Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

late at night.

Everyone in the courtyard had fallen asleep, and the sounds of their snoring were particularly clear in the silence.

Li Yao was curled up on the bed in Ian's room, covered with a tattered blanket, fast asleep.

Ian didn't sleep.

He sat cross-legged in the center of the bedroom, with several items in front of him.

A small iron pot, a ceramic bowl, a few dried flame grass plants, a small packet of moonflower petals, and a pinch of silvery-white powder carefully wrapped in oiled paper.

Stardust.

This was the last bit of dust crystal I had spent, barely enough to buy a small amount, just enough to make two potions.

"First time trying..."

Ian took a deep breath and lit the pile of firewood at his feet.

The small iron pot was placed on the fire, and 500 ml of clean water was poured in. The water quickly boiled and bubbled.

Ian followed the recipe and put three Flame Grass plants into the water.

hiss!

The moment the grass leaves touched the boiling water, a pungent wisp of smoke rose up.

The water quickly turned pale red, like diluted blood.

Ian was completely focused, watching the changes in the pot.

[Starlight Perception] was operating at full power, and the flow of energy in the pot was clearly presented in his consciousness.

The medicinal properties of the Flaming Grass are rapidly dissolving, releasing scorching energy. The Moonflower petals are about to be added, requiring just the right temperature...

The stardust is the most crucial element; it must be fused below 40 degrees Celsius, otherwise the energy will dissipate...

Time passed second by second.

Five minutes later, Ian scooped out the overcooked grass residue and added moonflower petals.

The pale red liquid quickly turned pink and emitted a faint sweet fragrance.

He extinguished the fire and waited for the temperature to drop.

My palm hovers above the pot, sensing the subtle changes in temperature.

When the temperature changed from scalding hot to warm, he quickly opened the oil paper package and poured the small amount of silvery-white stardust into the pot.

hum!

The moment the stardust came into contact with the liquid, the liquid in the entire pot suddenly lit up with a silvery light!

It's like countless tiny stars swirling and twinkling in the liquid.

Ian immediately picked up the wooden spoon and stirred it clockwise at a steady pace.

One lap, two laps, three laps...

The silver light in the liquid gradually stabilized, changing from a dazzling bright white to a soft, pale blue.

Finally, he added ten milliliters of basic stabilizer and continued stirring.

The liquid became completely clear, turning into a crystal-clear pale blue, like the sky after the rain.

Successful.

Ian put down the wooden spoon and let out a soft breath.

This potion is much easier to refine than the potions I make myself.

However, his projection ability was still lacking, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, indicating that he was somewhat exhausted.

The operation just now, though seemingly simple, actually requires an extremely high degree of precision in control.

Temperature, time, stirring speed—any error in any of these areas can lead to failure.

With the help of the panel, he perfectly completed his first refining attempt.

He picked up the earthenware bowl and carefully poured the medicine from the pot into it.

The pale blue liquid rippled in the bowl, emitting a cool aroma.

[Basic Purification Agent: 2% for Beginners]

[Effects: Effectively purifies mild corrosion and erosion, and alleviates moderate corrosion]

He felt the quality of the medicine was quite good; based on his memory, the effect exceeded the standard by about 20%.

Ian smiled slightly.

In this world corrupted by the abyss, every slight improvement in the effectiveness of the purification potion represents a qualitative leap.

A 20% improvement is enough to make this potion more than 50% more expensive than the regular version.

He carefully filled the medicine into a glass bottle, a standard medicine bottle commonly used by caravans.

The pale blue liquid sloshed in the glass bottle, like a tiny piece of starry sky contained within.

"Brother...you succeeded?"

Li Yao woke up at some point, rubbed his eyes and leaned over, staring at the bottle of medicine with amazement on his face.

"Okay." Ian handed him the bottle. "Keep it safe. Take it to sell tomorrow."

"Sell? Bro, how much can I sell this potion for?"

"At least 30 dust crystals."

"Thirty coins?!" Li Yao's eyes widened. "Then we're rich!"

