Wizard: Starting With Synthesized Gems - Chapter 1086

Chapter 1069 Shortcuts, I Don’t Need Them!

The proto-human juvenile stood frozen in place, as if pondering how this person dared to directly demand the divine fire that was core to him. How could he dare?

The Titan King juvenile narrowed his eyes. “Seeking death.”    “

I am the Lord of Heaven and Earth, and all native gods must worship me as   their king !”

He swung his fist, smashing it towards Locke, all the dimensional principles he was born with converging on his fist.   These dimensional principles converged into his divine blood, strengthening those dimensional principles. Then, the Titan King juvenile’s divine body muscles suddenly swelled, and the witch Bella was surprised to find that this proto-human hadn’t even used his full strength when fighting her.   Bella the Witch whispered, “In the endless void, few civilizations possess combat power exceeding that of a wizard of the same level, and I am not an ordinary Star Ring Wizard.”   To her, an ordinary newly entered Star Ring Wizard with mediocre magical heritage and academic ability would likely be defeated by a single spell.   Yet this Titan King’s infant form possessed such formidable combat power.   That terrifying divine fist slammed into a bronze cauldron before Locke, *Bang!* With a clear, resounding sound like a great bell, the Hundred Spiritual Manifestations on the bronze cauldron’s surface appeared, displaying numerous spiritual manifestations of the Heliotus Royal Court from the Age of Stars.   The magnificent Royal Court reappeared!   The bronze cauldron remained undamaged; instead, the Titan King’s infant form was forced back two steps.   Bella the Witch watched this scene in astonishment.   ”This is a third-circle inheritance? The Bewitching Wizard actually possesses a third-circle potion-making inheritance?”   At the same time, the Titan King’s juvenile form discovered that his fist was covered in a layer of magical flames. This had occurred when his fist touched the bronze cauldron. He saw that his fist was being refined by the flames, creating golden, leaf-like shadows that rapidly converged into the bronze cauldron.   Locke manipulated the magical flames, changing them 17 times in a single second, altering the heat 11   times, resulting in hundreds of variations.   At this point, the Primal Flame could no longer keep up with his potion-making skills.

Because Locke was currently using a potion-making flame he had created himself.

This magical flame was burning the young god-like being, refining spiritual essence from his body!

The magical flame refining spiritual essence technique!

Locke lightly flicked the bronze cauldron with his finger, and a clear ringing sound rang out from its surface as flames roared within.

Light the furnace, refine the great potion!

Whether it was the young god-like being, the witch Bella, the wizard Grandet, or the wizard Patrick, all of them shielded their faces with their hands from the heatwave generated by the oncoming magical flame.

The wizard Patrick muttered, “This guy’s potion-making skills seem to be no less than his breeding skills.”

“What are you doing? Record the experimental data faithfully at all times. Don’t stop, I must obtain that god-like energy spectrum!”

The students, enduring the heatwave and blinding light, continued operating the instruments in their hands.

The young god-like being’s pupils suddenly contracted.

“This is—”

Flames burned on his fist as the spirit essence was extracted from his body and continuously fell into the bronze cauldron.

“What kind of bizarre world is this?”

“Damn it, the wizard civilization, this mortal civilization is indeed special. No, he really wants to refine me. This child is extremely ominous.”

“My divine power can actually be refined by him?”

The young Titan King discovered that his divine power was rapidly decreasing. The Titan King’s divine power came from divine blood, and a portion of this divine blood was high-level spirit essence. Therefore, when Locke directly refined the spirit essence from his divine blood, it would cause his divine power to decrease.

Although it wouldn’t completely destroy his divine power, it would significantly reduce it.

At this moment, the young Titan King, who had thought he was invincible from birth, panicked. He turned and ran towards the depths of the corridor, trying to get rid of Locke and prevent himself from being refined by him.

Locke frowned. To concoct the Shadow Potion, he needed a Star Ring-level energy source. The laboratory didn’t have many, so this was his best option.

“Friend, are you going to lend it to me or not? Could you stay and give me an explanation before you leave?”

“So, are you lending it or not?”

The young Titan King turned around and was immediately startled. A bronze cauldron floated in mid-air above the corridor, its magical artifact constantly growing larger, seemingly threatening to engulf him. The

young Titan King gritted his teeth, smashing the corridor with a single punch. He then unleashed his power of creation, restoring the magical alloy walls of the corridor. He then controlled these walls to form a hammer, which he wielded, turning to attack the bronze cauldron in the sky.

