Chapter 68: Leveling Up Again

Crow spread its huge wings, spun around, and deftly dodged a side chop, its claws reaching towards Rayan from an unimaginable angle.

"Nice move!"

Having witnessed the true strength of Crow's claws, Rayan knew that a scratch could mean skin loss, and a firm grasp could tear flesh. He quickly gathered his Seventh Tier Battle Qi to shield his body, while his Crow Sword flipped up and down in his hands, the clumsy-looking sword body moving like a nimble snake.

"Wu ah!"

Crow seemed to appreciate Rayan's technique as well, and with a cry, it intensified the force and frequency of its attacks.

Rayan calmly raised his sword to block, and after a few moves, he switched from defense to attack. Crow, unable to cope, retreated step by step until it finally soared into the sky, using its massive wings to block out the sunlight.

"Ha, Brother Crow, are you admitting defeat?" Rayan called out, looking up.

"Wu ah!"

Crow cried out sharply, suddenly folding its wings and diving towards Rayan like a free-falling body. The sunlight burst out from behind it, forcing Rayan to squint his eyes.

Seizing the moment, Crow reopened its wings and glided behind Rayan, delivering a heavy claw strike towards Rayan's back.

Unprepared, Rayan stumbled forward a few steps before stabilizing himself. There was slight pain in his back, but no wounds, indicating that Crow had been holding back its strength, and so had Rayan.

"Alright, I lost."

Rayan couldn't help but chuckle. "Brother Crow, I didn't expect you to be so cunning. But next time, you better be careful."

"Wu ah!"

Crow looked arrogantly at Rayan, as if saying, if you're not satisfied, let's keep fighting!

Rayan waved his hand. "I still need to study the underwater breathing potion. Let's call it a day, and tomorrow we can decide the winner, how about that?"

"Wu ah!"

Crow cried out, seemingly agreeing. It then landed gently on Rayan's shoulder, its movements as soft as a feather.

With the help of the underwater breathing potion and daily sparring with Crow, Rayan was confident that his strength would increase rapidly.

After returning to the Ravenstorm Inn, they arrived just in time for dinner.

After dinner, Rayan went into the storeroom and found the alchemical books marked with underwater breathing potion recipes. He read them intently. The text was easy to understand, but the actual operation was not simple—the ratios of fish oil and algae leaf grass had to be very precise, and the essence solution's production steps were complex enough to make Rayan slap his forehead. He had to reassemble the distillation apparatus and repeatedly test its seals—

After a whole night of hard work, wasting countless drops of calm sea fish oil and algae leaf grass, Rayan finally concocted a bottle of underwater breathing potion that could only maintain its effect for three minutes.

He was quite disappointed with the result, so much so that he was listless at breakfast.

Duke, after asking about the issue, looked surprised and said, "You mean you produced an underwater breathing potion that only a mid-level alchemist could make, in just one night?"

"Only three minutes," Rayan said fretfully. "I can't quite grasp the perfect ratio between the solution, fish oil, and algae leaf grass, nor the best timing for their amalgamation and distillation."

Duke twitched the corner of his mouth. "Just one night, what more do you want?" Even a genius alchemist like Morien might not have achieved this on his first try with alchemy.

Rayan, absorbed in the steps of alchemy, didn't notice Duke's astonished expression. "By the way, boss, can you train me today?"

"Not today… tomorrow."

"Okay, boss."

Rayan ate up his First Rank deer meat calmly, drank the deer blood Tiger penis liquor, and then headed to the tavern hall to clear his mind and complete his daily tasks, wiping down tables, chairs, and glasses a hundred times each.

After finishing his chores, Rayan decided not to go to White River yet but instead dove back into the storeroom to seriously read the alchemical books from beginner to advanced.

Crow flew into the storeroom, biting his collar and trying to pull him out to spar.

Rayan remained motionless, focused entirely on the alchemical texts and diagrams, completely unaware of Crow's presence.

Crow couldn't help but cry out, snapping Rayan back to reality.

Rayan apologetically said, "Brother Crow, I'm really sorry, I can't spar with you today. How about tomorrow?"

Crow, like a child tricked by an adult, cried out indignantly and flew out of the storeroom.

Rayan gave a helpless chuckle and continued to bury himself in his studies.

Time passed unknowingly through the words and lines, and the third sleepless night began.

Rayan had read through the advanced alchemical tutorials. Although the later texts became increasingly obscure and difficult to understand, he had grown confident about how to produce a standard underwater breathing potion.

He adjusted the material ratios again, lengthened the distillation pipe, and finally succeeded in making a second bottle of underwater breathing potion, this time with a duration of ten minutes.

