Chapter 96: Qualitative Change, Success, Beating Up Quirrell!

Behind Hagrid's hut, snowflakes fell in the quiet woods. Ciel had been standing there for a long time. His clothes were covered with a layer of snow, but he just stood there quietly, with his eyes closed, as if listening to some beautiful heavenly music. Until a certain moment, the wonderful feeling in his bloodline receded. Ciel opened his eyes with a sense of loss. With a gentle shake, the snowflakes fell off his shoulders. The whole world seemed brand new. On the system panel, Magical Perception Enhancement, which had been stuck at Silver Tier for a long time, had now completely turned a brilliant, intense gold. Ciel took a deep breath, his heart slowly accelerating. "Lumos!" The familiar spell burst forth from the tip of his wand. Then, in an instant, an incredibly clear "breathing" and "heartbeat" entered Ciel's mind from the spell. The countless particles that made up the light appeared clearly in his mind. This feeling was much more obvious than when the Lumos Charm had previously advanced to Platinum Tier. Ciel suddenly understood. "Previously, my magical perception must have been holding back my Lumos Charm mastery. Now that my perception has caught up, the Platinum-Tier Lumos Charm can be more fully utilized." Next, he once again tried his previous idea: to make the particles in the Lumos Charm achieve a synchronized frequency. Previously, he could only make a very small portion of the particles maintain synchronization for an instant. But now, the previous limit was broken in a moment. Two to three times more particles than before easily achieved frequency synchronization under his control. The light in his hand suddenly burst forth with extremely high brightness. A beam of light, now somewhat solidified, emanated from the tip of his wand. Reflected by the snow, it illuminated the entire forest for a moment. Ciel's eyes lit up. Although this was still far from his vision of all particles having the same frequency, forming a laser-like effect, it was a huge improvement compared to before. "So this is Gold-Tier magical perception enhancement? Crossing this threshold really makes a big difference." A hint of anticipation arose in Ciel's heart. "I've been practicing the Sacred Tree Potion for a whole week. I've made dozens of failed batches. But I'm still a little short of success. It's that final moment of harmonizing the magic of all the ingredients; it's difficult to achieve a harmonious and integrated state of magic. Ultimately, my magical perception was still a bit lacking. Even with the assistance of Platinum-Tier Night Vision, I couldn't have a complete grasp of the magical situation in the cauldron. But now..." Ciel took a deep breath. He strode forward and walked quickly towards the Potions classroom. "I should be able to do it." But on the way back from Hagrid's hut to the castle, an undisguised, fiery gaze came from the castle tower. It startled Ciel. He looked up. His gaze pierced through the vast wind and snow. He saw Quirrell standing by the corridor window. That fiery, eager gaze was indeed from Quirrell. Ciel's heart sank slightly. He had no doubt. If it weren't daytime, Quirrell might have attacked him directly. The next moment, Quirrell withdrew his gaze. His figure disappeared from Ciel's sight. But Ciel understood. This guy was just waiting for an opportunity. Most likely after dark. Ciel suddenly tightened his hand on his bag strap. He could, of course, stay hidden in his dormitory at night or rely on the protection of Snape and Professor Sprout. In that case, Quirrell would probably find it difficult to do anything to him. But that also meant Ciel could hardly use the night time to improve himself as before. Even his planting time would be reduced. Thinking of this, a cold light burst from his eyes. He could tolerate anything. Except being disturbed while planting trees... that was intolerable! A cold expression appeared on his face. Ciel first returned to the common room. He brought his beater's bat with him. In a sense, his physical body combined with the bat was his most destructive weapon at present. A sudden attack, and even the two-faced man might be knocked out! Then, Ciel walked towards an empty Potions classroom. After taking a deep breath, he didn't rush to brew the Sacred Tree Potion. Instead, he slowly washed the cauldron. He lit the fire and roasted away every last drop of water remaining inside. At the same time, Ciel carefully cleaned every tool