Duel Day, Arena.
Standing before him, Yuan seemed fully prepared, having brought over the giant cauldron he usually used for refining advanced potions, as if he intended to utterly crush Lin Yue’s arrogance.
What a grand display he’s making.
Lin Yue glanced around and noticed that aside from a few familiar faces, quite a few students from the regular class had come over to watch the fun, just to witness this notorious delinquent’s supposed reversal.
Judging by the way they tossed chips onto plates, they must be about to start betting.
You’d better not bet on me to win.
Lin Yue shook his head at the thought.
Since you all love to gamble, I’ll let you experience just how thrilling a fixed match can be.
Airella sat beside Mapel, a little anxious inside.
“Airella, are you very nervous?”
Mapel, too, had come upon hearing the news, just in time to see if this Lin Yue was really all bluff and bluster.
But he’s way too reckless, challenging the young master of a potion-making family in alchemy—maybe a bit overconfident.
As far as she knew, Lin Yue came from the Hawk family, nothing but some muscle-headed warriors.
They were great at fighting, sure, but clueless when it came to magic tools or potions.
“I… I’m not! I’m just a little excited, that’s all…”
Lin Yue, you must not lose!
She was praying for Lin Yue in her heart.
Although she often joked and bickered with him, when it came to battles about one’s reputation, she was unusually sensitive.
As a human who could command magical beasts, she was born to suffer the malicious prejudice of others—people saw her as a witch wielding forbidden powers.
Lin Yue, despite his flirtatious ways, was brilliant in other fields, just never recognized for it.
She hated this kind of malicious speculation and didn’t want the first person in ages to truly understand her to get hurt.
“Don’t worry, he would never let himself lose…”
Just as her worries reached their peak, a spatial rift suddenly appeared on Airella’s lap, and Lia popped out of thin air, sitting right down on Airella’s knees.
“Even if he loses, it’ll be a loss that fulfills his goal.”
“Wah! Lia?”
Airella jumped in fright, then noticed that nobody around had seen what just happened.
Patting her chest, she let out a breath.
“Professor Lia, you’re interested in the outcome of this duel too?”
Mapel was startled, then lowered her voice to address Lia.
“What business is it of yours? Don’t talk to me.”
Seeing Mapel trying to cozy up, Lia was clearly displeased and snuggled closer to Airella.
Did I do something to annoy her?
Mapel sat back, totally baffled.
That’s the disfavor of a Sixth-Rank Archmage—so scary…
“Lia… what’s wrong?”
Seeing Lia suddenly exhale at her, Airella was puzzled.
“It’s nothing… Let’s just watch the duel.”
She wanted to see, for the first time in so long, what would happen now that Lin Yue was finally taking the bait.
“Lin Yue Hawk, are you ready?”
Yuan looked at Lin Yue, who had brought nothing but a random iron pot to the appointment, frowning deeply.
“I’m ready. You set the rules, I trust you wouldn’t try to cheat in front of so many people.”
Lin Yue shrugged, a hint of mockery in his tone.
Yuan was annoyed, but he knew he’d have to win the duel first before slapping this guy’s face.
“The rules are simple. I won’t bully you. We’ll each brew the lowest-tier mana recovery potion. Whoever’s is best, wins.”
Such a simple task, yet it concealed Yuan’s true confidence as a potion master.
Fundamentals.
You can pick up anything quickly, but the difference between skill honed through countless trials and last-minute cramming is night and day.
And in potion-making, removing impurities and concentration techniques are how an alchemist maximizes a potion’s effect with limited materials—the ultimate standard for judging skill.
“How do we decide the winner?”
Lin Yue smiled knowingly, planning to work this into his own scheme.
“Of course, we’d ask a teacher—”
“Why don’t we drink each other’s potions? You’re the young master of a potion family—you must be an expert at judging potions. No need for a referee.”
As soon as he finished, the crowd began to stir.
Everyone had just one word for Lin Yue: wild!
Having each other taste the potion was the most direct and dramatic method of determining a winner in alchemist duels.
