Translator: AnubisTL
Jieming smiled faintly, then frowned slightly.
"To be honest, I'm not sure how to price this. Do you have any suggestions, Mentor?"
A glint flashed in Mentor Clark's eyes. "The Red Dust Magic Potion... right? What's the production yield?"
Jieming calmly revealed his trump card. "The production of this potion is limited by its raw materials. With my current resources, I can only produce two bottles of this caliber per month."
Two bottles a month...
Clark felt a pang of regret. Such a low yield, while allowing for a higher price per bottle, would restrict the potion's market reach.
Fortunately, its effects were so astonishing that the price could be pushed even higher.
After careful consideration, Clark named an astronomical figure that would bankrupt an ordinary fifth-tier wizard.
Yet, for a sixth-tier wizard like Mentor Clark, this price, though steep, seemed... quite reasonable!
In fact, it could even be considered a bargain!
If it were simply a matter of proportionally refining soul and mental power, the price, while still high, would never have been this exorbitant. After all, the Endless Planes were overflowing with treasures. Many items could elevate a sixth-tier wizard's soul essence to the seventh tier, and even major wizarding factions had established channels for producing such resources. For wizards, pure emotional experiences were merely trivial amusements, worthless trifles.
But when these two elements were combined, the result became a true luxury item. The ability to simultaneously "enjoy" and enhance one's power, coupled with its extremely limited production, meant this product was never intended for ordinary sixth-tier wizards.
"Trust me," Clark said, "and I'll handle the sales of your future potions."
Jieming naturally wouldn't refuse such a favorable offer. He immediately produced three bottles of magic potions and handed them over. "Of course, Mentor. I'd be honored. These are all the potions I've refined recently."
Mentor Clark accepted the three bottles without hesitation, then transferred a massive sum of merit points to Jieming via his magic net terminal.
Jieming stared at the sudden, massive jump in his merit points, a surge of wild joy rising within him.
"I've paid you for three bottles, including the one I just consumed," Mentor Clark said. "But I can't give you money for the remaining one."
"I need to take this magic potion to my mentor as evidence to explain the situation and secure his approval for crafting a seventh-tier large elemental pool for you. It will prove your ability to pay."
"Mentor, thank you..." Jieming felt a wave of gratitude.
His mentor was truly dedicated to helping him with this matter.
Clark waved dismissively, saying nothing more.
After bidding farewell to Mentor Clark, Jieming returned to the Golden Garden.
He gazed at the enormous number of merit points on his magic net terminal, his mind already planning his next steps.
Even with the Red Dust Magic Potion as a high-value commodity, producing only two bottles per month meant it would still take eight or nine years to accumulate enough merit points to purchase a seventh-tier large elemental pool.
The time still passed slowly, but compared to the decades of tedious adamantium manufacturing he had initially estimated, the process of accumulating merit points had become much easier.
Moreover, Jieming had another idea: if he could travel to other planes and gather more Mortal Dust Qi, he could accelerate the accumulation of merit points.
After all, while the Elosia Plane contained vast amounts of Mortal Dust Qi, it was ultimately finite. Furthermore, as the wizards conquered and transformed the plane, the amount of Mortal Dust Qi it could produce would only continue to dwindle.
And in the multiverse, there were undoubtedly countless planes like Elosia that harbored large populations of intelligent life.
Over the next few months, Jieming once again focused most of his attention on research. Since his primary research still revolved around the Divine Power Faith Network, he spent most of his time secluded in the Golden Garden.
Aside from transmitting two bottles of magic potions to his mentor each month, he only occasionally ventured to the Purgatory Sulfur Plane during research breaks to check on the construction team's progress.
After several more months of intense study, Jieming became so absorbed in his work that he even lost track of the passage of time outside.
One day, Jieming suddenly received contact from Amy and Victor.
Their projections appeared before him on the magic net terminal, both faces alight with excitement and tension.