But the next moment, Locke clashed with him using the Great Demon Sword Tiger Orchid Dragon Sparrow, and the Moon of Evolution appeared behind Locke.

The Great Demon Sword Tiger Orchid Dragon Sparrow shattered the hammer in his hand.

Immediately afterward, Locke chanted a spell, and the Sky-Supporting Jujube, combined with the Peach Curve Thorn Arrow spell model, struck the young Titan King directly in the chest.

The young Titan King was once again sent flying.

“Damn it. Mortal, look how arrogant you are.”

The Titan King’s juvenile form rose from the ground, once again channeling the power of creation to transform his body. The muscles in his arms swelled, countless planes of reasoning swirling within them, transforming into the most basic strength, speed, and defense.

He slammed a fist at Locke.

Locke swung his great demon sword, Tiger Orchid Dragon Sparrow, to meet the punch. The two were evenly matched, but a huge crater formed between them.

As their demonic pressure and divine power collided, a second deep crater appeared in the original location of the first.

The Titan King’s juvenile form snapped his fingers with his left hand, and the fragments on the ground automatically gathered, attempting to restore the corridor floor to its original state. However, a phantom of a demonic dragon appeared behind Locke. This abyssal demonic dragon was extremely effective against the power of creation, as demonic dragons are the ultimate destroyers.

The ground, which had already been restored to its original state but was riddled with cracks, shattered into a pile of fragments once more.

The deep crater reappeared on the ground.

The Titan King’s infant form threw another punch at Locke, who swung his sword, using the Great Demon Sword Tiger Orchid Dragon Sparrow to block it.

Simultaneously, a golden sun appeared at his feet, rising from the ground and transforming into a golden tree.

Locke’s Great Demon Sword Tiger Orchid Dragon Sparrow split in two out of thin air; one sword blocked the god’s fist, while the other struck the god’s left chest from the left, causing crystalline golden divine blood to fall again.

Blood rained down.

The two Great Demon Swords Tiger Orchid Dragon Sparrows, enhanced by the power of the Tree of Prosperity, were replicated and merged, their power greatly amplified.

Locke’s “Eliminate the Weeds” spell model was attached to the Great Demon Sword Tiger Orchid Dragon Sparrow, and he unleashed another strike.

Divine power and demonic pressure collided.

This sword strike, from left to right and from top to bottom, left a huge wound in the infant god’s chest.

The infant god screamed and was sent flying.

Seeing this, even the wizard Grandet exclaimed in approval.

Locke walked slowly towards the god, his steps unhurried, yet the sound of his footsteps was so loud and so close to the god.

Magical flames ignited on the divine blood he had shed, and streams of spiritual energy converged towards the bronze cauldron.

Locke looked at the young god and said, “Friend, will you lend it or not? Can you say something to show your attitude? Your actions are putting me in a very difficult position.” The young

Titan King roared in fury. “Mortal, look how smug you are!”

His divine blood gathered at his heart, as if a great explosion was about to occur.

“The Great Explosion of Creation!”

At his heart, the power of his divine blood erupted, like a god creating the universe, like the Great Explosion of the universe. In that instant, he gained a temporary increase in divine power by burning his own divine blood.

The wizard Grandet couldn’t help but say to Locke, “Mr. Augustine, be careful. That guy has become even stronger.”

The Violet Witch Bella struggled to her feet. “I’ll help you.”

Locke glanced at the two of them. “No need.”

The Moon of Evolution and the Tree of Prosperity behind Locke were almost completely overlapping, forming an ecological community. The magical pressure between them was constantly multiplying, reaching the limit that Locke’s body could withstand.

This was a spell he had used with Edgar David in the Silent Grail.

It was a special spell that could unleash extraordinary magical pressure in a short period of time.

The god swung his fist and smashed it down, while Locke swung his sword, Tiger Orchid Dragon Sparrow. The two collided.

The Titan King’s juvenile form was once again sent flying.

Sword winds raged.

Locke walked towards him.

The next moment, Locke’s two great spells separated. Because using this method meant that Locke had to bear all the magical backlash alone, he could not maintain this state for long, only for a few seconds. However, the Titan King’s juvenile form’s primordial explosion state also disappeared.

