Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

Ian's eyes were gleaming as he imagined the enemy he was about to face.

A fully armed, protectively glowing Level 1 Liquefaction Wizard—the opponent might be able to withstand his [Frost Ray] or dodge his [Gravity Collapse Sphere].

But at the crucial moment, there was that silent, unnoticed "gaze" in my eyes...

"Gah?" A quack flew over and landed on Ian's shoulder.

The little head peered into the hole, then looked up at Ian's eyes and shrank back.

"Ian, your eyes... were a little scary just now."

"Really?" Ian smiled and rubbed Ga Ga's head.

"A new skill will make things more reliable when I go out in the future."

"That's good!" Gaga nuzzled him with her head.

"My wings are almost healed, do I still have enough blood essence? I feel like I'm almost at the mid-game stage!"

"Yes, plenty." Ian was in a great mood.

He took out a jade bottle from his dimensional ring and poured out five dark red blood essence pills.

With a loud cluck, it snatched it away with lightning speed, tilted its head back, and swallowed it whole.

Then, satisfied, it flew back to the shadowy corner to continue digesting.

Ian put away the empty metal box, which contained only a little ashes, and walked to the alchemy table.

A breakthrough in realm, new trump cards added, but preparation is still far from sufficient.

The slumbering underground palace is a melting pot of three forces, a diverse and complex mix.

"The Wither Council alone may have ruthless characters like the 'Cursed Dead' squad."

Ian was tidying up the countertop while making his calculations.

"The Crimson Court also harbors ill intentions, not to mention the ancient traps and unknown dangers within the underground palace itself."

[Gravity Collapse Ball] You must quickly reach a higher proficiency level to shorten the ball-chopping time.

You also need to extend the duration of the massage; ideally, you should be able to massage two at once.

"The improvement of the [Furnace Body Tempering Technique] slows down after reaching the proficiency level, but it cannot be stopped. The stronger the physical body, the higher the margin for error."

Medicine is even more crucial, serving purposes such as treatment, detoxification, mental recovery, and temporary enhancement...

Each type must be stocked in sufficient quantities, and of the highest quality.

He lit the fire and placed the crucible on the stove.

The pale blue flames licked the bottom of the pot, reflecting his calm and focused face.

First, refine the [Potential Healing Potion].

The main ingredients are moonflower juice and blood orchid powder, supplemented with seven neutral herbs.

Ian was skilled in handling materials, controlling the heat, stirring and blending, and using his mental power to subtly guide the changes in the medicinal properties.

Two hours later, a pot of azure-blue liquid, exuding the aroma of herbs, was formed and divided into twelve crystal tubes.

Each one is enough to stop bleeding and promote tissue regeneration in an instant, even for wounds deep enough to expose bone.

Next is the [Advanced Antidote].

The underground palace has a complex environment, and you may encounter poisonous insects, miasma, and strange toxins left over from ancient times.

He took out his treasured "Rainbow Lizard Venom Sac" and "Clear Light Moss" and began to carefully process them.

This process requires extreme patience; any deviation could greatly reduce the drug's effectiveness or even turn it into poison.

In the alchemy room, only the faint sounds of materials being processed and Ian's steady breathing remained.

A day and a night passed.

On the alchemy table, there were bottles of various colors, crystal clear, like rows of works of art.

The [Stone Skin Potion] treats ailments, detoxifies, restores mental strength, replenishes stamina, and temporarily enhances skin resilience; the [Civet Potion] temporarily boosts reaction speed…

There are more than fifty in total.

These are all high-quality items that Ian has kept hidden away; if they were placed outside, each one would cause a wizard to fight over them.

But Ian felt it wasn't enough.

"We're still missing... a truly powerful trump card, one that can seal the deal or turn the tide in a desperate situation."

He stroked his chin, his gaze drifting over the materials shelf.

"We have enough regular medicine; we need something... unconventional."

He recalled a fragmented ancient recipe he had seen in the Central Library.

It comes from a certain unorthodox ancient alchemy school.

The recipe has no name, and its effects are described vaguely, only mentioning that it requires several energy materials with conflicting properties.

Through special techniques, a highly unstable "energy aggregate" is ultimately obtained by forcibly fusing and compressing it.

"Conflicting nature...forced fusion...extremely unstable..."

Ian's eyes slowly brightened.

This description sounds a bit like his own ideas for improving the "collapsed starburst" concept.

That was a magic model, but this is a real potion.

"Perhaps... we could give it a try?" A bold idea popped into my head.

He may face more than one powerful enemy in the underground palace, or some ancient creations that are difficult to defeat.

If there were something that could, like a super-enhanced version of the Gravitational Collapse Sphere, cause a massive, terrifying annihilation effect when thrown...

Just do it.

He immediately recalled the incomplete formula in his mind, combined it with his experience in improving the witchcraft model, and began to deduce the formula.

"At least three different types of fuel are needed, and the best choice is high-purity energy crystals."

"...Abyss Crystal Fragments can be considered one type, with chaotic attributes."

We also need something of order and light, such as 'Holy Light Embers', or a substitute 'Sun Crystal Powder'...

We also need a neutral one, preferably with spatial properties; 'Void Dust' would be most suitable, but I don't have any...

"You can use 'dimensional stone dust' instead; the effect is slightly worse, but the properties are similar..."

"The choice of fusion medium requires extremely high stability and inclusiveness... 'Astral Gel'? That stuff is too rare."

We also need a neutral one, preferably with spatial properties; 'Void Dust' would be most suitable, but I don't have any...

"You can use 'dimensional stone dust' instead; the effect is slightly worse, but the properties are similar..."

