After finishing the article and browsing through other sections, Russell put away the newspaper and headed to the largest pharmacy in the city.
There were over a thousand types of medicinal herbs commonly used by ordinary people.
With Nuoding City’s permanent population exceeding ten thousand, the pharmacy stocked no fewer varieties.
Most herbs were priced in silver coins.
Even if he wanted one of each, it would cost at most a hundred gold coins.
However, some herbs involved Soul Beast materials, which were expensive.
The gold coins Russell had just obtained were soon spent completely.
By the time the herbs were packaged separately, a whole day had passed.
The moon hung on the treetops, and the night was cool and refreshing.
Walking on the road, Russell comforted himself, “This is all necessary investment.” Limited by the strength of his Meridians, his daily cultivation time was restricted.
Similarly, his physical constitution was constrained by his age, so Russell dared not overexert himself.
Subtracting the time spent reading, he still had three or four hours left in the day.
Unwilling to follow Tang San’s example of taking on laborious jobs for meager earnings, he preferred to write a few more articles to submit to the Martial Soul newspaper.
Returning to the academy, Russell completed his pre-sleep meditation and fell into a deep slumber.
The next day.
Tang San got up quietly and went to the rooftop of the dormitory building to cultivate his Purple Demon Eye.
Russell woke up on time, dressed, and went to the Blue Silver Grass field behind the academy to cultivate.
Two hours later, feeling a faint swelling sensation in his Meridians, Russell stopped cultivating.
He took out a book, vegetable juice, and beef made from a whole cow he had bought and cured.
He finished breakfast in ten minutes and spent the next two hours reading.
According to habit, the following two hours were reserved for practicing Soul Skills.
But Russell suddenly stood up and headed to the teaching building.
He found an empty classroom, took a seat, and sat down.
“Today, I’ll be appraising the medicinal properties of herbs.
It’s best to keep a clear mind.
Releasing Soul Skills also requires overcoming drowsiness.
From now on, I’ll switch to practicing in the afternoon.” Russell took out a batch of herbs from his Storage Soul Tool, placed them into the Synthesizer, identified their specific effects, and recorded them in his notebook.
Yu Xiaogang’s dormitory had a medicinal herb compendium, but its accuracy was certainly inferior to the Synthesizer’s appraisal.
Since it didn’t take much time anyway—only requiring some effort during transcription—Russell decided to handle it personally, which would also help deepen his memory.
Initially, he intended to categorize the herbs in his records.
However, as the number of herbs increased and their effects began to overlap, he had no choice but to write them down in order.
“Moonlight Moss.
Grows in shaded areas, capable of absorbing faint moonlight.
Direct external application can slightly cool and soothe the skin, alleviating a burning sensation.
Can be refined into Clear Mind Potions, anesthetics, and analgesic medicines.” “Ironbone Grass.
A drought-resistant herb with hard leaves and roots deeply embedded in rock crevices.
Chewing its roots and stems can briefly and slightly enhance bone hardness, but the taste is extremely bitter.
Overconsumption can cause constipation.
Can be refined into Body-Strengthening Potions, Bone-Tempering Potions, and anti-diarrheal medicines.” “Night-Cry Flower.
A small white flower that blooms only at night, emitting a faint fragrance.
Legend says its blooming attracts the whispers of spirits, hence the name.
Its floral scent has strong hallucinogenic and hypnotic effects.
Can be refined into Meditation Potions; must be used with caution.” “Crimson Sun Fruit.
A small red berry that prefers growing on sunny slopes, fully absorbing the essence of sunlight.
Consumption can dispel mild internal cold, replenish stamina, and induce a warm feeling.
Can be refined into Battle Qi Potions, Stamina Potions, and Blazing Fire Potions.” “Serpent-Tongue Orchid, Stone-Shell Scorpion Stinger, Wind-Cry Bird Throatbone, Water-Breath Gills, Rock-Turtle Shell Powder, Phantom-Light Butterfly Wing Powder…” Strengthening his right hand with Soul Power, Russell recorded information swiftly, managing to document the properties of one medicinal ingredient per minute.
