Chapter 94: Chapter 93: Satori, Modifying the Formula

Inside the tent, the scent of Calming Herbs mingled with the lingering aroma of potions.

Ian didn’t immediately begin madly refining.

At his level in Magic Potion Science, he had already developed his own understanding.

He sat cross-legged before his workbench, his gaze falling upon the pile of Auxiliary Materials: Wind Dandelion Grass, Starlight Sand, Earth Toad Robe... 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

And in the corner were several materials he had collected but never used: a few pieces of Rock Lizard Shedding, a small bottle of Earth Vein Crystal Powder, and a bundle of Steel-Bristled Wild Boar’s Rigid Hair.

’Alevia said that the essence of Magic Potion Science is the interplay between Energy and Rules, not the rote application of fixed formulas.’

’Every material carries its own unique energy signature and Rule Fragments.’

’The job of a Magic Potion Alchemist isn’t to mechanically replicate a formula, but to understand the resonance, conflict, and transformative potential of the materials, guiding them to fuse in the required direction...’

’The core of the Rock Bear Potion is ’solidity’ and ’hardness,’ but solidity leads to stagnation, and hardness leads to brittleness.’

’A truly perfect Potion should conceal liveliness within its solidity and contain resilience within its hardness.’

Ian’s fingertips unconsciously traced patterns across the workbench. His Perception, augmented by various effects, allowed him to "see" the flow of Energy on a more microscopic level.

’The addition of Wind Dandelion Grass already solved the problem of ’solidity causing stagnation,’ allowing the Earth Energy to permeate the muscles and tissues more easily... but what about ’hardness causing brittleness’?’

His gaze swept over the other materials.

’Rock Lizard Shedding... Rock Lizards live year-round in rocky fissures. Their sheddings not only possess Rock Element resistance but also contain the ’Adaptive Transformation’ characteristic.’

’Rock isn’t just hard; it slowly and continuously deforms during tectonic shifts without shattering.’

’Earth Vein Crystal Powder... It’s a product of highly condensed Earth Energy. But if such pure Energy is added directly, it could destroy the Potion’s equilibrium. It needs an ’Energy Buffer.’’

’Steel-Bristled Wild Boar’s Rigid Hair... It possesses both the hardness of Metal and biological resilience, but its Energy signature leans toward ’sharpness’ and ’Piercing,’ which conflicts slightly with the Rock Bear’s ’protective’ nature...’

Ian closed his eyes. Within his Sea of Spirit, ethereal images of the stars and moon slowly spun, calling forth every detail from the thousands upon thousands of potions he had refined, every subtle difference between failure and success.

Countless images flashed through his mind...

That one time he added too much Iron Spine Vine Juice, causing the Potion to solidify too quickly.

Another time, improperly processing the Earth Toad Robe led to an uneven release of the Potion’s potency.

The time he accidentally added a pinch of Dew Crystal Dust, the Potion’s stability surprisingly improved, but the Rock Bear’s power was diluted...

"It’s not a matter of simple substitution," Ian murmured to himself. "It’s about harmonization on a much subtler level."

He opened his eyes, a faint starlight glimmering within them.

’The ’Adaptive Transformation’ characteristic of the Rock Lizard Shedding needs a ’guiding medium’ to make it resonate with the ’solidity’ of the Rock Bear Essence Blood...’

’The Wind Element from the Wind Dandelion Grass might work, but it’s too active and could compromise the overall stability.’

His gaze unintentionally landed on the main ingredient for the Concentration Potion: Moon Soul Essence.

’Moon Soul Essence. Its nature is gentle and yin-aspected, possessing excellent Energy-harmonizing and Spiritual Soothing properties.’

’Moonlight Power... is yin. The Power of the Earth... The Earth carries all things; its essence is also fundamentally yin and accommodating. It’s just that the Rock Bear Essence Blood manifests in a way that is yang, hard, and solid.’

The light in Ian’s eyes grew brighter.

’So, I’ll use Moon Soul Essence as an ’intermediary’ to harmonize the ’transformative’ property of the Rock Lizard Shedding with the ’solid’ nature of the Rock Bear Essence Blood. This will let ’toughness’ naturally contain ’resilience,’ instead of just being a simple addition!’

