everything afterward went much more smoothly. His movements grew faster and faster, and his efficiency far surpassed everyone else's.

The surrounding apprentices also gradually calmed down from their initial panic. Though people were still stung from time to time and cried out in pain, beneath Karin's composed gaze that seemed to say, It's fine, you won't die, they gradually grasped the trick as well.

In the end, Li Ang was the first to finish. His crystal vial held nearly half a bottle of pale yellow venom. He sealed it and handed it to Ellie.

Rufus finished extracting the venom almost at the same time as Li Ang. As the blond youth from a wizarding family passed by Li Ang, he lowered his voice and said, "Li Ang, next time, I'll definitely win."

Li Ang scratched his head. Since when were we competing?

Lottie was the third to finish. After resolving her mental power issue, the experience she had absorbed since childhood finally came into play.

Once everyone had submitted their venom, Karin counted the total amount and nodded in satisfaction. After saying, "Class dismissed," she was the first to leave the classroom.

Ellie followed closely behind with the large basket and venom, and the apprentices scattered like birds and beasts, leaving the small classroom.

After a simple lunch in the cafeteria, Li Ang went straight to Mentor Eve's workshop, taking commissions until evening.

Checking the time, he saw that it was nearly time. He straightened his robes and headed once more toward Mentor Eve's living quarters.

Following the familiar route to Mentor Eve's door, Li Ang knocked. The door silently opened again.

Perhaps she had not expected him to come at this hour, so Eve had not prepared in advance. She was still wearing that comfortable silk nightgown, her long aqua-blue hair casually draped over her shoulders.

She held a new novel in her hands. Its cover was a riot of colors, depicting a sword-wielding elf confronting a massive dragon.

Hearing the sound, Eve seemed startled. Instinctively, she snapped the novel shut and stuffed it beneath a sofa cushion, moving so quickly that she nearly left behind an afterimage.

She gave a light cough and tried to restore her usual cool expression, but a faint flush seemed to flash across the roots of her long ears.

"Is something the matter?" Her voice seemed a touch gentler than usual, carrying an almost imperceptible warmth.

Li Ang bowed respectfully, suppressing the faint amusement in his heart as he explained his purpose. "Mentor Eve, I'm preparing for the Silver Crucible competition. I wanted to ask whether there are any potions that can safely strengthen one's physique and promote muscle growth—simply put, a potion that makes the body look stronger?"