T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World.

Chapter 385, Section 384: The Shattered Dao Heart
The conversation came to an abrupt end as both sides began refining their potion ingredients.

The two, who are usually good at multitasking, both entered serious mode without prior arrangement.

The two were working on tables only 5 meters apart, and the noise from their work and the fluctuations caused by the dissipation of magic could easily affect the refining process.

This can also be considered part of the competition.

Being able to eliminate distractions and complete the refining process without any distractions is fundamental for a potion master.

As the referee closest to the two, Wick restrained his magic, fearing that he might interfere with the duel between the two geniuses and thus affect the subsequent matches.

"Oh?"

Suddenly, his furrowed brows relaxed as he watched the two men's movements, and he murmured with a hint of amusement.

Peppermint and Renee released very weak magical energy when purifying potions, as if they had agreed to restrain each other and prevent the escaping energy from affecting one another.

In potion-making competitions, it is not uncommon for powerful potion masters to use the aura of their spellcasting to forcibly influence their opponents and gain the upper hand.

The fact that they do not affect each other and are purely compared based on the quality of the potions has become a point of consideration that needs to be explicitly stated during the rule-making stage.

Neither of them mentioned it, yet they both instinctively chose the same approach.

Potions mastery is a profession, but in terms of professional ethics alone, these two are on a completely different level from the vast majority of people who win by any means necessary.

Wick only had a smattering of knowledge about potions, but the dignitaries invited today included potion scholars from other countries.

What might seem like a tedious refining process to laymen was fascinating to them, their attention completely focused on Renee.

Anna is a renowned all-around magical genius who has been famous for a long time.

A genius's ideas are often unique, and the opportunity to observe the refining process up close is extremely rare.

Look at how fast the medicine is condensing.

Look at this incredibly artistic element purification technique.

With swift fingers, the medicinal essence extracted from the materials floated like a dragon in mid-air, drifting from one crystal cup to another.

It's not about showing off skills, but about demonstrating exquisite control.

The renowned potion masters clicked their tongues in disapproval.

Renee was like a surging, turbulent wave, making those who once considered themselves trendsetters seem as insignificant as a mere ripple in the water.

Even if you don't want to admit it, seeing her handle a series of materials calmly and flawlessly, you can't help but feel a sense of frustration, like your own life is being wasted on a dog.

It's no wonder that someone once said, "Don't easily share the stage with a genius, because their dazzling light will burn everyone who tries to look up to them."

Driven by curiosity, many people also turned their attention to her opponent.

The Star Speakers Academy describes Mint as having some talent, barely able to compete with Renee in potions, but she is unruly and disobeys her teachers, causing a serious magical accident.

Perhaps only the arrogant, ignorant, and fearless could disregard Renée's aura and issue a challenge.

Unlike Renee, Mint chose a material that included a monster core the size of a fist.

As the organ through which some monsters wield power, its residual magical energy should not be underestimated.

High-level potion masters generally regard magic cores as catalysts to accelerate the fusion reaction of potion solutions.

Renee is still preparing for purification; has Peppermint already reached this stage?
This is the final step in the preparation stage of potion making.

"Hey, hey, hey, what is she trying to do?"

The knowledgeable potion masters were in an uproar.

Mint's hands surged with elemental power, and fire and ice fiercely struck the magic core.

The violent collision of elements prevented the magic power inside the magic core from leaking out, causing it to disintegrate into crystalline powder that fell into the crystal cup she had prepared.

Without any preparation, Mint shook the previously extracted, unpurified medicinal liquid and poured it all into a cup filled with magic core powder.

One of the potion masters was so startled that he stood up.

"Isn't all the material going to waste?!"

"Can you drink the finished potion without removing impurities?"

"Isn't she afraid that the magic contained in the materials might erupt during the refining process?"

Surprise and confusion were intertwined.

The reaction is strikingly similar to what your chemistry teacher saw: you tilting an alcohol lamp to light another alcohol lamp.

The once quiet Colosseum was stirred up because of them.

Most ordinary people don't understand the techniques of peppermint, nor do they understand the boundaries between reality and illusion.

Their impression of Mint's potion-making was that she skillfully removed the heads and tails from a group of strangely shaped insect materials, crushed them with a pestle, and stirred them up in a chaotic mess. When she logged in the next day, there were several bottles of useful potions in her inventory.

Having the opportunity to observe the refining process, everyone began their daily routine of closing their eyes and waiting for nightfall.