’But that’s still not enough... The pure Earth Energy in the ’Earth Vein Crystal Powder’ needs a ’carrier’ to release it slowly, rather than in one explosive burst.’

’The Steel-Bristled Wild Boar’s Rigid Hair... its biological structure has excellent Energy storage and slow-release properties. Although its attributes conflict slightly, if I first soak it in Moon Soul Essence to ’dull’ its sharp attribute while preserving its ’resilient structure’...’

An entirely new method for processing the Auxiliary Materials gradually took shape in his mind.

This wasn’t a simple modification of the original formula, but a completely new system of harmonization built on an understanding of the fundamental nature of Energy!

It completely changed the original philosophy behind the formula.

Ian stood up, walked to the materials rack, and took out a complete piece of Rock Lizard Shedding, a small pinch of Earth Vein Crystal Powder, three strands of Steel-Bristled Wild Boar’s Rigid Hair, and some additional Moon Soul Essence.

First step: processing the Rock Lizard Shedding.

He didn’t just grind it up. Instead, he spread the shedding flat on the workbench and condensed an extremely fine Scorching Beam at his fingertip. The temperature was perfectly controlled, just enough to activate the "Adaptive Transformation" Energy within the shedding.

His Spiritual Power, like fine needles, pierced the shedding’s microscopic structure, guiding the slumbering Rule Fragments to awaken.

’I’m not destroying the structure... I’m ’Awakening’ it.’

On the shedding’s surface, dense, natural patterns like the grain of a rock emerged. They undulated slightly under the heat, as if they had come to life.

Next, Ian took out a drop of Moon Soul Essence and used his Spiritual Power for Vaporization, turning it into a mist of extremely fine dewdrops that he sprinkled evenly over the shedding’s surface.

SSSSSS...

The Moonlight Power seeped in. The patterns, once somewhat rigid, began to soften and grow supple, yet they didn’t lose their essential Rock Element quality.

The shedding’s color gradually shifted from grayish-brown to Dark Gold, its surface shimmering with a faint, moon-like glow.

Only then did Ian use a special Jade Saber to cut it into uniform slivers along the energy lines, separating its two characteristics before grinding them into individual powders.

This powder was no longer simple Rock Lizard Shedding Powder. It was a brand-new medium that carried the dual characteristics of the "Transformation" Rule and "Moonlight Harmonization."

Next, he began to process the Steel-Bristled Wild Boar’s Rigid Hair.

He immersed the three bristles in a diluted Moon Soul Essence solution, his Spiritual Power seeping into their biological structures.

’The ’sharpness’ attribute comes from the keratin arrangement and energy flow on the bristle’s surface. What I need is the ’resilient fibrous structure’ within.’

Ian carefully guided the Moonlight Power, using it like a gentle solvent to "envelop" and "dull" the overly sharp energy signature on the surface layer, without compromising the integrity of the internal fibers.

A few minutes later, the metallic luster on the bristles’ surface had turned a matte, silvery-gray, but when he flicked them with his finger, he could still feel their astonishing resilience.

He removed the bristles, instantly froze them with Ice Element Energy, then used his Spiritual Power to vibrate them into an extremely fine, downy fluff.

This fluff retained its complete biological fibrous structure but had lost its aggressive, sharp properties, becoming an excellent "slow-release energy carrier."

Third step: preparing the Earth Vein Crystal Powder.

The Energy of the Earth Vein Crystal Powder was too pure; adding it directly would destroy the equilibrium.

Ian mixed the processed fluff with it, then added a few drops of the Rock Lizard Shedding Powder, using his Spiritual Power to guide the three components to slowly merge.

’The fluff’s fibrous structure will act as a physical carrier for the crystal powder, while the Rock Lizard Shedding Powder’s ’transformative’ property will serve as an Energy Buffer layer, preventing the crystal’s Energy from erupting...’

Under his precise control, the Earth Vein Crystal Powder coated the surface of the fluff evenly. An outer layer of the Rock Lizard Shedding Powder then enveloped that, forming a microscopic, "sandwich-like" structure.

’Excellent. Now all that’s left is the final step...’