Okay, I've reviewed the entire translation again, incorporating the changes we discussed and making further refinements for clarity, flow, and stylistic consistency. Here's the fully revised version:
Chapter 48: The Soul Mark Codex
Moments later.
The high-tier soul codex within the No. 3 Dragonblood Wood Sealed Chest had also been fully inherited by Gu Nie.
"The inheritance of this high-tier soul codex, 'Secret Soul Golden Codex', took less than twenty seconds."
"Compared to the over three minutes it took for the Soul Mark Codex, it's significantly faster."
Setting the high-tier soul codex aside, Gu Nie began to carefully examine the powerful Soul Mark Codex.
"Arcane Codexes," compared to the basic, intermediate, and high-tier "Arcane Books," covered a much broader range of applications.
Take the 'Secret Soul Golden Codex' for example. Its sole purpose was to enhance "mental strength" and "mental capacity" through soul cultivation.
Beyond that, it had no other functions.
However, the Soul Mark Codex, in addition to enhancing "mental strength" and "mental capacity,"
also specialized in improving "soul resilience," bolstering the soul's carrying capacity to accommodate more spells, and increasing its resistance to powerful soul attacks.
It enabled the creation of "soul fragments," which could rapidly repair the soul in case of damage and be used to condense "spell runes" to alleviate the pressure on the soul's carrying capacity.
It could open up the "Soul Sea," granting practitioners a more powerful and clearer insight into their surroundings.
And finally, when the Soul Mark Codex reached a sufficiently high level, it could even manifest "mental tentacles," a powerful and uncanny ability.
Without a doubt, the Soul Mark Codex completely outclassed the Secret Soul Golden Codex.
Gu Nie, during his time in the Blood Curse Cave, had also obtained a codex, the 'Blood Pool Codex,' which possessed numerous functions.
Besides its most basic function of strengthening blood,
it could also perform "blood assimilation," which, simply put, involved consuming the blood of other powerful creatures to rapidly enhance one's own blood strength.
It could also open up a "Blood Pool," significantly enhancing one's survivability.
And at a high enough level, it could even condense a "Blood Pool Heart."
"Speaking of which," Gu Nie mused to himself.
"During this time, with the Blood Pool Codex on auto-cultivation, my blood density is nearing double that of a normal human."
"Once it reaches triple the density of a normal human, combined with the level and tier of my Blood Pool Codex, I'll be able to reach the stage of controlling my blood."
"Even if I'm injured, my blood will coagulate and won't flow out, so I won't have to worry about bleeding."
"This Blood Pool Codex, as a powerful codex-level book, does have a rather slow upgrade rate. It's been ten days, and it only reached Level 1 yesterday."
"The upgrade difficulty is there, but the power it grants is truly gratifying."
Lost in thought, Gu Nie opened his Auto-Cultivation system.
[Auto-Cultivation]
First Slot: Bone Essence Potion Secret Spell (Level 7)
Second Slot: Cyberna Source Pool (Level 2)
Third Slot: Ring Blast (Level 5)
Fourth Slot: Devout Knight Breathing Method (Level 2)
Fifth Slot: Blood Pool Codex (Level 1)
Initially, the Blood Pool Codex, when first placed in the Auto-Cultivation system, gained 15 experience per cycle. However, after reaching Level 1, its experience gain increased to 20, indicating a significant boost in growth rate.
After some consideration, Gu Nie decided to remove Ring Blast.
This spell, being a fragmented basic arcane spell codex,
had reached Level 5, and Gu Nie estimated that Level 6 would likely be its limit.
Its negative tempering effect overlapped with the Soul Mark Codex, and its effectiveness was far inferior.
It was only natural to replace it.
He placed the Soul Mark Codex in the third slot of the Auto-Cultivation system. Ten seconds later,
+18.
The number quickly appeared and then vanished.
"Eighteen experience points, truly impressive," Gu Nie nodded slightly.
"And…" a smile crept onto Gu Nie's lips.
"The experience gained from that one cycle allowed me to perceive a faint, subtle change. Just one cycle yielding a noticeable change is incredibly powerful."
"After all, auto-cultivating for a day yields a whopping eight thousand cycles of experience. The cumulative effect will be tremendous."
"After my last reincarnation, my strength was significantly reduced, but all aspects were condensed and my foundation and aptitude were enhanced."
"The crucial soul codex for a spellcaster, I now possess it."
"With the power of this Soul Mark Codex, I'll soon be able to fully integrate my soul with the arcane profession's characteristics."
"In three to five days, or at most a week, I'll be able to become a First-Order Blood Curse Caster."
