As a Magic Potion Alchemist, Ian’s eyes lit up with undisguised joy upon seeing an unfamiliar High Tier formula.

**Heart of Magma** Main Ingredient: Magma Core Crystal (a Fire Element Essence harvested from the depths of an active volcano, where it has precipitated for several hundred years).

Dragon Blood Vine Juice: (From a rare Magic Plant at least three hundred years old, containing rampant Life Force).

Soul-Burning Grass Powder: (A forbidden plant that grows in lands of elemental chaos, capable of violently stimulating the spirit to burn).

Auxiliary Materials: Blazing Sulfur, Earth Vein Flame Marrow, Pure Fire Elemental Crystal Dust...

The refining process detailed the precise timing for adding ingredients on seven separate occasions, the required frequency of Spiritual Power resonance for each addition, and numerous tricks for maintaining a constant temperature in the high-temperature Furnace.

In the final step, the rampant Fire Energy and Essence of Life had to be forcibly fused, then condensed into the Dark Gold, magma-like Potion.

’Burning one’s life and spirit in exchange for a temporary surge of Power...’

Ian recalled the unhealthy flush and surging aura that had appeared on Sterling after he took the Potion, contrasting with his originally pale complexion.

’The cost is truly immense.’

This Potion was a double-edged sword. It might be able to turn the tables between life and death at a critical moment, but it was no different than drinking poison to quench one’s thirst. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Sterling’s choice to take it was likely not just born from a desperate need to win, but also a helpless resort due to unhealed old wounds and a damaged foundation.

He stored the formula away, placing it together with the *Molten Fire Thirteen Star Ring Secret Technique*.

This was all part of Sterling’s legacy—the culmination of an Official Wizard’s many years of work.

They were priceless, but they also faintly exuded an ominous aura, having come from the man he had just killed.

Ian stood up and walked to a corner of the stone house.

Several leather bags were piled here. Inside were the Abyssal Crystals he had accumulated from hunting, which he had not yet had time to turn in, as well as some miscellaneous materials.

He picked up the bags and dumped their contents onto the floor.

CLATTER...

Crystals and materials of every color rolled out, glinting faintly in the soft light of the Purification Barrier.

Most were Tier Zero Crystals, with only a handful of Tier One ones.

He squatted down and began to sort through them.

Miscellaneous items bearing the Shadow Moon Tower’s mark, objects that clearly pointed to Sterling’s personal habits, anything that could be traced back to its source through Witchcraft... he picked them out one by one and set them aside.

Then, he extended his right hand.

Palm facing up, Vaporization Spiritual Power gathered at his fingertips, and the temperature began to climb rapidly.

WHOOSH!

A bright white Scorching Beam, as condensed as a fine thread, ignited. But instead of shooting into the distance, he controlled it precisely three inches above his palm.

The incandescent flame burned quietly, emitting a terrifyingly high temperature that distorted the air.

Ian fed the items he needed to dispose of into this extremely compressed flame, one by one.

TSSSS...

Skin flakes, cloth scraps, Metal insignias, custom-made Potion vials...

Every item that might reveal Sterling’s identity or connect to his death was rapidly carbonized and vaporized by the high temperature of the Scorching Beam, leaving almost no Ashes behind.

The flame burned for about a quarter of an hour.

When the last bit of residue had dissipated into a wisp of smoke, Ian dispersed the beam in his palm.

Inside the stone house, only the faint sound of Magic Power being broken down by the Purification Barrier and the pile of "clean" crystals and materials on the floor remained.

After finishing, he didn’t feel relieved. Instead, his brow furrowed slightly.

Sterling was dead, but this was far from over.

An Official Wizard from Shadow Moon Tower—especially a camp commander on active duty—wouldn’t just disappear without a trace.

An investigation would come sooner or later. It was only a matter of time.

Then there was the Deep Red Royal Court... They probably wouldn’t let the matter with Barton Squad rest so easily.

Although he had been meticulous in cleaning up, there was no such thing as perfect Concealment in this world.

’My strength... is still not enough.’ Ian thought, looking at his palm.

He had just killed Sterling, seemingly overcoming a massive hurdle.

But he knew full well that he had only managed a narrow victory against a weakened Sterling by relying on a combination of multiple Limit-Breaking Skills and the element of surprise.

