After finding the page about the Philosopher's Stone, Kael placed the book on the table and began reading it carefully.
"The greatest achievement of ancient Alchemy, a miraculous substance with astonishing capabilities, can turn any metal into pure gold, and can also create the Elixir of Life, granting immortality to those who drink it.
Throughout history, the Philosopher's Stone has appeared three times, and each time its emergence has sparked incredibly brutal wars.
The longest war lasted for twenty years, and the country that possessed the Philosopher's Stone was razed to the ground in the tenth year.
Because each appearance is accompanied by endless bloodshed, the Philosopher's Stone is also called the Bloody Gemstone.
Of the three Philosopher's Stones, Merlin and King Arthur once teamed up to destroy one, another was eventually obtained by Rowena Ravenclaw, who, along with three friends and at the cost of the Philosopher's Stone's complete destruction, established the famous Hogwarts.
The only remaining Philosopher's Stone belongs to the famous Alchemist and opera enthusiast Mr. Nicolas Flamel."
Following this introduction, there was also an image of the Philosopher's Stone.
It was a bright red stone, irregular in shape, somewhat like an unpolished ruby.
Kael stared at it for a long time, scrutinizing every angle until Cedric came to call him for dinner, and then he closed the book.
On his way to the auditorium, Kael returned the book just in time before the library closed.
Although Madam Pince found it a bit strange, she said nothing and assumed Kael needed it for his homework research.
In the time that followed, Kael didn't worry about the Philosopher's Stone anymore but instead focused all his energy on Professor Snape's notes.
Even though Snape appeared disheveled and didn't wash his hair, his notes were extremely detailed.
Moreover, he had carefully annotated and explained many parts, making it easy to understand upon reading.
Because of the notes, Kael suddenly thought of something.
During a night stroll, he purposely went to the underground classroom and found the old and tattered "Advanced Potion Making" in a cupboard at the corner of the wall.
There was a small line marked on it: "Property of the Half-Blood Prince."
"Tsk tsk, the Half-Blood Prince... I didn't expect Snape to have such a juvenile phase," Kael unceremoniously tucked the book into his arms, planning to buy a new one to replace it in a few days.
And so, time quickly passed, and December arrived.
Hogwarts was covered with a thick layer of snow, and the lake surface had frozen solid.
As Christmas approached, young wizards were much more excited than usual, and professors had to dock at least ten points each class to focus their attention a little.
Of course, some professors' classes were exceptions.
Professor Binns, for example, would not dock points.
And Professor Snape... Even if the holidays were near, no one dared to slack off in his Potion Class.
As usual today, in the underground classroom, everyone was seriously studying the new Potion Brewing process, and even occasional exchanges were conducted in whispers.
At that moment, Professor Snape was standing behind Kael, looking at him with a strange expression as he used the back of a knife to crush the Sopophorous Bean for its juice.
"What on earth is happening, truly a sight for Merlin..." Snape cursed inwardly.
A few days ago, he discovered that Kael was progressing rapidly in magic potions, improving far beyond his previous level.
The problem was that Kael was already quite proficient in potion brewing, and such a rapid improvement should be impossible in a short time.
Snape suspected Kael of having secretly read the notes he prepared for Conna.
Therefore, this class, he skipped the original Vertical Hair Potion and chose the more difficult Draught of Living Death, which would normally be taught in sixth grade.
Since his notes for Conna only covered content up to the fifth year, if it was sixth-year material, Kael would surely revert to his original form.
Snape had thought it through; regardless of whether Kael succeeded in brewing the Draught of Living Death, he would find various reasons to dock fifty points.
It wasn't hard, as the Draught of Living Death is a very intricate potion to make, with numerous complex steps, and even if well-executed, docking a hundred points was entirely possible.
He wanted Kael to understand the severe consequences of looking at notes without permission.
But now... he suddenly found himself baffled by the situation.
Kael's process of extracting the juice from the Sopophorous Bean was perfect, not even he could have done better.
This little technique was clearly not mentioned in the notes, especially since Conna was still struggling with a knife trying to slice the slippery beans.
Snape furrowed his brows.
Could it be that Kael didn't look at those notes?
No, even a genius couldn't suddenly improve so quickly in such a short period.
He decided to keep observing; perhaps it was just luck, a happy accident.
Holding on to this thought, Snape didn't go anywhere during the class, standing behind Kael the entire time.
Even when a young wizard blew up their cauldron, he merely flicked them out of the classroom with his wand.
When the class ended, Snape looked at the perfect Draught of Living Death in Kael's cauldron, opened his mouth but couldn't utter any criticism, and finally just let out a cold snort.
"How did you do it!"
"What did you say?" Kael asked, puzzled.
"I meant to ask...," Snape said stiffly with a stern face, "Why has your potion-making level improved so rapidly?"
"I don't know, maybe it's due to Professor Cecily at St Mungo's," Kael said with a smile. "She taught me a lot over the summer and gave me many potions for reference."
"Pegasus Saxia?" Snape squinted his eyes.
As one of the greatest contemporary pharmacists, Snape was certainly not unfamiliar with her, yet he didn't think Kael's recent progress had much to do with her.
Perhaps it did... but certainly not the main reason; otherwise, he would have noticed it right after school started; it's unlikely for it to linger until now.
"Tell the truth!" Snape stared coldly into Kael's eyes.
"I don't understand what you mean, Professor." Kael blinked and earnestly said, "This is all true; if you don't believe me, you can personally ask Professor Cecily, she will testify for me.
Oh, by the way, I also recently met a helpful senior who lent me his old textbook, which benefited me greatly."
Snape's face turned worse, he glanced deeply at Kael, then turned and left the Potion Classroom without looking back.
If you don't want to say, then forget it, no need to bring up some senior's old textbook... how could he not know the level of those students?
Even ignoring the current misfits, no one even ten years back could brew such a perfect Draught of Living Death in class!