On the South Coast, Potionology Grandmasters were exceedingly rare, and Leilin had been only a First-rank Warlock at the time, so he had been forced to conceal his abilities. Had his talent leaked out, it would have brought enormous trouble.
But the potionologist circle on the Central Continent was far more prosperous than the South Coast. Even within the Ouroboros Ring, several Potionology Grandmasters existed.
Moreover, Leilin had now reached the realm of a Third-rank Warlock — his strength was incomparable to what it had been before — and he had the backing of
Therefore, revealing a bit of his potionological accomplishments was perfectly acceptable.
But he still had to hold something back. Leilin's potionology, refined over many years through his own experiments and the Chip's calculations — especially after the Chip had developed that virtual reality technique — had faintly broken through the bottleneck of Grandmaster and touched upon a more profound, and more terrifying, realm.
That, however, was something he absolutely did not need to show.
Finally, through compounding potions, he could gain free access to most of the Central Continent's recipes — many of them exclusive formulas — which would be an enormous addition to his database.
Once he had absorbed the Central Continent's deepest potionological foundations, his own Grandmaster bottleneck would surely break through!
Leilin harbored a quiet thread of anticipation.
…
Three years later, in the manor at the Ouroboros Ring's headquarters.
Thanks to the population and slaves drawn from his territory, the manor was no longer the empty shell it had once been. It now operated in full swing, with neatly uniformed servants and alluring handmaidens bustling about from time to time.
There were even several apprentices mingling among the foot traffic.
These were talented individuals with innate gifts that Leilin had discovered in his own territory. He had gathered them here, and under normal circumstances they were tutored by the Warlock vassals under his command. Occasionally, when Leilin was in good spirits, he would come out and teach a few things himself.
This kind of treatment was enough to drive other apprentices wild. Some had even gone so far as to relocate to Leilin's territory and register as his subjects — all for the chance to work in his manor.
In a dedicated reception room, Leilin was conversing with his senior disciple,
"I'll be honest, Leilin — your talent and accomplishments in Potionology are truly astonishing!"
Robin toyed with a potion vial in his hand. Inside the glass, a cluster of purple liquid rippled and shimmered, radiating different halos of light.
Over the past three years, through selling large quantities of finished products and compounding potions for members of the organization, Leilin had not only accumulated a considerable sum of Contribution Points but had also established his reputation as a Potionology Grandmaster.
More and more high-ranking Warlocks, and even Wizards from other friendly organizations, had sought him out to request the compounding of exceedingly rare potions.
Leilin had taken on nearly every commission. Though his success rate was slightly lower than that of the Ouroboros Ring's existing Grandmasters, his fees were far below theirs. Furthermore, because those Grandmasters had dedicated tasks assigned by the organization and limited slots for outside work, Leilin had been given ample opportunity.
It was precisely because of this that he had gained access to many exclusive potion recipes — a boon for both the Chip's database and his own potionological expertise.
"It's simply a matter of interest in Potionology," Leilin replied with a faint smile, a trace of nostalgia flickering in his eyes. "After all, when I first set foot on the path of Wizardry, I was a Potionology Apprentice!"
"That's still remarkable in its own right! And what's even more impressive, Leilin, is that while advancing in Potionology, you've managed to maintain rapid progress in meditation. That's exceedingly rare!"
Robin cast a meaningful glance at Leilin. "Your Spiritual Power… I'd wager you're on the verge of breaking through to the Vaporization stage, aren't you?"
"Yes, just about! I'm planning to purchase a set of Vaporization Magical Arrays soon and attempt the breakthrough." Leilin nodded. There was nothing to hide about this.
Through the massive number of Contribution Points earned from compounding potions, supplemented by his own accumulated resources, Leilin had been purchasing Spiritual Power potions suited to his needs from the Ouroboros Ring in bulk. With the fourth layer of the Comoin Eyes Meditation Method as his guide, the path ahead was crystal clear and the goal well-defined. Over these three years, his Spiritual Power had finally seen a rather significant improvement.
The Central Continent's resources were naturally incomparable to those of the Dark Polar Zone or the South Coast. Moreover, the environment — rich in energy particles — seemed to lend its own assistance to a
"Mm! A set of Vaporization Magical Arrays costs around a hundred thousand Contribution Points. Add in the other auxiliary resources you'll need, and it comes to roughly a hundred and fifty thousand total. Have you scraped together enough? If not, I can lend you some!" Robin offered善意.
"That's very kind of you!" Leilin said with a smile.
Though potionology was highly profitable, his accumulation period had been short, and a large share of his Contribution Points had already been spent on Spiritual Power potions. His finances were genuinely not that comfortable.
The Ouroboros Ring did offer a channel for purchasing Contribution Points with Magic Stones, but the exchange rate was steep, and each Wizard had a fixed quota. Leilin was not particularly keen on going that route.
