Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

The next morning.

At the entrance to the Juster family's secret vault, Ian, dressed in a dark gray robe, stood before the door.

Gaga perched on his shoulder, staring at the ten-meter-tall rune-covered gate before him.

The array of runes on the door was so intricate and overlapping that it made its head spin.

The two guards at the entrance were both level two wizards, dressed in silver armor, and exuded a calm and composed aura.

Seeing Ian approach, one of them stepped forward, his right hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

"Authorization credentials".

Ian took out the dark silver Level 3 Guest Inspector Badge and handed it over.

The guard took the badge and placed it on a palm-sized crystal plate in his palm.

The moment the badge touched the crystal plate, the design glowed faintly.

"Permissions confirmed. You may proceed to the first three levels."

The guard stepped aside, and another person stepped forward to push open the massive metal door.

Behind the door was a downward stone staircase, with glowing moss embedded in the walls on both sides, emitting a pale green light.

The air smelled of old parchment, mixed with the slightly bitter scent of some kind of preservative herbs.

Ian walked slowly down the stone steps, his footsteps echoing on the narrow staircase.

He bypassed the first and second floors and went straight to the third floor.

The third floor is much smaller than the first two floors, with only a dozen or so bookshelves.

Various display shelves are neatly arranged, filled with books, scrolls, recipes, and materials.

The energy concentration in the air was several times higher, and the surface of each book shimmered with a faint, regular sheen.

Most of them are the cultivation experiences of third-level wizards, advanced wizardry models, secret recipes...

He swept his mental energy across the entire area and walked straight towards the materials section.

There were dozens of crystal cabinets there, with various materials stored in different categories.

He stopped in front of a cabinet labeled "Level 3 General Purpose Material" and glanced at the labels inside.

Shadow Crystal, Void Crystal, Remains of Holy Light Beast, Starshine Stone...

He took out the parchment list and slowly made his selections.

"You can only choose three..."

The first item is a Tier 3 Shadow Crystal for Gaga. Next is a Void Crystal, which is extremely rare in the outside world and may be useful in the future.

Finally, I chose the Starshine Stone, which can slightly enhance my understanding of the rules.

Once selected, the materials inside the cabinet automatically floated up, passed through the transparent crystal barrier, and fell into his dimensional ring.

Ian turned and walked toward the witchcraft section on the other side.

It contains a large number of witchcraft models, rule analysis notes, bloodline awakening records...

He stopped in front of the bookshelf labeled "Shadow Theme".

I pulled out a copy of "The Evolutionary Path of the Shadow Walker's Bloodline" and opened it to read.

It records several methods for upgrading shadow-type magical pets, with detailed material ratios and steps.

This is extremely valuable knowledge to outsiders. He chose a cultivation method that was closest to the bloodline of Gaga.

Ian put the book away and then selected a few more related rule analysis notes.

Then I strolled slowly among the rows of bookshelves.

The spiritual energy spread silently, like a fine net, sweeping over every book.

He was looking for something suitable to enhance the purification agent.

Finally, my gaze fell upon an ancient book titled "Rule Purification and Abyss Confrontation".

Just as he was about to reach for it, the panel in his mind suddenly vibrated!

Ian held his breath and looked toward the source of the tremor.

"It's not these bookshelves in front of us, it's at the very bottom of the secret vault... the fourth floor."

There was a very subtle fluctuation there, like an undercurrent submerged in the deep sea, which ordinary wizards could not detect at all.

Even a level three archmage would have difficulty detecting it unless they deliberately probed it.

But Ian is different.

His and the panel's sensitivity to the abyss's aura were etched into the depths of his soul.

That ripple... carried the chaos, distortion, and a certain... decaying quality unique to the abyss.

Like a corpse forgotten in a corner, slowly rotting.

Ian stood motionless, three orbits of stars silently rotating deep within his pupils.

He focused his mind, carefully sensing that direction.

Then he looked away, reached out and took the book "Rule Purification and Abyss Confrontation" and opened it.

He appeared outwardly calm, but inwardly he was in turmoil.

"The fourth level...only the clan leader has the authority to enter."

What is hidden there? Why is there an abyss-like aura?

In his mind, he recalled the information Edel had told him on the Leap.

"Alister Just, the Morning Star wizard of the Just family, has been missing for nearly a century..."

Ian knew that fourth-level Morning Star wizards rarely stayed in the wizarding world, but instead traveled around various planes of existence, seeking opportunities for their own breakthrough.

"Morning Star isn't here... that's why no one could detect this abyssal aura? Or is someone...?"

Ian closed the book, put it into his dimensional ring, and remained calm, as if nothing had happened.

But deep in his eyes, that silver light flickered for a fleeting moment.

Afternoon, No. 7 Wisteria Lane.

In the living room, sunlight streamed in through the cracks in the window, falling on the old coffee table and cutting out pale golden bands of light.

