Wizard: Starting from Escape from the Thorn Garden

Chapter 101 Elemental Baptism

The names of the top ten on the leaderboard, like burning flames, floated above the crystal ball, silently proclaiming their glory and the opportunities that were about to come.

Archmage Horn gave the top 10 wizarding apprentices time to digest the legendary wizard's guidance, while the other apprentices had already redeemed their rewards and left. As for the allocation of resources among the various wizarding organizations, that was not something they could worry about.

Just as Kate was feeling the power brought by the stable operation of the "Seedling of Reincarnation" within her body, a gentle yet vast thought, like the softest morning breeze, resounded directly in her mind: "Kate, I am Elune Greenleaf. Your potential and will, displayed as an apprentice of the Hand of Life, to win the trial, deeply impresses me. The Elemental Baptism is a gift from the Alliance to you, the future pillars, and an important cornerstone on the path to becoming a full-fledged wizard."

"As the top-ranked individual, you have six days of baptism. Within the Elemental Temple, earth, fire, water, wind, wood,..."

Choose from seven primordial elemental powers: lightning, void (space), and more. You can choose one each day or freely combine them. Remember, your choices must align with your own path; greed may not be beneficial, only purity leads to long-term success. The baptism takes place in the "Elemental Temple," where you will be guided later. I look forward to your transformation after this baptism.

The thought came suddenly, yet carried an authoritative authority and expectation. Kate's heart skipped a beat; she immediately realized it was a private message from the Sage of Life, Elune Greenleaf!

This is not only an endorsement of his choice, but also an invisible protection and guidance.

He remained impassive, his gaze sweeping across the list. Based on the information from the Sage of Life, the cold analytical current of the Seed of Origin was already surging through his consciousness:

[Elemental Baptism Rules:]

First Place (Kate): 6 days. You can choose from [Earth, Fire, Water, Wind, Wood, Thunder, Void]. You can choose one or a combination each day (compatibility needs to be considered for combinations).

Second and third place (Chloe, Leo): 3 days, you can choose any of the above elements, one can be selected each day.

Fourth to tenth place (Evan et al.): 1 day, can only choose one element, and must have a basic understanding of the rules of that element.

[Baptism Location: Elemental Temple]

[Core Objective: To leverage the baptismal opportunity to maximize the strengthening of the Reincarnation Nursery's foundation, address its weaknesses, and lay the most solid foundation for building the Wizard's Heart and the path to the future.]

Kate quickly deduced:

Space (Void): One of the core pillars of the Reincarnation Nursery, it must be strengthened! Reserve at least 2 days.

Life (Wood): Another core pillar of the Reincarnation Nursery, the core attribute of the Immortal Root Fragment, must be strengthened!

Allow at least 2 days.

Ground/Rock: Strengthens the defense of the Thorn Armor, stabilizes the nursery's "nursery" foundation, and increases physical resistance. 1

day.

Fire/Lightning: To compensate for the current weakness of insufficient explosive power, the ferocious instinct of the Bloodthirsty Vine can be channeled into destructive energy. 1 day.

Water/Wind: Water can nourish life and purify, while wind can enhance mobility and perception, but these are not core needs and time is limited, so they are not a priority for now.

[Preliminary Plan: Void (2 days) + Wood (2 days) + Earth (1 day) + Fire (1 day)]

[Risk: Fire element may cause a slight conflict with life/space, requiring strong remediation and suppression with the Seed of Origin.]

[Estimated Benefits: Significantly enhanced spatial perception and stability; strengthened life essence and deepened affinity with rules; qualitative change in physical defense; gain of controllable explosive power.]

Just as Kate finished her deduction, Archmage Horn raised his hand, and a clear instruction was transmitted through the All-Encompassing Recorder to the top ten: "The top ten on the leaderboard, please proceed immediately to the entrance of the Eastern Elemental Corridor. The Elemental Baptism is about to begin; the guiding light will lead you to the Elemental Temple. Please make your choice based on your ranking and insights."

Everyone's spirits lifted, and they all headed towards the east side. An archway, flowing with a seven-colored halo and made of pure energy, slowly opened. Behind the archway was a deep, endless corridor. The walls on both sides of the corridor seemed to be made of flowing elemental light rivers, radiating a heart-palpitating primal fluctuation.

Kate stepped into the corridor first. With each step, it felt as if she had traversed space. The corridor was not a physical entity, but a passageway made of pure elemental energy.

Beneath your feet is the flowing pulse of the earth, and on either side are the trails of howling wind, the burning river of flames, the raging torrents of water, the tranquil green light of life, the violent lightning grid, and the unfathomable ripples of the void.

