Max-Level Fire Element Talent

Lin Hao immediately accepted the main quest, "Primordial Profound Comprehension," in his sea of consciousness!

[Main quest "Primordial Profound Comprehension" accepted. Current quest progress: 0/10000. Current Primordial Qi and Blood Potion proficiency: 0.00%]

Lin Hao unconsciously drew a deep breath, waiting for that familiar machine-gun barrage of notifications in his sea of consciousness.

But one second passed,

then two seconds,

then half a minute.

Forget a screen-filling flood of completion notifications-there was not even a single mechanical voice in his sea of consciousness.

On the quest panel, the progress bar remained fixed at 0/10000, proficiency at 0.00%, without budging.

Lin Hao's heart sank again.

What was going on?

Why was there no response this time?

Could it be...

The system had been completely repaired?

The loophole for completing quests with one click was gone?

Lin Hao felt a headache coming on and looked toward the arena's entrance and exit again.

Just then, the mechanical voice finally sounded again in his sea of consciousness.

But it was not a series of notifications announcing steadily rising quest progress.

Instead, the system had issued another quest.

[Host detected to lack an awakened fire element affinity talent, a core prerequisite ability for potion brewing. Main quest completion path locked. Prerequisite quest triggered.]

[Prerequisite quest: Elemental Awakening, the Fire Dao Returns to the Heart]

[Quest requirement: Complete a cumulative total of 100000 training sessions in fire element source perception, resonance, and precise control. Open the connecting channels between the body and fire elements to unlock fire element affinity talent.]

[Time limit: 300 days]

[Quest rewards: Max-level fire element affinity talent, thirty years of potion grandmaster-level experience in fire element source manipulation]

Lin Hao immediately grew excited again.

Although he knew nothing about potions, he had seen it mentioned many times in textbooks.

He knew that fire element affinity talent was the first and most decisive barrier on the path of an apothecary.

In this high-martial world, brewing potions had long since ceased to be a simple matter of boiling herbs into broth. The higher the grade of the heavenly materials and earthly treasures, the more precisely controlled fire element energy was needed to activate the active components within them.

Without fire element affinity talent, even someone who knew medicinal ingredients backward and forward and operated instruments with flawless precision could only remain an apothecary apprentice for life.

And ninety percent of apothecary apprentices never crossed the threshold of "fire element perception" in their entire lives.

One could say that the level of one's fire element talent directly determined the upper limit of one's achievements as an apothecary.

And the reward the system offered was max-level fire element affinity talent!

Lin Hao's breathing grew heavy. He even began considering whether he should seriously pursue the path of an apothecary in the future.

Without hesitation, he confirmed in a low voice within his sea of consciousness.

"Accept quest!"

[Prerequisite quest "Elemental Awakening, the Fire Dao Returns to the Heart" accepted. Current quest progress: 0/10000. Fire element control proficiency: 0.00%]

The instant he accepted the quest, the familiar machine-gun barrage of notifications finally erupted in his sea of consciousness.

[Host detected to have successfully completed fire element source perception training. Quest progress updated: 1/10000. Proficiency updated: 0.01%]

[Host detected to have successfully completed fire element resonance training. Quest progress updated: 2/10000. Proficiency updated: 0.02%]

[...Quest progress updated: 3/10000. Proficiency updated: 0.03%]

[...Quest progress updated: 9999/10000. Proficiency updated: 99.99%]

[Congratulations, host, on completing 10000 sessions of fire element source perception, resonance, and precise control training. Proficiency increased to the 100% perfection realm!]

[Prerequisite quest "Elemental Awakening, the Fire Dao Returns to the Heart" completed!]

[Distributing quest rewards...]

Immediately afterward, Lin Hao felt warmth spread throughout his body.

Every pore on every inch of his skin seemed to open.

To his amazement, he discovered that he could sense countless tiny, dancing particles in the air...

Fire elements!

These fire element particles seemed to have a natural affinity for him, surging toward the pores in his skin and entering his body.

The fire element particles that did not enter his body circled affectionately around him instead.

Thirty years of a potion grandmaster's experience in fire element manipulation followed, countless memories engraving themselves into his mind and his body's instincts.

How to control fire to activate medicinal ingredients, how to control fire to fuse potions at a constant temperature-he now knew every fire-control step in potion brewing by heart.

He lowered his head to look at his fingertips and gave a slight mental nudge.

An extremely fine flame, its temperature locked precisely at 37.2°C, ignited at his fingertip.

Not a trace of heat escaped from the flame. Even the temperature of the surrounding air remained completely unchanged.

This was max-level fire element affinity talent.

Along with thirty years of a potion grandmaster's experience in fire element manipulation.

Before Lin Hao could recover from his shock and joy, the mechanical voice sounded again in his sea of consciousness.

[Host detected to have fulfilled the main quest's core prerequisites. Main quest unlocked.]

[...Quest progress updated: 1/10000. Proficiency updated: 0.01%]

[...Quest progress updated: 9999/10000. Proficiency updated: 99.99%]

[Congratulations, host, on completing 10000 standard brews of the Primordial Qi and Blood Potion. Proficiency increased to the 100% perfection realm!]

[Main quest "Building a Foundation Through Potions, Primordial Profound Comprehension" completed!]

[Distributing quest rewards...]

[Complete analysis of perfect-grade Primordial Qi and Blood Potion brewing unlocked.]

[Mastery of the underlying principles of brewing all categories of elementary potions unlocked.]

Countless pieces of knowledge about brewing the Primordial Qi and Blood Potion surged into his mind like a rushing tide.

From the optimal elemental activation temperature and ultrasonic frequency threshold for purifying origin-returning grass.

To the critical threshold for preserving activity in fresh spirit rhyme flower extract.

And then to the order in which ingredients should be combined and the pressure-control curve of the reaction vessel.

The precision instruments and unfamiliar ingredients that had given him such a headache just moments earlier were now as familiar as his own fingers. He knew every detail by heart.

Lin Hao looked up at the large holographic screen in the center of the arena, which clearly displayed the remaining competition time.

Four hours and thirty-nine minutes.

He returned to his workstation and rested both hands on the purifier, an irrepressible smile curling his lips beneath his face shield.

Brewing the Primordial Qi and Blood Potion placed extremely stringent demands on instrument precision.

The constant-temperature ultrasonic purifier in front of him alone had a market price of over two hundred thousand.

Not to mention the sterile reaction vessel with precise pressure control and the real-time qi and blood activity analyzer.

The full set of equipment could not be bought for less than a million.

Even though the perfect brewing process for the Primordial Potion was now engraved into his bones.

Once he returned home, without this equipment, he still would not be able to brew so much as half a drop of the finished product.

But the ingredients and instruments here were all provided free of charge by the competition's organizing committee.

He looked up and scanned the arena. The invigilator from earlier had gone to the other side.

He probably would not come back anytime soon.

Lin Hao glanced at the medicinal ingredients in the refrigerated box and immediately calculated the maximum yield of the remaining materials.

No more, no less-there was just enough to brew two standard doses of the Primordial Qi and Blood Potion.

And with his current perfect-grade brewing ability, producing these two doses of Primordial Qi and Blood Potion would take only...

Half an hour!

Since that was the case, and he was already here...

Why not take two bottles of Primordial Qi and Blood Potion with him?