Chapter 278: All-Round Path (with Protagonist's Current Data)

Chapter 278: All-Round Path (with Protagonist's Current Data)

The nights in the Central Lands were always exceptionally brilliant, with countless mana lights flowing between the towering spires that pierced the heavens, like shimmering rivers in the sky.

Higher still, the constellations' light was astonishingly clear, as though within arm's reach.

As the "Constellations Projection" trait activated automatically, Luo En could feel the distant mana from billions of light-years away slowly seeping into his body, nourishing his soul and mana pool.

Each wisp of starlight infused his flesh, bones, and even his spirit with a faint but constant power, accumulating gradually over time.

After meditation, Luo En turned back indoors, retrieving a faintly glowing Ternary Communication Crystal from his desk drawer.

He carefully channeled a trace of mana into the crystal. It immediately illuminated, projecting a hexagonal mana screen.

Moments later, Madame Ellen's familiar face appeared on the screen.

"Kid, still not asleep at this hour?"

Madame Ellen's words were as direct as ever, though her tone carried a subtle undertone of concern.

Luo En smiled faintly. "Madam, you seem to be in good shape. Was your journey smooth?"

"Much smoother than expected", she replied, adjusting the screen. The dim outline of lush green trees could be seen outside the Herbal Medicine Shop.

"We've arrived at the Emerald Great Forest. Thanks to your prior preparations, especially that half-blood earth dragon beast. It's been a tremendous help."

"And Liliya?" Luo En couldn't help asking, his voice softening unconsciously.

Madame Ellen rotated the crystal, and the image blurred briefly before refocusing.

Under the glow of a mana crystal lamp, the girl leaned over her desk, deeply engrossed in an ancient text, with several vials of colorful potions beside her.

The old woman paused slightly. "To be honest, her learning speed surprised even me. In just a few months, she's already capable of completing advanced potion-making under my guidance. The success rate isn't high, but for an apprentice, it's remarkable."

A warm feeling stirred in Luo En's chest as he nodded. "She's always been wise—just lacked proper guidance."

"Speaking of which..." Madame Ellen suddenly shifted topics, her sharp gaze piercing through the crystal. "You look exhausted. Life in the Central Lands isn't easy, is it?"

Luo En hesitated briefly before shaking his head with a wry smile. "I can't hide anything from your eyes. Yes, the pace here is much faster than in the Black Mist Jungle. Becoming a Full Mage has only increased my workload compared to my apprentice days."

"Don't push yourself too hard", Madame Ellen advised, blinking slowly. "Power requires a healthy body and a clear mind to control. Overexertion only leads to half the result with twice the effort."

They exchanged notes on alchemy research for a while longer.

Before ending the call, Madame Ellen suddenly mentioned, "By the way, Hayaek contacted me a few days ago. The situation at the Black Mist School is better than anticipated. The 'Boon' you left for those mentors seems highly effective."

Luo En nodded slightly, unsurprised. His Boon's purity had been proven countless times.

"I tried reaching Cui Xi and Kelinna, though", Madame Ellen continued, her tone puzzled. "But there's been no response. Given Kelinna's strength, she should have a place in the Crystal Spire. Have you encountered them there?"

Luo En shook his head, his expression darkening. "I haven't seen them since arriving in the Central Lands. Kelinna's name appears in the Crystal Spire's mentor roster, but I heard they went on a collection mission to the Abyss Edge."

It was a mystery.

Cui Xi and Kelinna had arrived in the Central Lands with Valen long ago—why had they vanished after just one task?

Especially Kelinna, a young mage nearing the Moonlight Rank with clear ascension potential. Such talent should be a cornerstone of the Crystal Spire.

"When it comes to the Abyss, anyone can fall", Madame Ellen concluded indifferently. "Don't dwell too much. Just stay cautious—strength is always the best insurance."

After the transmission ended, Luo En fell into a brief contemplation.

Cui Xi's disappearance worried him, but he had more urgent matters to handle.

That year-old wager—who would become a Full Mage first—had already been decided, albeit without a chance to confirm in person.

"We'll meet again", he murmured, focusing back on the crystal tome before him.

This brief contact with his mentor had brought him comfort, but more importantly, it strengthened his resolve to move forward.

"Tomorrow is the 'Rainbow Ring' competition, the final day of the Lance Memorial Day Celebration", Luo En thought, letting his mind drift.

As this festival concluded, so did the first month of the second quarter—May.