Still not satisfied, Rayan continued to fine-tune, and by dawn, he had crafted a twenty-minute underwater breathing potion.

This was the limit he could reach for now. To produce a thirty-minute underwater breathing potion like Morien would probably require much more practice.

Though it was ten minutes short, having mastered the crafting experience, he could now prepare ten bottles of underwater breathing potion daily to aid in his training.

At breakfast, Rayan shared this news with Duke. Duke's mouth dropped open in disbelief. Rayan took the opportunity to inquire about training again, but Duke still put it off until tomorrow.

Rayan said nothing more, just finished off his First Rank deer meat and deer blood Tiger penis liquor, completed his daily tasks in the pub hall, and then, carrying his Crow Sword and newly crafted underwater breathing potion, called Crow to join him at White River for practice.

Crow deliberately ignored him, still angry about the previous day's broken promise.

Rayan smiled faintly. "Brother Crow, how about I catch you a fish to eat as an apology?"

"Wu ah!"

Crow turned its head away proudly, displaying an attitude of "You think you can appease me with just a fish?"

"Alright then."

Rayan sighed. "I'll practice swordsmanship and cook my own fish."

Saying this, he turned and walked out of the Ravenstorm Inn.

Crow craned its neck, watching Rayan's retreating figure, making sure he really wouldn't turn back, then hurriedly spread its wings and followed him...

The arduous but not tedious training officially began.

Rayan slept only three to four hours a day, woken mercilessly by Duke in the mornings. After eating deer meat and drinking deer blood Tiger penis liquor, he would ask Duke if he could teach him something today, and Duke always answered "tomorrow." Then Rayan would wipe down the tables, chairs, and glasses, completing the necessary daily tasks, before heading to the riverbed of White River to practice basic sword techniques. Three hours later, he'd surface and spar with Crow, and then return to the Ravenstorm Inn, eat dinner, and read in the storeroom—each time forcing himself to go to bed only after putting down the book.

Days and nights passed like this.

A month later, Rayan noticeably felt his body had grown much stronger. His once frail physique was now filled with solid muscles, and his strength had also moved up a significant notch. During sparring sessions with Crow, Rayan often forced Crow into the dense forest, making it stand on the branches and yell loudly.

The merciless winter arrived, bringing frigid temperatures. The already seldom visited inn saw even fewer guests. Duke wasn't worried, spending his days drawing and calculating something at the bar.

A sudden blizzard enveloped Shadowcrest Ridge in a snowy blanket, the usually bustling White River freezing over with thick ice overnight.

However, these conditions provided a rare training opportunity for Rayan. Crow had not accompanied him for practice for several days, partly due to the cold temperature, but more so because it felt it could no longer win against Rayan and thus had lost interest in sparring.

Rayan didn't press Crow, and as usual, went to the side of White River, stripped off his clothes, and used his giant sword to chisel an ice hole before jumping directly into it.

His Seventh Tier Battle Qi was nearing the breakthrough point to the Eighth Tier, and he couldn't afford to interrupt his training.

After more than an hour of intense practice under the ice, Rayan felt his Battle Qi grow. Casting aside all distractions, he grasped the hilt of the Crow Sword with both hands, channeling his Battle Qi into the dark blade, and searched deeply for the source of the Battle Qi.

The brightness of his crimson Battle Qi suddenly intensified. Rayan roared, and the Crow Sword instantly transformed into a blur of light, rotating with his body. He unleashed a fierce "Crescent Strike" attack, the power of the crimson Battle Qi infused sword trail erupting simultaneously from three different positions, causing a massive surge in Battle Qi that shook the entire riverbed. The frozen river's ice shattered into fragments, flowing slowly with the water.

Finally! Eighth Tier!

Rayan stood at the center of the riverbed, surrounded by a bright red glow, and couldn't help but take a long, relieved breath. How many people were stuck at the threshold from Seventh to Eighth Tier, spending their entire lives without breaking through, yet he had managed to do so in just one month after advancing three levels!

This was all thanks to the books, materials, and alchemical tools left by Morien, which made it possible to train under the water of White River and accomplish in a month what would normally take ten times longer.

Of course, he was most grateful to Duke. Although Duke always found excuses to postpone training, it was his guidance that led Rayan to a new level of understanding, and his daily First Rank deer meat and deer blood Tiger penis liquor—just thinking about that liquor made Rayan feel like his nose was bleeding.

Just two more levels, and he would be promoted to a hero. Then, he should leave Shadowcrest Ridge and seek justice from Duncan.

Duncan... I've already started counting down your days. Be ready...