Chapter 118: A Journey Through Dreams

Before Qi Xiao could ask any more questions, Rupert transformed into a swirl of purple-pink mist and vanished. Qi Xiao sighed and glanced around, realizing he was in a pink dreamlike world.

Everything here appeared soft and exquisite: pink clouds drifted lazily in the sky, a pink brook meandered beneath his feet, and in the distance, a pink castle shimmered faintly. The entire space was suffused with an ethereal glow.

Compared to his last visit, only the positions and sizes of things had shifted slightly; otherwise, it was largely the same.

Qi Xiao lowered his gaze to the ground, where pink petals were scattered. They swayed gently in the breeze, emitting a faint glow. He bent down carefully, picking up a petal, feeling the dream magic contained within. The remaining petals instantly disintegrated into powder—likely a reward mechanism Rupert had set to help him familiarize himself with dream materials. Qi Xiao pocketed the petal and looked up at the sky.

With a light leap, he soared upward. The freedom of flight was intoxicating, but he knew he had limited time and needed to make the most of it.

He passed through clusters of clouds, touching them as he went. Finally, upon reaching the smallest cloud, he sensed something. The pink cloud melted beneath his touch, transforming into gentle wisps of mist that curled around his fingertips, bringing a sense of peace and tranquility.

Having discerned a pattern, Qi Xiao lingered in the air a while longer but, finding no further gains, turned toward the brook below—it had floated in the air during his last visit.

At the brook’s edge, the water was crystal clear, with pink petals drifting on the surface. He cupped some water in his hands; the droplets shimmered with vitality, as if each one pulsed with life energy.

Rupert had made no attempt to complicate matters, so the unique material was unmistakable. Qi Xiao kept the clearest droplet.

In this realm, even the light was pink. Qi Xiao lifted his eyes and saw beams of light weaving through the clouds, forming a fantastical spectacle. He reached out, attempting to catch the beams. They condensed into sparkling points within his palm but dissolved suddenly—perhaps some were indeed dream materials, but not the ones he held, or maybe his method of gathering was incorrect.

He set aside such concerns and observed the dream creatures around him.

A pink butterfly fluttered by, its wings shimmering brilliantly, dusting phosphorescent powder with each flap. Qi Xiao gently blew toward it, and the butterfly, seemingly drawn to him, settled on his fingertip. Its wings moved softly, releasing waves of dreamlike energy.

He placed the butterfly on his shoulder and headed toward the castle. As he approached, the massive doors slowly opened, welcoming this traveler of dreams.

Inside, the castle was lavishly decorated; every item glowed with pink light, dazzling the eyes. Each piece seemed to be a precious dream magic material.

Qi Xiao inspected everything—from vases to teacups, portraits to carpets—but found nothing of substance. The furnishings were ornate but held no special properties.

Finally, in the study, Qi Xiao found his first true treasure: an ancient book that caught his eye. The pages were filled with pink runes that seemed to pulse with life. As he turned each page, a wave of dreamy power surged into his heart.

Suddenly, the pink butterfly on his shoulder took flight, dancing gracefully in the air, guiding his attention. His gaze followed its movement to the golden-pink light outside the window.

The butterfly traced elegant arcs, its wings scattering phosphorescent dust that intertwined with the light, forming a wondrous, irregular rhythm. Every flutter seemed to make the light flicker, as if responding to the butterfly’s call.

Carefully studying the flight path, Qi Xiao noticed that when the butterfly passed through certain beams, they brightened, as if drawn by some force. Clearly, this was the ideal moment to capture the dreamlight.

Following the butterfly’s lead, Qi Xiao reached out, closing his palm as the butterfly crossed the beam. He felt a warm, gentle force gather in his hand; the light solidified into shimmering points.

He collected the glowing orbs with care, each one a tiny essence of dreams, brimming with infinite potential. The power within them was purer and stronger than the light he had tried to capture before. If his guess was correct, these were Rupert’s core cultivated "crops."

After gathering three such orbs, the butterfly, appearing tired, returned to his shoulder and fluttered, releasing waves of dream energy that resonated with the orbs, making them brighter and more stable.

At the same time, Qi Xiao felt his connection to the dream world deepen; his soul resonated with every element around him, enriching his understanding of dream magic.

Lost in this sensation, he nearly forgot the passage of time until Rupert’s voice rang out: “Time’s almost up. Are you ready?”

Snapping back to reality, Qi Xiao realized he had to finish collecting quickly.

In the final seconds, he found a pink-blue pillow in the bedroom. Rupert appeared beside him just then.

Their journey was ending. Qi Xiao gently stroked the butterfly’s wings in gratitude. The creature seemed to understand, soaring again in graceful arcs before dissolving into a pink light, leaving only a pair of delicate wings in Qi Xiao’s palm.

Rupert smiled at his astonished expression. “Don’t worry. These are formed from pure dream power. Every creature here is extraordinary—‘Jing Yan’ is among the finest. You needn’t fear it.”

“Jing Yan… that’s its name?”

“Yes. I didn’t expect it to acknowledge you. Your gains far exceed my expectations—I almost felt pained watching.”