That meant he'd been in the Central Lands for about a month. Add to that nearly two months aboard the airship and the month spent dealing with family affairs in Falu Kingdom after his breakthrough to Full Mage. Not to mention the time spent helping the school contain the Abyss essence leak.

"Almost half a year since I became a Full Mage", he realized, taking a deep breath. It was time for a comprehensive assessment.

In these six months, his progress had been encouraging. But in the mage-dominated Central Lands, he could afford no complacency.

A sense of crisis followed him like a shadow, preventing true relaxation.

Closing his eyes, he circulated his mana, re-entering his familiar inner world.

The Consciousness Library had grown even more magnificent—its original wooden shelves now evolved into a semi-transparent crystal hall of knowledge.

Innumerable books lined the shelves, each glowing faintly, symbolizing the qualitative transformation of his spiritual energy.

A miniature star chart floated high in the vaulted ceiling, slowly rotating to bathe the space in gentle light.

He raised his wrist, summoning a special crystal tome inscribed with gold lettering: [Luo En | Lalf].

Flipping open the pages, all his data lay bare:

(Information omitted; see the author's notes for details.)

Luo En's fingers grazed the data, each number and word representing countless sleepless nights of effort and exploration.

"Half a year. By the numbers alone, I've made considerable progress. But compared to the top fifty on the Genius List—the monsters with multiple first-tier innate talents—I still have a long way to go."

His brow furrowed as his eyes passed over the "Profession" section. All professions had advanced to Two-Star or higher, with his main profession, Mage, reaching Three Stars.

"The All-Round Path is always the hardest."

Sighing, Luo En quickly reignited his determination. "But precisely because of that, it's the most valuable. After all, the profession column is infinite. Each added layer gives me a slight edge over others. Small gains accumulate into significant progress..."

He began outlining his future plans.

First, Mage development—his core path.

Though "The Murmuring of the Star Devourer" and primary spells had reached mastery, experience gains had slowed to a crawl.

Yet he couldn't slacken his daily meditation and spell training—not with all his other pursuits aimed at raising the ceiling of his Mage path.

"Except for special spells like 'Erosion Sonata,' which resist conventional training, even mastered skills gain experience excruciatingly slowly."

His fingers tapped rhythmically on the desk, a crisp sound echoing.

"This painstaking grind will take a long time."

His eyes ached, a reminder of his chronic sleep deprivation.

In the past month alone, he'd had no complete rest. Days filled with teaching and research, evenings spent handling affairs and practicing spells, nights meditating with constellations' resonance, and dawns devoted to ancient texts.

Every minute and second was packed with relentless tasks for him.

This near-self-torturing lifestyle still posed a severe challenge even for someone like Luo En with an exceptionally resilient physique.

But effort was the price of achievement, especially in the fiercely competitive Transcendent World.

"Perhaps I should consider acquiring new spell matrices. Once my contribution points and funds are sufficient, this would be a direction worth pursuing."

Luo En pondered, his gaze sharp as starlight.

It was worth noting that the two core skills he gained after becoming a Full Mage—the Overmagic Technique and Radiation Field—remained at entry-level stages.

These skills were notoriously difficult, and without systematic guidance, progress crawled forward.

Those nearly stagnant progress bars were an unrelenting mockery of his efforts.

Securing Crystal Spire's Private Mentorship for Full Mage-tier advancement required substantial contribution points.

This was precisely why he had invested so much effort into writing research papers previously.

"As for Spirit Shockwave and elementperception, the foundational knowledge accumulated during my apprentice days has given me a solid base. I'm already close to mastering them. I should intensify training in these areas to achieve breakthroughs soon."

Luo En slightly lifted his left hand, faint energy fluctuations shimmering across his fingertips.

"Theoretically, a mastery-level Spirit Shockwave combined with Harmonic Ripple's Echo Technique could instantly destroy an opponent's spiritcore if it lands successfully."

A faint upward curve touched his lips, bringing slight comfort.

His knight-related development painted a more optimistic picture.

Thanks to the Puppet Substitute's Bidirectional Link function, he continuously cultivated physique forging and bloodline awakening through the puppet.

Physical attributes and related skill experience points steadily increased.

Whenever his mind grew excessively fatigued, brief physical training sessions actually provided a peculiar sense of relaxation.

"It's time", Luo En decided his next plan:

"The Solara Guardian Remnant has successfully evolved into the Solara Embodiment. I can now attempt the final stage cultivation of the Solar Corona Breathing Technique."

