Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

Dago didn't know.

This kind of willpower that even time cannot completely erase is deeply imprinted in the blood like a "genetic code," and may "make a comeback" at any time.

It was so incredible that it was beyond his comprehension.

In the basic theories of wizardry he encountered, the soul and the body should be a clearly defined binary opposition, but the will of this ancient creature defied common sense.

It does not reside in the soul, but rather engraves fragments of broken consciousness deep within every cell, like a ghost lurking in the shadows of the genetic chain.

This is not merely residual energy, but a higher-dimensional erosion of life information, which lurks in slumber.

The moment the host's mental defenses weaken, the endocrine system will instantly take control of the body, erasing the individual "Dago" and replacing it with the ferocious beast that once ravaged the ice plains in ancient times.

This is a pure, life-level plunder, devoid of any compassion or room for negotiation, consisting only of ruthless suppression and counter-suppression.

"The only good news now is that as long as I don't try to continue fusing the bloodline crystal and don't use the power of the Despairing Winter Dragon, this will won't continue to grow without being nourished, and I can slowly wear it down over time."

While it's unrealistic to completely eliminate it, since Dago can't completely abandon this bloodline power, he will have to keep facing this problem as long as he chooses to continue down the path of "Desperate Winter Dragon Beheilite".

The path of a wizard is essentially an exchange with the truth. To gain extraordinary power, one must pay a corresponding price, whether it be physical mutation or spiritual corruption, all within the measure of the scales.

What he could do was not to evade this risk, but to use the wisdom and reason of a wizard to construct a sophisticated mental defense model, like dissecting a corpse, peeling away and analyzing that violent will layer by layer, until it was used as fuel to be thrown into the furnace of truth exploration.

"But if I can keep it within a relatively small range, it won't have a big impact on me."

Dago opened his eyes and slightly activated the power of the [Desperate Winter Dragon Bloodline] in the newly added [Talent] section of the system.

In an instant, as if ice were shattering, two pitch-black vertical slits appeared in the center of his pupils, from which an evil, scarlet light burst forth.

The world changed instantly in his view; the originally simple material world was covered with a filter of energy.

The low-temperature particles floating in the air are no longer lifeless dust, but have become some kind of jubilant living things, paying homage to the high monarch, yearning to be dominated and shaped.

At the same time, a violent killing intent originating from ancient times surged through his frontal lobe, attempting to take over his thought process, making him yearn to tear apart all living things before him, and crave the warmth of fresh blood to irrigate his cold body.

"hiss--"

The long hair behind Dago swayed silently, each strand turning into an ancient dark blue.

Each strand of hair seemed to transform into an independent tentacle, keenly sensing even the slightest changes in the surrounding airflow. Not even the smallest energy ripples in the space could escape the body's grasp.

A layer of fine, almost transparent ice crystal dragon scales appeared on his skin. These scales were not simply keratin, but some kind of high-density energy solidified substance that could effectively refract light and the impact of low-level spells.

Countless free ice-type energy particles in the surrounding air converged towards Dago, forming a huge vortex. The ice rivers on the ground were stirred up, and even the majestic and immovable glaciers in the distance seemed to be making a rumbling sound.

This is not a simple elemental resonance, but rather a suppression of rules from a higher level.

Within this space of inheritance, he seemed to have become the master of ice and snow. The surrounding environment was being forcibly rewritten by his will, and the originally stable elemental arrangement began to collapse and recombine into a more aggressive form.

If an ordinary human were standing here at this moment, they would probably be instantly frozen into a lifeless ice sculpture by this invisible pressure, and their soul would be completely annihilated under the scouring of that evil aura.

Large clumps of dark blue frost emerged, gradually emanating an ancient, evil, and majestic aura.

"call--"

Just when everything was about to reach its peak, it all came to an abrupt halt.

Dago suppressed the power in his bloodline, silently looked at his right hand, and quickly put his hand down.

The ice scales covering the hand were visibly receding, revealing slightly pale skin again, and the faint blue tinge at the tips of the fingernails disappeared within seconds.

He could clearly feel that as the power of his bloodline receded, the tyrannical will that had been trying to erode his reason also retreated into the cage deep within his mental space, like a wild beast whose throat was temporarily constricted by chains, letting out a silent roar.

This psychological game of constantly teetering on the edge of losing control is an immense test of a wizard's willpower; a slight misstep could lead to utter ruin.

But Dago did it willingly, because each suppression meant that he had gained a deeper control over the body and the power.

