In the Starlight Wizard Tower, workshop.
Sunan placed the freshly crafted Black Thunder into his alchemical cube. As the synthesis interface flashed briefly, a brand-new second-tier magical weapon emerged.
"The third one," Sunan murmured.
He retrieved Black Thunder and stored it in his spatial ring, glancing at the three jet-black spearheads etched with intricate runes inside. A faint smile crossed his face.
Together with the three Exclusion Zones, he now possessed six second-tier magical weapons.
For most Level 2 wizards, acquiring even one second-tier magical weapon was a challenge. Owning six simultaneously was a rarity, even among the descendants of True Spirits.
However, crafting the three Black Thunders had depleted all his collected Thunder Stones. Creating more would require another trip to the Lightning Elemental Plane.
Sunan decided against it for now—three Black Thunders were sufficient.
He turned toward a corner desk, where documents were neatly piled.
In addition to crafting magical weapons, Sunan had been diligently researching the Alchemical Body.
The techniques provided by Lize were highly detailed, covering not only the transformation process and required materials but also eight types of alchemical marks, many of which left Sunan intrigued.
One such mark, Mental Reservoir, allowed a wizard to pre-store vast amounts of mental energy, serving as an emergency reserve during battles.
According to the description, Mental Reservoir could hold the equivalent of a Level 2 gaseous wizard's entire mental energy reserves.
In combat, a wizard with this mark would effectively have double the mental energy of their opponent, an advantage that could decide the outcome of any battle.
Another remarkable mark was Talent Specialization, which significantly enhanced the effects of a wizard's innate abilities.
When activated, it temporarily boosted a talent's effects, with the enhancement percentage depending on the user's level.
For Level 2 wizards, the typical range of enhancement was 30% to 50%.
The potential of this mark was immense.
For Sunan, whose two super talents already gave him an edge, this enhancement would allow him to dominate even Level 2 crystallization wizards without relying on magical weapons or engraved gems.
With those tools added to the mix, he could confidently face any opponent short of a Level 3 wizard.
After reviewing Lize's notes, Sunan quickly decided that Mental Reservoir and Talent Specialization were must-haves.
However, transforming into an Alchemical Body proved more challenging than he had anticipated.
The process required extensive modification of the body using rare materials to grant it the flexibility and magical conductivity of a spell scroll, enabling the embedding of magical properties.
This was a gradual transformation that could take decades—20 to 30 years at best, and up to 40 or 50 years in some cases.
For a Level 2 wizard with a lifespan exceeding 3,000 years, potentially extendable to 5,000 years, this timeline wasn't a significant issue.
The real challenge lay in obtaining the materials.
The transformation required over a hundred rare resources, including orichalcum, mithril, stardust steel, and oceanheart silver.
The primary material, orichalcum, was a rare metal with exceptional flexibility and magical conductivity, far surpassing mithril in value.
In all his years on the Starlight Continent, Sunan had never encountered orichalcum, making it an unattainable resource for now.
"Since the transformation process is unique and the alchemical cube can't synthesize it directly, I'll have to find a substitute for orichalcum," Sunan thought.
His alchemical cube gave him an edge in material research, allowing him to experiment with combinations to synthesize materials with the desired properties.
Even so, replicating a material as rare as orichalcum wouldn't be easy. Coupled with the other difficult-to-obtain resources requiring substitutes, this endeavor would likely consume a considerable amount of time.
"One step at a time. There's no rush."
Leaving the workshop, Sunan teleported to his study.
Learning Four-Ring Spells had become part of his daily routine.
Compared to Three-Ring Spells, Four-Ring Spells were vastly more powerful and far more challenging to master.
Even with his alchemical cube, Sunan needed three to four months on average to fully grasp a single Four-Ring Spell.
For ordinary Level 2 wizards, the learning curve was undoubtedly steeper. Without their extended lifespans, many would never master more than a few Four-Ring Spells.
Several spells stood out for their practical utility:
Dimensional Anchor: Prevented all teleportation spells.
Lesser Spell Negation Barrier: Blocked the effects of Zero to Three-Ring Spells.
Heavy Mist: Created dense fog that obstructed vision and slowed movement.
Offensive spells like Avar's Black Tentacles, Ice Storm, and Roar also held great promise.
Sunan aimed to learn all the Four-Ring Spells available to him—better to be prepared for any situation.
Time flew by, and over the next decade, Sunan devoted himself to cultivation and research. Meanwhile, Secondary Magic Technology spread rapidly across the southeastern regions of the continent.
As the energy particle density of the continent steadily increased, the time required for secondary magic stone veins to form shortened significantly.
In energy-rich areas, the formation speed of secondary magic stone veins was astonishing.
By Starlight Era 1436, the Star Alliance was actively mining one small and two medium-sized secondary magic stone veins. Their combined output was five to six times higher than in previous years.
The increased production fueled the swift expansion of secondary magic technology.
"This is a summary of the development of secondary magic technology in the southeast over the past decade," Lize said, placing a document on the desk before Sunan.
"The results have exceeded our expectations. Revenues from the southeastern region have been steadily rising, and last year's income was more than double that of a decade ago. At this rate, if secondary magic technology spreads across the entire Starlight Continent, the Star Alliance's annual revenue could surpass 50 million gold coins."
Sunan flipped through the document and asked casually, "How long until the remaining secondary magic stone veins are fully formed?"
"If the continent's energy particle density continues to increase at the current rate, about 200 years," Lize replied.
"That long?"
"Large veins take considerably more time to form," Lize explained.
