Chapter 212: True Path

Chapter 212: True Path

Luo En gave a slight nod. "Indeed. The 'Boon' I sensed from her is remarkably pure."

He acknowledged this openly—no need to pretend before Madame Ellen.

"Not just pure", Madame Ellen mused, her fingers idly toying with a wisp of pinkish-purple hair. "It also has a rare persistence. Her innate talent should possess an accumulative effect. Over time, this 'Boon' will only grow stronger and more stable. Almost like an inexhaustible source."

Luo En raised an eyebrow. "You mean—"

"In the future, she might become an exceptional Full Mage." Madame Ellen cut straight to the point, her tone unusually serious. "Of course, this depends on having the right guide. Only with proper guidance can her innate talent reach its peak."

A subtle tension flowed between them.

"Still, this isn’t the time to discuss that." Madame Ellen halted the conversation, her emerald eyes flashing with solemnity. "You came here about the alternative ascension path—the one that forgoes the Key Potion, correct?"

Luo En met her gaze without pretense. "Yes. I hope to learn more details."

His priority had always been the pursuit of knowledge and power.

Madame Ellen inhaled deeply. A complex expression flickered across her face—nostalgia, wariness, and a faint trace of pain.

The pink-haired witch rose, striding to an ancient bookshelf in the corner. She plucked an aged volume bound in faded leather, its cover barely revealing a few blurred, gilded runes.

"This is The Forgotten Path", she said, her voice low with reverence, as if speaking of forbidden lore. "It records an ancient ascension method long lost to time—the True Path."

Luo En’s eyes locked onto the tome. He could sense faint energy ripples emanating from its surface, distinct from ordinary mana. This was something older, deeper.

"In the early First Era, before the profession of mage even existed, there were no Key Potions", Madame Ellen murmured, caressing the cover. "Back then, cultivators forged direct connections with their meditated forces through meditation alone, triggering qualitative transformations to open the Gate of Wisdom."

Luo En’s eyes widened. "Direct connection? Without any medium?"

"Precisely." Madame Ellen opened the book to a page depicting a complex star chart, its center dominated by a disturbing, colossal shadow. "The meditation technique you practice, The Murmuring of the Star Devourer, is one of the few Crown-Level meditation techniques capable of unlocking the True Path."

"Crown-Level?" Luo En’s eyebrow lifted again. He’d heard of this ranking from Kelinna but never studied it deeply.

"Meditation techniques have strict hierarchical ranks, each tied to specific meditated entities and power layers", Madame Ellen explained, her fingers gliding across the parchment. "The most foundational are the Beginner’s Manuals used by Elementary Apprentices—rankless tools solely for guiding spiritual energy circulation."

"Next are the advanced techniques, focusing on simpler natural spirits or elemental essences, cultivating to the Dawn Star Rank mage at best. Above them are the Gemstone-Level techniques, which meditate on ancient beings or unconscious remnants of great ones, enabling breakthroughs to the Archmage realm."

Her voice dropped to a hush. "But Crown-Level techniques meditate directly on the most formidable existences—capable of reaching the Lich King Realm."

A flicker of reverence crossed her face. "There are said to be higher methods still, but they transcend our realm. Merely mentioning such ranks could invite catastrophe."

Luo En nodded thoughtfully, new perspective dawning on The Murmuring of the Star Devourer. "So, starting from Gemstone-Level, do meditation techniques gain their traits upon ascension?"

"Exactly", Madame Ellen approved. "Meditation technique traits are tangible manifestations of spiritual qualitative transformation—the key distinction between ordinary mages and formidable Archmages. Those gained through the True Path are purer, stronger than those from Key Potions."

"That’s why mages on the same ascension path can vary so drastically in strength."

Madame Ellen flipped to an unsettling illustration—a human figure entwined by countless tendrils, their face twisted in anguish.

"The core of a meditation technique is forging a connection with the meditated entity through spiritual energy, absorbing its power essence. The stronger the entity, the higher the technique’s rank, and the greater—but deadlier—the power gained."

Luo En recalled the colossal star-devouring entity from his meditations, involuntarily shivering. "So The Murmuring of the Star Devourer makes me meditate on..."