How can one obtain power that ordinary people cannot achieve without paying a certain price?

Things in this world are always fair.

The path to truth is never a smooth road paved with flowers, but a staircase built with the bones of countless pioneers.

Fear, hesitation, and weakness—these superfluous emotions will only become stumbling blocks on the road to progress.

Only by maintaining absolute calm and rationality, and dissecting oneself and the world with the precision of a scalpel, can one grasp that glimmer of light called "truth" in the endless fog of the unknown.

Dago is not the kind of person who "once bitten by a snake, is afraid of ropes for ten years".

Experiencing life-or-death crises will not frighten him; it will only make him more cautious and careful.

He knew that fear stemmed from the unknown, and that the purpose of a wizard was to analyze the unknown and transform fear into a tool in his hands.

This space of inheritance is not only a refuge for him, but also a huge laboratory, and he himself is both the experimenter and the most precious experimental material.

Dago walked on the snow, slowly heading deeper into the space.

The snow crunched softly underfoot, its sound particularly clear in the deathly silence.

With each step he took, he meticulously sensed the changes in the surrounding energy concentration, his brain acting like a sophisticated computing center, constantly recording and analyzing environmental data.

The further they went, the denser the free-floating ice-type energy particles in the air became. When they reached the end of the space, in front of a frost-shrouded cliff, Dago even saw some irregular blue-white light clusters floating on the cliff.

These light clusters are not physical entities, but rather semi-stable aggregates formed by extremely high concentrations of ice element particles under the guidance of certain rules. They float in the air as if they were alive, emitting a bone-chilling cold and pure elemental radiance.

If an ordinary living being were to touch it, it would likely be assimilated and decomposed instantly, reverting to its most primitive form of ice element particles.

That's an aggregation of energy particles that's become incredibly concentrated. If given more time, the energy particles in this space would become even more concentrated.

The orbs of light in front of Dago may eventually evolve into ice elemental entities.

This is a low-level elemental life form. Although it does not possess great intelligence, it is an excellent sample for studying the nature of elements and the origin of life.

"【Frost Spear】!"

With a light tap of his finger, Dago released an invisible surge of mental energy. He did not construct a complex spell model; he simply used his mental energy as a lever to manipulate the extremely active ice elements around him.

A massive amount of ice-type energy particles rapidly gathered, instantly condensing into a dense array before him, resembling a shimmering white spear forged from ice crystals.

These spears hovered in mid-air, their tips trembling slightly, as if ready to pierce through the void at any moment. Each spear contained astonishingly low-temperature kinetic energy, a terrifying power capable of freezing steel.

Strange energy fluctuations emanated from around these frost spears, as if they were about to give birth to something.

It was a resonance at the level of rules, as if these spears were no longer inanimate objects, but were endowed with a trace of spirituality in this high-concentration environment.

"Is this a simulation of ancient times?"

Dago's eyes flickered slightly, as if he understood the significance of this so-called inheritance mark space.

In environments where the concentration of single-element energy particles is unusually high, one will receive considerable assistance in both practicing spells and comprehending the domain of magic.

This environment simulates the ancient era when elements were rampant and rules were outwardly manifest, allowing wizards to more directly access the essence of the elements, rather than trying to understand them blindly through a thick layer of inert matter.

For a wizard who is building his own system of truth, its value cannot be measured in magic stones.

The higher the concentration, the stronger the boost.

Here, the harmony between mental energy and the elements is amplified infinitely, and the efficiency of each meditation is several times, or even dozens of times, that of the outside world.

This is not just about saving time, but also about accumulating the necessary resources to break through the constraints of life.

However, this space is obviously not very old, probably only a few hundred years old at most. The concentration of monolithic free energy particles is high, but not to an exaggerated degree.

Although those floating clusters of light were active, they lacked the profound sense of weight and the completeness of rules that comes with millennia of sedimentation.

"That's probably why Undine said resources were limited and could only accommodate one person at a time..."

Dago thought to himself casually.

Although the energy circulation system in this space is ingenious, it is, after all, a man-made product, and the energy regeneration rate is limited.

If multiple people were to simultaneously absorb and exhale energy here, the balance would likely be disrupted very quickly, leading to environmental degradation.

Resource allocation in the wizarding world has always been ruthless; only individuals who demonstrate sufficient value are entitled to enjoy this "gift" alone.

In any case, for him in his current state, this place is an excellent place for secluded cultivation.