Holding several books borrowed from the library, Chongyang eagerly returned to his room, ready to start experiments overnight, only to find that he was out of materials.
"Mandrake root, celestial leaf, humming crystal, blood jade grass, half-scented herb…" Under the light of the torch, Chongyang checked his remaining stock one by one.
On the shelf in the corner, various ingredients were neatly arranged, but more than half of the space was empty. After confirming this, Chongyang sighed helplessly.
"Looks like I need to go out for supplies again."
Potion crafting was indeed a costly endeavor. If he weren't at Prislane Academy, where many commonly used materials were available, Chongyang would never have come this far.
However, the academy's stockpile of materials wasn't his personal property. For some valuable and rare ingredients, he had to use his own money to buy them from the market outside the academy. This was precisely why he had to toil daily making scrolls.
He opened each drawer and cleared out all the scrolls—over three hundred in total, filling a large leather case to the brim.
Chongyang closed the case, his brows furrowing slightly as he suddenly turned to look behind him.
A cold night breeze blew in through the open window, rustling the unpinned papers on the table.
"…Am I really losing my mind?" Chongyang frowned. The persistent feeling of being watched from behind left him puzzled.
While he was staring blankly at the window, a flickering red shadow quietly materialized behind him.
Swish! He quickly turned around again!
Apart from the chaotic alchemical workspace, there was nothing there.
"Tomorrow, I'd better buy some calming potions," Chongyang sighed, rubbing his temples. Suddenly feeling very tired, he took off his robe, extinguished the torch, and lay down on the bed against the middle wall. Relaxing his entire body, he began to breathe rhythmically and entered a deep meditation.
Deep meditation is akin to dreaming while asleep. In simple terms, it's a process of dreaming. The other type, shallow meditation, involves standing, sitting, or crossing one's legs while maintaining a heightened state of awareness.
In comparison, shallow meditation is relatively easy because it involves consciously controlling magical power according to personal methods, but deep meditation requires the mind to be in a state between consciousness and unconsciousness. Controlling one's magical power within a dream is much more challenging.
Shallow meditation can only restore magical power, while deep meditation can enhance magical power levels. If a person finds it difficult to enter a state of deep meditation, even with high magical talent, their achievements as a magician will inevitably be limited.
Thus, it is said that a magician's cultivation relies heavily on talent. Even with the same meditation method, some people can immediately enter the initial state of deep meditation, while others may never achieve it in their lifetime.
The meditation method Chongyang was currently practicing was the basic advanced fire meditation Flame Dragon Technique from Prislane Academy. As the name suggests, this technique emphasizes the power of fire dragon-type magic.
The majestic fire dragon magic is one of the most coveted high-level fire spells for first to seventh-level fire magicians. The Flame Dragon Technique allows practitioners to summon up to nine fire dragons at once!
Just imagine the spectacular sight of nine massive, blazing fire dragons soaring and swirling through the sky.
However, this initial dream was cruelly shattered after Chongyang's magical defect manifested. It's important to note that the most basic fire dragon magic is a level-six advanced spell, one that a millennia-old level-three magician is destined never to cast.
In a state between dreams and wakefulness.
Chongyang felt as though he was suspended in a void, surrounded by countless red particles that danced around him like fireflies. With each breath, these particles seeped into his body, filtering and merging through the "elemental channels" throughout his being, and were transported and stored in the triangular area of the "magic reservoir" located three inches below his navel, converging like a vortex to ultimately form pure magical energy.
The empty "magic reservoir" filled up extremely quickly, but as the magical power formed and was stored, the "elemental channels" throughout Chongyang's body gradually began to feel clogged, with elemental absorption slowing to a trickle.
Once the "magic reservoir" was completely filled, the once-torrential flow of elemental energy turned into a parched riverbed, and the rate of elemental absorption approached zero.
Even as Chongyang poured all his focus into adjusting his breathing according to the meditation techniques, attempting to open his channels, no more elemental particles seeped into his body.
Six years had passed, and his cultivation had stagnated here.
Chongyang struggled relentlessly in his meditative state. For six years, he had never once allowed himself to fall into a deep sleep after his magical power filled up. Each night, even in the depths of despair, he continued to hold on in the face of hopelessness.
