A familiar, transcendent feeling surged from the depths of his soul.
Sunan opened his eyes, a glimmer of divine light flashing across them.
In an instant, an invisible force field radiated outward from his body, expanding rapidly to encompass the entire cultivation room.
Creak!
The enchanted floors and walls, reinforced to be as tough as tempered steel, groaned under the pressure of the force field, as though they might twist and shatter at any moment.
The next second, the sound ceased abruptly. The force field contracted back into Sunan's body and disappeared.
A heartfelt smile of joy spread across his face.
The second talent crystal, Absolute Exclusion Zone, was successfully constructed.
This marked the moment of his ascension to a Level 2 Wizard! His life essence had evolved once more.
"Over 150 years," Sunan thought with a sigh.
The limitations of the Starlight Continent's environment were immense. Even with numerous auxiliary methods, it had taken him 153 years to advance to Level 2.
In a more conducive environment, it wouldn't have taken even a century.
Still, advancing from Level 1 to Level 2 in just over 150 years was considered fast, even during the golden age of wizardry a millennium ago.
After a while, Sunan recovered from his excitement and began focusing on his sea of consciousness.
Deep within his starry consciousness, two radiant, crystalline structures floated opposite each other, so close that they nearly touched.
Around the crystals, the once-solidified mental energy had reverted to a gaseous state, now far more abundant than at Level 1.
If the gaseous mental energy of Level 1 was a pond, this was a vast lake.
Thick, dense fog enveloped the two crystals, making them appear as faint, glowing orbs from the outside.
"Not bad," Sunan murmured with satisfaction.
The surge in mental energy significantly enhanced his control over energy particles, and his spell power would increase accordingly.
"At Level 2, I can begin learning Four-Ring Spells."
"The books I brought back from the Tower of Starlight should be perfect for that."
"Not to mention the Four-Ring Spells transcribed by Lize."
Recalling his resources, Sunan realized he had a comprehensive collection of Four-Ring Spells.
As for Five-Ring Spells, he had only managed to retrieve a dozen or so from the Tower of Starlight—not much, but better than nothing.
Since Five-Ring Spells required Level 3 to learn, he wasn't too concerned. By the time he reached Level 3, the Starlight Continent's planar seal would likely be lifted, allowing him to trade with other wizard factions for more.
"The Soul Crystal Elixir can also be upgraded now."
Sunan took out a batch of Soul Crystal Elixirs from his spatial ring and placed them in the alchemical cube for synthesis.
Before long, a freshly refined Fifth-Tier Elixir was ready.
[Soul Crystal Elixir (Tier 5/High-Grade)]
Effects: Greatly accelerates mental energy refinement and enhances energy particle absorption efficiency. Lasts 180 days and 15 hours. No stacking effect.
Requirements: Minimum of Level 2 (Gaseous Phase) with mental energy levels of:
Lower: 24.32%
Intermediate: 17.25%
High: 7.98%
Super: 1.01%
The Fifth-Tier Elixir was similar to the Fourth-Tier but significantly more potent and with stricter requirements.
Sunan immediately consumed the elixir and began absorbing divine energy from elemental crystals.
Over the past century, he had been steadily collecting elemental crystal dust, accumulating a significant number of elemental crystals. Now was the perfect time to absorb them all.
After ten days of focused absorption, Sunan had fully drained all his divine energy reserves, achieving a substantial increase in his mental energy refinement.
[Sunan Anesir – Male/Level 2 Wizard]
Gaseous Phase Refinement: 14.23%
[Skills]
Stellar Ring Meditation Lv19 (MAX)
Potion Crafting Lv5 (12045/20000)
Biological Modification Lv5 (11933/20000)
Puppet Refinement Lv5 (19221/20000)
Magical Item Crafting Lv5 (7274/20000)
Seeing the jump of over ten percentage points in refinement, Sunan couldn't suppress a pleased smile.
However, his expression gradually turned contemplative.
"A century's worth of divine energy reserves only increased my refinement by ten percent. Reaching the Liquid Phase of Level 2 will take considerable time."
