Transformation

Early the next morning, Ian once again placed an order with Kenna's team for a batch of Rock Bear Essence Blood.

If he wanted to earn large amounts of magic stones, he could not count on Awakening Potions. He still had to rely on the rare Rock Bear Potion.

Ian believed this potion would bring him enormous wealth.

He still needed to carefully consider how to sell it safely.

Potion Room.

Through countless failed attempts and the gradual accumulation of feedback, Ian's proficiency with the Rock Bear Potion was only one final step away from reaching the beginner level.

Ian slowly poured Redheart Grass juice into a red glass cup, stirring it counterclockwise as he entered the final stage.

At that moment, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck him. For every two stirs, he sprinkled in a tiny amount of Magic Powder to catalyze the reaction, then shook the glass evenly...

At last, the red liquid in the glass rapidly contracted, its color growing brighter and brighter until it finally stabilized.

"It worked!"

[Rock Bear Potion Proficiency +1]

[Rock Bear Potion: Beginner (0/400)]

Ian half-closed his eyes, absorbing the insights flooding wildly into his mind.

After a while, he raised the potion before his eyes. Within the blood-red, crystal-like liquid, wisps of golden threads continually swam about.

They were not microorganisms, but the most precious Rock Bear Bloodline Essence.

The sight of those threads stirred an intense craving within Ian.

Drink it! Drink it now!

Ian did not hesitate. He tipped it into his mouth in a single gulp.

The instant the potion slid down his throat, he regretted it!

It did not feel like liquid at all. It was more like swallowing a scorching lump of softened lead, filling his stomach with a heavy, tangible weight.

His stomach began to grow warm and hot. Ian felt no pain at first, only the warmth of strong liquor, but it quickly intensified into a fierce burning sensation that spread through his entire abdomen...

Ian leaned forward, bracing both hands against the workbench as his breathing grew heavy.

Tiny red dots began appearing across his skin, slowly expanding into dark-red blotches.

His mind grew hazy. The sounds outside gradually faded away, replaced by the roar of his own rushing blood, rumbling through his head.

He gritted his teeth and endured, lowering his head to look at his hands.

Sweat seeped from his pores and ran down his skin, leaving pale-gray streaks behind.

His vision gradually blurred, and his breathing became rough. The air he exhaled echoed through the room, which suddenly grew stuffy and hot.

The bone-deep pain continued, spreading through every muscle and bone in his body.

Ian vaguely heard extremely faint cracking sounds from deep within his bones. It was the sound of his bones breaking, their internal structure slowly adjusting.

Fortunately, wisps of green Life Energy surged wildly from deep within his body, constantly repairing his injuries.

As his bones continued to break and regrow, he could no longer endure it and collapsed headfirst onto the floor.

Who knew how much time had passed before Ian lay on the floor and slowly opened his eyes.

He touched his forehead. His temperature had already returned to normal.

After climbing to his feet, he looked around. Every flake of peeling paint along the cracks in the walls was perfectly clear, as were the tiny strands of cobweb beside them and even the uneven thickness of the dust.

He tried clenching his fist. With a bang, he squeezed the air hard enough to create a sonic boom.

He felt a surging, violent strength flowing through his body, as though everything before his eyes could be effortlessly destroyed.

Then hunger struck him like a blow, and every cell in his body screamed!

Hungry! Hungry! Hungry...

Ian rushed out of the Potion Room and into the main hall, grabbing everything edible and stuffing it into his mouth.

Bread, sausages, fruit, Awakening Potions...

Only after eating for half an hour did his hunger gradually subside.

Ian smacked his lips and rubbed his round belly, his face full of satisfaction.

Only then did he realize that he had finally survived, and lingering fear appeared in his eyes.

Ian had not expected a mere Constitution Potion to give him such a terrifying experience.

"The Life Potion was so gentle before. How did the Rock Bear Potion nearly take my life?"

If he had not recently consumed the Water of Life, he did not know whether he would have survived.

This was the consequence of lacking knowledge. It seemed he would have to attend more classes at the High Tower in the future and broaden his horizons.

The Status Panel merely shortened the time he needed to learn knowledge and witchcraft; it could not conjure entirely new knowledge out of thin air.

He quickly took a bath, then stood before the mirror and looked at his transformed self.

His face had not changed, and no fur had grown on his body. He secretly let out a sigh of relief.

He tried moving around. His body seemed to have become slightly heavier, probably due to the changes brought by the Rock Bear Gene.

The lines of his neck and shoulders had become thicker and more connected, while his collarbones were covered by a layer of muscle.

The muscles all over his body were fuller than before, as if every one of them had been inflated, slightly bulging and firm without being stiff.

His complexion was healthy and ruddy, and beneath his skin was a thin layer of tough tissue that could effectively protect him from external impacts. Unfortunately, it seemed effective only against physical attacks.

Most importantly, when he focused his gaze, his pupils seemed capable of changing size. His eyes had become steadier, no longer carrying that restless air.

Ian lightly twitched his nose and caught a faint scent of stone and earth.

It was residue from the Rock Bear Bloodline in the potion. After some time, it would be expelled from his body and return to normal.

He went to the main hall and performed several simple stretches. Lacking testing equipment, he could not determine the limits of his strength.

"What a terrifying improvement. Just how strong am I now?"

As for speed, although his body had become heavier, his greatly increased strength actually made him faster than before, though his movements now leaned more toward steadiness.

As for how much his constitution had improved, he felt that even if he went ten days without sleep, he would not feel the slightest drowsiness.

Once dressed, Ian's physical changes were not especially obvious, but he no longer carried his former frail air.

"Next, I'll rapidly brew potions and convert them into magic stones for cultivation."

As for the source of Essence Blood and sales channels, he felt that cooperating with Malena would be the safest and most reliable option.

Now that his strength had greatly increased, he planned to find a time to have a proper talk with her.

After cooperating with the Magic Potion Shop, he also could not abandon Kenna's team. They could continue helping him collect Essence Blood.

As for whether the potions would sell, he was not worried at all. Bloodline Modification wizards loved this type of potion most, so there was no need to worry about demand.

In the future, as long as he obtained other bloodline-type formulas, he could use his powerful Bloodline Purification Art to brew enhanced potions!

Early the next morning, Ian had someone invite Kenna's team over, and they discussed their future cooperation.

He planned to stop brewing Awakening Potions in large quantities. For one thing, Malena had already spoken to him about it, and it would not be good to go against her wishes.

Besides, Awakening Potions had too little profit and wasted too much time. Would it not be better to use that time to brew more Rock Bear Potions or practice more witchcraft?

Ian also asked about the recent situation with the Shadow Society. So much time had passed without the slightest movement, and he found it somewhat strange.

"You don't know? The Academy has been going crazy with the news lately. The Shadow Society found an ancient wizard's potion garden and inheritance in the ruins. After a fierce struggle, they became the biggest winners."

"What?" Ian froze. So the ruins had tied up their hands and feet; no wonder they had remained silent.

"What was inside? Other than the Shadow Society, who else went into the ruins?"

Kenna was equally excited when he spoke of it.

"Besides the Shadow Society, six or seven highly renowned organizations entered as well, including the Golden House, the White Bear Order, and the Glimmer Witchcraft Faction. I heard many people died, including quite a few Advanced Apprentices."

"So it won't end anytime soon?" Ian hoped it would drag on as long as possible.

"No, it has already ended, but there will definitely be consequences. The Shadow Society killed many people in the ruins and took all the benefits. The others will certainly seek revenge!"