Above the mage

Chapter 721 Breaking the Limits of Mental Power: Late Stage of the Third Ring

After listening to Lieutenant Colonel Grayling's introduction, even the usually composed Gao De couldn't help but be moved.

He had never even heard of such a treasure before, let alone acquired it.

This is the foundation of the Golden Finch Flower as the first ancient dynasty in the mage realm!

He immediately said in a deep voice, "Thank you for your generous gift, Lieutenant General Karen, and thank you for personally delivering the dragon marrow to our door."

Lieutenant Colonel Graylin simply nodded slightly: "Yes, Dragon Marrow will help you perform better in the French Fighting Tournament. Take it and absorb it as soon as possible. I won't take up any more of your time."

"You are our Sea Sentinel's military mages, perform well and bring glory to our Sea Sentinels!" He patted Gao De's shoulder heavily, placing high hopes on him.

Gao De nodded solemnly: "I will."

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling nodded in satisfaction, then turned and walked towards the door. He pushed the door open and quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor.

After he left, Gao De immediately closed the door.

He placed the bottle containing the jade dragon marrow on the table, took a deep breath, and calmed his emotions.

He looked out the window and estimated the time.

There is still plenty of time.

Even if one enters a deep meditation lasting up to twelve hours after consuming dragon marrow, it will not interfere with tomorrow's match at all.

After considering this, Gao De no longer hesitated and immediately decided to swallow the drop of jade dragon marrow.

He gently flicked the silver rune clasp on the bottle's mouth with his fingertips.

With a soft buzzing sound, the rune clasp opened.

An extremely rich essence of herbs and plants burst forth instantly, filling the room.

Gao De only took one breath, but he felt the wood element magic crystals in his mana pool begin to stir.

He tilted his head back, tilted the bottle, and a drop of translucent emerald green cream slowly flowed out, landing steadily on the tip of his tongue.

It has no bitterness at all, but rather a warm and sweet aroma.

The cream began to melt as soon as it touched the tip of the tongue.

It transformed into wisps of cool, delicate energy, which, like living things, quickly seeped into Gao De's body along the tip of his tongue, spreading throughout his limbs and bones.

At first, the energy was gentle and soothing, like a spring drizzle, nourishing every inch of his magical veins and every cell.

Gao De felt his body instantly become lighter.

But just a few breaths later, a vast and pure life energy and magical essence burst forth from these seemingly light and cool wisps of energy.

They surged towards the Star Core Magic Crystal within Gao De's body like a rushing stream.

Gao De felt warm all over, yet with a slight tingling sensation.

In that instant, the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture" was automatically activated, and its operation speed was several times faster than previous cultivation methods.

However, Gaode Maps could no longer perceive the significant changes.

Because his consciousness was gradually becoming blurred.

However, this does not affect the operation and breakthrough of the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture".

The energy contained within the Emerald Dragon Marrow surged entirely into the emerald green Star Core Magic Crystal in his mana pool.

Because of dual cultivation, there are two magic crystals in the High Virtue Magic Pool.

One is the Ice Magic Crystal that carries the "True Ice Secret Transmission" from the mid-stage of the Third Ring, and the other is the Wood Magic Crystal that carries the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture".

At this moment, the Wood Magic Crystal, which is still in the early stage of the third ring and has only three initial star orbits, is trembling slightly under the nourishment of the dragon marrow energy, emitting a weak but increasingly active fluctuation.

Countless emerald green light particles were stripped from the energy of the Emerald Dragon Marrow and intertwined with the wood elemental magic within the magic crystal.

They began to outline three new star trails in the gaps between the original three initial star trails.

This marks the transition from the early to the middle stages of the Third Ring, condensing three new star trails: Mana Storage, Spell Acceleration, and Elemental Convergence.

The first mid-stage star track, still a mana storage star track, slowly unfolds inside the magic crystal.

The energy of the Jade Dragon Marrow gently adhered to the star trail, layering upon layer, and condensed into shape in just a few breaths, a speed comparable to the enhancement of the Zhenbing Bloodline.

Immediately afterwards, the spell accelerated the formation of the star trails.

The light is a pale white, and when the light particles converge, they are like light leaves, flowing rapidly and forming between the initial star trail and the first mid-stage star trail.

The final elemental star trail is an elemental convergence, and its light color is a pure emerald green.

The energy emanating from the Emerald Dragon Marrow transformed into fine streams of light, surging wildly into the core of Jupiter, clinging to the outline of the star orbit, and finally condensing into shape.

