Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Great Progress in Cultivation

News of the disappearance of Saqi and his two companions quietly spread throughout the Misty Creek area.

At first, only a few apprentices who had dealings with them noticed something was amiss. They failed to show up on the agreed-upon meeting day, and their usual hideouts were all empty.

Soon, more and more signs began to surface. Traces of intense Witchcraft were discovered at the edge of the Whispering Forest.

Someone found a fragment of a half-burnt piece of Leather Armor under a pile of rotting leaves, still carrying the distinctive bloody stench of the "Blood Staff."

"Three High Level Apprentices, just gone like that?" someone whispered. "Not even a body to be found..."

"Maybe they were out robbing people again and ran into someone they couldn’t handle. Serves them right!" another person said, gloating.

"Yeah, a friend of mine died in the Wilderness not long after he arrived. Someone saw those three do it..."

Amid the discussions, some gloated, some celebrated, and some grew secretly vigilant.

Talia listened to these rumors from a distance, her fingers unconsciously stroking the short blade at her waist.

She remembered the calm expression on Ian’s face when he returned that day, and the faint, peculiar aroma of potions wafting from within his tent.

She didn’t ask. Everyone has their secrets. But the aura of mystery around Ian quietly grew stronger in her mind.

Inside his tent, Ian was completely unconcerned with the commotion outside.

His entire focus was on the glass vessel before him.

A pale blue liquid swirled slowly, the fragments of the Starlight Vine Marrow Crystal having completely dissolved, intertwining with the Moon Soul Essence to form a flowing light like a river of stars.

He maintained a stable output of Magic Power with his left hand, while his right hand slowly stirred with a silver rod in a specific rhythm. His Spiritual Power seeped into the liquid like fine threads, feeling the rhythm of every iota of energy as it fused.

’Now is the time.’

Ian’s eyes narrowed as he flicked three drops of Silver Soul Grass Pollen into the mixture with his left hand.

HUMMM...

The liquid in the vessel suddenly glowed with a soft silver light, and a clear, calming fragrance filled the air.

He immediately added a small spoonful of Ancient Tree of Life Extract. The pale golden liquid seeped in like a living thing, completely fusing all the ingredients.

Finally, he added ten milliliters of top-grade Calm Heart Spring Water.

The moment it was added, the liquid became crystal clear, yet it seemed as if a nebula was swirling within.

Ian quickly withdrew his Magic Power and used a special Crystal Bottle to collect the resulting potion. Five vials of standard-quality Concentration Potion, pale blue with fine specks of light floating and sinking within.

"It’s done." He let out a long breath, sealing each vial of the potion one by one.

Refining five potions at once had gone much more smoothly than expected.

In the following days, Ian fell into a regular cultivation rhythm, his schedule packed to the brim.

Every morning, he would begin by taking a vial of Concentration Potion to enter a deep Meditation.

The potion was cool as it went down. In his Sea of Spirit, the twenty-seven Will Runes were now all the same size, which meant he could begin outlining new ones.

As the potion’s effects took hold, the Rune Array, nourished by its power, began to operate and solidify at ten times its normal speed. The accumulation of his Vaporized Spiritual Power increased at a visible rate.

A new, small Will Rune gradually began to form...

In the morning, he cultivated his Witchcraft. The Limit-Breaking Runes for Secondary Frost Freeze Beam and Scorching Beam seemed to faintly resonate with each other, as if something wondrous was about to happen.

He also took the time to meticulously study the Invisibility Technique and Energy Shield.

For the latter in particular, he tried to integrate the Crystal Rune from his mind into the shield’s model.

This would line the entire inner wall of the shield with a dense layer of hexagonal crystals. Although the integration was slow, he was on the right track. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

In the afternoon, he practiced Alchemy and refined Blood Essence. Every ten days, Mira would have someone deliver a batch of fresh Demonized Beast corpses.

Ian would process them with his Control Level Bloodline Purification Technique. He kept the top-grade Blood Essence for himself and used the rest for trade.

In exchange, Mira provided him with an ample supply of potion ingredients and some scarce information.

