Because of the hard work of the guards, the ingredients were gathered faster than anyone could have expected. Kent was rather pleased with how quickly the guards managed to collect the ingredients. He made a mental note to contact them in the future to help him gather herbs.
After obtaining the ingredients, he requested a secluded place where he could work. The pill he was about to make was only a Tier 0 pill, but even with just six ingredients, he needed to prepare carefully. This was also why he had asked for more than he needed.
He wanted to practice more and, if possible, push his purity level a little higher to craft a better pill next time.
Unity led him to a room not far from the main building and stood guard outside, ensuring that no one disturbed him while he worked.
Once he was gone, John Alderford and his wife began a conversation.
"Do you think he can cure her?" Cynthia asked.
"So far, so good. He's been the only one able to come up with a diagnosis. Whether he can cure her depends on his capabilities. But I guess we'll find out in a few days," John said, still wearing a skeptical expression.
It would take more than a diagnosis to earn their trust. But Kent knew this, and he planned to build his reputation as an alchemy genius from here.
"So, about your promise—are you willing to give her hand to him if he does manage to cure her?" Cynthia asked.
"I didn't say anything to either of them when I spoke with the alchemist earlier on... I never got the chance. But if he does manage to cure her, I wouldn't mind giving her to him. Someone this young and brilliant is destined to become someone great in the future."
Cynthia sighed. "He is indeed capable. Let's just give him a few days to see if he can help her. If the end is destined to happen, we can only prepare for the repercussions."
The two continued their conversation. Meanwhile, in the room assigned to Kent, he laid out the ingredients and began heating the cauldron. He first wanted to practice before the real deal
When it was hot enough, he added the first ingredient, followed by the next after extracting its essence. The others followed in sequence, one by one until all were in the cauldron.
"If only I could just put them all in and extract the essence at the same time... wouldn't that be much more convenient," Kent muttered.
[The master can practice complete extraction, but that would require precise flame control that the master currently lacks,] the tower commented bluntly.
"You could have said it more nicely, tower," Kent chuckled.
[The master could try mastering the Seven Flame Control and Refining Art; it would open more doors for him,] the tower suggested, and Kent smiled.
"I tried, but I can tell that technique requires a significant amount of spiritual energy, which I currently lack due to my low cultivation base. Besides, I don't have ingredients to waste right now," Kent said, shaking his head.
Inside his dantian, a large amount of yin qi, rich with divinity, was stored. However, without a Spirit Core in his dantian, he couldn't use it yet; he would need to cultivate manually or dual cultivate to progress.
[Because the master has now inherited the Sword Tower, he can start cultivating again to level up,] the tower reminded him.
"I know, tower, but let me finish this first before we think about that."
After several minutes, dark smoke drifted from the cauldron, escaping through the windows. It was a sign that the pill was finished. Kent retrieved it and smiled.
[You have successfully concocted a Qi Gathering Pill. Grade: Tier 0, Quality: Excellent. Purity: 95%.]
"Looks like my progress is improving, even after a few days without touching the cauldron," he said before tossing the pill into his space ring.
[You are making great progress, Master,] the tower remarked.
"That I am, Tower," Kent replied, then took out the real ingredients for the antidote. He examined them for a few minutes before standing up and stepping outside the room.
When he emerged, Unity was there, looking curious and slightly flustered for obvious reasons. The reason, of course, was Kent, who walked out bare-chested.
Being from Earth, the concept of men covering their bodies all day wasn't something he could easily adapt to.
Although the temperature inside the room hadn't been that hot, Kent wanted to feel the air on his skin for the next few hours as he worked. After all, he had spent a whole year naked in the god realm; old habits die hard.
"Do you need something, Master Kent?" Unity asked, trying her best not to glance at his finely toned six-pack and muscular arms.
"You can skip the formalities and just call me Kent," he said with a small smile. "And please, could you get me a glass of water?"
"Right away," Unity replied, quickly running off.
[She's not bad, Master. She has a powerful bloodline that hasn't awakened yet, along with an unwakened unique constitution,] the tower noted.
"I know, Tower. She's not bad at all, just a little uptight," Kent replied as if talking to the tower was the most natural thing in the world.
"That being said, she's indeed not bad," Kent mused before stepping back inside. A few minutes later, Unity returned with the water, then quickly left the room, clearly not wanting to spend another moment staring at Kent's physique.
He could only smile before starting his next pill. Once the cauldron was hot enough, he added the first ingredient and began extracting its essence.
Twenty minutes later, he added the last ingredient to the cauldron. Though he wanted to finish quickly to move on to other tasks, he still took his time to increase the purity level.
An hour and twenty minutes later, the pill was complete, and a message appeared, bringing a smile to his lips.
[You have successfully concocted a Black Serpent's Dream Antidote Pill. Grade: Tier 0, Quality: Excellent. Purity: 97%.]
"I am a natural," Kent smiled.
[That you are, Master,] the tower, ever the hype man, didn't fail to drop a comment.
Kent poured small drops of water into the cauldron and used the flame to burn it, ensuring it was clean. Although the pill was an antidote, it still contained traces of poison, and since he didn't want his purity level to be affected, he first used a method to clean it before tackling the next pill.
Twelve hours later, seven pill boxes lay before him, with the highest purity being 98%. It was the last pill he concocted after resting for a few hours.
He got dressed, put away the boxes containing the pills, and left the room.
"Are you already done?" Unity was shocked when she saw him outside.
"Yup. It was just a Tier 0 pill, no need to spend days on it," Kent casually replied, making sure to add a few extra words.
"I see," Unity said calmly.
"Then we can go now," Kent said, gesturing forward. Soon, they were back in the room where Lilian was sleeping.
"Are you done already?" John Alderford asked, clearly taken aback.
"I work fast, Lord Alderford. I work fast," Kent said with a small smile before walking toward Lilian.