Obviously, for him, this special state could only be maintained for a short time.

The Titan King’s juvenile form got up, punched the ground, and descended to earth!

The entire corridor surged like a tide, rushing towards Locke. However, Locke manipulated the green dragon vines, using the spell model: Green Dragon’s Grip. The green dragon-like claws swung forward, instantly shattering the entire corridor. The broken pieces crashed into the Titan King’s juvenile form, sending it

flying backward and slamming into the corridor wall.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood.

At this moment, Locke opened the Beast Panel. The Great Ming Dragon Sparrow appeared behind him, a bronze cauldron above his head. He activated the Heliotos Royal Court’s Spiritual Hundred Solutions. In his left hand was the green dragon vine, and in his right, he wielded the Great Demon Sword Tiger Orchid Dragon Sparrow. The Evolution Moon, adorned with a jujube tree, was ready to unleash a divine arrow of spiritual energy.

Simultaneously, the Moon Cultivation Technique amplified all the magical plants present, and the Tree of Prosperity could replicate magical plants at any time.

This was Locke’s all-out attack.

Having endured so much, Locke’s full power was enough to put immense pressure on even the young Titan King at the Star Ring level, and it also made the three club wizards realize what true terror was.

They were all Star Ring wizards,

and their magical pressure was generally higher than Locke’s.

However, through magical plants, mystical meanings, and spell models, Locke had multiplied his power to an unbelievable degree.

Even the young god-like being felt immense pressure seeing Locke’s terrifying power.

“Wait a minute. After all, he’s still a wizard, a wizard who uses ultimate magic, right? He’s just a mortal, not some otherworldly demon god.”

“Mortals are weak-willed and foolish. Mortals always want to take shortcuts!”

The young Titan King took out a Titan King gem from his body.

“Wizard, I have something good to give you.”

“This is for you.”

The divine stone released golden divine lightning, resonating with Locke’s ultimate magic.

Councilor Grandet shouted, “Mr. Augustine, get out of the way!”

Bella the Witch was immediately alarmed. In her view, the divine power was too strange; it resonated uniquely with a wizard’s ultimate magic. Since accepting it allowed for immediate pseudo-forging, it held an extraordinary attraction for a wizard and their ultimate magic.

Even if the wizard was unwilling or hadn’t made a decision, the aggressive divine light would still enter their ultimate magic.

Previously, she had been immune thanks to the law magic of the Lawful Age.

Bella the Witch had experienced the feeling of having her ultimate magic parasitized by the divine stone—the feeling of the world being parasitized by the divine stone, an irresistible shortcut.

She didn’t even believe that the Star Ring Wizards could completely resist that attraction.

Therefore, Bella the Witch was now greatly alarmed. If Locke were also parasitized by the divine stone, the Titan King’s divine race could turn the tide, using his divine power to defeat the three great wizards.

The divine stone flew towards Locke, and just as it was about to enter his body, Locke raised his left hand, which was wrapped in green dragon vines, and extended two fingers.

Locke used those two fingers to directly trap the divine stone.

The Titan King’s juvenile form stared wide-eyed.

“How is this possible?”

“How could you be completely unaffected? Didn’t you ever consider taking a shortcut?”

On the other side, the wizard Grandet watched this scene in astonishment, and the witch Bella was equally incredulous.

Because she had only previously used the power of the Law Era to isolate the divine power, not that she could truly resist it on her own.

The wizard Patrick, who was recording experimental data using equipment, also looked up at Locke in surprise.

“Lock Augustine. So, you’re also a top genius in the Cloud Marsh Wetlands?”

Locke held the divine stone between two fingers. “Do you think I’m affected by such petty tricks?”

“Here you go.”

“Shortcuts. I don’t need them.” “

I will seek the truth myself, and I will complete the forging myself. As the saying goes, ‘Heaven’s movement is ever vigorous; so should a gentleman constantly strive for self-improvement.'”

Locke tossed the stone back.

Just as the Titan King’s juvenile form was enraged and about to do something, Locke vanished from his spot and appeared before the god, grabbing his throat with his left hand and slamming him against the wall.

The magic alloy wall was smashed into a deep crater by Locke’s juvenile Titan King form.

