Chapter 215: A Threat to Dawn Star Rank Adepts!

Chapter 215: A Threat to Dawn Star Rank Adepts!

There was another crucial point he had yet to explore—a core mechanism that could push the Resonance effect to its absolute peak.

He recalled the Abyssal Life Compendium's records of the "Choral Starfish."

This peculiar creature dwelling in the fifth layer of the Abyss, the "Eternal Night Sea", could generate geometrically escalating destruction by layering soundwaves through communal harmonizing—a choir of overlapping frequencies.

A single Choral Starfish could be casually crushed by a Dawn Star Rank mage. But if dozens gathered, even a Dusk Sun Rank mage would retreat in caution. This was the qualitative transformation wrought by soundwave superposition.

"Superposition... superposition!"

Luo En's eyes snapped open, his pupils gleaming with sudden epiphany.

What if he designed a mechanism where soundwaves, instead of dissipating upon contact, could fold back and reinforce themselves, triggering multiple Resonances?

He swiftly adjusted his spell matrix, adding a new mana circuit. This loop would create a faint echo after the initial soundwave struck—a weak rebound whose power paled in comparison to the original. Yet if its frequency matched the target's resonance, it would trigger a secondary shockwave.

This way, a single spellcast could deliver multiple strikes. Not only would the intensity escalate, but the cumulative effect could destabilize the target's very structure.

As the final mana node settled into place, Luo En felt an unprecedented clarity of perception. His perfected spell model shimmered flawlessly within his spiritworld—each component precisely balanced, nothing excessive or lacking.

【Sound Wave Oscillation experience points +1】
【Breakthrough! Sound Wave Oscillation (Proficient 100/100) → Sound Wave Oscillation (Mastery Max)】
【Trait Advancement:
Micro-Ripple → Harmonic Ripple
(While retaining the foundational subtlety of the trait, this advancement causes an "echo effect" upon impact, amplifying damage through successive soundwave superpositions)】

A wondrous sensation surged through him. He felt a previously blocked pathway in his spiritworld dissolve completely. The Sound Wave Oscillation spell matrix was no longer an external construct—it had become part of his very soul.

"It worked", Luo En murmured, a rare smile tugging at his lips. He couldn't wait to test the results of this spell breakthrough.

Extending his right hand, spiritual energy flowed through the new circuitry.
"Go."

With a whispered command, an almost-invisible ripple emanated from his palm, striking the wooden training dummy at the far end of the training ground.

A brief silence followed. Then a hairline crack formed on the dummy's surface, rapidly spreading like a spiderweb. Finally, the entire structure collapsed inward, disintegrating into a pile of sawdust.

"Harmonic Ripple", Luo En mused inwardly, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

This new trait transformed Sound Wave Oscillation from a simple impact into a terrifying weapon capable of sustained damage accumulation. The initial strike might seem harmless, but as resonant waves stacked within the target, the final destructive force would escalate exponentially. Even more terrifying was its stealth—the target might be completely unaware until its internal structure fractured entirely.

Luo En's mind raced. What would happen if he combined "Erosion Sonata" with this new "Harmonic Ripple?"

He inhaled deeply, reconstructing his spell matrix. This time, he wove the foundational structure of Sound Wave Oscillation with the specific frequencies of "Erosion Sonata."

The two soundwaves intertwined within his spiritworld, merging into a new composite waveform.

—Sound Wave Oscillation: Erosion State!

As the spell construction completed, Luo En felt an unprecedented surge of power. It thrilled him—but also made him wary. This strength seemed to transcend the boundaries of a mere High Apprentice.

Carefully controlling the output intensity, he unleashed the composite waveform at a second wooden training dummy.

The results were staggering.

The dummy's surface instantly darkened with vein-like patterns, as though corroded by an unknown virus. Within seconds, the entire wooden structure dissolved into a puddle of black liquid, emitting a faintly nauseating odor.

"This power..." Luo En's eyes flickered with surprise before returning to calm.

Through spiritual energy perception and calculation, he estimated the penetration power of this strike could threaten even a Dawn Star Rank mage's safety. Of course, only if it landed.

A Dawn Star Rank mage's reflexes and defenses were no easy feat for a High Apprentice to overcome. But undeniable proof remained—this composite attack now held killing power that could transcend ranks, becoming an important trump card against formidable foes.

