Is the closed beta test of King of Loque over? The official release is here!

The four of them paused, looking at each other in bewilderment.

Fang Xu muttered to himself, "This temper... seems a bit off."

Murong Jiao glared at him, signaling him to shut up, but she also pouted and patiently stood outside the door.

While we waited, the aroma of herbs in the room seemed to intensify, mixed with a very faint, burnt smell, similar to that of burnt herbs.

About five or six minutes later.

"Okay, come in."

The voice rang out again.

Murong Jiao then pushed open the door, and the four of them filed in.

The scene inside the house instantly came into view.

In the very center was a huge wooden cauldron, still warm from beneath, emanating a rich aroma of herbs. The surrounding walls were covered with dried herbs, while the corners were piled high with numerous bottles, jars, and unusual processing tools.

A gaunt, wrinkled member of the Wood Clan, with skin as rough as old tree bark, was carefully transferring some paste-like ointment from the square cauldron into small wooden bottles, his back to them.

Beside him stood two young members of the Wood Clan, frantically helping to pass him tools, but their movements were trembling, and they dared not even breathe loudly, their eyes filled with fear as they looked at the old man.

The four dared not disturb them and could only stand quietly to the side and wait.

A few minutes later, the elder of the Wood Clan finally finished his work.

He slowly turned around, his cloudy yet sharp eyes sweeping over Mo Fan and the other three. His voice was like two rough pieces of wood rubbing together, dry and emotionless.

"You're the outsiders that Flying Axe guy mentioned, right?"

Fang Xu subconsciously corrected him in a low voice, "Uh... according to the Grand Elder, we should be warriors who follow the guidance of fate..."

"Hmph." The elder of the Wood Clan let out a cold snort, a mocking smile curving his lips. "Whether he is a warrior or a lucky fool, we will soon find out."

Chapter 197 Pharmaceutical Talent I

He walked over to a wooden stool and sat down, tapping the table with his large fingers.

"My name is Mu Yuan. I am a pharmacist and one of the elders of the Mu Clan. You can call me Elder Mu Yuan."

He paused, his sharp gaze sweeping over the faces of the four men, with a critical eye as if examining merchandise.

"Let me make it clear beforehand that I know you need to complete tasks and earn points. But what I'm doing here is not as simple as logging or tending farmland."

Elder Mu Yuan's tone was full of arrogance as he pointed at the four people with a finger that looked like a withered twig.

"If you want to earn points here, you have to prove that you are qualified first."

"So—" he drawled, a glint of light flashing in his cloudy old eyes.

"You need to pass a test. If you fail the test, then you will not be able to participate in this mission."

"What kind of test?" Murong Jiao put away the obedient demeanor she had when she first met Granny Muling, and her competitive spirit rekindled in her almond-shaped eyes. "Please tell us clearly so we can prepare."

Elder Mu Yuan glanced at her, his sharp gaze as if he were examining a stubborn rock that didn't know what was good for it.

"Making potions is not a simple task."

His tone was unhurried, and every word carried a condescending tone.

“Even just being an assistant isn’t easy. And if it really comes down to being an assistant—” he sneered, pointing at the four of them with his withered, twig-like fingers, “I don’t need you for that little bit of work. You might even get in the way.”

Fang Xu's lips twitched.

That old man really doesn't hold back when he speaks.

Elder Mu Yuan continued, "Whether it's handling the materials for making potions or the process of making the potions themselves, the operator needs to have a certain talent for potion-making magic."

His gaze swept over the four of them one by one, with an air of certainty that "you guys probably have no chance."

"Otherwise, it will only make a mess of things."

Fang Xu raised his hand, like a student eager to ask a question in class: "Then how do we identify whether someone has magical talent related to pharmaceuticals?"

"It's very simple."

Elder Muyuan didn't offer any further explanation, but simply gestured with his chin towards his two assistants behind him.

The two young Wood Clan members immediately understood and jogged over to take something from a shelf in the corner, carefully placing it on the central table.

It was a wood carving.

