The sky was dense with dark clouds, and the mountain winds howled furiously.
On Fox Mountain, a vast square, Bai Mo was seated high atop the Bronze Altar, feeling the cold wind as he looked down at his nurous apprentices.
"Today, there’s a matter I need to discuss with everyone."
The fox apprentices all looked up at their master, ears perked.
What was there to discuss?
"We’ve just acquired the main root of a Centennial Mushroom.
"This thing... is rely a Sequence Eight ingredient, not too rare here on Fox Mountain.
"However, coincidentally, I can now confirm it can enhance and strengthen your tails without side effects."
Fox Mountain had a lot of ssy herb materials, yet very few could strengthen without side effects, and most had already been used. Coincidentally, this ordinary mushroom main root, once compounded, could have a non-side-effect-enhancing effect.
The fox apprentices rubbed their ears, frowned, grinned, and their eyes shone!
It had been a long ti since the last enhancent, was it possible to enhance again?
They were just about to cheer...
When they saw their master on the platform raise his hand lightly.
"Don’t be too happy just yet.
"Enhancent is, of course, a good thing.
"But enhancent will also be quite painful.
"This ti, the enhancent process... will be very itchy!
"So itchy, so itchy, so itchy!
"So itchy, so itchy, so itchy!
"An itch you’ve never experienced before.
"Unbearable, it will scratch your nerves to the limit, making you unable to even faint, you can only endure it alive.
"Therefore, whether you want to participate in this enhancent or not, the choice is yours.
"Wait for to finish refining the dicine, during the waiting process, consider carefully and decide whether you wish to partake in this enhancent."
...
Bai Mo could refine this enhancent potion alone.
In the square, he sat on a recliner, resting his cheek in one hand, guarding the Alchemy Furnace, controlling the Divine Sense and Pill Fire while the boiling potion inside the furnace bubbled with a "gurgle" sound.
He glanced at the main root resting on his knee, his face solemn. Once this potion was concocted, it could strengthen tails with a comprehensive systemic enhancent, without side effects. But the enhancent process, the itch... it’s just a word, "itch," to describe it, but once experienced, its taste might be unimaginable for the apprentices.
Scanning around, he saw the apprentices surrounding him, layer upon layer, densely packed, so with eyes fixed on the Alchemy Furnace, so looking toward their master.
Bai Mo sensed with his Divine Sense that the potion in the pot was at the right temperature and tossed in the main mushroom root with a lift of his hand.
With a wave of his hand, the Divine Sense and Pill Fire urged the furnace lid shut abruptly.
Bang, bang, bang... Imdiately, sounds of beating resonated from within the furnace, sotis from the top, sotis from the bottom, and sotis fiercely pounding from inside to outside on the furnace lid, as if that main root were still a living creature, frantically roaming within, struggling!
Bai Mo waved his hand again, and a green Pill Fire erged from the void, covering all the valves of the Alchemy Furnace, seemingly to seal the potion, or possibly to seal the exit, so that the main root cannot escape.
Scanning the apprentices once more, he saw them quiet and fixated on the Alchemy Furnace, expressions of astonishnt on their faces and eyes wide open. The sounds of alchemy were usually loud, sotis even louder than this. But this ti it’s different; this ti it was ant to be poured into their mouths!
Bai Mo continued to manipulate the Divine Sense and Pill Fire, controlling the internal changes of the furnace.
Clang, clang, clang... The sounds inside the furnace grew louder, seemingly indicating the main root’s escape attempts were becoming more intense, causing the Alchemy Furnace to clang louder, even trembling slightly!
Bai Mo continued the refinent, increasing the heat.
Then the sound inside the furnace diminished; it seed the main root had run out of strength to struggle, and then...
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh... From within the furnace, it seed tens of thousands of small fishes were swimming rapidly in the potion, speeding through the liquid, producing sounds!
Crackling... The sound inside the furnace changed again, as if thousands upon thousands of tiny fishes began hitting the furnace walls, trying to escape, the sound of colliding with the furnace dense as rain hitting banana leaves.
Once more, Bai Mo glanced around, seeing the apprentices growing fearful, beginning to whisper to each other, their furry heads huddled together, whispering in foxy chatter.
"Okay, the potion is finished.
"And again, I say, enhancent is great, but it’s also painful.
"Think it over again, if you’re sure you want the enhancent... line up and co."
With that, the furnace within cald to silence.
...
At Fox Mountain Square, Bai Mo positioned himself beneath the Alchemy Furnace, affixing a faucet to its valve to pour out a cup of potion.
The apprentices queued up in a long line, waiting for the enhancent.
I wonder if any clever foxes would choose not to co, to avoid this ordeal?
At the front of the line was Black Gloves. Bai Mo picked it up, holding it in his arms, patting its chubby belly, showing it the cup of potion.
"See that mycelium moving inside?
"That’s what was just knocking around in the Alchemy Furnace.
"If you want the enhancent, you must drink it down.
"It will be very itchy!"
Black Gloves grinned crookedly, revealing its fangs, paws tapping its fluffy chest, indicating it didn’t care in the slightest, then took the cup from its master and drank it down in one gulp, licking its lips.
Bai Mo scanned its body with his Divine Sense, confirming once more that the enhancent would not be problematic.
"If it gets too itchy, co find . I’ll help you vomit up the potion."
Black Gloves nodded, nuzzling its master’s shoulder with its head, then jumped down from its master’s embrace, "whoosh whoosh whoosh," racing down the mountain, destination unknown.
Next up was White Gloves.
Bai Mo enfolded it in his arms, similarly pouring another cup of potion, showing White Gloves the mycelium within, explaining the consequences, watching as it grinned crookedly, tapping its chest confidently, taking the cup and guzzling its contents, probing it briefly, informing it of the chance to repent, and then letting it go. Watching as it "whoosh whoosh whoosh" dashed down the mountain, heading for parts unknown.
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