The ten figures moved swiftly through the corridor, each guided by a gentle force. The corridor seemed endless, yet also appeared to pass in the blink of an eye. When Kate sensed the elemental energy around her becoming so concentrated it was almost liquefied, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

They stood on the edge of a boundless "ocean" composed of pure elemental energy. At the center of the ocean, seven enormous "islands" or "celestial bodies" of various shapes floated.

A majestic mountain composed of flowing lava and solidified obsidian (fire).

A deep, calm, mirror-like body of water, yet containing a terrifying, oppressive atmosphere.

A vast, boundless brown land covered with glowing moss and crystal clusters, exuding a heavy aura.

A raging wind domain (wind) that never stops, composed of countless blue tornadoes.

A vibrant emerald forest (wood) woven from countless towering ancient trees and glowing vines.

A thunderstorm cloud sea (thunder) with lightning, thunder, dark clouds, and countless purple electric snakes dancing wildly.

A deep, dark void region dotted with countless rotating nebulae and spatial rifts (the void).

These seven areas are the core of the Elemental Temple – the Elemental Origin Node!

At the center, surrounded by seven nodes, floats a massive platform made of pure energy.

At the edge of the platform stood seven figures dressed in robes of different colors, their auras as deep and unfathomable. They were not physical entities, but rather embodiments of the elemental rules or projections of guardians, their gazes calmly fixed on the ten arriving individuals.

"Elemental baptism, begin." A grand yet neutral voice echoed on the platform, its source indiscernible.

"First place, Kate, six-day baptism right. Please select your baptism sequence."

Kate stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over the seven primal nodes, and calmly stated, "I choose: Day 1, Void (space); Day 2, Wood (life); Day 3, Earth (earth element); Day 4, Fire; Day 5, Void (space); Day 6, Wood (life)."

His choice caused some subtle ripples. Choosing the same element for two consecutive days signifies in-depth exploration and extreme enhancement! Especially space and life, which are precisely the core of his path.

"Alright." The shadowy figure beside the void node nodded slightly. A deep, starlight chain instantly wrapped around Kate, pulling him toward that void region.

At the same time, the guardians of the other nodes also spoke up: "Second place, Chloe Lightforged, right to three days of baptism. Please choose."

Chloe's silver eyes sparkled: "I choose: Void (space), Lightning (lightning element), Void (space)." She also chose to deeply enhance space, supplemented by the purification and penetrating power of lightning.

"Third place, Leo Thorns, right to three days of baptism. Please select."

Leo's eyes blazed with green light: "Wood (life), Earth (earth element), Wood (life)." He focused on life and the earth, strengthening the foundation of the thorn symbiote.

"Fourth place, Evan Windwhisperer, one-day baptism right. Please select."

Evan sensed the active wind element around him: "Wind."

"Fifth place, Elena Starshine, one day of baptism. Please select."

Elena gazed into the void with her silver eyes: "Void (space)." (Strengthening spatial perception of the Star Prophecy.)

"Sixth place, Shadowsong Morris, one-day baptismal right. Please select."

Shadow Song's gaze swept across the fire and the void, finally settling on: "Void (space)." The foundation of the leaping shadows.

"Seventh place, Alphonse Raging Waves, one day of baptism. Please select."

Alphonse answered without hesitation: "Water." The source of tidal power.

"Eighth place, Sofia Rockheart, one-day baptism right. Please select."

A resolute expression appeared on Sophia's rock-like face: "Earth." The ultimate reinforcement of the Earth Barrier.

"Ninth place, Kyle Shadowthorn, one-day baptism right. Please select."

Kayle merged into the shadows, his voice icy: "The Void." The very essence of the Shadow Assassin.

"Tenth place, Serena Shadow, one day of baptism. Please select."

Serena, like a shadow: "The Void." The core of the Path of Shadow.

Once the selection was complete, ten beams of light of different colors shot out from the corresponding source nodes, precisely enveloping the ten people!

Day 1: Kate was pulled into that void. There was no up, down, left, or right, no sense of the passage of time, only endless darkness and flowing nebulae.

Countless tiny spatial rifts appeared and disappeared around him, and the vast spatial primordial energy surged into his body like a tide.

The Seed of Origin operates at full power, guiding this energy to integrate into the spatial framework of the "Reincarnation Nursery".

The illusory image of the Lotus of Tranquility in the Void spun wildly, greedily absorbing the energy of the same origin. He felt his spatial perception expanding infinitely, and his understanding of spatial folding, traversal, and anchoring deepened rapidly.

By the end, his control over space had improved by a whole new level.

Day Two: Kate found herself in the Emerald Forest, enveloped by an intensely rich life force. Every leaf and every vine seemed to convey to her the joy of growth and the power of resilience.

The fragments of the Root of Immortality, like parched land receiving timely rain, greedily absorbed the essence of life, radiating a bright emerald light. The mysterious patterns on their surface became even clearer, as if they were being purified in the torrent of life, nourishing the entire nursery.