To maximize the potential of each energy node, the Star Alliance had only developed one small and two medium-sized veins initially to pave the way for secondary magic technology. The rest were reserved for large-scale mining.
"Although the wait is longer, once all the large veins are formed, their output will be sufficient to supply the entire Starlight Continent," Lize added.
Sunan nodded in agreement.
Even in its early stages, secondary magic technology in the southeast required a significant supply of secondary magic stones. The output of one small and two medium-sized veins was just enough to meet this demand, demonstrating their substantial production capacity.
When the remaining 30-plus large veins were fully formed, the supply would more than suffice for the entire continent.
After finishing the document, Sunan gained a clear understanding of the developments surrounding secondary magic technology and the magic stone veins. Setting the file aside, he moved on to another matter.
"How is Starlight Academy doing recently?"
"Quite well," Lize replied.
With a wave of her hand, another document appeared on the desk before Sunan.
"Perhaps due to the increase in energy particle density, more people with wizard potential have been emerging in recent years. Currently, the academy has over 23,000 students, including 288 Level 3 wizard apprentices."
Sunan nodded in satisfaction.
This was an impressive number. The total number of wizard apprentices on the Starlight Continent over the past century likely didn't match this figure.
Moreover, it was foreseeable that the number of new students enrolling each year would continue to grow until the continent's energy particle density stabilized. At that point, the number of incoming students would balance out with the number of deceased apprentices, marking the academy's peak enrollment.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the academy could potentially maintain a student population of around 100,000.
This figure aligned with the average number of wizard apprentices produced by a mid-sized human plane.
The massive numbers of apprentices in large wizard organizations—often numbering in the millions—were due to their control over multiple human planes, providing a vast recruitment pool.
"What about the number of wizards?" Sunan asked next.
"There are seven at present," Lize replied.
Sunan raised an eyebrow. He recalled the number being five not long ago.
"Who are the two newly promoted ones?"
"Xieman and Corey," Lize answered.
Sunan was a bit surprised.
"When did they advance?"
"Six months ago," Lize said. "They wanted to report their advancement to you, but you were either in the cultivation chamber or busy in the workshop. They couldn't find an opportunity."
Sunan chuckled wryly. It seemed he wasn't the most attentive mentor, missing such a significant milestone for his disciples.
"Well done. It seems they've been working hard. As their teacher, I can't let them down. Have them come to the study later."
After a pause, Sunan asked, "What about Artiel?"
Lize shook her head. "Her aptitude is lacking. No matter how hard she tries, she can't become a wizard through conventional means."
Hearing a hint of implication in Lize's tone, Sunan asked with interest, "You're suggesting that unconventional methods might work?"
Lize didn't reply immediately, instead glancing at a codex on the desk before her.
Sunan was momentarily taken aback before furrowing his brows.
"You're suggesting Artiel undergo the same process as you—extracting her soul and transforming into a wraith-like state before reconstructing her body?"
Lize's expression remained calm. "It's the only way for Artiel to buy more time and gain a slim chance of becoming a wizard."
"But this method isn't foolproof. In fact, there's a significant chance of failure and death," Sunan said, frowning.
"I've already discussed it with Artiel. She's willing to take the risk," Lize replied.
Sunan fell silent, sighing inwardly.
Artiel, who usually seemed indifferent about her progress, turned out to be deeply driven by the desire to become a wizard. So much so that she was willing to gamble her life for the faintest possibility.
Perhaps her outward demeanor was a mask to hide her frustration and insecurities about her lack of talent.
After a long silence, Sunan finally asked, "I'm curious—why are you willing to help Artiel extract her soul and transform into a wraith-like state?"
Artiel couldn't have known about Lize's experience. The idea must have come from Lize herself.
It was hard to imagine someone like Lize volunteering such a suggestion, and now even subtly seeking Sunan's approval.
Even if reconstructing Artiel's body wouldn't require resources as exorbitant as Lize's, it would still be a considerable expense. For a typical Level 3 apprentice, the cost of body reconstruction was astronomical, beyond what they could afford even after a century of earning contributions.
Under normal circumstances, the Star Alliance wouldn't invest so heavily in a single apprentice of limited value.
Lize hesitated briefly before answering, "I like her temperament."
Sunan laughed softly.
Of course. Even wizards aren't emotionless machines.
After spending so much time together, with Artiel assisting Lize in various affairs and Lize occasionally guiding her cultivation, it was no surprise that a bond had formed between them.
In fact, Artiel seemed more like Lize's student than Sunan's.
With this thought, Sunan smirked and said teasingly, "Reconstructing a body isn't cheap. What will you offer to persuade me?"
"What do you want?"
"Let's amend our previous agreement. After you reconstruct your body, you'll officially join the Star Alliance."
Lize's expression froze momentarily. She shot Sunan a glare but ultimately nodded.
"Fine, I agree."
"Good. It's settled, then. Artiel's matter is in your hands. Take whatever resources you need from the warehouse. If she's lucky and succeeds, I'll help her reconstruct her body once the planar barriers are fully restored."
With that, Sunan left the study.
As she watched him vanish, Lize shook her head, chuckling softly.
After witnessing the Star Alliance's potential during her time there, Lize had long been inclined to join once her body was restored.
Even without this matter involving Artiel, she would have proposed the idea eventually.
Both she and Sunan understood this, and their earlier conversation was little more than a formal charade.
Even if she hadn't offered anything in return, Sunan would have agreed to help Artiel.
Afterall, Artiel was his student.
The Star Alliance wouldn't normally make such a significant investment in a Level 3 apprentice, but things were different if that apprentice happened to be the disciple of the Star Alliance's leader.