Dark Wizard: Rise! My undead army!

"You've done your best these past two years," Lynn said calmly, as if he were only offering a few stones.

"You've managed the mine and handled miscellaneous tasks without any major mistakes; this is the compensation you deserve."

Aria quickly replied, "Master, this is far too much! We...we were sent by our families to serve and learn from you, and we have already benefited immensely from your guidance. How can you ask for payment?"

They came from a small family and knew the value of the magic stone.

The "apprenticeship gift" that the three families put together was no more than one hundred magic stones from each family.

These two hundred magic stones represent the total amount of resources that Aria, the "jewel" of her family, could only obtain over several years!

More importantly, it is unheard of for any formal wizard to regularly provide such "generous rewards" to their apprentices.

An apprentice is already fortunate enough to learn something and receive protection; how many apprentices can't even find a reliable mentor?

Lynn didn't care about the magic stones. He felt that having two apprentices around wouldn't bring him any income, which would inevitably affect their cultivation.

Moreover, as one's level of attainment increases, one's perspective and ability to acquire resources become entirely different.

These two hundred magic stones were a drop in the ocean for him, but for the two diligent apprentices in front of him, they could truly help them advance their training and solidify their loyalty.

Baal's lips moved slightly, and his eyes were a little red.

He recalled the embarrassing times he had experienced in his family branch, where he had to fight with others for a single magic stone.

Arya was also filled with emotion. Although her purpose in becoming a disciple was not pure and she had been trying to please Lynn in various ways for the past two years, she had never overstepped the bounds.

Unfortunately, her mentor didn't seem to care about her flattery, at most praising the food as delicious.

The two hundred magic stones that have been distributed to Aria are, for her, a recognition of her work.

The two looked at each other and saw the excitement and unease in each other's eyes.

The words of refusal were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back when he met Lynn's calm yet unquestionable gaze.

"Thank you... thank you for your kindness, Master!" Baal bowed his head deeply, his voice choked with emotion.

"Aria...thank you, Master." She bowed again, her voice soft yet incredibly solemn, and carefully put away the magic stone bag.

Lynn said no more and turned to walk towards the training room.

Behind him, two apprentices carried heavy bags of magic stones, their hearts filled with unprecedented gratitude.

...

Time flies when you're cultivating; a year has passed since the last inspector arrived.

On this day, the energy in Lynn's training room suddenly surged, and the very center area was directly drawn into a "vacuum".

From the sky, one can see a massive amount of energy continuously pouring in from the outside, filling this vacuum.

When the energy fluctuations accumulated in the cultivation room climbed to a certain critical point, they then surged out like a tsunami, only to suddenly return to calm...

Lynn... broke through!

Before the breakthrough, he had a total of 960 points of mental energy, which was almost twice as high as the theoretical peak of a first-ring wizard (500 points)!

And Lynn's current mental strength is...

1,500 points!

Upon advancing to the next level, his mental strength had already surpassed the limit that most second-ring wizards strive for their entire lives! (A normal second-ring wizard has 800 points after advancing, with a maximum value of 1200 points.)

This is not an ordinary promotion, but a terrifying burst of potential based on the solid foundation already laid.

Successfully advanced!

Lynn (Second Ring Wizard)

Mental Strength: 1500 (Stable)

Life Energy Level: Early Stage of Ring Two (Essentially Reaching Peak of Ring Two)

Core Talents: Soul Breakthrough, Earth-type Superior, Star Breakthrough, Space Breakthrough, Death Superior

Rule Analysis: The Scar of Truth in the Main World (Shallow Analysis) 192 rules

Innate Spell: [Starbone Domination Heart - Tier 2] (Greatly increases Domination cap and enhancement effects)

Core Technique: [Myriad Phenomena Meditation Method - Eighteenth Optimized Version]

Physical strength: Comparable to a third-ring bloodline wizard/level 6 nightmare-level undead peak

Combat strength assessment: In normal state, it can overwhelm most second-ring wizards. Under full power, it can briefly hold its own against newly promoted third-ring wizards.

...

Inside the cultivation room, Lynn slowly opened his eyes, the starlight in his eyes growing ever brighter.

This advancement caused his mental strength to surge again, and his physical body and five senses also received corresponding boosts.

His physical body also surpassed the second-ring standard, reaching the level of a third-ring bloodline wizard.

This is truly remarkable, meaning that Lynn could easily overwhelm an ordinary second-circle wizard with just his physical strength.

Hmm... I've always followed the orthodox path of a wizard, and haven't really strengthened my physical body much, yet my physical body has surpassed my mental strength, allowing me to advance through the ranks first...

The reversal of the Heavenly Gang is considered to be true.

Outside the training room, Baal and Arya watched the gathering energy with bated breath.

This energy was beyond their imagination; at its most concentrated point, it formed an energy storm that had reached the point of altering the regional celestial phenomena.

The immense fluctuations during the advancement, although largely weakened by the layers of barriers in the training room, still caused Baal and Arya inside the fortress to feel a chill that originated from the depths of their souls.

It was an absolute sense of overwhelming power on a life level that made them almost unable to stand, filling their hearts with awe.

As expected of a mentor, he's truly formidable!

When the fluctuations completely subsided, the door to the training room opened silently.

As Lynn slowly walked out, the already profound and unfathomable aura around him transformed into a dazzling starry sky, with unparalleled power hidden beneath its calm surface.

What surprised the two apprentices even more was that a faint smile appeared on his usually indifferent face.

This smile is a genuine expression of joy from the heart.

Arya's heart skipped a beat, her heart pounding at that smile, and a smile involuntarily bloomed on her face as well.

She knew this young wizard all too well.

For the past three years, he has remained absolutely calm. Even when he smiles, it is a forced smile, devoid of any emotion, and he rarely reveals such pure joy.

This is a signal, and perhaps also an opportunity for me.

She immediately suppressed the turmoil in her heart, stepped forward, her posture more respectful than usual, but her voice filled with heartfelt joy:

"Congratulations, mentor, on your advancement! You're one step closer to the True Spirit realm!"

Barr was a beat behind, but quickly followed suit, awkwardly echoing:

"Congratulations, Master! That power just now... that power was incredible! It was practically comparable to a true spirit..."

Although Baal had never seen a true spirit, in his opinion, even if a true spirit were alive, it wouldn't be anything special.

Lynn was in a very good mood.

After being cooped up in this ghost mine for three years, I've finally advanced!

He waved his hand, stopping the two from boasting.

"Alright, if you don't know how to flatter, don't force it. If some true spirit hears this, the three of us will witness the true spirit's methods today."

Barr scratched his head awkwardly, chuckled, and said no more.