66: Squeeze them dry

Boom!

With a deafening explosion, the Magic Fireball came into close contact with the Magic Shield, and the air was instantly filled with black smoke from the energy collision.

Both energies essentially originated from the magic within Bai Ze's body, and the one that ultimately emerged victorious was the more 'resilient' Magic Shield.

As Bai Ze's mouth hung open and its eyes widened in shock, Lister burst into laughter.

"Haha, it's done! The Magic Shield is a success!"

In only his second practice session, he had completed the condensation of the Magic Shield.

Although he relied on the boost in Spiritual Power from the Spirit Essence Flower and the magic within Bai Ze, it still demonstrated that his talent was extraordinary.

This talent was not about the level of Spiritual Power or the strength of perception, but rather the intensity of his concentration.

Being able to focus Spiritual Power and perception on a single point for a long time is extremely difficult; otherwise, there wouldn't be so many people who feel like sleeping after reading for a while.

Looking at the solid, transparent blue shield in front of him, Lister was overjoyed.

Now, with the protection of the Magic Shield, his combat strength would definitely increase significantly.

Not to mention a Bronze Rank 5 Knight, he probably wouldn't even be inferior to Carlyle, a Bronze Rank 6.

As for who was stronger or weaker, that would require an actual battle to find out.

However, despite his thoughts, he was not yet prepared—nor was he able—to reveal his Wizardry; instead, he would keep it as a trump card.

With a thought, as the Spiritual Power withdrew, the uncontrolled Magic Shield slowly dissipated into the air.

Once his excitement had subsided, Lister sat down and began to write the production manual for the new products he had promised Kim.

In truth, he had many ideas for profitable products in his mind, but given the current conditions of the Ironthorn Territory, it was more prudent to take things one step at a time.

The two products he was currently writing the production manuals for were shampoo and body wash.

Lister didn't know about other places, but he was very clear about the situation in the Pedan Kingdom.

Because the kingdom focused solely on the development of transcendent professions, everyone from the top down had neglected the production and research of many livelihood products.

Currently, when the kingdom's nobles and commoners bathed, they still used various tree resins, animal fats, and plant ash.

Both had their pros and cons; plant ash had a better cleaning effect, but nobles found it too dirty to look at, so they only used fats.

Fats didn't clean as well and weren't cheap, so commoners were forced to use plant ash.

This had created a monotonous environment for bathing products, which also presented Lister with a great opportunity to make money.

Compared to the two aforementioned bathing products with their obvious flaws, the new products he would create combined knowledge from his previous life.

Not only would they lack those flaws, but they would also combine the strengths of both and offer even more benefits.

Although most people in the Pedan Kingdom, from the top to the bottom, had grown accustomed to the generally filthy environment, it didn't mean they liked it.

If he could produce these two bathing products, which not only cleaned well but also emitted fragrance and could be priced for different markets...

He believed they would definitely become a huge hit in the kingdom; especially for those who were naturally fond of cleanliness, they would surely scramble to buy them.

Moreover, washing oneself until one smelled fragrant would also help facilitate emotional exchange between men and women.

After all, entertainment activities in this world were too scarce; if this aspect wasn't enhanced, life would truly have no joy to speak of.

With growing anticipation, he began to write feverishly.

For the production materials of the two items, he used natural substances unique to this world as substitutes based on his memory, without any chemical components.

Furthermore, because the air was filled with various strange energies, natural substances would absorb some of them to varying degrees.

Therefore, the bathing products produced could be suitable for all skin types, and the effects would be even better.

At the same time, to satisfy the sense of superiority of most nobles, he also carefully designed several high-priced versions of the bathing products based on the grade of the ingredients.

Anyway, the nobles aren't short of money, so he would squeeze as much as he could from them; it would be best to squeeze them dry, which would make him even happier... Evening.

Dinner once again returned to the state of Lister dining alone, and the atmosphere felt somewhat lonely.

This loneliness was not the kind where no one was around, but rather the lack of a person with whom he could share his heart.

However, such thoughts quickly dissipated from his mind; after all, men are born to learn how to adapt to loneliness.

After dinner, the training ground.

Daily cultivation was essential for Lister.

No matter how busy he was, he would always find time to cultivate, firmly believing that only persistence could lead him further.

Although the night wind was biting and cold, Lister's blood was hot and boiling during his cultivation, and he couldn't feel even a hint of chill.

Accompanied by the moonlight, the cold wind, and the chirping of insects, the figure holding a long spear was reflected in the flickering firelight as he moved back and forth, executing his moves.

Each time the long spear was thrust out, it would be accompanied by a strong sound of breaking air, like a magical beast roaring in the darkness.

Since his Spiritual Power had increased again, his skill cultivation progressed rapidly; and although martial arts are primarily based on physical comprehension, they still require the assistance of Spiritual Power, so the positive effects were equally significant.

Suddenly, Lister's eyes sharpened, and the long spear in his hand turned into a series of afterimages, moving so fast that it seemed to merge with the wind in the air.

As the speed of his thrusts continued to increase, a series of air explosions rang out, and a large amount of Battle Qi and Wind Element energy frantically attached themselves to the spear shaft.

In the next moment, the long spear shot out like a swimming dragon, and a loud 'whoosh' of howling wind suddenly erupted.

The blue energy formed by the fusion of the two energies shot forward like a storm dragon.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Wherever the 'Storm Dragon' passed, the ground was overturned, trees were split, and dust swirled amidst flying sand and rolling stones.

Only after flying dozens of meters away did the 'Storm Dragon' gradually dissipate into the air.

"Storm Spear Technique, I've mastered it!" Lister shouted excitedly.

Storm Spear Technique—the only secret technique of the Howard Family that cannot be leaked, whose quality reached the Rare grade and which only a handful of the family's ancestors had successfully cultivated—was finally mastered by him today.

Judging from the damage range and power just now, it was much stronger than the ordinary-quality sword skill 'Flame Cross Slash' that Lister had already trained to the Proficient Realm.

Not only that, but once practiced to a certain level, Lister could also control the range of its energy release.

When there were many enemies, he could use a large-area attack, although the power would be slightly weakened.

When there were few enemies, he could concentrate the energy to increase its density, making the power of the released single-target attack even greater.

Although 'Flame Cross Slash' could also control the power of its release, it was not as flexible and versatile as the control of the 'Storm Spear Technique'.

And the huge commotion caused by the 'Storm Spear Technique' also caught the attention of Red and the others who were practicing in the open space outside.