"Oh, and this document — I'd like to submit it to the organization. Could you help me appraise it?"
Leilin handed a folder to Robin with a smile.
Robin raised an eyebrow, took the folder, and glanced inside. His eyes widened and he straightened in his seat. "You… you're actually going to contribute the recipe for the Advanced Calming Potion?"
The Advanced Calming Potion was an advanced formula that Leilin had further developed from the Great Wizard Crimson's inheritance — a recipe originally designed to suppress Warlock emotional volatility.
Of course, what he was offering was a trimmed version, without the Frost Jade Scorpion's breath as an ingredient. Still, its suppressive effect on the emotional volatility of high-rank Warlocks was quite significant.
Though the Ouroboros Ring possessed its own methods and potions for curbing emotional instability, Warlocks never felt that such things were excessive.
As long as the problem of emotional volatility was not eradicated, potions like this would enjoy a vast market.
Over the past three years, Leilin had produced and sold large quantities of the Advanced Calming Potion, making it one of his primary income streams. Now, seeing that he was actually offering to sell the recipe, Robin could not help but feel profoundly surprised.
"Yes!" Leilin nodded with a smile. He simply did not have the time to keep compounding the Advanced Calming Potion for profit. Besides, it was an advanced potion — ordinary apothecaries would struggle with the success rate. If he ever wanted to use it to earn Contribution Points again in the future, it would be easy enough.
"Just this material alone is worth roughly two hundred and fifty thousand Contribution Points! Looks like you won't be needing my little loan after all!" Robin said with a bitter laugh.
"On the contrary — I actually want to borrow even more from you, Senior! I'm quite short on Contribution Points!" A hint of sly amusement crept across Leilin's lips, which paradoxically made Robin feel a little closer to him.
Sometimes, the act of lending to one another could draw two people closer together.
"Oh! Your Wizard Tower is about to run dry, isn't it?"
Understanding dawned on Robin's face, and Leilin could only respond with a wry smile.
Over the past three years, the skeletal framework of Leilin's Wizard Tower had been mostly completed. Now came the far more intricate stage of outfitting each floor.
Leilin's standards were extraordinarily high — he used only the very finest materials. The resources consumed in the process could have been piled into several small mountains.
Though Leilin's net worth could just barely sustain it, he intended to keep a portion hidden. A small pretense of financial embarrassment before the outside world was therefore necessary.
"Sigh… Leilin, I've told you before! Why didn't you lower your standards during the design phase, or just build it here? Either way, things would be so much easier!" Robin tried to console him.
"Out of the question!" Leilin shook his head, his expression resolute.
"A Wizard Tower is intimately tied to a Wizard's advancement. If I'm going to build one, I'm going to make it the best it can be. And I have to think ahead — establishing the Wizard Tower on my own territory sends a powerful deterrent to the surrounding powers."
"That's a fair point! But the resource consumption is terrifying! When I built my Wizard Tower, even with the subsidies from my family and the organization, I was nearly driven to sell myself…"
Robin patted his chest, his expression one of lingering fear and post-traumatic relief.
At these words from his senior — which essentially amounted to tossing dignity out the window — Leilin could only roll his eyes. Robin then steered the conversation to business. "So, speaking of which — how much do you want to borrow?"
"Let me ask first — how much can you lend in total?" A smile touched the corner of Leilin's lips…
A short while later, Leilin departed with a hefty sum of Contribution Points tucked away and made his way once more to the Ouroboros Ring's trading hall.
Having frequented the place over the past three years, he was thoroughly familiar with it and headed straight for his destination.
"Chip! Pull up my current status!" Leilin murmured.
"Leilin Farell. Third-rank Warlock. Bloodline: Comoin Giant Snake. Strength: 23.6. Agility: 20.1. Constitution: 39.1. Spiritual Power: 240.5. Mana: 240 (Mana is synchronously determined by Spiritual Power)."
The Chip responded faithfully.
As a Wizard, Spiritual Power and Mana were the most critical attributes, while Constitution — the foundation upon which Spiritual Power rested — also required a certain degree of robustness. Without it, the Wizard's body would simply collapse.
After Strength and Agility had faintly plateaued at their limits with no further room for growth, Leilin had set them aside. Instead, he had scoured the Ouroboros Ring for potions capable of enhancing Constitution, as well as body-fortifying Magical Arrays, until he had finally pushed his physical body past its natural ceiling to the terrifying value of nearly forty.
With statistics like these, Leilin felt that his body had likely surpassed that of many high-energy creatures. Not only was his recovery rate frighteningly rapid, but he could also catch any Wizard spell below Second-rank with his bare hands!
And with such a powerful physique bolstering him, his Spiritual Power cultivation had proceeded smooth as silk, reaching the point where he could attempt the Vaporization breakthrough.
"Chip! Simulate my current status and calculate the external conditions required for a Vaporization breakthrough!"