The Titan King’s juvenile form instinctively tried to use its world-creating power to restore the magic alloy wall damaged by Locke, but the next moment, the tail of a phantom dragon struck its chest.

The magic alloy wall remained shattered.

Locke looked at the Titan King’s infant form. The moment the divine stone resonated with his own, he felt his ultimate magic constantly strengthening. If he accepted, his ultimate magic would instantly complete its pseudo-forging.

This was an immense temptation for all wizards who wanted pseudo-forging, who wanted to go further and gain more truth.

Therefore, neither Grandet nor Bella could completely resist.

And if they took the form of the Titan King’s divine race, how could they fight against this Void God race?

But at that moment, Locke decisively refused the other party’s invitation, refused the shortcut they were invited to take, and used the top-level meditation technique to reduce to emptiness.

The divine stone was essentially trying to stuff the form of another into his ultimate magic.

So, Locke immediately used the reduction to emptiness technique, his spiritual energy transforming into lightning, striking the divine stone, the ultimate magic, and himself.

The Titan King’s infant form, whose throat was grabbed by Locke’s left hand and pressed against the magic alloy wall by his full power, saw Locke raise the Great Demon Sword Tiger Orchid Dragon Sparrow. Panic flashed in his eyes, and he could no longer maintain his composure.

How could he die in the wizarding world!

He grabbed the Titan Stone that Locke had thrown back and tossed it at Patrick, intending to use it to infect another wizard.

Perhaps this would break the deadlock.

Patrick, who had been recording data nearby, saw the Titan Stone hurtling towards his forehead and recoiled in fear, for he too could not completely resist it.

Who could completely resist a shortcut to instant success?

It was like being given a ten-million-dollar lottery ticket, only with a few seemingly tolerable conditions attached.

What kind of person could simply throw away the ticket, refuse it, and demand that the money come to them according to their wishes?

How could one directly refuse a benefit offered by another?

Wizard Patrick knew he couldn’t do it, so when he saw the Titan Stone heading towards his forehead, his face paled in terror. But at that moment, Wizard Probus appeared before him and caught the Titan Stone.

Wizard Probus smiled. “What an interesting toy.”

“Locke, I’ve already broken his last move. Do whatever you want. This is my wizarding world, and I can’t stand a tyrant who claims supremacy.”

On the other side, Locke picked up the Titan King’s infant form and raised the Great Demon Sword Tiger Orchid Dragon Sparrow.

“I’ll ask you one more time, will you lend this divine fire or not?”

The Titan King’s infant form hurriedly replied, “I won’t lend it.”

The next moment, his hand rose and the blade fell.

Locke killed him with a single sword strike, his eyes lowered. “That’s not up to you.”

“Even if you don’t lend it, I’ll take it.”

As the Titan King’s body collapsed, all the divine blood was absorbed into the bronze cauldron, and the divine fire, hidden within the divine blood, was naturally taken away as well.

At this instant, some beings in the distant void seemed to sense something.

The dimensional principles within the Titan King’s infant form flew out, freely combining in the air to form a special illusion, which seemed to be the ancestral land of the Titan King’s divine race.

In the ancestral land of the Void God Race, there seemed to be many planets.

Suddenly, two of the planets unleashed divine light.

Those two planets were none other than a Titan King of the Third Ring, whose form was immeasurably enormous. He seemed to be more than just an ordinary Third Ring; his eyes were two medium-to-large-scale planetary planes, and his body was the core of that realm.

This Titan King, whose eyes were enormous planets, radiated divine light and looked at Locke with scrutinizing eyes.

“Another kinsman of mine died before he was even born. Wizard, was this your doing?”

Locke spoke to the illusion created by the interwoven planes of light released after the death of the nascent Titan King.

Bella the Purple Witch walked over and stood before the illusion, saying, “I did it.”

The wizard Grandet thought for a moment, then walked over and said to the illusion, “And—me too.”

Locke sneered at the illusion.

“He borrowed a body from a wizard in my wizarding world, and I borrowed divine fire from him. What’s wrong with that? It’s just that he’s stingy and wouldn’t lend it to me.”

“So I had to take action.”

“I wonder if Your Excellency would like to watch me concoct the Double Imprint Potion?”

At this moment, the dimensional principle maintaining the illusion was rapidly depleting. This was originally a creation power left in the blood of a high-ranking god of the Titan King’s race to protect his kin.

