Potion Brewing: Refreshing Potion

The Black Mist Forest was still shrouded in a thin veil of mist at dawn, but Ron had already arrived in front of the Herb Shop early.

He gazed at the mottled wooden door, his mind filled with a thousand thoughts.

The miserable states of Locke and Emily kept resurfacing in his mind. Everything that had happened over the past few days had left him tossing and turning at night, but it had instead strengthened his resolve to work hard and improve his strength.

He glanced at the sky. He was half an hour early for the appointed time.

This caution had already become a habit of his—he wouldn't dare gamble on what consequences might follow from being late.

The Bronze Wind Chime in front of the door rang crisply in the breeze. Although the shop door was tightly shut, he could faintly sense Mrs. Allen's distinctive magical fluctuations.

Ron took a deep breath and gently knocked on the shop door.

Soon, Mrs. Allen's distinctive hoarse voice came from inside. "Come in, little fellow."

The moment he pushed open the door, all kinds of peculiar scents rushed at him.

After becoming familiar with them over the past few days, Ron could already distinguish the properties of most of the herbs.

He could pick out the refreshing scent of Evening Primrose, the pungency of Snake-tooth Grass, and several other distinctive smells whose names he didn't know.

"You're earlier than the appointed time."

Mrs. Allen stood behind the counter, a hint of approval flashing in her eyes, which glowed with a dark green light.

"Looks like you really aren't a lazy fellow. That's good."

Ron imitated the noble etiquette his etiquette teacher had once taught him and performed a noble salute. "It's my honor to have earned your regard, Madam."

"Spare me the useless pleasantries."

The old witch waved her hand, her gaze once again turning as sharp as a hawk's. "Let me check your studies first."

Ron nodded and immediately replied, "Yes, Madam. I've reviewed the section on Refreshing Potions in Basics of Potionology three times, and I even organized some notes."

As he spoke, he pulled a thick notebook from his robes.

It was densely packed with records of various materials' properties and reaction patterns. Even some subtle observations had been documented in detail.

Mrs. Allen took the notebook and casually flipped through it. The light in her eyes gradually brightened.

"Interesting. You didn't just record the contents of the book—you added your own understanding as well. The idea of linking mental-force perception with the properties of herbs is rather novel."

She closed the notebook and stared at Ron with a piercing gaze. "Come with me. There's quite a lot to teach you today."

The old witch led Ron through a narrow corridor to the brewing room at the back of the shop.

Unlike last time, the workbench was already covered with various tools and materials. Clearly, everything had been carefully prepared.

A Bronze Cauldron was set over a specially made furnace, beneath which strange blue flames danced.

"First, I'm going to teach you how to prepare the most basic Refreshing Potion."

As Mrs. Allen spoke, she began introducing the materials on the table.

"Although this potion is very common on the market, producing a perfect finished product isn't easy. You have to control the amount of every material and the timing of its addition."

Ron walked up to the workbench and carefully observed the materials on it with the aid of Herb Identification.

The fresh leaves of Moonlight Grass were still beaded with dew, their surfaces gleaming silver beneath the deep blue flames.

The stems of Carbon Breath Grass emitted pale blue smoke, a sign that the active components within them had not yet faded.

Several other materials with distinctive scents but unknown names were neatly arranged in glass dishes.

"Every material has its own specific 'Rhythm.'"

Mrs. Allen's voice rang out. "A true Potion Master must not only understand the properties of the materials, but also grasp the Resonance between them."

Those words stirred something in Ron's heart.

He recalled his insight from practicing the Corona Breathing Technique yesterday. Whether it was mental force, a breathing technique, or these herbs, they all seemed to follow certain specific patterns.

"You seem to have gained some insight?" Mrs. Allen keenly noticed the change in his expression.

"Yes." Ron nodded. "Like that Star Grass yesterday. When I placed it in a particular way, I seemed to sense a certain Rhythm contained within it."

"Not bad." The old witch revealed a faint smile. "Every true Potion Master is pursuing the balance of this 'Rhythm.'"

