Chapter 156: Thirteen Thrones

Chapter 156: Thirteen Thrones

The sun dipped slowly westward as Luo En stepped out of the laboratory and crossed into the training ground behind the Workshop.

Daire was already waiting there, her silver hair shimmering with dazzling brilliance under the setting sun.

In recent days, the young siren’s growth had been astonishing.

She now stood at the height of a ten-year-old human child, and her control over water elements had grown increasingly refined.

“Master!” Daire waved cheerfully at Luo En. “Look at my new skill!”

With a graceful arc of her hands, water elements condensed into an exquisite crystal orb, refracting a kaleidoscope of colors in the twilight.

“Not bad,” Luo En remarked with a nod. “Control is stable.”

“There’s more!” Daire announced proudly, drawing a deep breath as focus sharpened her gaze.

The crystal orb suddenly shattered into dozens of smaller spheres, orbiting her body like planets around a star, forming a flowing protective barrier. Each sphere maintained a perfect trajectory, precisely following preordained paths—a testament to her mastery over water elements.

“I came up with this myself yesterday!” the young siren declared. “Lily said it can be used for self-defense.”

Luo En circled around Daire, carefully observing the spheres’ motion and mana composition.

The skill appeared simple but required intricate elemental control and spatial planning—far beyond the capabilities of sirens her age.

The Gluttonous Appetite innate talent’s accelerated growth was finally revealing its startling effects.

“Very creative,” Luo En praised, pulling out a small vial. “Today, I’ve brought you a new ‘food.’ It’ll make you stronger.”

Daire eyed the vial’s crimson liquid with curiosity, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Since discovering her ability to absorb growth from consuming mana-rich substances, Luo En had been preparing specialized “foods” for her.

This vial was a culmination of three days’ work—Crimson Blood Reinforcement Serum, infused with a trace of purified essence from his own Crimson Blood Sky Dragon bloodline.

After multiple purification and stabilization processes, it was tailored to the siren’s unique physiology.

“Drink slowly—savor the mana flow,” Luo En instructed. “Try to understand every sensation. It’ll help you absorb and transform the mana better.”

Daire accepted the vial, sipping cautiously before her eyes lit up.

“So warm!” she exclaimed. “It feels like tiny flames dancing in my stomach!”

Luo En watched as she carefully savored the special “food,” observing her transformation.

As the serum was absorbed, subtle changes began on her skin.

Faint scale patterns emerged on her arms, shimmering briefly before dissolving back into her original siren form.

Exactly the desired effect—by introducing diverse mana sources, her bloodline would develop in increasingly versatile directions.

Of course, the dragon bloodline’s aggressive nature had been neutralized during extraction.

At present, this serum was purely an energy booster, perhaps enhancing her fire elemental affinity—but only slightly.

Whether to later integrate dragon-lineage traits into her siren bloodline would require careful experimentation.

“Daire, how would you like to join the Grand Arena?” Luo En suddenly asked. “There’ll be many strong opponents—and lucrative rewards.”

Her eyes lit up instantly. “I want to join! I’ll show everyone how amazing Master’s Daire is!”

Luo En chuckled, ruffling her hair. “I believe you’ll do well. But first, we need more training to fully master these new abilities.”

………………

In the following days, Luo En immersed himself in deeper research.

He decided to focus entirely on Soul Steel—only by truly understanding this mysterious metal’s properties could he determine the feasibility of his future plans.

Soul Steel was an exceedingly rare material, surpassing ordinary metals in malleability and mana conductivity, making it ideal for crafting high-grade magical artifacts.

Luo En spent hours daily “communicating” with the Soul Steel, gradually imprinting his spiritual energy onto it through sustained input.

A slow, energy-draining process—but the results were promising.

The metal’s surface began subtle transformations, its texture softening while responding more keenly to Luo En’s spiritual energy commands.

“The core property of Soul Steel lies in its lattice structure,” Luo En noted in his journal.

“This structure can ‘remember’ a user’s spiritual energy patterns, adjusting its mana flow accordingly. Theoretically, after sufficient adaptation, Soul Steel can achieve perfect resonance with its wielder.”

At this stage, Luo En attempted preliminary shape-shifting experiments.

Focusing his spiritual energy, he first projected the mental image of a simple dagger, gradually transferring the intent to the metal.

Initially, the Soul Steel resisted.

But through persistent adjustments to energy input methods and intensity, by the fourth day, the metal began reacting—edges sharpening, the outline slowly assuming a blade-like form.

【Alchemy (Proficient) Experience Points +1】

“Progress is slow but steady,” Luo En recorded in his consciousness library. “Soul Steel requires time to adapt. Rushing risks destabilizing its internal mana structure, compromising the final product.”

At this critical juncture, as the Soul Steel underwent pivotal transformation, the profession interface suddenly provided key information:

【New Profession Advancement Confirmed:

Special Innate Talent “Dual Soul” + “Vitality Infusion” Demonblade + Thousand Shifting Shadows (Glorious Legacy) + Puppet Substitute (Rare Relic)

→ Black Mage (Three Stars)

Effect: The demonblade will gain the Black Mage’s corrosive trait, while the original body remains unaffected.】

This revelation ignited Luo En’s excitement.