Ian smiled and ruffled his hair.

"This is just the beginning."

The next morning, Ian, along with Li Yao and two fairly clever men, arrived at the "Old Cripple's Pharmacy" on East Street in the outer city.

The pharmacy was small, with a dilapidated storefront and faded lettering on the signboard.

An old man with gray hair sat by the door, his right trouser leg hanging loose, supporting himself with a wooden cane.

Upon seeing Ian and his group, the old man raised his eyelids slightly.

"Buying medicine or selling medicine?"

"Selling medicine." Ian took the pale blue bottle of medicine out of his pocket and placed it on the counter.

The old man picked up the bottle, looked at the sunlight outside the window, and a hint of surprise flashed in his cloudy eyes.

"A purification potion? You made it yourself?"

"Yes."

"How's the result?"

"It's 20% better than what's on the market."

The old man was silent for a few seconds, then opened the bottle, brought it to his nose, and smelled it.

A cool breeze wafted over, carrying the pure feeling unique to the stars.

He capped the bottle and looked at Ian: "How much do you want to sell it for?"

"30 Dust Crystals".

"Too expensive," the old man shook his head. "The market price is only 20 coins."

"The effects of other products on the market are not as good as this."

Ian said calmly, "A 20% improvement is worth 10 dust crystals."

The old man stared at Ian for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed.

"Kid, you're new here, aren't you? In this outer city, no matter how good a potion is, someone has to believe it. I can't verify the effectiveness of this potion. What if it doesn't work after I buy it? Who am I supposed to turn to?"

"You can try it out," Ian said. "Pay after you've verified the results."

The old man paused, looking Ian up and down.

Are you sure?

"Sure."

The old man was silent for a moment, then reached under the counter and pulled out a small wooden box, which he then opened.

Inside lay half a piece of dark blue dried meat, its surface covered with fine black spots, signs of decay and erosion.

"This is rotting flesh we found on a fallen person last month."

The old man looked at Ian, "I've used two bottles of purification potion, but neither was completely effective. If your potion can remove the contamination from here..."

He didn't finish speaking, but his meaning was clear.

Ian took the rotten flesh and placed it in his palm.

The dark blue-green chunks of meat felt cold to the touch, and the black spots on their surface writhed slightly like living creatures, emitting an unpleasant, foul odor.

He opened the vial and dripped a drop onto the rotting flesh.

laugh!

The moment the pale blue liquid came into contact with the rotting flesh, a wisp of smoke rose.

The black spots faded as if burned, gradually changing from deep black to grayish-white, and finally disappeared completely.

The whole process takes about ten seconds.

The old man stared wide-eyed at the piece of rotting flesh.

The originally dark blue meat now showed a healthy light red color.

The black spots on the surface disappeared completely, leaving only a small burn mark where the medicine had dripped.

"This...this effect..."

The old man's eyes widened in shock; this was nothing like the power of an extra 20% effect.

He has been in the medicinal herb business for decades and has seen at least eighty to a hundred purification agents.

But only high-grade purification agents can achieve such a strong effect and such a fast purification speed.

"Just 30 dust crystals, I'll take them."

The old man readily agreed, took out a small cloth bag from under the counter, and counted out 30 dust crystals.

"Also... how much do you have? I want it all."

"This is the only bottle we have for now," Ian said, taking the dust crystal.

The old man's eyes lit up: "What materials do you need? I can provide them. I'll buy the finished potions at market price plus half a percent."

"Can."

Ian nodded in agreement; he would exchange some materials here for the time being.

As for Elder Chen, it's worth mentioning that, besides the previous agreement, it's also to demonstrate one's own value.

After exchanging the materials, he arrived at the inner city gate and told the guard that he was Old Chen.

"Leave your address here and wait for our message."

The guards wouldn't let him into the inner city, so Ian had to rush back to his lodgings to continue brewing potions.

Besides refining medicine, he would also spend some time teaching promising young people.

