A Beekeeper in a Magical World

A small, pitch-black sphere rolled out of the hive.

It resembled those traditional Chinese medicine pills.

Not too large, smaller than the honey pills he made himself.

Unlike the flashy appearance of the Fire Lotus, this one seemed ordinary, easily overlooked if dropped on the ground.

Its texture wasn’t too hard, about the same as beeswax, easily flattened with a little pressure.

It emitted a honeyed scent with a hint of spiciness.

Hua Mi let his spiritual power probe into it.

He found its magical elements stable, no risk of going haywire.

"The image I’m getting this time seems clearer…"

Compared to before, Hua Mi gathered more information exploring it with his spiritual power.

As his power delved in, gathering information and feeding it back to his brain, a clearer visual formed in his mind.

If the previous image was mosaic-like in quality, now he could at least discern its shape.

With his spiritual power and proficiency improving, he could almost appraise it.

Similar to when he sensed the attributes and abilities of new bee breeds.

Just not as straightforward.

"This obviously can't be used as an offensive item. Seems consumable, but what effects it might have…I'm not sure…" Hua Mi inadvertently glanced at the Great Strength Bee and suddenly got a vague feeling.

The byproduct ultimately stemmed from the bees. If he connected his consciousness to the bees first and then analyzed the byproduct, perhaps he could…

With this possibility in mind, Hua Mi promptly put it into practice.

First, he connected his consciousness to the Great Strength Bee and then released additional spiritual power to analyze the small black sphere.

For him now, this was already a simple operation.

As easy as breathing or drinking water.

Sure enough, once he did this, the picture became much clearer, as if removing a hazy filter.

The information about this byproduct became vividly presented before him.

"So, this is the correct identification method." Hua Mi was pleasantly surprised, then pushed aside distractions, focusing on analyzing the small sphere.

"This thing seems to enhance the consumer's physique…" Hua Mi looked at the sphere in his palm, pondering, "Primarily composed of a special substance secreted by the Great Strength Bee, supplemented with elements from Enchanted Honey, and a trace amount of magical elements for reinforcement…"

Summing up these miscellaneous elements led to a conclusion—the function of this byproduct: it could vitalize human cells, improving the consumer's physique.

"Truly a Strength Pill." Hua Mi joked but actually quite liked it.

Because like the Fire Lotus, this byproduct could directly increase his attributes.

No matter how many external props he had, nothing beat improving his own attributes.

From a personal standpoint, compared to the Fire Lotus, he preferred the latter.

After all, who wouldn't want to become a strongman?

Without hesitation, Hua Mi popped the Great Strength Pill into his mouth and started chewing.

"Uh, this taste…"

Hard to put into words.

Hua Mi couldn't say it was awful, just very peculiar.

The taste was complex—sweet, bitter, with a hint of spiciness.

Chewing it wasn't too bad, similar to beeswax.

Hua Mi casually chewed a few times then swallowed.

Then he quietly felt the changes in his body.

Quickly.

A warm stream surged from his abdomen, not fleeting but continuous, akin to having a warm patch placed on his belly.

The warmth pulsed through his body in waves.

Honestly, it felt quite comfortable.

Hua Mi clenched his fist, trying to sense the amplification of his strength.

To his surprise, instead of gaining much strength, he felt his energy rapidly draining!

The warm stream, soothing his body's cells, made him feel like he was soaking in a hot spring, causing his muscles to involuntarily relax, almost unable to contract or expand, hence losing strength.

Now he was almost powerless.

Even lifting his hand was quite an effort.

"Did I perceive it incorrectly earlier? Could this thing actually be harmful to the body… No, it shouldn't be." Hua Mi quickly dismissed his own thought.

His perception couldn’t have been wrong. This should be the effect of the Great Strength Pill.

Enhancing physique surely had a process, not an instant change.

Just like how bees needed to spin cocoons during evolution.

Naturally, his body during evolution had to minimize physical activity.

Comparatively, he was doing better. Bees went through complete stoppage, but he was not stopping.

Realizing this, Hua Mi settled down, sat cross-legged against the beehive, adopting a meditation pose to let the Great Strength Pill take full effect.

He utilized the meditation method he read about in the notes of that female mage apprentice—using spiritual power to enter a meditative state.

This was a common method in this world for cultivating spiritual power.

Though usually, he practiced more efficient methods like bee control, never really trying meditation.

But now, it was perfect to pass the time.

Meditation was fascinating, his consciousness seemingly entering a timeless dimension where he could freely engage and create, feeling like a creator.

Like dreaming, but notably more real.

And clear.

He could still perceive external information but at a much weaker intensity.

During this process, Hua Mi didn't remain in this state continuously; he detached several times.

Each time, hunger "woke" him up.

Fortunately, he had stored plenty of food and water in his storage ring, along with honey for easy access to fill his stomach.

After eating, he resumed meditating.

In the intervals of waking up to eat, he distinctly felt his body's strength gradually returning. His body remained enveloped in a warm stream, with a tingling sensation in his muscles, as if they were alive, wriggling within him.

During this process, Xiao Bai stayed by his side the entire time, so there wasn't any concern of complications.

Like this, for who knew how long.

When Hua Mi finally came out of the meditation state for the last time, he felt the complete digestion of the Great Strength Pill's effects.

His body no longer felt warm, returning to normal temperature.

Muscles no longer tingled, only occasionally twitching in areas like his arms and chest, similar to the feeling after finishing exercise.

His body seemed to have perspired a lot, his clothes under the black robe soaked.

Hua Mi clenched his fist, sensing a surge of newfound strength filling his body.

"This feeling is truly amazing!"

This degree of physical enhancement might not be exceptional.

In fitness circles, certain experts could achieve it in two or three months.

But for him, this sudden boost in such a short time was quite a leap.

How long had it been?

Hua Mi checked his phone screen.

"…?" He blanked out for a moment, then realized over a day had passed.

It was now past noon on Earth.

Here, it was the dead of night, the greenhouse pitch black.

In his consciousness, it had only been a few hours at most.

"Meditation really is an excellent time-killer. Essential for slacking off." Hua Mi retrieved a high-power flashlight from his ring and scanned the field.

The Bestowal Flowers quietly grew, resembling a motionless sea of flames.

The blackened wok lay in the field, Xiao Bai curled up inside, asleep.

The bees had all returned to the hive for rest.

Hua Mi

stood up, intending to test his current strength.