Chapter 21 Slight Improvement (Seeking Follow-Up Reads)

Richard pressed down on the Black Iron Beast's paw, and the Miracle Furnace within his soul instantly evaluated it.

"Ingredient: Black Iron Beast's Forepaw"

"Extractable material: Pure Black Iron Beast Bloodline"

"Extraction cost: 100 Magic Power"

"Proceed with consumption?"

"Yes."

The Black Iron Beast's forepaw instantaneously appeared in the Miracle Furnace, streams of magic power were absorbed by the furnace, transforming into the driving force for the extraction. In mere seconds, a globule of blood, wrapped in magic power and shining like a ruby, appeared in Richard's hand.

Bloodline Alchemy, as a widely known alchemy among wizards, could merge the bloodlines of other creatures with the alchemist's own bloodline, ultimately granting certain abilities or enhancing one's physique.

In Bloodline Alchemy, the purity of the bloodline was of utmost importance.

If the blood used in Bloodline Alchemy were mixed with the bloodline of another creature, the end result would not be ideal, and could even greatly deviate from the original intent.

Placing the blood into a test tube, Richard took out a bottle of deep black ink from a drawer.

According to the records, in addition to purifying the bloodline, Bloodline Alchemy also required the special ink to draw an Alchemy Array on the heart area. With the power of the Array, Richard's body would convert the bloodline into a Bloodline Seed buried deep within the heart, to be activated when needed.

This was indeed one of the most well-known paths in Bloodline Alchemy — the Bloodline Seed.

The greatest advantage of this path was that it caused minimal physical alteration, and the bloodline was easily interchangeable. However, the downside was that using the bloodline required constant maintenance with magic power.

Apart from this path, Bloodline Alchemy had other routes such as direct transplant of organ glands, transformative paths of mutating one's own organs, and the most popular amongst wizard communities, the direct blending of bloodlines.

The notebook attentively recorded the formula for the ink, but after Richard made some inquiries, he discovered that Bloodline Alchemy ink was now available for direct purchase in stores, and the price was not particularly expensive, just five Magic Stones per bottle.

Upon learning this, Richard could only sigh that the times were advancing, and technology was progressing.

With the conquest of planes, the number of mergeable bloodlines had vastly increased, allowing wizards from various Schools to find bloodlines that were suitable for their own and to engage in Bloodline Alchemy.

The wizard who died during the Wizard Wars could have never imagined in his wildest dreams that the Bloodline Alchemy he researched would become a common technique among the wizard community.

Holding a feather pen, Richard took off his shirt and found a mirror to draw the Array on his chest.

The Alchemy Array needed for Bloodline Alchemy was relatively simple, and Richard finished it in just ten minutes.

After completing the preparations, Richard took a deep breath and lay flat on the bed.

The Alchemy Array lit up with a ghostly blue glow under the influence of Magic Power, and Richard poured the blood from the test tube into the center of the Array. The next second, a sensation like being scorched by a red-hot iron branded his chest, and scalding blood pumped from his heart, coursing through his veins and throughout his body.

"Ugh!"

Richard clenched his teeth hard, striving to remain conscious.

He now needed to ensure a constant supply of Magic Power into the Alchemy Array.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Richard felt the burning sensation in his chest subside.

He relaxed his body, lying on the bed as limp as mud, his clothing completely soaked with sweat.

"This thing is practically torture."

After resting for a while and regaining some strength, Richard got up from the bed, casually stripped off his clothes, and decided to take a bath.

Sssst.

A ripping sound ensued.

Richard looked at his torn trousers, his expression somewhat puzzled.

```

He hadn't exerted much strength at all.

He carefully tugged at his trousers and saw that the previously sturdy fabric tore as easily as paper in his hands.

Richard finally realized what had happened.

His strength had increased.

He carefully removed his trousers to check on his body.

A single punch thrown into the air produced an instant dull thud, and a light hop easily brought his head into contact with the ceiling.

"The notes mentioned that the first phase of Bloodline Alchemy would slightly enhance one's physique..."

Richard turned and lifted the bed behind him; it must have weighed several hundred pounds, yet he felt it was only slightly heavy.

"Is this what the Wizard calls a slight enhancement of physique?"

Richard set down the bed, at a loss for words.

Although he had anticipated that the Wizard's idea of 'slight' might differ from his, the current gap between Wizard and Apprentice seemed to be greater than that between heaven and earth.

Adapting to his new body, Richard began to breathe according to the Breathing Technique outlined in the notes. Each Bloodline Alchemy came with its matching Breathing Technique, which not only temporarily increased combat strength but, most importantly, stimulated the body to awaken the Bloodline.

According to the notes, he should now have a protective layer of Scale Armor.

Inhale—Exhale—Inhale—Exhale...

After breathing rhythmically for a few seconds, Richard felt a scorching hot stream originate at his heart and rapidly spread throughout his body. At the same time, an itchy sensation emerged from all over his body.

Looking down at himself, he saw black scales with a metallic sheen breaking through his skin, looking just like those of a Black Iron Beast.

Richard fetched a Dagger and tentatively prodded his scales. The dagger, which could usually slice through iron like mud, required a significant effort to penetrate his scales.

"Heh, slight protection."

Richard put away the Dagger; even when imbued with Magic Power, it could pierce Plate Armor, but now it took effort to pierce his Scale Armor.

This meant he now wore Armor better than Plate Armor.

Black scales combined with the Wizard Robe's Force Field Barrier—this level of defense was definitely top-tier among the new Apprentices.

"With my current state, I could easily defeat that magic sheep if I faced it head-on."

The black scales undulated like flowing water with the movement of his muscles, casting an eerie charm under the light.

"How beautiful," Richard commented somewhat narcissistically.

However, not long after, a horrifying hunger suddenly surged from within him.

"Damn it, Bloodline Alchemy drained my Magic Power, and now using my Bloodline is consuming my Life Energy."

Richard quickly suppressed his Bloodline; the black scales began to recede from the tips of his limbs until they converged on his chest, forming a black imprint.

Following the retreat of his Bloodline, a wave of weakness immediately overtook him.

Staggering to a table, Richard grabbed a leftover Nutritional Potion from the entrance exam and gulped it down.

One bottle was not enough, then another, and after downing three bottles, the ghastly hunger finally subsided.

Walking into the washroom, Richard looked at his gaunt reflection in the mirror and thought about how his recent weight gain had been for naught.

"This consumption from Bloodline Alchemy is too terrifying. Unless absolutely necessary, it should never be used when Magic Power is depleted," Richard concluded.

After cleaning the blood caused by his emerging scales and changing into fresh clothes, Richard acknowledged that three months had passed—it was time to collect those one hundred Magic Stones.

```