Chapter 104: The Despirit Medicine

Raymond stared for a long time, clicking his tongue in open admiration, even tempted to reach out and touch it. Yet before his fingers could make contact, Eve slapped his hand away with clear displeasure.

“Slap!”

“Ugh!” Raymond rubbed his stinging knuckles, his brows furrowed. Eve lifted one eyebrow and chided, “No hands on little Dream. Go play somewhere else.”

Raymond gave a reluctant hum, too timid to protest further, and stepped sullenly into the bubble space.

Qi Xiao watched the entire exchange with quiet amusement and simply waved goodbye to his senior sister, returning at once to his own chamber.

The seven newly crafted potion varieties had all sold out. Beyond the two pure mana crystals, Qi Xiao had also received the *Manual for Explosive Manufacturing*, the *Ritual Studies: Moon Shadow Instrument Trajectory Arrangement Ritual*, *Magic Pattern Studies: Soul Nurturing Magic Pattern Mastery*, along with two level-one spells: the elemental water system technique *Moistening Art* and the mysterious summoning system technique *Skeleton Summon*.

Soul Nurturing Magic Pattern was a sigil concerned with the gentle cultivation and strengthening of souls. The *Manual for Explosive Manufacturing* recorded every known method for creating explosives. The ritual text, something Qi Xiao had never touched before, promised to summon moonlight. The manual detailed several variations: moonlight for nurturing extraordinary materials, moonlight for meditative cultivation, moonlight to coax demonic familiars into mutation—every possibility was listed.

*Moistening Art* was a curative water spell, neatly filling one of Qi Xiao’s gaps. He already possessed potions for healing, yet a spell could still prove useful. *Skeleton Summoning* would awaken a nearby corpse and call forth a skeletal soldier shaped after its original form. Without a corpse, the spell would fail and prove of little value, though it could still serve as a scout.

Qi Xiao had once obtained a soil-element guardian summon, and on comparison he found the earth guardian far more pleasing. It was clumsy, yet at least it did not offend the eye.

With so many spells at his command, even those rarely used, Qi Xiao felt their conceptual weight was no small help when he sought to understand other schools of magic.

While he catalogued his gains, a mechanical female voice suddenly rang out.

[Congratulations on successfully completing one alchemy supply mission. Reward granted: level-one spell *Sharpening Art*.]

Qi Xiao blinked.

He had pondered the system response for some time without uncovering its source. The system only activated after payment, and aside from direct delivery to him, the only other possibility was the shop under his own name.

He exhaled in relief. For a moment he had feared it was feedback from the crystal sphere commissioned for Karl. That orb, while already exquisite, was still only one step from perfection and would surely return at least a level-two spell.

Potion tiers were not as finely divided as equipment. Under the formal wizard rank they fell into low, middle, and high grades, yet some low-grade potions commanded higher prices than advanced ones. The *Eternal Night Potion*, for instance, which improved mortal constitution and increased mana, was famous and routinely sold for thousands of mana crystals. Thus price mattered less than effect.

Qi Xiao had prepared to replace the high-grade equipment in the current auction with equivalent-quality potions to test the outcome. If the results displeased him, he would swap them back next round.

Materials were naturally chosen from the soul-binding line. Such potions were rare, and Qi Xiao’s inheritance from the late formal alchemist grandmother gave him particular mastery in this area.

Suddenly unease prickled at the back of his neck. A cold shiver ran through him. As a transcendent being who commanded prophecy magic, he knew this feeling was never groundless. His form flashed forward and reappeared above the lake-island. He looked up and froze.

The crimson glow that should have remained confined to the eastern horizon had now spread in every direction. A single glance revealed that half the Ten Thousand Spirits Sanctum had vanished beneath its pallor. Organization members darted through the sky, marveling at the spectacle, yet Qi Xiao understood all too well what this sunset truly was.

*Why must it happen inside the organization? With Lord Demose and Master’s strength, an uninhabited low-level realm would be child’s play. Surely they would not risk the sunset running amok within the Sanctum itself…*

He watched the endless crimson haze rolling like fire clouds across the sky, unease deepening. Lord Demose playing with fire was a thought he preferred not to entertain. Yet before he could finish the sentence, his confusion was answered.

From the north, a colossal green pillar shot skyward, piercing the clouds and scattering the red haze in all directions. Closer inspection revealed a thick tree branch.

From the south, near the library pavilion, a vast ink stain bloomed across the heavens, swiftly engulfing the crimson light and spreading with terrifying speed.

“Tree Spirit… Ink Spirit…”

The Ancestor Spirits had intervened. Qi Xiao’s worries eased. Each held at least the strength of a level-three formal wizard. He knew of five or six personally, and more slept in seclusion, yet their combined power was not to be underestimated. It was the true foundation of the Ten Thousand Spirits Sanctum; with such guardians even a mysterious artifact could scarcely stir chaos.

Still, forcing the Ancestors to move meant the matter had grown serious. Qi Xiao could only wonder how Lord Demose had ever been recognized by the Ancestors and granted the seat of Sanctum Lord.

