Wizard: Starting from Escape from the Thorn Garden

Chapter 109 The Road After the First Ring

After being taught by the Sage of Life for some time, Kate has learned about the different stages from a first-circle wizard to a sanctuary wizard.

First, there's the issue of lifespan. The limit for an ordinary wizard apprentice is around 150 years old, while a first-ring wizard can live to be 400-500 years old. Second-ring and third-ring wizards can live to be over a thousand years old. As for holy-level wizards, lifespan is no longer of great significance to them. As long as the plane does not perish, they will not die.

Then there's physical strength. The bodies of ordinary wizard apprentices are still within the realm of humans. Over time, their mental power will gradually transform their bodies, eventually reaching the level of steel they were in their previous lives. The physical strength of a first-ring wizard is about three times the human limit. This is not just a simple three-fold relationship. It means that attacks from ordinary apprentices are unlikely to break through the physical defenses of a formal wizard, and their recovery ability is also very strong.

Next is mental power. After condensing the wizard's heart, mental power will rely on the wizard's heart to continuously absorb external mental energy and temper itself. If the density of mental power in the wizard apprentice stage is as thin as air, then the mental power of a formal wizard becomes as dense as liquid.

The improvement in mental strength also allows wizards to leverage more and wider amounts of energy through magic in a short period of time. A wizard's mental strength is the fulcrum for leveraging energy, and a formal wizard can leverage dozens of times more energy than a wizard apprentice. If wizard apprentices are still considered to be within the scope of ordinary humans, formal wizards have transcended the definition of humans and become another species. The energy they can leverage can easily exceed the limits of humans.

Therefore, it is remarkable that Kate was able to obtain tens of thousands of points during the wizard apprentice stage, which means that when facing multiple pseudo-wizard-level monsters, he was able to dodge their initial attacks and quickly cut off their energy sources.

The process of a first-circle wizard advancing to a second-circle wizard can only be completed by wizards who have embarked on the path of true knowledge.

Just like Kate, he must continuously strengthen and improve the Heart of Reincarnation based on his own understanding of the rules without destroying the overall structure of the Heart of Reincarnation, so that the Heart of Reincarnation can absorb external energy faster and store and bear greater pressure. The strength and pressure resistance of the Wizard's Heart are directly related to the wizard's mental power limit. To break through to the second ring wizard, the minimum standard is to reach a mental power limit of 300.

After reaching the second circle of wizards, in addition to continuing to strengthen the wizard's heart, one also needs to rely on one's own understanding of the rules to gradually elementalize and energize a certain organ of the body without affecting the operation of one's own life and energy.

Second-circle wizards can develop more magic that surpasses the limits of first-circle wizards by relying on this fully elemental or energy-based organ. This organ is immune to most physical attacks, greatly enhancing their survivability and defense.

When one's mental strength reaches 600 points and a certain organ of the body is completely elementalized or energyized, one has reached the minimum standard for a third-circle wizard.

The enhancement path for third-ring wizards is actually similar to that of second-ring wizards. However, third-ring wizards need to completely elementalize and energyize their bodies, and reach a mental power limit of 1000, which is the minimum standard to break through to become a holy wizard.

The next step is to break through to the Holy Domain. This involves choosing an existing unclaimed plane and forcibly merging it into one's Wizard Heart, or constructing a plane within one's Wizard Heart that can sustain tens of thousands of species for a long time and operate stably for a hundred years, withstanding various internal or external problems and shocks during that period. If so, it is considered a success.

Of course, the road beyond the second ring is still quite far for Kate. The Sage of Life only gave a general overview. As for the dangers she will face, the problems she needs to solve, or her understanding of the rules, these are all things that Kate cannot yet touch or imagine.

Kate stood on the edge of the floating hill, her gaze sweeping over the wizard tower's foundation construction that was in full swing below.

The rugged yet passionate command of the dwarven runemaster Stoneheart Anvil intertwined with the hum of cutting magical materials and etching runes, creating a hopeful symphony of construction.

However, Kate's mind was not entirely absorbed in this. The construction of the Wizard Tower was handled by professionals and the Tower Spirit's prototype program, with a massive amount of resources invested, requiring only periodic checks of key nodes.

His core focus has always been on improving his own strength. The 126 points of mental power at the initial stage of the first ring are merely the starting point.

