Chapter 462 - 342: 6 Months Later, Changes

「Six months later.」

No. 7 Wisteria Lane, third basement level.

Hundreds of fist-sized Shadow Crystals floated in mid-air, arranged in a regular hexagonal Array.

In the center of the Array, Gaga was curled up into a cocoon of Dark Silver light.

Profound Shadow Energy flowed across the cocoon’s surface, slowly writhing like a liquid night sky.

With every breath it took, the light from the surrounding Crystals flickered.

Ian stood at the edge of the Array, the cuffs of his dark gray Long Robe hanging low, his gaze calm.

It had been two months.

A full two months had passed since Gaga had swallowed the "Shadow Rule Fragment" and entered a deep slumber.

The little guy’s aura grew stronger by the day, going from its initial instability to its current state, as deep as the sea.

Once it completely absorbed the Fragment, it would become a true Ancient Shadow Creature.

’Little guy, you have to succeed...’

Ian muttered to himself, his fingertip lightly touching a Rune on the Array’s edge. The Rune lit up.

After confirming the Array was stable, he turned and walked back to his laboratory bench.

Rows of custom-made Crystal Tubes were arranged on the bench, each containing a viscous, Dark Gold liquid.

Inside the liquid, the faint image of a mountain range drifted up and down.

Beside them was another row of blue Potion Test Tubes. Inside, a mysterious blue luster swirled like Starlight.

This was the Tier Three Bloodline Neutralizing Potion, Water of the Dark Dream.

Six months ago, Ian had used the Ghost Orchid he brought back from the Shadow World. He combined the concepts behind the Limit-Breaking Edition of the Dream Potion and the Moonlight Neutralizer. After seventeen failures, he finally succeeded in creating a Tier Three Neutralizing Potion.

When consumed, it was extremely effective for Awakening a Rule and mitigating the resulting shock.

Ian picked up a vial of Water of the Dark Dream and examined it against the light.

A mysterious blue halo swirled between his fingers, like a solidified Dream Realm.

’My plans for the Potions are more or less complete.’

He put down the Test Tube, his gaze falling upon the Dark Gold Mountain Giant Potion beside it.

The two Potions sat quietly side by side. One was responsible for the violent grafting of a Rule, the other for gently soothing the Soul.

He could take them whenever he wanted, but Ian was in no hurry. He was waiting for Gaga to wake up.

Although the risks of consuming a Tier Three Bloodline Potion had been minimized, it was still a transformation on the level of a Rule, and it was best to have someone standing guard.

After Gaga advanced to Tier Three Extraordinary, its power would increase dramatically.

Especially its mobility and reconnaissance abilities in the Shadow World.

If he took the Mountain Giant Potion then, he would have an extra layer of security even if something unexpected happened.

More importantly... safe transmission.

Ian’s Order Divine Body was composed of three Rules: Gravity, Purification, and Time.

If he added the true bloodline body of a Mountain Giant to that...

’The strength, recovery speed, and environmental adaptability of my Divine Body will all increase significantly.’

This was an important safety measure for Otherworld Transmission.

Although it might not improve his Rule Perception by much.

He already possessed three Rules. The fourth, "Mountain Spirit," was only in its nascent form and would likely have no effect at all.

But Ian didn’t care. Safety was more important than anything.

’One step at a time...’

He muttered to himself as he carefully sealed the two Potions and placed them back in the Constant Temperature Box.

Then he walked to a corner on the other side of the Laboratory, where all sorts of materials were piled up.

Tier Three Earth Monarch Blood Essence, Rock Dragon Heart Core, Earth Vein Flower, Thousand-Year Stone Heart Vine Marrow...

There was also a large amount of Tier Two Magical Beast Essence Blood waiting for Purification.

These were the materials the Justice Clan had gathered for him, using the clan’s entire network.

’To fulfill that Centuries Contract, Elder Darcy really went all out.’

The terms of his contract with Elder Darcy were: within the next hundred years, he was to refine fifty Tier Three Purification Potions and ten Tier Three Bloodline Potions.

Of course, the Justice Clan would provide the materials.

In return, Ian would receive the latter part of the manuscript, which contained the core knowledge of Otherworld Transmission.

And Ian’s method was simple.

He used the materials provided by the clan to mass-produce the Mountain Giant Potion and the Water of the Dark Dream.

Thanks to his terrifying one hundred percent success rate, he managed to skim two-thirds of the materials for himself, saving them for future trades.

A month ago, he had already finished all the Potions required by the contract, and the strange thread in his Sea of Spirit had disappeared.

He still remembered Darcy’s expression at the time.

’Haha! Even that wily old fox gets bested sometimes.’

Fortunately, Darcy didn’t go back on his word and readily handed over all the remaining information.

Ian put away all the leftover materials. He would refine them into Potions when he had time, exchanging them to accumulate more resources.

As for the truly core formulas... he wouldn’t give them to anyone.

The Mountain Giant Potion and the Water of the Dark Dream were both Tier Three Potions he had improved and created himself.

To anyone below a Level Four Morning Star, their value was immeasurable.

Ian sat down cross-legged and held his hands out over a pile of Tier Two Magical Beast Essence Blood.

He activated the Bloodline Purification Technique.

Dark red Energy Threads seeped into the Essence Blood, stripping away impurities and refining the Blood Essence.

His Spiritual Power flowed like mercury as he sensed every subtle change in the Energy.

Time passed slowly in the silence.

The only sounds were the faint hum of flowing Energy and the rhythmic breathing from Gaga’s cocoon.

’Now, I just need to wait for Lucian’s return. Then I can upgrade the Phase Two-Realm Analyzer, and everything will be ready...’

...

「Profound Yellow World. Jiangzhou City Superpower Management Bureau Headquarters.」

In the top-floor office, a bustling city skyline was visible beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Wei Song stood before the window, his dark blue uniform crisp and neat. A silver insignia of an eagle and a flame was pinned to his chest.

Two new, solid gold lines now circled the edge of the insignia—the mark of a Level Four Grandmaster.