Advancing from Level 2 to Level 3 mirrored the process of advancing from Level 1 to Level 2: refining mental energy from gaseous to liquid to crystalline, and finally constructing a third talent crystal.
The massive increase in mental energy made refinement exponentially more challenging.
Even with the triple boost of Fifth-Tier Elixirs, a large elemental pool, and divine energy, Sunan estimated it would take six to seven centuries to reach the Liquid Phase of Level 2.
Unless stronger external support could be found.
"Potions and the elemental pool are fixed factors. To speed up mental energy refinement, I'll need to focus on increasing divine energy."
Including himself, the Star Alliance currently had four wizards.
As more wizards inevitably emerged in the coming years, there would be more individuals collecting elemental dust for him, increasing the supply of divine energy.
Perhaps he wouldn't need six or seven centuries to reach the Liquid Phase.
With this plan in mind, Sunan left the cultivation room and teleported to the spell training chamber.
It was time to test the power of Absolute Exclusion Zone.
While constructing the model, he had an estimate of its capabilities, but testing was the only way to confirm its actual effects.
For the test, he used ten tentacle puppets, whose multi-limbed attacks were ideal for evaluating the zone's suppression effects.
The test began with all ten puppets launching simultaneous attacks from a distance. Their countless tentacles glowed with magical energy as a barrage of spells surged toward Sunan like an unstoppable tide.
Standing in the center of the hall, Sunan activated the field with a mere thought.
The oncoming spells dissipated the instant they entered the field, like fireballs plunging into an ocean.
"Tower Spirit No. 2, collect data on the field's defensive capabilities," Sunan ordered, while adjusting the field's radius.
Once satisfied, he instructed the puppets to enter the field to measure its suppression effects.
After extensive testing, Sunan concluded that the Absolute Exclusion Zone had a minimum radius of ten meters.
Within this radius, the force field of Absolute Exclusion Zone compressed energy to an extreme, nearly transforming into a liquid state, which would fundamentally alter its properties and render the field ineffective.
On the flip side, the defensive strength within this range was at its peak.
Even when ten Level 1 gaseous-stage tentacle puppets focused their attacks simultaneously, they couldn't penetrate the field, not even brushing Sunan's robes.
With his current mental energy, Sunan could stand motionless while the ten puppets attacked for an entire day, and they wouldn't manage to harm a single hair on his head.
"This is the power of a super defensive talent crystal. Truly formidable!"
Sunan was more than satisfied.
Within this radius, the crushing density of the field was also at its maximum.
Any creature entering the field would be subjected to immense gravitational-like pressure. The restriction on speed was secondary; the critical effect was the excruciating burden on their flesh and bones.
Even the sturdy tentacle puppets visibly slowed the moment they entered the field.
Sunan tested a precision-crafted adamantine golem, only to witness it collapse to the ground the moment it stepped into the field. Overwhelmed by the crushing force, the golem emitted groaning, metallic sounds as it began to twist and deform under the pressure.
In less than thirty seconds, the once-pristine golem was reduced to a flattened heap of scrap metal, completely powerless to resist.
However, as the radius of the force field expanded, its defensive strength and crushing density gradually diminished.
The maximum tested radius of the field was approximately 100 meters.
At this range, the tentacle puppets' attacks could breach the field's defense and reach Sunan, though their power was so diminished that they couldn't penetrate the energy particle shield around his body.
The crushing density also dropped to the point where the adamantine golem could move sluggishly within the field.
Overall, Sunan was highly satisfied with the test results.
The defensive capabilities of Absolute Exclusion Zone were as strong as he had anticipated.
Even a fellow Level 2 gaseous-stage wizard would struggle to breach the field's defense unless their spells were augmented with advanced techniques like metamagic enhancements.
As for the crushing force, its offensive power was comparatively weaker.
But considering Absolute Exclusion Zone was fundamentally a defensive talent, the crushing force was merely a derived effect. Its current strength was already impressive.
Moreover, as Sunan's mental energy grew in the future, the power of Absolute Exclusion Zone would also increase.