The potential of the Heart of Reincarnation is far from being fully explored. The road to the Second Ring Road has already been laid out beneath our feet, but it is shrouded in mist and treacherous peaks.

He returned to the makeshift meditation cave—a stone chamber shrouded in simple spatial expansion and protective magic arrays.

In the center of the cave, the phantom of the Heart of Reincarnation spontaneously appeared, its three-colored light slowly rotating, emitting a rhythmic and unsettling pattern.

"The Seed of Origin, combined with the existing database, deduces the optimal path from the first level of the first circle to the second circle of wizards."

Core objective: To strengthen and improve the structure of the Heart of Reincarnation, enhance its stability, energy absorption and release efficiency, and the power of rule manifestation, and prepare for the future elementalization of organs.

Key analysis: Which types of tasks, specific magical plants, rare resources, or special environments can most effectively promote the growth of my complex mental imagery based on the three rules of life, death, and space.

[Command confirmed. In-depth analysis begins—database integration—growth model establishment—]

[The deduction is based on: the host's current state (early stage of the first ring, initial formation of the Heart of Reincarnation), available resources (Green Vine Workshop income, Barrier contribution points, and Life Hand permissions), potential risk tolerance, and known environmental information in the Southern Region and surrounding areas.]

[Key Conclusion: A single approach is inefficient; multi-threaded parallelism is necessary. A three-dimensional approach combining "insights, resources, and practical application" is recommended.]

【Dimension 1: Deepening Understanding of Rules (Inner Foundation)】

1. Rules of Life:

Suggested tasks: Accept the quests "High-level Magical Plant Activation Cultivation" and "Rare Ecological Zone Exploration (such as Emerald Dream Fragments, Remains of the Ancient Tree of Life)".

By personally cultivating and observing extreme life environments, one can gain insight into the essential life cycle of "growth, reproduction, decay, and symbiosis".

Recommended magical plants/resources: Focus on cultivating "Immortal Root" and try to use it as a mother plant to graft or spawn other magical plants with special rules and characteristics (such as "Void Blossom" - a flower containing a weak spatial power, "Twilight Moss" - a moss that grows on the boundary between life and death).

Collect rare materials containing pure life rules, such as "Life Threads," "Sap of Ancient Elf Trees," and "Star Fruits," and analyze their rule structure through the Heart of Reincarnation.

Environment: Long-term residence in places with extremely rich life energy, experiencing the purest life fluctuations.

2. Death Rules:

Recommended quests: Actively accept quests to clear powerful undead creatures, explore ancient battlefields or large-scale burial grounds, and investigate areas with unusual death energy. Exercise caution when encountering relics or phenomena related to the "Oblivion Rule" (as guided by the Neossa Legacy), but always take full precautions.

Recommended magical plants/resources: Cultivate the "Bloodthirsty Vine" and observe its mutations and evolution after absorbing death energy, analyzing the balance between its "life absorption" and "death erosion." Seek out special magical plant samples such as the "Ghost Tree" and "Nether Lotus" that grow in death environments. Collect "Wailing Crystals," "Annihilation Gems," and "Ancient Soul Dust" to analyze the static structure of the rules of death.

Environment: Short-term meditation in places where the rules of death manifest, such as the depths of the Eternal Wasteland or the entrance to the Forgotten Realm of the Dead (requires the protection of the Heart of Reincarnation), but the time must be strictly controlled to avoid assimilation.

3. Spatial Rules:

Suggested missions: Repairing cracks in stable space, exploring unknown hemiplanes or spatial folds, and escorting missions through dangerous spatial turbulence zones. Challenge yourself by practicing ultra-long-distance precision teleportation and the creation and maintenance of micro-spaces.

Recommended magical plants/resources: Cultivate "Void Vine" and try to induce it to produce more complex spatial properties (such as short-range blinking and spatial anchoring). Collect materials such as "Void Star Sand", "Planetary Crystal", and "Stable Anchor Rune Plate" to study its spatial stabilization principles.

Environment: Seek out areas with unstable spatial structures or unique spatial properties (such as the edge of a boundary corridor, etc.).

One can gain insight into the weak points of the astral projection, but must always be vigilant against spatial traps.

