Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

Time passed day by day.

Ian's life entered a certain cyclical pattern.

During the day, they refine medicines, research formulas, and purify blood essence.

In the evening, I meditate, comprehend the rules, and deduce the possible paths to the third-tier potion.

During this period, Ian increased his collection of second and third-tier magical beast blood essence.

Then, use the [Bloodline Purification Technique] to continuously refine blood essence and accumulate resources.

If a suitable one is found, keep it; if not, give it to Adele in exchange for dozens of times more essence blood, and so on.

Gaga, on the other hand, spends all his time among shadow-based resources: shadow crystals, shadow springs, tomb moss...

There's also the shadow-type blood essence that Ian deliberately left behind.

Most of them were second-tier, with only a very few third-tier blood essences, which Ian collected to save for when Gaga broke through to the third tier.

With Ian feeding it regardless of the cost, the little guy's aura grew stronger day by day.

The feathers gradually shifted from dark silver to a deeper "shadow black".

Under light, it reflects almost no light and unconsciously absorbs the surrounding light.

The silver-gray in his pupils became more solid, like two burning beads of mercury.

It no longer wants to sleep all day.

He's full of energy, flying around the lab every day practicing shadow jumps.

As the distance increases, the starting speed increases.

From needing half a second to prepare, to 0.3 seconds, to 0.1 seconds... and finally, you can blend into the shadows almost instantly.

Ian saw this and felt gratified.

He knew that Gaga was rapidly consuming the resources.

"In a while, I'll be able to get promoted again."

"Keep it up! Even if the other familiars wanted to eat you, they wouldn't have enough resources for you!"

Two months later.

Late at night, in the underground laboratory at No. 7 Wisteria Lane.

Ian sat at the lab table, deeply analyzing a second-tier bloodline potion formula.

The pen scratched across the parchment, writing down new proportions.

Suddenly, he stopped writing and looked up at the corner of the laboratory.

There, Gaga was curled up in the center of a specially made shadow magic circle.

The magic circle was outlined with shadow crystal powder, and its surface shimmered with a silvery-gray light.

Gaga closed her eyes, breathing deeply, her chest rising and falling slightly.

With each breath, the surrounding shadow energy fluctuates, like the ebb and flow of the tide.

Ian put down his pen, got up, and walked to the edge of the magic circle.

He stared at Gaga, and deep in his pupils, three celestial orbits slowly rotated.

The perception of three rules simultaneously locks onto the little guy.

"The promotion is about to begin..." he muttered to himself.

As soon as he finished speaking, Gaga's body suddenly swelled up, expanding from the size of a palm to a wingspan of three meters in an instant!

The feathers burst open, each one like a black blade with a dark purple halo around its edge.

The shadow energy in the laboratory surged wildly into its body.

The air was distorted, and the light was dim.

Even the light from the crystal lamps was swallowed up, leaving the room pitch black.

Ian ignored all of that, took two steps back, and his thoughts flickered slightly.

A pale silver barrier of order rose up, enveloping the laboratory and preventing energy leakage.

Inside the barrier, Ga Ga's advancement entered its most crucial stage.

The body constantly expands and contracts, like a beating heart.

Each expansion absorbs a large amount of shadow energy.

Each contraction compresses, refines, and integrates energy into the bloodstream.

This process lasted for a full three hours.

When the last wave of energy subsided, Gaga's body stabilized in a new form.

Its wingspan has shrunk to 1.2 meters, its feathers are as black as night, and its surface has fine, dark purple patterns flowing around them.

The silver-gray in his pupils deepened, like two misty silver nebulae.

It opened its eyes, looked at Ian, and its eyes suddenly lit up.

"Ian, I... huh?"

The quack was startled; its voice changed.

No longer a childish voice, but as if he had grown up a few years, with a deep, hoarse tone unique to teenagers.

"I...I succeeded, but...my voice..."

The little guy, overjoyed at his recent promotion, stared blankly at his own broken voice.

Ian removed the barrier of order and walked up to it.

I reached out and patted its head.

The feathers were cool to the touch, but inside they surged with immense energy.

"Don't worry about the details, how are you feeling?"

"It feels bad, no...it feels good."

The little guy temporarily put aside his unhappiness, gently flapped his wings, and instantly disappeared from the spot.

It merged directly into the shadows, completely concealing its presence without any warning.

Three seconds later, it silently appeared in another corner of the laboratory.

Ian was shocked; in those three seconds, he hadn't been able to track Gaa's movements.

"Could it be that Gaga just entered the shadow world?"

He could sense that the little guy was no longer in the current plane.

"Gaga, can you take me in?"

Ian looked somewhat excited; if he could really be taken into the Shadow World…

His subsequent plans will proceed smoothly and in a much shorter time.

The little guy nodded gently and proudly raised his little chest.

"Sure, but it won't be long... I estimate I'll only be able to stay for half an hour before being kicked out."

"Half an hour? That's enough. Come on, let's go in and see what it's like over there?"

Ian reached out his hand, and a bird flew to his shoulder, spreading its wings to envelop Ian.

Ian felt a slight restraint and a sensation of being pulled along, but he relaxed and did not resist.

Almost instantly, everything around us lost its color.

The walls, the lab bench, the crystal lamps... all turned into hazy, blurry outlines.

It's like looking at the world through frosted glass.

The air became thick, like being soaked in mercury, making it extremely difficult to breathe, but Ian didn't need to breathe.

"This is... the shadow world, the 'shadow' level of everything."

"Ian, can you see anything?" A gurgling voice echoed in my mind.

"I can only maintain this for half an hour... after that, I won't have the strength to continue."