If he became a True Spirit Wizard, the field's radius might extend to hundreds or even thousands of kilometers. At that point, a single thought could annihilate every living being within range!
The mere thought of such power left Sunan's heart racing with excitement.
"Defense so strong it becomes offense. The reverse is also true—ultimate offense can be the best defense. If an attack is strong enough to obliterate the enemy instantly, that's the greatest protection."
Sunan began to look forward to his third talent crystal.
Based on his original plan, the third talent crystal would be focused on ultimate offense.
"Breaking through to Level 2 crystallization will take considerable time. In the meantime, I can slowly work on the third talent crystal model."
After the test, Sunan headed to the workshop to craft magical equipment.
As a Level 2 wizard, he could now use second-tier magical tools. His next goal was to upgrade Black Thunder and Exclusion Zone to second-tier.
"I have enough materials to craft Exclusion Zone, but I'm short on Thunder Stones for Black Thunder. Looks like I'll have to make a trip to the Lightning Elemental Plane."
Currently, all other Star Alliance wizards were Level 1 gaseous-stage.
While they could hunt elemental spirits on the outskirts of the elemental planes, venturing deeper to seek Thunder Stones was far too dangerous for them.
The task of acquiring Thunder Stones would have to fall to Sunan.
Beyond magical tools, Sunan also planned to further enhance his engraved gems.
After reaching Level 1 crystallization, the number of gems he could fuse increased to 33, boosting their power to over six times the original. The cost had also soared to approximately 8,700 gold coins per gem.
Now, with his enhanced mental energy, Sunan could likely create even more powerful combinations.
He retrieved a batch of engraved gems from his spatial ring and began synthesizing.
After fusing 54 lower-tier gems, he finally felt he had reached his limit.
To test their power, Sunan fired a Thunderburst engraved gem at a tentacle puppet.
The result was a charred, smoking pile of scrap metal.
"A single strike capable of annihilating a Level 1 gaseous-stage target," Sunan murmured in amazement.
The power had clearly exceeded expectations. Even a Level 1 crystallization wizard would suffer grievous injuries, if not outright death, from such an attack.
This represented more than ten times the original power.
What's more, the cost was remarkably low—just over 14,000 gold coins per gem.
Compared to the 50,000 gold coins required for an enchanted adamantine golem, the engraved gems were an incredible bargain.
"Now that I think about it, I should be able to attempt engraving alchemical marks."
Alchemical marks were an advanced form of rune engraving, far more powerful than traditional gems.
Sunan had long considered pursuing alchemical marks, but two obstacles had held him back.
First, he lacked the requisite physical and mental strength. Engraving an alchemical mark required converting one's body into an alchemical vessel, a process that demanded extremely high standards.
Second, he lacked the necessary knowledge.
"Perhaps Lize might have some resources on the subject."
Sunan decided to consult Lize, who was an invaluable repository of knowledge.
"Mental energy refinement, learning Four-Ring Spells, studying the talent crystal model, synthesizing second-tier magical tools, and exploring alchemical marks… there's no shortage of tasks ahead."
In the study, Lize was immersed in paperwork when she felt a presence and looked up to see Sunan smiling at her.
"When did you finish your retreat?"
Lize scrutinized him briefly, her eyes flashing with surprise.
"You've advanced to Level 2?"
Sunan nodded with a smile. "I broke through two weeks ago."
Although the Starlight Academy's Star Eye could monitor energy particle fluctuations across Longlin, including the Starlight Wizard Tower, it couldn't detect Sunan's fluctuations.
As a result, Lize hadn't immediately realized he had advanced.
"Congratulations."
Lize was momentarily stunned, then smiled, unable to hide her amazement.
Advancing from Level 1 to Level 2 in just over 150 years, especially in the Starlight Continent's harsh environment, was nothing short of miraculous.
Despite all the surprises Sunan had g
iven her, she couldn't help but marvel once again.
At the same time, she felt genuine joy for his success.
The stronger Sunan became, the higher the likelihood he could help her reconstruct her body in the future.
By now, her fate was irrevocably tied to his.
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