Luo En attempted another cast, seeking to verify its continuous usage effects. This time, however, he immediately felt significant spiritual energy depletion and contamination.

"It seems double superposition is my current limit", he evaluated calmly.

While higher-order stacking might be theoretically possible, his current spiritual energy reserves and control precision risked spell instability or even damage to his own spiritual structure.

【Detected advanced trait "Harmonic Ripple"—Ascension success rate increased by 5%】
【Current True Path Ascension Success Rate: 79.3%】

This interface notification brought a rare flicker of joy to Luo En. Mastery of this spell had not only enhanced his combat capabilities but directly improved his chances of ascending to Full Mage.

"Next, I must push 'Radiant Halo' to mastery", he resolved internally.

According to system prompts, becoming a true Full Mage required at least three spells reaching mastery level. He had already completed Sound Wave Oscillation. Radiant Halo, his second core skill on the verge of breakthrough, would become his next focus.

Crouching, he lightly touched the black liquid puddle where the training dummy once stood, sensing residual energy fluctuations.
"Sound Wave Oscillation: Erosion State", he repeated softly, a faint, imperceptible smile playing at his lips.

This approach of integrating different spell elements might hold the key to developing his personal spell system.
Could light element combine with soundwaves for new effects?
Could Spirit Interference fuse with Flowing Barrier to create absolute spiritual defense?
Could Erosion Sonata's core frequencies enhance other elemental spells?

Countless possibilities flooded his mind, each brimming with potential. But Luo En understood—true power wasn't about mastering countless flashy techniques. It lay in refining a few core abilities to perfection, forging a uniquely irreplaceable combat style.

Rising, he surveyed the training ground scarred by his experiments. A slight shake of his head.
"Looks like I'll need to produce several new wooden training dummies."

The interface's success rate number reappeared—79.3%. Nearly eighty percent odds, sufficient to justify his ambition of pursuing the True Path. Yet Luo En was no gambler, especially when the stakes involved his very existence.

"At minimum, I must reach 85%—ideally 90% or higher."
This became his personal threshold, the critical point he deemed worth betting everything upon.

Luo En lifted his gaze to the night sky beyond the window, eyes piercing the darkness as if reaching toward distant stars. Somewhere out there, a great and terrible presence watched over this minuscule world, waiting for the brave—or the foolish—to make contact.

...

The following days brought an unusually stifling atmosphere to the workshop.

Luo En immersed himself in spell mastery cultivation, locking himself in the training grounds for most of the time, only appearing before others when absolutely necessary.

Liliya maintained her routine of preparing three meals. Though her culinary skills steadily improved, conversation at the dining table grew increasingly sparse. She always finished eating first, hurriedly clearing dishes before retreating to her room to study the books and notes Luo En had left her—filling the silence of his impending departure with knowledge.

Ai Lan mostly supervised Daire's training, teaching the young siren about various plants. When training wasn't required, they would sit quietly in the courtyard, communicating in their own wordless manner—seemingly savoring the final moments of peace before transformation struck.

This delicate atmosphere felt like the eerie calm before a storm.

Everyone sensed the coming change, yet no one spoke of it openly.

The dinner table bore this silence most heavily.

"The soup is delicious", Daire murmured, breaking the awkward quiet.

"Thank you", Liliya replied softly, her gaze still fixed on her plate as though deeply engrossed in its contents.

Luo En ate quietly, occasionally scanning the table before returning his focus to his meal. His mind was already preoccupied with the next experimental project—this dinner conversation merely a brief pause in his routine.

Ai Lan's gaze drifted between the three, finally sighing gently.
"Summer is nearly here", the tree spirit said softly, attempting to ease the tension. "The black-tipped flowers in the courtyard will bloom soon. Their flowering period is short, but breathtakingly beautiful."

"Yes, the rainy season approaches quickly", Liliya, ever socially perceptive, quickly continued. "I used to love waiting for the first rain of the season when I was a child—the fresh scent of rain-soaked earth always lifted my spirits."

Luo En nodded but didn't join the conversation. Finishing his meal, he wiped his mouth.
"Indeed, the soup was excellent. I have some tasks to attend to—excuse me."

