Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

"I absolutely must go to the Sleeping Palace."

This concerns Ian's long-term plan to communicate with other worlds. He had previously researched a lot of information about the Void Anchor Stone, but had never found any clues.

The main materials for the Abyss Altar are Abyss Runestone and Void Anchor Stone, especially the latter.

Without its ability to stabilize the void turbulence, the faint signals emanating from the altar are easily disturbed.

If he becomes strong enough in the future, perhaps with his powerful will, he will only need to build a simple altar.

But he is only a first-level wizard now, far from that advanced level.

"We have three months to prepare. It's a bit tight, but enough time."

He needs to quickly increase his proficiency in [Gravity Collapse Sphere] and push [Furnace Tempering Technique] to its peak proficiency level.

We also need to prepare more blood essence for Gaga; we were very grateful for it last time.

Inside the alchemy room, the light was blocked out by heavy curtains.

Ian sat cross-legged in the center of the isolation array and took out a metal box from his dimensional ring.

The box felt cool to the touch, and its surface was engraved with runes that suppressed energy fluctuations.

He opened the box; inside was a black velvet cloth, and on the cloth lay an eyeball.

The Gaze of the Gaze.

The surface of the eyeball is no longer It has a dry, grayish color, as if covered with a layer of gray.

The original sphere collapsed slightly, and the strange and intricate patterns on the iris became dim and blurry.

Only deep within the very center of the pupil remained a tiny speck of gold, no bigger than a pinhead.

That glimmer of gold, faint yet stubbornly shining, was like the last spark in the wind.

"After inhaling for so long, this is all that's left."

Ian stretched out two fingers and pinched the light, fluffy eyeball.

It feels like dry leather, with a slightly gritty texture.

"Those people from the Withering Council, following Hector's lead like hyenas smelling blood... all for this thing?"

He brought his eyes close to his face, examining the golden core closely.

As soon as his spiritual energy made a slight probe and touched that golden point, his mind went blank.

There was no stinging pain, nor a throbbing pain, but rather a...

The feeling of being "pricked" by pure, condensed, and extremely cold energy.

Very sharp.

It's different from the gentle essences I absorbed before.

"I've almost completely absorbed all the essence; the improvement is indeed rapid."

Ian looked at the data on his panel.

Name: Ian Marcus

Age: 18

Realm: Early Stage of Level One Wizard (29.5%)

Returning from the withered forest, my mental strength increased like an inflating balloon as I meditated and slowly digested the energy of the eyeball.

We were about to break through that hurdle and enter the mid-term.

It's just one step away from being a goal.

"But if that's all there is to it, is it really worth the Withered Council sending a deacon to investigate, and still not giving up after the deaths of three core members? Even the 'Cursed Undead' squad is coming?"

Ian shook his head, his fingers digging into the dry, shriveled skin of his eyeball.

"No, that old fox Hector definitely knows more."

The true value of this thing... probably lies hidden in this last bit of its 'core'.

He recalled the advanced materials about mental power that he had flipped through in the library.

For a first-level wizard, the transformation of mental energy from "mist" to "liquefaction" represents both an accumulation of quantity and a preliminary qualitative change.

The most distinctive mark of a second-level wizard is "crystallization".

When spiritual energy condenses into a tangible crystal, it represents a qualitative leap, another transformation in the level of life.

Putting everything else aside, their lifespan alone is enough to live for a thousand years.

And then there's the most iconic attack method: crystallized filaments.

Formless and intangible, it targets the will and soul, and is the most feared nightmare of low-level wizards.

"Could it be..." A thought flashed into Ian's mind like lightning.

His heart skipped a beat, and his gaze fixed on the golden core became intense.

"This last bit... isn't the essence, it's... a seed of crystallized spiritual power?"

He no longer hesitated, and his spiritual power transformed into the finest whiskers.

Carefully, like using a scalpel to peel away the most delicate instrument, I slowly pierced the dry outer shell of the eyeball, reaching for that golden core.

boo.

A very faint, crisp sound, perceptible only to the mind.

The golden core was activated, but no massive energy flow emerged.

Only a wisp... thinner than a strand of hair, so finely concentrated as to be almost invisible, drifted slowly along Ian's spiritual tendrils.

The moment this thread appeared, the air in the entire alchemy room seemed to "sink" for a moment.

It's not about weight, but a kind of oppressive feeling in terms of "quality".

Several sheets of draft paper scattered on the table moved on their own without any wind, their edges developing fine, rough edges, as if cut by an invisible blade.

In the shadows of the corner, Gaga, who was dozing and digesting blood essence, suddenly woke up with a start, her feathers bristling.

His small eyes were filled with fear as he stared intently at Ian's palm, making a low gurgling sound in his throat.

Ian didn't have time to care about Gagga.

His entire being was drawn to the thin golden thread that was drifting towards him.

It's so beautiful.

Pure and translucent, like fine gold crystal melted and drawn into silk.

The fluctuations it emitted were cold and stable, yet carried a sense of overlooking, the oppressive aura of a higher life form.

Just being "watched" by it made Ian feel his mental sea tremble slightly.

This is the instinctive "awe" that lower-level life forms feel when facing higher-level beings.

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"As expected... crystallized spiritual power!"