he was about to use. This was Snape's teaching. "Never underestimate the impact of a little residual magic on cauldrons and tools on a potion. The more complex the potion, the greater the destructive power of this tiny impurity. Believe me, you would never want to see precious materials wasted because of such a foolish mistake. Besides, the process of cleaning tools is also a process of clearing your mind." At this moment, Ciel let go of all the urgency and anxiety in his heart. His mind was as calm as still water, without any ripples, as if Quirrell's threat didn't exist at all. When all the preparatory steps were completed in an orderly manner, Ciel finally began to brew the Sacred Tree Potion. One by one, materials containing magic of different properties were skillfully placed into the cauldron. A complex magical reaction took place within. In the past week, Ciel had to be fully focused during this process. Any slight distraction could cause the potion brewing to fail immediately. But this time, he handled the entire process with ease. Even at the final harmonization of magic, where he had failed for a whole week, he didn't feel the magical reaction was beyond his control. With the final stir, a pot of silver-white potion, emitting a rich, sacred magical aura, appeared in the cauldron. An irrepressible joy appeared in Ciel's eyes. Although it was far from as perfect as Snape's demonstration, this was indeed a successful Sacred Tree Potion. With it, the growth of the Guardian Tree could reach its best state. It could provide resistance to dark magic for those who touched the tree. This was another reliance for Ciel against Quirrell. Quirrell had been weakened by the Sacred Tree Potion for a whole week. Even though those were failed products, Ciel's brewing level was getting higher and higher. The sacred magic contained in the potion was also getting stronger. With this accumulation, Quirrell should be in his weakest state at present. Facing a Guardian Tree irrigated with Sacred Tree Potion, even if it was just a newly planted seedling, he probably wouldn't have an easy time. What's more, Ciel looked at the pot of Sacred Tree Potion in front of him. "This should be enough for the initial irrigation of five Guardian Tree seeds." He gently touched his pocket. Inside were the four sets of Guardian Tree materials that Professor Sprout had given him earlier. His eyes narrowed slightly. Ciel didn't stop. He hurried towards the greenhouse and came to the place where he had previously planted the Guardian Tree seed. About ten days had passed. Logically, there should have been signs of germination. But this seed still showed no movement. Even the reward orb floating above it was no different from when it was just planted. Obviously, due to the lack of Sacred Tree Potion irrigation, the growth of this seed was not optimistic. At this time, Ciel took out the newly brewed potion. At that moment, he felt the Guardian Tree seed transmit a strong longing, like a nursing infant. He was also very careful. He tilted the potion bottle. A drop of silver-white Sacred Tree Potion immediately fell onto the soil and seeped downwards. Suddenly, the sacred magic in the potion was completely absorbed by the seed, like a long rainbow sucking up water. The magical aura emanating from the Guardian Tree seed suddenly became more vibrant, sweeping away the previous half-dead feeling. The reward orb above also grew visibly larger by a sliver. Ciel no longer hesitated. He dripped a dozen more drops of Sacred Tree Potion. This "hungry" seed was finally satisfied. Then, a tender green sprout drilled out of the soil. Seeing this scene, Ciel's expression lit up with joy. The Guardian Tree had sprouted! This meant it had escaped the most unstable seed stage. From now on, it wouldn't be like before, dying on him at the slightest provocation. And at this stage, although not as good as when mature, it could already start providing some protection, especially for Ciel, the planter. Because the Guardian Tree itself contained his magic, its protection effect would be much better for him than for others. Ciel tried gently touching the tender sprout. Then, a sacred and warm magical power surged from it. He suddenly felt an invisible barrier on his body. It seemed to be able to help him resist some low-intensity dark magic forces. This made Ciel's eyes light up. He also felt a little more at ease. Next, he took out the other four sets of Guardian Tree materials he had. Looking at the experimental