With that, he rose, leaving the table in lingering silence.

Liliya watched his retreating figure, a flicker of helplessness in her eyes before returning to her calm facade.
"Daire, would you like some more soup?" she asked, offering the little siren a gentle smile.

Ai Lan's branches swayed slightly, her expression tinged with concern.

...

Back in his laboratory, Luo En gently closed the door—shutting out all emotional disturbances. His focus narrowed to the critical experiment ahead.

By combining Sovereign Bloodline with Abyss material, Luo En advanced the Charging Progress of Puppet Substitute further.

He walked toward a locked cabinet in the corner of his laboratory and retrieved a small black leather case.

This was his specially prepared toolkit for Abyss research—every instrument specially treated to safely handle Abyss material.

From the case, he retrieved a series of customized tools: mana isolation clamps, spirit shielding gloves, precision cutting blades, and most importantly, his purification system.

This purification system was designed by Luo En weeks earlier, consisting of three core components: mana extractor, impurity separator, and stabilization device.

He had spent vast quantities of Mana Stones and painstaking effort perfecting this system specifically for this moment.

Through this system, he could extract usable mana and traits from Abyss materials while filtering out harmful contaminants and instabilities—like refining pure metal from raw ore.

"Starting with the safer bone fragments", Luo En muttered, pulling on gloves and carefully taking out a shard of Crystallized Bone.

Though this wasn't his first time handling Abyss material, every interaction demanded absolute vigilance.

The unpredictability of Abyss mana was one of its most dangerous traits.

Under the laboratory lights, the bone fragment shimmered translucent blue-violet, its internal crystal lattice pulsing with slow, lifelike rhythms.

Placing it into the mana extractor, he activated the device.

The machine emitted a faint hum as a thin beam of blue mana began scanning the fragment's surface.

As extraction progressed, faint purple mana flowed into the glass tubing—unlike ordinary liquids, this stream pulsed rhythmically, almost like it possessed some rudimentary consciousness.

"Abyss mana truly differs fundamentally from ordinary mana", Luo En observed the flowing substance.

"It's not merely an energy form—it exists somewhere between matter and mana, even displaying traces of 'consciousness.' The Abyssal Life Compendium's description of 'solidified twist fragments' proves apt."

Inside the separator, Abyss mana underwent further filtration.

Highly corrosive and unstable components separated into special containment flasks.

Relatively stable portions flowed into the stabilization device.

The separator functioned like an advanced chemical filtration system, but instead of processing physical matter, it handled various mana states.

Each filtration layer consisted of specialized mana barriers, allowing only specific mana wavelengths to pass.

This innovative design combined alchemy principles with elemental theory—a breakthrough of Luo En's own creation.

The stabilization device was even more intricate.

Using multiple mana tuners, it realigned extracted mana into a harmonious state, minimizing fluctuations and spontaneous transformations.

After processing the bone fragment, he systematically treated the Molting material and plant seeds.

Finally, he approached the most dangerous sample—Swamp Mosaic tissue.

Activating additional protective barriers around his laboratory, he used specialized clamps to carefully remove the active tissue, placing it into a larger containment chamber.

The tissue immediately convulsed violently, its surface displaying ghostly faces whispering indistinct pleas or threats.

Luo En ignored these hallucinations, activating the mana extractor at maximum power.

An intense mana beam pierced the tissue—stronger than previous extractions.

The tissue shrieked with an indescribable sound—not through air, but directly into Luo En's spirit, causing momentary nausea.

"Intriguing", Luo En remarked, watching the writhing mass. "Even as isolated tissue, it retains complete survival instincts and escape responses."

His eyes gleamed with curiosity: "Such autonomy in separated fragments is extraordinary. Perhaps this reflects an Abyssal Creature's innate trait—every fragment preserves characteristics of the whole."

As extraction continued, the tissue gradually solidified into a grayish-white mass.

The extracted mana transformed into viscous dark purple liquid, glowing faintly.

This liquid behaved unnaturally, forming abstract patterns within its container as if displaying independent will.

"Particularly dangerous", Luo En noted grimly, studying the vial. "It still retains traits of the original organism—requires deeper processing."

He transferred this liquid into a specialized alchemy apparatus, adding several stabilizing agents—precisely formulated elemental chimera substances that suppressed Abyss mana volatility.

