Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 606 The World of the Second Ring!
Inside the Feathered Serpent Pavilion, Locke felt the Dragon Nest Protection spell bringing him a kind of luck boost. He took out the last bottle of Lucky Potion he had saved in his Astral Ring. It was a bottle of Lucky Potion that he had concocted in the Feathered Serpent Pavilion and passed the third round of the Heavenly Ladder test, but he hadn't drunk it before.

At that moment, he placed the Angel's Tear Bracelet into the Astral Ring.

"What should I do now?" Locke felt the luck that had been born from the misfortune during the refining process, which instantly gathered around him the moment he drank the luck potion.

Luck is balanced; if you gain too much luck, someone else must pay for the misfortune.

The process of concocting a lucky potion is fraught with misfortune.

He had already paid the price for this misfortune, so he needed to drink the lucky potion to become lucky.

Locke found the green dragon half-dragon shopkeeper, who glanced at Locke and bowed, saying, "Honored guest, you look radiant. Your magical pressure has recently risen even higher. It seems you are ready to advance to the second-circle wizard."

"Have you thought of a way to use the fourth ladder?"

Locke waved his hand. "No. I was just thinking about how to quickly increase my magic pressure while trying to get through the fourth round of the Heavenly Ladder."

"Okay, I'm going to borrow some books from the free resources section of your store. I feel like I'm full of ideas now."

The green dragon-man bowed to him. "Please."

Locke entered the free resources section, quickly grabbed some materials, and began to browse through them. "Potion science can indeed be used for breeding to a large extent, but it is rarely used to enhance magical plants."

"It's only used to assist in breeding."

"This book tells me that it is unlikely to directly enhance magical plants with potions because wizards and magical plants have different body structures."

Locke fell into deep thought. "Another book also says it's a difficult thing. It doesn't recommend that a first-ring wizard do it."

Guided by a mysterious stroke of luck, Locke opened the Wishful Wishing Mushroom, found the message page of the witch Catherine, and sent her a few lines of information, telling her about the problems he was facing.

The witch Catherine replied quickly. 'You shouldn't know the exact date I left the True Dragon's Rest. Did I use... a lucky potion?'

'Alright, Locke. I see your question. Well, I'll tell you then, keep reading the books; most potion-making texts should tell you that you can't directly enhance magical plants with potions.'

'Looking up anywhere won't help. And if you ask me, I also think it's very likely that enhancing magical plants using potion-making techniques wouldn't work.'

Locke paused for a moment. "Could it be that my idea is wrong? Indeed, a momentary inspiration may seem wonderful, but after calming down and thinking about it, you will find that it is often unreliable."

"It was just that the Lucky Potion enhanced my intuition, making me think that asking the witch Catherine was the solution. But my teacher directly denied it? Is that the solution?"

Locke's expression was strange. "Could it be that my enhanced intuition suggests it would be better for me to directly consult an authoritative wizard and put an end to my own thoughts?"

After some hesitation, Locke sent a message to Catherine the Witch. "But teacher, I believe that with some appropriate modifications to the plant, success is still possible. This is my only chance of victory."

"With my current abilities, I may not necessarily be able to win this championship."

In the seven-story castle of the True Knowledge Institute, the witch Catherine smirked. "Little stubborn brat."

"But that really is just like my personality."

The golden dragon raised its head and said, "Ekaterina, if I'm not mistaken, the will of your true dragon bloodline has been appearing less and less lately. What have you done?"

Catherine the Witch did not answer; it concerned her fundamental secret, which she would not reveal.

……

Inside the Feathered Serpent Pavilion, the witch Catherine sent a message that shocked Locke.

What if I told you that everything in the book is wrong in terms of the answer you're looking for right now?

"Why do you assume that the information you need is definitely in the books? There are four major levels in the first-ring wizard stage. Because the wizarding world is so well-developed, the information on the seven major levels, from wizarding apprentice to the first-ring crystallized wizard stage, is very comprehensive."

"But from the second-ring wizard onwards, it's different. Every step of the road ahead is flawed, and the information you seek is no longer blessed by high-ring wizards, but is mostly accurate."

"Most of the information you've found is incorrect. Those who confidently tell you that what they've said is correct may very well be found to have serious flaws in their research fifty years from now. It's common for articles published in journals to be retracted a century later; even some thick-skinned wizards who stubbornly resist retraction for centuries will almost always end up having their papers retracted due to flawed conclusions."

The witch Catherine sent him a message: 'I am not a potion master, I know nothing about potions. I am merely a breeder, a botanical wizard, and my bloodline knowledge is at the second level.'

"Therefore, my assessment of your inspiration is that you're unlikely to succeed. But I don't know the correct answer. Child, in the world of the Second Ring Road, the correct answers to all your research directions require you to explore and verify them yourself."

'This is why second-circle wizards have such a great need for colonizing planes and validating their ideas. This is also why great magic requires going through four stages: unforged, illusory forged, pseudo-forged, and true forged, before one can potentially achieve third-circle status.'