Ian took out the items and laid them out one by one.

Including the four second-tier shadow crystals from before, there are a total of five, their surfaces shimmering with a shadowy luster.

Beside it were a dozen or so dark red blood essences, crystal clear, and finally, a bottle of freshly prepared Shadow Potion ingredients.

Gaga jumped off my shoulder and landed on the edge of the coffee table.

Silver eyes stared at those things, and her little paws scratched at the table.

"Ian...this is..." The child's voice trembled slightly.

It knew perfectly well that eating these things would definitely bring great benefits.

Ian rubbed its head, his face showing affection.

"These are all for you. Today... I'll help you break through to the mid-stage of the second tier."

Gaga's silver eyes flashed as she looked up at Ian.

"Ian...you're so good to me, I'm sure I can succeed."

"I trust you."

Ian turned and walked into the lab, with Gaga following behind him.

The man and the bird arrived at the third underground level, which had been cleaned up. After the altar was dismantled, only an empty stone chamber remained.

Ian activated the three-layer isolation magic array, and a pale silver light curtain rose from the corner of the wall, enveloping the entire space.

"Go there." He pointed to the center of the stone chamber.

With its wings slightly spread, it obediently flew over.

Ian first took out the four Shadow Crystals and placed them in a square around Gaga, one on each side.

The third-tier crystal hasn't been taken out yet, so it's not advisable for Gaga to absorb it for the time being.

Then, he took out a bottle of second-tier blood essence powder, uncorked it, and a rich aura of life and magical energy instantly spread out.

He poured the blood essence into a specially made silver bowl and added several ingredients for the Shadow Potion.

With a light tap of the fingertip, a wisp of pale golden flame rose from the palm of the hand, enveloping the bottom of the bowl.

The liquid began to boil, its color changing from dark red to deep purple, and fine shadow patterns appeared on the surface, moving like living things.

Three minutes later, the liquid solidified, turning into a thumb-sized, deep purple crystal once again.

Ian handed over the crystal. "Here, swallow it."

Gaga took it and stuffed it into her mouth without hesitation.

The crystal melts upon entering the mouth, turning into a warm liquid that slides down the throat.

In an instant, its body shuddered!

On the surface of the dark silver feathers, fine shadow patterns emerge, spreading like a living thing, from the wings to the tail, and then to the chest.

Deep within the silver-gray pupils, a glimmer of light appeared, growing brighter and brighter.

Gaga closed her eyes, and her body began to tremble slightly.

This is a natural reaction of the body becoming saturated after absorbing a large amount of energy in a short period of time.

Ian spread his mental energy, monitoring every slight change.

Time flows slowly. "The Wizard: My Skills Can Break Through Infinitely" is causing a reading frenzy on Cola Novels—haven't you read it yet?

The stone chamber was quiet, with only the low hum of the isolation magic array.

Half an hour later, the shadow patterns on Gaga's body surface were about three times denser than before, and his breathing completely stabilized.

Each line was slowly flowing, like a natural array of runes, emitting obscure shadowy fluctuations.

Ga Ga opened her eyes, revealing a deep, dark silver hue deep within her pupils.

"Gah..." The child's voice remained, only now it was a little hoarse.

"I feel... I've become so strong."

Ian nodded. After entering the second stage, each small advancement was a qualitative change.

"Not bad, you've reached the mid-stage of the second tier."

Gaga stood up, flapped its wings gently, and its entire body instantly faded, merging into the air and disappearing.

Completely blending into the shadows, even its aura was completely concealed.

Three seconds later, it reappeared in another corner of the stone chamber.

It was ten meters away from its original position, but showed no signs of movement. It simply "jumped" out of the shadows.

"Shadow Leap... activates much faster than before."

Ian pondered, realizing that his bloodline abilities must have been further enhanced after advancing to the mid-stage of the second tier.

The quack excitedly flapped its wings and hopped around in the stone chamber.

Each disappearance and reappearance is silent, like a true ghost.

"Ian! I can instantly merge into the shadows, and even... I can enter the shadow world for short periods!"

"The Shadow World?" Ian's eyes flashed. "How long do you think you can stay inside?"

The little guy landed on his shoulder and rubbed his cheek with his little head.

"Huh? I feel like I can only stay inside for about ten minutes before I'm squeezed out, but I'm too scared to go in. There's a terrifying aura inside."

"It's alright. Once you're stronger again, we'll go in together."

Ian rubbed its head, and an idea suddenly popped into his mind.

"The resources needed for Gaga's advancement to Tier 3 might be found in the Shadow World, but I'll need to go in with him."

He needs Gaga's help to get in, and his strength needs to be at least at the late stage of the second tier.

Let's put that aside for now and deal with the immediate problem first.

"Once the altar is set up and connected to the projector... I'll accompany you there."

Gaga nodded vigorously, "I will always help you, Gaga."