plot where Lumos Shrooms had been planted, Ciel gritted his teeth. The Lumos Charm had already reached Platinum Tier. To improve it further would probably require harvesting this plot several times. Moreover, the current Lumos Charm was almost sufficient. It wouldn't bring him too much help in the short term. But the Guardian Tree could continuously enhance his Defense Against the Dark Arts mastery and dark magic resistance. The sooner he planted it, the greater the benefit. After weighing the pros and cons, Ciel decided to temporarily give up planting Lumos Shrooms. This experimental plot would now be fully used for planting Guardian Trees. However, the planting density of Guardian Trees couldn't be as high as Lumos Shrooms. This experimental plot could probably grow at most fifteen trees. Ciel shook his head. "The experimental plots are not enough. Fortunately, according to my aunt, I should be able to get a few new experimental plots after Christmas. By then, the scale of Guardian Tree planting can be further increased." A strange light also appeared in his eyes. "And if Quirrell still can't make a breakthrough with me, he will probably still use the dragon egg to get the method to break through the three-headed dog from Hagrid after Christmas, just like in the original story. With my relationship with Hagrid, borrowing a little dragon blood from the young dragon shouldn't be a problem. Then the Blood Jade can also be planted in batches. I will have three Silver-Tier reward plants: Piranha Algae, Guardian Tree, and Blood Jade!" A sense of anticipation arose in his heart. But soon, Ciel focused his attention back on the Guardian Tree. While there was still time, he had to quickly plant these four seeds. He calmed his mind, waved his wand, and continued to process them. By today, compared to two months ago, Ciel was very familiar with processing Guardian Tree seeds. The first one. The second one. By the time it was getting dark, Ciel let out a long breath. His expression was joyful. This time, his luck was very good. He had thought that one or two seeds might have problems, but all four were successfully planted. And with the irrigation of the Sacred Tree Potion, four tender sprouts broke through the soil one after another. Ciel could immediately feel that the layer of protection on his body was becoming more and more dense. His spells also seemed to have undergone some changes due to the sacred magic enhancement from the seedlings. It seemed to have some restraining effect on dark magic. Even when Ciel looked at the beater's bat in his hand, he felt as if it was shrouded in a layer of silver brilliance. He showed a satisfied expression. Next, a cold light flashed in his eyes. By nature, he didn't want to take too many risks. It was best to develop and plant trees safely. He wouldn't get involved in any danger until he was absolutely sure. But if someone wanted to disturb his planting, no matter who it was, they would pay a heavy price! If Quirrell didn't come, that was fine. But if he really couldn't let it go and prevented him from working overtime to plant at night, tonight Ciel would let him know what legendary power was! Night fell. In the castle, a figure wearing a large turban walked quietly out of the gate. He headed straight for the greenhouse. Quirrell's heart was full of urgency. The Christmas holidays were almost here. Many professors and students would be on vacation, which was a good opportunity for him to steal the Philosopher's Stone. So he had to control Ciel before then. In the blink of an eye, Quirrell was outside the greenhouse. Seeing the light still on inside, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Fortunately, Ciel is very diligent and doesn't go back to the dormitory every night. Otherwise, I would have a hard time finding such an opportunity." Remembering the last two times Ciel had rejected him without a second thought, Quirrell gritted his teeth. This time, he didn't plan to use weak words anymore. One Imperius Curse would make this badger do his bidding, using his life to hold off the three-headed dog. Quirrell's wand tapped lightly. The greenhouse door immediately creaked and slowly opened. He walked into the greenhouse with his wand. But the next second, to his surprise, with a click, all the lights in the entire greenhouse were swallowed up as if by a vortex, leaving only a piece of darkness. Quirrell was stunned for a moment. He hadn't reacted to what had happened. But Ciel, who was like a fish in water