Chapter 234

Time and space lost all meaning here, twisted and shattered like a puzzle reorganized by invisible hands—both complete yet fragmented.

The Truth Pavilion wasn't a physical location but a transcendent, dimension-spanning realm.

It existed nowhere within the Black Mist Jungle, the Central Lands, or even the Abyssal Continent Cluster. The closest analogy to its appearance would be an infinite Crystal Palace suspended in the void, constructed from pure, nearly transparent Star crystals. Countless beams of light refracted within, weaving dazzling spectacles that would leave commoners awestruck.

Yet this "palace" possessed countless overlapping yet independent entrances. Each led to different planes of existence, and only those who had attained the Archmage realm could locate the correct passage.

For Full Mages, even a Dusk Sun Rank powerhouse standing at the Truth Pavilion's entrance would perceive nothing but emptiness.

At the core of the Truth Pavilion lay the "Eternal Hall." Here, there were no conventional ceilings or floors—only spiraling crystal pathways intertwining endlessly. They extended into an apparently infinite space, bathed in gentle, flowing light that felt warm and almost alive, like the breath of some sentient being.

On the surface, this was the mage world's holiest sanctuary, a symbol of knowledge, wisdom, and power. But delving deeper into this seemingly sacred Eternal Hall revealed a starkly different reality...

Above the Eternal Hall, thousands of colossal crystal pods floated in the void. Each resembled a transparent coffin, varying in size and shape. More unsettling were the inverted figures suspended within—men, women, elders, children, humans, non-humans, even beings utterly alien to conventional understanding, all hanging upside-down in a sinister pose. Their bodies floated in pale golden liquid, eyes closed but faintly exuding signs of life.

The space was eerily silent, save for occasional faint heartbeats echoing from certain pods—proof that these occupants had not completely lost vitality.

This was the Truth Pavilion's most guarded secret: the "Specimen Vault", a special zone preserving the remains and souls of elite Archmages across epochs.

Each Archmage enshrined here had once stirred the ocean of knowledge in the mage world. Their research and wisdom were deemed valuable enough to warrant preservation through this unique method.

As historical records stated, Archmages had transcended ordinary biological limitations. No longer bound to a single physical form, they achieved a special existence known as "Phantom Husk" through countless self-modifications and metamorphoses.

A Phantom Husk was the crystallization of an Archmage's life's work and mana—a redefinition of their essence. In this state, they could shed fleshly constraints, existing in a purer form and even briefly touching the boundaries of dimensions.

Within the Specimen Vault, these Phantom Husks were deliberately kept in a semi-dormant state—retaining self-awareness without disrupting the Truth Pavilion's normal functions.

Amid this eerie ocean of inverted figures, a faint golden light flickered in a corner. The glow originated from a specialized information transmission device: the "Mage Registry Projection Platform."

This device instantly received and displayed mage registration data across the entire Abyssal Continent Cluster. No matter the distance, whenever a mage confirmed their identity on the Mage General Register, the information arrived here immediately.

Above the projection platform, golden words materialized:

"Luo Enlalf

Ascended to Full Mage (Primordial) via True Path

Time: Fourth Epoch, 3,721 years

Record confirmed."

This seemingly ordinary informational ripple stirred subtle waves in the dead silence, like a pebble disturbing a still lake.

Several nearby crystal pods suddenly emitted faint glows, their internal liquids beginning to swirl as if awakening dormant beings.

"True Path... another one."

A raspy, ancient voice echoed through the void, its gravelly timbre thick with the weight of millennia. The mana fluctuation within that voice alone could terrify ordinary mages into paralysis or spiritual collapse.

"True Path... Crystal Spire's downstream... Black Mist School... Luo Enlalf."

Another voice followed, younger but metallic, as though blending crystal and steel.

"Star Devourer... The meditation technique linked to Devourer is intriguing."

The third voice sounded like flowing liquid, each syllable accompanied by a moist resonance.

The first pod's glow intensified, revealing an elderly guardian suspended upside-down. Ignoring his scale-covered skin and unnaturally pale complexion, he appeared ordinary—until one realized those scales were the pinnacle of his life's research: the "Dragon Scale Theory."

Each scale was an independent mana core, brimming with complex mana conversion formulas.

"Another lucky one", the scale-skinned elder, Varian, sneered, his voice dripping with disdain for the younger generation.

"In my day, True Path had a 90% mortality rate. These kids today just reap the rewards of past sacrifices. Back then, one misstep meant soul collapse—no pre-existing guidance or Support Potions to rely on."

Varians was an Archmage from the mid-Third Era, specializing in spatial spell research. His achievements in boundary theory remained classics even after nearly ten thousand years. Yet he carried one regret—he had ascended through the "Key Potion." Though he'd surpassed many Primordial Mages who took the True Path, this fact still rankled him.

"Varians, you're still as bitter as ever", the second voice's owner revealed himself—a silver-eyed young man whose pupils and irises were entirely pure white. These silver eyes weren't ornamental but the pinnacle of his divination spell research: the "Dialysis Eye", capable of directly piercing matter, mana, and even souls.

The legend claimed he had once accidentally locked eyes with the essence of an ancient being during an experiment, permanently transforming his eyes into their current state while granting him this transcendent insight.

