The Wizard: From Zero-Ring Wizard to Almighty Lord.

The lord's mansion is fully equipped with all kinds of facilities, and its layout is both orderly and elegant. There are courtyards and gardens where you can stroll and enjoy the scenery, with water and stones reflecting each other and spiritual trees providing shade.
There are also separate courtyards dedicated to refining and experimentation, with array patterns faintly visible and a solemn atmosphere;
Naturally, there would also be specially designated cultivation grounds for secluded cultivation.

At this moment, Lynn temporarily entrusted the three of them, including Gren, to Beverly's care, and then went alone to the training area deep within the lord's mansion.

Calling it a "cultivation room" is somewhat of an understatement of its scale.

It was not a closed stone chamber, but a tall, independent tower, or more accurately, a "cultivation tower".

Lynn stood outside the tower, looking up at it.

The entire tower is not made of common stone; its exterior has an ancient and rough texture, like a sacred tree solidified by time.

The tower's surface faintly reveals bark-like textures, layered upon layered, with veins that appear to grow naturally, a stark contrast to the cold, hard stone structures of typical wizarding architecture.

From a distance, the tower looks more like an ancient tree magnified to the extreme, piercing the sky, majestic and upright.

Beneath this seemingly "natural" exterior lies an extremely sophisticated and vast array system.

The entire interior of the cultivation tower is covered by multiple layers of magic arrays, which are interlocked with each other.

From the most basic gathering of elements and energy stabilization, to the guidance and constraint of the power of rules, and then to the auxiliary expansion in the spiritual realm... it has achieved almost comprehensive coverage.

Its scope of application even spans from wizard apprentices to all stages below the Moon Wizard.

In other words, even those at the peak of the Morning Star realm can cultivate within this tower without worrying about losing control or suffering backlash.

In comparison, the training room Lynn used to use was practically rudimentary.

That can only support the operation of formal wizards. Once it involves the power of rules at the Morning Star level, it will show signs of instability.

When he was cultivating there, he needed to make extra arrangements and even use manpower to restrain and stabilize the power of the rules whenever he touched them. Otherwise, the slightest carelessness could cause energy disorder.

Now, all these hidden dangers have almost disappeared in the face of this "sacred tree tower".

Lynn slowly withdrew his gaze, his expression becoming more serious.

"A century..."

He muttered to himself, his voice not loud, but it sounded exceptionally clear in the empty space.

"It will pass quickly."

This is his lordship assessment period, and also a crucial period for whether he can truly establish himself here.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't nervous.

A century from now, within the Natural God Dynasty, all qualified and ambitious Morning Star Wizards will turn their attention here...

This position, this territory, this authority—every Morning Star Wizard will inevitably come here to fight for it; there is no doubt about that!
At that time, if he was not strong enough... the outcome was self-evident.

Thinking of this, Lynn's eyes narrowed slightly, and a sense of urgency appeared beneath his original composure.

Time was not plentiful for him; he had to make the most of every second.

Within this century, one must elevate one's strength to a level sufficient to suppress those of the same level.

"The training of the Morning Star Wizard..."

Lynn slowly closed his eyes, focusing his mind on himself and beginning to sort out his next steps.

Ultimately, it boils down to two main themes.

"First, there are the rules."

"Secondly, it is mental strength."

Rules are fundamental; they represent the understanding and control of the laws of heaven and earth.

But precisely because of this, it is extremely difficult. Every step forward requires a long period of deduction and understanding. A slight deviation may lead one astray.

As for spiritual power, it is the foundation that carries everything.

Without a sufficiently vast spiritual realm, even the deepest understanding of the rules is difficult to truly unleash.

Both are indispensable.

"At the level of rules..."

Lynn frowned slightly.

"There is no clear direction yet on what to do next."

He knew very well that this step could not be rushed; if the path of rules was taken astray, the consequences would be dire.

With a sudden thought, he recalled the scene when he left the heart of the ancient tree not long ago. The Cloud Realm Returning to Truth Master had given him an arrangement through telepathy.

"Go again in a month. Bring back the Spirit of the Azure Sky. And while you're at it... visit the Morning Star Palace."

Lynn's eyes flickered slightly.

Since that person specifically mentioned "inspiration," it means that the place is very likely to play a key role in his subsequent cultivation.

"In that case..."

He slowly exhaled, having already made up his mind.

"Before that, I focused on improving my mental strength."

Once the direction is clear, only one question remains: how to improve it.

Lynn's gaze returned to the cultivation tower, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes.

"Soul Forging Tower..."

He whispered the name.

For Morningstar Wizards, the spiritual realm is no longer a simple "ocean," but rather a constantly expanding starry sky.

Vast, empty, and unfathomable.

The amount of mental energy required to fill and expand this "starry sky" also increases exponentially.