“I am the Guide God-King.”

This god glanced at the three, then looked at Patrick, who had remained silent.

“The four of you are now the greatest enemies of my race. You killed my god; you will never have peace.”

Locke wielded the great demon sword, Tiger Orchid Dragon Sparrow, and directly destroyed the second Titan God Stone present in front of the Guide God-King.

The Titan stone cracked and shattered.

The Purple Witch Bella laughed heartily, thoroughly enjoying herself.

The enormous eyes of the Guide God-King stared back at Locke, who remained unfazed.

The Guide God-King said, “Young wizard, you are too audacious. I have memorized the appearances of all four of you, and I will surely kill you on the battlefield of the gods. Young wizard, do you dare leave your name?”

Locke shattered the illusion with a single strike. “I

‘d rather die than leave my name!”

The Guide God-King’s furious expression shattered along with the illusion.

Locke extended his palm, and the bronze cauldron that had absorbed the divine fire of the Titan King’s infant form fell into his hand.

It seemed that because it contained the divine fire,

the bronze cauldron could not be stored in his astral ring.

At this moment, the portly councilor, Grandet, stood up, leaning against the wall. His Great Magic was almost falling out of the astral ring stage, regressing to the second ring level.

Grandet carefully examined his Great Magic, and what made his face grim was that it had been severely corrupted by the power of the Void Gods.

Unless he was already researching this area,

it would be best to find special Star Ring resources, break through his cultivation level, revert to Unrefined, and reforge.

Reforging and exiting the Unrefined stage is still possible at the Star Ring level.

The Grandet wizard said to Locke, “Thank you, Augustine wizard.”

Grandet said with lingering fear, “I didn’t expect you to save me in the end. Of course, I also thank Bella for your help.”

He was somewhat ashamed.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have much money left, not even five million magic stones. And my ultimate magic has been corrupted by the gods, requiring a lot of money to repair. So, consider it a favor I owe you, especially Wizard Locke.”

Grandet looked at Locke anxiously.

Because Locke had previously helped the Tyrannosaurus Wizard: Kent, Locke received ten million magic stones.

This was no small sum.

However, he was telling the truth; the Tyrannosaurus Wizard: Kent could sell magical plants cultivated using special Tyrannosaurus cultivation methods, and his resources and market were far greater than his.

Grandet, the wizard, could only sell aquatic magical plants.

However, he was currently short of money and afraid Locke would force him to pay.

Locke said to Grandet, “I don’t need your money. This time is different from the one in Kent. This time I’m here for the divine fire of the juvenile god.”

“Not for you. One thing at a time. You don’t owe me any money.”

Grandet bowed gratefully to Locke, secretly relieved. If Locke had asked him for money, he would have borrowed some to save face.

But Locke wasn’t pressuring him, which made Grandet feel indebted to Locke.

Grandet said to Locke, “Wizard Locke, consider it a favor I owe you. I will definitely find a chance to repay you in the future.

I lost this competition.”

He leaned against the wall and bowed to Locke.

“In retrospect, you are far superior to me. I personally admit defeat this time.”

“Wizard Locke, I hope you can win this competition.”

Chairman Patrick looked at him with displeasure.

The wizard Grandet said to Locke, “I have truly learned a great deal in this competition. I have remembered things I had forgotten before, the joy I felt when exploring the truth and studying aquatic magical plants.” The

wizard Grandet bowed to Locke again.

“This second bow is to thank you for organizing this competition, which has reminded me of my original aspirations.”

“Now I finally understand that I was narrow-minded before. Your challenge to the Star Ring Wizard of my Rain Marsh was not for the so-called academic prestige of Golden Crown Mountain, nor for your personal honor or disgrace. I have indeed made great progress in this competition.”

Locke, hearing this, also bowed to him.

“In that case, perhaps we are indeed kindred spirits, wizard Grandet.”

The wizard Grandet raised his head and smiled, “Yes. We will not be friends, but we are kindred spirits.”

The wizard Grandet’s eyes revealed a strong sense of challenge as he looked at Locke, and he clenched his fist.

“You are a towering peak before me, a peak I must overcome. Next time we meet, I will challenge you, in a more powerful form,”

Patrick suddenly interjected. “Alright, that’s enough.”