The interface’s confirmation validated his research direction—only minor refinements remained.

More thrillingly, the interface displayed further details:

【Additional Concept: Through Puppet Substitute class advancement → Demon Hunter, perform Demon Organ Organic Suturing

The puppet shares ability enhancements but not negative effects

Effect: The original body gains the Demon Hunter’s abilities】

This concept aligned perfectly with his own considerations!

He’d been pondering how to harness the Demon Hunter’s power without risking its mutation.

The Puppet Substitute was clearly the perfect solution—letting the puppet bear the risks while the original reaped the rewards.

Luo En inhaled deeply, suppressing his excitement.

While this confirmation boosted his confidence, he remained cautious.

“Every step requires precision—no room for error.”

Key factors:

1. Safe soul fragment segmentation and transfer

2. Advancing the Shapeshifter’s Skin

3. Acquiring and properly activating the Puppet Substitute

4. Perfectly forging the Vitality-Infused Demonblade

Returning to the School Library, Luo En utilized his privileges as a Reserve Magus Sequence member to delve into ancient texts on soul theory.

From ancient soul doctrines to modern spiritual energy studies, from soul divination to life essence exploration, he meticulously reviewed every relevant document available.

These studies helped him construct a comprehensive theoretical framework:

Soul segmentation was possible but required strict adherence to specific rules and limitations.

Excessive fragmentation could cause soul fragments to lack sufficient mana to sustain themselves, while improper techniques might damage the soul’s overall structure, affecting the caster’s psyche and personality.

“Safe soul segmentation requires three conditions:

First, cutting along the soul’s ‘natural grain’—like cleaving a diamond along its crystalline structure;

Second, immediately placing fragments into suitable carriers to prevent mana dissipation;

Third, establishing stable communication between the original and fragments while maintaining sufficient isolation to prevent interference.”

This underscored the importance of advancing the Shapeshifter’s Skin—only the “Glorious Legacy”-grade insulation could ensure safe isolation between the soul fragment and original.

The Puppet Substitute was the perfect carrier solution.

Legend claimed this Abyssal Chasm-origin artifact could replicate a user’s consciousness and abilities, creating a near-perfect “duplicate.”

If a segmented soul fragment could be housed within the Puppet Substitute, theoretically, mana dissipation and structural collapse risks could be avoided.

In a dust-laden ancient text titled Apostle’s Path: Awakening and Transcending the Black Mage, Luo En found records of successful cases.

This book was bound by heavy seals—even with his privileges, he could only access a fraction of its content.

“The Thirteen Thrones of Apostles—the masters of corruption,” the text described.

“Their strongest was ‘Void Spider’ Magnus, once an ordinary Dawn Star Rank mage with the ‘Soul Weaving’ innate talent. After pioneering a unique soul segmentation method, he successfully housed his soul fragments in countless specially crafted crystal orbs, each maintaining a mysterious connection to him.”

The text briefly recounted how Magnus channeled spirit pollution into these orbs, later transforming it into pure power through special rituals.

With this power, he killed three Moonlight Rank mages instantly in battle before ascending as an Apostle—deflecting a Dusk Sun Rank mage’s full-force attack.

Another case was “Metamorphosis Maiden” Yi Sha Bei La, who possessed the “Empathy” innate talent, enabling her to perceive and mimic others’ emotions.

Using a special mask as a carrier, she segmented her soul fragment while retaining complete consciousness control.

This allowed her presence in multiple locations simultaneously—even resurrecting through the mask after her original body’s “death.”

However, the text warned of the dangers for those without Special Innate Talents attempting this technique:

“Of those without corresponding innate talents attempting this ritual, nine out of ten perished.

The soul’s collapse was more agonizing than bodily death. Survivors often descended into permanent madness due to fragmented souls.

During the Second Era’s darkest Abyssal sects’ reign, over twenty ancient mages attempted to mimic ‘Void Spider’s methods.

Only two survived—but both became irrational zombies, imprisoned in the ‘Garden’ permanently.”

Luo En closed the book, deep in thought.

The risks of soul segmentation were evident—but so were the rewards.

Every success story involved those with Special Innate Talents, making him wonder if his “Dual Soul” could provide safeguards.

“There’s more I need to learn,” he murmured, his gaze drifting deeper into the library shelves.

“But the starting point remains the Blood Arena.”

He needed the “Puppet Substitute”—a critical component in his plan.

Additionally, he required more detailed operational methods and risk mitigation strategies for soul segmentation.

Turning toward the window, Luo En watched the ever-shifting clouds above the Black Mist Jungle.

The Blood Arena had been postponed—but it would come.

Before then, he had extensive preparations ahead.

“Careful, step-by-step progress,” he reminded himself. “On the path to eternity, haste is a luxury. Further advancements can wait until I reach the critical threshold of a Full Magus.”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end