My monster cards can evolve infinitely.

Xiu Qi crouched down and reached out to scoop the crystal from the bottom of the pool.

It feels heavy in the hand, with a warm and smooth texture. The moment you touch it with your fingertips, it feels as if it has a life of its own and resonates with you.

It was as if, in the sweltering summer, a cool and refreshing breeze instantly enveloped his entire body.

He held the egg-sized crystal in his hand, his eyes fixed on it...

......

【Rare and Ethereal Crystals】

Type: Meditation Stone

Quality: Rare and exceptional (purple)

Effect: Increases Meditation Energy by 150 points

Description: From the bottom of the Phoenix Tears pool at Eternal Hot Spring.

......

Xiuqi's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Eternal Hot Springs - Phoenix Tears!"

My heart was pounding wildly, as if being struck by the strongest blacksmith's hammer.

"It really is a priceless and rare crystal!"

Since his Arcane Awakening over a year ago, due to various reasons such as the reconstruction of the manor, he only purchased his first psionic crystal after enrolling in the Arcane Academy.

Compared to mages who use psionic crystals to aid meditation from a young age, he started far too late.

Xiu Qi's arcane aptitude and spellcasting talent were considered average compared to ordinary mages, but in the Arcanist Academy of the Solmar Royal Academy, a place teeming with geniuses,

His aptitude and talent are of inferior quality.

If it weren't for his extremely high affinity with the School of Defense, Xiuqi would never have been able to pass the entrance exam.

The psionic value of ordinary psionic crystals is generally between 20 and 25 points, which can increase meditation efficiency by about 50%.

The exquisite psionic crystal he is currently wearing has 50 psionic points, which can double his meditation efficiency.

This rare psionic crystal has an astonishing 150 points of psionic energy, which, with a simple calculation, can increase meditation efficiency by three times.

This means that wearing this meditation stone for one year is equivalent to the effect of four years of arduous practice.

Xiu Qi unconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

This is absolutely shocking!

No wonder those geniuses, even with their outstanding arcane talents, never stop pursuing higher-level spellcasting aids.

He recalled his past stinginess, how he had studied diligently for a year with a self-righteous attitude, but his ranking in the grade had actually dropped from 80th to 90th.

He was just one position away from being in the bottom ten of his grade.

The phrase that Xiuqi heard most often throughout his life was that there are no shortcuts on this path!

The truth is that there are shortcuts on every road; you just haven't found the right one yet.

He removed the exquisite psionic crystal from the complicated knots on his chest and carefully re-tied and reinforced it.

Instantly, a thick, warm current surged from his chest into his limbs and bones, churning and then converging in his brain.

This made him feel that his perception range was larger and clearer, his thinking speed was faster and more acute, and he seemed to have an inexhaustible magic power.

"This feels amazing!"

Xiuqi began to examine his own magic circuits, experiencing this incredibly strange feeling for the first time.

In the last academy attribute assessment, his intelligence barely reached 8 points, which is the starting line for a spellcaster.

However, Mu, the top student in the Star and Moon class and also a first-year apprentice at the Arcane Academy, has already reached level 2 in his mage profession.

His intelligence reached an astonishing 12 points, a full 4 points more than Xiuqi's.

Don't underestimate the difference of 4 points; it's actually twice the distance.

Whether it's the speed of thought, the construction of spell models, or the control of magic, Mu's efficiency is almost twice that of Xiuqi.

This is the insurmountable gap in intelligence.

This is also the origin of spellcasters' contempt for those with low intelligence.

Xiuqi had even begun to envision himself shedding the label of "low-IQ apprentice" and becoming a highly intelligent person above others.

Even if he uses up this rare-grade crystal and then buys a high-quality crystal from the magic shop as a backup, his growth rate will still be above average.

After all, rare magical items are hard to find, and rare and precious psionic crystals are even more so.

But this piece of land in front of him is the best ancient gift.

Xiuqi finished drinking the water from the water bag, then immersed the water bag in the small pool of Yongheng Hot Spring, filling it with warm spring water.

He looked around again but didn't find anything that looked valuable.

Xiuqi bypassed the pool and walked in the direction of the source of the gurgling water.

After crossing a small patch of grass dotted with glowing wildflowers, and passing several exceptionally thick ancient trees with strangely natural runes on their trunks,

Suddenly, the view before my eyes opened up completely.

It was a vast, open valley.

At the center of the valley is a wide, circular area, paved with neat, huge white stone slabs, with shimmering moss growing between the slabs.

A winding silver stream flows out from one of the rock walls, crosses the stone slabs, and merges into a huge pool in front.

In the very center of the pool stands a huge sculpture.

Or rather, the remains of a sculpture.

The stone used for the sculpture is not like ordinary jade; it has a pure white, moonlit white color that shimmers with a warm luster under the tranquil dome.

The sculpture depicts a woman—her upper body is that of a woman, her face is exquisitely beautiful and dignified, and her long, flowing hair, which cascades down like a waterfall, appears to be adorned with a crown-like decoration, though it is now incomplete.

Her figure was perfect, with a tall and elegant posture, possessing a delicate and otherworldly quality unique to elves.

His eyes were slightly lowered, as if he were gazing at the land and the creatures beneath his feet.

However, the graceful curve extending downwards from the waist is not the legs, but a huge snake tail that coils up and is covered with fine scales.

The scales were carved with exquisite detail, as if each one contained immense power. The enormous snake tail coiled several times, firmly supporting the massive upper body.

Most notably, the sculpture has eight arms.

The eight arms are spread out in a rhythmic and beautiful manner, which does not appear ferocious, but rather exudes a dignified and elegant air.

Each arm holds or carries different objects, and despite the erosion of time, several can still be vaguely identified.

The two arms at the top hold a longsword and a staff, respectively.

The second row has a missing left arm, but his right arm is holding a longbow.

The right arm of the third-row character is broken, and he holds a trident in his left arm.

The bottom left hand holds a long whip, and in the palm of the right hand, a dimple is faintly visible, perhaps where a gemstone was once inlaid.

"An eight-armed goddess...or a serpent-bodied goddess?" Xiuqi walked to the edge of the pool and carefully examined the sculpture.

Despite being a spellcaster with an exceptional memory, he was unable to find a corresponding description.

Neither college courses nor library collections contain any record of this particular deity.

This seems to be some kind of special worship that incorporates multiple mythological elements, or perhaps a deity worshipped by a branch of the High Elves.

However, Xiuqi's current knowledge is insufficient to make a judgment.

The four sides of the sculpture's base are engraved with ancient Elvish script and incomprehensible, complex patterns.

Further away, one can see the remains of even more buildings—

Collapsed columns, archways half-buried in the ground, shattered fountains...

Some stone slabs still bear charred marks, as if they had witnessed an ancient war.

This secret realm is permeated with a solemn and sorrowful atmosphere, giving people an epic sense of immersion.

This place must have belonged to a high-level civilization of some elves, which once had an incredibly splendid and brilliant history, but has now been forgotten, leaving only ruins in front of us.

Xiu Qi sighed, and after the sigh, an even deeper sense of crisis washed over him.

How can he leave this place?