Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

The Witcher: My Skills Can Go Infinite is full of classic quotes, come and find resonance.

No. 7 Wisteria Lane, underground laboratory.

Gaga stood in the center of the newly constructed shadow magic circle, its wings fully spread, the edges of its feathers gleaming with a dark luster.

The surrounding shadow energy began to stir, and the shadows wriggled like living things, constantly seeping out from the walls, the floor, and the ceiling.

Finally, they converged around Gaga, forming a rotating dark vortex.

"Ian, are you ready?"

The cawing sound deepened, carrying the echoing quality characteristic of shadows.

Ian stood beside the little guy, his dark gray robe fluttering without wind, and three star orbits slowly rotating deep within his pupils.

"Let's begin."

With a sudden flap of its wings, the dark vortex expanded rapidly, completely engulfing the man and the bird.

The surrounding light instantly faded.

The walls, the lab bench, the crystal lamps—all the familiar things had become hazy, gray outlines.

Ian looked down at his hands.

The skin was covered with a very faint gray halo, as if it had been "dyed" by the world.

The air was thick like mercury, the temperature was very low, and the chill was biting.

What a strange world!

Ian muttered to himself, his voice echoing strangely.

Even on his second visit, he was still awestruck by the mystique of the shadowy world.

As far as the eye could see, everything was gray in varying shades, and in the distance, one could see some distorted and blurry building outlines.

That is a reflection of the real world.

Occasionally, some strange "plants" can be seen on the ground.

It has no leaves, only twisted black branches with honeycomb-like holes on the surface.

Further away, you can see some wriggling black shadows with all sorts of strange shapes.

Some resembled enlarged centipedes, slowly crawling through the gray fog.

Some resembled black jellyfish without a fixed shape, floating in the low air with drooping tentacles whose tips shimmered with a dangerous purple light.

And then there are... pure "shadows".

It has no physical form, but is merely a constantly shifting mass of darkness, wandering against a gray background.

[Environmental scanning in progress...]

At the edge of my field of vision, a pale blue panel silently appeared.

The data stream refreshes like a waterfall, so fast it's almost invisible.

[Shadow World Rules Detected...]

[Rule Attributes: Shadow, Void, Concealment, Devouring...]

Energy concentration: Medium

[Spacetime curvature: unstable, with multiple local twisting nodes]

[Warning: Rule rejection detected. Estimated dwell time: 25 minutes and 47 seconds (decreasing)]

Ian's pupils narrowed slightly. "25 minutes, shorter than I expected."

It seems the Shadow World's rejection of outsiders is even stronger than Gaga described.

"Ian, over here." A voice echoed in my mind.

The little guy's current state is quite peculiar.

The feathers blended so well into their surroundings that they were almost invisible.

Only a pair of silver-gray pupils could be seen, appearing and disappearing in the gray mist.

It flew off in one direction, its wings leaving faint black ripples in the air.

Ian followed, and there was no sound during the flight.

Here... there is no concept of "sound" at all, or the way sound is propagated is completely different.

He could hear his own heartbeat, but it was transmitted through his bones.

Everything outside was eerily silent.

Only mental power can perceive the subtle fluctuations emitted by those shadowy creatures as they move.

After advancing for about five minutes, we were already far away from where we entered.

The surrounding gray fog gradually thinned, revealing a strange scene ahead.

It was a strange mineral vein composed of countless dark purple crystals.

Crystals grew from the ground, like a twisted black forest.

Each one is several meters tall, with a surface covered with fine facets, and liquid shadow energy slowly undulating inside.

"This is it, the Shadow Crystal Vein."

It landed on top of a crystal with a clatter, its little paws stepping on the smooth, ridged surface.

Ian landed on the ground and scanned the area with his mental energy.

The vein is very large, stretching for at least a thousand meters, and the quality of the crystals... is mostly second-order.

A small portion of the core area emanates third-order energy fluctuations.

The crystals were darker, almost pure black, with a more intense dark purple halo flowing across their surfaces.

"These... are all high-purity shadow energy crystals, numbering at least tens of thousands."

The second order accounts for the vast majority, with the third order also present in the core.

He stared at the mine before him, his eyes gleaming with a faint green light.

Ian raised his right hand, palm facing the nearest second-tier crystal.

The gravity rules are activated.

An invisible force spread out, like countless unseen threads, wrapping around the base of the crystal and gently tugging.

"Click."

The crystal broke apart and was pulled by gravity to fly in front of him.

