In a secluded wood, a one-person Tent stood in a clearing.
A smoke pipe protruded from the entrance of the Tent, sending out wisps of white smoke. A strange smell hung in the air.
Inside the somewhat cluttered Tent, an enormous table stood in the center. A gray-black metal cauldron sat over a lit stove on the tabletop. Liquid of an indeterminate color boiled inside it, bubbling away.
The table was covered with plants, Herbs, and transparent containers of various sizes. Some held tissue from unknown creatures; others contained small creatures.
A yellowed book lay open at one corner of the table. A notebook and quill floated quietly beside it, while a stack of notebooks beneath the table rose as high as a knee.
Lu Yi stood beside the table, his gaze shifting between the timer in his hand and the liquid in the cauldron. Now and then, he glanced at the yellowed book.
The instant the timer reached zero, Lu Yi poured dark red liquid from a container into the cauldron. He stirred it clockwise with mechanical precision, turned up the heat to reduce it, and muttered under his breath.
"Final step: add blood from a Ten-Year Soul Beast Blazing Giant Lizard in place of Fire Salamander blood..."
As soon as Lu Yi spoke, the floating quill began to move, recording his words in the notebook.
But Lu Yi suddenly fell silent. A moment later, the quill stopped too: a panel notification had appeared before his eyes.
[Strength Potion substitute recipe discovered. New recipe mastered.] [Potions (Advanced Apprentice) → Potions (Wizard Candidate)] [Full-fledged Wizard exam now available]
Seeing the notification, Lu Yi smiled for the first time in a long while.
For nearly half a year, his experiments with substitute ingredients for Potions recipes had been at