Chapter 1124
On the path of magic, the greatest obstacle is the process of transcendence—one step that separates the mundane from the extraordinary.
After pondering for a moment, Dida La suddenly lifted his gaze to Stongge.
"Stongge, among all the Burning Tower mages on the Blazeforge Battlefield, you're the one who understands alchemy best. Since Matthew Merlin's research on Beast God's Blood has already left us in the dust, why keep wasting time on our own experiments?
Who knows how much time we'd waste just figuring out the right direction? Besides, the two mages who specialized in this field have both met rather grim ends.
Why not just approach Matthew Merlin and work with him? He can come up with the theory, but he can't turn it into a finished alchemical product. That's our specialty.
Ultimately, what we want are results—real alchemical breakthroughs. And here on the Blazeforge Battlefield, time isn’t on our side.
Stongge, get moving. We know where Matthew Merlin’s temporary camp is—head out now, and try to catch up to him.
If he ditches that camp and disappears somewhere else, we’ll lose him for good.
This time, the cooperation has to succeed—no matter what. And while you’re at it, see if you can verify whether he’s actually cracked the real theory.
Burning Tower is the strongest faction here, so we’ve hunted the most Mana Crystals from Pseudo Sky Rank Beasts. Once the technique is perfected, Burning Tower will leap ahead—our power will reach a whole new level!
By then, all these losses will just be bumps on the road to success...
With a dramatic wave of his hand, Dida La sent Stongge off as the envoy for this collaboration. After all, when it comes to alchemy, only those who truly understand it can tell real from fake...
Stongge lit up with joy at Dida La’s assignment.
Fantastic. If Lord Dida La is sending me to negotiate with Matthew Merlin, he’s not blaming me for the earlier disaster.
That’s a relief—damn, I was scared out of my mind. According to Burning Tower rules, anyone responsible for a major alchemical accident is in for a world of trouble.
So many people died this time—two Ninth Rank titled magi gone, two other idiots dead outright. Out of the three in charge, I’m the only one left. I thought for sure they’d send me to the front lines, or dump me in a magic mine to dig until I dropped...
Heh, if I can pull off this technical partnership, not only will my mistakes be forgiven, I’ll probably get rewarded. And if we succeed, I’ll be first in line for the results—finally able to transcend and advance to Sky Rank!
Stongge was practically buzzing with excitement as he rushed out of the temporary camp.
He cast Flight, burning mana to travel at full speed. It was only during a quick rest that Stongge suddenly realized something...
Wait a minute, Lord Dida La didn't blame me for my mistake, but instead sent me to negotiate cooperation with Matthew Merlin.
Damn it, Matthew Merlin isn't even one of us at the Burning Tower, not even a citizen of Odin Kingdom...
If I go to him, and he just happily agrees to cooperate, that's impossible...
Right, that's absolutely impossible. Convincing Matthew Merlin to cooperate is the hardest part!
Damn it, how could I forget this? That Matthew Merlin clearly knew there would be trouble, yet he didn't say a word.
He didn't even bother to warn us—just stood by and watched the spectacle. If he'd said something, this mess wouldn't have happened.
Maybe he came here just to watch the Burning Tower make fools of ourselves.
If I just go discuss cooperation with him, he'll think he holds all the cards about Beast God's Blood research. He won't agree easily, nor will he hand it over.
Even if he does offer his research, he'll probably ask for sky-high conditions and demand most of the benefits.
Dilas said it herself—Matthew Merlin is a greedy vampire. Even if she was bad-mouthing him because of personal grudges, she couldn't have made it all up, right?
This time, I not only have to secure cooperation, but also fight for the Burning Tower's best interests. Only then will Lord Dida La see me differently. Maybe, when we succeed, I'll be the first to taste the power of Sky Rank...
I have to come up with a way to make these negotiations go smoothly. If I just approach Matthew Merlin, he'll have all the leverage and set the terms...
I need to seize the initiative—only then can I make him hand over his research on Beast God's Blood.
Not to mention, all our losses this time are because he didn't warn us.
Stongge wore a smug expression, pondering for a long time before finally coming up with a plan. He was brimming with confidence about securing the deal and maximizing the Burning Tower's gains.
Too bad Stongge never considered what would happen if Lin Yun had spoken up before their experiment—told them it would fail.
