Selling the Pills

Selling the Pills

"So you're telling me you manage to concoct a high-quality Body Refining Pill?" Principal Smith asked with a raised eyebrow. Skepticism was plastered all over his face.

He obviously didn't believe Adam's explanation at all. How could he? Even Professor Singh, one of his best teachers, a person with a high-grade alchemy talent, didn't concoct even a middle-quality pill on her first success, let alone a high-quality one. So how could Adam, someone with a mere low-grade alchemy talent, do so?

He wasn't looking down on Adam; he thought the lad was extremely talented and tenacious, but Adam's proclamation wasn't realistic whatsoever.

"I'm not lying!" Adam cried unresignedly. Following his statement, he also pulled out the bottle of pills he had planned to sell later in the day. Inside were the one low-quality and two middle-quality pills he had just made.

Principal Smith was slightly surprised by Adam's show but still skeptical. However, since Adam looked so confident, he waved his hand, and a small current of wind brought the bottle of pills over to him.

Ignoring Adam's shock, Principal Smith closely examined the three pills. He even went as far as to uncork the bottle and then sniff the pills. And eventually, his old and wrinkled face couldn't help but reveal a hint of shock.

"Did Sam make these?" Principal Smith asked accusingly.

With his experience and senses, it wasn't hard to tell that the pills in the bottle were extremely new and freshly made, but he still couldn't believe Adam made them. And since Sam was the only other person on the alchemy floor last night, Principal Smith thought she made them.

"Principal, am I such a person who would claim the achievements of others as their own?" Adam's face crumbled when he heard the principal's accusation. Did he look like such a person?

"Also, look at the engraving on the side. Those are my bottles." Adam continued to say as he pointed at the initials on the side.

Principal Smith subconsciously looked at where Adam was pointing, and as the boy said, there were indeed his initials on the bottle.

A.C.

"Ah. That's not what I meant. I was just being sarcastic." Principal Smith awkwardly apologized. Once he saw the effect his subconscious reply had on Adam, he felt a little bad.

"However, you're telling me that you managed to concoct four pills, one of which was a high-quality pill, on your first attempt?" Principal Smith asked once more. He still couldn't understand how Adam managed to accomplish such a feat with his average talent.

Adam, to this question, only shrugged. Though he respected the principal, he wouldn't ever tell him about his system or his new cosmic grade alchemy talent. It would cause far too many questions, complications, and problems if he did.

So other than claiming his new talent, Adam would give the president no bones.

Principal Smith looked at Adam in the eyes deeply for a few seconds, but after seeing the sleazy look in Adam's eyes, he eventually stopped.

"As long as you don't destroy your future or bring harm to the Federation, I don't care what you do." Principal Smith said.

At the end of the day, he was only the principal. Forcing out every secret from Adam was unethical and would also just create enmity between the two, so Principal Smith said nothing.

"I promise I will do neither!" Adam swore with a smile. He could tell that the principal was extremely curious about his secrets, but he truly couldn't say it. Adam admired the old man, but not as much as his own life.

"Wait. Also, Principal. These stats represent my vitality index score, right? Can I raise them?" Adam asked once he looked back at the computer.

Seeing the extremely high number and how much shock Principal Smith had on his face when they appeared, Adam thought that he should capitalize on his newfound talent.

"Of course. If not, why would I bring you up here?" Principal Smith said with a smile, "There are three months until the college entrance exams. During this time, the school will start giving you specialized resources in order to allow you to unearth as much potential as you have. However, looking at your vitality index, I can warn you now, it's going to be a painful few months."

"Why?" Adam asked, confused. Were they going to torture him? What did he do to deserve such pain?

"Your bone strength. The bones are the hardest and most painful to strengthen of the five main stats that comprise someone's vitality index. So since your bone's strength is the lowest, we need to increase it." Principal Smith simply answered. However, once he finished his sentence, his old face revealed a smile.

Adam felt a chill go down his spine when he saw the principal's smile.

—-

After getting a few rather morbid words of encouragement from the principal, Adam left, but not before asking Principal Smith to remove the scalpel from his thigh. He had almost forgotten about it again. Thankfully, he remembered.

The task wasn't a hard thing for the principal to do, and after a swift but painful yank, the scalpel was removed from his thigh.

Apparently, the reason it was so hard for Adam to remove it was that after his breakthrough to the 9th stage of the Body Refining Realm, his thigh muscles had strengthened and toughened around the scalpel and treated it as just another part of his body rather than a wound.

After leaving the Federation Lab, Adam quickly went to his next destination, wasting no time.

School was about to start for the day. And while Adam was a senior and could skip a few days of school, he wanted to meet Professor Singh so he could try and sell his pills.