Just give Mint the potion and you're good to go. Don't worry about how it's made; she won't harm anyone anyway.

Elaeva ate with her mouth full of oil, but her attention never left the mint.

"Let me give you an example. When you cook eggs, do you throw perfectly fresh eggs, shell and all, into the bowl and stir them?"

Now I understand.

It's no wonder the potion masters had such an awkward reaction, and even Zhong Zemo felt a bit of a shock after hearing it.

In contrast, Renee carried out the potion-making process methodically and meticulously.

The high priests who came from the Fallen Star Siren were professionals, and they praised Renee highly, appreciating her steady style that combined meticulousness and efficiency.

As for mint, their current assessment is...

It has a rugged beauty.

Who says sirens can't be tactful? Aren't they quite tactful?
Orange Tea understood.

"Rene is the academic type, and Mint is... the muscle type?"

The academic approach is meticulous and rigorous.

The muscle-bound type is imaginative and believes that she can achieve miracles through sheer force—and she has indeed achieved quite a few miracles.

"Hmm...no, that's not right!"

The Fallen Star Siren Priest suddenly changed her mind, and even Eleravia, who had been squinting and multitasking, couldn't help but stare at the arena.

Mint dripped a few drops of the crystal liquid into the glass, put the lid on, and picked it up with both hands...

Shake it hard!

The intensity was comparable to Jiang Heyi's childhood dance moves before drinking cola.

Judging from the way Mint is shaking her head, they would believe she would start street dancing with a crystal glass the next second.

The point of surprise for professionals is clearly different from the boundary between the real and the virtual.

Those around him only saw Mint's strange actions and couldn't help but laugh.

The expert covered his head, fearing that the material might react abnormally and cause Mint to fail on the spot.

Only the most skilled magicians could realize the problem... Why is it that as I shake it, magical mist keeps escaping from the crystal glass?

Is this medicine making or a ritual?

"Is she doing this to... remove impurities?"

"You can do that?"

The siren priest, whose lifespan far exceeds that of humans, has already given his brow a full Wi-Fi signal.

The siren wore a subtle expression that said, "I don't understand, but I'm deeply shocked," and leaned against the railing, completely absorbed in the scene.

It's not just the Fallen Star Siren.

The Royal Potions Master of Anna, who was in charge of explaining the potion battle to Kurien, could no longer maintain his composure and was somewhat speechless.

To leave the renowned potion masters of Anna speechless is certainly a significant achievement in history.

Renee stopped, staring intently at Mint: "What are you doing...?"

"Remove impurities."

Mint was proud; she loved seeing the surprised and confused look on Renee's face. So satisfying!

"Can you do that?" Renee asked curiously.

Mint just chuckled and hummed twice, without replying further.

When she opened the crystal glass again, under the pull of magic, the black and gray suspension rose up and fell into another glass that had been prepared beforehand, which Mint pushed away in disgust.

The remaining milky yellow and azure blue liquids were clearly separated in the crystal glass, shimmering with a crystalline light.

"hiss……"

"She...she's finished the purification?"

"The liquid crystals are clear and free of turbidity. They do not react with each other even when placed in the same container. This indicates that all the pretreatment for refining has been completed."

"How did you do that? Just like an idiot, holding the cup and waving it around randomly?"

They were clearly watching intently, yet they couldn't learn a single thing.
This made them rub their eyes again.

Mint took out a flint and built a makeshift fire pit, placed the crystal glass on it, and stirred it while it simmered.

As time went on, the potion gradually turned light purple. Mint added something and stirred it for a while, and it finally became the blue potion that people usually thought of as a magic restoration potion.

Mint raised her hand to indicate: "The refining is complete."

"what?"

Many people were excited.

To them, the process of preparing mint was no different from children playing house and cooking games.

To think that you could just mess around like that and somehow end up with a potion is simply unbelievable!
Next door, Renee, who was diligently following the potion-making process, had just finished the step of fusing the potion and was about to begin refining it.

Only a third of the hourglass has passed.

Renee, however, remained focused on her work, while on the observation deck, a commotion was already brewing at the Grelian family's house.

"She's bluffing Renee!"

"He clearly concocted a complete mess of a potion, yet he's trying to force Renee into making a mistake and competing to see who's worse!"

Renee's mother gripped the railing tightly, her voice trembling.

Wick, as one of the referees, led the team onto the field.

He politely reminded Mint, "There's still plenty of time. Are you really sure you want to submit the potion?"

"You've already finished refining it, why aren't you submitting it?"