"The choice of fusion medium requires extremely high stability and inclusiveness... 'Astral Gel'? That stuff is too rare."

Perhaps I could use the essence refined from multiple portions of 'Solid Realm Dust' combined with my mental power to forcibly restrain it...

Finally, there's the triggering mechanism... We need to think about it carefully, lest we blow ourselves up.

It needs to be made into a safe "projectile"... The outer shell must be strong enough to seal in the unstable energy inside.

It also needs to be fragile enough to break easily when needed...

A crystal shell infused with 'brittle runes'?

The more Ian thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, and the more excited he became.

If this thing is successfully developed, its power will far surpass any of his current attack methods.

The production process is extremely dangerous. If it is not controlled properly, not only the alchemy room, but even he himself could be torn apart by the out-of-control energy.

"High risk, high reward."

Ian licked his lips, his eyes showing no fear, only a sharp, eager look.

"Let's do it! Going to a place like an underground palace, you won't feel at ease unless you're willing to risk your life."

He started searching through the materials.

There are Abyss Crystal Fragments in stock, and I also got some Sun Crystal Powder at the last exchange meeting.

The dimensional stone dust was a bit troublesome, but he remembered that the deposit Alyvia gave him included a few decent-quality dimensional stones that he could grind himself…

We've stocked up on a lot of dust from Gujie Dust Shop, but purification will take time.

Alchemy crystals and brittle runes are also easy to deal with.

"Let's tackle the most troublesome issue first... the forced fusion and constraint of energy."

Ian set out several small crucibles and lit the miniature precision-controlled furnace.

He first processed the solidified dust, using high-temperature burning and mental filtering to extract the most essential small pinch of silver powder, a process that took most of the day.

Next, he placed a fragment of abyssal crystal, a piece of golden-white sun crystal powder, and a piece of freshly ground dimensional stone dust into three small crystal bowls.

Take a deep breath.

Mental energy, like the most precise probes and tweezers, simultaneously probed into three small bowls.

"The first step is contact..."

He controlled three small clumps of energy powder with vastly different properties, slowly approaching.

The moment they made contact, a fierce energy conflict erupted within the bowl!

Dark purple, golden white, and gray light flashed wildly!

The repulsion and collision produced a crackling sound, and it looked like it was about to explode.

Ian broke out in a sweat, his mental energy instantly increasing its output, like three invisible hands firmly suppressing the restless energy.

At the same time, he evenly sprinkled the purified silver solidified dust essence into the center of the conflict.

When the essence of solidified dust was added, the conflicting light momentarily paused, but remained intense.

"Not enough...we need stronger constraints and guidance!"

Ian gritted his teeth and actually mobilized the newly acquired spiritual power in his spiritual sea, which had a trace of crystallization characteristics!

A faint golden luster mingled into his invisible spiritual tendrils.

hum!

The effect is immediate.

When the fiercely conflicting tri-colored energies came into contact with this higher-level spiritual power, which carried the majesty of "crystallization," it was as if they had encountered their nemesis, and their resistance was significantly weakened!

"Now! Merge!"

Ian seized the opportunity, his mental strength like the most skillful knitting machine.

Forcibly pulling and twisting the three energies...

Based on the unstable equilibrium structure he deduced, he began to forcibly weave and compress it!

Dark purple, golden white, and gray light no longer clashed, but began to twist and intertwine, forming an extremely unstable, slowly rotating three-colored micro-energy vortex.

At the center of the vortex is a "point" almost invisible to the naked eye, emanating a heart-pounding fluctuation.

Ian felt his mental energy being rapidly depleted, and a sharp pain shot through his head.

But he dared not stop, carefully maintaining this fragile structure.

At the same time, take out the crystal solution that had been prepared beforehand, which was mixed with brittle rune powder.

Using his mental power, he held the walnut-sized, three-colored energy ball and slowly immersed it into the crystal solution.

The solution solidified rapidly, enveloping the energy ball and forming a transparent, slightly textured crystal sphere.

The moment the last layer of crystal completely solidifies and seals the opening.

Ian immediately severed all mental connections and simultaneously retreated rapidly!

The crystal ball landed quietly on the tray covered with thick anti-magic beast hide.

Its surface is smooth, and three-colored energy flows slowly inside, making it both beautiful and deadly.

Ian, panting heavily, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and stared at the crystal ball in the distance.

It's a success... at least temporarily.

He carefully moved the tray to the practice room, taking precautions.

Then, he picked up a discarded metal stirring rod from the side and carefully poked the crystal ball.

Click.

A very slight, crisp sound.

A crack, thinner than a hair, appeared on the surface of the crystal ball where he had poked it.

The moment the crack appeared!

boom!!!

There was no deafening roar, only a low, muffled sound, as if the space itself were groaning.

Centered on the crystal ball, a completely dark "sphere" less than two meters in diameter instantly appeared!

Bang!

Thirty meters away, several adamantite targets that had withstood first-tier sorcery were instantly blasted into dust by the shockwave.

The walls glowed with the light of a protective magic array, flickering intensely.

A few seconds later, everything calmed down.

Before Ian, the tray and everything on it disappeared.

It left behind a smooth-edged hemispherical pit, three meters deep, with a glassy substance at the bottom that had melted and cooled.

"The power is greater than expected, especially at the center of the black hole."

With only minor improvements, security will be greatly enhanced.

Ian stared at the crater, a cold yet satisfied smile slowly spreading across his face.

"The range is a bit small, but the annihilation effect... is definitely powerful enough."

Most importantly, it can store things!