“Hmm...” Hua Tang replied thoughtfully, listening to May's explanation of her project. He was curious to see what the youngest candidate for his disciple had come up with. To his surprise, he wasn't really sure. “So you're saying you've discovered a type of fungus that will enable you to create a new cure for various diseases?”

  May used this explanation for her project. She had to rewrite her current work from scratch so that it would make sense to a cultivator.

  “The Penicillium fungus I discovered has medicinal properties that I am trying to isolate. I wrote more about it in my report. If I manage to isolate... the main ingredient, it will mean the possibility of producing a cure for syphilis, for example, which will be many times cheaper to produce than the potions available on the market.”

  Hearing her words, the professor fell into thought. May was the only candidate who had taken on such a difficult task. To be honest, he considered her attitude arrogant. Creating a completely new medicine? Even if she had indeed discovered a new type of fungus with healing properties, creating a completely new medicine from scratch could take years, even for him! And she wanted to achieve it in a month?

  Other people also had ambitious projects, but less absurd ones. No normal person would try to create a completely unknown drug with unknown properties in month!

  After all, there were many plants with medicinal properties that were not used in alchemy for various reasons! Just because something had medicinal properties did not mean it was a suitable ingredient! In particular, mushrooms, which were known for their toxicity and were generally avoided by alchemists.

  “It's quite an ambitious project,” he said simply, not quite sure what to think. On the one hand, this was exactly what he was looking for: a fire that burned in her heart for alchemy. However, it was significantly different from the recklessness she was currently displaying.

  “I agree, but I've already developed a way to mass-produce this fungus... I've included everything in my notes,” May said. “Now I'm going to try to move on to producing the actual drug, penicillin.”

  Hua Tang looked at her report. It was surprisingly well written, everything was organized in tables, and all the data was easy to understand. It was the most well-written text he had ever received. Years of studying on Earth had finally taught May of something.

  “Peni- Ugh! What a horrible name! I don't know if you actually discovered this fungus, but it's too difficult to pronounce!” Hua Tang complained.

  Well, by the standards of this world, that name is certainly quite unusual... I just copied the Earth name.

  She was criticized in the same way by La Xia for the names of chess pieces, but in the end she didn't change the naming convention, and in this case she had no intention of doing so either.

  “Oh, the name may seem a little strange...” She replied dismissively.

  “You said it's supposed to be a cure for various diseases like syphilis? First of all, we need to verify that you were indeed the first to discover this fungus, because it's possible that it already has another name,” he said. “I'll take a sample and verify it myself so you don't waste your time on such frivolities.”

  May doubted that anyone had discovered it before her, but she was glad that Hua Tang had decided to look into it and confirm it. Having confirmation from a renowned alchemist would strengthen her position as the discoverer.

  “Thank you, Senior!” May replied.

  “As for the name... Maybe it would be better to call it the Miasma Purifying Mushroom? Or something like that, since I'm afraid your sense of naming isn't very good." He said, shaking his head.

  May rolled her eyes at that. After all, she wasn't the one who came up with the name. She sighed and replied. “I'll take that into consideration.”

  “You've taken on quite a challenge,” he said thoughtfully. “To be honest, I'm not convinced that a novice cultivator can handle something like this... Even if you have perfect affinity with the Path of Alchemy.”

  Nadine Albrecht also undertook an ambitious project to try to reduce the negative effects of the Red Moon Pill, while Sung Haoyu researched various anti-pain medications and wanted to verify their effect on the cultivation rate. Both projects were ambitious but feasible.

  “I'm afraid that even my smallest contribution to your project would greatly exceed what should be acceptable within the scope of consultation.”

  “I understand,” May replied. He claimed that he was unable to help her without giving her too much assistance in her project.

  “However, if you really don't decide on another project, you will need to be able to test the effectiveness of your drug on something,” he said, after thinking for a moment about how he could help her while still being fair. “I will provide you with infected mice so that you can test the remedy.”

  May was delighted with this information. Although drug testing in this world was much less stringent than on Earth, she would still have to be responsible if she conducted tests on humans and something were to happen to someone.

  Of course, there were exceptions, but none of them applied to May. Even though she was fairly confident in the effectiveness of her drugs, she still had to start with animal experiments. Hua Tang made it very easy for her.

  “Thank you for your help, Senior!” she replied with genuine enthusiasm. She had already been wondering how she could test the effectiveness of penicillin.

  “It's nothing,” he replied. “After all, it's my job to make sure everything goes smoothly. I wouldn't want you experimenting on real people...”

  There were rumors about evil alchemists who kidnapped homeless people and tested their potions on them. How much truth was there to this? It was hard to say, but officially, the sect would never admit to it.

  “I would never test untested medications on people,” May replied honestly. Even if cultivators stood above mortals in the hierarchy, that didn’t mean they could do whatever they wanted with them.

  “You have a very good attitude worthy of a true alchemist,” he replied. “However, you cannot avoid testing on humans. If the results you get from testing on mice are positive, it will be inevitable.”

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  May was aware of this, but the very thought of having to risk someone's life made her nauseous. Probably even if someone died because of her drugs, and that person had given her consent for treatment, she would not suffer any serious consequences as on Earth. At most, compensation for the family.

  Seeing her expression, he chuckled quietly, as it reminded him of his own youth. “You don't have to worry about it so much. Test the cure on people who would have died anyway, even without the cure. I know it's gonna be a poor consolation, but even if something goes wrong, it won't be your fault.”

  Well, to be honest, I thought about it in a similar way. After all, if I were dying and had a slim chance of recovery, I would try a new and untested drug. As long as I had the consent of the person concerned, it seemed to be slightly more ethical.

