High School of Demon Hunting

Upon first hearing, Zheng Qing seemed to be gently reminding Doctor Du Zemu that his Philosopher’s Stone crafting technique had been leaked.

But as astute as Du Zemu was, he immediately saw the unfinished intent of the young man.

These kids are already suspicious of me, he thought self-mockingly, as he looked mildly at the two young wizards before him. His withered fingers rested on the table beside him, tapping it lightly twice.

Then, his next statement greatly shocked Zheng Qing.

"The technique for crafting the Philosopher’s Stone has never been a secret."

Du Zemu stopped tapping his fingers on the table, raised them to rub his temples, and said softly, "The key is how to extract sufficiently pure ’Essence of Time.’ The traditional method of crafting the Philosopher’s Stone requires the hand of a Legendary Wizard to gather the ’mist’ that hovers above the river of time, and then coalesce it with the powdered crushed eggs of Sand Time Worms... This process involves domains of death and time, and thus requires extreme demand on an alchemist’s mana and skill.

My improved technique, however, harnesses the most brilliant and dazzling essence of life—the essence that naturally connects countless hidden dimensions and interlinks the river of time. The energy that erupts in moments of despair and madness can nearly break the natural barriers between past, present, and future. This high ’quality’ raw material greatly reduces the proficiency demands on the refiner..."

Zheng Qing and Jiang Yu’s eyes brightened as they focused all their attention on this Alchemy Grandmaster, who was clearly explaining knowledge that was considered taboo both in the classroom and throughout the Alliance, feeling that tonight was not in vain.

Doctor Du Zemu saw this familiar expression and chuckled softly twice, his fingers sliding from his temples across the wrinkles on his cheeks, as he switched topics, asking, "You’ve probably heard that I was once ’confined’ by the school due to an experiment accident. Do you know what that accident was specifically about?"

Of course, Zheng Qing shook his head in confusion.

The library bookshelves won’t hold investigation reports of such matters.

However, upon hearing this, Jiang Yu furrowed his brows slightly, as if wanting to say something, but hesitated for a moment and ultimately did not speak, only allowing the light in his eyes to quietly dim.

"In order to test my own plan, I violated the Wizard’s Codex by using an almost evil alchemy array to drain the life force of all living creatures in a secret realm world for illegal life formation. But I underestimated the dangers of Black Magic. The powerful resentment nearly destroyed my soul... this aged appearance of mine is one of the side effects of that incident."

Doctor Du Zemu turned his head to look out the window, his gaze unfocused, staring into the distance, speaking calmly as if narrating someone else’s story: "...the school’s treatment of me could be seen as very lenient. This is probably because wizards don’t consider the lives within the secret realm as truly equal members. Perhaps it’s precisely because of this that I am now able to return under the sunlight."

Upon saying this, he withdrew his gaze from the window and fixed it upon Zheng Qing, smiling slightly: "Now that you know the essence behind my crafting of the Philosopher’s Stone, do you still want to purchase the crafting technique for ’Dushi Philosopher’s Stone’?"

Zheng Qing’s face turned a little pale. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

He instinctively avoided Doctor Du Zemu’s sharp gaze.

"So, what you mean is, those alchemy techniques sold at Wandering Bar have significant side effects?" Zheng Qing dodged the doctor’s question ambiguously.

Doctor Du Zemu chuckled nonchalantly, giving an equally ambiguous response: "Perhaps."

To Zheng Qing’s amazement, he understood the meaning behind these three words—perhaps the alchemy techniques spreading outside are indeed improvements by Doctor Du Zemu, or perhaps not, but he didn’t care. If any alchemist truly had the courage to gamble their future, destiny, or even life on trying such an alchemy technique, then why not?

"Korma!" Another figure suddenly emerged in Zheng Qing’s mind, prompting him to lower his voice and call out. Realizing it was inappropriate, he quickly corrected himself, saying, "I mean Sister Korma... Korma the Wise of the North District, she seems to be promoting some magical stones similar to the Philosopher’s Stone among the Northern District Wizards?"

Doctor Du Zemu raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Vice-President Korma?"

He nodded, ever so slightly, using another appellation: "Indeed, my laboratory has collaborated with the North District to some extent. She did obtain the improved crafting technique for the Philosopher’s Stone from me, to replace the flaw in their current use of frogs for casting spells... Of course, her ethical boundaries are slightly higher than mine. During crafting, she only referenced parts of my improved technique, refining magic stones from the life force of frogs, toads, and even ants and mosquitoes—Insect Beasts. After the life force in the stone is exhausted, they will shatter... therefore, the ’subordinate Philosopher’s Stone’ she crafts has a lifespan and loses its effect after a period of use."

Zheng Qing silently absorbed these secrets.

His mind became a bit chaotic, even forgetting what his initial question was.

Subtly, Jiang Yu tugged on his sleeve, silently pointing to the wall clock, reminding him there was class tonight and time was tight.

Only then did Zheng Qing come back to his senses, groggily bidding farewell to the doctor.

Doctor Du Zemu did not find him rude, seeming to have enjoyed tonight’s conversation, and instead escorted him to the door. Upon reaching the yard and feeling the night wind, Zheng Qing’s thoughts suddenly cleared significantly—meaning the Ravens do not lack ways to obtain Doctor Du Zemu’s crafting technique, thus reducing the likelihood of the doctor colluding with them.

At this moment, the laboratory owner’s voice once more reached his ears.

"If next time you encounter brokers selling alchemy techniques at Wandering Bar, I hope you could purchase what they have." Doctor Du Zemu walked alongside the two young wizards, speaking softly and unhurriedly: "I’m actually curious too about how many people know my crafting technique, and what they know... Of course, I can reimburse the related expenses."

Zheng Qing chuckled awkwardly.

In reality, the friends hearing news at Wandering Bar was entirely his fabrication. But the doctor’s attitude fueled his curiosity.

"You know your alchemy is being spread privately?" He couldn’t resist asking.

"Of course I know."

Doctor Du Zemu briskly stepped forward, helping open the gate, then turned and glanced at the two of them: "I collaborate with more than just Vice-President Korma. Knowledge spreads as it disseminates, which is very normal. But just like with Forbidden Curses. Many wizards know the principles of Forbidden Curses, yet how many can truly grasp their essence?"