Gu Nie's mental strength, the density of his source energy, and the blood viscosity required for the Blood Curse Caster arcane profession were already at the required levels.
The reason he hadn't advanced was that the fusion of the spellcaster's soul with the arcane profession's characteristics needed to be completed.
While the damaged Ring Blast provided a means of accelerating this fusion,
it was ultimately not a proper soul codex.
Now, with a genuine soul codex, and a powerful "codex" at that,
he could significantly accelerate the integration of his soul with the Blood Curse Caster's soul characteristics.
Blood Curse Caster, it was within reach.
…
Click, click…
The Arcane Gate slowly opened.
Gu Nie walked straight out.
Outside, the three individuals' gazes were fixed on Gu Nie.
"How was it?" Witchkes spoke slowly, and Gu Nie could sense a certain level of apprehension in his voice.
It was clear that they were wary of any unforeseen circumstances, such as Gu Nie being infected by a meme or affected by the mysterious power.
"Such a rigid and stubborn old mage," Gu Nie thought to himself.
"An exceptionally powerful and satisfying soul codex," Gu Nie replied with a contented smile.
"Hmm!" Witchkes nodded.
Immediately, Witchkes' gaze swept across the sealed chamber, ensuring there were no anomalies before closing the Arcane Gate and resealing it.
Turning around, Witchkes addressed Baron Dylan, "The matter is in your hands."
"No problem," Baron Dylan nodded slightly.
…
Fifteen minutes later.
After everyone boarded the carriage, the night outside deepened.
The previously light drizzle had intensified into a downpour.
Inside the carriage,
Gu Nie had changed back into his arcane equipment: the Black Iron Soft Leather Armor, the Magic Shield Necklace, the Mithril Staff "Silver Feather," the Mithril Boots, and the Green Leaf Bracelet.
This set of arcane equipment was becoming increasingly attuned to Gu Nie.
Correspondingly, he was beginning to unlock a portion of their full potential.
Even a fraction of their power was a significant boost to Gu Nie's overall strength.
Gently stroking the Green Leaf Bracelet on his wrist, meticulously examining it, Gu Nie confirmed that no one had tampered with it.
"Tomorrow, I'll have someone deliver the first batch of materials, along with two potion formulas, both for high-tier rare potions."
"I hope, Spellcaster Gu Nie, that you won't disappoint us," Baron Dylan said in a deep voice.
"Rest assured," Gu Nie looked up, a smile playing on his lips.
"Baron, you will receive the potions you desire."
Having obtained several times more valuable items than his initial goal, Gu Nie was naturally not going to slack off on fulfilling his promise regarding the potions.
Moreover, if the cooperation proved successful,
he could extract a significant amount of profit from it.
From this perspective alone, Gu Nie was even more invested than Baron Dylan.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 49: Heila
Dawn broke.
The days of incessant rain finally ceased.
The dark clouds in the sky dissipated.
The faint, pungent smell of magic-infused coal, after days of relentless rain, finally faded away.
The air was exceptionally fresh.
The rain had stopped,
and in its place was a biting cold, an intense chill.
The hurried pedestrians on the street were bundled up in thick clothing.
The misty breath exhaled from their mouths was clearly visible.
Gu Nie, dressed in a black single-breasted long robe and a brown men's cashmere hat, strode along Old Stone Street towards the academy.
While he was "walking," his speed was akin to a brisk jog for a normal person.
Thanks to the strength of his blood and physique, Gu Nie's current speed was truly remarkable.
"Inhale… exhale…"
As he walked, Gu Nie subtly felt the changes within himself.
Yesterday, after obtaining the Soul Mark Codex, by this morning, he had already auto-cultivated for half a day.
And during that time,
Gu Nie clearly perceived an extraordinary level of growth.
His nerve sensitivity, dynamic vision, static vision, touch, smell, hearing, and even his three-dimensional hypersensory perception had all increased by at least 30%.
From the sound of the carriage wheels rolling over the cobblestones behind him, Gu Nie could estimate the distance of the carriage from his location.
Inhaling the air, he could sense the outside temperature was around 6 degrees Celsius.
Through hypersensory perception, he gauged his current brisk walking speed at around 5 meters per second.
"Just one night of auto-cultivation, and the changes are this significant?" Gu Nie pinched his cold nose.
Then, he accelerated the blood flow near his nasal bones, quickly warming his nose.
"I have to say, the auto-cultivation effect of the Soul Mark Codex is truly astonishing."
"It's a codex itself, and it also has the Whisper BUFF. In the Auto-Cultivation system, its growth is incredibly fast, which is only natural."
