Time passed like a fleeting horse.
Year 1330 of the Starlight Calendar, Month of Summerlong (June).
After another return from the Plane of Lightning Elements, Su Nan sat cross-legged beside the Elemental Pool, synthesizing elemental crystal cores and absorbing the divine energy within.
The Elemental Pool in the Starlight Wizard Tower, enhanced through four rounds of synthesis to +4, now rivaled a medium-sized Elemental Pool in performance.
Its energy absorption rate, capacity, mental energy recovery speed, and meditation efficiency had all more than doubled.
Thanks to these improvements, Su Nan's mental refinement progress was faster than expected.
**[Liquefaction: 99.99%]**
As the divine energy within the elemental crystal cores gradually fused, there came a moment when the progress bar on his panel flickered and reached 100%.
At that instant, deep within Su Nan's sea of consciousness, the liquid mental energy that swirled around his Talent Crystal abruptly halted. Then, as if encountering the chill of ice, it swiftly crystallized into countless tiny hexagonal particles.
In a short time, the "flowing water" around the Talent Crystal vanished completely, replaced by a dense band of shimmering crystalline structures resembling a stellar ring.
These translucent hexagonal crystals, like the finest gemstones, revolved gently around the Talent Crystal, their beauty akin to a galaxy.
"Success!"
Su Nan opened his eyes, joy radiating from within.
After nearly 50 years, he had finally broken through from Level 1 Liquefaction to Level 1 Crystallization.
Now, with the construction of a second Talent Crystal model, he could ascend to Level 2 Wizard.
Su Nan raised his hand and lightly tapped the void before him, summoning countless thin, threadlike beams of light. These beams rapidly interwove into a complex, intricate model—the culmination of his years of research into a second Talent Crystal.
Of course, this was only a synthesized lower-tier Talent Crystal model.
Its effect was somewhat similar to **[Forbidden Zone]**, forming a high-density invisible energy field around him that neutralized all damage entering it—physical, energy-based, or even intangible soul attacks.
Moreover, all entities entering the field would experience immense suppression.
Unlike **[Forbidden Zone]**, Su Nan could alter the "pressure density" of the field in specific areas, temporarily increasing the "pressure" in certain regions. This allowed him to apply greater restrictions on intruders.
If the pressure density was strong enough, it could even crush enemies into pulp.
Thus, this ultimate defensive Talent could sometimes be used offensively.
Additionally, the field's range could expand or contract freely, with its defensive strength and pressure density adjusting accordingly. The exact specifics would require Su Nan to master the Talent and conduct practical tests.
He named this Talent Crystal model **[Absolute Zone]**.
"'Liquid Metal' required 32 lower-tier models to synthesize into a higher-tier one. 'Absolute Zone' should be about the same."
When he constructed the **[Liquid Metal]** Talent Crystal model previously, the average time to construct a single lower-tier model was 13 days.
With his current vastly improved mental strength and superior Construct Potions, Su Nan estimated he could reduce this to under 10 days.
If all went smoothly, he could synthesize the higher-tier **[Absolute Zone]** model within a year.
The truly time-consuming step, however, was filling it with mental energy.
Talent Crystals grew stronger as a wizard's mental refinement increased.
The current **[Liquid Metal]** Talent Crystal was far more potent than when it was first completed.
In other words, constructing a second Talent Crystal with similar strength would require significantly more mental energy.
When he filled **[Liquid Metal]** previously, even with the help of Spirit Pearls and Golden Apples, it took him nearly three years.
Now, lacking such aids apart from the Elemental Pool's recovery buff, the difficulty had only increased, and the process would take far longer—decades, possibly even a century or more.
"This mental energy infusion step is going to be a real grind," Su Nan sighed, then downed a bottle of Construct Potion and began constructing the Talent Crystal model.
---
Eleven months passed swiftly. Su Nan successfully constructed 32 lower-tier Talent Crystal models and synthesized the second higher-tier **[Absolute Zone]** model.
Without pause, he immediately began infusing it with mental energy.
Sitting cross-legged beside the Elemental Pool, Su Nan closed his eyes as crystalline mental energy threads from his sea of consciousness seeped into the new Talent Crystal model, gradually filling its interior.
After a month of cultivation:
**[Talent Crystal Model Infusion Progress: 0.06%]**
"A month, and only 0.06% progress."
"At this rate, it'll take about 140 years to fully infuse it."
Su Nan understood that this speed was already impressive.
Barely 60 years had passed since he became a wizard. Even if another 140 years were needed, the total time of 200 years to progress from Level 1 to Level 2 was extraordinarily fast.
Even in the golden age of wizardry a thousand years ago, such a pace would have been considered outstanding.
Apart from the descendants of True Spirits, who were essentially cheats incarnate, few could match him.
Still, Su Nan couldn't help but wish for an even faster process.
"If only there were something to speed up mental energy recovery."
His eyes gleamed as he left the top floor of the Wizard Tower and entered the bright, spacious study.
Lize sat engrossed in her paperwork, her focused expression lending her a unique allure.
The quartz clock on the wall ticked away silently, chiming only at the hour.
After a while, Lize set the documents down and rubbed her temples—a habit she'd developed over the years, even though spirits like her didn't experience fatigue.
It had been over 30 years since she joined the Star Alliance. Familiar with its workings, she now managed its affairs with ease.
Initially, when she agreed to serve as Su Nan's assistant and oversee the Alliance, she hadn't thought much of it.
After all, how far could a wizard force grow in the current state of Starlight Continent? At best, it might become a super-sized human nation.
But after delving deeper into the Alliance's workings, she realized she had severely underestimated it.
The Alliance controlled not only the surface world but also the underground realms.
It possessed entire legions of golems. While its high-end constructs were lacking, the scale of its mid- and low-tier constructs rivaled that of many third-rate wizard factions.
Most shocking of all, the Alliance had its own Wizard Academy.
Though only a few decades old, with even its instructors being Level 3 Wizard Apprentices, the mere existence of such an academy in a mana-deficient plane was extraordinary.
The more she understood the Alliance, the more curious she became about Su Nan.
"Thinking about something?"
A voice startled her from her reverie.
Looking up, she saw Su Nan standing there, watching her with an amused expression.
"Weren't you in seclusion? Why are you out?"
"I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Do you know any methods to accelerate mental energy recovery?" Su Nan paused, then added, "Something feasible in our current situation."
Lize's eyes flickered with surprise before she frowned slightly.
"The Elemental Pool in your Wizard Tower isn't enough?"
She had seen the pool before, and its effects rivaled those of medium-sized ones.
Su Nan only smiled enigmatically without explaining further.
"I'm constructing my second Talent Crystal and have reached the final step: infusing it with mental energy."
Lize's expression stiffened.
"I remember when I first arrived, you had just broken through to Level 1 Liquefaction."
"Correct."
"..."
Lize took a deep breath, suppressing the storm of emotions within her.
Sixty years to progress from Level 1 Liquefaction to Level 1 Crystallization and construct a Talent Crystal model? That was absurd.
It had taken her 283 years to achieve the same, and she had been hailed as a genius.
Yet compared to Su Nan, her achievements seemed almost insignificant.
As she gazed at him, the mysteries surrounding him only deepened, shrouding him in an ever-thicker veil of enigma.
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