The surface of the star trails also shows leaf patterns that are exactly the same as those found in jadeite dragon marrow.

At this point, all three star orbits of the mid-stage of the third ring have been condensed.

The "Green Wood Longevity Scripture" thus easily broke through to the mid-stage of the third ring.

But it's not over.

Despite this breakthrough, the energy of the jade dragon marrow remained extremely powerful, with a large amount of pure life energy and magical essence still remaining.

This is because Gaode possesses a "Wood Element Symbiotic Body," which makes it extremely efficient at absorbing wood element particles.

The magical energy of the Jade Dragon Marrow is mostly composed of wood element particles.

Therefore, his absorption rate of Emerald Dragon Marrow reached an unimaginable level, and every strand of energy could be precisely drawn to the core of the Wood Star.

Without the slightest waste, it was all transformed into the power to nourish the cultivation technique and the star trails.

Guided by the self-operating "Azure Wood Longevity Scripture," the remaining emerald dragon marrow energy flowed gently along the magical veins like a docile stream.

They continuously poured into the core of Jupiter without stopping, propelling Gaode steadily towards the later stages of the third ring.

Inside the core of Jupiter, the three mid-stage star orbits that had just condensed suddenly accelerated their rotation, and the emerald green light became even more intense.

They resonate with the initial three star orbits, forming a gentle yet powerful energy vortex.

Countless tiny, emerald-green light particles were continuously peeled away from the dragon marrow energy, slowly converging and intertwining in the gaps between the six star trails, gradually outlining the blurry contours of the new star trails in the later stages of the third ring.

All of this happens quietly during deep meditation.

Gao De's consciousness had long since sunk into chaos, and he remained completely unaware of any changes in the outside world or within his body, being naturally nourished by the energy of the dragon marrow throughout.

The first late-stage star trail is still a mana storage star trail.

However, it was nearly twice as thick as the mid-stage mana storage star trail, and its light color was a deep emerald green.

Like a long, flowing river of ancient trees, it slowly unfolds and flows within the core of the Wood Star.

Thanks to the abundant nourishment from the remaining dragon marrow energy, the condensation process of this star trail was still extremely smooth, without the slightest stagnation.

The pure wood-based magic power and dragon marrow energy are layered together.

It complements and operates synchronously with the two mana storage star trails of the early and middle stages.

The three elements intertwine to form a massive network of mana storage, more than doubling Gaode's total wood-type mana.

Moreover, the purity of the magic power has also been improved, becoming more refined and profound, with no impurities in its flow.

The moment the mana storage star track was completed, the second spell star track, spell control, followed closely behind and began to slowly condense.

When the emerald green light particles converge, they no longer flow rapidly, but rather slowly unfold and layer upon layer, with a slow and steady rhythm.

Between the six old star trails and the first late star trail, a clear shape gradually coalesces.

As the final spell of the third ring, Star Orb's core effect is to push the High Priest's control over spells to the extreme, breaking through the limitations of conventional spells to a certain extent:

In the past, the effects of spells were always limited to fixed spell effects.

With the support of spell-guided star trails, God can autonomously adjust the emphasis of spell effects according to the ever-changing needs of the battlefield.

For example, when casting the [Entanglement] spell, the vines can be condensed to be as tough as refined steel, locking the opponent in place so that they cannot move.

Alternatively, one can focus on the speed of entangling, instantly wrapping the opponent layer by layer, giving them no chance to react.

In addition, it can greatly enhance Gaode's control over multi-ballistic spells, accurately locking onto different targets.

Most importantly, it helps the caster concentrate magical energy, forming an invisible energy barrier around the spell's body to firmly lock the energy in place and prevent it from dissipating.

This can significantly reduce the power reduction caused by increased distance when casting spells at long range.

Even when casting spells from 100 meters away, more than 80% of the spell's power can be retained, greatly expanding the spellcaster's combat range and enhancing their long-range combat capabilities.

The final condensed star trail is the elemental star trail.

Its name is Elemental Cardinal.

It is the most crucial factor that allows late-stage third-ring mages to exert overwhelming pressure on mid-stage third-ring mages.

Its condensation process is far more complex and magnificent than the previous two later star trails, and it carries a heart-palpitating elemental energy fluctuation.

As it began to coalesce, the wood elemental energy within the room instantly became violent.

Gao De's body was surging with turmoil.

Wood element particles, like a torrent breaking free of its restraints, roared and surged, wildly pouring into the star's core.

