"Ian, I'm leaving. I'm going to train at the High Tower."
Malena looked at Ian. "You've been coveting the spell practice room for a long time. You can use it from now on. Harvey is recuperating anyway."
Ian froze inwardly, and the joy that had just risen faded somewhat.
"Malena, are you preparing to break through?"
"Yes. I'll leave once I've arranged everything at hand."
"That's a good thing. I wish you success! From now on, I'll have a wizard friend to rely on."
Malena stared at the tea leaves floating in her hand, her gaze seeming unfocused.
"Friends... that's nice!"
Winter was drawing near, and sunlight carrying a trace of warmth spilled into the courtyard.
The two leisurely drank honey tea. After chatting for a while, they went their separate ways and got busy again.
Ian returned to the potion room and began preparing to make a full-force breakthrough with the Awakening Potion.
At the workbench, he skillfully took out Moonlight Grass, Menthol Crystal, Magic Catalytic Powder, and other ingredients from the Thermostat Box.
Just as he had repeated countless times before, he began brewing the Awakening Potion.
Grinding, extracting, stirring, adding Magic Catalytic Powder...
Every step was as natural and smooth as breathing. Under the catalyst of Magic Power, the solution in the crucible gradually cleared...
[Awakening Potion Proficiency +1] [Awakening Potion Proficiency +1]
As one perfect potion after another emerged, the proficiency in his mind rose bit by bit.
At this level, the Awakening Potion required brewing more than a dozen bottles just to gain one point of proficiency.
When nearly half the table was filled with potions, Ian checked the numbers on the Status Panel.
[Awakening Potion: Mastery (399/400)]
"This is really hard to grind!"
Ian did not pause in the slightest. His eyes remained focused as he picked up another set of ingredients, his movements flowing like clouds and water.
The extracted Menthol Crystal solution and Moonlight Grass solution mixed one after another. Under his precise control of Magic Power, the liquid began to stabilize and clear...
Suddenly, inspiration flashed through his mind again. Following his intuition, Ian increased the amount of Magic Powder and blended it evenly into the solution...
The moment the catalytic process ended and Ian withdrew his spiritual power, a familiar yet deeper blue light rose.
Buzz!
The instant the potion took shape, Ian's mind shook violently.
It was somewhat similar to when the Lesser Frost Ray underwent a Limit Break, yet also vastly different.
A great flood of insight and information poured into his mind—not only a deeper understanding of brewing techniques and ingredient ratios.
It also touched upon the essence of "focus" and "mental soothing"!
There were even faint insights regarding other potions flowing into his mind.
The only regret was that no rune had formed in his mind!
Ian lowered his head in thought, vaguely realizing the conditions required for runes to form.
After the Status Panel blurred for a moment, it gradually became clear again.
[Awakening Potion: Limit Break 1 Time (0/800) (Special Effect: 1. Potent)]
Once the Status Panel finished updating, Ian had also digested the stream of information and understood what "Potent" meant.
This Limit Break Awakening Potion was twice as effective as the ordinary version at maintaining mental focus and assisting meditation!
He picked up the Limit Break potion he had just brewed and examined it carefully.
Its color was deeper and purer than the ordinary version, with faint specks of starlight circulating within it.
Simply holding it seemed to let him feel a cool current stirring, giving off an aura that calmed the mind and focused the spirit.
Ian suppressed the urge to test it immediately and first sensed the changes in his mind.
The refinement of his spiritual power had increased by around ten percent due to this Limit Break, and his control over Magic Power had become even more effortless.
This feeling was exactly the same as the one from his last spell Limit Break.
He was now completely certain that every skill Limit Break refined his spiritual power once.
Ian felt somewhat excited. This was no small improvement.
That being the case, even spending some time improving low-level skills would be well worth it.
He would have more and more skills in the future. At worst, he could just spend more time grinding them up.
Seeing the word "Potent" on the Status Panel, his heart filled with anticipation.
"Double the effect of assisting meditation!"
This meant that, within the same amount of meditation time, the efficiency of spiritual power tempering would greatly increase, and the proficiency growth rate of the Star-Moon Lower Meditation Method would speed up accordingly.
"Let's begin!"
Ian did not hesitate and drank the potion in one gulp.
The instant it slid into his mouth, the familiar cool sensation shot straight into his mind.
But immediately afterward, an unprecedented sense of "clarity" and "focus" enveloped him.
Every stray thought in his mind was swept away, and the meditation method operated with incomparable smoothness.
His perception of the details of the Will Rune became sharper, making it easier to outline the rune.
Ian immediately entered a meditative state and began visualizing the Will Rune.
In his mind, nine Great Will Runes interlocked and slowly rotated in the void, displaying a beautiful structure of complexity and refinement.
One of the Great Will Runes had already "grown" two complete crescent-shaped minor runes.
A Great Will Rune beside it had also "grown" one minor rune, while another half-formed illusory minor rune had yet to take shape.
As for the other seven Great Runes, there was nothing beside them.
Ian was half-asleep at this moment. Each time he circulated the meditation method, that illusory minor rune condensed bit by bit until it finally took shape.
At the same time, the scattered spiritual power in the void was tempered thread by thread during the rune's formation...
[Star-Moon Lower Meditation Method Proficiency +1] [Star-Moon Lower Meditation Method Proficiency +1]
Time passed, and Ian felt the meditation method gradually become sluggish. He knew the potion's effects had ended.
He opened his eyes and checked the progress on the Status Panel.
[Realm: Intermediate Wizard Apprentice (15%)] [Skill: Star-Moon Lower Meditation Method: Proficient (284/400)]
That single meditation session had raised his proficiency by a full three points!
His realm had also risen by one percent. Including his previous accumulation, it had naturally increased by one point.
"This feeling is truly wonderful!"
Ian was exhilarated. This enhanced Awakening Potion had completely solved the previous drug resistance issue. It was like taking an entirely new Meditation Potion.
"Hehe, this Limit Break special effect is absurdly powerful!"
His cultivation would now enter the fast lane again, with his realm growing rapidly as well.
Checking the time, this meditation session had taken less than two hours. He could meditate at full capacity for six hours every night.
By this calculation, it would take less than half a month for the meditation method to reach the Mastery stage, at which point its efficiency could increase even further.
A sharp glint flashed in Ian's eyes. At this rate of cultivation, he might not even need half a year to break through to Intermediate Apprentice!
"Eh!" Ian suddenly noticed that the proficiency of the Rock Bear Potion on the Status Panel seemed to have increased as well.
[Rock Bear Potion: Beginner (27/400)]
It turned out that part of the information flowing into his mind earlier had been brewing insights for the Rock Bear Potion.
It seemed that after one potion underwent a Limit Break, it would touch upon some brewing techniques for other potions.
When he had brewed the Rock Bear Potion before, flashes of inspiration had occasionally appeared in his mind, greatly improving his brewing proficiency.
After all, potion brewing was not a collection of entirely independent skills. It was inevitable that one area would illuminate another.
Ian found this perfectly reasonable.
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