'Ah, I really need a better cauldron."
Adrian said in his mind before straightening his posture again and continuing the refinement.
His thoughts weren't without reason. He was currently using the cauldron that he had been 'given' by Alchemist Melvin.
In the past, it might have been enough for him, but that was slowly starting to change.
In recent times, he has been consistently working with Rank 3 ingredients.
While he might have been able to cope before, it was slowly starting to become too much.
Taking his current situation as an example, if he had a higher rank cauldron, he would have been able to better deal with the instabilities that came with the refinement of the potion.
Keeping his thoughts in check, Adrian reached out and grabbed a ginseng that he had placed nearby.
The ginseng was an all-purpose herb that was present in various pill recipes. It was also a herb that didn't have a clear rank.
The age of the ginseng determines its rank. Ginseng that was ten years old or below would only be considered a Rank 1 herb.
One between the ages of ten and fifty years old would be considered a Rank 2 herb, and between fifty and a hundred years old would be considered a Rank 3 herb.
The one in Adrian's hands was around forty years old, according to his estimations. He had found it among a cluster of other budding ginseng herbs.
He uprooted all of them and transplanted them in his 'herb garden' near the rainbow rose.
He had begun cultivating various types of herbs. The addition of multiple types of herbs filled the space with a rich vitality that was beneficial to cultivation.
The addition of the ginseng meant that the refinement was entering its final stages. A peculiar change occurred within the mixture at this point.
The deep red color of the blood gradually began to fade away. This magical process continues until the potion becomes completely clear, devoid of any semblance of blood.
This change meant that the refinement process was successful. Adrian let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding as he wiped his forehead, filled with sweat.
He collapsed onto his ground, his eyes landing on the dark sky of the night. He took deep breaths in order to steady his mind and recover from the fatigue of overusing his spiritual energy.
He was beginning to hate this part. His exhaustion always reminded him of his lack of strength. He couldn't even refine a single Rank 3 potion without exhausting himself.
When would he be able to have the power to fulfil his revenge? His fists clenched as this thought arose in his mind. He closed his eyes, and scenes of that day appeared inside his mind.
He couldn't forget the faces of his mothers, their bodies strung across the floor as if it was just a piece of rag.
The face of his father as he sat on his chair, impaled in his seat. He remembered how he couldn't even give them proper burials as he had to flee for his own life.
All of this was as a result of one thing: his lack of power. If he had power, he would have been able to retaliate against those who wronged him.
He would be able to avenge his fallen kin. And finally, he would be able to rebuild his family. However, he soon released his clenched fist.
He was already on the right track. With the power of the supreme treasure and the inheritance of the sage of slaughter, it was only a matter of time before he would be able to destroy his enemies.
While he was lost in thought, the exhaustion gradually won over his desire to stay awake, and he soon drifted off into slumber.
He woke up a few hours later. His mind felt refreshed and rejuvenated. He walked up to the cauldron and peered inside to see its contents.
Inside was a crystal clear liquid that gave off a feeling of pure vitality. Evidently, the refinement process was a success. The combination of the heart blood of two beasts at the third rank was truly spectacular.
Now the only question remaining was whether it would be enough to help him break through to the silver body.
He was only in the middle stage of the bronze body, and he had no doubt that the energy would be enough for him to be able to break through to the peak of the bronze body.
Whether it would be enough to elevate him further than that was the question. He poured the contents of the cauldron into a small vial.
The two liters of blood now barely surpassed the amount of liquid present in a shot of liquor. He took a deep breath, drawing in the vitality-rich aroma of the heart potion.
Without a second thought, he downed the entire contents of the vial. As soon as the heart potion touched his tongue, a wave of heat spread throughout his mouth.
It seared its way down his throat, igniting a fire in his chest that spread through every nerve and muscle. Adrian's eyes snapped open as a wave of energy exploded inside him, filling his body with raw power and excruciating pain.
Adrian gritted his teeth and forced himself to sit upright. He couldn't afford to lose control. Drawing on every ounce of willpower, he guided the energy through his body, channeling it along the pathways of his cultivation technique.
He crossed his legs in the lotus position and started cultivating the great diamond body. A bronze halo surrounded his body, and its radiance kept getting brighter and brighter as time passed.
After about an incense stick's worth of time, the bronze halo erupted outward, stirring up the surroundings as a wave of gales tore through the surroundings.
Luckily, he had moved far away from his herb garden, or else, he would have been lamenting his losses after this.
The bronze halo soon compressed around his figure, once again limiting it's radiance to only a few inches around his body.
However, if anyone was watching, they would notice that the bronze halo around him was noticeably brighter than before. He had broken through to the late stage of the bronze body.