At the same time, the last remaining pure energy of the Emerald Dragon Marrow also erupted completely, transforming into a dazzling emerald green pillar of light that shot straight into the core of the Wood Star, intertwining with the raging wood element particles to form an even more powerful energy wave.

These violent wood element particles and dragon marrow energy, under the guidance of the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture" technique, gradually shed their ferocity and became gentle and orderly.

They slowly rotate and converge around the gap between the six old star orbits and the two later star orbits, gradually outlining the contours of the elemental cardinal star orbits.

Initially, the outline of the star trails was extremely blurry, but as wood element particles and dragon marrow energy continued to flow in, the outlines gradually became clearer.

It is thicker and more solid than other star trails, with small elemental nodes on its surface that connect the entire star trail.

Minutes later, the Elemental Cardinal Orbit completely solidified and took shape, hovering steadily in the very center of the Jupiter core, radiating an awe-inspiring elemental aura.

The so-called elemental pivot is essentially about making the caster a small-scale wood elemental hub, capable of forcibly drawing wood elemental particles from the world and increasing the concentration of wood-based elements within a few meters around the caster several times over.

When the Elemental Cardinal is activated, the power and casting speed of any wood element spell cast by God will be greatly increased.

It's equivalent to entering an overclocked state of a wood element spell, greatly increasing its burst power.

This is a true trump card, enough to turn the tide of battle in an instant during a critical moment.

However, this immense power comes at a considerable cost:

Once the Elemental Cardinal Orbit is activated, the spell's cost will nearly double.

At the same time, it also consumes a lot of mental energy, like an invisible hand constantly drawing away the mage's spiritual essence.

Prolonged activation can even lead to mental exhaustion, resulting in severe consequences such as splitting headaches and loss of control over spells.

Therefore, this star trail can only be used in critical moments or when a quick solution is needed; it is a trump card that should not be used unless absolutely necessary.

More importantly, the location of the elemental hub is fixed.

Once the mage moves, the effect of the Elemental Nexus will not move with them, and the surrounding wood element concentration will return to normal.

To re-enter overclocking mode, you must restart the Elemental Cardinal Orbit and re-guide the Wood Element particles.

With the help of the Jade Dragon Marrow, Gao De's "Green Wood Longevity Scripture" broke through the dual constraints of the early and middle stages of the Third Ring, advancing triumphantly and steadily stepping into the late stage of the Third Ring.

In an instant, it surpassed the cultivation progress of "The Secret of Zhenbing".

Meanwhile, new changes are still taking place.

Under the powerful impetus of breaking through two minor ranks in succession with the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture", Gao De's spiritual power also began to undergo earth-shattering and drastic changes.

Gao De's mental strength had long since reached the limit of a third-ring mage, like a container filled with water, unable to hold any more mental strength.

Previously, when "The Secret of Zhenbing" broke through to the mid-stage of the third ring, the spiritual power gained from the mage's level increase widened the gap in the container, bringing him one step closer to breaking through the limit of spiritual power.

Just now, the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture" broke through to the mid-stage of the third ring, and the powerful energy surge once again nourished his soul.

This left him only a thin, fragile membrane between his mental strength and the limit.

Now that the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture" has successfully broken through to the late stage of the third ring, the thin film that hindered the improvement of spiritual power has been broken.

The massive energy boost from his dual breakthroughs in mage level was like a surging tide, frantically nourishing the very essence of his soul.

His spiritual power completely broke free from its restraints, surging wildly like a flood breaking through a dam.

Not only did it break through the upper limit of the third-ring mage, but it is also continuing to climb, with a rapid momentum.

367, 368, 369 —

His mental strength value rose rapidly deep within his consciousness, like leaping sparks.

Each jump represents a significant increase in mental strength.

Every growth is accompanied by the refinement and sublimation of the soul.

It surpassed the upper limit of a third-ring mage and continued to strive for even higher levels.

It finally stopped and stabilized when it reached a value of 400.

The surge in spiritual power made Gao De's soul become increasingly solid and expansive without him even realizing it, and his range of perception also increased significantly.

Even when he was in deep meditation, he could still vaguely detect subtle movements within a few meters outside the meditation room.

However, even with such a huge increase in both his mage level and soul, Gao De remained completely unaware of it.

At this moment, Gaode's deep meditation state became even more profound.

His consciousness was completely freed from the constraints of his physical body, like a light fragment of his soul.

Enveloped by the extraordinary qualities of the majestic jade dragon, it slowly sank into a vast and boundless jade forest teeming with life.

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