Time flew.
In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed since the end of the trial.
The turmoil caused by the trial gradually dissipated, and the academy returned to its usual busy atmosphere where everyone hurried about.
After taking Morven as his mentor, Pierce decisively canceled his daily task of tending the herb garden.
By now, he no longer cared for the meager remuneration from that task. And with the relationship of "personal disciple," he no longer needed to rely on tasks to maintain contact with Yuna.
Freed from the shackles of miscellaneous chores, he devoted more time and energy to meditation, cultivating breathing techniques, and refining potions.
With the assistance of the Omniscient Eye, the analysis of the Dragonblood Potion recipe was completed in just 3 days.
Subsequently, Pierce did not hesitate to spend all the contribution points and gold coins he had on hand, using the internal authority granted by Morven to exchange for a full 120 portions of Dragonblood Potion raw materials from Herb Garden No. 8 at a 20\% discount.
...
Experiment Zone, Potion Brewing Room No. 3.
As the boiling dark red liquid in the beaker gradually calmed down, a pungent, spicy smell mixed with a strange rusty scent gradually filled the room.
Wearing dragon-skin gloves, Pierce reached out directly to pick up the scalding beaker and shook it gently. The blood-red liquid wobbled slightly like jelly, shining with an intoxicating deep luster under the cold light of the magic stone lamp.
"Done!"
Pierce nodded with satisfaction.
Pure color, perfect viscosity. This was a standard High-Quality Dragonblood Potion.
Eee!
Ini flew over holding a cleaned test tube, her small face full of anticipation.
Pierce smiled and took the test tube, skillfully poured the liquid into it, plugged it with a cork, and then put it into his Dimensional Pouch.
With this, the last portion of material was consumed.
Seven days of sleepless work, 120 portions of materials, exchanged for a total of 65 bottles of finished Dragonblood Potions.
"The official selling price of a bottle of Dragonblood Potion in the Logistics Department is 500 contribution points. The market price of a portion of raw materials is about 100 contribution points. Calculated based on the normal 30\% success rate, the cost of a bottle of potion is about 334 points, with a profit margin of nearly 50\%."
"This is already profiteering."
"But for me..."
"I buy a portion of material for only 80 contribution points. And under the precise control of the Omniscient Eye, my refining success rate is stable at over 54\%. Calculated down, the cost per bottle is less than 150 contribution points, and the profit margin exceeds 200\%!"
Looking at the neat rows of crimson test tubes in the Dimensional Pouch, an uncontrollable joy appeared on Pierce's face.
This was just the beginning. As his refining skills became more proficient, the success rate would further improve, and the profit would naturally rise with the tide.
If refining potions was a profiteering industry, then the combination of Omniscient Eye plus Alchemy was profiteering among profiteering—simply robbing money!
Of these 65 bottles of potions, more than one-third were of medium-to-high quality, and there were even 2 bottles of Perfect Quality.
Adhering to the principle of "using good things for oneself," those two bottles of Perfect Quality Dragonblood Potions had already been unhesitatingly consumed by Pierce.
Thanks to this, the long-stagnant Azure Breath successfully broke through to the 6th layer, only one step away from the Grand Knight realm of the 7th layer.
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And his Physique attribute also skyrocketed to a terrifying 31.62.
In terms of physical strength alone, he was already a genuine Grand Knight! What was lacking was only the condensation of Battle Qi, and high-level techniques such as projecting Battle Qi outward.
The drug resistance of Dragonblood Potion is strong; I can take at most two more bottles before reaching the limit. However, this is enough for me to push the Azure Breath to the 7th layer.
Pierce calculated and decided to keep two bottles of High-Quality potions for reserve, and sell the remaining 61 bottles in the black market.
At current market prices, this batch of goods could be exchanged for about 30000 gold coins.
This money was enough for him to buy the next batch of potion materials and cover the expenses for the next month.
Yes, just one month.
Now, Mistfeather, the gold-swallowing beast, had to devour a high-energy magic stone every day, costing 15000 gold coins a month just for food. Plus Ini's demand for high-purity nectar, the fixed monthly expenses exceeded 20000 gold coins.
Terrifying!
Only a freak like Pierce with "money-printing ability" could sustain this; if it were any other apprentice with an ordinary background, they would have long gone bankrupt and become a regular at the pawnshop.
Eee!