"The very being ancient texts call the 'Devourer,'" Madame Ellen confirmed. "Legends say it wanders between galaxies, consuming star after star to sustain itself. No one knows its true purpose or limits."

"Surely it surpasses the Lich King Realm?" Luo En asked.

Madame Ellen shook her head. "The Devourer in The Murmuring might outmatch most Lich Kings, but they’re roughly equivalent. Beyond even that are the transcendent 'Demon Gods'..."

Luo En fell silent, digesting the revelations. Finally, he asked the critical question: "How does one ascend to Full Mage through the True Path?"

Madame Ellen smiled faintly, turning to a new page dominated by a grand stargate rune.

"Traditional ascension uses Key Potions as a medium, slowly and safely opening the Gate of Wisdom. The potion acts as a key—literally—gradually unlocking higher realms. Success rates are high, around seventy to eighty percent."

"The True Path is different. It forges a direct connection with the meditated entity. At the critical breakthrough moment, fragments of the ancient entity’s will imprint onto your spirit structure, forming a higher meditation technique trait and triggering qualitative transformation."

Her expression darkened. "But this path is perilous—no buffer, no safety net. Once begun, it’s either success... or destruction." She mimed slashing her throat. "In ancient times, fewer than one in ten survived this path."

"But the power gained is stronger?" Luo En pressed eagerly.

"Of course." Madame Ellen’s eyes gleamed approval. "Mages ascending through the True Path share similarities with their meditated entities, gaining purer, stronger meditation technique traits. Such mages often wield unimaginable power for their rank."

Luo En fell into thought for a moment. "Do you know the exact method for the breakthrough?"

Madame Ellen seemed to have anticipated this question. She reached into her robes and produced a small, crystalline bottle.

Inside, a silvery-blue liquid shimmered with faint luminescence under the lamplight.

"You remember those ingredients I asked you to gather earlier?"

Luo En nodded. Of course he remembered that baffling "shopping list."

"Those materials, combined with several rare medicinal herbs from my lifelong collection, were just enough to concoct this Starlight Elixir—an extremely rare auxiliary potion."

She paused, her voice softening. "It's not a key potion. It won't directly open the Gate of Wisdom for you. But it can strengthen your connection to the entity you’re meditating upon, significantly increasing your chances of surpassing the critical threshold."

Carefully, she handed the crystal bottle to Luo En.

"When your spiritual energy reaches the critical threshold, drink this potion, then enter your most profound meditation state."

"If everything goes smoothly, you’ll establish a direct link with the Devourer, acquire the meditation technique trait, and complete the qualitative transformation."

Luo En cradled the bottle, feeling the faint pulse of mana within—a sensation like a miniature star churning inside.

"What are the odds of success?"

Madame Ellen pondered briefly. "Given your innate talent and your compatibility with The Murmuring of the Star Devourer? Roughly fifty percent."

Luo En arched an eyebrow. "Higher than I expected."

"Don’t get ahead of yourself." Madame Ellen’s tone turned stern. "Once you step onto the True Path, there’s no turning back."

"If you fail, it means more than death. You risk a fate far worse—spirit fragmentation, where your soul gets devoured by those great entities."

Luo En inhaled deeply, tucking the crystal bottle safely into his robes. "Sounds worth trying."

Madame Ellen’s smile grew meaningful. "I knew you’d be interested. But don’t rush into a decision. Listen to the lessons from those who came before."

She reopened the ancient book, pointing to another page filled with case studies.

"Grimm Ost—born in a humble fishing village during the early Third Era. At fifteen, a passing mage discovered his rare Fourth Class Starspiritual Aptitude and brought him to the Academy. While mediocre in most training, he became obsessively fascinated with astronomy, often spending entire nights observing the Star."

"At twenty, he stumbled upon an ancient text about the Black Sun, which ignited his obsession with this mysterious celestial body. Three years later, he chose to ascend directly through meditation on the Black Sun. No one in the Academy believed in him—some mentors even advised him to abandon this suicidal attempt."

Madame Ellen’s voice grew hushed with reverence.

"But Ost persisted. He climbed alone to the Academy’s highest observatory tower, beginning his legendary trial. For three full days, agonized screams and maniacal laughter echoed from the tower. No one dared approach."

