As Theodore whispered, the recipe for the Demon-Refining Pill appeared in his rewards list.
A wave of information washed through his mind.
After taking the full bombardment of the Nine-Dragon Divine Fire Barrier crafting method and the Clear Glazed Bottle method—and with his cultivation much stronger now—this sort of recipe only made him pause for a moment. No more dizziness, no headache.
In a short while, he'd read through the whole thing, and his expression shifted.
"This pill recipe… is vicious."
No wonder it came from the Immortal who guarded the Demon Cavern. Every line of it reeked of monstrous slaughter.
Even in alchemy theory, it was worlds apart from orthodox Daoist pill-making.
It was less like righteous Daoist alchemy, and more like… demonic alchemy.
The primary ingredients were literally monsters, refined into pills. Extremely shady.
And yet—just like his Reversed Dark Source talent—this method could somehow harmonize the baleful qi of demons and monsters, leaving behind only surging, pure spiritual qi.
In terms of cultivation support, it even surpassed many "proper" spiritual pills.
Still, eccentric as it was, Theodore's Profound Alchemy Insight let him digest the core principles in moments.
Looking at it from high above, he could also see the limits baked in.
The Guardian Immortal was clearly focused on the Dao of demon-slaying; his alchemy, by comparison, lagged behind.
This Demon-Refining Pill recipe could definitely be improved.
"To use demon flesh and blood as ingredients, then rely on a technique similar to Reversed Dark Source to suppress the malice…" Theodore mused. "There'll still be hidden problems."
"Take this too long, and even if you don't go insane, your killing intent will skyrocket. Any cultivation method that requires a calm, tranquil mind will become twice the effort for half the result—if you don't go berserk halfway."
If it were that Guardian Immortal himself, he probably wouldn't care.
But Theodore wasn't aiming to walk some pure demon-slaying Dao. And while Proved Diamond Body Never Fails meant he probably wouldn't have his temperament corrupted…
If he could avoid the risk entirely, why not?
And if he could scrub that hidden danger away, he'd also strengthen the medicinal effect. For him, that was nothing but profit.
He closed his eyes and began mentally revising the formula.
"Just like how herbal formulas use 'lord, minister, assistant, guide,' and balance warm vs. cool, this demon-pill can follow similar principles."
"Plant-spirits, mineral-spirits, flesh-and-blood monsters…"
"If I blend several different types together as primary ingredients, their demonic qi will clash and cancel out most of their own corruption."
"Then in the furnace, pass all that through the spiritual fire once more, burning off the remaining hidden dangers."
When he opened his eyes again, a new Demon-Refining Pill recipe was fully formed in his mind.
"The only problem is…"
"This recipe still requires 'demons' as the main ingredients. Where am I supposed to find those in the wizarding world?"
"What can I substitute for monsters here?"
Theodore thought as he strolled down the corridor.
Just then, he looked up and saw Dumbledore waiting ahead.
"Headmaster?"
Dumbledore smiled warmly at him.
Ever since Voldemort, Dumbledore had been very wary of prodigies with huge talent and even bigger charisma. Once bitten, twice shy.
Even with Harry, he worried the boy might grow in the wrong direction, and was always trying to test him.
But after Theodore had rushed into Fiendfyre to rescue a bunch of owls, plus Filch and Mrs. Norris, Dumbledore's doubts about him had completely dissipated.
Risking his life to save owls, a cat, and a Squib?
The Voldemort of old would never have done something so "foolish."
In Dumbledore's eyes now, Theodore Ashbourne was absolutely a future pillar of the light.
With so many incidents piling up lately, some of Dumbledore's long-held views had begun to quietly shift.
For example…
Dumbledore opened his mouth and told Theodore something.
Theodore froze.
Even the system's interface seemed to lag for a second before new text scrolled into view.
[After witnessing the Demon-Cavern incarnation of Duobao Daoist unleash its world-burning magic fire, the Southern Pole Immortal was shaken to his core, shocked and enraged.]
[With his skill in divining Heaven's Will, he had long known that the Great Tribulation was coming—but he never expected the calamity's aura to rise so quickly.]
[With the Great Tribulation now at hand, he can no longer worry about "excessive slaughter" or "offending Heaven's balance." His duty is to see the disciples of the Chan Sect safely through this tribulation.]
[He has resolved to pass on array lore to you, and have you lead Chan Sect disciples into the formation to train, sharpening their power.]
A heartbeat later, Theodore couldn't hold back a shout.
"Headmaster, you want to put me in full charge of designing and arranging the whole gauntlet?"
"And you're letting me bring Harry and the others in to practice?"
"Headmaster, isn't that a bit… extreme?"
Dumbledore sighed, worry flickering in his eyes.
"At first, I did feel it was too extreme. It didn't seem like we'd reached that degree of urgency just yet."
"But after everything that's happened recently, I think the age really is changing."
"Voldemort may return sooner than I'd hoped—and something even more terrible may follow."
"Theodore, I believe you can help Harry and the others grow faster."
Then Dumbledore carefully pulled a flowerpot out of his robes like a stage magician revealing a prop.
"As payment," he said, "this is for you: a pot of juvenile Biting Cabbage."
"You know this plant is classified as highly dangerous; you're not allowed to grow it without special authorization."
"But you said last time you were very interested in it. It took me a lot of effort to persuade Professor Sprout to let you keep this one, privately."
In the pot, the Biting Cabbage was clacking its jagged "teeth," jaw opening and closing energetically.
As he handed it over, Dumbledore added a stern reminder.
"Be careful. It's not as dangerous as a mature Biting Cabbage, but being bitten still hurts quite a lot."
Theodore's eyes lit up. He stared at the cabbage like a starving man spotting a buffet.
The Biting Cabbage suddenly shrank back, its leaves trembling. The mouth that had been chattering nonstop forced itself into a very stiff, very fake friendly smile in Theodore's direction.
It had a very bad feeling…
Why does this boy look like he wants to eat me?
The reason for Theodore's burning gaze was simple.
The instant Piercing Subtlety Heavenly Eye swept across the Biting Cabbage, he'd made a delightful discovery:
This dangerous plant counted as a plant-type monster and could serve as the main ingredient for his Demon-Refining Pill!
Finding a primary ingredient this quickly—how could he not be thrilled?
And then something even better dropped into his lap.
Dumbledore continued, "Professor Sprout has placed a great many fully matured Biting Cabbages inside the gauntlet. You may make arrangements with them as you like—but you cannot bring them out."
When he saw Theodore hugging the baby Biting Cabbage, grinning from ear to ear, Dumbledore felt strangely moved.
So he really does like Biting Cabbages…
What a peculiar hobby.
Do all geniuses have odd quirks like this?
He couldn't help adding, "And Theodore—please do be careful. Don't let the Biting Cabbage bite you."
Theodore nodded obediently.
"Don't worry, Headmaster. I'll make sure I don't bite the Biting Cabbage… uh, I mean, don't get bitten by them. I'll be very careful!"
Only then did Dumbledore nod and turn away.
As soon as the Headmaster had gone, Theodore's smile slowly widened.
The Biting Cabbage in his arms curled in on itself inside the pot, shaking all over, not daring to move.
A short time later, Theodore descended through the fourth-floor trapdoor. His gaze fell on Fluffy, the three-headed dog who was very enthusiastically wagging all three tails at him—and he paused again. His grin grew even brighter.
"That's… quite a surprise," he murmured.
"A flesh-and-blood monster… delivered right to my door?"
Fluffy shuddered.
Why has the room suddenly gone so quiet?
And why does it feel a bit… cold?
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