She was only at school during the morning hours, so if he delayed too long, he would miss her. Adam wanted to buy the three talents as soon as possible, mainly because he wanted to find out how to unlock the level 2 talent shop.

He had two guesses on how to do so. Either to buy all the items from the level 1 version or to break through to the Martial Apprentice Realm. And since he couldn't do the latter, Adam planned to do the former first.

Either way, buying the talents now rather than later would only be beneficial. Buying the talents earlier would give Adam more time to get used to them and to study their benefits.

Bidding the old principal farewell, Adam went back down the stairs and left the school's main building.

Professor Singh taught in a different building not far from the main one. The one she taught in was a lot larger, as it mainly held lecture halls rather than the main building's classrooms.

Following a quick ten-minute walk, Adam arrived at his mentor's lecture hall.

"Professor, are you here?" Adam asked as he knocked on the doors to her lecture room.

He was answered with a faint but mature-sounding yes, and after receiving permission to enter, he did.

Professor Singh's lecture hall was large and was also built in an upside-down half-dome shape. Inside, there were almost a dozen rows of seats, and it could easily contain a few hundred students.

At the bottom of the dome was the professor herself, Professor Singh. She was standing by a furnace that was almost 4 feet tall and was currently writing down notes in a journal.

Professor Singh was an Indian woman in her late forties, but due to her profound cultivation base, she didn't look a day over 30 and was able to keep her appearance beautiful and mature-looking.

After finding out who the person who disturbed her was, Professor Singh put down her journal and focused her full attention on Adam.

Though the boy was one of the least talented people in her best class, he had a tenacity unrivaled by anyone. Well, except for one, Sam.

However, that girl was in her own league. Professor Singh never compared the two. It would be harsh on the conscience of 16-year-old Adam.

So, after seeing the diligent student enter her classroom, Professor Singh felt proud of herself for being able to teach such a student.

"What do you want, Adam?" Professor Singh asked kindly, "Do you want to see me make those Body Refining Pills again?"

Adam often came to her and asked for a demonstration of how to concoct the Body Refining Pills, and since Professor Singh was a rich woman, she did them often. Between the discount she got at her family's shop and the low price of the pill's ingredients, Professor Singh felt no trouble making the pills.

Plus, she could simply sell them for a small profit after successfully making them.

"No, but rather the opposite. Professor, I need to sell some Body Refining Pills." Adam shook his head and replied as he descended the staircase.

"Sell? Why do you have Body Refining Pills and extra ones at that?" Professor Singh asked, confused.

In her mind, if Adam had a Body Refining Pill, he would simply consume it for himself, not come to her and sell it. However, she knew the boy's financial situation, so it was impossible for him to buy all of these pills. And when she factored in how far Adam was from refining the pills, she assumed that he got them from somewhere before thinking he actually concocted them.

Adam sensed that, and rather than replying to her with words, he showed it. Actions were louder than words, after all. So, going into his pocket, he pulled out the bottle of pills and tossed it to the woman.

Professor Singh was a martial master, and it was more than simple for her to catch an underarm pass throw, but after she caught it, she almost dropped it.

"You succeeded?!" Professor Singh was shocked. The reason she pinned the pills to Adam was because of the bottle. She personally gave a set of these bottles to Adam so he could use them in the future. And they even had the boy's initials branded on them.

A.C

Adam nodded proudly at her question, indirectly giving her the answer.

"Aren't you going to use it then? I heard you are..." Professor Singh's words paused as she noticed Adam's new appearance.

"You broke through as well?" Professor Singh asked subconsciously. However, she felt like her question didn't really need an answer and just continued speaking.

"Well, look at you! I thought you would be the last person to concoct the Body Refining Pill, but you were the second! Truly a surprise." Professor Singh said approvingly as she gave the now-close-by Adam a pat on the shoulder.

"I couldn't have done it without your help, Professor." Adam humbly replied.

But as humble as he was acting, it was true. Professor Singh had taken a liking to him ever since his freshman year four years ago. And because of that, he was the recipient of a lot of favoritism from her.

This favoritism led to many one-on-one discussions and personal demonstrations she gave him. If not for those, Adam would've been much farther away from concocting the pill than he was yesterday.

Of course, none of this mattered as Adam now had a cosmic-grade alchemy talent, but Adam still engraved the favor in his heart.

Professor Singh only smiled at the boy's humbleness and instead pocketed the pills.

"I'll sell these pills before the school day ends. Just give me your bank account number now. I'll send you the money now." Professor Singh said as she pulled out her phone.

A quick exchange later, and finally, Adam got his long-desired paycheck.

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