Free Web NovelChapter 210: Chapter 204: Daily Routine, Drawing Up a Contract
Ian ate slowly. The satisfying taste did much to soothe his frayed nerves.
The food was ordinary, but eating it now gave him a rare sense of peace.
After his meal, Ian didn’t continue his research on contracts.
He went to the quiet room in the small building, took off his outer robe, and bared his upper body.
Beneath his skin, a jade-like radiance flowed faintly with each breath—a sign that his Furnace Body Tempering Skill had reached a certain depth.
But Ian could feel that since absorbing a large amount of high-quality Blood Essence, the progress of his Body Tempering Technique seemed to have hit a bottleneck.
The jade-like radiance was smooth and lustrous, but it struggled to undergo another qualitative change.
’A simple accumulation of ’quantity’ doesn’t seem to be enough anymore... I need some kind of ’catalyst,’ or a deeper level of tempering.’
He checked on the small tree and the five Activation Fruits. The tree had been deprived of nutrients for too long and would need a great deal of time to nurture before it could bear new fruit again.
As for the five little ones, they would be properly nurtured in about one or two months.
’I just hope they don’t all start wailing and crying when the time comes.’
As long as their original cores weren’t damaged, these fruits could still recover slowly.
At their core were numerous transformation Rune Arrays, so they could be seen as an alternative type of Potion.
They were just different from the existing system of knowledge.
The only problem was that nurturing them required resources—a massive amount of resources.
Ian assumed a stance and began to practice a set of slow, heavy boxing forms.
This was not Witchcraft, but a set of Body Techniques he had created himself by combining the Furnace Body Tempering Skill with some Knight Training Methods.
The goal was to gain finer control and temper every inch of his flesh, muscle, and bone.
His movements were slow, each posture as if bearing an immense weight.
His muscle fibers hummed faintly as they stretched and contracted.
A faint CRACKLE came from within his bones, like dry wood splitting in a fire.
Sweat soon beaded on his temples and spine, looking like rolling pearls under the jade-like radiance.
He was completely immersed in his body’s internal changes. His breathing gradually grew long and deep, matching the rise and fall of his boxing forms.
An unknown amount of time passed before he finished the set of boxing forms.
Ian slowly relaxed his stance and exhaled a long stream of turbid air. The breath was as focused as an arrow, shooting out three meters before slowly dissipating.
He walked to a corner of the quiet room, where a large, half-man-high wooden tub sat.
Inside was a viscous, dark-green liquid that gave off a strong herbal scent.
This was a Body Refining Medicine Bath he had prepared himself according to a Body Tempering Technique formula.
With his attainments in Magic Potion Science, such simple concoctions were no trouble at all.
Ian stripped off his clothes and stepped into the tub.
HISS!
The scalding medicinal liquid enveloped his body, and an intense, stinging sensation instantly drilled in through every pore.
It was like countless fine needles pricking him all at once, or like a searing hot brand pressing against his muscles and bones.
Even with Ian’s Endurance, he couldn’t help but let out a muffled grunt as veins bulged slightly on his forehead.
He clenched his jaw and slowly sat down, letting the medicinal liquid submerge him up to his neck.
He activated his Furnace Body Tempering Skill at full power, guiding the medicinal properties to penetrate deeper into his flesh and blood.
It combined with the residual Energy from the Blood Essence he had consumed earlier, bit by bit expelling minute impurities and strengthening his body at its most fundamental level.
It was painful, but he could clearly feel his body growing stronger little by little.
This tangible feedback was addicting.
On the floor next to the tub were several dull Magic Stone Fragments, already drained of most of their Energy.
These High Level Magic Stones had provided the Energy to maintain the medicine bath’s temperature and activate some of its medicinal effects.
An hour later, the medicinal liquid had become much clearer, and its temperature had dropped as well.
Ian stood up from the tub, water droplets rolling down the smooth lines of his muscles.
The jade-like radiance on his skin seemed to have become more subdued and profound.
After drying himself and changing into clean clothes, Ian felt a sense of clarity that permeated him from the inside out.
The physical tempering had washed away most of his mental fatigue, and his thoughts were much clearer.
He walked to the door of the adjacent room and gently pushed it open a crack.
Inside the room, the Constant Temperature Rune Array emitted a soft, silvery-gray halo.
The small silver tree stood quietly in the center, its branches and leaves swaying gently in the mist of Energy, exuding a tranquil and peaceful aura.
The five fruits were huddled by the tree’s roots, their silver threads intertwined as if they were holding hands while they slept.
Lucy’s leaves would occasionally tremble slightly, as if she were dreaming.
Seeing that they were all safe and sound, Ian gently closed the door.
Back in the living room, he took out a book he had borrowed from the Star Library: *Characteristics and Applications of Crystalized Spiritual Power*.
He began to slowly flip through it by the light of a Lighting Crystal.
Knowledge needed time to settle, and inspiration often struck when one was relaxed.
In the days that followed, Ian’s life fell into a regular and fulfilling rhythm.
In the mornings, he would handle urgent matters for the Magic Pharmacy that required his review, or he would spend his time Refining a few batches of commissioned Potions.
Kenna and the other three were already capable of holding their own, so he barely had to worry about ordinary Tier Zero Potions or the pharmacy’s daily operations.
He focused more of his energy on trying to improve the Tier One Starlight Potion.
He also researched how to incorporate the active ingredients of the Rock Bear Potion into a High Tier Bloodline Potion.
This required numerous experiments, a massive amount of resources, and careful dosage adjustments.
A large part of his mornings was still spent practicing and improving his Witchcraft, hoping to obtain a more perfect conversion model.
The afternoons were his main time for researching the integration of the Abyssal Soul Contract and the Phase Soul Weaving Technique.
The manuscripts on his desk piled higher and higher, covered with all sorts of Rune combinations, hypothetical contract clauses, risk simulations, and countermeasures.
He was trying to design an Otherworld Contract template that appeared "fair and reasonable," and was even "alluring" to the party seeking help.
