1 week later
Inside the bedroom of a villa, Rezen can be seen sitting on top of his bed in a meditative posture. His eyes were shut as he was focusing on the flow of mana inside his body and also his elixir field
It has been a little more than a week since Rezen was admitted to the Tryst Academy and he can say that he was improving a lot
His cultivation rank remains the same but the Instructors' teachings along with the resource that the academy provided was a great help to him
His rank might not be improving but his foundation certainly does!
After some time, Rezen opened his eyes while raising his right hand a bit. The mana he possessed was controlled by him and some gathered at the top of his palm
With his intent, the pure mana turned into an orb of solar energy. This time, the process was faster compared to a week ago when Quard insulted him but instead of feeling happy, a frown actually appeared on Rezen's face
"This feels uncomfortable. My mana is unstable and I was only able to form this solar orb by sheer force" Rezen muttered with a frown
Because of the limiters, the students cannot destroy the crystals using superior raw power alone. However, once they learned more things and turned this knowledge into their own wisdom, they can turn their wisdom into raw power
Despite the fact that Rezen's mana was unstable, he was still able to form a solar orb faster than the version of him a week ago. Wisdom is also power
"Where is this sense of discomfort coming from? Why is my mana unstable?" Rezen asked no one in particular as he inspected himself and soon, he found the answer
"I accumulated too many impurities and this is affecting my mana and magic" Rezen answered his previous question after learning the cause
Mages put a lot of importance on their physical and spiritual purity. If they accumulate too many impurities, they would be like Rezen. They will find their mana unstable hence making them harder to control
In more extreme cases, the mage's path would be blocked. They wouldn't have the chance to reach a higher rank all because of too many impurities in their being
This is the type of problem that must be solved immediately as it could escalate into something worse
"While my Spirit Plants and Potion have a much lower rate of impurities compared to the ones I can buy from an external source, I am still relying on them too much. I can say that my progress is 99% thanks to my resources since I have the lowest talent possible"
"Even if they have a high level of purity, they still possess impurities. I was able to consume more than normal people but even then, my body and soul still accumulates these impurities. Fortunately, I have something that will help me"
Rezen was thankful that he has the resources that would help him resolve the current issue
His spirit went into his elixir field and he retrieved an unassuming bottle from his farm
This bottle looks like an ordinary wooden bottle but it was not. This was the bottle of Sun Holy Water that he got from one of the Guardian's inheritance
Moments like this made Rezen feel really grateful for the Guardian. He was greatly helped by that man
Rezen uncapped the bottle and he used magic to control all nine drops of the Sun Holy Water, intending to use them all at once
This precious resource was extremely rare and even now, Rezen has not heard of anyone possessing them
However, these 9 drops of the Sun Holy Water have the lowest grade. It is something that mages in the 1st cycle of the Junior Rank should use
Considering that Rezen is already at the 3rd cycle and he is even a Deviant Mage, he has to use the remaining 9 drops of this bottle to purify his body and soul. Even 9 drops might be barely enough
Without hesitation, Rezen immediately swallowed the 9 drops. He is in a race of time, he must improve and progress fast. Time is essential as such, he wouldn't waste time to doublethink
Rezen swallowed the 9 drops of Sun Holy Water and they easily entered his stomach and as soon as that happens, a burst of warm and pure energy appeared in his stomach
These pure energies gushed out of his stomach as if they have a mind of their own. These energies went to every nook and cranny of his body, purifying and burning all the impurities along their way
Rezen's body heats up, his entire body turning red as he released some steam
His face contorted in pain but he endured it. He has to endure it!
His entire body was filled with this pure energy of nature but it was not only his physical body. The essence of the Sun Holy Water also entered his elixir field to purify both his soul and the elixir field itself
"Aaarrghhhh!" Rezen groaned in pain. It felt like a miniature sun was burning inside him
Thanks to this treasure's essence, the impurities that Rezen accumulated so far were burned. Even his elixir field was expanded, enabling him to store even more mana than before
His body became pure and his soul became purer
Just as Rezen thought that everything is done he suddenly felt something and he immediately closes his eyes
His spirit entered his elixir field and his soul stared at his farm
Crack...
A cracking sound entered his senses as he watch the farm expand itself. When Rezen entered the Savage Beast Realm for the first time and healed his farm, it was only a hundred meters in diameter
But now, this farm is trying to expand and become bigger than before. However, it seems like it was still lacking a little bit of push and Rezen decided to have the farm absorb his mana
The mana stored at his elixir field and also his body was immediately sucked by the farm but since he is just a puny 3rd cycle Deviant Mage, it was not enough
If he let the farm absorb everything he has, that might cause his death and he lets the farm absorb the bottle of 2nd cycle Sun Holy Water
With his permission, the bottle floated on its own and the lid was removed. All ten droplets of the bottle floated and burst into a torrent of pure solar energy that the farm and the sun-type Mystic Gem absorb
The farm continues its expansion until it reached 200 meters in diameter. That's double the size when Rezen just recovered his farm
After the expansion, the farm felt better than before. The aura it gave off was on another level and Rezen entered it with his soul
Aside from the expansion, it does not look different. His belongings were still on one side while the majority of the farm has the Spirit Plants that he planted but Rezen is sure that the farm was not the same as before
As if to prove his gut feeling, Ivy shows itself to explain something to him. "Master, the farm is finally upgraded again. It can now grow 4th cycle Spirit Plants. And if Master were to plant a seed in the farm and let it be for some time, that Spirit Plant overtime will reach the 4th cycle even if the seed was of a lower quality" Ivy explained to Rezen much to his delight
With the farm's upgrade, he can now plant 4th cycle Suppla Grapes. Ideally, mages should consume resources at the same rank as them
However, if it's just a single cycle above their rank, they could still consume them with some dangers
There is a bit of risk involved but Rezen was willing to accept it. He might gain the talent to reach the Great Mage Rank over time but that was not his end goal. That's just a short-term plan of his since he needs to reach a rank much higher than that to achieve his goals
As such, even if there is already a safe path to the Great Mage Rank, Rezen still has to take some risks to increase his pace
The expansion and the upgrade of the farm will come in handy. With a 4th cycle mutated Suppla Grapes, the rate at which his talent increases will be faster than before
"But to think that the farm was only upgraded now. With its abilities, its rate of improvement is really bound to be slow. I almost reach the 4th cycle before it could. It seems like I really have to proactively feed it with many resources if I want the farm to grow fast. There might be a time when my cultivation rank is above the level of Spirit Plants that the farm could grow and that would be bad for me"