The outcome wouldn't change at all. They wouldn't believe him—they'd still run the experiment, fail, and maybe even blame Lin Yun for it...
Stongge hurried toward Lin Yun's camp. Luckily, Lin Yun still had things to do and hadn't moved the temporary camp yet.
The camp was set in a canyon, deep and narrow. The farther in you went, the closer the cliffs pressed together, until the deepest part opened into a massive cavern.
After ages of change, the cavern had grown tall and deep, the rock as hard as steel—an ideal place for a camp, making defense much easier.
This cavern used to be the den of a six-headed Unihorn Python, but after Lin Yun led the team to wipe it out, they claimed it as their own.
At the moment, only Lin Yun, Joey, and Heron were inside the cavern. Even the entrance was protected by a formation that concealed their presence.
Joey and Heron were completely puzzled, having no idea why Lin Yun had summoned them.
"Lord Merlin, why did you bring us here? Is something wrong? Here, take these Mana Crystals. You should strengthen yourself as soon as possible so we can face whatever trouble comes next."
Lin Yun hadn't even spoken yet when Heron shoved a bag of Mana Crystals into his hands.
Staring at the bag of Mana Crystals, Lin Yun's expression grew complicated.
Joey looked carefree, not the slightest bit regretful, grinning at Lin Yun.
"Lord Merlin, our hunting didn't yield much, but we managed to gather over eighty Mana Crystals. If we pool a little more, we might barely have enough to exchange for a drop of Beast God's Blood.
Looks like our plan to use Beast God's Blood won't work out, but the temple still has rare materials you can't find anywhere in the Northend World. With your alchemy, you should be able to use those to break through to a Level Nine Titled Archmage soon enough.
You might not make it to Sky Rank, but with your strength, Lord Merlin, as a Level Nine Titled Archmage, you'll be as strong as most Sky Rank powerhouses..."
Lin Yun smiled and accepted the Mana Crystals.
"Alright. I do need more Beast God's Blood for my research, so I'll take these Mana Crystals. But these two potions—I'm giving them to you both."
With that, Lin Yun produced two potion bottles covered in runes. Inside was a thick, golden liquid, as viscous as fine wine.
As the bottles swirled, a subtle yet profound fluctuation rippled out, almost imperceptible.
Joey and Heron thought these were just high-grade potions, but the moment they held them, their expressions changed.
The dense rune seals on the bottles couldn't contain the energy within—its rule fluctuations were as obvious as a black dot on white paper.
Just placing the potion nearby was enough for a Titled Archmage approaching the rules to sense it. Such obvious rule power could prevent most Titled Archmages from being stuck at Level Five.
Level Five Titled Archmage is a huge bottleneck—it's when mages first begin to sense the rules. Most can't cross that threshold.
Now, with a potion that can help a Level Five Titled Archmage break through just by being present, Joey and Heron were stunned—almost dropping the bottles in shock...
"Merlin... Lord Merlin, what is this potion?"
Even Heron, who'd seen his share of wonders, was so stunned by the potion that he stammered.
Lin Yun smiled.
"This is my own creation. I call it the Golden Temptation Potion, though Lord Morgan insists on calling it the Golden Transcendence Potion. I developed it using Beast God's Blood.
There have already been successful cases—Lord Morgan used this very potion to achieve his transcendence.
These two bottles are my latest batch. Now, they're yours.
Lord Heron, you're already at the peak of Level Nine Titled Archmage. Strictly speaking, you've surpassed the rank and just need that final transcendence to break through to Sky Rank. The delay is probably because, as a dark mage, you've spent so long purifying your dark mana...
And Lord Joey, the legends of your feats still circulate in the Kingdom of Andalusia. If you hadn't spent decades helping countless mages avoid pitfalls and verifying a core formula on the magical path, you'd have reached Sky Rank long ago.
For the sake of so many mages, you've wasted decades, yet you're still only a step away from Sky Rank.
From the moment I began my path as a mage, I've deeply admired your character, Lord Joey.
This time, you both risked your lives to hunt Mana Crystals for me. I honestly don't know what to say. These two potions are my gift to you.
I can't face the Blazing Orcs alone. I've set up a formation here—you're safe to complete your final transcendence..."
Lin Yun finished with a smile. Heron and Joey were left speechless.