Chapter 30: The Flaw in the Potion

Lu Yuan was slightly taken aback; he had never imagined this particular predicament would land squarely on his shoulders. It was an utterly unprovoked attack.

He then gave the dark-faced young man a strange look. “Are you truly… asking me to elaborate?”

The crowd below erupted into a flurry of discussion.

“Where exactly is the problem with this medicine? I can’t seem to find anything wrong.”

“Indeed! I was watching closely the entire time, and the refining process was flawless from beginning to end. There were no issues at all!”

“Could Master Risdo be speaking carelessly?”

“How could that be? Master Risdo wouldn’t speak without reason, would he? Could there truly be a problem?”

“Then, can Lei Yin discern it?”

The dark-faced young man’s expression soured. He glared fiercely at Lu Yuan. “My medicine is absolutely flawless. If you can point out a single flaw, I’ll twist my own head off.”

While the dark-faced young man didn’t personally know Lei Yin, he was certainly familiar with his illustrious name. Who hadn’t heard of the youngest core alchemist in the Northern Branch?

He couldn’t fathom why Risdo hadn’t directly specified the issues with his potion. However, Lei Yin was no older than himself, and he simply refused to believe that any peer could possess such an elevated skill level as to identify flaws in his concoction merely from its appearance.

Upon hearing his challenge, everyone else also turned their attention to Lu Yuan, eager to see what extraordinary words this young man, who had been leisurely observing the spectacle as if no one else existed, would utter.

They had expected him to speak immediately. Instead, Lu Yuan wore a faint expression of helplessness, slowly shook his head, and let out a sigh. “You are mistaken. You were mistaken from the very beginning.”

“Alchemist Lei Yin, where exactly has this alchemist erred?” Seeing Lu Yuan still feigning ignorance, Ruolin couldn’t help but slam her hand on the table in exasperation.

Rather than answering directly, Lu Yuan turned the question back to the crowd. “Everyone, please tell me, what kind of medicine did this alchemist concoct?”

“The Ramanda Potion, naturally!” one of the apprentice alchemists replied.

This was quite obvious; everyone present was an alchemist affiliated with the guild, and they possessed that much discernment.

“Excellent.” Lu Yuan cast a satisfied glance at him before continuing, “And do you all know what the effects of the Ramanda Potion are?”

The dark-faced young man scoffed with a cold laugh. “It is, of course, for treating injuries inflicted by the Direclaw Beast. Alchemist Lei Yin, do you truly need us to inform you of even this fundamental fact?”

“The Ramanda Potion is indeed used to treat injuries caused by the Direclaw Beast; everyone should be aware of this!” Lu Yuan stated, sweeping a detached gaze over the dark-faced young man. “However, the potion this friend has concocted completely lacks that effect! Not only that, if consumed, it might even worsen the injured person’s condition!”

“You’re spouting nonsense!”

The dark-faced young man’s expression shifted drastically, a surge of fury rising within him.

His opponent was openly questioning his potion, which was tantamount to a public humiliation.

“Alchemist Lei Yin! Watch your tongue! Don’t assume that just because you accidentally turned a Holy Healing Potion into a Bone-Corroding Potion, every alchemist in the world is as capable of transforming healing remedies into poisons as you are!”

The moment the dark-faced young man uttered these words, everyone turned to look. Lei Yin’s infamous reputation as the ‘Poison Alchemist’ was common knowledge, and these remarks were truly aimed at the heart.

“There’s no need to rush into a rebuttal; allow me to finish.” Ignoring the other party’s outburst, Lu Yuan spoke calmly. “If this potion had been concocted yesterday, I would certainly not be saying this. Unfortunately, the time is not yesterday, but today, and this potion is destined to be worthless!”

“Yesterday? Today?”

“What difference does that make?”

Upon hearing Lu Yuan’s words, the crowd was utterly bewildered. The dark-faced young man, his anger surging, couldn’t help but shout, “Boy, speak clearly! Don’t play these mysterious games!”

“Ah, you people… are truly dull-witted.” Lu Yuan sighed with considerable exasperation. “Very well, in that case, I shall explain it to you in meticulous detail.”

“As you all know, the Ramanda Potion’s purpose is to heal the unique injuries inflicted by the Direclaw Beast. This is because the curses carried by this beast’s claws cannot be purged by ordinary potions.

“To counteract such a curse, we must utilize a specific medicinal ingredient: the Molten Nitre Fruit, which serves as the primary component of the Ramanda Potion.”

As Lu Yuan elucidated, everyone instinctively nodded. The Molten Nitre Fruit was indeed the primary ingredient of the Ramanda Potion.

“So, here’s the question: how much do you truly understand about the Molten Nitre Fruit?”

The crowd paused, surprised. They knew the Molten Nitre Fruit was potent, carrying an inherent fire-attribute toxin, and was used in the Ramanda Potion. Perhaps some mercenaries might use it to concoct poisons. Beyond that, it had no other medicinal applications.

‘Gazing at their bewildered faces, Lu Yuan wore an expression that conveyed utter exasperation, as if trying to prop up mud against a wall. No wonder these individuals were merely ordinary alchemists, incapable of even reaching the rank of Grand Alchemist. No wonder Risdo hadn’t bothered to stand up and explain directly. Such a level of understanding was truly disappointing.’

“You all know that the Direclaw Beast’s claws carry curses, and that the Molten Nitre Fruit possesses inherent fire poison. However, what you fail to realize is that the Molten Nitre Fruit is also one of the Direclaw Beast’s most favored foods.

“The bodies of magical beasts cannot be judged by conventional logic. It is precisely because the Direclaw Beast consumes the Molten Nitre Fruit year after year that its violent medicinal properties form the life-draining curse upon its claws!”