Chapter 226: Primordial Mage!

Chapter 226: Primordial Mage!

It was a palm-sized crystal orb, once as clear as water, now slowly spinning as a silvery-white glow began to coalesce within it.

"This is..."

Cui Xi’s eyes widened, her gaze locked on the impossible sight.

This was the "Mana Resonance Sphere" she and Luo En had agreed upon long ago.

The moment someone ascended to Full Magehood, the sphere would automatically detect their mana fluctuation transformation and react accordingly.

Her heart hammered, a whirlwind of emotions churning in her chest.

Impossible. Absolutely impossible!

How could Luo En have ascended so quickly?

Cui Xi stepped closer, cautiously reaching out to touch the orb.

The surface pulsed with a subtle energy fluctuation—pure, like starlight converging into a river.

The instant her fingers made contact, a tingling numbness surged up her arm, as though countless tiny currents were piercing her skin, reaching straight into her soul.

"According to the Key Potion protocol, how could he..." Cui Xi muttered, her mind racing through the Crystal Spire’s rigid regulations.

Any candidate applying for a Key Potion first had to submit an application, a Mentor recommendation letter, and a ranking evaluation report from the Ranking Evaluation Committee.

Next came a three-month background investigation, ensuring no criminal records or potential risks.

After passing initial screening, the applicant would attend a formal assessment meeting, interviewed and tested on-site by a committee comprising at least three Moonlight Rank mages and one Dusk Sun Rank mage.

Only after clearing all these rigorous layers of review could one even qualify to use the priceless Key Potion.

Furthermore, once a candidate obtained Key Potion usage rights, this information would be relayed to all major schools via secure communication channels.

"If Luo En had applied for Key Potion preparation breakthrough, Mentor wouldn’t have kept it from me", Cui Xi murmured, her fingers pressing tightly against the crystal orb as her brow furrowed.

Kelinna’s network within the Crystal Spire was vast. She always knew critical information first.

There was no way she would leave her apprentice completely in the dark about something so vital—especially concerning someone Cui Xi once cared about.

"Unless..." A bold suspicion took shape in her mind, freezing her heartbeat for a beat.

"Unless he didn’t go through the standard process."

Her thoughts drifted back to the ancient archives she’d seen in the Crystal Spire—the records of a nearly forgotten, perilous path: the True Path.

An archaic method that bypassed "key" potions entirely, relying solely on direct spiritual energy qualitative transformation breakthroughs.

"True Path..." Cui Xi’s voice was barely audible. The words sent a chill crawling up her spine as she spoke them aloud.

She recalled the cautionary tale Mentor had once shared—a sealed case from twenty years ago.

Glenwater, the Crystal Spire’s Number One Ranker, possessed both the "Heart Anchor" and "Frost Affinity"—second-tier Special Innate Talents—and hailed as a once-in-a-century genius.

He had attempted the True Path—and failed.

Not a simple failure, but a catastrophic collapse.

Glenwater’s spirit world had shattered entirely, leaving him a hollow shell confined to a bed, unable to eat without assistance.

Twenty years later, he still lay motionless in the Crystal Spire’s infirmary, showing no signs of waking.

Cui Xi’s fingers trembled involuntarily.

The last recorded success of the True Path dated back 187 years—to the current Crystal Spire’s Tower Lord, whose ascension to Full Magehood in just over a century had shaken the entire Abyssal Continent Cluster.

"But that was an exception. An extreme exception."

Biting her lip, Cui Xi wrestled with worry for Luo En—and a bitter, reluctant jealousy.

"The one who succeeded was said to possess three Special Innate Talents, ranking among the greatest geniuses across multiple epochs."

Yet here, the crystal orb before her silently declared the truth—Luo En had indeed succeeded.

He hadn’t just attempted the True Path—he’d completed the ascension, becoming a true Full Mage.

"Madman", she whispered, unsure whether to condemn or admire. "A true madman."

Part of her marveled at his courage and achievement, a genuine admiration rising from her core.

Yet another part bristled with irrepressible envy and bitterness.

They were the same age. Her innate talent wasn’t inferior. And yet he’d left her far behind.

"If we meet again, we’ll be people of entirely different worlds."

Cui Xi sighed softly, her eyes stinging.

The gap between a Full Mage and an apprentice wasn’t just power—it was a chasm of status and perspective.

In the mage world, the divide between major tiers was an unbridgeable abyss.

Even with the attention of several Crystal Spire Mentors, and possibly earning Key Potion qualifications in another two or three years...

By then, Luo En might already have solidified his Dawn Star Rank, or even advanced further.

