Ian sat cross-legged in the meditation room, while Gaga napped beside him out of boredom.
His breathing was slow and long, and with every breath, his Sea of Spirit rippled faintly.
He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the depths of his Sea of Spirit.
A Crystal Core with sharp edges and an incomparably stable structure was suspended in the center of his Sea of Spirit.
It was a perfect regular tetrahedron, and inside, it displayed an even more complex and mysterious astral structure.
This was a special phenomenon that occurred after the Seed of the Stars entered it, causing the Crystal to fuse with a portion of the Star Rule.
At this moment, the Crystal Core was emitting a soft, reserved, pale golden halo, which shimmered in concert with the slowly revolving stars above the Sea of Spirit.
With a thought, the panel appeared before his eyes.
Name: Ian Marcus
Age: 21
Realm: Level Two Initial Stage Wizard—Spiritual Elementalization (0.1%)
Talent: Upper-class Star Attribute
[Skills: Starry Sky Festival, Second Layer (387/6400)
Tier Two Talent Witchcraft—Frost Ash Beam: Limit-Broken Once (387/6400) (Limit-Breaking Effect: 1. Entropy Change Domain)
Gravity Collapse Ball: Mastery (3578/6400)
Furnace Body Tempering Skill: Skilled (1482/1600)
Other...]
A line of information clearly appeared in his consciousness.
’Level Two Initial Stage... Elementalization has only just begun.’
Ian’s "gaze" fell upon the 0.1% progress, but he felt no anxiety. Instead, his heart was clear as still water.
Since breaking through to Level Two, the "texture" of his Spiritual Power had undergone a fundamental change.
His Spiritual Power Crystal, originally Attributeless, had been tempered by the Seed of the Stars and had begun to be "dyed" with the Star Attribute.
The most significant change was that his original Light Attribute Talent had been fused with and replaced by a High Tier Talent.
’After all... this is a Rule Fragment from a Morning Star Wizard!’
Every time Ian saw the description on the panel, the corners of his mouth would turn up unconsciously as ripples stirred in his heart.
He could now be considered a young genius with a decent Talent.
After breaking through to Level Two, the advantages of his crystalline Spiritual Power were obvious.
Its structure was stable, making it difficult to be shaken or tainted by external forces.
Its Energy output was more efficient and precise, with almost no loss.
Most importantly, it had laid the perfect foundation for the next qualitative change... Spiritual Power Elementalization.
He began to sort out the path ahead.
The journey from Level Two to Level Three was no longer a simple accumulation of Energy.
Instead, it involved two consecutive qualitative changes, each more dangerous than the last.
The first step was Spiritual Power Elementalization.
Although crystalline Spiritual Power was strong, its essence was still pure, "Attributeless" Spiritual Energy.
For a Level Three Wizard, every single Witchcraft possessed world-shattering power.
The root cause was that their Spiritual Power itself inherently carried an elemental attribute.
’Imbue my Spiritual Power... with the Star Attribute.’
As the thought crossed Ian’s mind, the Seed of the Stars in his Sea of Spirit trembled slightly. It actively drew in the free-floating, extremely sparse Star Energy from the surrounding space, slowly absorbing it.
The process was extremely slow, like using the finest sandpaper to polish the surface of a Crystal, bit by bit, gradually tinting it with the luster of the Stars.
His future Cultivation would involve absorbing a large number of Energy Crystals that matched his own attribute.
He also had to continuously refine them through his Meditation Method, imprinting the pure essence of the Star Element into his Spiritual Power structure, bit by bit.
For every 10% of his Spiritual Power that he converted, the power of his Star-type Witchcraft would increase by leaps and bounds.
The first time he converted 10%, his Witchcraft’s power would increase by 100%.
When his Spiritual Power crystal was 100% elementalized, his entire Sea of Spirit would transform into a brilliant, bright-golden nebula.
The power of his Witchcraft would increase to 1000% of the original.
At that point, his Realm would have reached the Level Two Late Stage.
’Ten times the power...’
No wonder it was as difficult as ascending to heaven for Wizards to fight opponents of a higher level in the later stages.
’The difference in Witchcraft is just too great!’
With a mere wave of his hand, he could form a Star Domain capable of suppressing peers of the same tier.
This step was a matter of slow, patient work. It required time and resources but posed no fatal danger.
The true life-and-death trial was the second step: body Elementalization.
Ian’s consciousness swept over the relevant information mentioned by Tower Shield.
Even with his current Will, he felt a shiver of dread.
’This is a leap from "tangible flesh and blood" to a "Half-Elemental Life."’
Once Elementalization was complete, one would condense an extremely formidable Elemental True Form.
In the state of an Elemental True Form, the power of one’s Witchcraft would be amplified once again.
Moreover, the body would no longer have any weaknesses.
Limbs, heart... even the head would no longer be fatal weak points.
As long as the Soul remained intact, one could use Energy Crystals to recover quickly.
The benefits were immense, but the process was extremely dangerous.
The danger came from three sources.
First was the impact from the plane’s will.
To elementalize one’s body, the best method was to connect to an ElementalPlane of the corresponding attribute.
There were similar places on the Wizard World Continent, but they were all controlled by a few extremely powerful families or factions.
’But I heard the Tower Master say that the effects in these regions are not as good as in an Elemental Plane. The Energy is mostly less abundant, and they are merely safer.’
When a Wizard connected to an Elemental Plane, what surged forth was not just Energy, but a violent tide carrying the plane’s fundamental will.
The will of each plane was almost always cold, vast, and indifferent, and it would frantically assault the Wizard’s Soul.
