"Ancient potion: Maria's Tears formula, 1,312,933rd simulated alchemical experiment — begin!"
Leilin held two ancient potion formulas he had obtained from his mentor Guofate. One was the Azure Potion, for which Leilin had already discovered new ingredients, pushing him to his current level.
The other potion, Maria's Tears, appeared to involve matters related to spirits, which had left Leilin utterly stumped in the past.
Afterward, through extensive experimental observations conducted in Polar Night City, Leilin had gathered a wealth of data concerning spirits, which steadily advanced the deciphering of this ancient formula.
Finally, after obtaining Gelin's Water, the Chip performed a reverse analysis of the Gelin's Water potion's refinement process and finally overcame the last remaining obstacle in Maria's Tears.
But Leilin discovered to his frustration that the orthodox refinement process for Maria's Tears required several steps that only a formal Wizard could perform.
Moreover, many stages demanded spiritual power at least at the formal Wizard level.
This situation confirmed Leilin's earlier suspicion — Maria's Tears was indeed a spiritual power secret formula that ancient formal Wizards had prepared for their own use!!!
And Leilin's desire to successfully concoct Maria's Tears grew even stronger.
His spiritual power had not increased for quite some time.
His body had developed severe resistance to the new Azure Potion — no matter how much he drank, not a single bit of spiritual power increased.
After experiencing potion-enhanced spiritual power gains, Leilin found himself completely unable to tolerate the agonizing slowness of stimulating spiritual power through standard meditation methods.
His current spiritual power still fell just short of the threshold needed to break through to formal Wizard status.
According to the Chip's estimates and Leilin's own calculations, if he relied solely on meditation, it would take several years at minimum!!!
Leilin absolutely could not wait that long. Therefore, concocting new potions and gathering other ancient formula recipes became his ongoing task.
Most ancient potion recipes were in the hands of formal Wizards. Leilin lacked enough rare materials to trade for them, and he did not want to draw too much attention.
Furthermore, compared to reverse-engineering an entirely unfamiliar formula, Maria's Tears — already more than half solved — was the better choice.
Working from the original formula, Leilin boldly replaced every step that required a formal Wizard's intervention with procedures that only a third-rank Apprentice needed to carry out.
After tens of thousands of revisions, along with millions of simulated experiments run by the Chip itself, Leilin's current experiment was very close to success.
"First, the base material of the formula: a female Wraith!"
Leilin picked up a brand-new Soul-Binding Sphere from the side of the laboratory bench. Inside the sphere, a translucent woman in a red dress stared back at Leilin with terrified eyes.
The energy fluctuations emanating from this woman were far weaker than those of the earlier evil spirit Roman — at most equivalent to a first-rank Apprentice.
After the vast majority of the Academy's apprentices had died, those who survived entered a golden age of personal development.
Resources that had once supplied over a thousand apprentices were now open to fewer than fifty.
The prices of all materials and Spell Models had plummeted compared to the Blood Battle period — practically fire-sale rates.
For instance, a Wraith like this one had previously been a scarce commodity on the market. As soon as one appeared, apprentices would snap it up, with a price tag of at least five hundred Magic Stones.
Now, Leilin had casually walked up to an Academy counter and purchased this Wraith for less than one hundred Magic Stones!!!
Of course, this was also a tacit reward for the survivors from the Academy!!!
Before the next batch of apprentices enrolled, this situation would continue.
However, the idea of buying cheap here and selling at a premium elsewhere was something Leilin considered only briefly before dismissing it. The Academy had long since issued a strict prohibition on such practices, and the consequences of being caught were severe.
Seizing this opportunity, Leilin spent the bulk of his hoarded Magic Stones on large quantities of rare resources and all manner of bizarre Zero-level Spell Models.
The female Wraith bound inside the crystal sphere had long silver hair, azure-blue eyes, soft red lips, a slender waist, and long shapely legs — every detail betraying the fact that she must have been a devastating beauty capable of driving men wild before her death!!!
"What a shame!"
Leilin sighed softly, his hands never pausing as he dripped a silver liquid onto the surface of the crystal sphere.
This was the "Spirit Dissolution Agent" — something Leilin had originally prepared specifically for tormenting Roman. Just a few drops would make the evil spirit wail for half a day, inflicting severe damage to its spiritual essence.
Now, the remainder was being put to use here.
"Ah… it hurts!!! Please… please stop! Don't…"
The Wraith's broken pleas drifted constantly from within the crystal sphere. Any man faced with such a beauty's entreaty would at least hesitate on the inside.
But Leilin did not so much as furrow his brow, continuing the motions of his work.
As more and more Spirit Dissolution Agent was applied, the female Wraith's pleas grew ever fainter. Her red dress, too, began to gradually dissolve, revealing skin that was ethereal yet eerily captivating.
"Still trying to seduce me?" Leilin's lips curled into a mocking smile.
"Wraith! Show me your true hideous form!" He extended a finger, and a long black needle materialized at its tip.
Sssshk!!!
The black needle pierced through the crystal sphere and plunged directly into the female Wraith's chest.
"Aaaah!!!" The female Wraith let out a bone-chilling scream, her body flickering and distorting. When the image cleared, the Wraith before Leilin had completely transformed.
Her face was covered in wrinkles and scales, her features twisted as if roughly kneaded by hand. The top of her head was bald, with a few strands of green hair hanging limply to one side.
Her mouth gaped open, razor-sharp teeth clacking together, and disgusting pus dripped from her crimson tongue.
"Raaargh!!!"
The female Wraith's bloodshot eyes, burning with a tearing, devouring desire, locked onto Leilin as though she wanted to rip him apart and swallow him whole.
"Your outside is just as ugly as what's inside!"