Just then, the door creaked open. The Silver-haired Witch entered gracefully, removing her mask with a relaxed exhale.

Kelinna kicked off her boots, slumping lazily onto the sofa. The mutation traces on her face had visibly improved.

"Cui Xi, I have an off-site mission in one month. You’ll accompany me."

The brunette paused mid-motion while tidying her Mentor’s boots, glancing up with a hint of confusion.

"We need to gather rare materials from the Abyss Edge. Prepare thoroughly."

"Abyss?" Cui Xi blinked, then nodded respectfully. "Understood, Mentor."

She forced control over her voice, masking her inner turmoil.

Kelinna’s gaze drifted past Cui Xi, settling on the glowing crystal orb on the table.

She seemed to study it for a few seconds, her lips twitching imperceptibly, as if understanding everything—but asking nothing.

"Prepare thoroughly. The environment at Abyss Edge is far more dangerous than you imagine."

For the first time, her tone carried a hint of concern. "Don’t let personal matters cloud your judgment."

Cui Xi’s heart lurched. Had her Mentor sensed her mental fluctuation? Still, she obediently lowered her head.

"I’ll prepare with all my strength, Mentor."

Once Kelinna left barefoot, the brunette turned back to the crystal orb, a storm of emotions roiling within.

The orb still shimmered, its silver glow as pure and radiant as the stars themselves.

"Luo En, you really won this bet."

She whispered, her fingers brushing the orb’s surface once more. "An incredible achievement. I might never catch up to you in my lifetime..."

Taking a deep breath, she straightened her spine.

No time to dwell in complex emotions—her next objective was clear:

She, too, must become a Full Mage. No matter the cost.

The girl closed her eyes and began her meditation.

Emerald-green light slowly radiated from her body, sketching a delicate mana field around her.

...

Luo En slowly opened his eyes, returning from deep meditation to the real world.

The Stellar Ring Convergence was nearly over, the sky nearing calm—only a few dim stars still flickered.

A wisp of dawn light rose from the horizon, draping the Black Mist Jungle in a golden veil.

[Spiritual energy qualitative transformation complete]

[Successfully attained: Primordial Full Mage (Three Stars)]

[Base attribute increases:

Spiritual energy 4.9→5.3 (+0.4)

Physique 3.2→3.4 (+0.2)

Mana 3.1→3.8 (+0.7)]

[Special bonuses:

1. Acquired "Primordial Circuit"—spiritual energy pathways streamlined for enhanced efficiency, significantly boosting mana utilization rate.

2. The mana radiation field around your body will moderately enhance spell effects.

3. Spell construction speed increased; consume more mana to amplify destruction power.]

[Unlocked skills: Radiation Field, Overmagic Technique]

[Spiritual energy breakthrough 5.0—"Spirit Interference" → "Spirit Burst"]

[Congratulations! True Path ascension successful!]

He could feel his body and spirit had undergone a qualitative transformation.

It felt... as though someone who’d spent a lifetime seeing the world through just their right eye had suddenly opened their left—the world now vivid, three-dimensional, sharp.

Everything was different. Colors brighter, sounds clearer, scents stronger. Even the tiniest mana particles in the air were distinctly perceptible.

"Success."

Luo En murmured, his voice laced with disbelief.

Even with the system’s confirmation, he still struggled to believe he’d truly achieved the near-impossible—ascending to Full Magehood via the True Path.

He extended his hand, studying his slender fingers as if they belonged to a stranger.

Every cell in his body seemed to rejoice, every vein pulsing, every wisp of spiritual energy singing.

An unprecedented sense of unity and wholeness filled him, as though every fragmented piece had found its place, completing a perfect picture.

Especially the meditation technique trait from "Devourer"—"Stellar Projection"—left him feeling astonishingly connected.

As though a bridge had formed between him and the stars themselves, allowing direct absorption of their power.

Luo En raised his head, gazing at the sky. The Stellar Ring Convergence was still in its final phase—the "Stellar Projection" remained active.

Within him, a microcosm of the universe swirled, countless stardust motes flowing through his blood, continuously replenishing pure mana.

As his gaze settled on the Hermit Star’s location, a unique energy fluctuation surged from that seemingly bright yet impossibly distant celestial body, piercing the atmospheric barrier and flooding into his body.

This mana was icy and pure, like alpine snowmelt—sharpening his spirit to an extraordinary clarity.

His thinking speed doubled. Complex concepts now felt effortless to grasp.

"So this is the Hermit Star’s mana trait", Luo En mused, reverence for this ancient star deepening.

Even more mysterious was the influence of the Annihilation Star Cluster.