It was evening.

Ian arrived at Titus Just's bedroom.

It was still quiet here, with a faint scent of herbs in the air.

Edel stood by the bed, the hem of her deep purple robe hanging down to her feet.

She looked at Ian with a questioning look in her eyes.

"Any progress on the potion?"

"Um."

Ian walked to the bedside and looked at the sleeping Titu.

The former peak level three wizard looked better than before.

The dark purple lines flowing beneath her skin had faded considerably, but her aura remained dull.

"After advancing to level three, I gained some insights into purification potions."

Ian took out a newly made purification potion, uncorked it, and dripped the potion into Titu's forehead.

Titu's body trembled slightly, and the rise and fall of his chest became noticeably larger.

The dark purple lines under her skin had faded a little more.

"Still not enough... The Level 4 pollution is really hard to deal with."

Ian looked at Titu's sleeping face and murmured to himself.

"Although the source of this abyssal pollution is gone, its level remains. It is estimated that... it will take at least a year to awaken."

Adele stood to the side, her fingers clenched tightly.

"A year... I can wait as long as the pollution doesn't worsen."

She looked at Ian, the light reflecting in her deep blue eyes.

"Ian, thank you."

Ian shook his head. "Between the two of us, there's no need for formalities."

He packed up his tools, turned to leave, and stopped at the door.

"The fourth level of the secret vault... do you know what's inside?"

Adele was taken aback.

"The fourth level? That's an area only the clan leader can enter; I've never been there."

Her expression changed. "Why are you asking that?"

Ian pushed open the door and disappeared at the end of the corridor, leaving behind a sentence that echoed in the air.

"There... there's a polluted smell similar to your father's."

Adele's pupils contracted sharply as she stared blankly at Ian's retreating figure as he disappeared.

late at night.

The third basement level of No. 7 Zifang Lane.

Ian stood where the altar had been dismantled, tapping the ground with his toes.

Let's start here.

He raised his right hand, and silver light swirled in his palm as the rules of gravity were activated.

The stone slab beneath their feet cracked silently, and the broken stones seemed to be lifted and compressed by an invisible hand, floating to one side.

The soil was turned over, revealing deeper layers of rock.

Ian manipulates gravity, digging downwards layer by layer.

Every ten meters he descended, he carved a magic array pattern on the rock wall to isolate energy, distort detection, and stabilize space.

The three layers are stacked to isolate the altar from fluctuations to the greatest extent possible.

Gaga perched on his shoulder, its silver eyes fixed on the sinking tunnel.

"How deep do we need to dig?"

"At least two hundred meters," Ian replied, as gravity continued to exert its force.

The rock strata, as if cut by a sharp blade, extend neatly downwards, with gravel and soil automatically piling up on both sides of the passage and compacting into walls.

Fifty meters away, the core runes of the first layer of the witch array were inscribed.

Silver patterns lit up and blended into the rock strata, causing the passage to tremble slightly.

He continued digging down, a hundred meters.

The second layer of the witchcraft array was inscribed, echoing the first layer to form a double barrier.

At this moment, the energy fluctuations in the air were completely isolated, and even sound could not be transmitted.

One hundred and fifty meters, the third layer of the witch array was inscribed.

With layers stacked on top of each other, the spatial structure is forcibly stabilized, rendering any detection method ineffective.

Ian stopped the witchcraft after two hundred meters.

Beneath our feet is a spherical space with a diameter of 100 meters. The rock walls are as smooth as a mirror, and three layers of silver witch array patterns flow across the surface.

The interwoven and overlapping patterns form a perfectly enclosed barrier.

Even the light was absorbed, leaving only the silver light from his palm illuminating a small area.

"That's enough, it's safe enough now."

He turned around and took out the materials that had been purified by the panel from his dimensional ring.

Void Anchor Stone, Abyss Rune Stone, Unbound Iron, Flawless Magic Crystal... all were embedded into the frame one by one.

Half an hour later, a brand new altar stood in the center of the space.

It's slightly smaller than before, but the patterns are more refined and the energy is more restrained.

The twenty-eight void anchor stones shimmered with a faint silver light, and the central vortex slowly rotated.

Gaga asked softly, "Is this... safe?"

"Don't worry, it's very safe." Ian nodded confidently.

"All materials have been purified by the panel, so there will be no leakage of abyssal aura."

With his mental strength, even with careful investigation, he could only reach a maximum depth of 100 meters underground, and that was without the shielding effect of the witch array.

Finally, he raised his hand to activate the three-layered witch array.

With a hum, three layers of silver light simultaneously illuminated the walls of the passage.

It spreads upwards, all the way to the cave entrance, completely isolating the entire space.

Like a seed buried deep underground.

Ian stood before the altar, gazing at the swirling black vortex in the center.

Deep within the pupil, three rings of stars slowly rotated.

"Next... is to find a suitable projection world."