"I feel like I'm close to condensing my fifth Secret Passage Rune, and perhaps even the sixth or seventh aren't far off."
"In a few days, I'll be a true Blood Curse Caster."
As he walked, Gu Nie pondered.
...
Olof Tower, seventh floor.
Currently, only Gu Nie was on this floor.
Gu Nie sat at his desk.
The tip of his pen moved swiftly across the exam paper, producing a soft scratching sound that came and went.
He would occasionally furrow his brow, pause to think, and then write rapidly…
At this moment, Gu Nie was working on the exam paper given to him by his tutor, Olof.
This matter was crucial for his further studies in Rune Analysis, so Gu Nie couldn't afford to be careless.
The exam paper covered a vast range of knowledge.
Many of the questions were incredibly tricky. Fortunately, Gu Nie's auto-cultivated spells had granted him an intuitive understanding of many aspects, reaching the core principles. Combined with his own knowledge, he was able to answer and solve the problems relatively smoothly.
After completing all the questions and reviewing them once,
"Ding-ling-ling…"
The abrupt sound of the exam's end bell rang out.
"Two hours have already passed so quickly?"
Hearing the bell, Gu Nie abandoned his plan to review the exam paper a second time.
At that moment, Tutor Olof quietly emerged from a hidden door on the side.
"Tutor." Gu Nie approached and submitted his exam paper.
Taking Gu Nie's paper, Olof used one hand to condense a unique rune, gently tapping it onto the paper.
"Buzz!"
A faint blue light rapidly swept across the entire exam paper.
Without needing to look at the paper, he could quickly access all its contents through the rune contact, utilizing the knowledge processing capabilities of his 'Memory Palace' to grade it. This was one of the abilities of a "Scholar."
After the rune energy shimmered for a few seconds, a quill flew towards him.
Then, at the top of the exam paper, it quickly drew two numbers.
96.
"Ninety-six points, very good." Seeing this score, Tutor Olof nodded slightly.
This Gu Nie, diligent and talented, truly pleased him.
"Whew…"
Gu Nie also breathed a sigh of relief.
This score exceeded his expectations.
Olof flipped his hand.
A thick, black hardback book, about the size of a fist, with a length and width twice that of a normal book, and a total surface area four times that of a normal book, appeared in Olof's hand.
The mere appearance of this thick book left a deep impression on Gu Nie.
In the center of the black hardback book was an embodied 24-sided rune pattern.
"This is the first volume of Rune Analysis."
Saying this, Olof handed the book to Gu Nie.
As soon as Gu Nie took it, he felt its unusual weight, probably around 40 to 50 pounds.
"Take it back and read it. After you finish the first chapter, come find me, and I'll explain the entire chapter in detail."
"Then, go back and ponder it repeatedly, and try to grasp it. If you don't understand something, come back and ask me."
"Research-based self-study? There will be many problems." Gu Nie's mind stirred.
As if aware of the drawbacks of this learning method, Olof spoke softly.
"You must understand that Rune Analysis is far, far more difficult than Spellcasting."
"This research-based self-study is also a test of your talent and comprehension in Rune Analysis."
"Furthermore, you need to know that in Rune Analysis, I can only guide you through the initial stages."
"After that, your own achievements will depend entirely on you."
"This research-based self-study allows you to have the space and foundation to explore the world of rune mysteries on your own after the initial stages."
"Instead of me lecturing you now and then, when you truly begin to independently explore the world of rune mysteries, you'll be completely lost, not even knowing how to begin exploring."
"Yes, I understand." Gu Nie nodded slightly.
The tutor's role in Rune Analysis was to guide the initial stages, not to teach.
…
In the afternoon.
With the ding-ling-ling of the school bell,
Gu Nie stood up and began packing his things.
Then, his gaze quickly swept around the classroom.
"After a whole day of auto-cultivation, my perception has increased significantly."
"Hmm… the auto-cultivation of the Blood Pool Codex is also extremely effective. My physical strength and blood strength are also improving considerably every day."
Unintentionally, Gu Nie's peripheral vision caught a familiar figure in the crowd in the corridor.
"Heila."
Gu Nie rushed out and called out in the corridor.
Heila, with her short hair, clutching her books, and slightly thin frame, turned around in surprise.
"Gu Nie?"
Seeing that it was Gu Nie, a slight smile appeared on Heila's slightly pale and tired face.
"You… seem to be in a bad state, haven't you been resting well?"
Walking along the forest path after school, Gu Nie spoke softly.
"Yes, because of that incident, I've been staying at home… and haven't gone out."
"How have you been lately?" Heila's mood seemed somewhat low.
