Falin Leon Laredo walked through a magnificent palace adorned with gold and silver patterns. Along the way, wizards dressed in the robes of the Arcane Workshop greeted him with respect.
Falin's steps did not pause; in fact, they grew faster, his expression showing a mix of nervousness and urgency, as if he were eager to meet someone of great importance.
When he reached the entrance of a quiet courtyard, Falin's pace slowed slightly.
Standing at the entrance was a beautiful blonde witch with a generous display of her fair skin on her chest. Seeing Falin, she stepped forward to greet him.
"Is he inside?" Falin asked.
The blonde witch nodded and whispered, "He purchased a large batch of healing potions from us. I didn't have time to consult you, so I sold them to him at half the cost."
"Is he injured? You should have just given them to him. The Arcane Workshop isn't short on magic stones," Falin frowned.
He glanced briefly at the exposed fair skin on the witch's chest, his lips moving quickly as he asked a few more questions.
The blonde witch's face showed a hint of embarrassment as she shook her head helplessly.
Falin waved his hand, signaling the witch to leave, then straightened his appearance and stepped into the courtyard.
It was a beautifully elegant small garden, filled with various glowing plants of vibrant colors. In one corner of the garden was a tranquil pond with clusters of golden water lilies floating on the surface. Small magical creatures swam happily beneath the lily pads.
By the pond stood a gray stone round table, scattered with several transparent crystal balls of different colors, refracting shifting light and shadows.
From the moment he entered the courtyard, Falin's gaze was fixed on a figure sitting at the round table.
It was a man dressed in a black wizard robe with silver trim. His head was slightly lowered, revealing a young and handsome profile, though the pale strands of hair falling over his shoulders gave him an inexplicable air of weariness.
When Falin saw the young man, his eyes flickered. He took a deep breath and strode over.
"Damien," Falin called out softly as he approached.
The young man looked up, and the moment their eyes met, Falin's gaze momentarily lost focus, as if he were in a daze. It wasn't until the young man called his name that Falin snapped out of it.
"You..." Falin looked at the young man in front of him with disbelief, his eyes filled with shock and astonishment.
He struggled to calm himself, forcing a smile as he spoke, "It's been a long time, Damien."
Falin sat down at the round table. "Evaque left a batch of magic stones at the Arcane Workshop a year ago, entrusting me to arrange a trip to the central region for a friend of his. I didn't expect that friend to be you."
"So, when can I leave?" Damien asked directly, catching Falin off guard.
"The teleportation array and the long-distance airship have been ready for a while. But you could stay a few more days. The Arcane Workshop—"
"This time, I'm afraid that's not possible," Damien interrupted softly, his tone calm but firm.
"Next time, Falin. There are some things I must attend to immediately."
Thinking of the healing potions Damien had purchased, as mentioned by the blonde witch earlier, Falin fell silent.
Before coming, he had prepared many things that might interest Damien for the next few days of "entertainment." Now, it seemed none of it would be of use.
"Alright," Falin said reluctantly. "When do you plan to leave?"
"As soon as possible," Damien paused, then added, "Preferably right now."
"Then I'll take you there immediately," Falin stood up and led Damien out of the courtyard to a heavily restricted hall. He watched as Damien's figure disappeared completely at the center of the rune array, then let out a long, wistful sigh.
"Tap—"
Light footsteps sounded as a figure slowly approached Falin.
Seeing the newcomer, Falin immediately bowed and greeted respectfully, "Master."
The newcomer was a handsome middle-aged wizard, radiating a brilliance like the rising sun. He wore luxurious wizard robes, with many crystals and gems adorning his hair.
"Is that the legendary Ronan Damien?" the middle-aged wizard asked, looking at the now empty and cooling teleportation array.
"Yes," Falin nodded, then smiled wryly. "Compared to the time of the Prodigy War, he has become even stronger. When I first saw him, I almost felt the same awe as when you first guided me into the world of wizards, looking up at the starry sky. If I were to face him now, even with the 'Blade of Taboo,' I'm afraid I'd be defeated in an instant."
"That's because you haven't yet unlocked the true power of the 'Blade of Taboo,'" the middle-aged wizard shook his head, then added, "But this Ronan Damien indeed possesses qualities that are hard for ordinary people to match. He seemed to sense my presence earlier, maintaining a strong sense of vigilance toward my hidden direction."