As his gaze shifted toward that purplish-black stellar nebula region, a completely different mana entered his body.

Cold and invasive, like a sharp black blade slicing through mana pathways, reshaping his mana structure.

Luo En could feel his destructive spell capabilities had significantly enhanced—as though blessed by some ancient existence.

"Annihilation Star Cluster—boosts destructive spell potency, but brings some spirit pressure."

Luo En analyzed, feeling a sharp pain at the edge of his consciousness. Clearly, this mana was both a gift and a trial.

What surprised Luo En most was how these two vastly different, even opposing, stellar mana sources within him didn’t clash but instead formed a miraculous balance, nourishing his newly transformed Full Mage body.

“The core principle projected by the stars is balance and selection,” Luo En suddenly realized. “It’s not about passively accepting power from all stars, but actively choosing, guiding, and integrating them.”

He felt a deep sense of satisfaction—not just from his successful ascension, but because he finally understood the true essence of this meditation technique trait.

It wasn’t merely a tool for mana absorption; it was a way to engage in profound dialogue with the cosmos itself.

Luo En stood up, feeling the new mana flowing through him. Compared to the limited mana pool of his apprentice days, he now possessed an ocean. Mana was no longer a scarce resource needing careful use but had become an endless river of power.

He raised his palm, and a sphere of pure radiance condensed in his grip. This wasn’t the murky mana he’d wielded before—it was nearly transparent, like liquid crystal.

The orb danced on his fingertips, warm but not scalding, bright but not blinding, showcasing perfect control precision.

“Elemental Affinity has improved by at least two tiers,” Luo En silently evaluated, his heart brimming with awe and anticipation. “This means the effectiveness of ‘Radiant Halo’ will be greatly enhanced.”

He began testing the new traits gained from his ascension.

First was “Primordial Circuit”, a trait that produced a miraculous synergy with his Bloodline Knight profession:

[Detected Career Synergy: Bloodline Knight (Two-Star) + Mage·Primordial (Three Stars)
Synergy Bonus:
1. Improved Bloodline Energy Flow Efficiency
2. Extended Duration of “Boiling Blood” Skill
3. Reduced Side Effects of Bloodline Skills]

Luo En activated “Boiling Blood”.

Instantly, a surge of heat erupted from his heart, spreading through his veins. Unlike before, when the mana had violently surged through his body, it now flowed along the optimal path like disciplined dancers, each step precise.

Luo En clearly perceived how Primordial Circuit had altered mana’s flow within him, creating an unprecedentedly efficient utilization pattern.

After activating “Boiling Blood”, his power at least doubled, with longer duration, fewer side effects, and enhanced stability.

“This feeling…” Luo En clenched his fist, sensing the power in his muscles—a pure, all-encompassing strength that coursed through every inch of his body, every muscle fiber, every vessel, every cell operating at peak efficiency.

He lightly leapt forward, soaring five meters in an instant, landing silently with no wasted motion.

Luo En’s heart brimmed with joy. This enhancement wasn’t merely physical—his agility and coordination had undergone a qualitative leap.

“A perfect synergy with Bloodline Knight,” he mused. “This means a significant boost to my overall combat capability.”

Next, he tested the “Radiation Field” trait.

Initially, he let the radiation flow naturally. A faint mana field formed around him, spanning five meters, glowing with a semi-transparent iris hue.

Luo En noticed the radiation posed no harm to plants—it even seemed to nourish them. The decorative plants in his workshop grew greener, their flowers blooming slightly.

However, some delicate instruments began humming unnaturally, particularly the Alchemy Apparatus in the corner, where its liquid began slowly boiling.

“I need to learn to control this radiation,” Luo En decided, attempting to constrict the mana field.

Using years of spiritual energy training and his new Primordial Circuit, he quickly mastered adjusting the field’s range. By modulating the output and intensity of spiritual energy, he could expand the Radiation Field to twenty meters or shrink it to envelop only himself.

“This Radiation Field synergizes with the Bloodline Modifier skill.”

[Detected Career Synergy: Bloodline Modifier (Two-Star) + Mage·Primordial (Three Stars)
Synergy Bonus:
1. Increased Bloodline Formulation Success Rate
2. Enhanced Bio-Tissue Affinity of Radiation Field
3. Finer Control Over Bloodline Mana]

Recalling previous difficulties formulating bloodlines for Daire and Ai Lan, those subtle energy fluctuations had required extreme precision. Now, the Radiation Field could precisely control ambient mana flow, providing the perfect background field for intricate operations.

Whether in alchemical proportions or purification, the benefits would be immense.