It feels cool to the touch, and its interior is filled with shadow energy, radiating a strong aura of "nothingness".

Ian put it into his dimensional ring, then began collecting the next one, aiming at the third crystal.

"Awooo..."

A low howl came from the depths of the mine, carrying warning, hostility, and... greed.

Ian stopped what he was doing and turned to look in the direction from which the sound came.

Within the gray fog, pairs of dark red eyes lit up, densely packed, numbering at least a hundred.

The owner of the eyes emerged from the mist.

"This is... a Shadow Wolf?"

Completely different from wolves in the real world, its entire body is composed of pure shadow energy and has no physical form.

The outline is blurred, and the edges are constantly undulating, like smoke that could dissipate at any moment.

They vary in size, with the smallest being only half a meter tall and possessing an aura at the early stage of the second tier.

The largest one was over two meters tall, and its aura had reached the peak of the second tier.

Deep within the dark red pupils, a black vortex slowly rotated.

They stared at Ian, or rather... at the crystal in his hand, their greed undisguised.

Hundreds of shadow wolves slowly dispersed, forming a semi-circle to surround them, their movements synchronized, like a well-trained army.

There were no roars, no screams, only a sense of mental oppression, surging in like a tide.

Ian put down the crystal in his hand and calmly scanned the wolf pack.

"quack."

"Yes, sir!" the little guy said excitedly.

"Same as always, you harvest, I'll clear the field."

"clear!"

The moment he finished speaking, Ian's Order God Body unfolded!

hum!

The surrounding space suddenly distorted, and silver light burst forth from Ian's body.

But this time, the light was no longer pure silver-white, but tinged with a deep shadow.

He deliberately compressed his original hundred-foot figure to ten meters.

In the shadows, he didn't want to attract too much attention.

Every inch of the divine body is composed of a gravitational skeleton, purified flesh and blood, and a time core.

Deep within the pupil, three star orbits spun rapidly.

The moment the divine body took shape, the entropy increase halo activated, and the gray aura suddenly spread out from Ian as the center.

Where the light swept across, the surrounding space began to "disorder".

The movement of energy particles became chaotic, the temperature fluctuated wildly between extreme cold and scorching heat, and the structure became unstable.

The dozen or so shadow wolves at the forefront suddenly froze, and the shadow energy on their bodies began to dissipate.

For the first time, fear appeared in their dark red eyes.

This is the fear of "being erased from existence".

The entropy-increasing halo undermines the energy structure upon which they depend for existence.

But soon, the Shadow Wolf's "Shadow Immunity" trait began to take effect.

Some of the entropy increase effects are offset, absorbed, and transformed into their own nutrients by the shadow layer on their surface.

Several peak-level second-tier shadow wolves even launched a counterattack.

They opened their mouths, and a sharp shockwave slammed into Ian!

At the same time, dozens of shadowy tentacles burst forth from the ground and coiled around the legs of the god's body.

Ian's eyes flashed with disdain, and a pale golden light shone from the tip of his left finger.

Clean up the rules, drive with full force!

Twelve golden beams shot out from his fingertips, each locking onto a peak second-tier shadow wolf.

The beam of light is as thin as a needle, and the purifying power of order contained within it has a strong restraining effect on shadow creatures.

puff……

The beam pierced through the shadow layer on the Shadow Wolf's body, striking its core directly.

The shadow wolf let out a silent, miserable howl, its eyes suddenly dimmed, and its body began to collapse.

Like a paper figure set ablaze, it quickly turned into grayish-black energy residue and dissipated into the air.

At the same time, the little guy transformed into a black streak of light, frantically weaving through the wolf pack.

Each time it teleported, it appeared behind a shadow wolf.

The dark silver beak, like the sharpest blade, precisely pierced the shadow wolf's nape.

That is the "node" of shadow energy; once it is destroyed, the entire shadow wolf will go out of control and disintegrate.

Gaga's speed was astonishing; in the shadow world, its strength increased by at least 50%.

Each shadow leap was almost an instantaneous teleportation.

Each time it appears, it takes away a shadow wolf.

The wolf pack began to fall into disarray.

The front row was disintegrated by the entropy-increasing halo, the middle row was pierced by the purification beam, and the back row was harvested with a clatter.

A numerical advantage is meaningless in the face of absolute power.

In just one minute, out of hundreds of shadow wolves, less than ten remained.

They stopped attacking and slowly retreated, their eyes filled with fear.

Ian did not pursue, but put away his divine body of order and focused his gaze on the depths of the mine.

Something there has woken up.