"Yes, my father is very resourceful, those Blood Ear Elves don't dare to provoke me."
Gu Nie could tell that something was off with Heila.
"It must be that something happened at home."
"I'll be leaving school in a few days." Suddenly, Heila spoke.
"Ah!" Gu Nie blurted out. "Aren't you going to finish this semester?"
"No." Heila shook her head.
"My family has spent a lot of money to support my education."
"Now, my family wants to send me to a frontier outpost of our family, and I've agreed. Only there can I gain an arcane profession and become an arcane practitioner."
"A powerful arcane practitioner, that's what our family needs."
Hearing Heila's words, Gu Nie felt a slight sense of relief.
The nobility had the easiest access to arcane power and were the most likely to become arcane practitioners.
However, noble families also needed to expend a significant amount of family resources to cultivate arcane practitioners.
Once these noble offspring graduated, they were expected to become arcane practitioners and contribute to their families.
This path was arduous.
But it was one of the best paths for those noble offspring.
As they walked, Heila suddenly stopped.
Then, she turned to the side, her bright, clear eyes fixed on Gu Nie.
Gu Nie was momentarily stunned by her actions.
Then, Heila took a step forward and directly hugged Gu Nie.
This sudden action left Gu Nie speechless.
"Don't move." Heila whispered, her voice so low that only Gu Nie could hear it.
Gu Nie: "..."
"They'll still try to assassinate you."
"They… will still assassinate?" Gu Nie's heart sank slightly.
Although Weiya had helped him deal with those Blood Ear Elves last time, and Gu Nie hadn't felt any more scrutiny from them,
through some information channels from Old Cohen, Gu Nie knew that those Blood Ear Elves were still in the city of Sugg's Legacy, and there were quite a few of them.
They were plotting to assassinate him.
And he, in turn, was secretly investigating them.
But… how did Heila know so clearly that they would still try to assassinate him?
After a moment's hesitation.
"Hmm!" Gu Nie responded with a nasal sound.
Heila released Gu Nie, glanced at him, and instantly blushed.
Then, she quickly turned and left, fleeing from Gu Nie's sight.
Feeling the lingering warmth of her body, Gu Nie pondered.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 50: Flash Arc Potion
In front of No. 155, Old Stone Street.
From a distance, Gu Nie saw three knights, each leading a black-horned horse, guarding his doorstep.
"Greetings, Spellcaster Gu Nie. I am Baron Dylan's head escort knight, you can call me 'Ayd'."
When Gu Nie reached the door, Knight Ayd approached and spoke, his voice deep and imbued with the heavy presence of a knight.
Looking at these three knights, each over 1.9 meters tall, clad in full-body black iron-grade arcane armor,
Gu Nie couldn't help but marvel.
"Baron Dylan, he's truly wealthy."
"Have you brought the items?" Gu Nie asked Knight Ayd.
"Yes." Knight Ayd responded impeccably.
"Come in!" Gu Nie opened the door.
The house was empty, and it wasn't much warmer inside than outside.
"Please, have a seat!" Gu Nie gestured for the knights to sit.
Then, near the fireplace, he condensed several Rocket Spells and used their flames to ignite the wood.
The potion alchemy laboratory below also shared the fireplace in the hall.
When Gu Nie went down to brew the potions later, a warm environment would be preferable.
Thanks to the high temperature of the Rocket Spells, after a moment, the flames rose, and Gu Nie felt a slight warmth near the fireplace.
"The abilities of spellcasters are truly enviable." Knight Ayd complimented at that moment.
"When you envy the abilities of spellcasters, spellcasters also envy your strong arcane physiques," Gu Nie said softly.
Among the combat professions,
Arcane Knights were undoubtedly the most resilient.
Arcane Knights possessed excellent physiques and arcane resistance, offering high resistance to physical, spell, curse, soul, and other types of attacks.
Once an Arcane Knight donned and attuned to a set of arcane equipment, they became a veritable fortress.
Compared to the classic, conservative, heavily armored tank knights,
in the current era, Spell Knights and Elemental Knights had emerged.
These knights used contracts to summon 'exotic creatures' as mounts.
Then, relying on their own strong survivability and the powerful characteristics of their 'exotic mounts,' they integrated spells, elements, and their own combat skills.
This type of Arcane Knight required a profound knowledge of spellcasting and a high level of mastery over source energy.
This type of new arcane profession
required greater arcane talent and demanded more effort.
But it was clear that this type of arcane profession was very powerful.
Many outstanding achievements of this type of new arcane profession
were spread by word of mouth among wandering bards and adventurers, and reported in the Steam Daily.
