Fire.
Blazing fire.
High temperatures, searing heat, destruction...
When struck by the terrifying mental force from above, Ronan felt as if he had been hit by a river of scorching lava. He plunged into a lake of molten rock, feeling an excruciating burning pain, as if his muscles were being torn and charred.
Just as he thought he would completely melt away in this endless fiery inferno, a cool silver light enveloped him.
The lava receded, and something he had been holding tightly in his hand seemed to slip away.
Sounds of spell incantations and shouts echoed, but quickly faded above him.
Soon, Ronan was immersed in a brilliant silver light.
In his consciousness space, the [Mirror Light] rune greedily absorbed the space energy-laden silver glow, and Ronan could feel it "growing."
It was rapidly growing toward its destined form.
"Crack, crack, crack—"
Ronan's mental power was also growing.
In his mind, the small, crystal-clear mental power crystal rapidly expanded under the stimulation of the silver light, visibly growing.
In no time, it grew to its limit, almost ten times its original size.
Within the crystal, faint silver strands spun gently.
Then, the surging silver light quickly condensed into a fingernail-sized silver crystal, deeply embedded in Ronan's consciousness space.
"Space energy crystal? Or a seed?"
Ronan observed the silver crystal still emitting faint strands of silver light, which were almost entirely absorbed by the [Mirror Light] rune.
Before he could study it further, he was pulled back to reality by an external force.
"Go!"
A burly, dignified-looking middle-aged man in a splendid robe appeared before him, grabbing his arm and urging him to leave quickly with a solemn expression.
Ronan was "dragged" toward a nearby spell airship.
He noticed several cold gazes upon him. Following them, he saw a black-robed man with a feathered mask and a bald wizard holding a burning stone staff.
A sound like distant thunder rumbled from above.
Instinctively, Ronan looked up to see the once-clear blue sky now dominated by various colors: dark red like lava, fresh green like a forest, damp black like a nightmare, and sparkling like crystals...
The mirror lake below reflected these vivid colors. Amid the surging, terrifying energies, a dazzling silver light darted and weaved like a fish, appearing and disappearing.
Before Ronan could take a closer look, the Silver Ring airship beneath him had already activated, quickly retreating in the direction they had come, eager to distance themselves from this terrifying battlefield.
Vast forest.
Beneath the waterfall of the Milky Way, a figure floated silently.
Water crashed against the rocks, thundering into the deep pool below, drowning out all other noise, yet providing Ronan a peculiar sense of peace.
Ronan opened his character panel.
[Strength: Second-Level Official Wizard (33%)]
After the Mirror Court exploration, his mental power had surged to 33% in the final infusion of silver light.
He had reached the peak of early-stage second-level, on the verge of condensing his second mental power crystal.
Additionally, his consciousness space now housed a "seed" brimming with space energy, nourishing the [Mirror Light] rune.
In just a few days, the [Mirror Light] rune had transformed significantly.
It had grown more intricate and profound, and its effects had greatly enhanced.
"!"
Ronan drew a line before him, as if slicing open the air.
Countless mysterious energies leaked from the opening, attracting a swarm of free energy particles.
Soon, two serene, seven-colored rivers appeared in the void, one above the other, exuding a silent yet overwhelming might, even drowning out the waterfall's roar.
The [Mirror Light] rune, triggering a domain resonance, [Particle Stream — Spearit's Seven-Colored River].
Upon closer inspection, a phantom of another seven-colored river seemed to manifest between the two.
This was the effect of the [Mirror Light] rune's transformation.
"Double replication..."
Ronan's eyes flickered, dismissing the seven-colored rivers, musing to himself, "Once the [Mirror Light] rune fully upgrades under the space energy seed's nurturing, its effect will undergo a qualitative leap. Perhaps it will be called — [Multiple Mirror Light]!"
Reflecting on the final moments of the Mirror Court exploration, Ronan realized the so-called "legacy trial" was essentially a "trap" orchestrated by the silver staff.
This was later confirmed by Third Ring Master Caroni.
The silver staff was a dawn-level artifact left by an ancient Mirror Court wizard, which had developed some sentience over time, gaining a self-awareness.
The sentient silver staff yearned for "freedom," or perhaps sought to follow in its former master's footsteps?
For some reason, due to restrictions and methods, it couldn't escape the secret space on its own, so it sought to use the wizards who came to explore to achieve this goal.
Ronan was its chosen "escape bridge."
"Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have rewarded me, as I was merely a tool."
Ronan pondered, suspecting the presence of the [Mirror Light] rune in him led the silver staff's consciousness to mistake him for a wizard who had "inherited some of the Mirror Court's legacy."
In simple terms, it saw him as "one of its own."
Thus, it not only shielded him from the mental force that nearly "incinerated" him on the spot but also left him with a wealth of benefits.
"Molten Lake!"
Ronan took a deep breath, coldly uttering Molten Lake's name.
Fourth-level, dawn wizard.
That terrifying mental force like a river of lava.
The pressure that nearly melted his consciousness entirely.
Only a fourth-level dawn wizard, touching the dawn, could cause mental power to manifest such "elemental" characteristics, imbued with a terrifying elemental power.
In the secret realm, he displayed his powerful bloodline and talent, crushing Molten Lake's prodigy Igor, perhaps tarnishing Molten Lake's reputation, or they intended to eliminate this budding Silver Ring genius at the outset...
Molten Lake's fourth-level dawn wizard attempted to crush him like an ant during the silver staff's capture.
"Would I have died without the silver staff?"
Ronan asked himself.
This was a question with no easy answer.
But this experience was a stern warning—he was still too weak.
"Angle Orion... dawn wizard..."
Ronan mentally listed those he knew were likely or certainly stronger than him.
These were his future targets to surpass one by one.