Under the influence of the immense life force, the ferocious aura of the Bloodthirsty Vine was further suppressed and purified, and even faint emerald green patterns appeared on its dark red vines. Its life force became incredibly powerful, and its recovery ability was astonishing.

Day 3: Kate stood on the vast earth and felt an indescribable sense of weight and stability coming from beneath her feet.

Pure earth energy surged into his body and merged into the Thorn Armor.

The golden metallic thorns became thicker and more solid, with natural patterns resembling ancient rocks appearing on their surface, greatly increasing their defensive capabilities.

At the same time, this energy also stabilizes the foundation of the "Reincarnation Nursery," making the entire spiritual sea structure more indestructible and greatly enhancing its resistance to physical impacts and energy fluctuations.

Day Four: The intense heat of the lava mountain peak was enough to melt adamantite, but Kate was enveloped in a protective layer of energy. A surge of raging fire elementals poured in, carrying with them the will of destruction and rebirth.

The Seed of Origin exerted its full power to suppress and harmonize, guiding this force not to destroy, but to refine it!

It tempered the ferocious instincts of the Bloodthirsty Vine, transforming them into a controllable, highly compressed, destructive energy core, which was attached to the tip of the vine.

At the same time, this intense heat was also tempering his spiritual sea, removing impurities and making his spiritual power more condensed and pure. Under the burning flames, the thorn armor gained a dark red, lava-like luster, its physical defense remained unchanged, but its resistance to energy attacks, especially frost and necromantic energy, increased.

Day Five: Kate returns to the void once more. This time, his understanding of space is much deeper. He is no longer passively absorbing, but actively guiding and shaping.

He attempted to simulate more complex spatial structures within the mental sea, guiding spatial energy to form more efficient circulation channels within the nursery.

The distance and precision of spatial flickering have been improved again, and the cooling time has been shortened. The perception of weak points in space is more acute, and it can even vaguely predict the emergence of small spatial fissures.

Day Six: Kate returns to the Emerald Forest. This time, he no longer merely absorbs, but attempts to resonate with this land of life's origin.

He guided life energy within the nursery to simulate a more refined life cycle, making the connection between the fragments of the Immortal Root and the essence of the floating flowers and moon shadows even stronger.

The nourishment from the source of life not only strengthened his body and soul, but also deepened his understanding of the rules of life, allowing him to vaguely touch the edge of the rules of "growth," "cycle," and "purification."

Under the final baptism of life, the ferocity of the Bloodthirsty Vine was suppressed to a minimum, and even a faint, controlled life force was born at its core.

Evan Windtalker's "Wind of Freedom" has finally taken full shape after being baptized by pure wind elements!

It is not a solid core, but a perpetually rotating "vortex of a thousand winds" that efficiently exchanges energy and information.

His control over the wind reached a new level, with speed, perception, and cutting power all enhanced. After the baptism, a gentle breeze swirled around him, and his figure seemed poised to merge into the wind at any moment.

Elena Starshine's spatial baptism greatly enhanced her stellar prophecy abilities. Her perception of spatial coordinates became more acute, spatial interference on her prophetic spells decreased, and her casting became more precise.

After the baptism, the starlight in her silver eyes seemed to connect with the deep universe.

Sofia Rockheart's Earth Baptism brought her rock armor defense to the pinnacle of a Level 4 Apprentice!

The rock armor is not only thicker, but its surface also displays natural magic resistance runes, significantly enhancing its resistance to energy impacts.

After the baptism, she was like a mobile fortress, her aura as steady as a mountain.

Both Kayle Shadowthorn and Serena Shadow chose to enhance their spatial abilities.

Kyle's shadow assassinations are more deadly, while Serena's shadow stealth and manipulation are more adept.

After the baptism, the shadows on the two became even deeper, and the spatial fluctuations were almost imperceptible.

After several days of baptism, it was like being reborn.

As the last trace of elemental energy dissipated, Kate slowly opened her eyes.

The aura emanating from them had undergone a dramatic change compared to before the baptism!

Their spiritual power has become more refined and powerful, and the sense of power or elemental affinity contained in their physical bodies has been significantly enhanced, resulting in a qualitative leap in their core abilities.

Kate felt the surging power within her. Her mental strength, under the combined effects of the six-day baptism and the Seed of Origin, had reached an astonishing 85 points!

More importantly, the spatial framework of the "Reincarnation Nursery" was reinforced and expanded by the baptism of the void; the Seed of Life grew stronger and more active under the nourishment of the fragments of the Immortal Root and the baptism of wood; the defensive power of the Thorn Armor increased dramatically; and the Blood-Eating Vine gained controllable bursts of fire element power.

An unprecedented sense of power and control arose spontaneously.