  Of course, this only applied in this world. Although it was not possible to experiment on people with untested drugs here, theoretically there were many ways to get around this. As long as the person agreed to it and made it clear that they understood the potential harm, even if they died, the cultivator would not be held responsible. After all, the person had consented to it themselves.

  After that, Hua Tang checked a few more things and asked May a few questions, which she answered. May clearly sensed that he did not share her enthusiasm. However, she did not hold it against him; after all, from an outsider's perspective, it must have looked like she was attempting an impossible task.

  “That rural alchemist will be quite surprised, ihihi!” Minnie laughed loudly in her head. Although she had been less irritating than usual lately, some bad habits had been replaced by others. She no longer spammed her advertisements, but now she had entered a phase of strange laughter.

  Yes... Of course, I personally know that it is possible, as it has already been achieved on Earth. However, Hua Tang probably thinks that I will fail. Well, after all, what are the chances that I will be able to create a god-level medicine from a previously unknown type of mushroom? It would require absurd luck. May replied in her mind to Minnie, who continued to giggle to herself.

  Minnie was excited about the prospect of earning money from penicillin. “Hehe, I think it was a blessing!”

  Hmm? What are you talking about? May was surprised, not quite understanding what she was referring to.

  “About that creature that invades your dreams. Thanks to it, you got to work in terms of earnings!”

  Not that I had a choice. If I don’t renew freedom from nightmares every week, those dreams will eventually destroy my soul...

  “Ehehe~! When it comes to life, people always do everything in their power to survive!” Minnie replied.

  May decided to ignore her again. She was less annoying compared to her version from years ago, but now she was just one level less irritating. She was able to tolerate her, but in the long run, she still needed a break from her.

  She returned to her work on penicillin. However, she couldn't devote the entire day to it, as she still had to attend classes, cultivate, and take care of other matters. The professors were more lenient with her, though, as they knew she was participating in Hua Tang's test.

  Meanwhile, the chess club continued to grow.

  “Oh, May!” Peng Chen greeted her cheerfully as she walked in.

  May sighed inwardly. The boy didn't know that his sister had made contact with a strange being. She wondered if she should tell him, but ultimately decided not to. She was no longer sure of anything, and indifference was her shield.

  “A lot of people have come here...” she said, looking at the room full of people.

  “That's right! Your chess has become quite popular, and thanks to you providing more boards, we can afford to have more members,” he said, clearly pleased with the club's development. “I think about ten people have already asked me where they can buy the kind of chess set we have at the club…”

  “Thanks, Peng, I’ll take care of it,” May replied, pleased that the chess business was starting to take off.

  It wasn't a huge amount of money, but she intended to invest it in the infrastructure needed for mass production of penicillin.

  More and more people started talking to her. Chess was slowly gaining recognition, but it was far from popular and was currently just a kind of curiosity at Cloud Academy.

  However, a few people May hadn't invited showed up at the club... Zu Chen was there.

  “May...” She spoke to her hesitantly. Her hand was wrapped in bandages, and she looked half-dead.

  “Zu, what are you doing here? You should be resting after that unstable Qi accident!” Said her brother with a worried look.

  An accident during cultivation? Is that her explanation? May couldn't believe that Peng Chen believed such a flimsy excuse.

  “I'm not sure I want to talk to you...” May replied, still with vivid images of the attack in her mind. She was afraid that the being could take over Zu's body again at any moment.

  Zu stumbled and almost fell, but at the last moment she was caught by Peng.

  “I understand...” she said with difficulty, holding on tightly to her brother. “I'm sorry for what happened.”

  May sighed and said nothing. Soon after, Peng apologized to her and walked with his sister back.

  It was nice to receive an apology, but May had no intention of getting involved in her affairs again. She wanted to avoid her. She understood why she had done it, but she still thought it was a stupid move.

  “What was that about?” She heard a woman's voice behind her. Turning around, she saw Nadine. She hadn't expected to see her here.

  “It's nothing,” May replied evasively, as there was no need to explain herself. “It's nice that you came. Would you like to learn how to play chess?”

  Nadine was her opponent, and even though she came uninvited, there was no reason to be adverse toward her. The green-haired girl smiled at her words.

  “With pleasure, would you be so kind as to explain it to me?” she asked, sitting down at one of the tables and picking up the knight piece, examining it closely.

  May sat down opposite her.

  They began a slow game, although it would be more accurate to say that it was rather an explanation of the rules of the game. However, May sensed that Nadine Albrecht had not come here to have a good time at the club.

  “Indeed, the rumors were not wrong, the game requires logical thinking and is not a typical simple game for entertainment.” She began to praise it, and her words seemed sincere.

  “I am glad to hear you say that, Sister Albrecht, but I don't think you came here just to enjoy the game?”

  She smiled at her words.

  “Unfortunately not,” she replied after a moment. “But I don't want much. Sung Haoyu, I don't know if I'm right... But if I am, don't accept his offer.”

  “His offer?”

  “It's just my theory, but I think he may be going to try... He is our most dangerous opponent, but don't be fooled by his words. No matter how well-versed he is, in the end, he will still have the upper hand.”

  May pondered her words.

  “And what kind of offer would that be?” she asked.

  “I don't know if he'll even make one. He likes to win at all costs,” she replied seriously. “So don't be stupid and don't be fooled by his words.”

  “It sounds like you've been fooled by him in the past,” May remarked.

  “You could say that,” she replied tartly. After a moment, she got up from her seat. “It's time for me to go.”

  Meanwhile, May pondered for a moment what kind of offer Sung Haoyu might make her, but ultimately couldn't come up with anything noteworthy, so she decided that thinking about it was a waste of time.