Time flowed on, and another month passed.

Amos’s merchant caravan also appeared right on schedule.

"We meet again, Ian." Amos took the Dimension Bag that Ian handed him.

He opened it and saw a pile of over twenty plump, round, top-grade Blood Essences in a corner, along with neat rows of Rock Bear Potions.

An imperceptible glint flashed in his eyes as his Spiritual Power gently swept over the surface of the Blood Essence.

’The quality of this Blood Essence is purer every time, and these potions... This kid’s Refining Technique and Magic Potion Science are still improving.’

’Excellent... In preparation for the Demon Hunting, if I take this Blood Essence and these Bloodline Potions back, I can sell them for at least double the price.’

Amos calculated mentally, but his face remained impassive.

"Very good. By the way, we got a new shipment of ’Star Sand’ this month. It works wonders for stabilizing the Sea of Spirit or for Refining potions. Would you like to take a look?"

He then seemed to add casually, "You’ve been buying a lot of materials. Looks like your Magic Potions are coming along nicely. Hmm... keep up the hard work with your cultivation!"

Ian keenly caught the underlying meaning in Amos’s words, but the man was clearly unwilling to say more, leaving it at that.

He calmly traded for the Star Sand and another batch of potion ingredients, pushing his doubts to the back of his mind.

After the transaction was complete, Amos was counting the Blood Essence when he suddenly looked up.

"Ian, if... if I could provide you with the fresh heart of a Level One Demonized Fierce Beast, could you process it?"

Ian was slightly shaken inwardly, but his expression remained calm. "You overestimate me. I’m just a High Level Apprentice."

"Forget it, then." Amos gave him a deep look, packed up his goods, and turned to leave.

Time flowed by amidst the fragrance of potions, Meditation, and the outlining of Witchcraft Models.

In the blink of an eye, Amos had already visited seven times.

On this day, Ian ended a six-hour-long deep Meditation and slowly opened his eyes. For a moment, it was as if the stars and moon swirled within his pupils before vanishing.

About two months ago, though he couldn’t recall the exact day, he had quietly turned a year older.

With a flicker of thought, he called up his panel.

[Name: Ian Marcus]

[Age: 18]

[Realm: High Level Wizard Apprentice (90.6%)]

[Talent: Moderate Light Attribute Affinity]

[Skills: Star Moon Middle Level Meditation Method (Control), Energy Shield (Skilled), Invisibility Technique (Control), Secret Magic Mark (Skilled), Bloodline Purification Technique (Limit-Breaking Second Stage), Scorching Beam (Limit-Breaking Second Stage), Crystal Energy Barrier (Limit-Breaking Second Stage), Secondary Frost Freeze Beam (Limit-Breaking Second Stage), Other Skills...]

[Magic Potion Science: Concentration Potion (Skilled), Rock Bear Potion (Control), Spirit Recovery Potion (Skilled)]

Ian looked at his "luxurious" panel and nodded to himself in satisfaction.

The Spirit Recovery Potion was only a Middle Level Potion, but Ian had recently started practicing it again.

During his battles, he cast too many Witchcraft spells, consuming Spiritual Power too quickly. The recovery rate from regular Meditation could no longer keep up with his expenditure.

His other skills had also improved to varying degrees. He had incorporated the cultivation of the High Level Witchcraft, Invisibility Technique, into his daily life, grinding it to the Control stage, where it now possessed immense practical value in combat.

For seven months, he had never paused his cultivation. Refining potions... practicing Witchcraft... Meditation. His life was a straight line between these three points. He had never taken a single day off, nor had he gone out for leisure even once.

What looked like self-torturous cultivation to outsiders was something he reveled in.

Watching himself grow stronger little by little every day brought a sense of accomplishment that was beyond words.

Thanks to Amos’s ample supplies, he took at least three vials of Concentration Potion daily, and both his Meditation Method and Spiritual Power were growing at a tremendous rate.

Such a terrifying rate of improvement would undoubtedly attract prying eyes back at the Shadow Moon Tower, where they knew of his background.

But here, he was just an unknown, unremarkable wandering Apprentice.