Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

In the silent hall, the orb of light was emitting a faint but steady fluctuation.

Like a heart that is still beating.

Apart from Ian, the hall was empty.

He was the first and only one to arrive.

He slowly walked towards the ball of light.

Footsteps echoed in the empty hall.

With each step he took, ripples spread across the silver ground beneath his feet, as if responding to his approach.

When he was still ten meters away from the ball of light.

hum!

The ball of light suddenly burst forth with a dazzling silvery-white radiance!

The light swept across the entire arena like a tidal wave, completely engulfing Ian's vision.

Immediately afterwards...

A fragmented, chaotic memory, filled with endless sorrow, forcefully crashed into his consciousness!

Ian's vision blurred.

I found myself standing atop a majestic tower of stars.

Beneath my feet lies a Protoss city of unparalleled prosperity.

The silver-white buildings stand like a forest, with colorful orbits floating in the air, and countless Protoss people moving among them.

They wore robes adorned with stars, their faces were handsome, and starlight seemed to emanate from the depths of their pupils.

A flourishing civilization, its spirit as vast as the sea.

But next second.

The sky... has cracked open.

A pitch-black spatial rift stretched across the sky, its edges flowing with a viscous, abyssal aura that seemed to be alive.

then……

Countless twisted, indescribable monsters surged out of the crack like a tide!

They have no fixed shape, resembling clumps of wriggling shadows.

Wherever they went, stars went out, buildings collapsed, and the Protoss were harvested like wheat.

Screams, roars, desperate prayers...

All the sounds mingled together, and were eventually swallowed up by the deafening roar.

Ian saw a Protoss high priest dressed in a silver-white robe standing on an altar in the center of the vast city.

He raised his hands high, his body surrounded by dazzling starlight.

Below the altar were hundreds of millions of Protoss.

They knelt on the ground, and silvery-white specks of light flew out from the depths of their pupils, converging like fireflies toward the ball of light in the center of the altar.

"The Ascalon Empire...should not have perished!"

[Consciousness Upload].

They are transmitting the consciousness of their people to the flame of civilization in order to ensure its continuation.

But just as the ceremony reached its most crucial moment...

The crack in the sky suddenly widened!

A gigantic hand, spanning the entire sky and composed of countless eyeballs and tentacles, emerged from the crack.

He brought his five fingers together and grasped at the altar!

The high priest roared, and the starlight surged to its limit in an attempt to resist.

But the gap is too big.

It far surpasses the power of a level four wizard!

A giant hand gently grasped it.

The altar crumbled, the starlight vanished, and the high priest's figure cracked like shattered porcelain.

And that spark of civilization that is about to complete its upload...

It was forcibly frozen in the final moment.

Half of the Protoss consciousness was successfully uploaded, while the other half remained in the collapsed body.

The entire civilization was "frozen" in the instant of its destruction.

Like a nightmare from which I can never wake up.

The fragmented memories came to an abrupt end.

Ian suddenly opened his eyes, blood seeping from all seven orifices at the same time.

He knelt on one knee, breathing heavily, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

That sense of sorrow and despair at the end of civilization...

It was like being submerged in solid ice water, so much so that even the [Soul Devouring] property couldn't absorb it.

"This is... the Ascalon Empire... the end of the Protoss race..."

He murmured softly, supporting himself on the ground as he slowly stood up.

Their gazes refocused on the central ball of light.

At this moment, a blurry phantom slowly emerged beside the ball of light.

The phantom was dressed in a silver-white sacrificial robe, its face blurred, but its eyes...

Clear, vast, carrying the serene sorrow of civilization reaching its end.

The remnant will of the Protoss High Priest!

The phantom slowly spoke, its voice not entering through Ian's ears, but resounding directly from the depths of his consciousness.

"Civilization has been extinguished, but embers remain."

"You are... the first to arrive."

His gaze lingered on Ian for a long time.

It's like scrutinizing, like evaluating.

"There are traces of Protoss knowledge in your mind."

"Your path... resonates with the stars."

Ian nodded and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"So, I passed the test?"

"The tests never stop."

The high priest's phantom slowly raised his hand, pointing towards the ball of light.

"But you have the right... to make a choice."

hum!

Three silvery-white streams of light separated from the light cluster and hovered in mid-air.

Within each stream of light, a line of ancient Protoss script appeared.

The translated meanings are:

[A. Seize the fire]

【B. Upload complete】

C. Destroy it

Choose.

The high priest's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.

"This will determine...your fate."

Ian stared at the three options, a faint golden light flickering deep within his black eyes.

He did not make a choice immediately.

Instead, he looked at the phantom of the high priest and slowly spoke.

"If I choose to complete the upload..."

"What can I get in return?"

The high priest's phantom remained silent for two seconds.

"The Protoss's blessing."

"And...part of the legacy."

"But the prerequisite is that you have the ability to guide the ritual, and... your spirit resonates with the flame."

Ian asked again.

"What if we fail?"

"Your consciousness will be assimilated by the Seed and become part of the Protoss collective consciousness."

"forever."

The hall fell into dead silence.

Ian slowly exhaled.

The black eyes looked at the three options again.

To seize the fire?

They'd probably die even faster.

This is a level four Morning Star Wizard!

Although it was just a remnant of his will, crushing him was no different from crushing an ant.

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Although it contains the complete cultivation system and civilization knowledge of the Protoss race.

There might even be a legacy of a fourth-level wizard.

