[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-above-the-mage":3,"chapter-above-the-mage-above-the-mage-chapter-60":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Above the Mage!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2257064,4404,"Chapter 60: Basic Stamina Potion","above-the-mage-chapter-60",60,"\u003Cp>“Same price as before—two gold coins for one spell formula. No problem?” Gao De haggled with Yom in Pierre’s Grocery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After striking a deal with Gao De, Pierre quickly contacted Yom, the original seller of the spell formulas to Gao De.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yom, indeed, still had interest in trading spell formulas; after being contacted by Pierre, he nodded without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was exactly as Gao De had expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his view, secret trades of forbidden spell formulas were either the first time—or countless times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, spell formulas could be infinitely copied with almost no cost, yet sold at high prices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was faster money than gambling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most people dared not earn this money because it was forbidden and carried extreme risk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But once you tasted the sweetness, it was hard to quit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Last time I sold you three as a bundle, and I was especially tight on cash then—that’s why I gave you that price,” Yom now wanted to raise the price.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then forget it. Too expensive—not worth it. I haven’t even digested the three formulas from last time. Greed makes you choke!” Gao De feigned abandonment of the deal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, ah—just give me a little more,” Yom hurriedly called out, helpless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is the price. Not a copper more,” Gao De, always a man of principle, held his ground. “I’m just being kind—say two gold, even two silver, you still profit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, alright,” Yom saw he could squeeze not a single copper from Gao De, and surrendered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, Gao De desperately needed these two spell formulas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And after the previous transaction, Yom’s credibility with the spell formulas had been verified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So if Yom had stubbornly held his price—even at the official rate of six gold per formula—Gao De would have gritted his teeth and accepted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unfortunately, Yom didn’t know that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he could only be manipulated by Gao De in return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After settling the price, Gao De reluctantly pulled four gold coins from his pocket and handed them to Yom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spell formulas for [Read Magic] and [Blade Protection] were now in hand! After leaving Pierre’s Grocery, Gao De went to the herb garden in town, specializing in medicinal seedlings, and spent eight gold to buy a batch of seedlings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After haggling, he got the shopkeeper to include free delivery—and enough fertilizer for half a month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Budebushuo ， Zaijiangjiazhegelingyu ， Gaodeyepoyouwuxing 。\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actually, medicinal herbs themselves produce seeds; directly collecting and cultivating those seeds could still sprout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the medicinal properties of herbs grown from such seeds were far inferior to those cultivated by expert herbalists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using such inferior herbs to brew potions yielded only inferior potions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though herbalism was not as advanced as alchemy, its scope of knowledge was no less vast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seedlings cultivated by herbalists who understood cultivation techniques had medicinal properties far superior to naturally grown ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gulu gulu~ Ramos brought in a large basin of freshly stewed meat broth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heat still made the broth bubble with a simmering sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is the meat broth, prepared as you suggested,” Ramos spoke with great restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having personally killed Yilan and Ceda the mage, even though Gao De was young, he had established his authority in the herb garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thanks,” Gao De didn’t care much, waved his hand, muttered a thanks, and told Ramos to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Ramos left, Gao De washed his hands, then eagerly lifted the lid covering the wooden basin to retain warmth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Milky-white broth, rich with aroma, rushed toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tender peas and fresh meat were the main ingredients, each piece of meat the size of a baby’s fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Potatoes and onions garnished the dish; a loaf of wheat bread, soaked in the broth, absorbed its flavor and heat, becoming softer and more fragrant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A full basin of stew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De couldn’t help swallowing his saliva, quickly grabbed chopsticks, and scooped up a potato—forks and knives always felt unnatural to him; since becoming master of the herb garden, he had made his own chopsticks. The potato’s unique texture mixed with the rich broth exploded in his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So delicious!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That first bite warmed his entire stomach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De picked up a piece of meat; the stewed flesh nearly melted on contact, releasing an instant burst of aroma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hunger was fully awakened; saliva began pouring out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignoring the heat, he grabbed the bread soaked in broth and devoured it greedily with the pea-and-meat broth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing all the meat and accompaniments, he lifted the entire basin and drank the thick broth clean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perfect!” Gao De set down the basin, contentedly patted his belly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With continued training and richer meals, his body grew stronger day by day, and his appetite improved steadily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His once slightly frail frame was gradually becoming robust; his complexion turned ruddy, his gaze sharper and more radiant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This further proved the correctness of training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The greatest gain was that Gao De discovered his stamina had improved with his physical enhancement—benefiting both cultivation and potion-making.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was an unexpected hidden benefit he hadn’t anticipated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, good physical condition was the foundation of everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning to the workshop, Gao De tidied up the cluttered desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the mess left from his afternoon attempt to brew the Basic Stamina Potion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of the Basic Stamina Potion, Gao De grew frustrated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three main ingredients for the Basic Stamina Potion: Gaoshan Ironwood Root, Sunfire Fruit Core, Wild Wolf Gland Fluid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The herb garden could produce the first two itself; only the Wild Wolf Gland Fluid needed to be purchased externally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to increased hunting in Hogen City recently, the price of Wild Wolf Gland Fluid had dropped nearly thirty percent—from eight silver per unit to six silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing this was the optimal time to practice brewing the Basic Stamina Potion, Gao De acted decisively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spent six gold at once to buy twenty units of Wild Wolf Gland Fluid, aiming to master the Basic Stamina Potion in one go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the results were unsatisfactory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had attempted brewing the Basic Stamina Potion six or seven times, yet still far from success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His best attempt completed only half the process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not a single bottle of Basic Stamina Potion had been produced; no returns at all—he’d already spent two gold on ingredients.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this negative return would continue for a long time—given this trend, he absolutely wouldn’t master the potion within twenty tries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though his heart ached, Gao De could only grit his teeth and continue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To master a new potion, upfront investment was unavoidable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no way around it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems I really should thank Ceda the mage for his discernment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After personally experiencing the difficulty of potion-making and the massive upfront investment, Gao De felt a pang of reflection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The original body’s mastery of the Basic Spider Venom Potion wasn’t just due to innate talent in alchemy—Ceda the mage’s “willingness to spend” was also crucial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He at least had the generosity to provide expensive herbs for “Gao De” to practice with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without the unavoidable “test subjects,” bringing street children back to the herb garden, providing food and shelter, teaching cultivation methods and alchemy knowledge—Ceda the mage was, frankly, a great benefactor to his apprentices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was no “what if.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1203,"2026-06-19T14:28:48.629Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","dab3f88e6f02ea0fdb78022992c05837bc838812075726b52d0c7b580a017f70","above-the-mage-chapter-61","above-the-mage-chapter-59",529,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fabove-the-mage-cover.jpg"]