Bote City, with a population of over a hundred million, has barely ten thousand Origin Cultivators.
As for apothecaries, excluding apprentices, there are only about forty or fifty.
The rarity and importance of apothecaries are evident.
When Master Ma was sent to the mines, the book he took was the same as Ding Yao's, a basic pharmacology text.
However, he didn't bring the basic formulas, which clearly indicates that in terms of pharmacology, Master Ma might not be as advanced as Ding Yao, having not reached that level yet.
Du Xiu flipped through the basic formula book, finding it quite interesting.
Some of the formulas were similar to what he had deduced before.
When Du Xiu mentioned he had seen them before, Ding Yao, with a knowing look, said, "Start with the basic knowledge. You have to go over it repeatedly, and with a good memory, you can grasp it all in about seven or eight years."
"As for the basic formulas, that depends entirely on talent. Some people might struggle for twenty or thirty years without mastering them, while others can learn them in just seven or eight years."
"Senior Brother, have you mastered them?"
"I started learning the basics at nine, the formulas at fourteen. This is my fifth year studying the formulas, and I should be able to take the Level 1 exam this year," Ding Yao said with a hint of pride.
Learning the basics in five years and mastering the formulas in another five is a talent that can be considered genius among apothecaries.
"Junior Brother, how's your basic knowledge coming along?" Ding Yao asked.
"Not bad," Du Xiu replied casually.
Ding Yao took five years to learn the basics, a speed he seemed quite proud of.
Du Xiu, however, had learned it in just over a year.
Better not to dampen the spirits of this talkative senior brother.
After all, he had helped him exchange medicine before.
Ding Yao glanced at Du Xiu, who hadn't given a clear answer.
But he knew.
Perhaps his junior brother's results weren't ideal.
But he cared about face.
Ding Yao finished the basic pharmacology knowledge by fourteen, while Du Xiu hadn't by sixteen, feeling the gap and was too embarrassed to speak.
Thinking of this, Ding Yao felt a twinge of guilt.
He shouldn't have boasted earlier.
Although his junior brother had killed a Qi-Blood Realm Origin Cultivator as an ordinary person, which was remarkable.
But pharmacology isn't about fighting or psychological games.
Some people can understand the basic formulas at a glance.
Others can read every word and symbol but can't comprehend them together.
So he patted Du Xiu's shoulder, "Don't stress too much. Studying pharmacology is quite tiring. Remember to balance work and rest."
Du Xiu nodded in agreement.
Indeed.
In the year or so of studying pharmacology, he also had to mine, work, and cultivate Origin Power, only reading in his spare time.
That period truly exhausted him.
As time passed.
A towering city loomed into Du Xiu's view.
The outskirts of Bote City were surrounded by an immense barrier that seemed endless.
Made of alloy, the towering walls stood a hundred meters high and several dozen meters wide, glinting with a cold metallic sheen under the sun.
This massive barrier was hollow, with countless arched windows, each equipped with powerful Empire cannons and laser weapons.
There were three such barriers, each taller than the last, with the innermost estimated to be several hundred meters high, piercing the clouds.
Between the three barriers, a vast number of Empire garrison troops were stationed.
Truly worthy of being called a Fortress City.
At the barrier, numerous garrison troops guarded, including not just Qi-Blood Realm but even Aperture Opening Realm powerful Origin Cultivators.
The Silver Fox Hunter Group handled the formalities at the gate.
Knowing Master Leng was with the group, the guard officer greeted them and, upon learning Du Xiu didn't have residency, personally helped him register his identity without charging a penny.
After completing all the entry procedures, Du Xiu stepped into Bote City for the first time.
He had never been to a Fortress City before.
The orphanage he stayed at was in a relatively large wilderness town.
Though sizable, it couldn't compare to the grandeur of Bote City.
This city of steel, with its towering buildings, stood in stark contrast.
At the crossroads, the red light turned on, pausing the flow of vehicles.
Rows of private cars lit up their red lights.
While waiting for the light, the drivers looked up at the hovering flying cars speeding through the sky.
Equipped with intelligent systems, these unmanned flying cars could automatically avoid obstacles in the air, a dream for countless men.
The new generation of Empire citizens' romantic ideology: better to cry in the sky than laugh underground.
"Love, how much is it worth?"
"Can it make you fly?"
"Can it provide anti-aging potions?"
"Can it install a mechanical heart when yours fails?"
"Love can't, but the Ma Consortium can. Welcome to join the Ma Consortium!"
On the LED screens of the buildings, this advertisement played repeatedly.
The elite members of the consortium, moving between buildings in suits, hurriedly finished calls with clients, their eyes lingering on the ad on the opposite building's LED screen.
Motherfucker, after all these years in the consortium, none of it has come true.
Most people cursed silently before turning their gaze to the magnetic levitation trains speeding on the elevated tracks outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"Hope the damn stupid boss doesn't make us work overtime again today!"
Countless workers made this wish every day, though it never came true.
Night fell, illuminating countless lights.
The magnetic levitation trains on the tracks flashed two rows of red lights, like red ribbons dancing in the sky.
On the LED screens of various buildings, beautiful women with sweet voices and curvaceous figures introduced the consortium's products.
The entire city lit up, engulfed in a sea of neon.
Du Xiu put down his binoculars, smacking his lips, and couldn't help but exclaim, "Fing hell, it's really prosperous."
Undeniably, this wilderness mine slave, visiting Bote City for the first time, was still awestruck by the bustling metropolis filled with technological marvels.
"The first time entering Bote City is indeed shocking. But once you've been here long enough, you'll realize we're different from them."
"Those people are within the framework. Their birth, aging, illness, and death all happen within this fortress, never able to leave."
"What they see is what others want them to see. Their perceived freedom is what others grant them."
"Those skyscrapers look beautiful and grand, but after a while, you'll feel oppressed and crowded."
"Even with a decent quality of life, a luxurious apartment overlooking the city's splendor."
"But this sense of satisfaction and superiority is subtly instilled by others, comparing you to those in the same class."
Seeing Du Xiu standing dazed on the street, Nini appeared beside him at some point and spoke.
Then she pointed to a distant area.
"That's where people like us should go, our world. A place where, through our own efforts, we can climb to the highest point in the world."