This was also Ronan's driving force on his wizard path.
He had long passed the stage of struggling solely for survival; he now actively pursued strength, yearning to see the vistas those at greater heights could see.
And to conquer every remarkable individual he encountered along the way.
"Is this the so-called prodigious mindset?"
Ronan wasn't sure, but he was pleased with this psychological transformation.
Using a phrase teachers often chastised him with in school, it was—helping others learn and learning for oneself were two entirely different concepts, the latter reaching heights the former couldn't.
"I'm already a qualified 'academic elite.'"
Ronan activated the flight ring on his hand, quickly flying in one direction, guided by a soul mark.
He continued pondering the silver staff.
From a personal perspective, Ronan hoped it had escaped the four dawn wizards' pursuit.
In a sense, the self-awareness born within the silver staff was still a "child," born in the secret realm, never having seen the outside world. If it were imprisoned, wouldn't that be too cruel?
Lost in thought, Ronan unknowingly ventured deep into the vast forest below, reaching a stretch of undulating, desolate mountains.
He halted, waiting quietly.
Before long, a low, resonant hiss sounded from the distant mountains.
From Ronan's vantage, he saw vast ancient woods swaying, shaking, toppling...
Finally, a nearly fifty-meter-long ice crystal serpent, thick as a giant peak, slowly emerged from the dense forest, its crimson, diamond-like eyes coldly watching him, a hint of longing in them—a deep, intense desire to pin Ronan down and beat him thoroughly!
Man and serpent, small and large, engaged in silent confrontation.
The fierce wind above split into two, forming two invisible tornadoes, clashing continuously.
Ronan's lips curled upward, his eyes gradually brightening.
"It seems you've been anticipating this battle."
Ronan took a deep breath, the elegant gray-silver robe of Neyman metal disintegrating, revealing his perfectly sculpted physique.
"Then, as you wish."
"Collapse!"
Ronan's well-proportioned frame rapidly expanded, growing taller, muscles rippling, fine veins surfacing on his face, pure white lightning sparking from every pore...
A massive, twisted aura surged from his body!
[Immaculate Body], half-demon state!
Facing an ice crystal serpent, the best approach was the most primal, direct, and brutal; otherwise, it would be unsatisfied!
Perhaps due to the fused ancient Frost Hydra bloodline, Ronan noticed that in his "half-demon" state, the roots of his floating white hair bore hints of dark blue.
Touching his cheek, he seemed to feel a slight scale-like texture.
Even the pressure he emitted carried traces of the ancient Frost Hydra's majesty.
This caused the initially eager ice crystal serpent to grow restless, its gaze filled with a deep wariness.
The "half-demon" state's surging vitality seemed to awaken the tiny bit of ancient Frost Hydra bloodline within him.
"Challenging me is akin to challenging your bloodline's ancient and noble source."
Ronan smiled at the agitated serpent.
This was precisely his goal.
The intrinsic bloodline pressure would instill some fear, unease, and tension in the serpent when facing him.
Using the serpent's own bloodline to suppress it might seem unfair, but when confronting an innate beast, it was the best strategy.
When the serpent's unease peaked, it finally couldn't endure, growling low, its form morphing into a massive ice-blue shadow, lunging at Ronan.
Without warning, man and serpent collided fiercely.
"Boom!"
The ground trembled and shook, a massive white shockwave bursting from the clash, toppling vast swathes of forest.
Ronan used no wizard spells, relying solely on his body against the serpent.
This battle resembled two ancient beasts in close combat, wreaking havoc, soon leaving the forest in ruins.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Bang!"
Ronan and the serpent clashed repeatedly, their combat wild and savage, testing raw physical strength and control over the surrounding ice energy particles.
In his half-demon state, Ronan held the upper hand.
Yet the serpent was indeed a formidable ancient beast, its growth rate astounding.
Ronan had only visited the Mirror Court, a matter of weeks, and the serpent had nearly reached mid-second-level magical beast stature.
"Boom—"
Ronan's punch sent the massive serpent flying, his blazing fist shattering its icy scales, drawing blood from its body.
The serpent howled in pain, its fury only growing, its bloodline further awakening, its power surging, poised to attack Ronan again.
Ronan, expressionless, squinted, slowly gathering strength.
Facing such a wild ancient beast, he had to repeatedly inflict pain, beat it down, until it truly feared him, only then could he tame it.
This process might be long for the rapidly growing serpent, but Ronan had time and patience.
As Ronan prepared another blow, suddenly...
"Crack, crack, crack—"
An odd sound emanated from within his body.
As if a shackle had broken, Ronan felt something struggling to emerge from his bones, his flesh, forcing its way into his hands, about to sprout from his palms.
Ronan instinctively raised his hands, examining his palms.
The mark imprinted by a mysterious metal ring in the Mirror Court was now forced to the back of his right hand.
In its place, a tadpole-like black rune slowly emerged from his palms.
The rune was simple, yet seemed to contain infinite profundity, drawing in the gaze and soul.
As the rune emerged, Ronan felt an ancient, mysterious, weighty power steadily awakening within him.
He attempted to raise his hand, the light enveloping him flowing like water into his palms, the two runes beginning to glow.
Ronan felt his hands grow heavy as if drawing a massive, invisible bow, each movement arduous.
Sweat poured from him, yet the aura he emitted condensed further, becoming more terrifying, even the initially aggressive serpent hesitated, wary, unwilling to approach.
Ronan suddenly seemed to realize something, quickly opening his character panel.
Sure enough!
The [Ascetic Body Training] skill, previously at master level nearing 500, had, through recent combat, finally surpassed the 500 mastery threshold.
And behind the [Ascetic Body Training] text, a new suffix appeared—
[Ascetic Body Training — Ancient Power]!
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