NOVEL NEXT Chapter 191: Progress
Perhaps, there wasn't anyone expecting Van to win the duel, so it took quite some time for them to realize the result of the match.
Soon, a slow clap began from the sidelines. A few older servants exchanged stunned looks. Then, someone let out a cheer.
"He won! He actually won!"
"Did you see how he struck? Like a needle—clean, efficient!"
"Rogar didn't stand a chance once the rhythm shifted!"
But Van said nothing.
He stood in the center of the arena as he calmed his adrenaline. His body was bruised, but he stood upright. The attacks from a Second-Level Aura user were no joke.
If he had just advanced or if he hadn't consumed that Strong Heart Pill, he would be in a terrible condition even if he won.
Indeed… He knew that he could still win even without the pill but in a very bad condition. After all, he hadn't used his Mind Sword and Dawn's Crescent Reversal during this duel.
If he exploited these Aura Techniques, he believed that he would still be able to win because of how slow Rogar was.
Anyway, Van's fingers still tingled with Aura. His mind was calm, but something inside him stirred. The Strong Heart Pill had awakened something more within him… and in this battle, he had begun to shape it.
'Is this the side effect of the pill?' Van mused.
***
In the meantime, at the edge of the arena, a cloaked instructor who had been quietly observing narrowed his eyes.
"That boy… he knew the location of the vital points… Is it Farrell's teachings? They really knew how to handle Slaves." The instructor murmured to himself.
However, he also considered that Farrell had nothing to do with it. However, if that was the case, Van might actually be a genius or…
"He's a medical practitioner before…" He said softly.
Soon, everyone saw Rogar groan and slowly push himself off the ground. His eyes were dazed.
"You… brat…" He muttered hoarsely, "You don't… fight like a beginner…"
He still couldn't believe that he was defeated by a First-Level Aura User. It was something he had never imagined. Although he had already fought several duels before Van, he knew his capability, and supposedly, he could still fight in three or four matches.
Van smiled, seeing Rogar's face… He then walked up and offered a hand.
Rogar stared at it for a long moment… then accepted it.
The crowd watched silently as they didn't expect that Van and Rogar would still respect each other after all those taunts.
Rogar could only accept his defeat and nodded once.
"You've got something, kid," he said. "If you don't die young… you'll be terrifying."
Van gave a faint smile. "Thanks. But I'm not planning on dying anytime soon."
And with that, the battle ended.
Van stepped out of the arena, not just as a victorious underdog, but as a name that would be the subject of conversation among the servants for several days within the Tower.
The boy who struck down Gray Aura User with a strange palm and finger technique.
***
Seven days passed swiftly within the towering walls of the Servant Quarter.
While most of the other slaves took these rare peaceful days to rest or tend to their minor duties, Van buried himself in preparation. He no longer visited the duel where everyone wanted to have the glory of defeating him.
Thankfully, after not going there for a few days, the victory in the arena brought whispers and glances but was now bearable.
After all, he was still a slave. They would soon lose interest.
Right now, Van wasn't chasing recognition. He was chasing advancement.
At this time, in the small corner of the servant quarters he called his own, a makeshift table held torn scrolls, scribbled notes, and stacks of borrowed books.
Every night, the candlelight illuminated diagrams of the human meridian system, aura circuit models, and herbal compendiums—most of them acquired thanks to Julia.
As a registered Apprentice Mage and daughter of the Tower Master, Julia was allowed access to the Grand Tower Library's lower-tier vaults. Of course, she didn't know what Van was truly after.
To her, he was just a resourceful servant who followed instructions well and showed enough obedience to be useful.
She'd roll her eyes whenever Van politely handed her a request.
"You better not be wasting my borrowing quota, Van. Some of these books are limited in access."
"I'll return them in perfect condition, I promise," He'd reply, bowing slightly as required by status.
Of course, Julia didn't really mind at all. She had a lot of academic points and she could even give hundreds of books to Van if he ever wanted. Furthermore, the more he became knowledgeable about various subjects, it would be more beneficial for her.
This was why she didn't mind spending money on Van's studies.
Lastly, Van never asked for anything too suspicious. They were just books on alchemy foundations, Aura medicine, spiral energy theory, internal cultivation maps, and the rare flora of the western marshlands.
To Julia, it looked like idle curiosity or perhaps misguided ambition.
But Van had a purpose. It was because he wanted to go through with the third option.
[ Option 3: Condensation of the Spiral Core – Aura Advancement Pill
Risk Level: High
Effect Duration: Permanent advancement catalyst
Main Outcome: Rapid enhancement of Aura density, increases the success rate of Level 3 breakthrough. ]
Van wanted to create the Aura Advancement Pill using the knowledge that his Lens found regarding the Condensation of the Spiral Core.
"Whew~ This is not going to be easy…" Van muttered as he continued his research. He wanted to know more about this Condensation and had to look for more books to increase his success rate.
The Condensation of the Spiral Core was considered a forbidden or lost method by some. Most alchemists didn't even know of its existence, let alone its requirements.
But Van had discovered the formula hidden in a commentary footnote within "Transitional Energies and the Breaching of Aura Realms, Volume III."
He had only found it thanks to his Ocularis Lens, which marked hidden annotations others had overlooked.
He had already acquired the Spiritual Kiss Flower, the main component and rare catalyst known for its ability to guide the spiral flow of circulating Aura into a condensed state.
But that was only one part of the puzzle.
The complete formulation required at least five supplementary ingredients, each with a unique elemental resonance or body interaction function.
These weren't strictly listed in the formula, but instead, described vaguely through metaphors and cultivation analogies:
"A leaf that dances upon the flame of rebirth."
"The bone of that which howls beneath the cloudy night."
"Ash drawn from where lightning and rain kissed the earth."
"A gem that pulses with internal tides."
"The breath of a beast that walks between life and death."
Van wryly smiled after seeing these clues…
It would've been much easier if I just knew the names of the items.
Still, when the recipe was made, the names of the herbs or ingredients were probably still unknown at that time.
If that was the case, it was no wonder that they were only described instead of named.
Anyway, with his constant research and his Ocularis Lens' assistance, he guessed that the "leaf" referred to Rainbow Peasant Leaf, a fire-aspected plant known to grow near old battlefield ruins scorched by flame magic.
On the other hand, The "bone" might be Lunar Howler Fang, a rare Magic Beast part. The Lunar Howler was mostly traded for its fangs for ancient alchemy.
As for the others, he still had only rough theories—but he had marked three possible candidates for each line and was cross-referencing those in secret.
"Haa~ I have to check them all out. This is not going to be easy." Van muttered.
After all, he didn't have enough Spiritual Kiss Flowers to experiment. If he failed, it would be a disaster.
This was why he had to ensure that his ingredients were all correct before attempting the alchemy.
Anyway, as days continued, Van was getting closer and closer…
During his short breaks, Van would explore the less-patrolled parts of the inner garden, especially near the old alchemist's dumping well, where failed concoctions, herbs, and expired potions were discarded.
To normal eyes, it was all waste materials. They shouldn't have any value at all.
But with the Ocularis Lens, Van could identify residual aura imprints on even decayed ingredients. He managed to collect several degraded herb samples—like Ashroot, Storm Vine Fibers, and what could possibly be Molten Bark Fragments.
He cataloged them one by one.
At night, using only a single wick candle and a tiny set of crude tools hidden inside a broken cupboard, Van would run purification experiments.
He heated ingredients with a basic plate burner, performed crush-and-steep cycles, and compared spiritual signatures with the assistance of his Ocularis Lens…
Most experiments failed. Some gave him nausea. One exploded.
But failure meant progress.