Among them, Li Yao's strength has progressed the fastest, and it is believed that he will soon be able to reach the Na Yuan level.

That evening, he sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes slightly, and began to meditate.

The Starfall Core in his chest was slightly warm, as if it were echoing a distant star.

[Starlight Perception] operates silently, and the sparse silver specks of light in the surrounding air slowly converge toward him.

He could sense that his cultivation level had reached the bottleneck of the late awakening stage.

All that's missing is a trigger to break through to the solidification stage.

And deep within his bloodline, that ancient power of "gravity" is slowly awakening...

A few days later, deep in the Blue Cave Mountain.

In the Chixia Business Alliance branch, in a simply furnished yet luxuriously luxurious secret room.

Old Chen sat behind a large mahogany desk, holding a newly delivered intelligence report in his hand, his white eyebrows slightly raised.

The candlelight flickered on the silver candlestick, illuminating the wrinkles on his face with distinct depths.

The intelligence report contained only two lines:

[Li Xing has successfully refined a basic purification potion, with an efficacy exceeding market standards by approximately 20%. He is currently collaborating with "Old Cripple's Pharmacy."]

[Additionally: There seem to be traces of activity by the corrupt organization "Dark Star Society" outside Blue Hole Mountain City.]

Old Chen put down the intelligence report and gently tapped the table with his withered fingers.

"Exceeding the standard by 20%..."

He muttered to himself, a glint of light flashing in his cloudy eyes.

In this era when most purification potion formulas were incomplete and the success rate of refining them was pitifully low.

A novice who had just started learning alchemy was able to produce a qualified product on his first attempt, and the efficacy even exceeded the standard by 20%...

This goes beyond being described as simply "talented".

"Could it be... that he had prior experience with drug production?"

It is highly likely that Li Xing possesses or has come into contact with a similar formula inheritance.

Either he possesses a special bloodline talent that allows him to more precisely control starlight energy and purify the medicinal properties.

Either way, they are priceless.

Old Chen stood up and walked to the window.

Outside the window is the core area of ​​Blue Cave Mountain, brightly lit and with clean streets.

Occasionally, one can see bloodline members dressed in magnificent robes hurrying by.

Compared to the chaos and filth of the outer city, this place felt like another world.

"Little guy, your performance was even better than I expected..."

As Old Chen gazed at the night view outside the window, a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

But thinking of the Dark Star Society, the villain gradually disappeared.

Those fallen ones who have sided with the abyss specialize in luring and hunting humans, offering their blood and souls as sacrifices to the source of corruption.

"No..." Old Chen turned around and sat back down at his desk.

He took out a specially made piece of stationery from the drawer, picked up a quill pen, dipped it in ink, and began to write.

The pen tip glides across the paper, making a soft, rustling sound.

Effective immediately, "Li Xing" has been upgraded to "Level 2 Partner" within the Business Alliance, enjoying a 20% discount on material purchases and the ability to advance up to 100 standard crystals of medicinal herbs or resources.

[Additionally: Two late-stage awakened guards are to be dispatched to secretly protect his safety, but they must not interfere with his actions and should only provide necessary vigilance within the outer city area.]

After finishing writing, Old Chen put down his pen, blew on the ink to dry it, rolled up the letter, and stuffed it into a small copper tube.

He tugged on the bell cord beside the desk.

A moment later, a figure dressed in black and wearing a mask appeared silently at the entrance of the secret room.

"Send it to the outer city branch and hand it to Manager Wang personally." Old Chen handed over the copper tube.

"Yes." The figure took the copper pipe, and in a flash, disappeared into the darkness.

Old Chen sat back down in his chair, closed his eyes, and gently rubbed his temples with his fingers.

Investing in a promising young person is like planting a seed.

You never know whether this seed will eventually grow into a towering tree or perish along the way.

But the value that Li Xing has demonstrated is enough to make him worth the bet.

"Li Xing, don't let me down..."

The candlelight flickered, casting a long, swaying shadow of the old man on the wall.