What kind of decent potion could that make?
He’s just trying to look impressive.
Now came the real challenge.
Lin Yue dropped his casual expression, turned, and began channeling mana into his iron pot.
As he worked, he remembered a conversation Yuan would have four years from now in the game, confiding in Allen before the final battle…
[The real secret to a potion’s potency is how much of its essence you can compress into the liquid. When I was young, I always tried to purify with high heat, never realizing compression was the key.]
[But aren’t you only twenty-two…?]
[That’s not the point!]
After four years of study and experience, the future Yuan had long shed his current immaturity and sharpness.
He hadn’t grown in height, but his potion skills had surpassed even his family’s tradition.
To beat your present self with your future conclusions—it’s almost bittersweet.
With that thought, Lin Yue made up his mind and cast spatial magic over the iron pot.
“Hmm… not bad, he’s improving.”
Up on the stands, Lia nibbled on a small cake fed to her by Mapel, occasionally pointing and commenting at Lin Yue.
“If you want to replicate my technique from the other day, just relying on mana isn’t enough.”
At his current level, he needed to add spatial magic to stabilize the process.
To achieve the compression effect, future Yuan used a method similar to a pressure cooker: sealing with magic, using air pressure to squeeze the mana particles together for a super “zip” effect.
Lin Yue was taking it even further, directly using spatial magic to compress the liquid, pressing the molecular-like substances together.
Physics didn’t apply here, but then, this wasn’t the real world—if you wanted, you could make it happen.
As Lia had once said: Spatial magic can accomplish anything you’ve never dreamed of.
“Lin Yue looked so relaxed just now—how come he’s sweating so much now?”
Mapel saw that giving Lia a little cake had lessened her hostility, feeling both amazed and relieved.
“Because only now is he truly beginning his potion-making.”
Lia, usually taciturn, couldn’t help but share her thoughts with someone who also knew Lin Yue well.
“Lin Yue…”
Airella watched his serious expression, unconsciously squeezing Lia’s small hand.
“Ow, that hurts… easy…”
“Ah… sorry!”
…
Twenty minutes later, both had finished brewing.
Yuan deftly bottled and sealed his potion, just waiting to exchange with Lin Yue.
Lin Yue was a bit clumsier, but it didn’t matter—he was ready soon enough.
The two exchanged glances.
Yuan examined Lin Yue’s potion: the color was right, but it lacked any luster, while his own gleamed like the brightest star in the night sky.
Yuan’s lips curled up in triumph—he’d won.
You could judge a potion’s quality by its appearance; Lin Yue’s looked like what Yuan himself produced after just a year or two of practice.
Not bad, but nothing compared to his own.
“Before we drink, let me say again—I hope you’ll keep your promise and apologize to the Valiana sisters.”
They might not appreciate it, but dragging this arrogant brat’s name through the mud would be satisfying for a long time.
Not that the guy had any good reputation to begin with.
“I’ll keep my word. I just hope Young Master Rudel won’t disgrace his own family.”
With that, he tossed the potion over.
“Hmph.”
They swapped potions, opened the caps, and drank.
At once, a surge of pure restoration swept through Lin Yue’s body, washing away all fatigue.
“Isn’t this the same potion Isabella left with me?”
He immediately recognized it—so Yuan had brewed it, no wonder it was so good.
He’d sneaked a few sips over the past few days and realized it was no ordinary potion.
Now Lin Yue understood why Yuan had it in for him—it all made sense.
Everything clicked for Lin Yue in that instant.
On the other side, Yuan had intended to just drink and be done with it, ready to declare victory.
But as he swallowed, a restorative effect many times stronger than his own surged through him.
In two words: top-grade. If the ingredient preparation were just a bit more refined, it would be even better.
“You… how did you do it?”
Yuan’s pupils trembled in disbelief.
This infamous brat, who’d never touched alchemy, had actually produced a potion rivaling—or surpassing—his own…
Lin Yue grinned at Yuan’s panic, laughing aloud.
Truly worthy of the conclusion your future self spent four years discovering—lucky for me it worked out.