“This is the wonder of career synergy,” Luo En mused. “Each new ability isn’t isolated—it forms unique synergies with existing skills.”

But the most intriguing trait remained “Spirit Burst”.

He walked to a corner of his laboratory, where several Experimental Albino Rats were caged behind a transparent barrier.

The creatures idly gnawed at food, oblivious to their impending fate. Luo En condensed a wisp of spiritual energy into a spike and hurled it at one rat.

He carefully controlled the output, hoping to avoid excessive destruction.

“Pfft!”

No sound, no light effect—the rat’s head exploded instantly, splattering crimson matter across the barrier.

The remaining rats panicked, darting wildly, their squeals piercing.

Luo En frowned. The precision exceeded his expectations. He’d intended mild spirit interference but accidentally destroyed the target’s brain entirely.

The destructive power was far more terrifying than anticipated.

“Spirit Burst combined with ‘Sound Wave Oscillation’,” Luo En’s mind flashed a dangerous idea. “In theory, this could create a devastating attack—using echoes for terrifying amplification to trigger Spirit Explosions within the target’s body.”

Such an attack would be nearly unblockable, bypassing most conventional defenses to strike directly at the soul and spirit itself.

Meanwhile, at an observation point roughly 300 meters from Luo En’s Workshop, Youni and Hayaek sat frozen, their expressions shifting from shock to disbelief, eventually settling into a near-ecstatic daze.

“This… purity…” Youni whispered, her violet eyes widening with excitement, their depths shimmering with an unusual glow.

“Unimaginable… indescribable…” Her fingers trembled involuntarily—those hands, so accustomed to gripping a staff, now lost all control like a novice’s.

A wave of pure Boon surged outward, washing over the spiritual contamination accumulated over years by these two veteran Full Mages.

Youni felt the grime embedded in her soul over decades being peeled away layer by layer, like spring melting winter snow.

A sensation of pain mingled with exhilaration rippled through her core, as if clogged pores had finally cleared.

“Never before… never experienced something like this.” Youni murmured, her voice trembling with satisfaction.

An elegant and reserved woman, she rarely displayed such intense emotion. But now, her defenses crumbled, leaving only raw instinct.

Hayaek inhaled deeply, his eyes gleaming with unrestrained fervor.

A veteran mage of centuries, he’d long mastered restraint and calm. Any emotional fluctuation was a weakness, carefully buried beneath composed exterior.

Yet now, that mask shattered. His mouth twisted into an uncontrollable grin, his eyes glistening faintly—a reaction unseen in decades.

“I can feel it—this single feedback has cleansed at least twenty years of contamination,” Hayaek said, his voice trembling. “It’s like placing a Frost Mana Crystal into magma—every shadow vanishes, leaving only pure clarity.”

He inhaled deeply, savoring air sweet as nectar. “This purity… exceeds even historical records.”

His fingers brushed his forehead, where a lingering shadow—spiritual contamination from decades of meditation—had once formed an indelible black spot. Now, it receded rapidly, like mist before the dawn.

Youni nodded. Younger than Hayaek, her accumulated contamination was lighter. Yet the experience was equally profound, especially as one of Luo En’s mentors—her teachings had far surpassed Hayaek’s brief consultations.

This cleansing felt like soaking in a spring of crystalline water. Every cell rejoiced, every wisp of spiritual energy newly vibrant and pure.

“Primordial Mage.”

She repeated the title softly, her gaze flickering with complex emotion—envy, admiration, and a hint of subtle concern.

“If this level of Boon flows endlessly, even Dusk Sun Rank Mages or Great Mages would fight to claim it.”

Her thoughts drifted to the powerful figures of the Crystal Spire. If they learned a true Primordial Mage had emerged in this remote corner of the Black Mist School, envoys—or even personal visits—would follow, cloaked in polite reception and respect but driven by hunger for control over this rare resource.

Hayaek’s expression darkened, as if reading her mind.

“Exactly what I fear. Once this spreads, Luo En will become a prize for rival factions.” His gaze lingered on Luo En’s Workshop, mind churning.

The young man’s potential exceeded his expectations. Ascending the True Path alone was astonishing, but generating such pure Boon was unprecedented.

“For him, this is both blessing and curse.”

Youni sighed, her violet eyes softening with rare tenderness.

“The pure Boon will protect him, yet draw envy. The moment he became a Primordial Mage, ordinary life slipped beyond his grasp forever.”

She recalled historical Primordial Mages, their fates rarely peaceful.

Either lured into powerful organizations, or choosing independence while facing endless challenges from covetous rivals, living in perpetual vigilance and defense.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end