[Dimension Two: Resource Integration and Utilization]

1. Qing Teng Workshop:

Optimize the production of "Concentration Vine Potion" to make it a stable source of magic stone income. Utilize profits and contribution points to systematically acquire all rare magic plant seeds/samples and special materials listed in the deduction. Prioritize acquiring resources related to the three rules.

Offer high-end customization services: Utilize the characteristics of the "Heart of Reincarnation" and the Seed of Origin to accept a limited number of tasks to purify specific energies for others, analyze complex material structures, or customize special effect potions in exchange for rare resources or favors that are difficult to purchase with magic stones.

2. Life Hand Permissions:

Make full use of advanced library privileges: focus on reviewing case studies (very few) and theoretical literature on complex rule-based mental imagery development and organ elementalization (especially multi-attribute organ elementalization).

Request access to special training rooms within the barrier (such as the "Time Path"—for subtle time-accelerated comprehension).

"Elemental Chaos Pool" - Experience the clash of rules.

Contribution Points Exchange: Instead of exchanging for ordinary materials, exchange for unique or extremely rare resources, such as "Fragments of Dimensional Origin" and "Crystals of Rule Manifestation" (Life/Death/Spatial Attributes).

3. Self-produced items: "Flower of Reincarnation" dew, life/death crystals refined by the Heart of Reincarnation, etc., can be used as high-level trading goods or barter tokens.

Once the Wizard Tower is built, its high-purity energy, special magical plants, and even some space expansion services can all become sources of resources.

【Dimension Three: Real-world Testing and Stress Refinement (Fusion Catalyst)】

1. Task Selection:

Consciously select missions with diverse enemy types and complex environments. Prioritize missions that require dealing with multiple threats such as life drain, death erosion, and spatial interference, forcing the Heart of Reincarnation to adapt, adjust, and optimize its internal cycle under pressure.

Actively seek out and challenge Level 1 or Level 2 creatures with pseudo-rule domains (or similar abilities) (you need to team up or have an escape route) to test your understanding of the rules and gain combat experience through actual combat.

2. Undead Wars:

Consider the undead front as the best testing ground. Instead of merely killing low-level undead, the goals should be: to find and study specific undead variants, destroy undead energy nodes, maintain the balance of the Heart of Reincarnation amidst high-intensity death aura, test the purifying effects of life rules on the undead, and examine the interference and fragmentation of the undead army by spatial rules.

Attempt to capture special undead units for research (permission required and security ensured).

3. Internal drills:

Engage in high-intensity combat drills against wizards of the same rank, simulating clashes between different rule systems, and hone your response strategies.

Extreme training can be conducted in special function rooms of the Wizard Tower (such as the "Rule Pressure Simulation Room" that can be built in the future).

[Phase-by-Phase Goals and Risk Warnings]:

Short-term: Solidify the initial stage of the first ring and master the basic abilities of the Heart of Reincarnation. Complete the next stage of cultivation for "Root of Immortality", "Bloodthirsty Vine", and "Void Vine". Collect 30% of the rare materials on the list.

Mental strength target: 130-140.

Mid-term: Attempt the first micro-rule fusion experiment (such as simultaneously invoking two rule forces in a specific sorcery).

Begin planning the direction of organ elementization (it is recommended to prioritize organs related to spatial rules, such as the "brain" or "energy circulation core," as they are relatively neutral and can serve as a buffer and bridge between the rules of life and death).

Mental strength target: 150-180.

Long-term: Begins to attempt to elementalize or energize an organ, initially exhibiting the characteristics of a second-circle wizard.

The structure of the Heart of Reincarnation has been significantly strengthened, enabling it to simultaneously master two rules for high-intensity combat or complex operations.

Mental strength goal: Break through 200 and move towards 300.

Risk: The risk of conflict between the three rules always exists, and extreme caution is required, especially in both intuitive understanding and practical application. Resource collection may encounter competition and dangers.

Over-reliance on external resources can lead to instability; one should rely primarily on one's own understanding and experience. The Undead War carries the risk of destruction.

The deduced information flooded into Kate's mind like a tidal wave, cold and detailed.

He slowly opened his eyes, a thoughtful glint in them.

The deduction of the Seed of Origin coincided with his own ideas and was more systematic.

With all three rules in place, none of them should be neglected.

Life is the beginning and the destination; death is the end and the transformation; space is the stage and the context—all three are indispensable.

