For the next two days, Wen Xiancheng kept practicing Illusion Arts, while his Mouse Clone continued visiting the Royal Academy's herb fields at night to pick various medicinal herbs and bring them back for identification.
On the morning of the third day, Wen Xiancheng finally identified an herb useful for supporting cultivation-no, to be precise, useful to him!
Spirit-devouring grass!
The main ingredient in the first-grade pill, Spirit-Gathering Powder!
After being taken, Spirit-Gathering Powder could increase the rate at which the body absorbed spiritual energy from nature by fifty percent. It only worked on martial apprentices.
In this other world, everyone who cultivated had a fine-sounding name-martial cultivators.
By cultivation level, martial cultivators were divided, from lowest to highest, into martial apprentices, martial warriors, martial masters, martial grandmasters, martial venerables, martial kings, martial emperors, and martial gods.
Each stage was further divided into three minor levels: early, middle, and late.
Spirit-Gathering Powder could only be used by martial apprentices, which meant it was the most basic cultivation-supporting pill.
And Wen Xiancheng's current cultivation was only that of a middle-stage martial apprentice.
It was just what he needed!
And first-grade pills were among the easiest pills for alchemists to start with.
After a brief hesitation, Wen Xiancheng searched online for the formula for Spirit-Gathering Powder.
Since Spirit-Gathering Powder was a low-grade pill, its formula was available online.
However, it still wasn't cheap for ordinary people.
That was because its main ingredient, spirit-devouring grass, wasn't easy to grow.
Without a dedicated medicinal herb keeper tending it, ordinary people simply couldn't keep it alive.
But a little excitement stirred in Wen Xiancheng's heart.
This wasn't the time to worry about morals.
As long as he could get his hands on it!
After finding the formula for Spirit-Gathering Powder, Wen Xiancheng inwardly cried out in delight.
The other herbs required for Spirit-Gathering Powder were already on the list of herbs he had identified today and yesterday!
Wen Xiancheng made up his mind.
Tonight, he would use his Mouse Clone to gather those herbs.
As for him, he would prepare to refine it himself using the online formula!
Do it yourself, and you'd have plenty to eat and wear!
After a busy morning, Wen Xiancheng took a shower and tidied himself up until he looked fresh and clean. Only then did he head into the Royal Academy to find Cui Qianqian.
Cui Qianqian was leaving her dorm with the children's books and elementary school workbooks Wen Xiancheng had given her on her back.
To her surprise, she found Wen Xiancheng waiting downstairs.
Cui Qianqian smiled and rolled her shoulders. "When did you get here?"
"Not long ago," Wen Xiancheng said.
Cui Qianqian handed him the backpack and clicked her tongue. "You gave me so many that I had to make do with some quick work. I didn't use the same illusion treatment as on my notebook-that takes a lot of time. I only did some simple work on the pictures and text. Is that okay?"
"For now, that's plenty!" Wen Xiancheng said with a smile. "It's my fault, too. I didn't think it through. Next time, I'll bring fewer over so you won't have to rush."
Cui Qianqian smiled. "Then shall we go eat now?"
"Sure, my treat!" Wen Xiancheng and Cui Qianqian ate together in the cafeteria.
Wen Xiancheng walked Cui Qianqian back to the entrance of her dorm building before turning back.
Watching Wen Xiancheng leave with the backpack on his back, Cui Qianqian felt a little strange.
Having a boyfriend like him would probably be pretty nice, wouldn't it?
Unfortunately, he probably wouldn't like me.
He just wants to use me to work on those children's books and elementary school workbooks for him, doesn't he?
Cui Qianqian sighed softly, wondering why he had approached her.
Does he simply want to use me?
I hope he isn't someone my sister and the others sent to mess with me!
After leaving the Royal Academy, Wen Xiancheng's first goal was to find a kindergarten.
He needed to sell these fifty children's books first!