in the dark environment, wearing a transparent water tank on his head to get the Underwater Enhancement effect, had already brought his state to the maximum. "Lumos!" With the familiar spell, a beam of light far brighter than Quirrell could have imagined, containing sacred magic, shone on Quirrell. From darkness to being illuminated by strong light, Quirrell's eyes were as if blind. He couldn't see anything clearly, only dazzling white light everywhere. The sacred magic within it made him feel extremely painful. Quirrell subconsciously cast a protective spell. "Protego!" An invisible barrier immediately appeared in front of him. But just as he felt a little relieved, an unimaginable force landed heavily on his shield charm. Once. Twice. Three times. A giant-like force struck three times in a row. Quirrell's shield charm actually shattered! Then, a bat with unabated force landed on Quirrell. In an instant, Quirrell heard a crack from his body. Probably a dozen ribs were broken. His whole person flew backward like a kite with a broken string. At this moment, the lights in the greenhouse returned to normal. Quirrell, whose vision was blackening from the pain, lay on the ground and saw Ciel's surprised expression. "P-Professor Quirrell? Why is it you?! I thought a thief was trying to steal my plants! Recently, people have been stealing my plants, so I was on my guard. I didn't expect it to be you, Professor. Professor, are you okay?!" In a panic, Ciel fumbled for a bottle of potion and walked towards Quirrell. "Professor, I have healing potions here. Please bear with it, I'll apply it to you right away!" Quirrell gasped for breath. His eyes were full of gloom and resentment. Bad luck! He was just too unlucky! But watching Ciel walk quickly towards him, Quirrell gritted his teeth and slowly held his wand. He could take the opportunity to control Ciel while he was applying the potion. But the next second, Ciel seemed to be in too much of a hurry. He tripped and fell, and the beater's bat in his hand spun towards Quirrell. Crack! Quirrell felt that the arm holding his wand was broken. The severe pain made him unable to help but let out a scream. But this was not the end. The bottle of potion in Ciel's hand also flew high into the air. A blob of liquid full of sacred magic, gurgled down Quirrell's throat. Familiar formula. Familiar taste. Made Quirrell's eyes widen in terror, his expression twisted. Ciel breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, good. Professor, this potion is good for your body. Your injuries will definitely stabilize. Do you feel better now?" Quirrell gasped for breath. He squeezed out a smile. "Comfortable... I'm so comfortable... really..." The next second, Quirrell's vision went black. And he fainted again. For a moment, a coldness surged in Ciel's heart. But in a flash, he suppressed the urge to continue the attack. He just pressed the emergency button in the greenhouse and waited quietly for the professors to arrive. At the same time, he reviewed the process of this attack in his mind. Deluminator, Night Vision, Underwater Enhancement, Lumos Charm, Legendary Power... It could be said that he had the advantage of a surprise attack. He had used all his trump cards to put Quirrell in this situation. But if Quirrell hadn't been too anxious, and hadn't been weakened by the Sacred Tree Potion for a whole week before, this time might not have been so smooth. If the speed of breaking Quirrell's shield charm had been a little slower, and Quirrell had reacted, it would have been troublesome. Ciel took a deep breath. His magical strength was still not enough. If he could already use Sectumsempra... Quirrell's shield charm would be like paper, no need for so much trouble! But after a moment, Ciel's heart was certain. His gaze vaguely swept towards the aquatic plant cultivation shed deep in the greenhouse. There, in thirteen water tanks, thirteen large reward orbs were not far from being harvestable. Ciel took a deep breath. "The Piranha Algae is about to mature. Even if my magical strength is not enough, as long as the Underwater Enhancement ability advances, the enhancement it brings should be enough for me to reach the threshold to use Sectumsempra!" [Chapter Complete] *** Want more? Check out my Patreon for: ✓ Advanced chapters of all my stories ✓ Exclusive novels & fanfics ✓ Early access content [email protected]/meowthtl ???? Community Goal: 500 Power Stones unlocks a bonus chapter! Thanks for reading and supporting the story!