However, magecraft development remained his most pressing concern.

Alchemy, bloodlineformulation, Enchantment, historical research, Astrology Art...

Nearly ten specialized skills lined up before him, each demanding immense time and dedication.

A wave of intense helplessness surged through Luo En.

Even sleeping only two to three hours daily and dedicating every moment to cultivation and research couldn't possibly cover so many fields.

Moreover, the deeper he delved, the more exponentially each field's difficulty increased.

"The All-Round Path... Is it truly viable?"

Rarely shaken, he hesitated briefly, his eyes revealing profound exhaustion.

"Master, rest for a moment."

Ai Lan's voice suddenly came from outside the door, interrupting Luo En's thoughts.

The Tree Spirit entered, her emerald green eyes brimming with concern.

Her branches swayed gently as she carried a warm cup emitting a faint aroma.

"Elm heart extract", she offered the drink with a soft voice. "It alleviates spiritual fatigue."

Luo En accepted the cup, sipping the warm liquid that brought gradual warmth from his abdomen.

"Thank you, Ai Lan", he nodded slightly. "I was just contemplating some matters."

Ai Lan stood quietly, branches swaying as if hesitating.

Finally, she spoke:

"Master, since arriving in the Central Lands, you've been exhausting yourself daily. I've noticed your objective list growing longer."

Luo En glanced at Ai Lan, surprised.

He'd believed he'd hidden it well, yet Ai Lan still noticed his overexertion.

"A Tree Spirit's perception is keener than you imagine", she smiled faintly. "Especially regarding those with a life bond."

Putting down the cup, Luo En exhaled deeply.

"You're right. Perhaps I do need to plan my time more efficiently."

True strength lay not just in effort, but in wise time management.

Blind diligence led to half the results with double the effort, while rational planning was true wisdom.

After contemplation, Luo En decided to focus recent efforts on enchantment and rune studies.

"While still entry-level skills, progress has been smooth thanks to Lecturer Levin's Record Crystal Sphere. If I can advance them to proficient level, obtaining the corresponding skill traits and class-advancing to Enchanter, creating synergistic effects, it might bring another major breakthrough."

Expectation filled Luo En's eyes at the thought.

Trinity Convergence—Alchemy, Alchemy, Enchantment. Enchantment was now the final missing piece.

"As for potion and bloodlineformulation training, I've admittedly slacked recently", he felt slight remorse.

After all, these two skills had been his earliest specialties that established his reputation back at Black Mist School.

"Fortunately, the profession interface solidifies achievements. Even temporary suspension won't cause deterioration—an unparalleled advantage."

He could only comfort himself inwardly.

As for longer-term plans:

Further Chimera bloodline development and fusion branches, the ongoing "Furnace Conceptualization"...

Each loomed like a ticking time bomb, urging him to seize every moment.

"Ai Lan, Daire recently achieved a new breakthrough in water flow control", she noticed his furrowed brow and shifted topics. "She can now create water spear barriers strong enough for offensive purposes."

Luo En nodded slightly, some comforted.

In this hectic state, his companions continued growing independently without constant supervision.

"Once the Simulation Combat Device is complete, she can participate in training", he responded thoughtfully.

Speaking of the Simulation Combat Device, financial constraints came to mind.

Checking his remaining funds, he found less than ten complete Mana Stones.

Nearly all his resources had been spent on auxiliary spatial materials for the Mobile Workshop.

As for taking potion orders like in the Black Mist Jungle...

In the Central Lands where masters abounded, standing out among Senior Potion Masters and even potion professors required unique strengths.

"The Rainbow Ring's top three spots must be mine", Luo En steeled his resolve. "Tomorrow's Rainbow Ring competition will be the perfect stage."

Outstanding competition performance, his exclusive potion refinement techniques, and the Mobile Simulation Device blueprint paper might finally establish his Workshop's reputation and lay the foundation for profitable commissions.

Ai Lan, sensing his determination, nodded gently.

"The Master always finds solutions. I believe this time will be no exception."

Luo En stood, walking to the balcony and gazing at the Central Lands' starlit sky.

One day, when he stood at the mage's pinnacle, looking down upon the world and recalling today's struggles, perhaps he'd smile with quiet satisfaction.

Then, no longer bound by time and resources, he would freely explore cosmic mysteries and command the balance of life and death.

But now, he must continue climbing—step by step, foot firmly planted on the path ahead.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end