Chapter 230: Obstacles Galore

Impedimenta.

It is a Dark Charm, yet an exceedingly practical one.

"Rapidly casting the Impediment Jinx can delay an opponent for a moment, or halt a magical creature in its tracks; this spell is a vital component of wizarding duels."

—Thus wrote Madam Miranda Goshawk in *The Standard Book of Spells*.

The spell lasts for roughly a dozen seconds, temporarily slowing an opponent's speed. It can also suspend a wasp mid-air.

Professor Snape's test subject was precisely such a wasp, and he said with a sinister sneer:

"If you fail, Wizard Sean Green—perhaps some pain will sharpen your wits!"

Wizard Sean nodded, failing to notice the wand clenched tightly beneath Professor Snape's robes.

"Impedimenta! (Obstacle Upon Obstacle!)"

Blue-white sparks erupted from the tip of Wizard Sean's wand, and the wasp, which had been charging at high speed, froze instantly.

[You practiced the Impediment Jinx to an Expert standard; Proficiency +50]

[You practiced the Impediment Jinx to an Expert standard; Proficiency +50]

……

[Impediment Jinx: Skilled (110/3000)]

[A new title in the field of Dark Magic has been unlocked]

Compared to his progress in other branches of magic, Wizard Sean always managed to achieve breakthroughs in Dark Magic within a much shorter time.

One hour of Dark Magic practice could take him from Apprentice to Skilled...

Sometimes Wizard Sean felt he wasn't casting Dark Magic at all, but that the Dark Magic was flowing out through his wand on its own.

Clearly, his heart held no intense "malice," yet the power of his Dark Magic remained undiminished.

"Hmph—consider yourself lucky, Green—"

Seeing Wizard Sean looking somewhat exhausted, Professor Snape flicked his wand, and the wasp, which had been about to attack again, vanished.

"Take this—"

Professor Snape tossed over a booklet; Wizard Sean turned around only then to see his letter placed on a shelf within a glass storage cabinet.

Yet in the blink of an eye, both the letter and that small jar disappeared.

Was his vision playing tricks on him?

Wizard Sean wondered.

"What are you waiting for?! For the potion ingredients to prepare themselves and then jump into the cauldron?!"

Professor Snape's fury surged once more.

The cauldron, like a train's exhaust vent, emitted billowing white steam that drifted into a few snowflakes.

The instruction manual in Wizard Sean's hand was filled with notes; rarely, Professor Snape added no mockery, simply making precise improvements to the content.

Moreover, he had added a new potion: the Draught of Peace.

It appeared in Libatius Borage's *Advanced Potion-Making*, content theoretically reserved for fifth-year students, presenting a significant difficulty for Wizard Sean at his current level.

But Wizard Sean keenly noticed one thing: this potion recipe included the refined ritual and instruction method perfected by Master Libatius Borage.

Thus, while Professor Snape seemed to have set an impossible task, he had actually preserved a considerable amount of hope.

"Are you satisfied with brewing potions that even a troll could concoct?"

Professor Snape remarked sarcastically.

The Draught of Peace was an advanced potion; its difficulty was unquestionable.

But fortunately, the refined ritual and instruction method still firmly paved a way forward.

[You brewed a full cauldron of Draught of Peace to an Apprentice standard; Proficiency +1]

[Draught of Peace: Unlocked (1/30)]

"What have you done?!"

Professor Snape's voice rang out simultaneously with the panel's notification sound.

Immediately, his sinister gaze swept over Wizard Sean, only to subside on its own.

"Get—out."

Wizard Sean seemed to understand something; just moments ago, he had instinctively added a tiny sprig of peppermint.

When his will was intensely focused, his actions were almost entirely instinctive; only after adding it did he recall the story behind that sprig of peppermint.

It was Professor Snape's original creation found in the Half-Blood Prince's notes.

He tidied the desk as usual, then wrapped his scarf tightly and left the dungeon.

Before he had even walked out, he discovered ten Jin Jin Jialong had somehow appeared in his hand.

"Hmph—"

A gloomy, cold laugh echoed from the depths of the dungeon.

……

Snape silently watched Wizard Sean walk away, strangely falling into a trance.

His talent for Potions was gradually revealing itself; Snape was certain this idiot did not possess his own notes.

As if recalling something, his complex gaze took on a hint of nostalgia.

In the corridor.

Wizard Sean's quick-quill wrote incessantly with a scratching sound:

[The core pursuit of Alchemy may be more complex and less materialistic than it initially appears.

It consists of three stages: the Black Stage, the White Stage, and the Red Stage.

The first step of Alchemy is dissolution, commonly called the Black Stage;

The second step, the transformation of lead into gold, is the White Stage;

The third and final step is the Red Stage.

As the fire intensifies, a sacred red light casts a beautiful, vivid crimson hue upon the white stone... the whitening of matter turning red is often metaphorically compared to being stained with blood]

What about Potions?

When his will sank into the misty cauldron, Wizard Sean felt the old substances vanish, transform, and finally metamorphose.

He had a strong intuition that, even within Alchemy, this intuition absolutely applied.

Thus, he effortlessly found this section in *The Allegory of Alchemy: The Four Elements*:

[Alchemy—that is, the search for the Philosopher's Stone, turning base metals into gold and granting the owner eternal youth—was once believed to be possible and real.

One interpretation of the "instructions" left by alchemists is that they symbolize a spiritual journey, guiding the alchemist from ignorance (base metal) to enlightenment (gold)]

Was brewing potions not also a journey from ignorance (ordinary ingredients) to enlightenment (magical potions)?

Wizard Sean finally understood the fundamental thread connecting Potions and Alchemy; after grasping this point, his progress in Alchemy was nothing short of rapid.

It took him only two days to create a floating quill according to his notes.