At the entrance to Red Star Kindergarten, Wen Xiancheng registered at the security booth, then entered the kindergarten and made his way to the doorway of a senior class.
Inside, the teacher, a young woman with a ponytail, was holding an ordinary book and teaching the children to recognize characters.
Most of the children were listening.
However, plenty of children were still scratching their heads and ears and wandering around.
The teacher went over and finally coaxed them back into their seats, but just as she was about to resume teaching, some of the children got up again.
Seeing the teacher's utterly defeated expression, Wen Xiancheng laughed aloud.
Already feeling frustrated, the teacher suddenly heard the laughter and looked over.
When she saw Wen Xiancheng, she told the children to read by themselves, then walked over to him. "Young man, did you need something?"
Wen Xiancheng knew that, no matter the time or place, people usually loathed salespeople.
Some people even chased salespeople away as if they were shooing chickens and ducks.
So what really mattered was seizing the moment and getting the other person interested in his product.
All the other polite chatter was useless.
Closing his eyes, Wen Xiancheng constructed some words in his mind, then gently spread his hands.
At once, he pulled a line of words out into thin air: "Good afternoon, teacher!"
The teacher looked at Wen Xiancheng in surprise. "Is this... Illusion Arts? You're a martial cultivator specializing in illusions?"
Wen Xiancheng nodded.
At a time like this, he had to find something that would win the other person's sympathy.
With a slightly embarrassed smile, Wen Xiancheng took a children's book out of his backpack. "I'm working while studying. Both my parents passed away before last year, one after the other. Without financial support, I've been using Illusion Arts to make a few things, hoping to earn some spirit stones so I can keep cultivating."
The teacher gave Wen Xiancheng a sympathetic look, took the children's book, and opened it.
A string of little characters flew out, circling her like mischievous children.
The teacher stared at the little characters in surprise. "These are pretty good. Did you make them all yourself?"
"Mm," Wen Xiancheng replied. "Not entirely. A female classmate and I made them together in our spare time."
Wen Xiancheng opened another book as he pointed to the bouncing words and pictures. "Look, teacher. These words and pictures have all been treated with Illusion Arts. Aren't they more interesting than characters written flat on a page? Children these days are smart. What haven't they seen?"
"If you give them textbooks treated with Illusion Arts, they'll definitely find it easier to stay interested!"
"Why not try it now, teacher?"
The teacher glanced at Wen Xiancheng, walked into the classroom, and held the book in front of a child who was wandering around.
At first, the child pushed her hand aside and tried to leave.
But when the teacher opened the book and pictures and characters sprang out to circle him, the child immediately giggled and reached out to grab them.
The teacher quickly said, "This is the character for 'long,' as in a giraffe's long neck."
The child ran over, laughing. "I want the giraffe! The giraffe!"
"It's 'long,' as in a giraffe's long neck!" the teacher emphasized.
Only then did the child say, "I want 'long,' as in a giraffe's long neck!"
Smiling, the teacher placed the book on the child's desk. "Come sit down, and I'll give it to you."
The child scampered back and sat down, looking eagerly at the book.
The teacher handed the book to the child, walked to the classroom doorway, and nodded at Wen Xiancheng. "It's pretty good. How much per book? How many do you have? Can you make them to order?"
"A children's book like this originally costs one low-grade spirit stone," Wen Xiancheng said. "After treating it with Illusion Arts, I sell it to other people for fifty low-grade spirit stones. If you place a bulk order, teacher, I can sell them for forty low-grade spirit stones each."
The teacher fell silent for a moment before saying, "From one to forty-that isn't exactly cheap."
Wen Xiancheng smiled sheepishly. "The treatment really isn't easy."
"I understand," the teacher said. "But this isn't something I can decide on my own. I have to discuss it with the parents. How about this? Leave me your phone number, and I'll buy ten books first. If the parents agree to buy them, I'll call you. We might need a custom order then."
Wen Xiancheng hastily thanked her. "Thank you, teacher! Thank you so much!"
(End of chapter)
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