Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

When he left the "Dreamweaver's Hut," Mira escorted him to the second-floor stairwell, her deep purple eyes fixed on him.

Finally, he said meaningfully, "Mr. Ian, although the Shadowwood is loose, the water is not shallow."

Your medicine is good, but it will also attract attention, so be careful.

If a safer alchemy environment or temporary shelter is needed, the Dreamweaver's Hut can provide it, but of course, the price will be higher.

Ian understood what she meant, thanked her, and turned to go downstairs.

We met up with Hawke, who was waiting on the first floor, and walked out of the wooden building. The soft afternoon light shone on the stream and the buildings.

Looking at the bustling and vibrant town before him, Ian knew that he would be staying here for the time being.

The road ahead is still long, but at least he has found a starting point where he can acquire resources and gradually improve.

The path to crafting the [Mind-Concentrating Potion] has finally been found, with not only readily available materials but also a clear channel for obtaining the core materials.

He needs to find a relatively safe place to stay as soon as possible to recover his condition and then begin his spiritual practice.

At the same time, we must be careful to deal with the various forces on this land, as well as the threats lurking in the shadows.

After leaving the Dreamweaver's Hut with Hawke, Ian did not rush back to the temporary gathering point.

Guided by Hawke, he walked along the middle and lower reaches of Misty Creek, familiarizing himself with the locations of several open material stalls and permanent shops.

"Most of the transactions here are barter, and magic stones are not widely circulated, but everyone recognizes them."

As Hawke walked along, he explained, "The basic medicinal herbs you need, such as silver leaf grass, hemostatic root, and heart-clearing flower, are always available at Old Barn's stall up ahead, and the prices are quite reasonable."

As for the blood of mutated beasts... it depends on luck. Occasionally, hunting teams return with some, but fresh blood is rare; most of it has solidified or been preserved.

Ian silently noted it down, already having a plan in mind.

By the time they returned to Hawke's gathering point, it was nearly dusk.

Ian traded a standard-quality "Clarity Potion" for a perfectly good tent from Hawke.

The location is on the edge of the gathering point, near a dense thicket of silver-leaved shrubs, and is relatively secluded.

Over the next few days, Ian began to live a regular life.

During the day, he would go to the trading area by Misty Creek to exchange some low-level enchanted materials he had accumulated for the medicinal herbs needed to refine basic potions.

The main parts are the eyes and gallbladder of the Shadowclaw Lynx, as well as some blood semen that has been controlled to be of average quality.

With his mastery of the refining techniques, the blood essence he extracted has reached the standard that can be used to modify bloodlines.

If it's a top-tier demonized ferocious beast like the Shadowclaw Lynx, it's an extremely sought-after resource.

He deliberately controlled the frequency and amount of his transactions to avoid attracting too much attention.

Silverleaf grass, hemostatic root, calming flower, tranquilizing mushroom... these main and auxiliary materials for [secondary healing potions] and [awakening potions] are not particularly abundant in Gloomwood, but the supply is relatively stable.

Ian would buy enough to make fifty to sixty potions each time, purchasing them from different stalls. Although the prices fluctuated, they remained within an acceptable range.

He was even more patient with the blood of the demonized beast.

Breaking the limits of the Bloodline Purification Technique requires a large amount of blood of different types and qualities to practice, especially fresh blood rich in life energy, which has the best effect.

He purchased two vials of "Rotten Swamp Pufferfish" blood from a three-person team that had just returned from the outskirts of the "Deadly Mountains".

These small, demonized creatures have little blood, which is mixed with corrosive substances and life energy, making it quite difficult to extract.

From another stall owner, he traded two bottles of [Awakening Potion] for a small jar of the cold blood of the "Shadow-Patterned Viper".

The shadow energy it contains is extremely corrosive to mental strength and requires extra care to handle, but it has a remarkable effect on the fine control that one can refine through practice.

A day later, Ian's tent was already taking shape.

He took out the set of silver alchemy tools from his dimensional ring.

The set includes a small, exquisite grinding bowl, a graduated crystal measuring cup, a set of silver tubing and connectors of varying sizes, and a portable sorcery heating plate with adjustable flame temperature.

