Chapter 60: Between the Stars
Chapter 60 Between the Stars
Locking his door securely and drawing the heavy curtains over the window, Luo En ensured absolute privacy within the room.
He retrieved a Protective Rune – a standard defensive kit purchased recently from the School's materials store – designed to contain spiritual energy fluctuations. Following instructions, he affixed the rune set to the room's four corners. Then he lit several special incense sticks containing trace spirit-stabilizing components, which would ease potential discomfort from attempting advanced meditation techniques for the first time.
"First, follow Madame Ellen's advice to secure the environment", Luo En muttered internally, his fingers carefully completing the final activation rune along the array's edge.
A subtle energy fluctuation pulsed as the array activated, emitting a faint azure glow that gently isolated his space from the outside world.
With everything prepared, Luo En took a deep breath, sat cross-legged at the array's center, and settled into his most comfortable posture.
"Knowledge carries weight", he recalled Madame Ellen's warning, cautioning himself. The deeper the meditation technique, the greater the risks involved.
As the mage-world proverb stated: "True knowledge is a burden; wisdom walks hand-in-hand with madness."
The Basic Meditation Manual merely guided spiritual energy through controlled pathways, like swimming in a contained stream. The Murmuring of the Star Devourer, however, plunged cultivators into an endless ocean of possibilities – an undertaking fraught with peril.
"Starting with stabilizing my spirit field..."
Closing his eyes, Luo En entered his familiar meditative state. The Basic Meditation rune naturally formed within his consciousness space – three interwoven arcs creating a stable structure.
This time, he pushed beyond that foundation, attempting to construct Madame Ellen's more complex rune atop it.
This proved an arduous process. The intricate structure composed of dozens of foundational runes proved far more unstable than anticipated. Each time he tried adding a new component, the entire formation wavered dangerously close to collapse.
Thankfully, the spiritual energy boost from his class advancement, Wizard Apprentice, allowed him to barely maintain control over the fragile structure. Unfazed, he persisted through repeated attempts.
Gradually, he discovered techniques – the key wasn't forcing components together, but understanding the relationships between rune segments, allowing them to fuse organically. It felt like solving an impossibly complex equation, requiring identification of the pivotal variable that unlocked everything.
Finally, after countless attempts, a hazy yet complete Murmuring of the Star Devourer rune formed within his consciousness space.
As the rune stabilized, Luo En felt unprecedented power surging through his body. Yet the formation remained precarious, like a sandcastle facing rising tides.
He remembered Madame Ellen's other advice: "When attempting advanced meditation techniques for the first time, use that bottle of Artificial Star Dew to reduce spirit stress and increase success chances. It might protect you from unexpected dangers."
Opening his eyes, Luo En retrieved the vial of Artificial Star Dew gifted by Holt.
Inside the transparent bottle, silver-blue liquid flowed like living mercury, emitting faint stardust-like luminescence.
"This must be the perfect moment to use it."
Carefully uncorking the vial, a cool, mysterious aroma immediately filled the air – evoking images of night skies, distant stars, and cosmic mysteries.
Taking a deep breath, Luo En drank the elixir in one gulp.
The icy liquid surged through his body like a strange energy wave, leaving his mind startlingly clear, as if his consciousness had been purified.
[Artificial Star Dew Effect Activated!]
[Spiritual Energy Stability Increased]
[Meditation Efficiency Slightly Increased]
[Special Effect Triggered: Spirit Shield (Effective Protection Against Spirit Pollution)]
Re-entering meditation, Luo En found his consciousness space unusually lucid. The previously unstable Murmuring of the Star Devourer rune now held firm, its internal connections clearer than ever.
With the star dew's enhancement, he could now grasp the rune's underlying logic from an entirely new perspective. What once seemed impenetrable now felt as natural as breathing.
[Detected: The Murmuring of the Star Devourer Skill Learned]
[Additional Attribute Activated: Spirit Circulation (Basic Meditation Experience Now Converted to Murmuring Experience)]
The Artificial Star Dew's effect propelled him from novice to entry-level proficiency at bewildering speed.
[Progress Update: The Murmuring of the Star Devourer (Novice 1/100) → (Proficient 1/300)]
[New Attribute Obtained: Crowning (Chance to Receive Special Inspirations During Meditation)]
[Current Inspiration Triggered – Maintain Extreme Caution!]
Suddenly, Luo En's consciousness space expanded. The familiar darkness tore like paper, revealing a terrifying cosmic expanse.
An infinite starfield unfolded before him – galaxies pulsing with life, their distances constantly shifting as if the entire universe danced in chaotic rhythm.
Most unsettling were the stars themselves, which seemed to possess will. They "watched" him in ways beyond comprehension, making him feel utterly exposed and vulnerable.
"This is the true face of The Murmuring of the Star Devourer?" Luo En marveled internally, suddenly gripped by inexplicable fear.
Madame Ellen's explanation now carried chilling clarity. This wasn't merely a meditation technique, but an entirely new cosmic perspective – a radical redefinition of spiritual energy's essence, challenging human cognition itself.
Suddenly, he heard an impossible sound – not through ears, but directly within his consciousness, like whispers in his mind.
It defied human language – neither speech nor music, but a fusion of both. More accurately, it represented sounds humans were never meant to hear, containing information and concepts beyond normal mental capacity. Each "syllable" carried the weight of reality-shattering knowledge.
"The Murmuring", Luo En instantly understood the technique's origin.
Though incomprehensible, the sound possessed an eerie rhythm, revealing secrets of the cosmos.
As he listened, the murmuring gradually clarified, weaving an ancient tale of stellar death, galactic decay, and the awakening of something ancient within the universe's depths.
(End of Chapter)
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