This means that relying solely on daily meditation is extremely inefficient, and even with external assistance, it often requires a long period of accumulation.

On one hand, the power of rules is difficult to fathom and progress is slow; on the other hand, the demand for spiritual power is enormous and its accumulation is sluggish.

These two bottlenecks are the root cause of the countless Morning Star wizards' predicament.

"A fourth-level Morning Star Wizard... with a lifespan of three thousand years."

Lynn sighed softly to himself; it sounded like a long sigh.

However, if one's talent stops there and opportunities are limited, these three thousand years will only be a period of stagnation, ultimately stopping here and unable to reach a higher level.

For Lynn, the most direct and effective way to improve his mental strength in a short period of time is undoubtedly the "Soul Forging Tower".

When he broke through to the Morning Star Wizard level, his spiritual power was still insufficient. It was with the help of that "Invitation to the Soul Forging Tower" that he was able to step into that special area and stay briefly near the Soul Forging Tower.

It was on that occasion that his spiritual power, as if forcibly injected, instantly became abundant and surged, directly crossing the threshold that was originally insurmountable.

That efficiency is almost qualitatively different from ordinary cultivation.

Since then, Lynn has developed a deep interest in and desire to explore the existence of the "Soul Forging Tower".

In his view, the Soul Forging Tower was by no means a simple place for cultivation.

It's more like a "converging core" that spans countless planes of existence.

Based on his observations at the time and subsequent deductions, the Soul Forging Tower seemed to connect to countless planes, continuously drawing the most essential things from all the heavens and myriad worlds: soul particles and spiritual energy.

These intangible and intangible entities were attracted and gathered by that tower, and then, in some incredible way, were "solidified" into physical entities.

Brick by brick, layer upon layer, eventually transforming into the ever-growing and ever-extending tower itself.

In theory, as long as this absorption continues, the tower can expand and grow infinitely tall.

This is very likely a method left behind by some supreme being who transcends even the morning star and the radiant moon.

Its purpose may not be just "accumulation".

Instead, at a more macroscopic level, it intervenes in the entire endless universe by continuously absorbing and eroding spiritual energy and soul particles, thereby achieving "entropy reduction" in a certain sense.

This allows the mental state, which was originally chaotic and disordered, to be maintained in a relatively stable state.

Of course, all of this is still just speculation for now.

But regardless of its true nature, for Lynn and all those who have ever come close to the Soul Forging Tower, this place represents an extremely rare "window".

An opportunity to intercept those soul particles and spiritual energy before the rules are fully "solidified" into the tower structure.

In other words, they are "competing for resources" with the Soul Forging Tower.

Before that energy is completely transformed, absorb it into yourself, thereby achieving a leap in mental strength.

However, such opportunities are not common.

The Soul Forging Tower itself is not fixed in a certain realm.

It roams among the endless planes of existence, its position constantly changing and difficult to pinpoint.

Last time, Lynn was able to arrive by means of the "Invitation from the Soul Forging Tower".

Now, he no longer has any readily available proof. "Since I don't have any, I can only... conjure it myself."

Lynn remained calm, but he already had a plan in mind.

Anyone who has ever set foot near the Soul Forging Tower will leave behind some kind of "connection" in the unseen world.

It was an extremely faint, yet real, sensation.

As long as we keep capturing, amplifying, and locking onto this feeling, one day we will be able to "touch" the existence of that tower again.

What follows is a long and tedious process.

Through perception and exploration, constantly calibrating that faint "direction," until one can reliably lock onto the aura of the Soul Forging Tower.

Once that stage is reached, one can rely on oneself to solidify that connection into a tangible form, creating once again an "invitation to the Soul Forging Tower".

Thinking of this, a profound meaning flashed in Lynn's eyes.

It is worth mentioning that this "invitation" is not a simple copy of a disposable item.

It possesses a near-"binding" characteristic.

Once successfully condensed, the holder can choose to transfer it to someone else.

However, the price is equally clear: after the handover, all connections between oneself and the Soul Forging Tower will be completely severed.

The sensor disappeared, and the path was cut off.

The new holder will then take over all of this, starting from scratch, continuing to sense and condense, in an endless cycle.

"It's equivalent to handing over the 'qualification' itself..."

After a brief assessment, Lynn put the matter aside for the time being. Unless there was another plan, there was no need to use this option lightly.

Soon, his thoughts returned to the present moment.

"Next..."

He slowly exhaled, his expression completely focused.

"It's about continuously digging into that last trace of energy, trying to re-form the invitation."

In fact, ever since he confirmed that the "invitation" was not a one-time use item, he had been intermittently trying to sense the existence of the Soul Forging Tower.

However, in the past, we mostly went with the flow and didn't really settle down and devote ourselves fully.

Even so, progress is still proceeding slowly.

This is the result of his special talent.

"Heaven rewards diligence."