Mint's casual tone made the judges exchange bewildered glances as they accepted the potion.

She didn't leave, but returned to her seat, watching Renee's academic refining techniques intently.

Although she didn't improve herself, Renee's efficiency was the highest Mint had ever seen, even surpassing some of the Academy's instructors.

"I knew those old geezers deserved to die!"

Shortly after the hourglass was halfway through, Renee's potion was ready.

Two bottles of potions were placed on the table, awaiting the judge's inspection.

The lineup of judges for the Potions Trial is quite impressive, with more than ten renowned Potions Masters from various kingdoms and tribes of Anna making an appearance to test the achievements of the younger generation.

Representatives from Jingxin, Kurien, and the Grelian family also came to the venue to taste the food firsthand.

Crystal balls containing magical energy were brought to the site by maids. To maximize the experience of the potion's wonders, everyone would empty their magic beforehand.

Kurien held the small cup in his hand and invited everyone to drink together: "Then, let's drink this mint cup first."

Saying that, he drank it all in one gulp.

A cool sensation ran down my throat and into my stomach.

The depletion of magic power would make a magician who desperately craved magic feel hot and irritable. This refreshing, minty-like substance could undoubtedly provide the user with a sense of clarity.

After a short while, nothing happened.

As Kurien grew anxious for Mint, his body, like a shriveled sponge, plunged into the water and instantly filled up.

The body, which contains magical energy, involuntarily absorbs the surrounding magical energy, forming a vortex that can be observed by high-level mages.

In the blink of an eye, every referee was filled with magic.

Moreover, they vaguely sensed that the absorption and filtering of magic had become more efficient.

Those with only a rudimentary understanding of potions, like Kurien, reacted relatively well, but the masters of potions stared at the liquid in their cups with complex expressions.

He glanced at the mint, then at the medicine, and hesitated to speak.

The unshakeable academic understanding of alchemy was somehow carved out of existence by something strange.

The jailer joked, "This reaction, could it be that your Dao heart has shattered?"

Renee glanced at Mint, then approached the referee: "Can I have a drink?"

As the protagonist of today's story, her request was fulfilled.

She drank it all in one gulp, feeling the surging, boundless magic within her, and Renee slowly opened her eyes.

"I lost."

The Grion family was utterly astonished.

Mint was a straightforward person; she poured herself a glass of Renee's potion and smacked her lips.

"Hmm, it's definitely lacking. Your potion isn't vibrant enough; it's lifeless."

Even if Renee admits defeat, the normal procedures still need to be followed.

After everyone present tasted it, they found that the assessment of mint was surprisingly accurate.

After a person takes the potion, the magic power within their body is churning and about to burst forth, as if it wants to transform into a dragon and suck up the surrounding energy.

While a potion for one person can quickly replenish the body's magical power, it lacks that restless, eager-to-try surge of energy.

Renee's mother exclaimed that it was impossible.

How could a wild mage who emerged from a corner, using a ridiculous alchemy method, possibly defeat Renee's flawless and error-free alchemy skills?

The knowledgeable potion master also exclaimed that it was impossible.

It wasn't just the experts among the judges whose hearts were shattered; they all felt that all their past efforts had been crushed into powder by Mint's foot, and then ground down with even more force.

When did potion-making become so casual and perfunctory?
Some people accept the facts.

"A unique style, exceptional alchemy skills, and outstanding talent... why doesn't the Star Speaker Academy want someone like that?"

"There are too many talented and extraordinary people in Anna, do you look down on Mint?"

"Didn't Mint drop out of school on her own?"

"Wake up! The Star Speakers told everyone it was a 'potion accident,' and he was expelled out of school out of shame. You actually believed them all?"

The outcome was decided, and Curry personally announced that Mint had won the first game.

After discussions between the two parties, the second round was decided to be a drug-induced destruction.

Each side concocts a potion, using it to neutralize the potency of the other's potion.

As the two left the arena to recover their magic, the potion scholars who were acting as referees curiously pressed them for answers.

"Who taught you your potion-making skills?"

Mint blinked: "Self-taught."

After a moment of silence, someone asked, "So you left the Star Speaker Academy because they couldn't teach you the knowledge you wanted?"

This really hit the nail on the head.

She scoffed, "My mentor is jealous of talent and ability. What good can I learn from him?"

The boundary between the real and virtual worlds is overjoyed.

Yes, yes, that's what I'll say!
The difficulty of eliminating the academic clique has become much smaller.

(End of this chapter)