My health recovery is incredibly fast.

Really!

When I opened my mouth, the medicine inside was gone, but a small blister appeared inside my tongue.

Close your mouth, expel the medicine, and then swallow it.

The medicine did not flow smoothly into the stomach, and only a small portion was successfully intercepted, turning into small bubbles that remained in the esophagus.

But..

This tactic is a bit cheesy...

But it's no use.

Xia Zuo laughed, touched his face, went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Even after turning off [Flesh and Blood Control] so many times, his face hadn't changed back.

It seems that the altered parts can be restored separately.

He wiped his face with his right hand, and his appearance returned to normal.

It's only 2 p.m., and there's still a long time before I have to make dinner.

Xia Zuo thought for a moment, took out the secret communication ring and sent a message to Rexol. After receiving a reply, he picked up his coat and went out.

...

Inside the garden of a classic manor.

The bald man and the cold-faced man were playing cards, and Xia Zuo sat next to them and watched a few rounds.

"Want to give it a try?" Rexor glanced at the bored Shazo and said, "You can't cheat with an alchemy pouch or a spatial pouch."

"Uh, never mind, Master, I don't have any cards," Xia Zuo said, waving his hand.

How about we get some rare cards and lose them to the bald guy to win his favor?

Xia Zuo chuckled softly.

Let's forget about it and not make it too fancy.

"Cerritt, wait for me a moment. You can go sit in the bar first, I'll be there in a bit."

Rexol drew a card and handed it over, not at all annoyed by losing the hand.

Serites put away the card, looked Xia Zuo up and down, and left without saying a word.

The bald man walked towards the house, and Xia Zuo followed.

After the two entered the messy living room, Rexol pulled out a glass bottle and handed it to them.

“Drink it. Let’s see if you’re qualified to learn stronger signs. You’ve taken quite a few rebirth potions, so this bit of toxicity won’t be a big problem for you.”

Xia Zuo took the potion and released his detection spell. Apart from the warning that he would be poisoned, he knew nothing else. Clearly, this was not an alchemical product of the alchemy school.

He calmly poured the dark green medicine into his mouth.

"Cough cough..." Xia Zuo pressed one hand against his liver and the other against his chest.

There was a strong twitching sensation in these two areas, as if someone had reached into his body and was pulling them hard.

Xia Zuo struggled to the sofa and sat down, propping his head up and panting heavily.

He touched his face and felt the blue veins and thick blood vessels, twisted and tangled like the roots of an old tree exposed on the ground.

A minute or two later.

The pain spread from the internal organs to the brain.

Brain cramps are no longer a joke.

My head was throbbing so badly it felt like it was going to split open, and saliva was dripping uncontrollably from the corner of my mouth.

Five minutes later.

The medication has worn off. All symptoms have disappeared.

"Huff huff..." Xia Zuo took a few breaths, drank some water with the Life Alchemy Stone, and dispelled the dizziness in his mind.

"Not bad." Rexol rubbed his chin as he walked over and sat down on the single sofa opposite him.

Xia Zuo checked the information sent by the cheat system in his mind and found that his willpower attribute had increased by 0.3.

"What kind of potion is this, Master?"

“Hmm…it used to have many names, but now we call it Adaptation Potion Number 1,” Rexol said, leaning back on the sofa.

"Adaptation potion...adaptation to what?" Xia Zuo rubbed his head.

"Adapt to pain, adapt to despair, adapt to everything that will take your life. Most importantly, adapt to death."

The bald man, reciting a passage like a seasoned poet, crossed his arms and said:

"You've only learned the most basic cursing signs. Using four different elements at the same time is enough to cast even a tiny bit of a curse mark. That's not very efficient, is it? If it were a shaping spell, the power would be three times greater."

"As agreed upon with you on the airship, I will provide you with advanced spellbooks on cursed signs."

The bald man took a parchment from his pocket and placed it on the low table between the two men.

"Look at it here, don't take it away. After you're done, throw it into the table."

Rexol walked towards the door. "I'm leaving now. Contact me via the cipher ring if needed."

"Okay, Master, take care." Xia Zuo stood up and watched the other person leave.

He rubbed his hands together excitedly and unfolded the parchment on the table.

Normally, one would have to go to the Elite Academy to exchange Federation Points for advanced spellbooks, which is expensive and requires at least a thousand points.

Now Rexol just provides a copy, saving a lot of money.

Xia Zuo was secretly pleased for a few seconds, then focused on reading the spellbook.

The parchment scroll contains an abstract diagram of the movement of a spiritual ocean.

Use intermediate basic meditation techniques to activate all four elements simultaneously, allowing the energy of the four elements to converge and become attribute-free energy.

The energy conversion efficiency and conversion method in this process are determined by the basic meditation method.

A conversion ratio of 4:1 represents the maximum efficiency of the intermediate basic meditation method.

The energy of no attribute passes through the cursed seal and is transported outside the body, becoming a cursed brand.

The power of a curse spell is determined by the effectiveness of the curse sign.

This diagram of the spiritual ocean's operation alters the path of attribute-free energy through the curse seal, thereby changing the existing internal structure of the curse seal and upgrading the basic stage of the curse seal to the advanced stage.

Xia Zuo entered into deep meditation, following the instructions of the parchment scroll to mobilize attribute-free energy and gradually modify the existing curse seal.

This process may cause some soreness, but it is within a tolerable range and much less painful than the pain caused by the medication.

Xia Zuo spent two hours in deep meditation at the Demon Hunter's manor.

It was close to 5 p.m.

When he opened his eyes, he received a message from the cheat system:

"Successfully learned the advanced curse sign, advancing the spell stage of the Curses of Decay, Weakness, Slowness, Stagnation, Vulnerability, and Interference to the advanced stage."

Xia Zuo retrieved the spell template for the Curse of Decay.

...

[Spell Power] 6+6→12 points.

...

In the basic phase, 1 point of non-attribute power provides 1 point of curse spell power.

In the advanced stage, the ratio is 1 to 2.

So the intermediate stage is 1 to 3.

The advanced stage is 1 to 4.

From this perspective, it might seem that curse spells are weaker than evocation spells.

actually not.

The advantage of Evocation spells is that elements associated with the spell's traits provide double the power.

The disadvantage is that it requires a specific element. Fire element cannot provide the power of water spells.

But curse spells are different.

At higher levels, all four elemental types can provide magical power!

Which one is better or worse depends entirely on the individual.

Xia Zuo rolled up the parchment, put it in the table, locked the manor gate, and left.

On the way, he also sent a message to Rexor, telling him that he had learned the advanced curse sign and thanking him for teaching him the spell.

...

I returned home that evening.

Xia Zuo got the advanced curse seal for free and was in a good mood. He cooked a sumptuous dinner to welcome An Ru'er back from work with a table full of delicious food.

"What were you doing going to see Master Rexor this afternoon?"

Anru sat at the dining table, stuffed a piece of meat into her mouth, and asked.

"I've already finished learning the advanced content of the Curse Signs. Hehe. Saved me a lot of money."

Xia Zuo smiled and asked, "How was your first week at work?"

“Hmm~ My job is much easier than yours. I don’t have to run around. I just have to sit in my seat and meditate,” Anru said, wiping the meat juice from the corner of her mouth.

"Maintain meditation? It's that simple?"

Xia Zuo looked somewhat envious and asked, "Deep meditation, or shallow meditation?"

“The deeper ones,” Anru nodded, gesturing with her spoon in the air as she spoke.

"I'll just practice the basic meditation techniques normally. My supervisor said it will take at least two years before I can officially start working."

Xia Zuo scratched the back of his head and used his detection spell on his lovely fiancée.

..