"Early on the fourth morning, when the Academy masters finally forced the tower door open, they found Ost sitting in eerie silence. His eyes had turned completely black—no whites, no irises—just endless void."

"But he’d succeeded. After enduring three days of madness, he gained the Evernight Vision Domain, a meditation technique trait."

"From that point, his power skyrocketed. Within thirty years, he reached Moonlight Rank Mage. Eighty more years made him a Dusk Sun Rank Mage. Before three centuries passed, he broke through as an Archmage."

Luo En listened, captivated. These vivid historical accounts carried far more conviction than dry theories.

Seeing his rapt attention, Madame Ellen turned the page.

"Consider this one—Eleanor Hal, one of the most renowned geniuses of the Crystal Spire in the previous epoch. At twelve, she tested with a Second Class Star spiritual aptitude. Before sixteen, she’d already improved three complex spells, hailed as a potential Archmage."

"Her mentor held great expectations, arranging a traditional key potion ascension plan. But Eleanor scorned conventional paths. She believed only the True Path could forge a genuine mage."

"On her sixteenth birthday, she chose to meditate upon the Abyssal Touch, attempting direct ascension. The Academy assigned two Full Mages to supervise, anticipating potential disasters."

Madame Ellen’s voice darkened.

"She failed—but it wasn’t mere death. Her spirit was seized by a wisp of the entity’s will. She became a hollow shell walking among mortals, no longer herself."

"At first, the change was subtle. She’d occasionally speak in strange tones or stare blankly into space. But as time passed, her abnormalities grew. She began sleeping by day and wandering by night. Her skin sprouted fine scales. Her pupils constricted into vertical slits."

"Worst of all, she started hunting and consuming living creatures—even fellow apprentices within the Academy."

"The Crystal Spire dispatched three Full Mages to terminate her. That battle left one Moonlight Rank Mage critically wounded, later dying from incurable spirit pollution."

A chill ran through Luo En as the story concluded. Yet not a trace of hesitation showed on his face.

Madame Ellen nodded in approval. "One last tale—Victor Reinhardt. Familiar with the name?"

Luo En nodded. "One of the younger Archmages in history."

"Indeed." A flicker of reverence crossed her eyes. "Victor hailed from a declining mage family. His natural aptitude was mediocre—some even doubted he’d become a Full Mage. Yet his willpower and wisdom surpassed ordinary men. He never gave up."

"At twenty-five, his grandfather—the last Full Mage in his family—passed away, plunging the family into unprecedented crisis. Young Victor gambled everything, choosing to meditate upon the Convergence of Stars, a terrifying entity equal in rank to the Devourer."

Respect colored Madame Ellen’s voice. "No one believed he could succeed. Even his own family considered it suicide. But against all odds, Victor succeeded—and gained an unprecedented trait: Threads of Fate, letting him briefly glimpse branching paths of the future."

Her eyes gleamed. "With this ability, Victor made optimal decisions at every critical juncture. Within a century, he ascended from Dawn Star Rank Mage to Archmage, setting one of the fastest advancement records in mage history."

"What was the cost?" Luo En pressed keenly. He knew such power demanded an equally heavy price.

Madame Ellen’s smile turned bitter. "Smart boy. Precisely—Victor paid dearly. After his initial power surge, he’d enter madness for three days every month. And each episode lengthened over time. In his final years, lucidity became rarer than his madness."

She sighed, sorrow flashing in her eyes. "The Archmage who once shook the mage world had to secretly imprison himself in a hidden chamber, fearing the catastrophes he might cause in his deranged state. Before death, during one of his final lucid moments, he told his descendants: Power is never given freely. It always reclaims its due price."

Luo En nodded thoughtfully, slowly digesting the information.

In the mage world, power and cost were forever balanced—a timeless law.

"Now do you understand?" Madame Ellen’s voice turned grave. "The True Path offers immense power, but demands equal peril. It’s not a road for all—only those willing to sacrifice comfort, risking life and sanity, would dare walk it."

Luo En remained silent briefly before lifting his gaze. "I understand these risks and accept their consequences. But I need more details—what exact level of spiritual energy constitutes the critical threshold? Are there methods beyond auxiliary potions to boost success rates? What specific meditation techniques should I employ after taking the Starlight Elixir? What defines a successful trial?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end