The Shadow Council operates in a very ruthless manner, completely disregarding the life and death of ordinary people, often using them as sacrifices to achieve certain purposes.

"Judging by the fact that he didn't go for the kill on me, it's likely he wants to take me away for some additional purpose," Duke pondered.

Dali said, "It's probably because of your talent in Magic Potion, there should be no other reason."

In the past two months, Duke has gained some fame in Azure Vault City. The Shadow Council must have received his information, which is why they targeted him for some reason.

Unfortunately, their information is incomplete. They only know that Duke is skilled in Magic Potion, unaware that his combat strength is also formidable.

Duke nodded and said, "It should be because of this reason. I rarely go out, so I don't know when I was first targeted."

"Their actions are always unpredictable. Mr. Duke, shall I send some people to your shop for security? More people would mean more safety," Dali suggested.

Duke shook his head, "Thank you for the offer, but it's unnecessary."

Common people can't offer much protection; most of them aren't as strong as he is.

If he can't protect himself, then having more people is meaningless, at best offering only psychological comfort.

Moreover, Duke's place is too small and not suitable for too many people. Potion refining and similar activities are relatively private, not ideal to have outsiders present.

Dali and the others soon took away the assassin's corpse to continue the investigation, hoping to find other clues.

Duke stayed in his shop, pondering the next steps in his plans.

He's unsure what the Shadow Council intends by taking him, but regardless, improving his strength is always the safest choice, adapting to any changes.

Duke glanced at the Skill Tree, and attribute information appeared before him.

[Constitution: 22.3]

[Strength: 23.2]

[Agility: 21.6]

[Spirit: 80.1]

[Free Attribute Points: 6]

He had accumulated six free attribute points. During this period, besides maxing out three types of secondary potions, he also maxed out two secondary spells with Light Attribute.

[Holy Healing Technique: LV5 (Characteristic: Power of Light)]

[Power of Light: Holy Healing Technique contains extremely pure Light Power, making it potentially damaging to Undead Element entities]

The Holy Healing Technique was originally a healing spell, but after being maxed out, it developed a new characteristic, Power of Light, turning the spell into an offensive spell against Undead Element entities.

Duke isn't clear about its effectiveness and has no Undead Element entity to test it on, so he can only leave it for now.

[Lighting Technique: LV5 (Characteristic: Persistent Light Source)]

[Persistent Light Source: Lighting Technique requires less Magic Power and lasts longer]

These two spells are easy to cast and don't cause much commotion.

Duke often casts Holy Healing Technique on himself for practice; the Lighting Technique is constantly active in the lab.

Over the past two months, while refining potions, he maxed out these two spells as well.

Looking at the remaining six free attribute points, Duke invested them all in Spiritual Power.

[Spirit: 80.1->86.1]

After assigning the points, Duke felt his mind expand significantly, his Spiritual Power becoming more resilient.

With Spiritual Power reaching this level, he can now take the next step, which is Spiritual Power Liquidation.

The most important transition from Level 1 Gaseous Mage to Level 1 Liquidation Mage is compressing gaseous Spiritual Power into liquid form.

This process will take considerable time. Once Spiritual Power is fully liquidated and reaches one hundred points, he will be recognized as a Level 1 Liquidation Mage.

Duke's current Spiritual Power is sufficient to begin this step. After drinking a White Mist Forest Potion, he started his first attempt at compressing his Spiritual Power.

He cleared his mind of all distractions, concentrating deeply into the core of his mind.

There lay an infinite, chaotically primordial sea of spirit.

This sea wasn't physical but composed of countless tiny, active, faintly glowing "gaseous Spiritual Power particles."

They drifted freely like cosmic dust, filling the entire conscious space, containing immense energy yet seemed scattered and hard to coalesce.

Duke's goal was to compress and condense this diffuse gaseous Spiritual Power, eventually transforming it into a higher stage of liquid Spiritual Power.

This is the threshold for a Level 1 Liquidation Mage, the qualitative leap from quantity to quality for Spiritual Power.

He carefully marshaled his vast willpower, deploying an invisible gravitational web across the starry void, starting from the peripheries of the spiritual sea.

The powerful will, like an invisible giant hand, slowly pressed inward.

The originally free-floating gaseous particles instantly felt the pressure, becoming restless and colliding with sharp mental shrieks perceived only on a spiritual level.

The intense spiritual sting swept through Duke like an electric current, locking his brow and causing sweat to bead on his forehead.

The great net of will continued tightening, forcefully reducing distances between particles, sharply increasing density.

Under immense pressure, the particles' spiritual glow began to flicker and merge intensely.

In a small corner, a portion of the originally gaseous Spiritual Power, under Duke's persistent pressure, finally transformed.

No longer intangible gas, it metamorphosed into an extremely tiny drop of Spiritual Liquid, emanating a deep azure shine like liquid mercury.

The moment this droplet formed, a wave of far more complex, refined, and powerful spiritual vibrations emanated. It became like a newborn star, small but exuding gravity that compelled surrounding gaseous particles to bow.

Duke's mental world felt anchored by a stabilizing force, with the chaotic cosmic dust starting to converge towards the core.

Yet, just manifesting this single droplet consumed Duke's vast mental and willpower reserves, bringing waves of spiritual fatigue.

Transforming all gaseous Spiritual Power into liquid form will require a lot of time and a significant degree of willpower.

"Phew..."

Duke slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, opening his eyes, where a fleeting azure glimmer seemed to emerge.

He could distinctly feel that drop of Spiritual Liquid floating in his consciousness sea, bringing an unprecedented sense of stability and strength.

For every Wizard, this step is critical and crucial; it cannot be rushed but must proceed steadily.

The Spiritual Power consciousness sea is paramount; it must remain unblemished, for haste leading to damage there would cause harm that's difficult to remedy.

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