"Gaga, come back."

The little guy leaped in shadow and landed back on his shoulder.

The feathers were covered with grayish-black energy residue, which all dissipated with a gentle shake.

"Ian, deep in the mine... there's a big one." The little guy's eyes were serious.

Ian nodded; he had sensed it all along.

A vast, cold, and ancient aura was slowly rising from the deepest part of the mine.

The ground began to tremble.

All the shadow crystals in the vein simultaneously lit up with a dark purple light.

The light converged, like countless streams flowing into the depths.

"hiss!!!"

The piercing screech tore through the silence, exploding directly in the mind's eye.

It felt like countless ice picks piercing my brain at once!

Ian's pupils contracted, and the purification barrier of the Order God Body automatically unfolded.

A pale golden light flowed across the body, isolating it from any mental impact.

But the creaking sound on his shoulder let out a muffled groan.

The little guy's feathers ruffled, and a hint of pain flashed in his silvery-gray pupils.

"Peak of Level Three...no, almost Level Four..."

Ian muttered to himself, his eyes fixed on the depths of the mine.

Ahead, the gray fog was being stirred up by some enormous entity, spinning wildly.

A huge outline slowly emerged.

First were a pair of dark purple compound eyes, each the size of a millstone, reflecting countless distorted images inside.

Then there are... arthropods, densely packed, countless pairs.

Each segment is covered with a jet-black carapace, the surface of which has natural dark gold patterns.

The patterns flowed, and the gray mist in the vein, the light of the crystals, and even the energy dissipated from the shadow wolf's remains... were all absorbed by those carapaces.

The monster fully revealed itself, its length exceeding three hundred meters.

Like a moving mountain range, it slowly emerges from the depths of the mine.

"This is... an extremely rare Shadow Lord!"

The monster, dragging a three-hundred-meter-long body, was entrenched in the center of the mine, its compound eyes locked onto Ian.

With a cold, pure... predator's gaze, as if looking at a moving energy source.

It opened its mouth, revealing a swirling, dark vortex.

The surrounding gray fog, crystalline fragments, and even space itself began to collapse into its mouth.

Centered on the Shadow Centipede, the ground within a kilometer radius instantly softened.

It turned into a sticky, black "swamp".

Bubbles kept rising from the surface of the swamp, and each bursting bubble released a concentrated dose of Shadow Toxin.

The toxins seeped into the air and began to erode everything that was not in the shadows.

The ground beneath Ian's feet began to soften, and a sticky sensation came from the soles of his shoes.

A powerful pulling force came from below, trying to drag him into the depths of the swamp.

"Gaga, let's go!"

Ian gave a low shout, and the divine body of order unfolded once more.

This time, he held nothing back.

With the rules of gravity fully activated, the space beneath our feet is forcibly distorted, creating a temporary "foothold".

At the same time, the purifying aura expands, dissolving all the incoming shadow toxins.

But the Shadow Centipede, with its 300-meter-long body, moves at an absurdly fast speed.

His expression shifted through the shadows; one moment he was a thousand meters away, the next he was right in front of Ian.

The enormous mouth opened, and the dark vortex aimed at him, causing a terrifying surge in suction!

"If you're looking for death, don't blame me."

A murderous glint flashed in Ian's eyes. He clenched his right fist, and the gravity collapse sphere instantly condensed.

Twelve black spheres, each the size of a sesame seed, rotate around the fist.

Then, he threw a punch!

The moment the fist collided with the dark vortex.

A violent distortion of space.

The gravitationally collapsing sphere spins wildly, attempting to tear apart and engulf the vortex.

But suddenly, dark gold patterns lit up on the carapace of the Shadow Centipede.

An even more powerful devouring force surged back!

Two conflicting rules collide and annihilate each other.

Ian grunted and took three steps back.

The gravitational collapse sphere on the surface of the fist has already dissipated by half.

The Shadow Centipede was also knocked back dozens of meters, but quickly regained its footing.

A hint of surprise flashed in his dark purple compound eyes.

It seemed surprised that this "little thing" could actually stop it from devouring it.

Then came an even colder killing intent.

It arched its body, preparing to launch a second attack.

But Ian has already made his judgment.

Time is running out; the panel shows that you only have 5 minutes left to stay.

Moreover, Shadow Lords are virtually immortal in the Shadow Realm.

Energy will never run dry, and the body will never perish.

Every time it is broken, it quickly regenerates from the shadows.

While the purification rules can suppress the shadow, the opponent's rule level is close to level four, so the suppression effect is limited.