"Starting with the rules of life is the safest approach," Kate said after a moment's thought.

The rules of life are the deepest link in his foundation, with the roots of immortality and the inheritance of the sages of life. It is the easiest to make progress on and can also nourish the body and soul, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent exploration of the more dangerous rules of death and the deepening of the more abstract rules of space.

He immediately connected to the barrier's mission system, scanned the large mission list with his mental energy, and quickly locked onto several targets:

[Cultivation Task]: Take care of an endangered Tier 4 magical plant called "Heart Lily of the Valley". Its stamens can emit fluctuations that directly affect the soul, which helps to understand the connection between life and spirit.

The reward for completing the task includes a "Star Fruit" and a large number of contribution points.

[Exploration Mission]: Explore a newly discovered fragment of ancient woodland with unusually active but slightly disordered life energy, record the ecology, collect samples, and assess its value.

The mission hints at the possibility of unknown magical plants or dangerous creatures.

[Resource Collection]: Go to "Emerald Song Pool" and collect ten portions of "Moon Dew" under a specific moon phase. This is a gentle material that contains pure life energy from the moon.

Kate accepted these three tasks. The first two were directly related to comprehending the rules of life and collecting resources, while the third was relatively simple and could be completed as a supplement or incidental task.

Next, he went to the Green Vine Workshop.

Upon seeing him, Terry immediately and respectfully reported on recent profits and inventory.

Kate handed her a pre-prepared list containing various magical plant seeds and special materials urgently needed at the current stage, deduced from the Seed of Origin. Most of these were related to the rules of life, but there were also some auxiliary materials needed for the next stage of cultivating the Void Vine and a small amount of common materials with death attributes as a smokescreen.

"Prioritize collecting items on the list, and prices can be appropriately increased. All profits from the workshop, except for maintaining operations and reserving a portion for emergencies, should be invested in procurement," Kate instructed.

"Yes, Lady Kate!" Terrell solemnly accepted the list. She could sense the extraordinary nature of the items on the list, and her awe of Kate deepened even further.

After leaving the workshop, Kate did not immediately set off on a mission, but returned to the meditation cave.

He took out a small section of the vibrant green vine, brimming with vitality—a newly sprouted branch of the Void Vine, nurtured by his symbiote.

He carefully placed it in his palm, and the phantom of the Heart of Reincarnation appeared behind him. A wisp of pure energy, containing insights into the rules of life, mixed with faint spatial fluctuations, slowly flowed into the tender branch.

This was not a simple infusion of energy, but rather guided by Kate's will: "Grow, extend, perceive the fabric of space, adapt to it, merge into it—"

Under the precise control of the Seed of Origin, energy seeped in bit by bit, and the tender branches grew slowly at a speed visible to the naked eye. The silver patterns on the leaves seemed to become clearer, and they twisted slightly, as if trying to capture the invisible spatial ripples in the air.

This process was extremely mentally taxing and required a very high degree of self-control. Half an hour later, Kate's forehead was slightly sweaty, and she stopped the stimulating process. The growth of the tender branches had stopped, but they appeared more vibrant, and the spatial fluctuations they emitted had become more refined.

"It seems feasible." Kate smiled slightly. This kind of targeted cultivation, which incorporates her own understanding of the rules, is much more effective than simply providing energy and nutrients. It can not only accelerate the growth of magical plants, but also guide them to mutate and evolve in the direction she desires. At the same time, it is also a process of deepening her own understanding of the rules.

He carefully transplanted the tender branch of the Void Vine into a specially prepared culture medium containing space stone powder. He plans to spend a certain amount of time each day cultivating it in this way for the foreseeable future, observing and recording its changes.

After doing all this, Kate took a deep breath and looked out at the world.

It's time to begin the mission. The first target is that fourth-tier "Heart Lily of the Valley" that needs care. Not only will we obtain "Star Fruits," but the process of caring for it itself is a rare opportunity to deeply resonate with a higher-level life form.

He took a step forward, his figure blurring amidst the spatial fluctuations, and the next moment he appeared in the teleportation hall of the Evergreen Fortress, his target being the rare magical plant conservation garden inside the fortress.

The road to the Second Ring Road extends quietly forward through gradual accumulation, repeated insights, and practical experience.

Kate knew very well that this was a long marathon, but he kept his pace steady and his goal clear.