Gu Nie was well-versed in these stories.
"These are the items Baron Dylan asked us to deliver to Spellcaster Gu Nie."
Saying this, Knight Ayd placed a black bracelet in front of Gu Nie.
Gu Nie held the black bracelet in his hand, and with a gentle infusion of source energy, he sensed several arcane materials and two parchment scrolls.
He directly took out the two parchment scrolls and, in front of Knight Ayd and the other three knights, condensed a mediating rune and began the touch-mediated reception.
Within thirty seconds, the two scrolls were fully received.
Then, Gu Nie put the two high-tier rare potion scrolls back.
These two high-tier rare scrolls could still be used for several more touch-mediated receptions, so they couldn't be given directly to Gu Nie.
Gently rubbing his temples, Gu Nie quickly outlined the potion brewing process for the two high-tier rare potions in his mind.
The two high-tier rare potions.
One was called "Flash Arc Potion."
The other was called "Silent Spirit Potion."
Flash Arc Potion was a rare potion that could significantly enhance the physical reaction speed and mental agility of the soul.
"This potion is perfect for me!"
Gu Nie thought to himself.
Physical reaction speed, this is clear, it means that muscle movement reactions are fast.
Many Shadow professions have extremely efficient physical reaction abilities, which can be seen as muscle nerve combat reactions.
This reaction ability does not require brain thinking, it can naturally avoid or even attack in response to danger.
The faster the physical reaction speed, naturally, as a Shadow profession, one's own evasion and even attack speed will be faster, making it easier to inflict damage on the enemy.
Compared to the intuitive manifestation of physical "reaction speed,"
the soul's "mental agility" is less well-known.
For spellcasters, the importance of mental agility is no less than the importance of physical reaction speed for Shadow professions.
Its most intuitive form is manifested in the instantaneous "single-second overlap."
When casting spells instantaneously,
within one second, some spellcasters can only cast five or six spells.
While some spellcasters can cast eight or nine spells.
For example, Gu Nie could cast up to twelve spells per second.
At the same time, Gu Nie's thinking speed per unit time was also faster than other spellcasters.
And this was all due to the advantages of "mental agility."
It can be said that with this Flash Arc Potion, if Gu Nie continued to consume it,
it wouldn't be long before he could achieve thirteen, fourteen, or even fifteen spells per second.
"This high-tier rare Flash Arc Potion has great reference value."
"If I can make a breakthrough in this area and develop a Secret Rune Flash Arc Potion, the significance would be huge."
Then, Gu Nie turned his attention to the "Silent Spirit Potion."
"Nourishes the soul, enhances soul arcane characteristics, and during cultivation, it can fully nourish the soul, accelerating cultivation."
"This Silent Spirit Potion is a cultivation aid potion, and at the same time, it's a potion that nourishes the soul."
"Previously, Baron Dylan probably needed the Flash Arc Potion, but now that there's also this Silent Spirit Potion, it's likely that the old man named Witchkes needs it."
"Did Witchkes have a soul problem?"
With a gentle breath, Gu Nie refocused his attention on the two potions.
"These two potions are both high-tier and rare, extremely valuable, and the potions produced from them will be effective for me."
"Whether it's for making money or enhancing myself, they're both suitable."
Then, Gu Nie turned to Knight Ayd.
"Within two hours, I'll be able to brew them."
"No problem, we'll wait here." Knight Ayd said patiently.
"Hmm!"
Following the stairs to the side, Gu Nie entered the underground potion alchemy laboratory.
At this moment, the laboratory was empty.
The roaring fireplace was also beginning to take effect, and a little warmth emanated from the walls.
With a slight twist of his neck,
Crack, crack…
The sound was exceptionally crisp.
"Let's begin!"
Gu Nie, eager to get started, began to prepare the potions on the workbench.
"If I really want to start large-scale production of high-tier rare potions, this workbench won't be enough."
While preparing the potions, Gu Nie was designing in his mind.
"This level of workbench needs to be at least three times larger. And the distillation, decoction, and separation processing branches need to add five to six more."
"Oh, right, I also need a small high-temperature furnace for baking, a high-pressure distiller, an energy tower, a steam engine furnace, all the latest arcane alchemy machinery. I need the latest and most expensive ones. After all, it's not my money being spent."
"This laboratory also needs to be sealed to prevent the leakage of arcane potion properties. Although some potion experiments will explode or even produce toxins, I think I can handle it."
"Right, I also need five or six basic spellcasters to assist me."
"Hmm… preferably those with strong hypersensory perception, so they can dodge when there's an explosion."
(End of Chapter)