The Necromancer in the Wizarding World

After considering it, Matthews suggested to Instructor Lieben, "Since we are facing this situation, why not try to prepare Cordyceps by stewing it in soup? What do you think of this method?"

After Lieben nodded in agreement, they quickly took out the kettle they carried with them, carefully put in the Cordyceps, and then put the kettle on the fire to boil.

However, when the cordyceps soup was ready, they found that the effect was far from what they expected, which made Lieben and Matthews feel extremely disappointed and puzzled. Even if they boiled it repeatedly, the result was still the same.

Matthews and Lieben fell into despair and collapse because they thought of the terrible possibility that some herbs might only show their strong effects when they were first used.

Matthews, who couldn't accept this fact, even wanted to eat the Cordyceps raw. But in the end, reason overcame impulse, and he used the previous method of slightly roasting to prepare the Cordyceps, and this processing method was obviously very successful.

Because the effect of the Cordyceps prepared in this way was remarkable, comparable to the effect they experienced last night. This discovery surprised Matthews and Lieben, and they realized that the correct preparation method is crucial to maximize the effectiveness of Cordyceps.

Matthews seemed to sense something unusual, but what it was remained elusive.

Lieben was also puzzled and could not pinpoint the problem. He speculated that some key mysterious ingredients in the cordyceps might have been destroyed during the cooking process.

Their emotions that night were like a roller coaster ride: at first, they felt great joy after being convinced that the cordyceps was harmless; then, they fell into despair after discovering that the cordyceps was ineffective; and finally, they were shocked when the situation took a turn for the better. This series of ups and downs made them exhausted, and soon they fell into a deep sleep.

**********

Half a month had passed before they knew it. During this time, Matthews and Instructor Lieben searched the entire plateau together. Their efforts were finally rewarded, and they collected nearly a thousand precious Cordyceps. Although the number did not reach their initial expectations, it was already a considerable harvest.

In order to ensure the high quality of Cordyceps, they dry it with extra care and strictly control the humidity and temperature to prevent any factors that may damage the Cordyceps.

In addition to collecting Cordyceps, they also incorporated these rare medicinal herbs into their daily Dou Qi training. In this way, their Dou Qi volume was rapidly improved. The cooperation between Matthews and Instructor Lieben was strengthened day by day, and they were full of confidence in the future path of training.

However, the rapid growth of his fighting spirit brought new challenges to Matthews's practice. He felt pain in his meridians during his practice, and although Matthews tried his best to endure it, the pain did not subside. And this pain became more and more severe as his fighting spirit level increased.

"Matthews, what's wrong with you?" Leben noticed Matthews' abnormality. He observed that Matthews clenched his teeth and his face was pale, so he asked with concern.

Matthews knew that he could not hide it, so he confessed to Instructor Leben about the pain and swelling in his meridians that he experienced when practicing fighting spirit.

Hearing this, Lieben frowned. He understood that this was a common problem for practitioners, but it was also a potential serious warning.

Lieben explained to Matthews: "Matthews, what you are facing now is exactly what I warned you about before. As warriors, we must persist in training our physical fitness and willpower for a long time so that the body can gradually adapt to and withstand the increasingly strong Dou Qi pressure. At present, your Dou Qi is growing too fast and exceeds the range that your Qi channels can bear. You need to temporarily stop practicing Dou Qi and give your Qi channels some time to repair themselves. At the same time, you also need to strengthen your physical training and improve your physical strength to support stronger Dou Qi."

Although Matthews was eager to continue to condense his fighting spirit and experience the growth of strength, under the guidance of Instructor Lieben, he realized that he must follow the correct rhythm of practice and not rush for success.

Although he was somewhat unwilling, Matthews finally decided to follow the advice and suspend further refining of his fighting spirit in order to allow his Qi channels to recover as necessary and to improve his strength more steadily in the future.

Lieben noticed Matthews' inner struggle, so he comforted him in a gentle tone: "Matthews, don't be discouraged. This is a great opportunity. You can focus on improving your physical fitness and swordsmanship. In the last battle, you have a clear understanding of your strengths and weaknesses. Now is the time to make up for your shortcomings and play to your strengths."

Matthews nodded his understanding and responded firmly, "Indeed, Instructor Lieben. Since I cannot practice fighting spirit for the time being, I will concentrate on honing my sword skills until the herb-collecting team returns."

Lieben nodded approvingly and added, "Very good, Matthews. We have been in the forest for more than 20 days. Based on past experience, the herb-collecting team should need about 10 days to complete the task. This period of time is enough for you to improve your swordsmanship and for your Qi channels to get enough rest. I will accompany you throughout the process and guide you to ensure that your training is maximized."

Matthews and Lieben's herb-collecting trip was very fruitful. They had already obtained the biggest harvest - Cordyceps sinensis, so they had no plans to continue exploring for other medicinal herbs.

Matthews used the plateau as his training ground, concentrating on honing the only sword-fighting technique he had mastered - the spinning slash.

He repeatedly practiced various methods of spinning slashes, hoping to combine strength and precision through unremitting efforts. But no matter how he tried, the spinning tip of the sword still lacked the necessary speed and flexibility, and the sword moves always seemed stiff, lacking fluency and naturalness.

As a bystander, Lieben was very confused by Matthews' performance in swordsmanship. Matthews showed extraordinary talent in close combat, but made slow progress in swordsmanship.

Despite this, Lieben did not give up. He carefully observed and analyzed every detail of Matthews' movements, and gave professional guidance and constructive suggestions, hoping to help Matthews improve his skills and optimize his sword moves.

The advice provided by Lieben was undoubtedly invaluable to Matthews, but Matthews' progress in swordsmanship was still unsatisfactory, and he could never find the feeling of being in harmony with the sword.

More importantly, Matthews began to realize that he lacked passion for swordsmanship, which made his training more difficult. He began to think that maybe he was not suitable for swordsmanship, and he should turn to things that really ignited his passion.