Ini suddenly flew in front of Pierce, pointing at herself and puffing out her small chest triumphantly, with a "praise me quickly" expression.
Pierce shook his head with a chuckle, reaching out to tap her head gently:
I know, great contributor. You also have a share of credit for finishing this batch of potions so quickly.
As he spoke, he took out a bottle of freshly prepared Myriad-Bloom Nectar from the Dimensional Pouch and handed it to the little guy as a reward.
During these days of refining potions, Ini had helped a lot—cleaning test tubes, sorting medicinal herbs, controlling the heat—she did better than any human assistant.
It had to be said that Fey were indeed born spellcaster assistants. Their IQ, not inferior to humans, allowed them to learn extremely fast, picking things up without much explanation. This point was a hundred times better than those clumsy Gnomes and Goblins.
In addition to serving as an experimental assistant, Ini's main job was not left behind.
These days, Pierce had accumulated more than 3000 milliliters of Myriad-Bloom Nectar. He had already asked members of the Astra Society to help contact buyers. Once all sold, it would fetch at least more than 30 magic stones, equivalent to Mistfeather's rations for more than a month.
After Ini finished the nectar and crawled back into the hood contentedly to nap, Pierce cleaned up the laboratory and turned to leave.
According to the standards of the Alchemy Association, as long as one could successfully refine any Rank 1 potion and maintain a success rate of over 30\%, one was qualified to be called a Rank 1 Alchemist.
In other words, Pierce, who had been in contact with potion-making for less than two months, was now a genuine Rank 1 Alchemist.
Of course, he was not prepared to reveal this identity immediately.
This promotion speed was too shocking. For the sake of safety, he planned to hide it for a while longer and announce it slowly after the limelight passed.
Therefore, this batch of Dragonblood Potions could only be sold through the gray channel of the black market.
While thinking, Pierce passed the Mission Area.
He suddenly noticed that many apprentices were passing him in a hurry. Judging by the direction, their destination seemed to be the Mission Plaza.
Curious, Pierce grabbed a passing apprentice.
Excuse me, what happened?
The apprentice was suddenly grabbed and was about to curse impatiently. But when he turned his head and saw that the person pulling him was the famous "No. 1 of the Trial," his face instantly turned from cloudy to sunny, and he explained with a smile:
It is Lord Pierce!
The academy just suddenly released an emergency mission—Crusade against Heretics. There is no grade limit; as long as you are a Rank 3 apprentice, you can participate. I heard the rewards are very generous, so everyone is rushing to sign up and watch the fun.
Crusade against Heretics?
Pierce was slightly stunned, then realized. He thanked the apprentice, glanced at the bustling Mission Plaza, shrugged, and turned to leave.
Normally, he might have some interest in a mission that could earn points and provide actual combat experience.
But right now...
His whole mind was on the upcoming New Meditation Technique and the legendary Realm of Truth. He really couldn't spare energy for other trivial matters.
...
Back at the apartment.
As soon as he stepped into the house, Pierce suddenly felt something in his heart, and a crisp prompt sound came from deep in his brain.
Ding!
【Analysis Complete.】
A look of ecstasy instantly appeared on Pierce's face.
Finally done!
After more than a month, the New Meditation Technique, which integrated the essence of dozens of meditation techniques and had been deduced hundreds of millions of times by the Omniscient Eye, was finally created.
Pierce hurriedly went to the bedroom and sat down cross-legged, closing his eyes to comprehend the massive and profound flow of information that suddenly appeared in his mind.
More than ten minutes later.
He slowly opened his eyes, and deep in his pupils, stars seemed to be born and dying.
Perfect.
The new meditation technique not only pushed the limit of Will Runes to a terrifying 32, but its meditation efficiency also far surpassed the basic methods commonly used in the academy.
Pierce roughly estimated that the efficiency of the new meditation technique was at least 1.5 times that of the general meditation technique!
This meant not only faster spiritual power recovery speed but also that when breaking through bottlenecks, he possessed a deeper foundation and stronger impact than others.
The reason geniuses like Gwendolyn and Ingram could be far ahead was the high-level meditation techniques inherited from their families. And now, what Pierce held in his hand was a key sharper than theirs.
From now on...
The corners of Pierce's mouth curled up slightly as he whispered the name for this cultivation method unique to him:
Let's call it Omniscient Meditation.
