Translator: AnubisTL
The heavy wooden door of the potionology laboratory's common operating room closed softly behind him, sealing out the outside world's clamor.
The spacious chamber was permeated with the scent of dried herbs, mineral dust, and a faint, almost imperceptible aroma of aged parchment.
Sunlight streamed through tall, arched windows, casting luminous pillars across the polished quartz laboratory benches and illuminating the motes of dust suspended in the air.
Jieming took a deep breath, allowing the laboratory's unique tranquility to settle his mind.
Before him, crucibles, retorts, condensers, beakers of various shapes, and grinding tools were arranged in orderly rows, like a silent army awaiting command.
Today's objective was to refine a Concentration Potion, a magic potion that temporarily enhances mental focus. While considered an advanced potion for apprentices, its ingredients were relatively simple.
He walked to the materials shelf and focused on the required items: a bundle of Fluorescent Grass radiating a crisp, refreshing aura; several fragments of Moon Silver Ore speckled with silvery flecks; a small vial of viscous Nightglow Moss extract; and a few dried Flameflower petals, their veins resembling fiery patterns.
Jieming donned a pair of alchemical gloves as thin as cicada wings. These specialized gloves not only protected against the corrosive effects of the materials but also allowed his fingertips to keenly sense the materials' "qi" or vital essence.
He picked up the Fluorescent Grass, not simply cutting it, but gently placing his fingertips on the stem.
A faint, cool sensation traveled up his fingertips.
Closing his eyes, he activated his analysis art, his consciousness sinking deep within. He could almost see the moonlit energy flowing through the grass's veins, and within it, tiny nodes of impurities.
"Vitality is adequate, but the roots contain too much impurity."
Jieming retrieved a small silver knife inlaid with pure crystal.
His movements were gentle yet precise, the blade tracing specific energy pathways.
After removing the impure sections, he placed the refined grass leaves into a warm, white jade mortar.
Grinding was not about brute force, but about imbuing his mental power with a unique rhythm. Each press released the grass's essence perfectly, without damaging its core energy structure.
Soon, the leaves transformed into a pool of luminous, emerald-green liquid.
Processing the Moon Silver Ore fragments required patience.
Jieming placed them into a grinder whose inner walls were etched with intricate runes.
Activating the internal grinding beads, a low hum filled the air as the hard ore, resonating with mana, was broken down into a uniform, fine, silvery powder that shimmered with starlight.
Throughout the process, he used alchemy to "scan" the powder's uniformity, ensuring each particle was virtually identical.
With all the preliminary preparations complete, he finally reached the core step of making the magic potion.
Jieming ignited the Constant-Temperature Magic Cauldron at the center of the laboratory table. A silent, deep blue flame burned steadily beneath the cauldron.
He slowly poured the processed Fluorescent Grass juice into the preheated cauldron. Upon contact with the heat source, the liquid immediately emitted a faint hissing sound, and a cool mist began to rise.
His focus was absolute, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's.
The open book displayed complex formulas and precise ratios.
He picked up a crystal dropper calibrated to micro-scale accuracy and carefully drew the specified amount of Nightglow Moss extract.
One drop, two drops...
The viscous liquid dripped into the emerald-green juice, but instead of immediately fusing, it spread like ink in water, forming a slowly swirling halo of luminescence at the edges.
"The energy conflict has begun..." Jieming recalled the knowledge from the book, and without hesitation, he tossed the Moon Silver Powder into the cauldron.
The moment the powder touched the liquid's surface, it was as if a spark had fallen into the mixture!
The liquid in the cauldron suddenly became unstable. The vibrant green and fluorescent light fiercely repelled each other, and tiny silver sparks crackled at the center, accompanied by a low, hissing sound.
A mixed aroma of metallic tang and decaying vegetation filled the air.
This was the critical moment!
Jieming decisively unleashed his mental power. The analysis art, like an invisible, intricate network, instantly enveloped the entire cauldron.
His consciousness plunged into the cauldron, no longer merely observing the surface's boiling and color changes, but delving into the microscopic realm to "sense" how the turbulent energy particles collided, combined, and annihilated each other.
Within his mental power's vision, the cauldron resembled a miniature cosmic storm. The Fluorescent Grass's energy attempted to soothe the Nightglow Moss's agitation, while Moon Silver's metallic energy acted as a catalyst, forcibly bridging the two and triggering even more violent reactions.
His task was to precisely control the timing and intensity of the Moon Silver's intervention. The slightest miscalculation could shatter the delicate balance.
Jieming held his breath, a wisp of mental power concentrated at his fingertip, ready to adjust the flame's temperature or introduce neutralizing materials at a moment's notice. His entire spirit was focused on that boiling, miniature universe.
As the storm gradually subsided, the emerald green, fluorescent glow, and silvery radiance began to fuse, forming a deep indigo liquid that seemed to contain the starry sky within it.
Just as Jieming was about to add the final ingredient—Flameflower Petal powder—his mental power detected an extremely subtle energy fluctuation. It originated from a tiny, incompletely ground crystal within the Moon Silver Powder, which had suddenly undergone an unexpected transformation under the sustained high temperature!
"No!" Alarm bells rang in his mind, but his fingers were already committed to the motion.
The scorching-hot Flameflower Petal powder cascaded into the indigo liquid.
Pfft—BOOM!
As if igniting explosives, the liquid in the cauldron instantly transformed from indigo to a blindingly bright purple, expanding violently with an ear-splitting shriek!
A nauseating stench of sulfur and burnt feathers erupted, but Jieming reacted swiftly, ducking behind a specially reinforced crystal shield.
Bang!
With a muffled roar, the cauldron lid was blasted off by the violent surge of qi. Scalding, viscous purple waste splattered across the shield and crystal workbench, hissing and emitting acrid white smoke.
A few droplets landed on Jieming's arm, immediately corroding small holes through his alchemical gloves.
His face was smudged with grayish-black soot, making him look rather disheveled.
The laboratory was in complete disarray, and the acrid stench lingered stubbornly in the air.
As soon as the smoke cleared, Jieming, neglecting to clean himself, immediately rushed to the experimental workbench. Using specially crafted corrosion-resistant tweezers, he carefully collected the remaining unevaporated waste liquid residue and the peculiar crystals that had solidified after the explosion.
He pulled out a thick experimental notebook and, while meticulously observing the crystals with alchemy and analysis art, a quill pen levitated and danced across the pages, recording:
"Concentration Potion Refining Log - Attempt 17:
Failure Stage: Final Fusion Stage (after adding Flameflower Petals).
Phenomenon: The potion instantly shifted from indigo to bright purple, violently boiling and expanding, accompanied by a pungent sulfurous odor and a minor explosion (energy overload type furnace burst).
Critical Mental Power Observation Point: 0.3 seconds before adding Flameflower Petals, an anomalous energy spike was detected in region G7 of the Moon Silver Powder (suspected to be a microcrystalline core that had not been fully pulverized, activated by the Flameflower energy).
This spike triggered a violent chain reaction with the Flameflower Petal's solar attribute, far exceeding the formula's designed threshold..."
(End of the Chapter)