Thousands of nights had come and gone, all of them dreamless.
"Ha ha ha—so that's how it is…" The face within the fiery shadow gazed down from above at Chongyang, who lay on the bed, furrowing his brow and trembling violently.
"The soul, raging beneath the shackles of the body, what an exciting prospect it would be if it were to be liberated…"
The flames slowly faded away, leaving behind those words filled with meaning.
Dawn broke.
After splashing cold water on his frustrated face several times, Chongyang put on his robe, grabbed his leather case, and slung his staff over his shoulder as he left the academy.
"I think I heard someone talking last night… If that was just a hallucination, then it's really getting serious."
Chongyang thought to himself as he walked through the empty corridors of the academy in the early morning. His eyes felt a bit vacant, and only the cool morning breeze hitting his face brought him some clarity.
"Has the pressure accumulated over the years finally pushed me to the brink of collapse? No way… I shouldn't be this fragile," he muttered through clenched teeth.
Staying at the academy as a repeat student, enduring mockery and insults while pretending to be oblivious. Avoiding crowds and quietly working hard was indeed a very tough experience. With no one to confide in, the loneliness felt quite unbearable. However, overall, his days were still fulfilling; he could immerse himself in the world of magic without any distractions.
Chongyang understood that deep down, he harbored a profound sense of discontent. This discontent with his inherent flaws was like a raging fire buried deep in his heart, providing him with relentless stubbornness and motivation. But this buried flame also had its negative effects; it could easily consume his willpower at any moment.
Had he reached a breaking point without realizing it?
Chongyang didn't believe so; he was confident in his strong will. But what was the source of this sensation of being watched, those whispers lingering behind him?
Swish! He turned around again, but once more found nothing there.
"Come out, whether you're a ghost or a person!" Chongyang cursed loudly in the empty corridor.
"Ha ha ha—" Behind him, the face within the fiery shadow laughed like a mischievous child.
"It's not time yet, little one…"
Outside Prislane Academy lay the Empire of Rein, encompassing nine provinces, one hundred seventeen counties, and thousands of cities, with the most prosperous city being the capital—Bai Zhe.
Legend has it that this city was established by a hundred sages working together, hence its name, Bai Zhe City. After over a thousand years of development and change, it has become the central hub of the empire, bustling with trade and teeming with powerful individuals.
Even early in the morning, one of the seven trading posts in the city—the Helius Magic Trading Post—was already a hive of activity, filled with carriages and crowds, exuding an atmosphere thick with the smell of commerce.
Chongyang stepped down from the carriage, paid the driver, and joined the flow of people entering the left side of the trading post. There is a saying in the Euro Continent: "Enter with the left hand, exit with the right." On the left side of all trading posts are the areas for purchasing goods, while the right side is for selling.
Inside the vast hall, countless magicians and merchants, clad in various robes, were at the counters registering their goods with the traders.
Chongyang greeted a free trader and placed his large leather case on the counter, opening it to reveal hundreds of neatly stacked Fire Refining Technique scrolls inside.
"Crafted by Chongyang Bright, three hundred thirteen level-three Fire Refining Technique scrolls, all of high quality." After counting and checking, the young and beautiful female trader smiled sweetly at Chongyang. "Your master truly deserves to be called a master of level-three fire scroll crafting."
Chongyang returned her smile, accustomed to being mistaken for "Chongyang Bright's disciple." After all, by common understanding, a craftsman selling hundreds of Fire Refining Technique scrolls approximately every month should at least be a seventh-level magician, not merely a novice at level three.
At first, Chongyang tried to explain, but every time he faced the astonished expressions of different traders, he felt not pride but embarrassment. Over time, he lost the inclination to clarify.
The name "Chongyang Bright" had gained a bit of recognition over time, though it was limited to the realm of level-three crafting.
The more than three hundred scrolls fetched over a hundred purple crystal coins (the currency unit of the Euro Continent; one hundred red coins equal one blue coin, and one hundred blue coins equal one purple coin). After settling the transaction with a crystal card, Chongyang picked up the empty box and turned towards the corridor leading to the right side of the trading post.