“Your relationship has gotten quite good, hasn’t it?”

Wizard Patrick said, holding a special model of the True Sight Crystal Ball in his hand. “Thanks to your efforts, I have obtained the most crucial data. Only in this way can I use the divine stone of the Titan Kings to help me nurture Cloud Rice.” “

Although using the power of the gods has endless consequences, it’s more than enough to win this competition.

And why not?”

“Locke, I want you to know that for wizards, only academic achievements can truly determine the winner.”

Wizard Patrick gripped the divine stone in his hand tightly.

“What I just did was simply the proper course of action for a qualified wizard. In a sense, you did the same thing as me. You’re going to use that divine fire as an ingredient in your potions. Your pursuit of truth is no less than mine.”

“Let me settle this properly with my academic achievements. I hope you’ve already figured out a way to solve the problem of imbuing Yunmi with mystical meaning.”

Locke looked at him calmly, his hands behind his back, his gaze icy.

“Patrick.”

“I hope you understand one thing: that’s not the pursuit of truth; that’s just cowardly behavior.”

“If you were truly indifferent to the deaths of these two wizards, and solely devoted to the truth, I would actually respect you.

But you are not.”

“You think I did the same thing as you just now? No, you’re wrong. I’m different from you.”

Locke said, “I will use the result of this competition to show you exactly where the difference between us lies, and in this competition, I will utterly shatter your cowardly heart.”

Patrick clenched his fists, glaring at Locke.

“How dare you call me a coward!”

“Let’s go.”

The students were immediately frightened and hurriedly packed up their instruments and equipment, wanting to leave with him from the other end of the magic alloy corridor.

Patrick glanced back at Bella and Grandet. He instinctively wanted to tell them to leave, but he suddenly noticed that Grandet and the witch Bella were standing behind Locke.

The distance between their position and Locke’s position was actually farther than the distance between the two of them and him.

In an instant, Patrick felt a sense of alienation.

His pupils constricted sharply as he looked at Locke, standing with Bella and the wizard Grandet. He couldn’t understand why the club members were gathered around Locke, while he was surrounded by an empty room, only a group of wizarding apprentices who dared not disobey him.

Patrick smirked, a cold smile playing on his lips as he looked at the two club members.

“So, your relationship has improved now? I’ve become the villain among you. Heh.”

“Then go and be all lovey-dovey.” “

Locke, you laugh at the wizards of Rainswamp as cowards. I will use this victory to wake you up. I will show you what a breeding genius of Rainswamp truly is.” Wizard

Patrick and his apprentices disappeared down the corridor.

At the same time, the small, automated repair golem inside the laboratory began to operate, repairing the corridor damaged by the battle.

The figure of the wizard Grandet gradually faded away.

The Purple Witch Bella said to Locke, “Locke, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Locke replied, “Go ahead.”

Bella glanced at Locke, hesitated for a moment, and then said directly, “I won’t go easy on you just because you helped us. But I am truly grateful to you. I had many misunderstandings about you before, and now it seems you deliberately provoked our club for other purposes.”

Bella continued, “From now on, I will still give it my all.”

She clutched her chest.

Locke said to her, “Bella, you don’t look too good right now. Do you need me to treat you?

“

Bella sneered, “I refuse. I never look at potion makers, and I don’t believe in them.”

Locke glanced at her with surprise, and then, as she turned her back to him, about to leave for the abyss gate within the Tyrant’s Dragon Head fossil, Locke suddenly spoke, “On the Mirror Demon Plains, there are Heavenly King’s Heart-Nourishing Herb, Blazing Licorice, and Abyss Crimson Sky Flower. Taking all three together should alleviate your condition.” “

But haven’t you considered a different research method?”

Bella glanced at Locke, remained silent for a moment, and then said to him, “Thank you.”

“I don’t need a different method.”

“Because this is the right one.”

Bella left.

After he left, the ever-smiling wizard Probus nodded, then said to Locke, “My friend, Locke. It’s been so long since I’ve seen such energetic young people like you. Youth is wonderful. I don’t know how long ago it was when I last saw so many energetic and driven wizards.

You are all good, you, Bella, Grandet, and even Patrick, you are all good.”

Locke glanced at the wizard Probus, “You know perfectly well that Bella is stubbornly going down a dead end.”

