As he left the Dream Weaver’s Cottage, Mira saw him to the top of the second-floor staircase, her deep purple eyes fixed on him.

Finally, she said meaningfully, "Mr. Ian, the Glowing Forest may seem disorganized, but the waters here run deep.

Your Potions are good, but they will also draw attention. Be careful.

If you ever need a safer environment for Alchemy or temporary shelter, the Dream Weaver’s Cottage can provide it. Of course, the price will be a bit higher."

Ian understood her meaning. He thanked her and turned to go downstairs.

He met up with Hawke, who was waiting on the first floor, and they walked out of the wooden building. The soft afternoon glow of the forest washed over the creek and the structures.

Ian looked at the noisy yet vibrant little town before him, knowing he would be settling here for the time being.

The road ahead was still long, but at least he had found a starting point where he could acquire resources and gradually improve.

Moreover, his path to refining the [Concentration Potion] was finally clear. Not only were there ready-made materials available, but he now had a definite channel for obtaining the core ingredients.

He needed to find a relatively safe place to live as soon as possible, recover his strength, and then begin his cultivation plan.

At the same time, he had to be cautious of the various factions in this land, as well as the threats lurking in the shadows.

After leaving the Dream Weaver’s Cottage with Hawke, Ian didn’t rush back to the temporary settlement.

Under Hawke’s guidance, he took a walk along the middle and lower reaches of Misty Creek, familiarizing himself with the locations of several public material stalls and permanent shops.

"Most of the trading here is done through barter," Hawke explained as they walked. "Magic Stones don’t circulate much, but everyone accepts them.

The basic medicinal herbs you’re looking for, like Silver Leaf Grass, Hemostatic Root, and Clear Heart Flower, are always in stock at Old Bane’s stall up ahead. His prices are pretty fair.

As for Demonized Beast Blood... that depends on luck. Hunting parties sometimes bring some back, but not much of it is fresh. Most of it has already coagulated or been treated with preservatives."

Ian silently took note, already forming a plan in his mind.

By the time they returned to Hawke’s settlement, it was nearly dusk.

Ian traded a standard-quality [Awakening Potion] with Hawke for a tent in good condition.

It was located on the edge of the settlement, near a dense thicket of silver-leaf bushes, making it relatively secluded.

Over the next few days, Ian settled into a routine.

During the day, he would go to the trading area by Misty Creek and exchange some of the Low Level Demonization Materials he had accumulated for the herbs needed to refine basic Potions.

These were mainly the eyeballs and gallbladder of the Shadow Claw Mountain Cat, as well as some Blood Essence he had controlled to a standard quality.

With his Refining Technique at the Control stage, the Blood Essence he extracted was already high enough in quality to be used for bloodline modification.

Especially if it came from a top-tier Demonized Fierce Beast like the Shadow Claw Mountain Cat, it was an extremely sought-after resource.

He deliberately controlled the frequency and quantity of his trades to avoid drawing too much attention.

Silver Leaf Grass, Hemostatic Root, Clear Heart Flower, Calming Mushroom... these main and Auxiliary Materials for [Secondary Healing Potion] and [Awakening Potion] weren’t exceptionally abundant in the Glowing Forest, but the supply was relatively stable.

Each time, Ian purchased enough to refine fifty to sixty Potions, buying from different stalls. Although the prices fluctuated, they were all within an acceptable range.

As for Demonized Beast Blood, he was even more patient.

The Limit-Breaking of his [Bloodline Purification Technique] required practice with large quantities of blood of different types and qualities. Fresh blood rich in Life Energy was especially effective.

He successively bought two bottles of Rotting Swamp Porcupinefish blood from a three-person team that had just returned from the outskirts of the Silent Death Mountain Range.

This small Demonic Creature had little blood, and it was a difficult mixture of corrosive properties and Life Energy, making its purification no small task.

From another stall owner, he traded two [Awakening Potions] for a small jar of the cold blood of a Shadow Pattern Viper.

The Shadow Energy contained within was extremely corrosive to one’s Spiritual Power and required extreme care to handle. However, it was exceptionally good for practicing fine Control Power over the refining process.

「One day later」

Ian’s tent had begun to take shape.

He took out his set of silver Alchemy Tools from his Dimensional Ring.

It included a small, exquisite mortar and pestle, a calibrated Crystal measuring cup, a set of Silver Tubes and connectors of various sizes, and a portable Witchcraft Heating Disc with adjustable flame temperature.

He had traded his accumulated Magic Stones for these tools at the Alchemy Workshop in Shadow Moon Tower. While not top-of-the-line, they were solidly crafted and more than sufficient for an Apprentice’s refining needs.