Seeing Qi Xiao’s hesitation, Rupert said with a wry smile, “Rest assured, I’m not stingy enough to withhold this from my junior brother or break my promise.”

“The path of a wizard demands a clear conscience. Never break an oath lightly. Of course, what ‘clear conscience’ means varies. For some wizards, breaking a promise is mere child’s play, with no impact on their resolve. So be cautious in trusting others’ vows—always use your judgment.”

Qi Xiao nodded respectfully. With a wave of Rupert’s hand, Qi Xiao instantly awoke from the dream.

He opened his eyes to find himself lying on the familiar wooden bed. Nearby lay the tangible reminders of his recent experience: petals, clouds, brook water, light, butterfly wings, ancient runes on a book, and a small pillow—all seemingly ordinary, but in the dream world, precious materials now brought back with him.

Dream materials should avoid prolonged contact with the real world. Qi Xiao stored them in a jade box before placing it into his storage ring. The ring’s space was somewhat limited; once he became a full wizard, he planned to craft one with hundreds of cubic meters to hold all his materials and belongings conveniently.

Qi Xiao planned to reflect for two days, sketching a preliminary design in his mind before consulting Senior Sister Eve for a fishing rod to modify.

Over the next two days, aside from achieving a four-win streak, Qi Xiao locked himself in his room, scribbling countless drafts. At last, he produced a satisfactory design.

When he requested the Dreamscape Angler from Eve, she showed no surprise—simply returning the rod calmly. She tucked her hair behind her ear and said, “You’ve worked hard, junior brother.”

“Thanks should go to Senior Brother Rupert. I’m just the alchemy assistant; I didn’t even pay for the materials. This modification should be quick—about a day. Just wait a bit.”

Qi Xiao’s improvement required no alchemical equipment; the open air actually helped increase success rates. He set up a table on the island and began modifying the rod onsite. Eve watched silently with interest.

Though in alchemy observation can sometimes interfere—and even strongly so—the level of refinement here was beyond Qi Xiao’s current reach, so Eve’s presence didn’t truly affect him. He only reminded her not to casually use magic nearby.

The rod’s main material remained Ghostglow Wood—unchanged, as it was durable and absorbed magic well.

Qi Xiao removed the original fishing line, blending Dreamsilk with powdered pink petals to create a new line. This line was tough and imbued with dream magic, better at attracting and capturing dream creatures. It felt less like fishing in a lake and more like casting bait directly into a dream.

The hook was forged from Dreamcatcher Alloy, perfectly matching the rod. With a fine carving knife, Qi Xiao inscribed pink runes from the ancient book onto the hook’s tip. These runes bore no relation to traditional magic symbols or glyphs—incapable of channeling magic or conveying meanings through arrangement—but astonishingly effective on this fishing hook.

Inside the handle, he infused a trace of pink cloud mist. Though invisible, it gave a soft protective sensation when held, improving grip comfort and soothing the mind.

At the fishing line’s attachment point, he integrated half the essence of the pink brook water. Previously, the area formed a miniature water elemental field that auto-adjusted tension when the line was pulled, stabilizing it. After adding the dream brook’s essence, the field became more fluid and irregular, like a pool of shifting clear water.

On the rod’s surface, he embedded phosphorescent dust from pink butterfly wings. This not only beautified the rod but emitted dreamlike waves during use, enhancing communication with the dream world.

Finally, Qi Xiao injected a streak of golden-pink light directly into the rod’s interior without further processing and handed it to Eve.

“Here.”

Eve hesitated, then said uncertainly, “Is that all? I’m not well-versed in alchemy, but is it normal to just inject materials directly? I can still feel the little dream trembling!”

Her usual composed face showed genuine concern for the first time. Qi Xiao yawned and waved her off.

“Don’t worry, it’ll settle soon. Dream equipment can’t be too rigid or precise—otherwise, it backfires. It needs a bit of randomness to align properly. The previous Dreamscape Angler was too finely crafted, which is why Senior Brother Rupert found it ineffective. I’m not fully grasping dream magic’s essence yet, but I’m confident about this upgrade.”

Eve looked doubtful but, fearing Qi Xiao might run off, grabbed his sleeve to ask, “So I just hold onto it? Or what? How long before I can start fishing?”

Qi Xiao smiled wryly. “You can use it right now… but if you’re nervous, wait a day. Meanwhile, fish with your other rods.”

She questioned him for ten minutes until he grew parched and repeatedly assured her it was fine. Finally, she released his sleeve and handed him a pouch of magic crystals.

“Thanks. Let me know if you need more. I’ll keep using my other rods and let the little dream rest for a day.”

Qi Xiao took the crystals silently. After half a minute with no system feedback, he sighed and tossed the crystals aside.

“No need—Senior Brother Rupert already paid. I have plenty of dream materials left. This is just a minor upgrade, not something requiring extra funds.”

Without waiting for Eve to respond, he swiftly returned to his room.

Whether the system simply didn’t register the upgrade or it was too minor to trigger feedback, he’d have to see later. Usually, alchemists don’t modify their own equipment unless it’s rare or illicit gear—but Qi Xiao doubted he’d ever handle such cases. That world was deep and treacherous, far beyond his reach.