Chapter 315: |
[5th year of the Simulation. You are 22 years old.]
[Kingdom of Aoka, White Crow Tower, Summer.]
[It has been two years since you left Crowfield. With your exceptional talent and moderate financial resources, you have gained some reputation within the sorcerer tower.]
[White Crow Tower extends an invitation to you.]
[They want you to become an official member of the tower.]
[You refuse the offer. The current Tower Master expresses regret, but assures you that the doors of the tower will always be open to you should you ever change your mind.]
[Meditating on the soul, cleansing the undead, refining spells.]
[Your life is monotonous, resembling the ascetics of old—diligent, unwavering, unaffected by distractions.]
[Someone attempts to befriend you, sending a beautiful elf to your quarters.]
[You reject their advances, declaring your sole focus is on training and that indulgence would only weaken your resolve.]
[Ten days later, you hear an odd piece of news.]
[The same sorcerer who sent you the elf has recently been plagued with misfortune—first ambushed by high-tier undead, then pursued by a dragon.]
[You express sympathy for his plight.]
[5th year of the Simulation—Summer fades into Autumn.]
[Due to the Netherworld’s corrosion, the seasonal changes in the sorcerer world are barely perceptible, yet you can still sense the gradual desolation creeping through the environment.]
[Staring out the window, you feel the turbulent surge of your soul, barely restrained within your body.]
[You are on the verge of breaking through to a Two-Ring Sorcerer.]
Knights stood in formation, gripping their long metal lances. The proud banner of White Crow flapped in the wind—blue as its base, a white crow in mid-dive emblazoned upon it. The black sun was veiled by deathly clouds.
On the streets, figures moved in and out of sight—flickering silhouettes buried in an atmosphere of silence.
Occasionally, members of other races could be seen. Elven archers, orcish swordmasters, dwarven warriors. These professions, including the human knights, all revolved around the same core principle as sorcery—utilizing the power of the soul. Their only drawback was efficiency.
Lacking the aptitude to become sorcerers, they could only merge their soul power with combat techniques, forming a different kind of supernatural ability.
“Life always finds a way.”
“Sorcerers have the path of sorcery. Those who are not sorcerers… find their own methods.”
“Judging by the timeline, next year marks the ten-year cycle of the Dark Tide. When that happens, the number of undead will surge dramatically.”
“But with the Four-Ring Sorcerer Tower overseeing things, the Kingdom of Aoka should remain secure.”
“Sylvia, on the other hand…”
“She’s in a remote area with fewer undead. Given her swordsmanship and her increased strength, she should be fine.”
Xu Xi’s soul fluctuations rippled outward as he observed the world outside, contemplating his future course of action. Dimming the lights, activating the warding runes. He was ready for his breakthrough.
“Soul—the bridge that connects life and death.”
Xu Xi sat in meditation, his palms glowing with faint yet flickering light. It was both fire and light. His soul, having reached the peak of the First-Ring stage, burned fiercely, surging wildly within his body.
“The next step… is to solidify my soul power.”
Xu Xi withdrew the soul fire. Closing his eyes, he delved into his innermost being, seeking the deepest layer of his intangible soul. His soul was already engraved with an intricate web of spell patterns, each one corresponding to the Zero-Ring and First-Ring spells he had mastered. These patterns served as conduits for channeling soul power, allowing him to cast spells. They were also regulators, helping him control the vast energies within.
“Over the past few years, I spent a lot of time studying at White Crow Tower. If not for that, with the Soul Collector’s unique abilities, I should have broken through much earlier.”
“But now… it’s finally time to reap the rewards.”
The patterns stirred. A deep resonance echoed through them. Xu Xi’s will encased his soul, forming an impenetrable cage around it. The truths he had comprehended. The first innate spell he had inscribed. As boundless energy poured into him, his soul reached its absolute limit—triggering a complete metamorphosis of the engraved spell patterns.
“A Two-Ring Sorcerer… breakthrough in an instant.”
At that moment—
Xu Xi’s soul seemed to leap out of his body, out of White Crow Tower, into the vast and boundless world beyond.
And there, he saw things far beyond human comprehension.
Like the endless, towering phantoms of the Netherworld.
An immeasurable realm.
Layer upon layer of dominions ruled by undying kings—an apocalyptic domain.
It was not that Two-Ring Sorcerers were capable of glimpsing the nature of the world.
Rather, it was that the world itself had crept so close… that even a Two-Ring Sorcerer could now see it.
A sudden gust of wind roared. Forcing his soul back into his body.
“Soul solidification… quite literally a crude yet effective process. My soul actually left my body,” Xu Xi muttered, slowly opening his eyes. His soul surged. His mind expanded. The innate spell he had carved into his First-Ring state had now evolved into something greater.
First-Ring Sorcery: Life Decay.
Had transformed into—
Second-Ring Sorcery: Life Withering.
At first glance, it seemed like a spell purely designed to target the living.
But in truth, it worked just as effectively against the undead.
“Draining vitality… eroding the soul.”
“Strange, why does this feel like a villain’s ability?”
“Still… paired with my ‘Interwoven Fate of Life and Death’ trait, this spell seems ideal for studying the cycle of existence.”
Raising his palm, an unseen force radiated outward, sweeping through the training chamber like a storm. Some of the test materials inside—organic matter used for experiments—immediately shriveled, curling into lifeless husks as though their essence had been sucked dry.
Then—
Xu Xi tested other spells.
Elemental sorcery. Universal sorcery. Shapeshifting sorcery. Curse sorcery.
Although they were still the same First-Ring spells he had mastered before, with the reinforcement of a Two-Ring Sorcerer’s soul, their power had visibly increased. Some even showed signs of self-evolution.
“So this is what it feels like… I see now.”
“Beyond just growing in raw power…”
“Every breakthrough in the sorcerer system allows the soul to naturally perceive new truths… to grasp new knowledge.”
Xu Xi sighed, realizing that with his ascension, concepts that had previously been incomprehensible now made perfect sense. It was a refreshing, liberating feeling. No wonder some sorcerers had sought the Netherworld’s descent, believing it to be the key to their advancement.
“Now that I’ve reached the Two-Ring level, once I learn enough Second-Ring spells and gain power equivalent to my new realm, I can leave White Crow Tower.”
Xu Xi rose from his seat, exiting the training room. On his way back to his quarters, he glanced at the bleak sky outside. The black sun loomed overhead, its light murky and tainted. Everything was shrouded in an all-encompassing darkness of despair.
“Two-Ring Sorcerers… are the limit of what White Crow Tower can offer.”
“This place holds no resources for advancing to the Third Ring.”
“Nor does it provide the conditions necessary to further my research on souls.”
“It’s time to move forward…”
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