It would try to grind away the connected consciousness and assimilate it into an unwitting Elemental Spirit of the plane.
How could the fragile, fleshy body of a Level Two Wizard withstand a direct infusion of violent Star Energy?
The slightest misstep could cause everything from the internal organs to the bones to disintegrate and vaporize under the scouring of the Energy.
There was also another crucial point: the Elementalization progress of different body parts had to be highly synchronized.
If the right arm was 70% elementalized while the left leg was only at 20%, or if other parts were unbalanced...
The immense "elemental density difference" would create terrifying tearing stress within the body, ultimately ripping it apart from the inside.
’A one-in-ten chance of survival...’
Ian muttered to himself, but his gaze only grew sharper.
He reviewed the cards in his hand one by one.
The Seed of the Stars within his Spiritual Power Crystal was more stable than a regular Crystal Core.
His affinity for and Control Power over Star Energy were particularly strong, making the Elementalization process naturally more controllable.
’Heh! And I have my unique panel.’
This mysterious existence was a firewall in the deepest part of his Soul, able to protect his last shred of clarity during the most violent impacts of Will.
’Maybe I can even... purify the plane’s will, just like I fleece the Abyss’s will?’
A green light glinted in Ian’s eyes. If this was actually feasible...
Then his Elementalization would become controllable and extremely fast.
Furthermore, for body Elementalization, one would have a much better chance of success with an extremely tough physique.
He had long been cultivating the Furnace Body Tempering Skill, a top-tier Body Refining Witchcraft, and was now nearing the Mastery stage.
This made his physical strength far exceed that of Wizards at the same level, like a piece of Star Iron forged and tempered a thousand times, sturdy enough to serve as a solid vessel for the elemental infusion.
His advantages were obvious, but they weren’t enough.
Now he needed to grind it until it was Limit-Broken, which would surely trigger another qualitative improvement.
However, even with all that, he was still missing one crucial thing.
A Balance and Stability Class Potion that could coordinate his whole body’s progress, buffer the tearing stress, and help stabilize his Soul during body Elementalization.
Without it, it would be like trying to melt a piece of pig iron by heating it from multiple points above and below at the same time, without any guarantee of even heating. The only result would be for it to shatter explosively.
With it, the most terrifying risk of "imbalance" during body Elementalization would be reduced to a minimum.
’Balance... stability?’
The information from his last conversation with Morton echoed in his mind.
Why were so many Wizards who hadn’t undergone Body Refinement also able to complete their body Elementalization?
It was because of this type of Potion or treasure!
Suddenly, a thought struck Ian.
His consciousness delved deep into his Dimension Ring, sweeping past mountain-like piles of materials, Potions, and ancient tomes.
Finally, it stopped in a corner sealed by layer upon layer of Runes.
There, a worn-out piece of Parchment lay quietly.
[Water of Balance (Incomplete)]
This was the recipe for the Water of Balance that Ian had accidentally obtained from Kristen. At the time, he had only known it was for an incomplete Potion.
Back at Furnace Camp, when he was trading with Sterling...
The panel had issued a warning for the first time, which was how he learned how precious this recipe was.
Now, looking at this incomplete recipe, Ian’s eyes grew profound.
’Could it be... that this is one of the keys to breaking through to Level Three.’
He carefully examined the materials on the recipe, one by one. A lot of the content was missing.
[Silent Jellyfish Condensate Core]
He had seen this item once on the exchange list during the Demon Hunting war.
’I... think I exchanged for one?’
[The Silent Jellyfish Condensate Core naturally possesses an "Energy Buffer" characteristic, allowing it to transform sharp, ferocious Energy impacts into gentle ripples.]
’This description... doesn’t sound like it’s for balancing a bloodline. It sounds a lot like an effect for stabilizing and balancing Elementalization!’
There was another auxiliary material: [The Complete Shed Skin of a Snake of the Retired Qilin].
It had a natural affinity for all energy systems and was the best material for Energy Guidance.
’Unfortunately... the recipe is still incomplete. A very important main ingredient is missing.’
Ian’s current insight was worlds apart from what it used to be; he could see the problem at a glance.
He began to study it excitedly for a long while, but came up with nothing.
’It’s no use. I can’t deduce it for now.’
He was a little disappointed, but he quickly adjusted his mindset and carefully put the Parchment away.
Right now, his most urgent task was to patiently absorb Star Crystals and complete the 100% Elementalization of his Spiritual Power.
At the same time, he had to find the complete recipe for the Water of Balance and the missing auxiliary materials, no matter the cost.
Finally, when his body and Soul were fully prepared and the Potion was in hand, he would seek out an absolutely safe and hidden place to charge through the life-and-death gate to Level Three.
The road was long and difficult.
But a slight curve formed at the corner of Ian’s mouth.
On this path, he had clear goals, feasible steps, and his panel, the Seed of the Stars, and a powerful physique to rely on.
Compared to the confusion and weakness when he first transmigrated, compared to the years of treading on thin ice in the Shadow Moon Tower, compared to the days and nights of life-and-death struggles in the Underworld...
Now, at least, he could clearly see where he needed to go and how to get there.
He stood up and walked to the window of the meditation room.
Outside the window was the boundless, starry sky—cold, vast, and full of unknowns, yet also containing infinite Power and possibilities.
"Elementalization... Level Three..."
Ian gazed at the starry sky, repeating these two words under his breath as the starlight in his eyes grew ever more resolute.
His Cultivation path ahead would begin with the search for his first high-quality Star Crystal.