’What if I had to face a more experienced and better-prepared First Tier Wizard at their peak?’

’What if I had to face multiple enemies at once?’

’What if... I were to encounter a Tier Two being?’

In this cruel world, advancing to Official Wizard was merely acquiring a ticket to the game.

The path beyond that gate was still fraught with thorns and even steeper.

He walked back to the center of the room and sat down cross-legged.

In his Sea of Spirit, the array formed by eighty-one Will Runes revolved slowly, and his silver-white Vaporization Spiritual Power swirled like a nebula.

His Realm progression was stuck at 92.6%, still a ways off from Perfection.

His Cultivation had all but stagnated before due to environmental limitations. Now that he had the Source Annihilation Array, it was time to make up for lost time.

But Ian didn’t immediately enter deep Meditation. Instead, he first took out the *Crimson Secret Scripture: Furnace Chapter*.

The sense of crisis from killing Sterling gave him an even more urgent desire to increase his strength.

Physical strength was the foundation of endurance and survival.

’Furnace Body Tempering Skill...’

He leafed through the Body Refining Secret Technique again, his gaze falling on the descriptions about "smelting countless Essence Bloods," and then on the mountain-like pile of colorful Blood Essences beside him.

The Dark Red of the Shadow Pattern Viper, the deep green of the Rotting Swamp Porcupinefish, the earthy yellow of the Stone-Skinned Mountain Demon... A dense Life Energy aura filled the Purification Barrier.

"Gah!" Gaga immediately hopped out from the shadows, its small claws pawing at a few of the roundest Blood Essences as it watched Ian warily.

"We had a deal! You do your Cultivation, and the rest is mine! Gah!"

"Don’t worry." Ian chuckled, picking up a Blood Essence from a Stone-Skinned Mountain Demon.

He didn’t swallow it immediately. First, he looked inward with his Spiritual Power, guiding the nascent "Furnace" structure within his body to slowly accelerate its operation.

An invisible Suction emanated from deep within his flesh and blood.

Only then did he toss the Blood Essence into his mouth.

BOOM!

The familiar, thick, scorching torrent erupted once more, and Earth Attribute Life Energy surged through his entire body.

His muscle fibers swelled with a feeling of fullness, and the tingling itch deep within his bones grew more distinct.

On his panel, the Skill Level for the Furnace Body Tempering Skill ticked up slightly.

He carefully savored the process. Compared to before, there was a tiny, imperceptible improvement in his absorption efficiency of the Blood Essence’s Energy.

’Is it because the "Furnace" structure has become smoother after repeated use? Or is it a subtle change brought about by the focus I gained from killing a powerful enemy?’

Ian wasn’t sure. But he liked this tangible feeling of growing stronger, little by little.

He didn’t get greedy. After Refining just two Blood Essences, he stopped and began to process the materials he had on hand.

Common Demon bones, Shells, and special glands... Under the cutting and extraction of his Spiritual Power, they were sorted, processed, and placed into different containers.

These were all Auxiliary Materials for Refining the Concentration Potion and other common Potions. In the outpost’s market, they could be traded for a decent amount of Magic Stones or bartered for other items he needed.

As he performed these mundane tasks, his mind gradually settled.

The battle high and the hollowness that followed the kill were like murky water in a cup, slowly clearing as time settled the sediment.

Outside the window, the din of the outpost could be faintly heard.

Shouts of people turning in quests, the clamor of haggling, the boom of Energy from the distant training grounds... everything was as it always was.

It was as if the life-or-death battle in the remote Stone Forest that had decided the fate of two Wizards had never even happened.

Ian put away the processed materials, his gaze falling on the Demon Hunting Jade Token.

He still hadn’t reported the completion of his previous encirclement mission. He decided he might as well see if there were any other suitable tasks available.

He needed Merit Points. A great deal of them.

He needed them to exchange for a higher-level Purification Array Disc, to acquire various kinds of High Tier Knowledge and rare Auxiliary Materials, and to prepare for the trouble that would inevitably come from Shadow Moon Tower or the Deep Red Royal Court.

Strength and resources—whether above ground or below—were the eternal constants.

He rose, straightened his gray robe, and activated the simple warning Rune on the stone house.

Ian pushed the door open and once again melted into the bustling crowds of the outpost.