"Uh..." Falin was stunned, turning to look in the direction where Ronan had left, unable to believe it.
"Known as the prodigy of the southern wizard world, a once-in-a-century talent, even Rona of the Star School holds him in high regard... It's said that his origins are quite humble. To have come this far is truly incredible," the middle-aged wizard turned to Falin and said calmly, "If you want to befriend such a person, instead of exhausting yourself trying to please him, focus on improving your own knowledge and strength, so that he may come to recognize you on his own."
Falin's face showed a hint of shame. "Master..."
"Actually, your talent is quite good," the middle-aged wizard placed his hand gently on Falin's forehead and said warmly, "But you've spent too much energy on irrelevant things. Those women around you, I'll have them transferred away. Some things are fine to play with when you're young, but don't get too caught up in them."
"Yes, yes," Falin nodded.
The middle-aged wizard pondered for a moment, then continued, "I've secured an opportunity for you to study in the central region. In six months, you'll set off. The dawn has not yet arrived; everything is just beginning. Falin, in the future, you may not be unable to surpass those who are now far ahead of you."
Falin's spirits lifted for a moment, but soon his expression turned confused and bitter.
"Master, someone like Damien, with his extraordinary talent, inheriting the legacy of the legendary wizard Herams, and backed by the Elemental Ring... Do I really have a chance to stand shoulder to shoulder with him?"
"You think his circumstances are favorable?" the middle-aged wizard sneered, glancing at Falin. "The Elemental Ring is notorious for its factional divisions. The internal complexity there is easily a hundred times greater than our Arcane Workshop. Damien's starting point this time might not even be as good as yours."
"Uh..." Falin was momentarily stunned.
For Ronan, experiencing a long-distance spatial teleportation array for the first time felt like riding an elevator moving in random directions, accompanied by intense dizziness.
The duration wasn't long, but during the process, the [Spatial Silvering] rune within him flickered incessantly, and many insights about spatial mysteries emerged in his mind. However, upon closer examination, they were like a piece of driftwood floating in the ocean—valuable but not of great significance.
Spatial teleportation and spatial folding, these general spatial spells, have always had relatively complete legacies, but they are held by powerful factions. Ordinary wizards, even if they obtain the relevant knowledge, lack the energy, strength, and resources to utilize them.
The true strength of spatial spells lies in the offensive techniques that have been lost over time, like those of the ancient Mirror Court. In Ronan's current spell system, the spatial shattering principles contained in [Silver of Shattering] and [Shattered Winter Mirror] are the essence of spatial power. However, Ronan has only grasped the surface of these techniques.
After the teleportation, Ronan found himself in another similarly styled room. A wizard from the Arcane Workshop, who had been waiting inside, immediately approached him.
"Lord Damien?" the wizard asked.
Ronan used his mental power to soothe the lingering dizziness in his mind and nodded slightly.
Without further ado, the wizard led him to the long-distance airship that had been prepared.
Compared to the short-distance airships commonly used by wizards, the long-distance airship was of much higher quality. The one prepared for Ronan by the Arcane Workshop looked like a small, exquisite house suspended beneath three hot air balloons. Both the balloons and the house were densely covered with layers of various rune arrays. Maintaining so many rune arrays would require a staggering amount of magic stones, which Evaque had already prepared.
In essence, Ronan only needed to board the airship.
"It's a pity there's no direct ultra-long-distance spatial teleportation array between the southern and central continents. Otherwise, we wouldn't have to waste so much time traveling," Ronan thought as he boarded the airship with the Arcane Workshop wizard.
As soon as he stepped inside, he saw four young women in maid outfits, each with a different style, greeting him with a mix of shyness and respect. The bolder ones even glanced up at him, and he could clearly sense their excitement, joy, and slight nervousness.
The Arcane Workshop wizard beside him smiled and introduced, "These four will take care of your needs during the journey. They were specially arranged by Lord Falin, carefully selected. If you're not satisfied or need more, I can arrange for another group."
"Falin..." Ronan couldn't help but frown.
Why did Falin from the Arcane Workshop always like to arrange such things? During his previous visit to the Arcane Workshop, Falin had made similar arrangements. Ronan's reluctance to stay and have a cup of tea with Falin might have been partly due to this.
"Have them leave the ship immediately. Thank Falin for me," Ronan said calmly.
The Arcane Workshop wizard's expression changed slightly, but he didn't dare to disobey Ronan's wishes. He nodded and quickly ushered the four maids off the airship.