Most importantly... he hasn't gotten used to the environment yet, and fighting here would put him at a huge disadvantage.

"Gaga, get ready!"

Ian gave a low shout while tapping his hands repeatedly.

The divine body of Order contracted, transforming into a pale silver shield that enveloped its entire body.

With a flap of its wings, the shadow domain opened up completely.

The little guy grabbed Ian's shoulder and launched a shadow jump!

But how could the Shadow Centipede let them leave so easily?

It swung its body violently, and hundreds of its limbs slammed against the ground simultaneously.

The Shadow Swamp is boiling!

Countless black tentacles erupted from the swamp, like wildly dancing pythons, blocking all paths.

At the same time, it opened its mouth again.

A pure, extremely concentrated beam of shadow shot out from its mouth!

Wherever the beam of light passed, the space was stained black.

Everything that exists is "shadowed" and becomes nourishment for this world.

Ian's eyes sharpened, and with a flick of his left finger, the Time Rule was activated!

The beam of light gradually slowed down, as if it had sunk into an invisible swamp.

Although it only slowed things down by 0.3 seconds, that was enough.

The shadow leaps with a clatter, all done!

The figures of the man and the bird faded instantly, blending into the shadows and disappearing from the spot.

The shadowy beam of the Shadow Centipede missed its target and struck the distant gray mountainside.

The mountain wall silently melted away, eroding a giant pit hundreds of meters in diameter.

hiss! ! !

The Shadow Centipede let out an angry hiss.

The 300-meter-long body swept wildly through the mineral vein, crushing large areas of shadow crystals into powder.

It did not pursue; the presence of Ian and Gaga had completely disappeared from its senses.

Deep within the shadow world, in a distorted "shadow jungle".

Ian and Gaga emerged from the shadows.

As his mental energy swept across, he saw countless black, twisted, plant-like structures all around him.

The intertwined branches form a natural maze.

The haze in the air grew thicker, reducing visibility to less than ten meters.

"It's safe here... ga!"

He was panting heavily, his small chest heaving violently.

The series of high-intensity shadow jumps it just performed had taken a heavy toll on it.

Ian leaned against a black branch, closed his eyes, and his mental energy spread out like a spider web.

After confirming that there was no danger around, he opened his eyes, and a silver light shimmered deep in his pupils.

After confirming that there was no danger around, he opened his eyes, and a silver light shimmered deep in his pupils.

In my mind, the scene of the battle just now replayed frame by frame.

The Shadow Centipede's movements, attack patterns, and rule characteristics...

In particular, the flowing pattern of the dark gold lines on its carapace.

"Cracks in the shell..." Ian muttered to himself.

During the exchange just now, he noticed a detail.

The Shadow Centipede's exoskeleton is hard and can absorb light and energy.

However, at the joints of the segments, the dark gold patterns will show temporary "breaks".

The breakpoint lasts for a very short time, but in that instant, the shell's defenses become weak.

"If the attack can accurately hit those gaps... it might be able to break through the defenses."

A cold glint flashed in Ian's eyes.

"Next time... I'll be well-prepared, bring the appropriate medication, and meet you again."

Although the Shadow Lord was powerful, he didn't believe he couldn't kill it.

He looked at the little guy on his shoulder; the little guy had caught his breath and was preening his feathers with his tiny paws.

"How much longer can you hold on?"

"About... two minutes." Gaga's voice sounded tired.

"The world is rejecting us, and the longer we stay, the stronger the rejection becomes."

Ian nodded.

The panel shows that there are only 1 minute and 22 seconds left to stay.

"Let's go back."

"Hmm." Gaga once again deployed the Shadow Domain.

A dark vortex appeared, swallowing the man and the bird.

The next second, they appeared in an underground laboratory.

As the light returned and the air became fresh, the familiar outlines of objects became clear again.

Ian stood still and took a deep breath.

The sticky, oppressive feeling in my chest finally dissipated.

"The Shadow World...what a wonderful place!"

He muttered to himself, walked to the lab bench, and spread out a new sheet of parchment.

I picked up the quill pen and began to record, the quill tip making a scratching sound.

This is one of his habits; he reviews and summarizes every battle.

Next time we go in, we'll take down that big centipede first.

The lord of a shadowy territory must have plenty of good stuff.

"Perhaps, we'll be able to gather all the resources needed for Gaga to advance to the third tier soon."

The rest is about upgrading the phase artifacts.

"Lucian, you absolutely have to do your best and bring back the materials I need."