Chapter 170: Divine Body Refinement
Dandara and Priam quickly returned to the faction residence. When they arrived, they found a sect worker waiting for them.
"Sir, here is your faction’s welcoming gift," he said politely, handing Priam a spatial ring.
"These are bottles of the Divine Flow Opening Potion. Each bottle should be poured into a large basin and mixed with pure water. The Mage must remain immersed for twelve hours to receive all of its benefits."
He looked at Priam and smiled faintly.
"Every faction receives exactly five bottles. This is a major incentive from the sect, encouraging the Super Genius to choose at least four generals and begin organizing the hierarchy of their army. In the future, you’ll be able to buy more bottles, but each one costs at least one million points. Sometimes, when demand gets too high, the price can be even higher."
After explaining everything, the worker gave a polite bow and left.
Priam immediately headed toward the central mountain.
When he arrived, he took out the five bottles and placed them on the table. They had a deep crimson color, and each contained a little over half a liter.
"Incredible! This really is one of the four legendary Divine Body Refinement Potions!" Dandara said excitedly.
The next moment, however, her expression changed. A faintly depressed look appeared in her eyes. She took a deep breath and looked at Priam seriously again.
"Boss, you can only use one of them. Trying to use a second one causes a horrible death from Bloodline poisoning. After all, this potion is made from the blood and core energy of the Storm Falcon Beast."
"So, you need to choose the other four people carefully. Lady Shione, Lady Flaris, and Lord Lumiere will definitely undergo a huge transformation. As for the last bottle, don’t worry, I’m not foolish or stupid. It would be a huge waste to give it to me. As your vice-leader, I advise you to choose one of the few Holy Mages we have in the army, because we need more support mages. Making one of them stronger would benefit us greatly right now."
Priam listened in silence, watching the absolute seriousness in Dandara’s eyes.
Once again, she had completely changed personalities, looking like a true commander again.
But beneath that mask, Priam could sense the subtle self-deprecation she was trying to hide.
He let out a quiet sigh before looking her in the eyes.
"Are you trying to imply that I have poor judgment? That I made a bad decision by trusting you?"
Dandara froze.
Her eyes widened.
She opened her mouth to answer, but Priam calmly continued,
"I chose you to be my vice-leader. So naturally, it’s my job to nurture you and raise you as far as I possibly can. Never put yourself down in front of me again."
The moment those words were spoken, the fluctuations surrounding Dandara changed completely.
[An ally’s Loyalty has evolved!]
[Dandara Growlyn | Loyalty: Very High (UP)]
[+2,000 GP]
Priam watched the notification appear, slightly surprised. When he looked back at Dandara, he noticed a strange light in her eyes.
"Anyway... let’s get to the most important part. You said there are four potions of this type?"
Dandara gave a small nod, still keeping her eyes fixed on him. After a few seconds of silence, she took a deep breath and began explaining.
First of all, the Divine Flow Opening Potion was the most sought-after of the four, because it was the only one that could benefit every class of Mage.
Its recipe was public knowledge because it was relatively simple: the blood and core energy of the Storm Falcon Beast, combined with forty-eight different body-purifying herbs.
The natural power of that Beast race was extremely special, and could only be absorbed by other races when those herbs were refined together with absolute perfection.
Even knowing the recipe, no average—or even advanced—alchemist could reproduce it accurately. The slightest mistake during the refinement process would result in an extremely fast death by poisoning for whoever tested it.
As for its effects, the potion basically cleared every minor acupuncture point throughout a Mage’s meridians.
Every meridian contained three hundred and sixty basic acupuncture points. They were given that name because there were needle techniques capable of interacting with each one of them. Demons were the greatest specialists in that field.
After a novice Mage expanded and nurtured their meridians, those three hundred and sixty acupuncture points would normally end up only forty to sixty percent open. The Divine Flow Opening Potion completely changed that, raising that number to at least ninety percent.
That allowed Aether and the body’s other energies to circulate much faster and far more smoothly.
The difference was so fundamental that Mages several levels lower, but with ninety percent of their meridians opened, could easily fight opponents several levels above them—something that would’ve been completely impossible before.
The other three potions had similar recipes. They were made using materials from three different Beast species, combined with dozens of specific herbs. However, each one was intended for only two Mage classes.
Steel Bones Potion: strengthened the bones several times beyond their normal limits by carving tiny Aether runes into their structure. Only Fighter Mages and Physical Mages could withstand that transformation.
Rigid Meridian Potion: made the meridians several times tougher. This greatly benefited Arcanist Mages and Catalyst Mages, since the Aether of those two classes was far more potent than that of the others. Because of that, they normally had to move it through their meridians with extreme care. After this transformation, however, everything became several times more efficient.
Flexible Meridian Potion: the opposite of the previous one, intended for Holy Mages and Mystic Mages. Those two classes moved Aether through their meridians in a chaotic manner. Sometimes the flow became just as powerful as an Arcanist’s; other times it became extremely gentle. As a result, increased flexibility drastically improved their adaptability, allowing them to switch between those extremes and make full use of their potential.
Dandara explained everything calmly, making Priam sigh.
It went without saying that people who lived in the sect for hundreds of years, saving up their points, would eventually be able to buy two potions of this kind. The sooner someone obtained one, the greater the impact it would have on their future.
Seeing the look on Priam’s face, Dandara nodded.
"That’s right. Pretty much everyone born in the sect has already benefited from these potions through their parents."
The Mages of the Divine Plane, especially those born within the sect, possessed an overwhelming advantage compared to the Mages of the Mortal Plane. Not only was the Aether in the Mortal Plane filled with impurities and much harder to find, but this kind of Divine body refinement dramatically multiplied a Mage’s future potential when used early on.
At that moment, Priam thought of something and asked,
"Is it possible to buy all the ingredients for these potions?"
Dandara nodded.
"Yes. The herbs used aren’t particularly rare, and they aren’t outrageously expensive. The Beast blood and core energy are much more costly, but the sect has an endless supply. After all, all those species live in the forests and are very well cared for. From what I’ve heard, enough blood and core energy to make a single potion costs somewhere between seven thousand and twelve thousand points."
"Of course, as a disciple, you could theoretically get those materials for free by going into the forest. But those Beasts are extremely hostile toward Mages and don’t allow them to get close. On top of that, if a Mage uses force against them or causes them any harm, they could be expelled from the sect immediately."
Priam listened and nodded.
Throughout the sect’s territory, there was a massive inscription. Without a doubt, it possessed some kind of surveillance mechanism capable of easily detecting any disciple who caused trouble for those Beasts.
While thinking about that, Priam noticed an excited gleam appear in Dandara’s eyes. Her demeanor changed completely once again.
"Oh? I remember you said you’d try making contact with the Beast races. Despite the... problems you had today, did you manage to accomplish anything?"
She nodded enthusiastically.
"I worked hard, Boss! There are thirty-six Beast races living in the outer sect. Today alone, I managed to speak with the Storm Falcons and the Shadow Panthers. They didn’t completely reject me, and they seem willing to talk."
Priam was delighted.
"Good work."
Thinking about it more carefully, he felt a little guilty for doubting Dandara earlier.
Even though some of her personalities were problematic, she seemed to know exactly which one she needed to show when it truly mattered.
That troublemaking side from earlier probably only appeared because she never felt like her life was actually in danger.
"Storm Falcons... the same Beasts used in the Divine Flow Opening Potion..." Priam murmured.
Then, at last, he picked up one of the bottles, broke the seal, and carefully began examining its energies.
At that moment, he could clearly perceive every single ingredient contained within the mixture.
He became certain of one thing.
They were only partially fused.
Priam’s eyes lit up.