Chapter Twenty-Five: The Filigree Bracelet

After melting the two metals, crystal silver and azure iron, and blending them into a liquid, he added shredded mithril and fluorescent particles. The alchemical vessel seemed to pulse with a mysterious power. As the incantations for shaping and solidifying ceased, the metal liquid began to slowly harden, gathering into the nascent form of a bracelet.

Qi Xiao carefully manipulated the airflow, lifting the piece and placing it gently onto the workbench. He then picked up a finely crafted carving knife and began to engrave intricate patterns. The motifs were hollowed engravings, both complex and exquisite, yet Qi Xiao appeared confident. His carving knife danced across the bracelet as if he were creating a work of art.

As time passed, the hollowed floral patterns gradually emerged on the bracelet, winding and straight, sparse and dense, forming delicate and magnificent designs. These patterns seemed to contain a mysterious power, captivating all who beheld them.

After several hours of meticulous carving, Qi Xiao finally completed the main body of the bracelet’s ornate exterior. It gleamed with a blue-silver radiance, the patterns refined and three-dimensional. Even without the magical runes, its appearance alone would be enough to entice any art-loving wizard to collect it.

Yet, to awaken its true power, the engraving of magical runes was still required.

Qi Xiao placed three gemstones on the table, preparing to craft the bracelet with techniques from two distinct rune schools. He set Iceheart Stone as the core, with Lotus Crystal and Rainbow Stone as auxiliaries. The three gems were set into their prearranged positions, blending seamlessly; though each shone a different hue, there was no conflict—only harmony.

He placed the semi-finished bracelet back on the table, gently covering it with a white cloth, before returning to his room to meditate, preparing to reach his optimal state before engraving the runes.

After all, once the magical runes were begun, there could be no pause; he needed to ensure his magical energy and mental strength were at their peak as he started.

After meditating for two hours, Qi Xiao took up his most trusted carving knife and returned to the alchemical lab. Consulting the blueprint and his own repertoire of rune pools, he prepared to engrave two complete magical runes upon the bracelet.

The first rune would activate the power of the three gems and the blue iron alloy itself, granting the wearer effects such as "calmness," "focus," "illusion-breaking," and "concentration." The extraordinary properties of the alchemical materials he had added during crafting also aligned with these tranquil effects.

Qi Xiao concentrated fully, each stroke requiring immense skill and patience. Any slip could mean disaster, perhaps even destroying the bracelet itself. Fortunately, his alchemical foundation was deep and his hands steady; even at a snail’s pace, after several hours his hands did not tremble.

As the patterns grew clearer, the gems linked by the runes began to emit a faint glow, adding a touch of mystery to the atmosphere. With the final stroke, the entire bracelet seemed to awaken, radiating a dazzling blue-pink brilliance before swiftly receding, vanishing completely like the fleeting bloom of a night flower—mesmerizing.

He gently set the bracelet down, his hands trembling uncontrollably. After the tremor subsided somewhat, Qi Xiao immersed his hands in a prepared soothing solution, savoring the tingling sensation as though he had stepped into paradise.

Once the aching in his right hand eased, Qi Xiao, too tired to return to his room, sat cross-legged and meditated right where he was. Perhaps because he had drained his magic so rapidly, his body's potential was triggered, and his recovery accelerated his absorption of magical energy.

Feeling the magic within him gradually replenishing, Qi Xiao sensed that, if he continued to cultivate so methodically, in a month at most he would break through to become an intermediate wizard apprentice. This was not only due to the system’s feedback of magical energy; perhaps because he had lived two lifetimes, his mental strength was astonishingly high—having surpassed the threshold of twenty points to reach twenty-three. Compared to a normal wizard with a mental strength of ten, Qi Xiao absorbed magical energy at roughly 1.8 times the rate.

While this would be the envy of most wizard apprentices, formal wizards valued Qi Xiao’s alchemical talent far more; mental strength was a mere bonus, helping him improve his power with less wasted time on cultivation. But beyond that, it served little extra purpose.

After all, a wizard’s path is highly subjective, placing greater importance on insight and the resolve to pursue truth. There were many wizards with extraordinary mental talent who, despite advancing smoothly to senior apprentice, spent a lifetime stuck, unable to make further progress.

The Silver Moon Alliance had conducted a census once, which showed that among formal wizards, those with mental strength between ten and fifteen and those between twenty and twenty-five were not very different in proportion; the mid-range was even more common.

There were few cultivation methods to increase mental strength, but many potions existed. These were sought after by mortals whose mental strength had not reached ten, offering them a chance to step into the extraordinary. Yet even among wizards, such potions were exceedingly rare. Only alchemical masters in potion-making could produce those that could be safely consumed without adverse reactions.

Thus, their value was so high that they could appear as the grand finale at a platinum-tier auction—after all, a wizard’s offspring were not guaranteed to inherit wizardly aptitude.

Qi Xiao remembered that, in the film, after a legendary culinary wizard’s ascension, dietary recipes that enhanced the unborn child’s aptitude were spread, alleviating this issue considerably. Culinary wizards were always skilled at these gradual enhancements, but before the legendary chef’s rise, this type was so obscure that many didn’t even know what a culinary wizard was, or had never heard the term.

Qi Xiao himself was interested in this category, though even the film’s protagonist never encountered a culinary wizard; the legendary chef was only spoken of by others.

As his magical energy was fully restored, Qi Xiao slowly opened his brown-black eyes. Glancing at the time—ten thirty, just approaching lunch—he rose to eat. As long as he finished before three o’clock Saturday afternoon, he had more than a day left, enough to complete the final rune.

Upon entering the dining hall and waiting for his meal, an unexpected guest arrived.

"Teacher!"

Qi Xiao immediately stood to salute. Midiel warmly bade him to sit, then took the seat opposite him.