"Jieming! You rascal, hiding in your lab again!" Amy's voice sounded noticeably more composed.
"What's going on? What could make you both contact me at once?" Jieming asked, puzzled.
"We're fully prepared," Victor said, his tone heavy. "After nearly a year of preparation, we've decided to launch the next Planar War."
A whole year!
Jieming's heart skipped a beat.
Only then did he realize how much time had passed while he was lost in his research.
"Are you really rushing into the next Planar War so soon?" Jieming frowned.
After each Planar War, the Noren Workshop granted six months to five years of rest, though the duration could be adjusted freely. In Jieming's opinion, even five years was too short to fully analyze the gains from a plane.
Moreover, Amy and Victor had only rested for a year.
Amy sighed, her eyes filled with obvious envy. "You're so lucky, Jieming. Unlike us, when our research hits a bottleneck, we have to go to the battlefield to find a breakthrough. Is this what it means to be a genius? It's enough to make me jealous."
"It's not quite that simple..." Jieming said with a hint of helplessness.
Victor nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Someone like you is still in a phase of rapid development. How could we not be envious?"
They spoke with genuine sincerity.
The wizard's path is never smooth.
When research stalls and cannot be advanced through meditation or experimentation, many wizards choose to join the battlefield, seeking breakthroughs through life-and-death trials or by acquiring more resources.
In a way, the ability to continue researching without interruption reveals a wizard's aptitude.
Only those with exceptional innate talent and boundless inspiration can remain immersed in the ocean of knowledge, enjoying pure progress.
"We've already taken a longer break than most first-tier wizards. Those in the Combat Department left even sooner... Do you remember Augusta?" Amy suddenly mentioned a name. "They say she rushed back to the battlefield after her shortest-ever break of six months. She couldn't stand staying in the academy any longer."
Jieming nodded, Augusta having left a deep impression on him.
"I remember she had such high innate talent..."
"Only for meditation, though. She's actually quite average on the wizard's path. The Combat Department suits her perfectly," Amy teased with a smile.
The group chatted idly for a while longer, but didn't linger.
For wizards, such matters were commonplace.
"Take care," Jieming said to the two.
"Don't worry, we won't die easily!" Amy patted her chest.
"When you've built your plane, be sure to invite us for a visit," Victor added with a smile.
After bidding them farewell, the projection on the magic net terminal vanished, and Jieming fell back into deep contemplation.
Amy and Victor's words suddenly reminded him of something else.
He had indeed been burying himself in research, rapidly advancing on the path of knowledge.
But for wizards, increasing their power wasn't solely about research.
After a moment's thought, Jieming decided to add a topic on enhancing his combat capabilities to his next research plan.
"Enhancing combat power..." he murmured softly, his gaze drifting toward the rune-imbued magical artifact at the center of the laboratory.
He sat in his high-backed chair, his fingertips gently tapping the edge of the table, his thoughts surging like a tide as he conducted a comprehensive review and evaluation of his combat system.
Normally, for a wizard, the core of their combat power lay in the quantity and quality of witchcraft models constructed within their mental sea.
Each independently constructed witchcraft model was equivalent to granting the wizard an additional innate talent.
The most direct and effective way for a wizard to enhance their combat power was to continuously learn, analyze, and ultimately construct new, more powerful witchcraft models.
The more offensive spells a wizard mastered, the more versatile their methods became, naturally strengthening their ability to handle various situations.
However, Jieming's situation was somewhat unique.
Having acquired the rune-imbued magical artifact, simply increasing the number of offensive witchcraft models seemed somewhat redundant.
Or rather, the benefits were not as high as focusing on other aspects.
Moreover, his mental sea currently housed three entirely support-oriented witchcraft models. Combined with the diverse array of rune-imbued magical artifacts he possessed, he was already well-equipped with means to counter enemies.
Instead of blindly pursuing quantity, it was better to invest his energy in areas with greater breakthrough potential.