He first appraised materials containing Soul Power—what were commonly referred to as “heavenly treasures.” While these ingredients couldn’t truly be considered treasures, many still caught Russell’s eye.
For instance, the Night-Cry Flower.
When used as a primary ingredient to brew a meditation potion, it wasn’t the kind of meditation practiced by Soul Masters, but rather the meditation used by wizards to cultivate mental power—its effect being to accelerate the enhancement of spiritual energy.
Russell hadn’t expected that materials from the Douluo Continent could genuinely be used to brew the magic potions from that little wizard game he knew.
With this promising outlook, he worked with even greater enthusiasm.
By noon, he had appraised and recorded over a hundred types of materials.
Russell stood up and stretched.
“It’s lunchtime—time to eat!” He pushed open the door to find the corridor empty; the students had all left after class.
“Let’s change things up today and eat outside.” Outside food might not be as nutritionally balanced as Russell’s own meals, but the flavor was usually decent.
After eating meat all the time, his taste buds needed a break.
On the way, undisturbed, Russell mentally categorized the medicinal ingredients, planning to gather all the materials for a specific potion.
Once he had them, he could slowly experiment with the formula, brew the potion, sell it, and establish a virtuous cycle.
In the afternoon, he cultivated for two hours instead of taking a nap, then spent another two hours appraising ingredients, followed by two hours practicing Soul Skills, Soul Power control, and Martial Soul control.
In the evening, after dinner, Russell read for two hours and cultivated for a little over an hour.
As the day ended, he turned off the lights and went to bed.
A few days later.
Xiao Wu came looking for Russell.
She still appeared carefree, lively, and full of energy, asking curiously, “What have you been up to these past few days?
I hardly ever see you around—you’re even busier than before.” When Russell saw Xiao Wu, his eyes lit up, startling her into stepping back repeatedly.
“What…
what’s with that look?
It’s creepy.” Russell reined in his enthusiasm and cleared his throat lightly.
“Xiao Wu, it’s been almost a month.
When are you going to challenge me again?” Xiao Wu’s blood was a premium material for brewing magic potions.
As a Humanoid Spirit Beast with no elemental attributes, her blood could perfectly stabilize the conflicting properties of almost any magic potion, enhancing its quality.
Russell pondered this—he had just saved up a hundred drops of blood, but it wouldn’t be enough for the potions he planned to brew next.
Xiao Wu’s face paled in alarm.
She waved her arms frantically as she retreated, soon backing into a wall, her voice trembling.
“No more, no more!
You devil, always demanding blood as a wager.
You’ve already pricked every one of my fingers, and you still won’t let me go!” Her voice was filled with grief and indignation.
She had long since given up any thought of reclaiming her position as the boss.
Fortunately, the students were sensible enough to continue calling her “Big Sis,” allowing her to retain some dignity and maintain her authoritative image.
“Tsk, where’s your perseverance?” Russell shook his head, admonishing her.
“It’s not that I enjoy lecturing, but even the Master said you’re too lazy.
You need to work harder.” Xiao Wu pouted.
“Who can work as hard as you?
And the Master—I’ve never seen him cultivate diligently either.” She shuffled to the doorway and made a break for it.
“I’m leaving.
Let’s chat when we have time!” Her swaying ponytail, resembling a scorpion’s tail, swayed its way into Russell’s thoughts.
“Could Xiao Wu’s hair be used as medicine?” As another part of a Humanoid Spirit Beast’s body, it should have similar effects.
He picked up his pen and noted it down—another flash of inspiration.
Slender fingers flipped forward through the pages, the paper rustling softly.
The notebook was filled with dense notes, with the Moonlight Moss-based Tranquilizing Potion being the first to have all its materials gathered.
“Seven ingredients, the Synthesizer isn’t needed—its only use is for identifying residue.
According to the permutations and combinations, the most material-efficient sequence…”