Special Insight, Under Attack

At eight o'clock sharp, Alivia Starwhisper walked into the classroom.

She was still wearing her simple dark green robe, her pale golden hair pulled up to reveal her pointed ears.

Ian noticed a trace of imperceptible fatigue between her brows, yet her eyes seemed even more profound.

"It seems many of you have heard the news about the Falling Star Plains."

Alivia began, her voice cold and clear as she cut straight to the point.

"The war has indeed begun, and war requires a massive amount of potions: healing potions, antidotes, stamina potions... and potions capable of rapidly restoring mental power."

"I will not be teaching advanced theory today." She turned and wrote several complex runes on the blackboard.

"What I want to teach you is how to quickly, batch-produce, and stably refine various strategic-grade potions with limited resources. For you, this is not only a way to save your lives but also an important source of magic stones."

Ian focused his mind, taking out paper and pen to begin recording.

Alivia's explanation this time was extremely detailed and easy to understand.

She used the Lesser Healing Potion as an example, breaking it down step by step, simplifying the procedures, merging workflows, and explaining how to find substitutes for potion ingredients.

She even demonstrated in person how to use mental power to guide the refining of three potions simultaneously.

The room was silent, everyone watching as various materials danced into the cauldron, being extracted and condensed.

Their eyes were filled with shock; they had never seen such miraculous craftsmanship!

So, this was how potions could be refined!

[Basic Potion Identification proficiency +1]

Ian's mind shook violently, and he quickly lowered his head to silently digest the information flooding his brain.

Alivia's movements paused slightly; she glanced toward Ian before continuing her demonstration.

At this moment, Ian could no longer hear the sounds from the outside world; this skill limit break had come too unexpectedly.

Alivia had shared a vast amount of unfamiliar potion knowledge, catching him off guard with the advancement.

Gradually, he discovered that his vision seemed to have undergone a strange change.

In the void of his mind, while no new runes had formed, his mental power had been condensed once more.

After a while, the vibration gradually subsided, and he finished digesting the knowledge.

With a slight shift of his intent, he sensed the newly appeared special effect.

[Basic Potion Identification: Limit Break 1 (0/800) (Limit Break Effect: 1. Insight)]

Insight was a form of energy-vein vision.

It could penetrate the color and form of a potion, allowing him to "see" the distribution of magic density and the flow of energy directly within.

After this skill broke its limit, Ian would no longer rely on the external characteristics of potions to identify them, but would instead observe their internal structure directly.

Withdrawing his focus, Ian looked up and continued listening to the lecture with a calm expression.

The two-hour class ended quickly.

As Alivia packed her things to leave, Ian gathered his courage and walked up to her quickly.

"Mentor Alivia, please wait a moment."

Alivia stopped and looked at Ian with her pale golden eyes.

"Ian, is something the matter?"

"Yes, Mentor." Ian said respectfully, "I would like to purchase four vials of Tranquil Water. I was wondering if you have a channel for that."

Alivia raised an eyebrow slightly, "Tranquil Water? It seems your progress with the Rock Bear Potion is quite good."

In two months, Ian must have greatly improved the efficacy of the potion and was now preparing to take it himself.

"Yes, I have had some lucky gains." Ian admitted.

"I can sell them to you." Alivia said directly.

"However, the price is not cheap: 500 magic stones per vial, no bargaining."

Although Ian had known the price for a long time, taking out 2,000 magic stones at once still made his heart ache.

This was more than half of his savings from the past two months.

Sigh! Relying on poor wretches like Kenna, who knows how many years it would take to scrape together enough magic stones.

"I want four vials." Ian took twenty high-grade magic stones, each the size of a pebble, from his cloth bag and handed them over.

Alivia looked at Ian with some surprise, as if she had not expected him to be able to produce so many magic stones at once.

She took the magic stones, a flash of green light appeared in her hand, and an exquisite wooden box materialized.

Inside, seven vials of Tranquil Water were neatly arranged, their color as deep as ink, seemingly absorbing the surrounding light.

"Tranquil Water, just use it half an hour before taking the bloodline potion."

Alivia took out the other three vials and handed the wooden box to Ian.

She added a faint reminder, "Your talent in potions is excellent; do not neglect the fundamentals. Take care of yourself."

"Thank you for the reminder, Mentor!" Ian solemnly accepted the wooden box, a renewed sense of gratitude toward Malena rising in his heart.

"Mentor, how has Malena been lately?"

"She is well." Alivia turned and walked away, leaving behind only a faint reply.

Ian had intended to ask about the Water of Balance, but he never found the opportunity to speak.

He carefully tucked the wooden box away, his mind racing with calculations.

Perhaps I can utilize this channel...

Having finished his business, he did not linger at the High Tower. After purchasing materials for other potions, he headed to the Station.

The return carriage was much more crowded than the one he had arrived in; perhaps because they carried valuable items, they felt the carriage was a safer choice.

Throughout the journey, the atmosphere inside the carriage remained oppressive, and few people spoke.

Most faces bore expressions of exhaustion and vigilance.

Ian sat by the window, leaning back slightly to close his eyes and rest.

He had silently cast an Eye of Vigilance, which was now floating above the carriage roof, following them along the way.

The detection range of the eye had reached a radius of 300 meters, providing him with some preparation time in case of an emergency.

The carriage had traveled about halfway when the pedestrians outside began to thin out.

As they entered a relatively secluded forest road, Ian suddenly opened his eyes.

A sudden change occurred!

Boom! Boom...

Over a dozen scorching Fireballs and pitch-black Corrosion Rays shot toward the carriage without warning.

Ian's Eye of Vigilance was shattered by a streak of light just moments before.

"Enemy attack!" The coachman shouted, jumping off the carriage first and disappearing into the woods.

"It's people from the Crimson Court!" Screams erupted inside the carriage.

The carriage body shattered, and wood splinters flew everywhere.

Cries of agony, shouts of alarm, and weeping exploded instantly.

Several Apprentices sitting near the windows were struck by spells and died on the spot.

Ian had sensed the attack before it hit, and his Crystal Energy Shield had deployed almost instinctively.

A Corrosion Ray pierced through the oak panel and struck his shield, emitting a sizzling sound.

The shield's light flickered violently, but it managed to hold on with difficulty.

Before his eye shattered, he saw at least a dozen figures in crimson robes rushing out from the forest.

The four leading figures possessed exceptionally powerful auras; they were clearly Advanced Apprentices!

Their objective was clear; one person split off to chase the coachman.

The remaining Advanced Apprentices blocked the path ahead and behind, while the others surrounded the carriage.

Judging by this formation, they clearly intended to wipe everyone out.

"Run!" Ian released another eye and leaped from the damaged carriage.

Guided by the eye, he sprinted in the opposite direction of the crowd.

His formidable physique once again showed its advantage; his figure moved as fast as a gray shadow, flickering a few times before vanishing into the woods.

"Oh? A quick reaction." The strongest individual among them noticed Ian, a trace of cruelty flashing in his eyes.

"An Intermediate Apprentice, yet his speed is not slow. Perhaps there is some profit to be made."

He abandoned his current opponent, his figure transforming into a dark red streak of light as he gave chase to Ian.

In his view, a prey struggling in its final moments was far more interesting.