Chapter 196: Chapter 152: Hereditary Grand Duke
As the sun set in the west, Ron was intently focused on the distillation apparatus in the laboratory on the second floor of the workshop.
With the final drop of clear amber liquid falling into the crystal bottle, he exhaled deeply and carefully sealed the bottle.
"Finally finished," Ron said softly, lifting the bottle to the light for inspection: "Magma Dew, the perfect formula restoration."
The liquid in the bottle displayed a peculiar fluidity under the light, as if tiny flames were dancing within, a testament to its potent activity.
Lilia stood beside him, her face brimming with joy and a sense of achievement: "Teacher, we did it!"
"Indeed, thanks to your help," Ron smiled, his eyes reflecting admiration.
During this period, Lilia’s progress in Magic Potion Making had been beyond imagination.
Her talent in "Diligence Can Make Up for Incompetence" showed astounding potential through persistent effort, especially in her intuitive judgments of magic potion formulas, which greatly assisted Ron.
It was she who proposed a special stabilizer that solved the issue of excess impurities in the Magma Dew.
"Reverse-engineering this formula was much harder than I anticipated."
Ron glanced at the thick volume of experiment records on the table: "The samples Andre brought from the royal family had aged, with most active components degraded."
He flipped open the logbook, pointing to a page with a complex molecular structure diagram:
"The biggest problem lies here—the core active components’ ratio was completely imbalanced, causing unstable reactions in our first three attempts."
Lilia nodded, vividly recalling the second experiment when an unexpected blaze nearly engulfed the entire lab, and Ron had to cast magic promptly to prevent serious consequences.
"But now, we’ve not only restored the formula but also achieved a certain degree of optimization."
Ron said with satisfaction, "Theoretically, this version of Magma Dew should be about twenty percent more potent than the original and also more stable."
He gently shook the bottle, the light spots in the liquid swirling into a peculiar vortex state.
"Next, we need to conduct testing," Ron turned his gaze to Lilia:
"Go inform Ailan and ask her to help prepare the backyard. Tonight, I will conduct the first experiment."
Lilia bowed and left, her face unable to conceal a smile of excitement.
This was her first real involvement in her teacher’s significant research, and the results were outstanding.
The sense of accomplishment far surpassed any praise she’d ever received for her appearance.
Ron once again verified every detail of the formula records.
As a key potion in the Crown Breathing Technique’s Third Stage, the complexity of the Magma Dew’s formula far exceeded his expectations.
The greatest challenges during the restoration process came from three aspects:
First, the samples Andre brought had been stored too long, and the activity had significantly decreased.
He had to employ multiple extractions and concentrations to barely separate enough active components for analysis.
Second, the core component of Magma Dew—Sun Essence—is an extremely rare material, sourced from the heart crystals of special fire-attributed creatures.
Ron had to use his self-replicated Red Blood Flying Dragon Bloodline, extracting its essence as a substitute, a process both energy-consuming and time-intensive.
Lastly, the potion’s stability was a persistent problem.
The original formula clearly accounted for the royal bloodline’s uniqueness, but for others, this composition could result in severe internal burning.
Thanks to Lilia’s inspiration, they added a neutralizing agent from an ice elemental creature to the formula, perfectly solving this issue.
"Theoretically, this improved version of Magma Dew should enhance bloodline activation efficiency by about 30%," Ron mused to himself, while making final notes.
As night fell, the training ground in the backyard was surrounded by an array of protective arrays.
Ron sat cross-legged at the center of the field, with the bottle of Magma Dew, glimmering with a faint light, placed in front of him.
He took a deep breath, removed the stopper, and carefully drank a sip.
At the moment the potion reached his throat, a startling heat flowed through his body like magma.
Every vein seemed to burn, every muscle trembled.
Ron gritted his teeth and began to adjust his breathing rhythm according to the Third Stage requirements of the Crown Breathing Technique.
"Inhale, nine counts; hold, five counts; exhale, seven counts..."
As his breathing deepened, the heat within gradually became orderly from chaotic.
He could distinctly sense the bloodline energy flowing within his body along with the breathing rhythm.
Every passage through an essential acupoint left a trace of warmth.
This was the essence of the Third Stage of the Crown Breathing Technique—"Bloodline Smelting."
By guiding the activated bloodline energy in a specific breathing rhythm, it circulates within the body, gradually transforming and strengthening the physique.
Compared to the Second Stage, the Third Stage focused more on inner transformation rather than external manifestation.
If the Second Stage was about awakening the bloodline, then the Third Stage was about controlling the bloodline, making it completely integrate with oneself as a part of the body.
Ron felt the dragon head core within the Chimera Bloodline becoming unusually active under such cultivation.
The crimson energy surged within his body like a living creature, each surge bringing a minute but definite improvement to his physical qualities.
"Magma Dew is indeed effective," Ron confirmed to himself, while finely perceiving the changes in his body.
Compared to ordinary cultivation, the auxiliary effects of Magma Dew were exceedingly apparent.
The flow of bloodline energy was smoother, and the energy conversion rate was significantly enhanced.
Most importantly, it greatly reduced the discomfort during bloodline activation, allowing him to maintain a high-intensity cultivation state for a longer period.