All thanks to Lia’s spatial magic—though it lacked offensive power, its utility was insane.
“I…”
Yuan felt as if his worldview had shattered.
What kind of freakish tricks were these?
Lin Yue’s earlier clumsiness, his disastrous handling of the ingredients—how could he…
Yuan reflexively wanted to accuse him of cheating, but this kind of effect was something even his elders couldn’t produce. “Cheating” didn’t begin to explain it.
What on earth had he done?
Yuan was unwilling to accept it.
The Rudel family’s honor had been completely ruined by him today.
But as a proud alchemist, he couldn’t bring himself to accept a dirty outcome.
He was completely at a loss.
Yuan’s face twisted as he raised his hand, about to admit defeat—but before he could, Lin Yue quickly raised his own hand and shouted: “I lost! The Rudel family truly lives up to its reputation—I admit defeat!”
Staring into Lin Yue’s eyes, calm as a still pool, Yuan was shaken to his core.
“You…”
Just as Yuan was about to speak, some clueless gamblers in the crowd suddenly erupted in cheers, celebrating his victory.
“I knew Yuan would win—pay up!”
“Damn… Lin Yue’s all bark, no bite. I thought he had some secret, but nope!”
“I’ve never liked this guy. So what if he’s handsome? He still lost!”
“Wasn’t he supposed to apologize, too? Ha, this’ll be fun to watch…”
The crowd chanted Yuan’s name, but only he knew—in both skill and spirit, he’d lost completely.
Lin Yue took a deep breath and fulfilled his promise to the letter: “As you all heard, the rumors were entirely my fault. I coveted the two young ladies of the Valiana family and spoke recklessly.”
“The failed engagement was due to my own error. I don’t ask for the Valianas’ forgiveness. But I want everyone to know, the two young ladies have nothing to do with me. If there are any more such rumors, I will take full responsibility…”
Lin Yue bowed deeply toward the stands, then walked off the stage with an impassive face.
“Truly a scoundrel, heh, the Valiana family really had poor judgment with that engagement.”
Hearing Lin Yue admit it himself, some noble-haters jumped in with biting ridicule.
“Lin Yue is trash, totally shameless.”
“I heard he only got in by connections—on magic test day, he never showed up, probably wore out Avilina’s doorstep begging for entry, haha!”
Another person kept piling on: “Yeah, I bet his so-called exam heroics were fake—he just got into the elite class through connections. Avilina’s got no shame.”
“And he thinks he can marry the Valiana sisters? I bet he’d be happy just to marry a **, hahaha…”
Hearing all the taunts around him, Lin Yue couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed.
But what could he do?
He was the villain, after all.
The delinquent rumors hadn’t faded yet, and now he’d deliberately “tripped in the gutter,” so his reputation tanking was only natural.
It was his own choice: hiding himself while accepting the consequences.
But seeing all these gamblers so worked up actually made him feel better.
“You guys! That’s enough…”
Airella couldn’t sit any longer and was about to stand and scold them, when another voice cut in.
“That’s enough!”
Allen stood up, furious, and stared down the people mocking Lin Yue.
His voice echoed throughout the entire Arena.
Next to him, Lillian tugged his sleeve, her face equally sour—she seemed genuinely angry at these people, but still kept her composure.
“At least he dared to challenge someone else’s specialty and took responsibility for his mistakes, keeping his promise. And you? Just cowards gossiping behind people’s backs!”
“If you really think he’s useless, why don’t you challenge him yourself and settle it with your fists! If you don’t have that kind of guts, then shut up!”
Gus, unable to hold back, stood up as well.
Seeing Allen take a stand, he echoed, “Yeah, instead of barking in the stands, why not go down there and fight for real? Anyone who beats Lin Yue, I’ll give you a custom magic tool!”
That was extravagant—a custom magic tool could fetch over two thousand gold coins and was rarely available.
At once, the stands fell silent.
Lin Yue glanced Allen’s way.
The two exchanged a look and nodded, saying nothing.
You guys sure have faith in me…
Lin Yue chuckled softly, ready to pack up and head back.