[Crit] on Herb Identification

The final trial, a grand combat tournament, was scheduled to begin the next morning. The atmosphere in the Outer Court was electric. The Dueling Arenas were packed with students spending their last few Merit Points on sparring sessions, while others meditated, trying to achieve a state of peak mental and physical readiness.

Amrit, however, did not spend his final day preparing for combat. His combat skill was already honed to a conceptual edge. Instead, he turned his attention to the mountain of alchemical ingredients he had acquired from the unfortunate senior disciple, Lin.

He laid them out on the floor of his simple stone house, transforming the spartan room into a vibrant, fragrant apothecary. There were glowing Moonpetal flowers that only bloomed in high-altitude spiritual zones, gnarled roots of the Iron-Bark tree known for their hardening properties, crystalline shards from a geode that had absorbed earth-elemental Prana for centuries, and dozens of other rare and potent materials.

It was a treasure trove that would have made any alchemist weep with joy. For Amrit, it was a library of raw potential, a new set of variables to understand and master.

Zian, having recovered from his emotional moment, had decided to stay and observe. He sat in a corner, ostensibly to meditate, but his curious gaze kept flicking towards the organized piles of herbs and minerals. He was fascinated by Amrit's methodology.

"Are you planning to concoct potions for the tournament?" Zian asked. "There's hardly enough time to brew anything complex."

"I am not concocting," Amrit replied, picking up a strange, dark blue mushroom with silver flecks on its cap. "I am learning."

He knew the names and basic properties of these ingredients from the books he had absorbed in the Kshirapura library. But book knowledge was two-dimensional. He needed a deeper, more intimate understanding. He needed to know the very essence of each ingredient, its unique energy signature, its hidden properties, its potential synergies with other materials.

He held the "Shadow-Cap Mushroom" in his hand. The alchemical primer he'd read described it as a key ingredient in stealth and illusion potions. He focused his intent, not to do anything grand, but to perform the most basic alchemical action: identification.

System. Identify the complete properties of this herb.

[Basic Alchemical Action: Herb Identification.]

[Target: Shadow-Cap Mushroom (350-year-old specimen).]

[Crit Chance detected…]

[…Triggering a 500x Crit!]

As with his study of the Lotus Compendium, the effect was not external, but a silent explosion of information in his mind.

He didn't just identify the mushroom. He experienced it. His consciousness plunged into the life story of the herb. He felt it as a tiny spore, landing in the deep, dark soil of a forgotten, mist-shrouded cavern. He felt the slow, patient process of it drawing faint wisps of shadow-aspected Prana from the earth over the course of three and a half centuries.

He understood its properties on a molecular and spiritual level. He saw that its primary use in stealth potions was crude and inefficient. Its true power lay not in creating illusions, but in a temporary, partial phase-shifting of a person's spiritual aura, making it misaligned with the physical world and thus incredibly difficult for other spiritual senses to detect.

Furthermore, he discovered a completely unknown secondary property. The silver flecks on its cap were not just decoration; they were concentrated deposits of crystallized spiritual sound. If properly extracted and refined, they could be used to create a "Silent-Step Talisman," an artifact that would nullify the sound of a person's movement entirely.

And finally, he identified a flaw. This particular specimen had grown near a vein of iron ore, and it had absorbed trace amounts of the metal. This created a subtle 'anchor' to the physical world, reducing its potential phase-shifting property by about 15%.

[Identification Complete. New recipes unlocked: [Aura-Phasing Elixir], [Silent-Step Talisman]. New refining technique unlocked: [Magnetic-Spiritual Extraction].]

The process took less than a second.

Amrit opened his eyes, a universe of new knowledge settled comfortably in his mind. He looked at the mushroom in his hand with a new appreciation. It was not just an ingredient; it was a complex story, and he had just read every single page.

Zian, watching him, saw only a brief moment of stillness. "Find anything interesting?" he asked.