He carefully wiped the tools and arranged them neatly. Then, using collected dry moss and Rocks, he built a simple storage area for medicinal herbs in a corner of the tent.

He placed a simple Warning Rune at the entrance of the tent—a hidden mark outlined with Spiritual Power. If it was touched, he would immediately sense it through his Perception.

His days were spent procuring and processing herbs and practicing a few newly learned Witchcraft spells. In the evenings, he would refine Potions.

A portion of the finished products was set aside for the Dream Weaver’s Cottage as per their agreement, while the rest became his hard currency for trading other resources.

A few days of stable life allowed Ian’s taut nerves to relax slightly.

He also gradually got to know the other people in the settlement.

Besides the leader, Hawke, there was Gru, a cynical old Apprentice with graying hair.

In his youth, he had failed in his attempt to break through to Middle Level Apprentice. His Spiritual Power was damaged, leaving him stuck at the Low Level Apprentice stage, and now he barely scraped by collecting common herbs.

There was also Raymond, a taciturn, middle-aged man skilled at setting traps and warnings. He was said to have been a Guard for a minor family that was wiped out, after which he ended up here.

And then there was Talia, an agile female Apprentice who wore brown Leather Armor.

She often formed teams to hunt on the outskirts of the Silent Death Mountain Range, bringing back the most materials. She had a straightforward personality and held Ian’s Potions in high regard.

Ian maintained a suitable distance from them, not getting too close but not appearing aloof either.

He would occasionally trade a Potion for a hot meal or ask about the properties of local herbs and the habits of Demonized Beasts. They all got along peacefully.

He knew that in such a loose-knit environment, demonstrating some value and maintaining basic social ties could sometimes prevent unnecessary trouble.

But he focused most of his energy on practicing the [Bloodline Purification Technique].

At night, when the settlement grew quiet, Ian would take the Demonized Beast Blood he had collected during the day and go to a secluded spot behind a large Rock outside the camp.

The spot was far from the tent area, so even if there were slight Energy fluctuations, they wouldn’t be easily noticed.

He sat cross-legged, placed the Crystal Bottle of Beast Blood in front of him, took a deep breath, and began to operate the Magic Technique for the [Bloodline Purification Technique].

Threads of his Spiritual Power extended like silk, seeping into the viscous blood.

First were the two bottles of Rotting Swamp Porcupinefish blood. This blood was low in volume, and its Energy was thin, mixed with both corrosive properties and Life Energy.

Ian carefully guided his Spiritual Power, tracing pathways of purification within the blood. As if pulling silk from a cocoon, he separated the motley energies and gathered the relatively pure parts.

In the final stage, a faint but potent Will slammed into Ian’s Sea of Spirit, only to be crushed and dissipated by his formidable Spiritual Power.

Immediately after, pale green threads of blood rose from the liquid, twisting in the air to form several deep green Blood Essences, each about the size of a quail’s egg.

Next was the jar of cold blood from the Shadow Pattern Viper.

This time, the difficulty increased significantly.

The potent Shadow Energy within the blood constantly tried to erode him; the slightest mistake would cause it to rebound and harm him.

Ian was completely focused, refining his control over his Spiritual Power to the absolute limit, as if dancing on the edge of a blade.

Countless purifications had made his gaze calmer, his fingers steadily changing the Spell.

From within the dark blood, tiny strands of Deep Red Essence Blood were painstakingly stripped away and purified...

In the final stage, another faint Will attacked, but it was still easily crushed by Ian.

Finally, it condensed into three Blood Essences the size of fava beans. They were a dark red color, their surfaces shrouded in a faint aura of Shadow.

They contained almost no impurities, and the Life Energy within them was clearly stronger than that of the Rotting Swamp Porcupinefish’s Blood Essence.

With each purification, the Skill Level for [Bloodline Purification Technique] on his panel would jump.

[Bloodline Purification Technique: Control (782/800)]

[Bloodline Purification Technique: Control (789/800)]

...

Ian looked down and mused, ’The Skill Level is approaching the Limit-Breaking stage, and every attempt is triggering a Will attack.’

He knew this was the remnant Will from an Extraordinary Bloodline, but this had rarely happened before.

’Could it be that the Will automatically awakens once the Blood Essence reaches a certain concentration?’

Just now, he had relied on his monstrously powerful Spiritual Power to forcibly crush the remnant Will. Others might not be able to do the same.

’In that case, very few people at the Apprentice stage can truly master the [Bloodline Purification Technique]!’