Once both drank, the difference would be instantly clear—loser utterly defeated, winner rubbing it in right on their rival’s taste buds.
“Fine… You’re asking to humiliate yourself, don’t blame me!”
With that, Yuan snapped his fingers, and all his brewing tools sprang into action, like a grand symphony.
Alright then, time for my own “cooking.”
Lin Yue channeled his mana, carefully placing the iron pot on the stove, then breathed a sigh of relief.
He’d watched Lia use mana to manipulate objects so many times that his own hands itched to try it—really hard though.
He couldn’t imagine how she made it look so easy…
Looking up, Lin Yue spotted three familiar girls sitting together, along with the Valiana sisters nearby, plus some of the newly friendly protagonist group.
He muttered to himself, “Why did they all come? If they accidentally figure anything out, that’ll be trouble…”
But there was nothing he could do—he couldn’t stop them from coming—so he just used fire magic to light the wood and started brewing.
Meanwhile, Yuan had fully focused.
His technique was expert, his movements precise.
He started by adjusting several basic ingredients on the table according to strict proportions, then carefully added them to the cauldron.
First, he used a special silver knife to delicately strip the veins from the magic grass, leaving only the purest part.
Next, he crushed some crystal orchid, poured it into an agate mortar, added a few drops of moon dew, and slowly ground it into a smooth paste.
With the ingredients ready, Yuan activated the bronze cauldron’s flame magic circle beneath.
Under his control, the fire became a steady pale blue—neither too hot nor too cool—just right for activating the herbs.
He then slowly poured the mixture into the cauldron, closed his eyes, and placed his hand over the brew, infusing it with pure mana as he stirred.
“……”
Up on the stands, Isabella frowned slowly.
“Yuan’s fire magic isn’t powerful, but it’s practiced and precise… Sis, do you really think Lin Yue can win?”
Isabella gave her pyromancer sister a quick summary.
But Isabena seemed not to hear a word.
Seeing Yuan’s precise flame control, she unconsciously bit her thumb, a sense of unease creeping in.
“Lin Yue… he’s going to lose…”
It was her first time seeing someone from the Rudel family brew potions in public—choosing a basic potion was likely just a way to conceal their secret formulas.
Idiot… Didn’t you say you were sure you’d win?
If he ends up disgracing himself here, that’s one thing.
But if he publicly admits to all the dumb things he’s done, not only will his infamous reputation get even worse, he might even be kicked out of the elite class…
What’s he doing…
…
Yuan’s gaze was intense.
He knew that the key to basic potions was in purification and concentration.
About a quarter of an hour later, he shut off part of the flame, lowering the temperature, and began the first round of purification.
With a fine filter, he gently and slowly separated impurities from the brew, afraid of damaging its potency.
Once done, he raised the heat again, letting the liquid slowly condense at high temperature.
This process required immense patience.
Yuan watched the brew like a hawk, occasionally ladling out a bit to check the concentration.
When it thickened and turned a clear, pale blue, he added a bit of pure water, diluting it to the perfect ratio.
Like this, he repeated the steps—purifying, condensing, diluting—over and over, each time as careful as if carving a piece of art.
Sweat dripped down his forehead, but he didn’t care—he was entirely absorbed in the work.
How was Lin Yue doing?
He’d more or less finished, wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked over.
“?”
He saw Lin Yue copying exactly what he’d just done—same motions, almost the same posture, only the difference in height making it look awkward.
When finished, Lin Yue looked up at him with the same attitude as a classmate sneaking a look at your test paper—a bit shameless.
Yuan watched Lin Yue fidget, left and right, but couldn’t figure out what he was up to.
“What are you doing…”
Yuan stared at Lin Yue, speechless.
“Oh, there aren’t any more steps? I thought there’d be something special. Turns out it’s just like cooking rice.”
Imitating him, Lin Yue covered the pot.
Now came the most boring part of alchemy: waiting for it to stew.
Seeing Lin Yue’s countertop, a mess of sliced-up ingredients, Yuan first felt a pang of pity, then looked at Lin Yue’s little iron pot with utter disdain.