It is still absorbable, without any imprinted spiritual energy.

Ian took a deep breath, suppressing the elation and shock in his heart.

He knew he had made it big.

The real treasure that the Withered Council is pursuing, that Hector is obsessed with, and that he might even lose his life for.

It's not the "function" of that eyeball that can rapidly increase mental strength, but rather the "crystallized core" hidden within it!

"By absorbing it, my spiritual sea... will acquire some crystallization properties!"

The thought made Ian's breathing become heavier.

A first-level wizard possesses some of the traits that only a second-level wizard has.

What does this mean?

This is not just an increase in the total amount of spiritual power; it is an early touch upon the essence of life in a certain dimension!

It's a shortcut to a higher level!

"bring it on."

Ian's eyes narrowed, and he no longer hesitated.

He opened his "mouth," not actually sucking with his mouth, but rather using his mental energy to generate the strongest "suction."

At the same time, guide that wisp of golden crystallized thread to slowly flow towards the center of your brow.

The thin thread touched the skin between the eyebrows, but there was no real tactile sensation.

But it was like a red-hot needle, gently "piercing" in.

"hiss!"

Ian gasped.

Excruciating pain! Indescribable pain!

It's not just physical pain, but also the pain of having your soul torn apart and then forcibly stuffed into a higher being!

His consciousness went blank for a moment, stars flashed before his eyes, and his ears were filled with a sharp buzzing.

My body spasmed uncontrollably, and the blood vessels under my skin bulged out as if countless tiny insects were crawling inside.

He clenched his teeth, his gums bleeding, and a beast-like growl escaped his throat.

Sweat poured out of every pore on his body like a waterfall, instantly soaking the carpet beneath him.

Can't stop!

This is the price of transformation, the necessary path to strength!

He frantically activated the [Furnace Body Tempering Technique], using his powerful physique to stabilize his body, which was on the verge of collapse.

With all his mental energy, he guided the turbulent energy currents like a master helmsman.

He painstakingly dragged that thin golden thread, little by little, into the depths of his own spiritual sea.

In the sea of ​​consciousness, the originally calm, faintly silvery-gray spiritual energy is now churning wildly, like a lake surface tossed with a boulder.

As soon as the fine golden thread entered, it was like thick golden liquid dripping into water, slowly and irresistibly "spreading" outwards.

It's so concise.

The liquefied spiritual energy, condensed to its extreme, was "assimilated" and "compressed" as soon as it approached...

Its structure was forcibly altered, and it was tinged with a very faint golden luster.

This process is accompanied by unbearable swelling and tearing pain, as if the whole head is about to burst.

Time passed little by little.

Ian didn't know how much time had passed; it could have been a moment or a long time.

He devoted all his will to fighting pain and guiding the fusion.

at last……

The thin golden thread completely merged into the center of the mental sea and disappeared.

But the changes it brought about were crystal clear.

The turbulent sea of ​​emotions gradually calmed down, but the color of the sea changed.

It was no longer a pure silver-gray, but rather, in the core and most concentrated area of ​​the fog, countless tiny, indistinct golden specks were mixed in.

These points of light resemble stars, emitting a faint yet stable crystalline luster.

The "quality" of the entire spiritual sea seemed to have been elevated.

It is heavier and more resilient, operates more smoothly, and provides clearer and more acute perception.

Most strangely, Ian felt that his "vision" had changed.

It is not what the eyes see, but what the mind "sees".

He could "sense" the subtle fluctuations of free energy in the air and "touch" the runes of the magic array beneath him, as well as the flowing energy trajectory.

You can even faintly "hear" the tense heartbeat and the subtle fluctuations emanating from the soul in the corner of the wall.

"This is... a spiritual sea with a trace of crystallization?"

Ian slowly opened his eyes.

Deep within his pupils, a faint golden light flashed and disappeared.

He brought up the control panel.

Name: Ian Marcus

Age: 18

Realm: Level 1 Wizard (Mid-game 38.1%)

It's a breakthrough! Not only have we entered the mid-game, but we've jumped straight to 38%!

more importantly……

Ian's mind stirred slightly, and he focused his attention on his eyes.

He sensed that the golden light spots at the core of his spiritual sea were being activated.

A faint, imperceptible, formless, yet real "power" gathers in the pupil.

He looked at the experimental table three meters away. A fine iron puppet target used to test the strength of witchcraft.

Their gazes focused.

laugh!

A soft sound, so faint as to be almost inaudible.

A hole smaller than a pinhead silently appeared in the center of the iron doll's forehead.

The edges of the hole are smooth, with no traces of high-temperature burning or signs of metal deformation.

It's as if it was born with this little hole.

However, inside the doll, several simple rune nodes used to simulate energy circulation instantly dimmed and shattered.

Ian walked over and touched the hole with his finger; it was ice-cold.

Upon probing with spiritual power, the extremely faint trace of "activity," or "spirituality," remaining inside the doll had completely dissipated.

"Ignoring physical and energy defenses...directly attacking the soul and consciousness..."

Ian repeated the description from the documents in a low voice, a surge of excitement and fighting spirit welling up inside him.

He licked his slightly chapped lips, his eyes sharp.

"This is crystallized silk thread... Even if it has only a trace of this property, it's terrifying enough."