Or it could simply be a piece of wood, like Brazilian wood, with a bare surface that looks completely dead.

To be honest, if you put it on a roadside stall, I doubt anyone would even want it for five yuan.

"You think this thing can detect anything?" Fang Xu blurted out, then immediately regretted it.

Sure enough, Elder Mu Yuan's gaze swept over as if it were tempered with ice.

Fang Xu shrank his neck.

"This is a simple sensing magic artifact that I made myself." Elder Mu Yuan's voice carried an undeniable authority. "Try to manipulate the magic power within your bodies and inject it into this wooden carving."

He paused for a moment, then lightly tapped the table with his withered, twig-like fingers.

“If it can elicit a reaction, it means you have a talent for pharmaceuticals. If it can’t—” he curled into a cold smile, “then you might as well give up on that idea.”

Murong Jiao stared at the unremarkable wooden carving, then glanced at Elder Mu Yuan, whose face was unfathomable, and frowned.

"Elder Mu Yuan, are you sure this thing can really be detected?"

Mu Yuan raised an eyelid: "Are you questioning this old man?"

All four of them shrank at the same time.

"Don't dare."

"Let's begin then."

Elder Mu Yuan leaned back, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and adopted a spectator's posture.

however--

The four of them looked at each other, but no one moved.

Mu Yuan frowned: "What? Aren't you going to make a move?"

Murong Sha stepped forward, her tone calm but with a touch of frankness and a willingness to speak the truth.

"Elder Muyuan, to be honest, we don't know how to manipulate magic."

Upon hearing this, Mu Yuan's expression changed for a moment, showing some disappointment and impatience.

"He can't even control his magic..." he muttered a complaint. The four of them couldn't hear what he was saying, but judging from his expression, it probably wasn't anything nice.

Murong Sha ignored the other party's attitude and continued, "We can sense that there is indeed a power within our bodies. But we haven't yet figured out how to actively mobilize it or release it."

This is a fact.

After absorbing Rockbeard to increase their magic level, they could clearly perceive that their physical strength had increased, their senses had become more acute, and they even had a vague sense of certain "energy" in the surrounding environment.

However, these changes are more like passive physical enhancements than active and controllable forces.

Elder Mu Yuan remained silent for a few seconds, his cloudy old eyes scrutinizing Murong Sha from head to toe.

Use your brain.

He finally spoke, and although his tone was still stiff, he at least gave some guidance.

"Place your hands next to the wood carving, and with your mind, try to infuse the magic within you into it." He gestured, "Just like you breathe—you don't need to think 'I need to breathe,' you just need to feel it flowing, and then guide it to where you want it to go."

These words were spoken in an abstract way, but the four of them could roughly understand them.

Intention guides. Feeling. Flow.

"I'll give it a try first."

Murong Sha stepped forward first.

She stopped in front of the wood carving, slowly raised her hands, palms facing the rough wooden flower bud.

Then, she closed her eyes.

His breathing gradually stabilized.

The room fell silent, and even Fang Xu subconsciously held his breath.

Ten seconds passed.

Twenty seconds.

Murong Sha's brow furrowed slightly, as if she were trying to sense something deeper. Her breathing became lighter, and she entered a state akin to meditation.

About half a minute later—

Changes have occurred.

An extremely faint light appeared at Murong Sha's fingertips.

The light was not dazzling; it was almost imperceptible. Like the scattered light clinging to the wings of a firefly, it was tiny and fragmented, yet undeniably present.

"They're out!" Fang Xu exclaimed softly.

Murong Jiao's eyes widened as she stared intently at the faint light on her sister's fingertips.

Guided by Murong Sha, those tiny specks of light slowly detached from her fingertips and drifted toward the wood carving.

One, two, three...

The light particles fall onto the surface of the wood carving, are absorbed by the rough wood texture, and blend into it.

Everyone stared at the wooden carving.

Wait for it to react.

one second.

two seconds.

Five seconds.

The wood carving lay quietly on the table, like a dead piece of wood.

Nothing has changed.