Ian nodded, looked around, and in the hazy world, he could see some blurry "spots of light." (The latest chapter is about to explode with plot developments! Follow for more updates.)

These are projections of energy nodes in the real world.

In the distance, there were some twisted, writhing "shadows".

"Native creatures of the Shadow World? They're weak, but there are quite a few of them."

Ian did not explore further.

This is only a preliminary understanding, and we are not fully prepared. The risks are unknown.

He stood quietly, sensing the rules of this world.

Shadow, nothingness, concealment, devouring...

Half an hour later, the world around us began to distort, like a reflection on the water being shattered by pebbles.

The next second, Ian was standing in the lab again.

The air is fresh, and a familiar feeling returns.

Everything that just happened felt like a fleeting dream.

It clattered back to the ground, panting.

"It's very energy-consuming... Ian, will it be of any use to you?"

"Very useful, haha, you'll never lack resources again."

A hint of joy flashed in Ian's eyes.

Being able to briefly enter the shadow world not only provides an additional way to acquire resources.

It also means... there's one more escape route.

The third day after Gaga's breakthrough.

The sun was shining brightly in the afternoon.

Ian was modifying the bloodline potion in the laboratory when he suddenly stopped and scanned the area with his mental energy.

"It's Lucian. What brings him here?"

He put away the medicine, a thoughtful look on his face, and walked to the living room on the first floor, opening the door.

Lucian stood outside the door, wearing a dark blue robe, with a smile on his face.

Ian keenly noticed a hint of seriousness in the other person's eyes.

"Brother Ian, excuse me."

"Please come in, City Lord. There's no need for such formalities between us."

Ian smiled and stepped aside.

Lucian walked into the living room, sat down on the sofa, and glanced around.

"It's quite peaceful here."

"I'm used to it."

Ian poured him a cup of tea and sat down opposite him.

"Lord of the city, is there something you need today?"

Lucian picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then put it down.

"There is something I need to do." He looked at Ian with a serious expression.

"Recently, several instances of 'abnormal dimensional fluctuations' have occurred in the Eastern Territory."

"Several demiplane coordinates have emerged from the void and are about to connect with the real world."

Ian was taken aback. "A demiplane?"

"Yes, demiplane." Lucian nodded.

"One of them is located in the 'Chaotic Lands' at the border between the Eastern Territory and the Central Continent."

"That place is a buffer zone between the three forces, a melting pot of all sorts of people, but also... full of opportunities."

He paused, then lowered his voice.

"Didn't you send me a message last time asking to collect Void Crystals and Phase Cores?"

"According to intelligence, there might be something you urgently need in that demiplane."

"For example... a Void Core of extremely high quality, a Phase Core."

Ian's breath hitched slightly.

"High-quality Void Core, Phase Core."

These two materials are key to improving the two-dimensional phase meter, and they are very scarce in the outside world.

He searched for a long time but couldn't find it.

Now, it seems like an opportunity has arrived.

But is it really necessary for him to go in person?

The current deduction of the third-tier bloodline potion has reached a critical moment, and the proficiency in neutralizing potions also needs to be continuously improved.

He's too busy.

"You want to invite me to join the exploration?"

Lucian nodded. "Not just you, but also several third-level wizards I know."

"We can form a temporary team, go in together, and each take what we need."

"For safety, we'll look out for each other."

Ian lowered his head in deep thought, weighing the options in his mind.

Exploring demiplanes presents great opportunities, but as for the risks...

He didn't think it was very dangerous if it was just a team of level three wizards.

The Void Core, the Phase Core, is the material he urgently needs right now.

With these, the two-dimensional phase meter can be upgraded to the third order.

The stability of interdimensional teleportation will be greatly increased.

Moreover, there may be other rare resources, fragments of rules, and ancient heritages within the demiplane...

"I'm sorry, Lord City Lord, I can't leave."

"Oh? This is a great opportunity, you really aren't going?"

Lucian's face showed obvious disappointment, but he was still trying his best to persuade him.

Ian shook his head, firmly refusing.

"I'm really sorry, but I really can't leave. Besides, I just advanced to level three and my strength is very weak. I don't want to take any risks."

"But aren't you going? I can ask you to help me collect these resources. Just tell me what you need."

"Is that alright...?"

Lucian stopped trying to persuade him, and the two began discussing the details of the commission.

What Lucian wanted most was Ian's Tier 3 Purification Potion, as well as some of the [Earth Tyrant Elixir] that Ian occasionally used for practice.

After everything was agreed upon, both of them were satisfied, and the atmosphere became harmonious again.

"When do we leave?" Ian asked.

Lucian was in high spirits; although he hadn't managed to invite Ian, he had gotten the potion he wanted.

"Meet in Stormwind in three days, then travel to the Chaos Lands via the teleportation portal."

Ian nodded.

"Then I wish the city lord a fruitful trip."

Lucian stood up and prepared to leave.

"Haha! Okay, then I'll head back now. I still need to make some preparations."

He turned and left, his figure soaring into the sky and disappearing in a flash.

Ian stood in the doorway, gazing in the direction where he had disappeared, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

Exploring a demiplane... if all goes well, the rewards will be plentiful, but it's not worth it for him to go there personally.

With his abilities, if he were to join the expedition, his safety would be much higher than that of the others.

But he has already passed the stage where he needs to strive.

"It's not worth it since it doesn't have the origin of the world!"

He turned and went back to the laboratory to continue working on the third-tier bloodline potion.

"As long as I can successfully deduce it, countless resources will flow into my pocket, which will save me a lot of trouble."