The silver-eyed youth sighed, his voice tinged with regret but mostly nostalgic longing for lost times:

"Back in our era, even a failed experiment could cost half your life. I remember my first attempt to construct a spirit bridge nearly sent my soul adrift in the void forever. If I hadn't stumbled upon that broken anchoring point, I'd now be nothing but a wisp of soul drifting between stars."

This silver-eyed youth was named Kaelent, a Master of Vision from the late Third Era. He had founded the Divination Eye School and invented seventeen insight spells still widely used today.

His True Path advancement had succeeded halfway, though he was luckier than Madame Ellen - misfortune had actually benefited him.

"That's why it's even more ridiculous!"

Scaled Elderly Guardian Varians snorted contemptuously, his body within the crystal cyst trembling faintly from anger:

"These descendants have it too easy. Ascension rates for True Path have risen from barely ten to twenty percent in my time to nearly half today. They don't understand that every success back then was built on the corpses of dozens, sometimes hundreds, of failed predecessors."

Actually, the real number would be far lower than estimated.

Those with potential breakthroughs must first survive the drastic contamination surges from Gemstone-Level and Crown-Level meditation techniques, while also possessing sufficient Special Innate Talent.

So while breakthrough probabilities seemingly increased from one-in-ten to nearly half, the number of primordial mages hasn't exploded as much over the years since potion support inventions emerged.

As Varians spoke, his Phantom Husk form began faintly manifesting.

Spatial rifts flickered around the crystal cyst, threatening to tear through reality itself.

This was his natural reaction to emotional fluctuations - even in semi-hibernation, his Phantom Husk power remained formidable.

The third crystal cyst illuminated, revealing an inverted female figure appearing deceptively youthful.

But her lower body had completely merged with a writhing mass of deep blue gelatinous substance. Dozens of tentacles extended from this mass, trembling subtly.

This wasn't mere mutation, but the pinnacle of her research into "Form Fluidity" theory.

Each apparently random tentacle could precisely control different mana flows, executing complex spell formulas.

It was said she once maintained operation of seventy-two Abyssal beasts simultaneously through these tentacles, setting an unbroken record.

"Enough with the sour grapes, you two", chimed the jellyfish woman, her voice laced with mockery toward her colleagues' childishness.

"Our era as Upside-Down Ones has passed. Besides, no matter how difficult True Path becomes, you 'key' mages can't truly comprehend it. After all, there are no shortcuts in direct dialogue with higher existences."

This jellyfish woman was named Mora, an extremely rare True Path success.

Her research domain was "Transcendental Morphology", having created thirteen distinct bloodline maximization forms, each with entirely different traits and abilities.

Her achievements made many Archmages following traditional paths feel deep envy and unease.

"Silence, Mora!" erupted Scaled Elderly Guardian Varians in fury, his crystal-encased body violently trembling, creating energy fluctuations:

"You were merely fortunate! Had that monster's spirit imprint not fortuitously resonated with yours back then, you'd have become nothing but ashes!"

Varians' mockery dripped with jealousy and resentment.

As an Archmage following the traditional path, he carried complex emotions toward True Path success stories.

On one hand, admiration for their courage; on the other, frustration from never attempting the path himself.

Silver-eyed youth Kaelent couldn't suppress a soft chuckle, his cyst-contained form vibrating slightly.

"Still so sensitive about Mora, Varians? After millennia in the Specimen Vault, can't you let go of such petty grudges?"

Kaelent's words clearly teased, though his eyes revealed genuine respect.

Though following the traditional path like Varians, he held sincere reverence for natural-born talents like Mora.

Especially those who maintained self-consciousness after accepting high-ranking entity imprints.

"Kaelent, you-"

Varians started to retort but abruptly stopped, eyes flashing with alertness and reverence as he turned toward a distant direction:

"Master Drake awakens? What a rare sight. How many years has it been since his last awakening? Five centuries? A thousand?"

Deep within the Specimen Vault, a special container three times larger than others began glowing.

Suspended upside-down inside was an emaciated Elderly Guardian. His body unnaturally thin, skin clinging to bones like a desiccated corpse.

But most striking was his head - entirely transparent, revealing an internal brain structure constantly flickering with faint light.

This wasn't ordinary brain tissue, but a complex network composed of countless micro-runes and mana circuits.

Every neural fiber had been redefined and modified to process and store information volumes far beyond ordinary biological capacity.

It was said his thought speed surpassed ordinary Archmages by hundreds of times, capable of calculating complete mana equations for complex planes in the blink of an eye.

"True Path isn't so rare, comparatively."

The withered Elderly Guardian's voice drifted like smoke, carrying an ancient rhythm from forgotten eras:

".Star Devourer Whispering. is an ambitious child."

Drake was among the oldest existences in the Specimen Vault, his era traceable to the middle Second Era.

Across his long life, he had witnessed countless prodigies rise and fall, experiencing countless mage-world upheavals.

His existence itself was a living mage history tome.

The other three Upside-Down Ones immediately ceased arguing, even the sharp-tongued Varians falling silent.

Their cyst-contained forms nearly froze completely, desperately avoiding drawing attention from this ancient presence.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end