On the right side of the trading post, a series of bulletin boards displayed categorized product listings. Chongyang first grabbed the catalog for level-three fire scrolls and went to the seating area provided for people to consult the directories. He found a corner and sat down, beginning to peruse the listings.
At the top of the catalog was the price for Fire Refining Technique scrolls, followed by listings for Explosive Flame, Scorching Flame, Wall of Fire, Flame Sphere, Flame Blade… Most were common and practical magical scrolls, none of which were what Chongyang was looking for.
He carefully examined the less common and rarer section, filtering through slowly, feeling somewhat disappointed.
"It seems I won't find any examples to study this time."
While focusing on producing Fire Refining Technique scrolls, Chongyang was also constantly accumulating and honing his scroll-making skills. He believed that achieving a hundred percent success rate in crafting Fire Refining Technique scrolls was merely a basic skill; to become the best level-three magician, he needed to learn more fire scroll crafting methods and continuously expand his knowledge of scrolls.
To date, Chongyang had learned to craft over one hundred different types of level-one, two, and three fire scrolls! This number far surpassed that of the average seventh-level scroll maker. After all, most scroll makers can typically only craft a handful of scrolls at each magical level.
Yet, he was still not satisfied. The more he learned, the more fascinated he became with the intricacies of magical scrolls! The accumulation of quantity leads to qualitative change; at this point, if one were to assess his depth of understanding in scroll crafting, even field-level scroll makers would likely struggle to match him.
Every unfamiliar magical scroll he didn't recognize was a surprise to Chongyang. He felt compelled to purchase it and combine it with the resources from the Prislane Library for thorough research before he would be satisfied. However, up until now, it had become increasingly difficult to find such scrolls.
After reviewing the scroll catalog, Chongyang was about to grab the potion ingredient catalog when he heard someone call out nearby.
"Hey, brother, good to see you again."
The person who patted him on the shoulder was a young man with dark skin, dressed in the rough linen robes typical of merchants, wearing a bright smile.
Charlie had been a trader at the Helius Trading Post a year ago and was somewhat familiar with Chongyang. He was one of the few who knew that this level-three magician was the very "Chongyang Bright, the scroll maker." A year prior, he had left the trading post to start his own business as a magical trade merchant. With his intelligence, resourcefulness, and the market knowledge and connections he had accumulated as a trader, he was doing quite well for himself.
"Are you looking at the scroll catalog? Did you find anything you like?" Charlie asked, knowing that Chongyang had a habit of collecting rare level-three fire magic scrolls.
Chongyang shook his head.
"I actually have two 'Fire of Desire' scrolls and one 'Fire Prison' scroll available. Interested?" Charlie offered with a smile.
Chongyang's eyes lit up.
Although the name "Fire of Desire" sounded dubious, it was actually a rather fearsome level-three intermediate fire spell. When struck by this spell, a person's body temperature would rapidly rise until they spontaneously combusted.
Putting aside the terrifying effect of the magic, the intricate mechanics of the spell, which could cause such extreme heat and combustion, held immense appeal for Chongyang, who had a great thirst for knowledge.
As for the "Fire Prison," its uniqueness lay in its duration. One casting could trap a person in a sea of fire for several hours. Chongyang was very curious about the methods used to extend the duration of a fire spell, which was typically explosive in nature.
Both spells were quite rare, and the scarcity of the magical scrolls was notably high.
"Name your price," Chongyang said decisively, realizing he might have to spend a bit for this deal.
Charlie pondered for a moment, then quoted two prices, both quite high but still fair.
"Deal." Chongyang pulled out his crystal card.
The transaction was completed on the spot. After receiving the three scrolls from Charlie, he placed them in the inner pocket of his robe, taking out the "Fire of Desire" scroll and carefully unfurling it, his eyes gleaming at the complex and intricate magical pattern inscribed on it.
Charlie felt a shiver at Chongyang's obsessive expression but also reflected that only someone so fervently passionate about magical knowledge could produce such a large quantity of high-quality scrolls at the mere level of a level-three magician. After all, Charlie himself was also a level-three water magician, but compared to Chongyang, he had long felt overwhelmed.