But... the last spark of a civilization carries a heavy burden of cause and effect.

Destroy? Detonate the spark, but it's uncertain whether he'll actually do that.

Simply release the enormous stellar energy within.

Perhaps this will allow us to break through, or perhaps we can forge a top-tier magical artifact.

But... this is just wishful thinking.

Upload complete? Assist the Protoss in completing their unfinished rituals, allowing the consciousness of their people to find peace in the embers.

This might earn the Protoss's blessing.

The risks are also high.

Moreover... what tangible benefits can one obtain?

Consciousness assimilation...is more terrifying than death.

But he had no other choice.

Countless images flashed through my mind.

The mediocrity and despair before the journey, the escape route through the desolate mountains, the three layers of fear in the Mirror Demon Trial, the repeated battles in the ruins...

And there's also gaga.

That little guy who cried out "Ian, come back!" in the soul link.

Then, open your eyes.

I choose B.

The words fell.

hum!

The ball of light in the center of the hall suddenly burst forth with an unprecedented silvery-white radiance!

The light surged toward Ian like a tangible tide, engulfing him completely.

Consciousness was forcibly pulled into a pure white void.

In the center of the space, the spark of civilization floats.

The phantom of the high priest stood beside the fire.

"You made... the right choice."

The high priest looked at him, and a hint of... relief seemed to appear on his blurred face?

"Now, infuse your spiritual power into the spark."

"Feel the remaining stream of consciousness within, and use your will... to guide it to complete the final 'closed loop'."

Ian closed his eyes and focused his mental energy at full capacity.

The pale golden liquefied light spots spun wildly, resonating with the stellar energy within the flame.

then……

He "saw" it.

Inside the flame were countless silvery-white specks of light.

Each point of light is a fragment of the Protoss consciousness.

They wandered aimlessly in the embers like headless flies, unable to settle down or merge.

Because the uploading ritual was interrupted, their consciousness structure is incomplete.

Ian took a deep breath.

Mental energy probed into the spark like a thread, beginning to untangle the chaotic stream of consciousness.

This is not a contest of strength.

It is an extremely fine "weaving".

The fragmented pieces of consciousness are pieced together, repaired, and guided little by little, according to the unique soul structure of the Protoss...

Time has lost its meaning.

Ian felt that he might have been in the fire for only a moment, or it might have lasted for decades.

at last.

When the last fragment of consciousness was guided to the correct position.

hum! ! !

Inside the flame, all the silvery-white spots lit up simultaneously!

They flow, merge, and eventually stabilize like a galaxy.

They coalesced into a "collective consciousness" radiating gentle fluctuations.

finished.

The remaining consciousness of the Protoss finally found peace within the spark.

And at this very moment.

outside world.

All areas of the ruins.

Those survivors who are still struggling, exploring, and fighting.

The sea-folk elders of the Tide Society, Herman and the remaining two from Shadowmoon Tower, the remaining members of the Undying Heart, the remnants of the Withering Council, Liam and his two companions from the Silver Ring, and the Embrace of Nature...

Everyone simultaneously felt an irresistible force of repulsion surging in from all directions!

"What's going on?!"

"My body..."

"No!!!"

Terrified screams rang out from all directions.

But before the sound could travel far, it was swallowed up by pure white light.

The next instant.

All the survivors vanished from the spot.

The Endless Sea, the entrance to the Protoss ruins.

The dark blue energy turbulence continued to churn within the vortex.

But at this moment, hundreds of figures suddenly appeared out of thin air at the edge of the vortex.

"Splash!" "Splash!"

One after another, the sound of things hitting the ground.

The elder of the Tide Society fell into the shallows, his robes soaked with seawater. He froze for two seconds, then sat up abruptly.

"We...are we out?"

Herman clutched his chest and looked around.

Ian was nowhere to be seen.

"How did I suddenly end up here? It's not time yet!"

"Something must have happened that we don't know about... Could it be that someone...?"

"Quickly check and see if anyone hasn't come out!"

"How can we investigate? Who knows how many people have died inside..."

"Ganna... stayed inside?"

A level two wizard from the Undying Heart changed his expression and looked towards the entrance to the ruins.

The vortex is slowly closing, and the dark blue energy turbulence is gradually subsiding.

It was as if nothing had happened.

But everyone knew... they had no idea what happened in the ruins at the end.

All that is known is that at the last moment, everyone was forcibly teleported out.

"Someone must have... obtained the fire?"

Some people who knew about the ruins whispered their guesses, their voices filled with resentment.

"Or... they might die inside in the end too," another person sneered.

But no matter which one it is, it doesn't change one fact.

One person came into contact with the spark of civilization.

"Something big is about to happen on the entire East Coast."

One person came into contact with the spark of civilization.

"Something big is about to happen on the entire East Coast."

Liam of the Silver Ring muttered to himself, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Suddenly, he remembered the instantaneous level two sorcery Ian had cast in the passage earlier.

I recall his calmness and ruthlessness when facing Bazar and Silas.

I recall the scene where he was feared by everyone, yet no one dared to lay a hand on him.

"Could it be...him?!"

Liam's pupils contracted as he struggled to his feet, supporting himself with his silver staff, and looked toward the Shadowmoon Tower.

I searched for a long time, but I couldn't find that figure in my heart.

He was about to step forward and confirm the situation with Herman.

Suddenly, they stopped walking.

In an inconspicuous corner, he saw a familiar figure.

It's Ian!