「The next morning.」

Ian woke up feeling refreshed. After washing up, he went to Malena’s residence.

Before he could even knock, Malena opened the door.

"Malena, I heard the shop has some other meditation potion recipes. Could I perhaps..."

Ian didn’t intend to learn a new recipe right away. He just wanted to use them as a reference to expand his knowledge of Magic Potion Science.

Malena would be leaving in a few days. He didn’t know who would be managing the shop then, so he figured he might as well use his connection with her while she was still around.

"You’ve only been here for a short while and you’re already after the shop’s other recipes. You’re getting more and more shameless."

Malena ignored his request. "Although I have the authority to give them to you early, I can’t just break the rules whenever I want. You should just focus on refining the Awakening Potion."

"As for the shop, we do have the recipes for the Mind-Awakening Potion and the Concentration Potion. Do you know why I’ve had you constantly refining the Awakening Potion?"

Ian was no longer the naive young noble he once was. He now refined dozens, even hundreds, of potions every day.

"Because it’s relatively cheap and practical, making it popular among Mid-Low Level Apprentices, right? Five Magic Stones a vial, it lasts for two hours, and the ingredients aren’t too hard to find."

Malena nodded. "Not only that, but the resistance buildup for the Awakening Potion is gradual and slow. That’s a difficult quality to find in other potions."

This confirmed Ian’s suspicions, but another question immediately popped into his head.

"So, for High Level Apprentices, the Awakening Potion’s effects should be useless, right? How do they normally manage their Meditation?"

"That’s right. I currently use the Concentration Potion. It’s extremely effective at supporting Meditation Methods, but it’s very expensive. Even ordinary High Level Apprentices can only afford to use it occasionally."

Malena sounded a little wistful. As a Magic Potion Alchemist herself, her financial situation was much better than others.

But many High Level Apprentices didn’t have any Talents for making a living, and their lives were just as difficult.

"The Concentration Potion is basically a high-end version of the Awakening Potion, but it costs ten times more."

"That expensive?" Ian was stunned. It was just a Support Potion; fifty Magic Stones was already a very high price.

"Because the Concentration Potion doesn’t just help with Meditation—it can also directly condense Spiritual Power, increasing one’s maximum Spiritual Power by a sliver!"

Ian’s eyes lit up. He had finally learned of a potion that could directly increase Spiritual Power.

The Concentration Potion... the key was in the name: "Concentration."

’I have to get my hands on it!’

...

Malena’s departure came sooner than Ian had expected.

「Three mornings later」, Malena summoned Ian to the main hall. Clayton was sitting to her left.

Ian was a little surprised. He greeted them both and took a seat.

"Ian, I will be leaving for the High Tower this afternoon to meet up with Lady Alevia."

Malena had changed into a set of Deep Red hunting attire, which made her look less languid and more sharp and capable.

Combined with her captivating figure, it gave her a heroic and valiant air.

"I have temporarily handed over the shop’s daily affairs to Clayton. Harvey is still recovering, so the High Tower’s patrol team will be responsible for the shop’s defenses." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Ian nodded silently. He felt a pang of reluctance to see her go, but more than that, he wished her well in her breakthrough.

Though he hadn’t known Malena for long, their friendship was already etched into his heart.

"As for that potion recipe you’ve been so fixated on..." Malena’s tone shifted as she pulled a piece of parchment from within her clothes.

"This is the recipe for the Mind-Awakening Potion. According to the rules, you aren’t qualified to receive it yet. However, seeing as your Talent is quite good and you’ve helped me... solve quite a few problems, I’m giving it to you early."

Ian accepted the recipe with great solemnity. It was still warm to the touch.

On the parchment, elegant lines of handwriting recorded the ingredients and refining steps.

He understood that this was the greatest favor Malena could grant him within her authority.

"Malena, thank you!"

"Also," Malena said, pointing toward the backyard.

"The Witchcraft Practice Room is yours to use while Harvey is recovering. You’ll have to supply the Magic Stones yourself. Just make sure you focus on your Cultivation and don’t neglect what’s truly important."

"I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Malena," Ian said with genuine gratitude.

Without Malena’s initial acceptance and subsequent protection, he never would have been able to grow in such a stable environment.

Malena waved her hand, her expression complex as she looked at Ian.

"You... just focus on your Cultivation. The clouds of war are already gathering. The friction between the Shadow Moon Tower and the Deep Red Royal Court is deepening. The future is uncertain. The only way to ensure your survival is to increase your strength as quickly as possible."

Having said all she needed to, Malena stood up and walked out of the hall to make her final preparations before leaving.

「That afternoon」, the sun was still bright.

An ornate carriage, emblazoned with a pattern of a star and moon, quietly came and picked Malena up.

The entire process happened without disturbing too many people.

Watching Malena’s departing figure, Ian felt an unexplainable sense of loss.

...

With Malena’s departure, Ian’s life entered a period of intense Cultivation, one that was peaceful on the surface but frantic underneath.

His core foundation, the Star Moon Low Level Meditation Method, saw its Skill Level increase rapidly every day.

The Limit-Breaking Awakening Potion had become his greatest asset.

Every night, he would engage in six hours of deep Meditation, without fail. This caused the Runes in his mind to "grow" at an unprecedented speed.

One by one, he easily sketched out new Will Runes from scratch.

The loose Spiritual Power in his mind was also continuously condensed, and its total volume kept increasing.

His Realm advanced by nearly 1% every day.

In terms of Witchcraft, the Crystal Energy Barrier was also a mandatory part of his training.

Every day he would repeatedly cast it, maintain it, move it, then dispel it, and cast it again...

He felt the resonance frequency between his Spiritual Power and the Witchcraft, the subtle connections between each hexagonal Energy Crystal. His control precision was soaring.

Although its defensive strength was somewhat disappointing, Ian believed that the special effect after it was Limit-Broken would bring him the greatest reward.

The Skill Level for this Witchcraft increased relatively quickly, at about the same rate as the Eye of Vigilance.

As for Ian’s other two Witchcrafts, their progress had been steadily increasing each day since he gained access to the practice room.

This was especially true for Scorching Beam. Thanks to his Light Attribute Affinity Talent, learning the basics was exceptionally easy and fast.

This made Ian ecstatic. He could clearly feel that every time he cast this Witchcraft, the fluency of his spell and hand gestures was much higher than with his other spells.

Inside the practice room, a rapid-fire spell was chanted.

"Ignis!"

A searingly bright, orange-red beam shot out, leaving a black scorch mark on the Witchcraft Target.

[Scorching Beam Skill Level +1]

Ian was satisfied. He began to practice it alternately with the Secondary Frost Freeze Beam.

Beams of icy blue and orange-red light shot back and forth across the room. The alternating cold and heat began to form the basis of his combat strategy.

The temperature in the room fluctuated between hot and cold, and soon, billowing steam obscured his vision.

Ian walked to the wall and pressed a red button, and the steam was quickly vented outside.

Every day, Ian cycled through the same three activities: refining Magic Potions, practicing Witchcraft, and deep Meditation.

Clayton managed the shop’s affairs in an orderly fashion, so Ian didn’t need to worry about it.

But as time went on, rumors about the war became more and more frequent.

The prices of potion ingredients began to fluctuate.

...