She pointed at the materials on the workbench. "Now, let me see what you've understood."

Ron took a deep breath and began preparing the potion according to his own understanding.

This time, he didn't simply copy the method from the book. Instead, he tried to sense the properties of each material.

The silver glow of Moonlight Grass was extremely similar to the fluctuations of mental force, so he tried handling the materials according to a rhythm resembling the one he used during meditation.

As the preparation continued, Ron gradually entered a wondrous state.

Each material seemed to possess its own "voice," and his task was to make those "voices" merge harmoniously.

"Interesting." Mrs. Allen suddenly spoke. "Are you using the Rhythm of your mental force to guide the materials' fusion?"

Ron was slightly startled. "You mean—"

"Continue. You don't need to answer me." The old witch interrupted him. "Let me see how far you can take this."

Ron nodded and continued focusing on the preparation.

When the final ingredient was added to the copper cauldron, the potion's color began to change. It gradually cleared from its initial muddiness, finally taking on a faint amber hue.

In his perception, the energy fluctuations within the entire cauldron of potion reached a delicate balance.

"As expected." Mrs. Allen murmured, "You really do have some talent in sensing mental force. Not just anyone could think of applying the Rhythm of mental force to potion preparation."

She scooped up some potion with a silver spoon. "It's still rather crude, but you're headed in the right direction."

Just then, a series of footsteps suddenly came from outside the shop, drawing closer from afar.

"Looks like a customer has arrived." Mrs. Allen put away her instructive tone. "I'll go receive them first. Organize the shelves later. While you work, think carefully about what I taught you today. In this world, every force follows its own specific patterns. The key lies in how you sense and use them."

She had just turned to leave when she suddenly seemed to remember something. She glanced back at the potion in the cauldron.

"There's nothing seriously wrong with this batch, but it can only be considered a subpar product. You can bottle it and take it with you. Whether you sell it or use it yourself is up to you."

Ron was delighted. As expected, there had been an unexpected gain.

He nodded and thanked her. After Mrs. Allen left, he began pouring the potion into several small bottles.

Before leaving the brewing room, Ron looked back at the still-steaming Bronze Cauldron, deep in thought.

Ever since he had transmigrated into this world and completely fused with the original body's soul, his rate of progress had far surpassed that of ordinary people.

The most crucial factor was naturally the various progress-solidifying effects brought by his cheat, but his unique Dual Soul talent had clearly contributed greatly as well.

"Two souls, two ways of thinking." Ron muttered inwardly, his fingers unconsciously tapping out a certain Rhythm on the tabletop.

He recalled the description of Dual Soul on his panel: "Comprehension increased; when mental force reaches a certain limit, Dual Casting becomes possible."

At first, he had focused only on the latter half—the ability of "Dual Casting"—and overlooked the seemingly ordinary "increased comprehension" mentioned first.

Now, he finally understood what this "increase in comprehension" truly meant.

It was precisely because he possessed two entirely different souls that he could understand this world's supernatural laws from an entirely new perspective.

"Rhythm." Ron slowly closed his eyes and felt the flow of mental force within his body.

In his perception, mental force was no longer merely a vague mass of energy. Instead, it was a series of notes carrying a specific melody, each flow resembling a wondrous musical composition.

This perceptive ability was an additional benefit brought by his Dual Soul trait.

The Earth soul's understanding and perception of music and art had fused perfectly with the innate sensitivity to supernatural forces possessed by this world's native soul.

Through the bridging effect of Dual Soul, the two had merged perfectly, allowing him to comprehend the "Rhythm" of various forces faster than other people.

Potions, Meditation Methods, breathing techniques, and even Spell Construction appeared to be entirely different fields on the surface. But in his perception, they all followed similar patterns, with only their harmonizing rhythms differing.

"It's like a musician who knows multiple instruments and can easily switch between them..."

His Dual Soul gave him the ability to understand "Rhythm" across different fields, allowing him to draw parallels and find common ground between seemingly unrelated domains.

As for the potential multi-casting ability that might awaken later, for now... it seemed the time had not yet come.