These tools were obtained from the alchemy workshop using magic stones he had accumulated while in Shadowmoon Tower. Although they were not top-of-the-line, their craftsmanship was solid and sufficient to meet the refining needs of an apprentice.

He carefully wiped and arranged the tools, and then used the collected dried moss and stones to build a simple medicinal herb storage area in the corner of the tent.

Simple warning runes were placed at the entrance of the tent, hidden marks drawn with mental power. Once triggered, he could immediately sense them.

During the day, they purchase and process medicinal herbs, practice several newly learned witchcraft techniques, and in the evening, they concoct potions.

Some of these finished products were left to "Dream Weaver's Hut" according to the agreement, while the rest became hard currency for him to exchange for other resources.

A few days of peaceful life allowed Ian's tense nerves to relax a little.

He gradually got to know the other people in the gathering place.

Besides the leader Hawke, there was also the gray-haired, cynical old apprentice Gru.

When he was young, he tried to advance to the intermediate apprentice level but failed. After his mental strength was damaged, he remained at the low-level apprentice stage and now barely makes a living by collecting common medicinal herbs.

Raymond, a taciturn middle-aged man skilled at setting traps and providing early warnings, is said to have once been a guard for a small family, which was destroyed and he ended up here.

And there was Talia, the agile female apprentice in brown leather armor.

She often teams up to hunt in the outer reaches of the "Deadly Mountains," bringing back the most materials. She has a straightforward personality and highly regards Ian's potions.

Ian kept a proper distance from them, neither too close nor aloof.

Occasionally, they would exchange a potion for a hot meal, or ask about the properties of local medicinal herbs or the habits of mutated beasts, and they all lived in relative peace.

He knew that in such a relaxed environment, appropriately demonstrating value and maintaining basic interpersonal relationships could sometimes avoid unnecessary trouble.

He devoted most of his energy to practicing the Bloodline Purification Technique.

At night, as the gathering point gradually quiets down, Ian would take the demonic beast blood he had collected during the day and go to a secluded spot behind a rock outside the camp.

This area is far from the tent area, so even slight energy fluctuations are not easily detected.

He sat cross-legged, placed the crystal bottle containing beast blood in front of him, took a deep breath, and began to circulate the [Bloodline Purification Technique].

Spiritual energy, like fine threads, seeped out and permeated the viscous blood.

First, there were the two bottles of "Rotten Swamp Porcupinefish" blood. This blood was scarce, thin in energy, and mixed with corrosive and life energy.

Ian carefully guided his mental energy, outlining the refined pathways in his blood, peeling away the impurities to separate the relatively pure portion.

In the final stage, a powerful but vague will impacted Ian's mental sea, only to be shattered and dissipated by his formidable mental strength.

Immediately, pale green blood streaks rose from the blood, twisting in the air into several dark green blood droplets, about the size of quail eggs.

Next came the cold, chilling blood of the "Shadow-Patterned Viper".

This time the difficulty has increased significantly.

The intense shadow energy in his blood was constantly eroding him, and he would be harmed if he was not careful.

Ian was completely focused, controlling his mental energy with extreme precision, as if dancing on the edge of a knife.

Countless refinements made his eyes more serene, and his fingers steadily changed the hand seals.

Within the dark blood, strands of deep red essence were painstakingly peeled away and purified...

In the final stage, another wave of vague will swept in, but Ian easily defeated it again.

It eventually coalesced into three blood essences, each the size of a broad bean, dark red in color, with a faint shadowy aura surrounding their surface.

It contains almost no impurities, and the life energy it contains is significantly stronger than that of the blood essence of the swamp porcupine.

Each time you refine something, the proficiency level of the [Bloodline Purification Technique] on the panel will fluctuate.

Bloodline Purification Technique: Mastery (782/800)

Bloodline Purification Technique: Mastery (789/800)

……

Ian lowered his head and pondered, "My proficiency is nearing its limit, and each time it triggers a mental attack."

He knew this was a remnant of the will within the extraordinary bloodline, but this had rarely happened before.

Does the blood in semen automatically reactivate when the concentration reaches a certain level?

Just now, he used his abnormal mental strength to forcibly break through the remaining will; others might not be able to do that.

"In that case, very few people can truly master the Bloodline Purification Technique during the apprentice stage!"