Chapter 448

Chapter 448: On-Site Brewing

Of course, Midi hadn’t truly mastered the legendary "Black Dragon fire."

According to the Eighth Apostle Rot, the flame in his palm could barely qualify—even theoretically—as the most basic tier of "Dragon Breath Fire."

Compared to genuine Black Dragon fire, the gap spanned thousands of miles.

But this judgment followed the standards of supreme experts.

In the Shaded Realm, Midi’s Dragon Breath Fire already held power to amaze any alchemist.

He’d previously used "palm fire" in the Wolfspider tribe, though that version evolved directly from Golden-Red Sword Lights—a crude alchemy shortcut.

The sword-born flame’s sole merit lay in its internal origin, allowing easy control for last-minute learners like Midi.

Yet it remained fundamentally an attack skill, not true alchemical fire, riddled with flaws.

Now, his palm fire transformed utterly.

Through relentless alchemy—culminating in brewing the challenging Dragon Breath Potion—Midi’s understanding far surpassed his blood coagulation potion days.

The Horn King Greatsword’s frenzied Dragon Power, the Wolfspider tribe’s hidden Black Dragon monument, bonfire gathering battles against true experts…

Each experience refined the ancient dragon blood within him.

Risen’s "blood flame" manifestation of Dragon Power further inspired him.

Now, synthesizing all insights, Midi finally conjured this flame bearing the Black Dragon’s aura.

Dragon Breath Fire.

Pure and adjustable in temperature and size at will. Its rare Dragon Breath attribute could elevate any potion’s quality—a flame to ignite envy in even the proudest alchemist.

The Death Scorpion alchemist, moments ago seeking escape, now stood rooted.

What might this fire produce when brewing a Volcano Potion?

No answer existed… which fueled anticipation.

"Master," Veyna coaxed sweetly, "might you evaluate the final product?"

"Agreed. I’ll handle it." The alchemist nodded, gaze locked on Midi’s flame, ignoring the Black Dragon High Priest entirely.

Veyna blinked. She’d anticipated the sly old man fleeing this messy dispute, prepared contingency Plans to corner him.

Yet he’d accepted readily.

Did the human boy possess hidden depths?

She studied Midi intently—a act worsening Kanis’ simmering fury.

Hawke observed silently from the shadows.

For a moment, the entire alchemy laboratory fell into complete silence as everyone became lost in their own thoughts.

At the center of the laboratory, Midi remained unaffected by the tense atmosphere. The moment Dragon Breath Fire ignited in his palm, he devoted his full attention to brewing the Volcano Potion.

The Death Scorpion family’s alchemical tools were stored in specialized conditions, ready for immediate use without preparation—allowing him to skip the first step entirely.

Yet after retrieving the crucible, test tubes, and flasks, Midi bypassed even the second step.

He casually dropped the valuable Lava Flower into the crucible and began heating it.

This drew a scornful snort from the observing female alchemist.

Kanis noticed her reaction and asked, "Did that human skip steps?"

The female alchemist nodded sharply, brows furrowed. "You’re correct, Mr. Kanis. That fool skipped material preparation—the most basic step. At this point, the Volcano Potion is doomed to fail."

However, while his subordinates criticized Midi freely, the master alchemist’s behavior proved unexpected.

He stayed silent.

"Master," Veyna interjected, glancing at the crucible, "if the foundation is flawed, shouldn’t we stop this wasteful process?"

Where the female alchemist had pointed out errors, Veyna’s question aimed to end the contest outright.

Hawke’s face darkened while Kanis smirked in triumph.

"Perhaps… we should observe further," the master alchemist stammered unexpectedly. "Surface alchemy might differ from Shaded Realm techniques. We should see this through."

The laboratory’s atmosphere shifted instantly.

Since when had the Death Scorpion’s alchemist become so humble and open-minded?

Hawke’s expression softened slightly while Kanis frowned. The female alchemist stared at her superior in disbelief.

Her assessment had been flawless!

This wasn’t some surface-versus-underground difference—it was a fundamental error! Why was her master hesitating?

Veyna simply smiled, as if she’d anticipated this response.

*This boy might be more interesting than I thought.*

The Black Dragon High Priest’s mind buzzed with possibility.

While observers schemed and exchanged suspicious glances, Midi had already pushed his mind-related ability—environmental awareness—to its limits.

Every microscopic change within the Lava Flower became visible to him. Impurities, rare elements—nothing escaped his perception.

As a trained alchemist, Midi hadn’t forgotten material preparation.

He’d simply merged it with the heating process—an advanced technique requiring perfect fire control and material understanding. Few masters could achieve this.

His environmental awareness made this fusion possible.

Though complicating the process, this method preserved rare elements usually lost during preparation and cooling.

The Volcano Potion would succeed regardless—but with these elements, it would become extraordinary.

Gently rotating the Dragon Breath Fire in his hand, Midi heated the Lava Flower while carefully removing impurities and preserving rare elements. When the thousand-degree-resistant Lava Flower finally melted into pale golden liquid under the flames, he promptly added the fire lizard’s heart. Unnoticed by observers, the alchemy process had shifted from heating to formation.

Since the fire lizard’s heart remained unprocessed, material preparation continued even at this stage. Despite juggling extra raw materials, monitoring the fusion between Lava Flower solution and heart tissue, and purifying the organ simultaneously, Midi’s movements never faltered. His flawless execution resembled someone who’d repeated this process a thousand times.

Even the skeptical female alchemist who’d predicted Midi’s failure, along with alchemy novices Veyna, Hawke, and Kanis, began sensing something extraordinary. They’d witnessed alchemists at work before – practitioners who nervously adjusted flames every few seconds, constantly checking materials to avoid failures. But Midi’s palm fire danced effortlessly while he eyeballed crucible contents, instinctively applying perfect heat timing and temperature control without measurements.

This surpassed ordinary mastery. Creating hundreds of basic potions like blood coagulation or magic potions might be feasible, but not even Death Scorpion could supply enough materials for thousands of Volcano Potion attempts. Midi’s success was now inevitable.

"It’s happening!" the alchemist master whispered urgently as Midi incorporated the final ingredient – Magical Smoke. This component determined the Volcano Potion’s signature lack of side effects, notorious for causing even experts to fail during fusion with other materials. The Death Scorpion’s master watched intently – how would this Dragon Breath Fire wielder handle the critical juncture?

Midi answered with action. His Dragon Breath Fire erupted violently, unleashing unfiltered draconic pressure that reverberated through the air like an ancient dragon’s awakening roar.