As the door clicked softly behind Selene’s exit, Lucas let out a long breath. The moment of silence that followed was dense, his mind cluttered with fragments of emotion and strategy. Whatever bond remained with Selene was strained now, threadbare, delicate. But he couldn’t afford to dwell on it. Not today.
Rising to his feet, he brushed off the thoughts and busied himself preparing the workspace for what truly mattered, his cultivation. He laid out the utensils and containers needed for potion brewing, his focus sharpening with each movement.
Roughly an hour passed before he sensed the familiar, calm rhythm of Lira’s approach. The door opened with a creak, and Lira entered, arms carefully cradling a cloth-wrapped bundle. Her hair was tied into a low braid today, and her face lit up with a soft smile the moment she saw him.
"I got everything on the list," she said, placing the wrapped bundle on the table.
Lucas moved toward her and gently placed a kiss on her forehead, catching her off guard. A light blush warmed her cheeks. "Thank you, Lira. You’re always dependable."
She bowed slightly. "Of course, Young Master. I made sure to show the Alden crest at every stop. No one gave me trouble."
"Good," Lucas said as he unwrapped the bundle, revealing small vials of refined spirit water, jars of dried mystic root, phoenix orchid petals, scaled jade bark, and a few other rare herbs. Everything he’d asked for was there. He gave a nod of approval.
As he began setting up the brew station, he glanced over at Lira. "Stay with me while I do this. I want you to watch closely. These mixtures aren’t just for healing, they’re for stabilizing one’s path in cultivation. You might learn something that’ll help you down the line."
Lira nodded eagerly and took a seat nearby, eyes attentive.
Lucas started with the first potion, a mild balancing tonic meant to harmonize the recently surging energy in his body. The yin he’d absorbed had already been utilized in his advancement, but residual shifts still stirred within his core. He added the spirit water and jade bark into the iron cauldron first, watching the liquid bubble with a subtle green shimmer.
He stirred slowly, carefully maintaining the right temperature using a small rune stone beneath the cauldron. He crushed the mystic root between his fingers, letting the powder fall in like dust. Then the phoenix orchid petals were dropped in, each one fluttering as if resisting the flame.
Soon, the mixture released a soft, glowing steam, a sign it was nearly ready.
Lucas poured a measure into a small cup and downed it in one gulp. A warm rush spread through his veins, smoothing the edges of his fluctuating Qi. He breathed out through his nose, steadying himself, and offered the rest to Lira.
"Here. Drink this. It won’t be too strong for you, but it’ll help stabilize your foundation."
Lira hesitated, surprised. "You made this for me too?"
He raised a brow. "Consider it a reward. And an investment. I need people I can rely on. Strong people."
She accepted the cup with both hands and drank. Her eyes widened at the bitter taste, but she didn’t complain. After a few seconds, a faint glow bloomed beneath her skin and she straightened, as if a small burden had been lifted from her shoulders.
Lucas smiled faintly. "Good. You took it well."
With that done, he turned back to the table. Now came the more serious potion, the one designed to reinforce his Dantian and meridians. With the speed at which he was advancing, his foundation needed to be stronger, or else his own cultivation would consume him from within.
He brought out a separate cauldron, thicker and lined with protective runes.
This time, he reached for a rarer ingredient: the scaled bark of the Jade Serpent Tree. Tough, dense, and rich in fortifying essence. He added it to the base of spirit water and ignited the rune stone once more, adjusting the flame’s heat. The aroma that filled the room was heavier now, earthy and ancient.
As he stirred, he added fragments of dragonbone ash, a compound known for tempering the body’s inner channels, and a few drops of crushed frost lotus sap to balance the burn with a trace of cooling energy.
The concoction hissed, crackling with raw alchemical power. Lucas’s brow furrowed in concentration as he carefully monitored the reaction, pouring just the right amount of stabilizing elixir at intervals.
Minutes passed in silence as Lira watched, captivated.
When the potion turned deep crimson with flecks of silver dancing in its swirl, Lucas knew it was ready.
He poured it into a larger cup, his hands steady despite the heat. He didn’t drink it yet. He could feel the potency of the brew just from holding it.
"This one," he murmured, "will decide whether I stay whole... or risk everything I’ve built so far."
He sat cross-legged on the floor and placed the cup before him. The room went quiet, the air thick with anticipation.
He would drink it soon, but not yet.
For now, he gathered his breath, closed his eyes, and began to prepare his body to accept the power it held.
His breath slowed, deep and intentional, as he began to settle his nerves. The events of the past few days, the duels, the breakthroughs, had left an unseen weight on his shoulders.
He closed his eyes, focusing on the steady beat of his heart.
"Calm your thoughts. Center yourself." He muttered softly.
He inhaled slowly through his nose, held it, then exhaled through his mouth. Again and again, until the tension in his jaw, his neck, his shoulders began to melt away. His thoughts, once scattered, narrowed into a single line of focus, his cultivation.
With his mind calm and his spirit steady, he reached for the potion beside him.
Without hesitation, he took it in one gulp. It burned instantly down his throat like hot iron, the bitterness making his body instinctively recoil.
His stomach churned, and his limbs tensed. But he didn’t move.
Moments later, a dizzy wave hit him. His vision swam, his breathing hitched. The energy from the potion was wild, raw, like a horse unbroken. He fell slightly backwards, but Lira caught him.
His meridians began to thrum softly under the surface of his skin, responding to the refined mixture. The potion worked fast, targeting the overworked energy channels, clearing blockages, and reinforcing weak links that had been stressed by his rapid advancement. His Dantian pulsed gently in his lower core, gradually expanding and stabilizing, like a lake being smoothed after a storm.
There was a sharp pain in his abdomen, not unbearable, but enough to remind him of how far he was pushing himself. Lucas didn’t flinch. He welcomed the pain. Growth was never without cost.
Lira kept watching him, she didn’t speak, but the worry in her eyes said enough.
"Thank you," Lucas murmured with a faint smile before shutting his eyes again and diving deeper into his inner world. He didn’t want to lose the moment.
Meanwhile, the potion settled deeper, reaching the very core of his cultivation, the inner vortex where spiritual essence gathered. His body tensed as the energy swirled, then slowly started syncing with his own rhythm. The bitter aftertaste of the brew still clung to his tongue, but it no longer mattered. This was what he needed.
A little later, the door creaked open.
Cassian and Garrett returned, loud and laughing as usual. They were mid-conversation, clearly having just returned from another one of their social escapades. But they paused the moment they saw Lucas.
"Yo—" Garrett started, but Lira quickly raised a hand, silencing him.
"Shh. He’s in deep cultivation. Don’t make a sound," she said, barely above a whisper.
Both roommates blinked, then nodded sheepishly. They tiptoed to their side of the room and muttered something under their breath, glancing at the bubbling remains of Lucas’s alchemical setup. They didn’t know what he’d brewed, just that it smelled intense and looked serious.
Cassian leaned closer to Garrett. "He’s always on another level, man..."
Lira, still seated with quiet poise, didn’t take her eyes off Lucas. She could feel the pressure around him, like standing near a forge. Whatever was happening inside him now, it wasn’t ordinary.
Lucas remained unmoved, deep within the storm of energy and growth. This was one of the few prices of power, and he was willing to pay every coin.