"Its common usage is inefficient," Amrit said simply, placing the mushroom in a new pile. "And it has a minor flaw."

Zian frowned. "A flaw? Lin's ingredients are known to be of the highest quality."

Amrit picked up the next item, a bright red, crystalline flower known as a "Sun-Ember Bloom," used in fire-resistance potions.

System. Identify.

[…Triggering a 200x Crit!]

Again, a flood of information. He learned it didn't just grant fire resistance; its core essence could be refined into a "Kindle-Soul Powder," a substance that could temporarily boost the intensity of a fire-cultivator's own flames. He also discovered that its potency was directly tied to the solar cycle and that it was best harvested at high noon on the summer solstice for maximum effect. This specimen had been harvested mid-afternoon, making it 20% less effective than its theoretical maximum.

He went on like this for the next hour, a man possessed by a quiet, scholarly fervor. He moved from herb to mineral to monster part with a calm, methodical efficiency.

Crimson Ape Heart. [300x Crit!]. He learned it didn't just boost physical strength; it could be used to create a "Berserker Blood Pill" that traded mental clarity for a massive, temporary surge in power and pain resistance.

Jade-Whisper Vine. [800x Crit!]. He discovered its true purpose was not in healing potions, but in communication artifacts. The vine's internal fibers could transmit spiritual thoughts with perfect clarity over miles if properly aligned and activated.

With every [Crit], his mental library of alchemy grew exponentially. He was not just learning; he was discovering lost arts, creating new recipes, and seeing a depth in these materials that the world's greatest alchemists could only dream of. He was deconstructing the entire field of alchemy from its most fundamental building blocks.

Zian watched this silent, intense process with growing bewilderment. Amrit would pick up an herb, close his eyes for a single second, then place it in one of several new piles with an air of absolute certainty. He was sorting the priceless ingredients as if they were common vegetables, some going into a 'prime' pile, some into a 'flawed' pile, and some into a 'misunderstood properties' pile.

"Amrit, what are you doing?" Zian finally asked, unable to contain his curiosity. "You're sorting them, but on what basis? They are all peak-grade materials."

Amrit held up the Sun-Ember Bloom. "This flower is used for fire resistance, correct?"

"Yes, it is one of the best," Zian confirmed.

"It is a mediocre fire-resistance ingredient," Amrit stated. "But it is a supreme fire-amplification ingredient. Its purpose has been misunderstood. Also, it was harvested three hours too late in the day."

Zian stared at him, dumbfounded. "How could you possibly know that?"

Amrit picked up the Shadow-Cap Mushroom. "This is used for stealth potions."

"The best in their class."

"Incorrect. It is for phasing one's spiritual aura. And this specimen is contaminated with iron."

He continued, picking up item after item, calmly and accurately pointing out their true, hidden potential and their minute, imperceptible flaws. He spoke with the unshakeable authority of a primordial god of alchemy who had designed these plants himself.

Zian's mind, the mind of a genius who prided himself on knowledge and patterns, began to short-circuit. The information Amrit was spouting casually was not in any book. It contradicted centuries of established alchemical lore. Yet, the certainty with which he spoke was absolute. It was not a theory; it was a statement of fact.

He was not just identifying herbs. He was rewriting the entire textbook.

After sorting the last ingredient, Amrit looked at the organized piles on his floor. He now had a perfect, internal catalog of every material he possessed, its true potential, and the optimal way to use it. This knowledge was more valuable than any number of pre-made pills. He could now improvise, creating unique, targeted concoctions on the fly to counter any specific opponent or situation he might face in the tournament.

He had spent the day before the grand combat trial not practicing his sword, but becoming the greatest alchemical genius the world had ever known. It was a strange, almost nonsensical way to prepare for a fight.

But for Amrit, it was perfectly logical. Why sharpen your sword when you can learn the secrets to creating a blade that can never be broken? He was not just preparing for the battle tomorrow; he was preparing for the war of a lifetime.