The girls' faces clearly showed disappointment upon hearing Ronan's decision.
Two minutes later, the three hot air balloons of the long-distance airship began to glow as the rune arrays activated. The airship slowly ascended, marking the official start of Ronan's solitary journey to the central region.
Inside the airship, after carefully inspecting the interior and exterior, Ronan sat cross-legged on the carpet in the center of the floor and slowly exhaled.
The airship didn't require much operation from him; he only needed to adjust the route and direction occasionally.
Now, he finally had the time to properly sort through the gains from his trip to Qifeng Port.
Casually pulling up his character panel, Ronan saw that after three purifications of his mental power and stepping into the Forbidden Mist Zone, he had condensed his tenth Mental Power Crystal. His strength progress had reached 132% and was still increasing.
Ordinary peak third-level wizards could no longer serve as a measure of Ronan's mental power. He tried to compare himself to fourth-level Dawn wizards and estimated that his mental power was about five times that of an ordinary newly advanced fourth-level wizard. Once the ten purified Mental Power Crystals reached full capacity again, it might increase to twelve times, equivalent to a mid-level fourth-level wizard.
If it were just stepping into the "Forbidden Mist Zone" and condensing the tenth Mental Power Crystal, such an exaggerated effect wouldn't have been achieved. The main reason was that since entering the mist, Ronan had undergone three mental power purifications. These three purifications had fundamentally transformed the quality of his mental power.
This was also the greatest confidence he had when he dared to refuse the temptation of the mental and soul purification techniques offered by Serena when she extended an olive branch to him.
"Top-tier inheritors like Serena, before advancing to Dawn, have secret techniques to purify their souls and mental power, enhancing the grade of the Primal Spirit they will nurture in the future.
Although I come from humble origins and cannot obtain such secret techniques, these three mental power purifications have given me a foundation that may far surpass theirs," Ronan thought, lightly tapping his forehead.
His forehead glowed, and a thick golden halo blossomed from between his brows.
This light was different from before, as if composed of countless particles. When the halo dispersed, it gave the illusion of a starry sky flowing out.
After the transformation of his mental power, the star chart deduction that had long stumped Ronan finally broke through.
And after he officially completed a star chart deduction, the [Basic Meditation Technique] on his character panel naturally evolved into—[Ancient Star Meditation Technique]! The master-level proficiency of [Basic Meditation Technique] was reset, but the [Clarity Realm], [Lake of No Thoughts], [Lake of Extreme Boiling], and [Ethereal Extreme Thought] states were retained and even strengthened to some extent.
The form of his meditation had changed, becoming at least a hundred times more complex than before, but in return, he gained a level of control far more exquisite and refined than ever.
"Completing the most basic star chart deduction only increases the beginner-level proficiency of [Ancient Star Meditation Technique] by 1 point. I wonder how long it will take to reach master-level again."
"But..." Ronan looked at his hands bathed in the golden halo and murmured, "Have I inadvertently embarked on the path of tracing the ancient times?"
If Herams had indeed obtained the "Ancient Star Book," he must have also comprehended the [Ancient Star Meditation Technique].
At this moment, Ronan suddenly gained a deeper understanding of the will of Herams contained within the Law-Controlling legacy.
Perhaps for Herams, his desire to dominate all laws and become the King of All Laws was never because of "innate pride."
Instead, it was because he possessed an unparalleled ambition to chase, match, and even surpass the ancient wizards!
Because the road ahead was too rugged and long, and life was too short... he refused to be delayed or distracted by any insignificant people or things along the way.
"If I were to see the ancient wonders he saw, I would also chase after them with all my might, even if it meant collapsing on the road," Ronan took a deep breath, slowly gathered his mental power, and then raised his hand. Countless lights converged between his fingers, forming light paths that eventually wove into an incredibly complex three-dimensional rune pattern.
This rune resembled a spiral in shape, but its interior was intricate, like an endless, overlapping maze.
This was what Ronan had gained from the depths of the Green Glow Abyss, from the creature known as the Combtooth Spiral.
This rune-like pattern was actually composed of two parts, one of which Ronan named—[Spiral Palace]!
"Rather than a rune, it's more like a special energy guidance and circulation system," Ronan thought.
"As I hoped, it can indeed help with the compression and utilization of the life light sphere of the [Immaculate Body]."
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