Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

Back at their residence in the core area, Gaga immediately jumped out of the shadows.

The process of purifying the [Resentment Soul Threads] was far more complex and intricate than Ian had anticipated.

This differs from the brutal consumption of spirits using the [Spirit Devourer] technique; it requires stripping away harmful resentment to the maximum extent possible, while preserving and purifying beneficial soul essence.

He first set up a small, stable rune array on the worktable to stabilize the surrounding energy field.

Next, take out the [Dawn Purification Powder].

This is made from crystals collected at dawn, imbued with the energy of the first rays of sunlight, and has a gentle effect in dispelling gloom and resentment.

There's also the morning dew from the dew-collecting flower, which has a natural soothing and purifying effect.

A small bottle of the expensive "Moonlight Essence" is used to stabilize soul energy.

Several pure, high-grade magic stones were used as an energy replenishment.

The first step is to soak and neutralize.

Ian used the morning dew to purify the powder and blend it with the morning light, creating a clear, pale golden liquid.

He carefully dripped the liquid into the crystal bottle. The liquid made a slight hissing sound when it came into contact with the dark purple soul threads.

The dark purple soul silk began to wriggle, and wisps of black smoke rose from its surface.

Inside the crystal bottle, it seemed as if countless tiny vengeful spirits were silently screaming and struggling.

The color of the soul silk gradually faded, changing from a deep dark purple to a murky grayish-purple, and its volume also shrank.

The unsettling whispers had lessened considerably.

"Gah...they're disappearing?" Gaga looked on nervously.

"It's the most intense resentment on the surface that's being neutralized," Ian explained, his expression focused.

He waited about fifteen minutes for the reaction to subside before pouring the waste liquid from the bottle into a pre-treatment tank, which is specifically designed to hold contaminated waste.

The second step, energy dialysis and stripping, requires more precise operations.

Ian placed the crystal bottle in the center of the small purification array, pressed his hands down, and the misty spiritual power, like the most skillful hands, penetrated through the bottle wall and gently "stirred" the internal structure of the soul threads.

At the same time, he activated a trace of the [Soul Devouring] property, like a precise "scalpel" and "magnet," accurately capturing and pulling those stubborn fragments of resentment.

This was a slow and meticulous process, and soon fine beads of sweat appeared on Ian's forehead.

Under his control, strands of resentment, thinner than a hair and almost black as ink, were slowly "drawn" out from the main body of the soul thread.

Then, guided out of the bottle by the array combined with the [Soul Devouring] property, it was annihilated in an abandoned jar.

The color of the soul silk continued to change, from grayish-purple to light purple, and then to a pale silver-gray.

Its form also changed from being restless and agitated at the beginning to becoming much gentler and softer, like a thin mist under the moonlight.

Now, only the final step remains: purification and nurturing.

Ian uncorked the bottle and sparingly dripped in three drops of [Moonlight Essence].

The silvery-white marrow fluid merged into the soul threads, like clear water washing away dust, cleansing the last impurities from the soul threads.

The color of the soul threads completely changed to a translucent silver-white, emitting a gentle soul fluctuation.

As the wave swept by, even Ian felt a slight elation in his mental sea.

Ian capped the bottle and placed the crystal bottle into a temperature-controlled jade box, the inner wall of which was engraved with stabilizing runes.

"It needs to be naturally nurtured in a stable energy field for a day to allow its energy to completely calm down."

"Ah... do we have to wait again?" Gaa let out a desperate cry.

It lay sprawled on the table like a salted fish, patting the surface with its tiny paws.

"Ian, don't you love me anymore! You used to share all the good food with me right away! Ugh!"

Ian was amused by it and poked its soft belly.

"The past is the past. Back then, you ate blood essence and energy crystals, which at most caused an upset stomach."

If this stuff isn't handled properly, eating it might turn you into a brain mush, not just an idiot.

"I won't!" Gaga retorted angrily, but then shrank back when she thought of that possibility.

"Okay... let's wait one more day."

This day of waiting was pure torture for Gaga.

Every half hour, it would fly to the jade box, sniff it with its nose, or gently tap the box with its little paws.

Then, sighing, they would return to Ian's side, or, while carrying the [Wind Pattern Fruit] that Ian had exchanged, they would nibble on it out of boredom.

Ian took advantage of this time to begin refining the [Eye of the Gaze] to increase his own cultivation.

A day later, Ian opened the jade box and took out the crystal bottle.

The [Resentment Soul Threads] in the bottle have completely stabilized, like a flowing silver cloud, pure and flawless, without any trace of negative energy.

"That's fine."

"Finally!" With a joyful cry, he pounced on the bottle opening like lightning, staring at it eagerly.

Ian uncorked the bottle and gently poured it out.

The wisp of silvery-white cloud drifted out, slowly unfurling in the air and stretching into a ribbon-like shape resembling solidified moonlight.

Gaga couldn't wait to open its mouth and take a suck.

Like a whale sucking in water, all the silvery-white soul threads transformed into a stream of light and disappeared into its mouth.

hum!

A silvery-white radiance suddenly shone through each of Ga Ga's feathers.

Its small body expanded and solidified at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It originally stood on Ian's shoulder, like a small, fluffy ball.

At this moment, it had swelled to nearly an arm's length, and its wingspan was almost two meters.

The feathers are no longer a dull gray color, but instead exhibit a deep and layered luster of shadows.

The edges of the feathers shimmered with a mysterious glow in the soft light.

Their already heterochromatic eyes now appeared even deeper.

The intricate runes of the Eye of Calamity flashed by, the gray becoming even more hazy and mysterious, the right eye a deep, azure blue like the deep sky.

"Gah!"

A clear cry emanated from the quack's throat, no longer the tender "quack" sound of before, but one that was more penetrating and majestic.

It flapped its wings excitedly, and a more powerful and refined shadow energy than before naturally covered its body, forming a faint ripple of shadow.

It attempted a shadow jump, and its figure vanished from the spot in a flash.

The next second, it appeared directly at the farthest corner of the room, more than fifty meters away from Qingchan.

Moreover, his breathing was completely undisrupted, indicating that he was in complete control.

"Ian, I've become stronger, I can feel it!"

A cawing sound echoed in Ian's mind, "The distance and stability of [Shadow Leap] have been improved, and also..."

It looked toward the corner of the room, where a gold-plated puppet sat, and its heterochromatic eyes suddenly lit up with a faint light.

The simple energy circuits inside the alchemical golem were instantly disrupted, and it even made an uncoordinated swaying motion.

"The effect of [Ominous Eye] has also been enhanced; the interference is stronger and the range is wider!"

Ian observed carefully and nodded in satisfaction.

It's not just the enhancement of innate skills; Gaga's overall soul essence has become more profound and refined.

This means that its future growth potential and shadow characteristics will be significantly enhanced.

"Well done, you're not just a little troublemaker who only steals food anymore," Ian praised with a smile.

"I'm not a nuisance, I'm a powerful assistant."

Gaga flew around the room triumphantly, showing off its newly acquired power.

Gaga's improvement ended, but Ian's eyes didn't show much excitement; instead, a hint of solemnity flashed across them.

"Hector..." he murmured the name.

The Withered Parliament is protective of its own and holds grudges; its methods are cunning and unpredictable.

They will never let a legitimate wizard go unpunished.

Even if you handle things perfectly, the risks still exist as the demon-hunting war progresses and personnel turnover increases.

"We must improve our strength as soon as possible. Only with strength can we cope with all the variables."