Ekaterina sent a message: 'You only need to learn this because you want to become a second-circle wizard. You can choose to retreat to your comfort zone and go back to the 'correct' information. But if you want to continue, you should think carefully about how you can move forward with incorrect information and wrong guidance from others.'

Welcome to the world of the near-Second Ring Road.

'Locke, this is the curse of those who seek truth. You will be filled with doubt about all words, and that doubt will devour you and me.'

Locke immediately understood what Catherine the Witch had said.

Yes, I am the potion master with the first-ring crystallization level of the Primal Flame. I am the wizard whose potion mastery has passed three rounds of the Heavenly Ladder.

He was asking Catherine the Witch a question that was impossible for her to answer.

This also allowed me to conduct more in-depth research on sea hyacinth.

So when you're researching information, who can offer you more advice on Haijinsha?

Nobody can.

"In the world of second-circle wizards, the main way to understand the truth is no longer just reading documents, but also to explore on one's own. It may require a lot of dimensional exploration," Locke pondered.

He added, "But according to my thinking, it is indeed possible for me to use the Abyss Potion to turn the Tyrant Sea Sands into an Abyss."

In this way, the original sea ginseng will be transformed into tree fern, tyrannical, and abyssal.

Locke recalled the Abyss Botany he had once read, and the various contents of the Eye Demon Potion.

"It's difficult to transform the Sea Gold Sands Abyss on my own in a short time," Locke pondered. "But I can try using the Synthesis Cube to synthesize a potion recipe."

"I just don't have the money to buy raw materials. Oh well, I'll go to another major bank and get another 500,000 yuan in loan, then I'll have money again."

"Moreover, there is actually another way to speed it up." Guided by the Lucky Potion, Locke closed his eyes and felt the will of the Supreme Eye Demon in the darkness.

At the same time, he used the techniques of advanced meditation to protect his mind from being polluted.

'The energy of the abyss is constantly trying to infect plants in other dimensions, so I'll use this mechanism, and their intentions, to directly question the Supreme Eye Demon. Perhaps I can get some information that can help me.'

'Using this method, I can shorten the time it takes to pinpoint the way to abyss the Sea Gold Sands and strengthen it for the third time.'

A mental lightning bolt flashed through his mind.

A beholder the size of the entire plane appeared in Locke's mind, emitting a deep, guttural laugh. 'What an audacious wizard! In all my centuries, this is the first time I've encountered a wizard so brazenly asking me what abyssal materials can safely enhance the power of your magical plants!'

'Wizard, why should I tell you!'

'Wizard, tell me, what's in it for me?'

Locke was slightly surprised to see the projection of the Supreme Eye Demon appear in his mental world; this guy actually responded.

I'm just giving it a try.

The fact that he came shows that he is interested in this proposal.

Locke said, "There's no benefit. But isn't spreading abyssal energy in your nature? If you refuse, I'll find other demon dukes; there's bound to be one who's interested."

The Supreme Eye Demon suddenly flew into a rage, unleashing countless mental lightning bolts of light upon him. 'Insolence!'

'You have obtained the power of our Bewitching race, and have deeply integrated it with our Bewitching power. You actually consider cooperating with another demon lord!'

"The Prime Material Plane is mine, mine! It belongs to our Beholder race. I will conquer the Nightmare Legion, I will become the Prince of the Abyss! I will lead the Beholder race to ascension! Alright, wizard, I will help you. This is the Supreme Beholder's reward for your courage."

'Don't ever think that this is something you obtained through your own wisdom. Hahaha... Every wizard who thinks he's clever will eventually discover that the gifts of fate already come with a price tag.'

Seventy-two illusory figures appeared in Locke's mind.

Those were the auras of seventy-two abyssal demon gods. Seventy-two pillars fell from the sky, the will of the abyss lingering over them. They were the seventy-two most powerful demon god wizards.

Behind each of them lies a world in ruins.

The Seventy-Two Pillar Demons are among the strongest destroyers of the Abyss, and countless planes in the endless void have suffered as a result.

Five minutes later, Locke opened his eyes in the reading room, his forehead covered in sweat, breathing heavily as if he had just experienced a great battle.

Then, Locke drank a bottle of the Holy Spring Dew Potion.

"Success."

"The Supreme Eye Demon really gave me enlightenment. I didn't expect him to be so easy to talk to. All I had to do was use the Rubik's Cube to eliminate the hidden dangers..."

"Corrupted Star Iron, Bloodstained Rose... these materials can all be purchased at Dragonblood Market."

Locke immediately ran out and headed as fast as he could to the Diamond Golem Bank, the headquarters of the Dragonfall Land, one of the five major banks.

Locke quickly borrowed 500,000 from it.

Alas, when in Rome, do as the Romans do; I have finally picked up the habits of the shamans of Yunze Wetlands.

(End of this chapter)