The wizard Probus smiled gently, “Don’t try to find out the secret to success from me, my friend, Locke.”

“Besides, this is Bella the witch’s own choice. The path she’s taken is the path she sees me taking.”

Locke looked at him in surprise.

“Wizard Probus, for a moment just now I thought I was talking to the real you. But you are indeed just an illusion created by the Bitterwood.”

Locke’s fingers touched his body, and he immediately drew out a magical pressure.

This magical pressure was the magical pressure of the Bitterwood tree.

It was the magical pressure of the representative species of the Moon Ring Magic Plant.

Wizard Probus looked at Locke strangely and said, “My friend, Locke. I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Locke suddenly asked him, “Probus, you said we’re all good people, very motivated. Then let me ask you, how do we compare to you?”

Wizard Probus remained silent, then smiled and shook his head, saying, “Can I refuse to answer that question?”

“Recently, I made a new friend, the White Frost Witch of the Southern Wizarding Capital. She recommended a Death Ranch Society to me, which is full of wizards who share a lot in common with me. The White Frost Witch and I are both potion makers, um—you’re a potion maker too. We have a lot in common.”

Locke’s pupils suddenly shrank, immediately realizing that as he delved deeper into Wizard Probus’s memories, he was getting closer and closer to the truth of sixty years ago.

“The White Frost Witch has given me a lot of help with potion-making,” said Wizard Probus. “She’s a really good person; she loves sharing her knowledge and has no prejudice against any particular group. She’s also very intelligent, and I feel very comfortable talking to her. The friends she recommended are all excellent.”

Locke immediately caught up with him, walking together down the corridor.

“Mr. Probus, may I ask what the names of the friends the White Frost Witch recommended to you?”

Wizard Probus asked Locke with a smile.

Locke quickly explained, “I’m also a potion master and I’d like to join the Death Ranch Society.”

Wizard Probus smiled and said, “I’ll ask them about it later. I think you meet the requirements.”

Wizard Probus disappeared down the corridor.

Locke couldn’t stop him even if he wanted to.

“Fortunately, I got the name of that club. It doesn’t sound like a very big club. If it’s just a private club with only a few people, then it would be easy for me to find out.”

“But sixty years have passed, and even if someone from that club survived, they’d probably be either a Sun or a Moon member.”

“

If my senior brother, Wizard Trajan, has already completed his title application, I could ask him to help.”

“Of course, if I win this competition, I can still see Wizard Probus. I can take the opportunity to question him then. In this memory world, he’s becoming more and more like a living person.”

Locke found a potion room in his laboratory, activated a magic array, and set up a cauldron.

He then lit a potion-making flame beneath the cauldron and, following the recipe and process of the Shadow Potion, added the ingredients one by one. Because it was only an orange-quality potion, everything went surprisingly smoothly under Locke’s careful manipulation.

It seemed that his current potion-making skills were sufficient to handle potions of this level.

Locke added the last two core ingredients—Abyssal Stream Yellow Grass and Divine Fire—to the cauldron. Then, using the ritualistic movements translated by the Stream Yellow Grass’s spirit, he circled the cauldron three times clockwise, then twice counter-clockwise, and then the other way around, twice clockwise and three times counter-clockwise.

This completed one set of movements.

Locke immediately proceeded to complete the second set.

In total, he circled the cauldron ten times.

The ritual was complete.

A ball of black flame erupted from the cauldron.

Simultaneously, a cloud of destructive fire appeared above the cauldron—the energy that threatened to annihilate the potion when it was being refined.

As the flame fell, Locke chose to withstand it directly, relying on his Permanent Defensive Field.

He had no choice; the extraction of the Shadow Potion was difficult and required time, so he had to endure it.

This was the final hurdle in refining this potion.

At that moment, Locke saw the flames dancing on the cauldron projecting a fiery shadow onto the wall, the shadow still leaping about.

He walked over, took out a potion bottle, and poured it directly into the fiery shadow.

Strangely, the shadowy flame automatically entered the potion bottle, and the flames and potion in the cauldron vanished.

Locke’s entire body crackled and popped as the flames of destruction scorched his wizard robes, magical artifacts, and permanent defensive force field.

Three-quarters of an hour later, Locke looked as if he had just crawled out of a coal pit.

The Shadow Potion was complete

!