chapter 35 Refined beauty serum

Six days had passed in the blink of an eye. During these days, Ethan Sigeweard had been immersed in the refining of the beauty elixir. However, the process of refining the elixir had completely exceeded his imagination. Now, only the last of the ten Star Spirit Grasses remained. "If I don't succeed this time, then I'll have to give up," Ethan mused. He then continued to busy himself, refining all the spiritual herbs into liquid form and carefully controlling the heat. Strange odors filled the room, but he was already adept at the earlier steps. However, the final process of liquefaction posed a challenge for him. How to control the proportion of Star Spirit Grass was a puzzle. Although the ancient recipe mentioned Star Spirit Grass, it didn't specify the quantity. As Ethan looked at the small amount of liquid left in the black iron pot, he took a deep breath and decided, "Since there's only one left, I might as well use it all." With that thought, he directly tossed the Star Spirit Grass into the black iron pot. If other alchemists saw him using a black iron pot for alchemy, they would probably burst into laughter. "You scoundrel, hurry up! Today is the admissions day for the two major academies," came the voice of the Little Witch from outside the door. "Time flies," Ethan muttered, ignoring the interruption and focusing entirely on the alchemy process. This was his last attempt to refine the beauty elixir. If he failed again, the over two thousand low-grade soul stones would go to waste. "Be a man. I won't use you as a shield in the future, okay?" The Little Witch softened her tone, noticing Ethan's silence. She thought he might be genuinely angry after staying home for the past few days. Regardless of her attempts to engage him, Ethan remained silent, captivated by the situation in the black iron pot. The moment the Star Spirit Grass touched the liquid, the black substance suddenly emitted faint starlight, reminiscent of stars in the night sky — bright and dazzling. Soon after, a fragrant aroma filled the air, bringing a sense of relaxation with just one whiff. However, the starlight disappeared as quickly as it appeared, and the liquid turned into a white, transparent substance. "Did it fail?" Ethan furrowed his brow. The liquid looked the same as before, but the unusual phenomenon left him intrigued. "No, this is different," Ethan's eyes lit up. He noticed many white specks flickering in the liquid, as if they were about to vanish at any moment. At that moment, the Ghost Battle Soul in Ethan's Dantian emitted faint light, a rare occurrence. Without hesitation, he summoned the Ghost Battle Soul. Instantly, the surrounding spiritual energy surged, transforming into a majestic soul power and infused into the elixir. Buzz... The elixir emitted endless rays of light, filling the room with dazzling brilliance. "Ethan, you're still..." The Little Witch kicked the door open, intending to scold him. But before she could finish, the strong medicinal scent overwhelmed her. Next, her gaze was fixed on the black iron pot in front of Ethan, where a sea of stars seemed to be shining brightly. Without hesitation, Ethan divided the crystalline liquid into three parts and stored them in jade bottles. His movements were swift and fluid, and before the Little Witch could react, the room returned to normal, except for the lingering scent of medicine. "You scoundrel, what was that?" The Little Witch stared at the jade bottle in Ethan's hand. "It's a beauty elixir," Ethan smiled, pondering, "I finally understand where I went wrong. These herbs contain too many impurities, which can't be removed by ordinary fire. Plus, the iron pot can't maintain a constant temperature. If I use an alchemy cauldron instead, the success rate will increase significantly. "Fortunately, the Ghost Battle Soul can purify the herbs and spiritual energy, so this attempt succeeded. Others won't be able to replicate it!" Ethan was ecstatic, grateful for the unexpected assistance from the Ghost Battle Soul. "What's the beauty elixir for?" The Little Witch's eyes sparkled with curiosity. Just from the scene earlier, she could tell it was extraordinary. "It's for beauty, of course," Ethan explained, detailing its benefits once more. The Little Witch's eyes widened with excitement. "Ethan, can I buy a bottle? I'll pay you ten thousand middle-grade soul stones." Before she could finish, Ethan tossed her a jade bottle. The Little Witch caught it in disbelief, realizing the immense value of the beauty elixir. She never expected Ethan to give it to her so readily, fearing she might reveal his secret. "Let's go, we can't miss the enrolment at War King Academy and Divine Wind Academy," Ethan said with a smile, as if it were a trivial matter. After exchanging greetings with Little Gold Lion, he turned and walked towards the door. At the entrance of War King Academy, numerous figures had gathered. Today was the enrolment day for the two major academies, and many cultivators had come specifically to join War King Academy. Although it was advertised as enrolment for both War King Academy and Divine Wind Academy, it was more accurate to say that only War King Academy was actively recruiting. Divine Wind Academy had long been overshadowed. In the past century, Divine Wind Academy had admitted no more than a hundred students, a stark decline, with admissions even conducted through War King Academy. Especially in the last twenty or thirty years, Divine Wind Academy hadn't admitted a single student. The square in front of War King Academy's entrance was nearly filled with carriages, most belonging to nobles from the Great Ysleve Dynasty. For them, today was a day to flaunt their status. Ethan, the Little Witch, and Little Gold Lion were among those present. "You scoundrel, still thinking about joining War King Academy?" The Little Witch fixed Ethan with an intense gaze, as if trying to see through him. Ethan shrugged, saying, "How would I know if War King Academy even wants me?" "This guy knows his place. A country bumpkin like you, dreaming of joining War King Academy, it's just wishful thinking." "War King Academy only accepts nobles like us. Those commoners can't get in unless they have a Fifth-grade Battle Soul." "There are plenty of dreamers, but none of them ever make it. But well, Divine Wind Academy might actually accept them." As several figures passed by Ethan, they spoke openly, their words dripping with mockery. "Ethan Sigeweard, don't stoop to their level. Their so-called nobility is worthless in some people's eyes," the Little Witch mocked without restraint. "Zoey, thought you weren't coming. I almost had to wait," a familiar voice suddenly rang out nearby. Justin walked over with a smile, his eyes only on the Little Witch. "Big Brother Justin, why were you waiting for me?" the Little Witch asked, furrowing her brow. "To join Divine Wind Academy," Justin Loris said with a smile, not bothering to hide his intentions. "You want to join Divine Wind Academy too?" The Little Witch looked surprised, a headache forming. Ethan wore a smug expression, thinking to himself, "Is this what they mean by persistent?" "A bunch like you probably wouldn't even be accepted by Divine Wind Academy," a cold, sneering voice suddenly rang out. Ethan turned to see Zachary Hudson swaggering over with Maya Lee in his arms, his eyes filled with disdain.