Crystal Energy Barrier

Nolan arrived quietly, coldly watching the crowd at the entrance.

His situation was extremely dangerous. During the struggle for the Tranquil Flower in the secret realm, he had ruthlessly killed over a dozen Advanced Apprentices, and the forces behind them were hunting him with everything they had.

This time, having come to Nightfall Town, he could not make too much of a commotion. He intended to act in secret.

"That formula should still be in Ian's hands. Good. I can retrieve the formula and avenge my younger brother while I'm at it."

His men had already investigated thoroughly. Ian had been hired as the resident Potion Master, but so what?

Anyone Nolan wanted dead had never escaped his grasp.

As for Ian's family, they were too far away, in a region with sparse magic.

He still had to guard against the many hyenas hunting him down. He could not possibly spend so much time traveling there to wipe out Ian's family.

Ever since he had seized the Tranquil Flower, not only had Advanced Apprentices from other organizations been hunting him, but even within the Shadow Society, people were covertly watching him.

Now that he had sneaked here, only a few trusted subordinates remained at his disposal, and they could only be used for surveillance.

From that day onward, Ian lived the shut-in life of someone who never left his front door.

In the courtyard, he leaned back in a chair and chatted with someone while leisurely drinking Crimson Honey Water. Crimson Bee honey could calm the mind and steady the spirit, and the shop specially prepared it for Potion Masters.

Still, both its effects and flavor fell short of Malena's Fairy Flower Honey Tea.

"Clayton, I heard you have a decent shield spell. I'm very interested."

"You haven't left your door these past few days. Where did you hear that?"

Clayton did not deny it. His eyes shifted slightly as he waited for Ian to name a price first.

"I heard it once from Christine next door. Just name your price."

"Ah, I've hit a bottleneck in brewing Awakening Potions. My success rate has been stuck at around thirty percent."

Ian understood. Clayton was asking him for guidance.

Ian's success rate for Awakening Potions had now risen to nearly sixty percent. In everyone's eyes, he was a genuine potion-making genius.

His recent collaboration with Malena had made the other Potion Masters in the shop even more envious.

Ian did not keep anything to himself. With his current expertise, teaching Clayton was effortless.

The two continued discussing the matter for half an hour, and Clayton's face occasionally showed a thoughtful expression.

"All right, that's all I know. The rest is up to you."

Ian stopped explaining. Clayton rose and solemnly thanked him.

"Ian, thank you for your guidance. Otherwise, it would have taken me quite a while to understand."

After speaking, Clayton took out a thin booklet and handed it to Ian.

"This is my family's spell. Please don't pass it on to others."

Ian nodded in agreement. He was not short on magic stones, so he certainly would not teach it privately to others. The two did not make any strict contract, either.

During his time working at the Magic Potion Shop, he had earned more than 1,300 magic stones in total.

That was an astonishing rate. Ian had not expected magic stones to be so easy to earn. Though they were spent quickly as well, his supply of magic stones kept growing.

"Master potion-making, and it's like having a hen that lays magic stones."

After Clayton left, Ian picked up the parchment in his hands and began studying it carefully.

The spell recorded in the book was called Crystal Energy Barrier. The minimum requirement to learn it was Intermediate Apprentice, which suited Ian perfectly.

Unfortunately, it was not a light-based spell, so his talent offered no bonus.

Once the spell took shape, it did not create a uniform circular shield.

Instead, it condensed and formed a semi-transparent shield before the caster, one that could move forward, backward, left, and right with extreme flexibility.

Its overall structure consisted of countless tiny hexagonal energy units densely arranged together.

Crystal Energy Barrier had an obvious drawback: its strength was average.

If one unit suffered an overloaded attack, that unit would shatter locally, requiring the spell to be cast again.

Its advantages were equally apparent. It consumed little mental power, was quick to cast, and could handle sudden attacks.

It offered decent protection against both physical and energy impacts.

After studying it carefully, Ian decided to learn the spell immediately.

Others worried that its defensive strength would be insufficient, but he was not afraid. At worst, he could just grind it for longer.

This spell also consumed little mental power, making it even more suitable for him to level up quickly.

Moreover, he vaguely saw the immense potential of this spell.

[Crystal Energy Barrier: Not Initiated (0/100)]

"At last, I have a shield spell. I'll feel a little safer when I go out in the future."

Recently, to guard against Nolan's revenge, he had not stepped outside the shop even once.

Half a month had already passed. There had been no news from Kenna and the others, which counted as good news.

Now, fifteen meters above his residence, an eye was patrolling the surroundings.

The Eye of Vigilance generally could not be casually deployed in town, since wizards placed great importance on privacy.

The only reason he could cast it freely to grind proficiency was because he had spoken with Malena and badgered her until she finally agreed.

Ian closed his eyes and connected with the Eye of Vigilance above, carefully "examining" the surrounding area.

He had noticed that someone seemed to have been lurking nearby, though he was not sure whether he was mistaken.

"I can't confirm whether Nolan has come to Nightfall Town. I don't dare go out at all, so I can't raise the proficiency of my other spells."

His strongest method, Lesser Frost Ray, could not be practiced due to the limitations of the location, so his strength had not changed much.

The only consolation was that Clarity Potion was only a little over ten proficiency points away from a Limit Break.

"I wonder what surprise the breakthrough will bring me."

There was actually a small spell practice room in the Magic Potion Shop.

But it was occupied year-round by the Advanced Apprentice stationed at the shop, so Ian had rarely used it.

Some time ago, an unfamiliar apprentice sent him a letter on Wade's behalf.

The letter described Nolan's situation in detail, and Ian secretly rejoiced that he had not gone out.

That Nolan had disappeared for so long, yet he was still offering rewards on the black market for the capture of Kenna and the other three.

The man was truly arrogant. He dared to openly issue warrants for High Tower apprentices. His confidence came from the prestige of his mentor.

Nolan had been gifted since childhood and had always been highly favored by his mentor. He had already spent over twenty years at the High Tower.

"So Nolan broke through to Advanced Apprentice more than ten years ago."

After pondering for a moment, Ian decided to ask Malena for help. It would be best if she could investigate personally and determine whether Nolan had already arrived in Nightfall Town.

Having made up his mind, Ian quickly headed to Malena's residence.

"Malena, are you there?"

Before long, Malena came to open the door in a nightgown, seemingly having just taken a bath.

She looked somewhat surprised to see that Ian had come for her.

"Is something urgent? Come in and talk."

After entering, Ian did not ogle the full, snow-white body before him.

"I'd like you to help me find out who has a powerful magical item, preferably one that can pose a lethal threat to an Advanced Apprentice. I want to buy one for protection."

Malena froze for a moment, then slowly walked up to Ian. As she moved, her full chest swayed constantly.

"Ian, with your current means, you can indeed afford such magical items. But you don't need to hunt Magic Beasts, so what do you want one for?"

Malena stared at Ian's face, deep in thought.

"Have you run into some danger lately? Is that why you haven't been leaving home?"