Gavin observed his wolf clone lying in the snow, breathing in a rhythmic pattern that resonated with the flow of spiritual energy around it. With each breath, Earth Elemental Magic energy entered the clone's body, circulating within before being drawn into the mysterious space.
Inside this space, the energy condensed and revolved around the magic core, rising into the sky of the mysterious realm, where it eventually flowed into the Sea of Consciousness. There, the spirit meticulously refined the energy, reinforcing itself.
Watching this process, Gavin quickly realized the truth.
"The division of spirit has weakened it, and now it is instinctively absorbing magic energy to recover."
His wolf clone had separated 12 spiritual thoughts, depleting its overall strength. Now, he had to decide what to do with them.
Gavin contemplated the best way to nurture and develop these spiritual thoughts. They needed to be surrounded by ample spiritual energy to grow properly.
"Should I create a magic item to nurture them?"
The idea had merit, but a simple magic item wouldn't suffice. It needed to be powerful enough to sustain the spiritual thoughts, allowing them to develop and evolve.
"A low-level magic item won't do. The best approach would be to forge 12 high-level magic items, each designed to accommodate growth."
But that alone wasn't enough. If he could combine the 12 high-level magic items into a single bronze-rank artifact, the spiritual thoughts would receive even greater nourishment.
However, this plan posed a significant challenge.
To create such high-level magic items, Gavin needed to become a master in refining magic artifacts. While the idea of crafting 12 high-level magic items for his spiritual thoughts was promising, Gavin quickly realized the major flaw in this approach.
"No, this could take years before showing any real results…"
He needed a method that could accelerate the growth process and directly contribute to his clone's advancement.
He then considered magic plants, known for their ability to grow and evolve, but he soon dismissed the idea.
"No, they take too long to reach their full potential, and their evolution depends heavily on the environment."
Take the Blood Magic Tree, for example. It had already reached its limit because its environment lacked the necessary conditions for further evolution. Similarly, Via's magic plants would never reach the bronze rank unless their environment was drastically improved.
As for his wolf clone, an Earth-elemental magic plant would be ideal, yet there wasn't a single Earth-element magic plant in the valley. Transforming an ordinary plant into one was possible, but the process would be time-consuming.
A sudden thought sparked in his mind.
"What if I nurture them within the clone's body itself?"
At first, he considered the cells, but with trillions of them, each vital in its way, it wasn't a practical solution. Digging deeper, he examined another fundamental structure—the Energy Veins.
The Energy Veins were unique—half-real, half-imaginary. When he first formed them, they existed only as a concept, but as his realm advanced, they became more tangible and solidified.
"What about the nodes in the Energy Veins?"
These nodes played a crucial role—they absorbed spiritual energy and converted it into magic energy, which then circulated through the body.
"The nodes are perfect for housing the spiritual thoughts. Since they constantly absorb and convert energy, they can act as natural incubators."
This solution seemed promising. Even when he wasn't actively absorbing spiritual energy, the magic energy would still flow through these nodes, providing a continuous source of nourishment for the spiritual thoughts.
However, there was one challenge—there were hundreds of energy nodes in the body.
"Which ones should I choose for the 12 spiritual thoughts?"
To answer this, Gavin carefully examined each node, and what he discovered was startling.
"From the outside, all the nodes look the same, but inside… their structure is vastly different!"
Through deeper analysis, he categorized them into three types: 27 Largest Nodes, 81 Medium Nodes, and 243 Smallest Nodes.
A total of 351 energy nodes existed within the body. Now, Gavin had to determine which among them was best suited to host the spiritual thoughts.
Beyond his inner world, the sky darkened, and the snowfall came to a halt. The valley was silent, save for the faint glimmer of light that flickered above the golden-furred wolf lying in the snow. Twelve white light spots emerged from the wolf's body, hovering briefly before sinking back in—each one settling in a different location.
The spiritual thoughts entered twelve of the twenty-seven largest energy nodes. It wasn't their size that had determined his choice, but their rarity. These were the smallest in number, and he needed quick results to determine whether this method of cultivation was feasible. If it worked, it could redefine the limits of the bloodline, offering beasts like those in his tribe a path to power beyond their natural restrictions. If successful, it might even draw other beasts to him, willing to surrender in exchange for strength.
This was not a method limited to beasts—his tribe members could practice it as well. After all, everyone possessed spirit power. The greatest barrier to widespread use was the ability to separate fragments of one's spiritual thoughts. For those in the lower realms, this would be extremely difficult—perhaps even impossible.
"In my past life, I was a master in the application of spiritual power… Now, that knowledge is proving useful."
Only beings of higher realms, experts in spiritual power manipulation, or those who grasped the laws of spirit and soul could achieve this naturally. If this method were to be accessible to lower beings, he would need to develop a cultivation technique specifically designed to separate spiritual thoughts.
The fastest way was cutting spiritual thought fragments directly—but he knew of another, slower method. Spiritual thoughts clustered together, continuously forming and dissipating. When a spiritual thought died, it left behind a residue, and when enough of this residue accumulated, a new spiritual thought was born. By designing a practice method that collected and controlled these residues, it would be possible to isolate and nurture spiritual thoughts without forcefully severing them.
For now, he focused on observing the twelve thoughts within the energy nodes. If this method succeeded, it would mark the beginning of a new cultivation path—one that could change the fate of many.
Inside the twelve energy nodes, the spiritual thoughts settled, but their survival was uncertain. Without a steady supply of spiritual and magic energy, they would eventually fade and dissipate. Unlike those within the sea of consciousness, these spiritual thoughts were isolated, unable to participate in the natural cycle of birth and renewal. Gavin needed to find a way to nourish and strengthen them before they withered away.
Focusing on one of the nodes, he observed the whirlpool at its center—a dynamic vortex where spiritual energy transformed into Earth-element magic energy. He guided a spiritual thought into the heart of the whirlpool, carefully sensing the process.
With precise control, he urged the spiritual thought to draw in spiritual energy, attempting to integrate it into the transformation process. As he focused, his awareness deepened, and everything else faded into the background.
Time passed unnoticed. Hours later, he made a startling realization—the transformation of spiritual energy into magic energy was not a simple, natural process. It was ritual magic.
Excitement surged through him. Using the knowledge of ritual magic from the alchemist inheritance, he began deciphering the ritual embedded within the energy node. As the midnight snowstorm howled outside, his spiritual thought merged with the ritual magic, becoming part of it.
"Whoa! What just happened? I can feel it—I have control over the ritual magic!"
Even more astonishing, the spiritual thought stopped fading. The connection stabilized, preventing further dissipation. With newfound control, he commanded his other spiritual thoughts to enter and merge with the ritual magic inside their respective nodes.
To test his control, he experimented, discovering that he could activate and deactivate the ritual magic at will. This realization was profound—if he controlled the ritual now, he could refine and improve it in the future.
Slowly, he sensed the spiritual thoughts growing stronger—a sign that his method was working. But his ambitions weren't complete.
"I need another fifteen spiritual thoughts."
Yet, for now, that was impossible. His spiritual thought cluster needed time to recover and regrow before he could safely separate more thoughts. Rushing the process could damage his spirit, or worse, cause his realm to regress back to the magic beast stage.
Patience was necessary. He had taken the first step—now, he had to wait and let his spirit heal before advancing further.