After a moment's thought, Jieming's gaze fell upon the metallic disk on the table. It was his recently modified Elemental Storage Runic Artifact.
Given the nature of rune-imbued magical artifacts, there are two main possibilities for an enemy that cannot be killed even after all the stored elemental power is depleted: either they are too fast to hit, or they can't be attacked in the first place.
He dismissed the possibility of facing an enemy far stronger than himself, as such a situation would require focusing solely on survival. The first type of enemy could be countered by reinforcing himself with an Acceleration Rune Artifact. The second type likely involved special circumstances like a magic-nullifying field.
"Hmm?"
At that moment, Jieming suddenly remembered that his Elemental Storage Runic Artifact also creates a magic-nullifying effect during recharging.
"So... to compensate for this weakness, I need to improve my combat capabilities in magic-nullifying conditions. It seems I must strengthen my physical body as a last-ditch measure." Understanding flashed in his eyes.
This wasn't the mainstream wizard's path, but for him, it was an essential supplement.
Regarding the physical strength of wizards, there were actually some misconceptions.
Many mortal legends portray wizards as fragile mages who hide in the back and cast spells, and even some wizards themselves neglect physical improvement during their cultivation.
But this is far from the truth. A wizard's physical constitution is not as frail as commonly imagined.
As wizards absorb elemental power through meditation and strengthen their mental power, their bodies are unconsciously tempered by the elemental forces, gradually growing stronger.
This enhancement is subtle and gradual. While wizards may not possess the explosive muscle and steel-like bones of warriors, their physiques are generally far more robust than those of ordinary mortals, and their resistance to harm is significantly higher.
Moreover, the wizard world is filled with spells that enhance physical prowess. Though these spells may lack the dazzling spectacle of elemental offensive magic, they can produce remarkable effects in specific situations.
Indeed, if necessary, wizards can even undergo surgical modifications to achieve even greater physical strength.
Wizards' understanding of life far surpasses that of ordinary people. They can use alchemy, Bloodline Wizardry, bio-enhancement surgery, and even direct rune carving to physically transform themselves.
Some wizards, in their pursuit of ultimate power, went so far as to disfigure themselves, completely abandoning their mortal forms and transforming into monstrous half-human, half-beast creatures.
This transformation granted them extraordinary physical strength, allowing them to defeat even creatures a tier above their own through sheer brute force.
Yet, despite these methods, most wizards remained indifferent to physical prowess. In fact, many magic potions were designed to harm the body in order to enhance mental power.
This was rooted in the fundamental nature of wizard power. Wizards derived their strength from the exquisite manipulation of every unit of elemental power. Through their understanding of various knowledge, they could leverage minimal effort to unleash ten or even a hundred times the original force of the elements, achieving terrifying destructive potential.
Physical strength operated linearly: the maximum force a body could exert was limited by its inherent capacity, with virtually no room for amplification.
On the other hand, strengthening the body had an advantage over enhancing mental power: physical enhancement faced almost no bottlenecks.
The advancement of mental power and soul is constrained by numerous factors, including innate talent, comprehension, and resources. As one progresses, each step becomes as difficult as climbing Mount Everest.
While physical enhancement also has its limits, it generally allows for continuous improvement as long as sufficient resources and appropriate cultivation methods are available, reaching astonishing levels.
It is a path where "diligence can compensate for lack of talent," and though its upper limit may not rival that of elemental power, it excels in stability and controllability.
Therefore, the wizard world has developed many methods to enhance physical strength as a supplementary approach.
By studying transcendent powers from other planes, wizards have created numerous body-strengthening techniques and specialized cultivation methods unique to their kind.
These techniques often fuse foreign methods of physical tempering, bloodline curses, and even the power of divine remains, forming a distinct wizardly body-refining system.
With this realization, Jieming hesitated no longer. He activated his magic net terminal and began searching the vast knowledge base of the Noren Workshop for relevant techniques.
(End of the Chapter)
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