As Master’s disciple, his own authority was considerable. The “internal histories” he could consult were numerous, and every one recorded that the Ten Thousand Spirits Sanctum had once produced three legends.

Upon learning the news, Qi Xiao had been stunned for a long time. Even across all planes, a force possessing a single legend counted as an immense power. Three together made an extraordinary strength, yet he had never felt the weight of such a presence. Every book he had read mentioned the Sanctum only to illustrate the concept of “spirits,” never as an organization in its own right.

Although the internal histories gave no names, the legends were surely wizards. None had achieved the rank of Ancestor, which only deepened the mystery. Vistalia’s fame rested on being the birthplace of the Star Legend, yet it had never belonged to or been founded by any Star Legend. Still, its reputation was enough to command respect in the northern wizard world.

To possess three legends of his own, and to have never heard their names, remained astonishing.

At least two of the legends had clearly been born and achieved their power in the northern wizard world. The Sanctum’s origin lay here, and its offshoots in the Origin Plane had been established only after the legends returned to lead their creation.

*The last legend’s return was six hundred years ago… well, not so very long ago.*

He set the question aside. Legends had their reasons. Knowing one’s own background was strong was enough; the thick thighs one could grasp would serve. Qi Xiao took out the formula for the Severing Soul Potion and examined it closely.

The brew was no ordinary alchemical potion; it was a virulent poison—*Severing Soul, Severing Life*. A formal wizard who consumed it without protection would suffer agonies that could even prove fatal if left untreated. In rank it far surpassed any equipment, yet its market would be narrow.

The choice had been simple. First, he already possessed the formula. Second, it was soul-bound. Most importantly, the main ingredient, Severing Grass, had been stored in the vault and remained untouched. Other rare materials had been gathered as well: Nightshade Petals, Soul-Hungry Vine, Nightmare Fruit, Ice Marrow Essence, and Soul Sand.

Nightshade Petals bloomed only in the deepest shade. Their black petals exuded faint chill. The juice increased penetration, allowing the potion to slip past defenses and strike the soul directly.

Soul-Hungry Vine grew on ancient trees, its roots drawing life from the host. The powder intensified corrosion, delivering sustained damage to the soul.

Nightmare Fruit was rare, its flesh infused with powerful illusionary essence. The juice induced vivid hallucinations, eroding the soul without warning. Some claimed the visions were not illusions but glimpses of a real dream-realm.

Ice Marrow Essence, distilled from the frozen core of polar lands, cooled with terrifying efficiency. Added to the brew, it prolonged the potion’s internal duration and strengthened its effect.

Soul Sand consisted of grains each containing minute soul fragments. Its powder deepened penetration, driving the potion to the very heart of the target’s soul.

Qi Xiao plucked the Nightshade Petals and ground them into juice in a mortar, the process requiring extreme cold to prevent the petals’ chill from dissipating.

He then cut the Soul-Hungry Vine roots and placed them with the flower stems in a grinder, producing a fine powder. The work had to be performed in complete darkness to protect the brew from corrosive vapors.

The original alchemist had clearly believed environment shaped every material. Nightmare Fruit received the same treatment. Qi Xiao sliced it open and pressed it through a special juicer, the entire operation conducted in absolute darkness so the fruit’s hallucinatory properties would not affect him.

Ice Marrow Essence and Severing Grass were mixed in a vat. Although Severing Grass was the primary ingredient, it blended with the marrow essence far more easily than the auxiliaries. The mixture was stirred slowly in an ice chamber to preserve the cooling effect.

Soul Sand was then sprinkled evenly across the surface and gently stirred with a silver rod in total darkness, lest its penetrating power be weakened.

Finally the combined liquids were poured into a crucible and heated with *Flame Art*. Qi Xiao watched the color and viscosity with growing tension. As the mixture bubbled, black smoke rose, thick with an acrid stench and a bone-chilling cold.

He added the Nightshade juice first. It spread like living matter, wrapping the other powders in a sudden burst of heat that threatened to shatter the crucible. The Soul-Hungry Vine and Nightshade stems were sprinkled in next, releasing a ghastly green light. The corrosive power flared violently, and the brew darkened until it seemed to devour light and life itself.

As flames climbed, the liquid inside evaporated and began to solidify into a strange gel. The potion settled into a deep, inky black, viscous as resin, as though death itself had been frozen into a small crucible. At the bottom, nearly solid, it pulsed with faint ripples like a soul struggling in darkness.

When the temperature had fallen to a safe level, Qi Xiao tilted the crucible and poured the black gel into a jade crystal bottle. The crystal was transparent and etched with protective runes, safeguarding the brew from corrosion.

With a specially prepared ink he recorded the name—“Severing Soul Potion”—along with the ingredients and cautions. He did not want an unwitting buyer to be poisoned by his own carelessness. Better to poison the buyer than to damage his own reputation.

The bottle was placed inside a custom safe box lined with temperature- and humidity-regulating runes, ensuring perfect storage conditions.

The final English translation is complete.