After thirty minutes of strange noises and multicolored light effects, the apparatus produced a small vial of transparent pale purple liquid.

"Essentially stabilized", Luo En exhaled, arranging four processed liquids on his workbench.

Each emitted distinct luminescence:

- Bone fragment extract: cold blue glow

- Molting essence: metallic pale green

- Plant seed extract: warm golden yellow

- Swamp Mosaic essence: transparent pale purple

Yet under certain angles, minute particles swam within—like microscopic organisms in unknown liquid.

"Now for the miraculous moment", Luo En inhaled deeply, took out Puppet Substitute and placed it at the center of the four liquids.

From a thermal containment unit, he removed the fifth vial—the Sovereign Bloodline sample obtained from Cui Xi's hireling, Li Yue.

The blood gleamed an unnaturally vivid red.

Even after storage, it maintained astonishing vitality—appearing freshly drawn.

"Sovereign Bloodline proves exceptional", Luo En remarked. "Its remarkable adaptability and stability amazed me even during Li Yue's Lion Scorpion venom gland transplantation."

He recalled that experiment's success hinged on this unique blood flowing through Panther Girl's veins.

"Theory suggests this blood should 'tame' Abyss mana, making it more absorbable and usable."

Dividing the blood into four equal portions, he carefully added each to the Abyss extracts.

The chimeric reactions varied dramatically:

- Bone extract: erupted into violent boiling with crystalline foam

- Molting essence: transformed into metallic texture with flowing patterns

- Plant extract: emitted faint hum, becoming semi-transparent gel

- Swamp Mosaic essence: screeched piercingly, forming a miniature vortex

Luo En stepped back calmly—fully anticipating such reactions.

"Perfect!" he mentally exclaimed. "Sovereign Bloodline indeed stabilizes Abyss mana. Time for final fusion."

Retrieving specialized tools—a calibrated syringe and micro guidance array—he carefully drew each chimeric liquid into the syringe.

He began inscribing complex runic patterns across Puppet Substitute's surface, each stroke precise to micrometer level.

These runes served dual purposes: mana conduits and safety measures ensuring controlled absorption.

Completing the final rune, he positioned the syringe at a specific point on the puppet's chest.

"Begin."

He depressed the plunger.

The chimeric liquid flowed into the puppet, igniting the runes with dazzling multicolored light.

The puppet trembled slightly—its wooden texture undulating like living flesh adapting to new energies.

Ten tense minutes passed as Luo En monitored every transformation.

As the last drop absorbed, the runes' glow faded, restoring apparent calm.

But Luo En knew—the true transformation had just begun.

"Time to see the results."

Focusing his spirit, he sent a simple mental command.

The puppet responded instantly, undergoing astonishing transformation:

- Arms became translucent, covered in thin metallic scales

- Plant mana granted regenerative capacity

- Most remarkably—the Swamp Mosaic vortex formed on its chest

The pulsing purple vortex at the center continuously absorbed ambient mana flows.

"Success!" Luo En's eyes gleamed with rare excitement.

Puppet Substitute had perfectly absorbed all four Abyss manas, achieving seamless fusion through Sovereign Bloodline medium.

Each mana retained its unique characteristics while harmonizing with others.

【Puppet Substitute Charging Progress+ 7%】

【Current Charging: 50%/100%】

【First Stage Qualitative Transformation Achieved】

【Puppet Substitute Morphology Update: Foundational Form→Vitality Form】

【New Ability Unlocked—Bidirectional Transmission】

The interface prompts brought a satisfied nod from Luo En.

Reaching this critical 50% charging milestone had triggered Puppet Substitute's first qualitative transformation—from Foundational Form to Vitality Form.

The puppet became more agile, responding to commands faster.

No longer a simple controlled construct, it displayed emerging autonomy.

This "Bidirectional Transmission" ability...

Touching the puppet, Luo En felt an unusual resonance—like reconnecting with a long-lost part of himself.

Similar to how one's right hand perceives the left—separated yet integral to the same whole.

"At 50% charging progress", Luo En smiled, "I can now attempt Demon Hunter class advancement."

This advancement was the crucial milestone in his plans.

Now, the next phase could begin.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end