As long as you keep investing, even if the efficiency is not high, you will eventually accumulate little by little, without stagnation or regression.

Therefore, if this progress is visualized and mapped onto his cognition, a continuously advancing scale can be clearly seen.

And at this moment, that mark has reached:

"Invitation to the Soul Forging Tower: 39 / 100".

It's almost halfway done, and it won't be long before it's completely condensed.

"Enter the tower, go into seclusion for a month... and focus all your efforts on gathering the invitation letter."

Once the decision was made, Lynn no longer hesitated.

The next instant, his figure swayed slightly, and his entire body seemed to merge into the void, disappearing directly into the cultivation tower that resembled a divine tree.

As he entered, the entire cultivation tower seemed to be awakened.

Layer upon layer of formations quietly opened from the inside out, silently and imperceptibly, yet with utmost precision.

Energy circulates and interlocks within the tower, like the rings of an ancient tree, closing and converging one ring after another.

The previously outward aura quickly subsided.

In just a few breaths, the towering cultivation tower fell silent once more.

Like an ancient tree that has weathered countless storms, its inner strength is deeply hidden, revealing nothing.

It's now impossible to detect even the slightest movement within.

....................................

While Lynn was in seclusion, the group of Morning Star wizards who had been dismissed by him with a simple "private visit" and even driven away with a hint of humiliation had quietly gathered together.

Their place of residence is the last remaining noble courtyard in the Western Maple Domain that still holds absolute weight.

The term "great noble" is not an empty title, but refers to the top families in the clan that have a level six Morning Star Wizard in charge.

Looking across the entire Western Maple Domain, there is only one left that can still be considered to be at this level.

The Rockefeller family.

The true mastermind behind it all is Sean Rockefeller, a genuine sixth-level Morning Star wizard.

It was precisely because of this person's presence that the Rockefeller family, for many years after Xi Ye left, almost single-handedly suppressed the entire Western Maple Domain.

His power was so great that he could even be described as an uncrowned king.

The shadow of this family is faintly visible behind many resource flows, profit distributions, and even some gray-area default rules.

Even more recently, the reason why those Morning Star wizards all came to the lord's mansion, acting aggressively and trying to put pressure on Lynn...

The Rockefeller family was, to a greater or lesser extent, behind the scenes driving this.

At this moment, the group gathered again to meet with Anton Rockefeller, the patriarch of the Rockefeller family.

This is also a powerful being at the Morning Star level.

In the luxurious and spacious hall, crystal chandeliers hang down, their light flowing and illuminating the entire space, making it bright and transparent.

The surrounding furnishings are luxurious, yet not ostentatious; instead, they exude a profound sense of refinement.

Anton sat at the head of the table.

He remained calm as he listened to the numerous Morning Star Wizards below recount their experiences in the lord's manor.

Only when the sound gradually faded did he slowly raise his hand, pressing his palm slightly.

A very simple action quickly quieted down the slightly noisy atmosphere in the room.

All eyes were involuntarily drawn to him.

Anton's eyes flickered slightly, as if he was weighing the options, or as if he already had a plan.

After a moment, he spoke slowly and deliberately, his tone calm and carrying an undeniable air of composure:

"Everyone, please calm down."

"As soon as the news of the new lord's succession spread, I informed the ancestor immediately."

He paused slightly as he spoke.

"However... our ancestor is not currently within the Natural God Dynasty, so it will take some time for news to travel back and forth."

This sentence, without being explicitly stated, gave everyone a sense of reassurance.

Even when not physically present, a level six Morning Star Wizard still commands respect.

Immediately afterward, Anton's gaze darkened slightly, and he changed the subject:
"but……"

"A mere newly promoted lord at level four."

His tone carried a subtle hint of disdain.

"Even without the ancestor's intervention, the presence of everyone here... is probably sufficient."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall immediately relaxed, and many people showed expressions of agreement.

Anton continued, his voice slightly lower, yet sharper:
"This person is indeed arrogant."

"But within this hundred years... with you and me here, how arrogant can he get?"

As soon as the words fell, it was as if a fire had been ignited in everyone's hearts. Soon, voices of agreement and mockery rang out in quick succession.

"Hmph! If he were any smarter, he would have taken the initiative to curry favor with us and humbled himself. Maybe that would have helped him secure his first term!"

"Now? Ha... then don't blame us for making sure he can't even sit comfortably in his first term!"

"A mere fourth-level wizard dares to become a lord? What a joke!"

"Do you really think you can suppress us just by virtue of your name?"

Voices rose and fell, their tones filled with contempt and disdain.

In their eyes, Lynn was nothing more than an outsider who rose to power by virtue of his "status," with shallow roots and limited strength. Even if he was strong for a time, it was nothing more than a bluff.

And they are the ones who truly hold the reins of power on this land. (End of Chapter)