Chapter 402 - 317: Refining [Water of Balance]
Fifty grams of Void Crystal Powder formed a small pile at the bottom of the mortar, shimmering like stardust.
Ian poured the powder into a palm-sized silver Crucible.
A light tap of his fingertip.
A wisp of golden-red flame rose from his palm, precisely enveloping the bottom of the Crucible.
The temperature began to climb.
1,000 degrees, 2,000 degrees, 3,000 degrees...
Ian’s gaze was as focused as a surgeon’s.
His Spiritual Power monitored every minute change in temperature.
The moment the temperature reached 4,372 degrees, the powder inside the Crucible began to melt.
It transitioned from a solid state into a transparent substance, like liquid light, its surface rippling faintly.
Ian immediately picked up a Crystal Pipette and drew a drop of dew from a Moon Sleep Flower out of the Jade Bottle beside him.
The dew dripped into the Crucible with a soft SIZZLE.
An extremely thin, inert film instantly formed on the surface of the transparent liquid.
It was like placing a glass cover over boiling oil; the Energy fluctuations were sealed tightly within.
’Second step is to activate the Silent Jellyfish Condensate Core.’
Ian took out the fingernail-sized Condensed Core.
It was translucent, with a faint fluorescence flowing within, as if it held a small piece of the deep sea.
He placed the Condensed Core into another, smaller Crystal Crucible.
He infused it with another thread of golden-red flame and began to sense its frequency, stimulating a resonance...
Soon, the Condensed Core began to soften. Ripples appeared on its surface, and the fluorescence within grew brighter.
Ian counted silently in his mind.
’One, two, three...’
The golden-red thread of flame abruptly extinguished.
At the same time, a beam of extreme cold shot from his other hand, instantly enveloping the Crystal Crucible.
The temperature plummeted. When it dropped to 180 degrees, the surface of the Condensed Core solidified, forming a hard outer shell while the interior remained liquid.
’Phew! The Energy Buffer layer is complete. Next is the fusion.’
Ian’s breathing grew lighter.
He manipulated the silver Crucible, slowly pouring out the Void Crystal Liquid, which was still coated in its inert film.
First, a single drop. The transparent liquid fell into the Crystal Crucible, landing on the surface of the Condensed Core.
SIZZLE...
Ian immediately stirred it with the Extracted Liquid from Retired Qilin Snake Skin.
The pale golden liquid flowed from the pipette like a thread, weaving the two types of Energy together.
A second drop, then a third... He stirred after each one.
After thirty breaths, the first stage was complete. The Void Crystal Liquid was fully integrated.
The liquid in the Crystal Crucible had turned a pale silver, resembling molten starlight.
The Energy fluctuations became turbulent but were held firmly in check by the Condensed Core’s buffer layer.
Ian began the second stage.
He increased the amount of the Extracted Liquid from Retired Qilin Snake Skin.
The pale golden threads grew denser, forming a net that enveloped, ordered, and guided the silver liquid...
Another thirty breaths passed. The Energy fluctuations gradually subsided, and the silver liquid began to shift to a pale gold.
The two colors intertwined and merged, creating a strange amber hue.
Next, the Moon Sleep Flower dew, his own saliva, his Essence Blood... each was added in precise proportions.
Stir, and continue stirring...
His threads of Spiritual Power had split into twelve strands, simultaneously monitoring the temperature, Energy flow, and material reactions...
Fine beads of sweat began to form on Ian’s forehead, but his eyes remained calm.
The moment the last drop of Auxiliary Materials was integrated, the liquid inside the Crystal Crucible began to solidify.
From liquid, to semi-solid, then to solid.
Finally, it formed a thumb-sized, pale gold Crystal.
The Crystal’s surface was as smooth as a mirror, and its interior held fine, concentric patterns that radiated outward.
"Not bad at all. A success on the first try!" Ian let out a long breath.
He reached out and picked up the Crystal. It was cool to the touch and very light.
He sent a thread of Spiritual Power inside to carefully sense it.
There was no expected surge of Energy, only a sense of... ultimate balance.
Any Energy that entered the Crystal would be evenly dispersed and gently released.
It was like an eternally calm lake; no matter how large the Stone thrown in, the ripples would dissipate as they spread.
A panel notification appeared at the edge of his vision.
[Water of Balance (Modern Reconstructed Version): Mastery (3201/6400)]
[Effect: Resists planar Will impact, maintains body Elementalization synchronization rate. Effect lasts for two hours.]
This Potion, which he himself had completed and improved, had reached the Mastery stage from the very beginning.
Ian stared at the Crystal for a full ten seconds, a look of fascination in his eyes.
’I’ve taken another step closer... to Level Three.’
His voice was very soft, yet remarkably clear in the silent Laboratory.
From the corner, Gaga came fluttering over and landed on his shoulder.
"Ian, did you succeed, gaga?"
The little guy tilted its head, its silver eyes fixated on the Crystal, full of curiosity.
"I did," Ian nodded, rubbing his temples.
It was his first time Refining it, so he was inevitably a bit tense. The consumption of Spiritual Power had been significant, and his temples throbbed with a dull ache.
But he felt good. Very good.
’Next, there’s just one final step: integrating all my Witchcraft...’
He carefully placed the Crystal into a specially made Jade Box. The inside of the box was inscribed with a Stabilizing Rune Array to ensure the Potion’s efficacy wouldn’t diminish.
Closing the lid, Ian turned to look at the three recipes on the stone counter.
’Aidele was a huge help this time... This is the benefit of having someone backing you.’
If she hadn’t used up her final connections and savings to gather all these materials, he never would have been able to complete the recipe and acquire the ingredients in such a short time.
Gaga muttered, "So how are you going to thank her? By refining more Potions?"
Ian ignored it, walked over to the stone counter, and began to clean up.
The mortar, Crucibles, pipettes... he carefully washed every tool and returned it to its proper place.
The Laboratory was soon tidy again, with only the faint scent of herbs lingering in the air.
After cleaning up, Ian played with Gaga for a while, then returned to his bedroom on the ground floor.
’I need to rest early tonight. Tomorrow, I have to go with Aidele for the Honored Guest Elder review.’
Gaga followed behind him, the fluttering of its wings especially clear in the silence.
In the night sky outside, dark clouds roiled.
KABOOM...
A clap of thunder rolled across the sky.