Wizard: Starting from Escape from the Thorn Garden

Chapter 143 Farewell

After tidying up a bit, Kate decided to go to the Seventh Outpost again. He needed to talk to Evan and the others again, as a way of saying goodbye.

Before him was Commander Elmer's approving gaze and the sincere admiration of Elena, Evan, and others.

He stroked the "Heart of Life" medal on his chest, which exuded a powerful life force, and felt the million contribution points from the battlefield conscription order in his mental sea—enough to drive any first-level wizard mad—yet his heart remained unusually calm.

The glory of victory and the generous rewards did not lead him astray.

On the contrary, after experiencing life-and-death battles, conspiracies, and perilous maneuvers in the Eternal Night Canyon, he has a clearer vision of his future path.

"Kate, you're back! What are your plans now?" Evan excitedly leaned in, his face still flushed from the battle. "We've done such a great job this time, we'll definitely be able to exchange for the best resources when we get back! How about we take on a few more high-difficulty missions together, and strike while the iron is hot?"

Elena looked at him, her silver eyes sparkling with a questioning gaze.

Kate looked at her two comrades-in-arms, smiled slightly, and shook her head: "I'm preparing to return to Evergreen Stronghold."

"Go back? You mean we won't be going to the Eternal Night Canyon plane?" Evan was taken aback. "The battle here isn't over yet! Although our main force has been decimated, clearing out the remaining enemies and purifying the plane will still contribute a lot of points!"

"The battle here is no longer of much significance to me now," Kate explained calmly but firmly. "The core threat of Eternal Night Canyon has been eliminated. Although there are many remaining undead, they lack high-level leaders, so it's at most a first-level clearing mission."

With my current strength, staying here would mostly result in repetitive battles, unlikely to bring about any substantial improvement.

He paused, his gaze fixed on the direction of the Evergreen Barrier, as if piercing through space: "My path of reincarnation is special, requiring not only combat experience, but also a deep understanding and integration of the rules of life, death, and space."

The evergreen walls of the Garden of Life, the repository of knowledge, and the relatively tranquil environment are more suitable for me to reflect on what I have gained this time, to thoroughly digest those insights from the edge of life and death, and to solidify my foundation.

He looked at Evan and Elena: "You are different."

"Evan, your Wind Laws need to be honed in the face of fierce winds and torrential rains; Elena, your Star Prophecies need to be tested in the complex and ever-changing battlefield environment. Staying here will be more beneficial to your growth."

Upon hearing this, Evan and Elena fell into deep thought. They understood that Kate was right.

Kate's growth rate has clearly surpassed theirs, and his path is indeed more unique and arduous.

"You're right," Elena nodded first, and said softly, "The more solid your foundation, the further you can go in the future. We will stay here and continue to hone our skills."

Evan scratched his head and chuckled, "Alright! Then you go back and focus on your seclusion. We'll come back for a drink once we've saved up enough contribution points! Don't fall too far behind then!"

Kate smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "Definitely. Take care."

After saying goodbye to her comrades, Kate did not delay and returned to Evergreen Stronghold through the teleportation array.

Breathing in that vibrant air again and feeling the tranquil and peaceful atmosphere, Kate felt as if she had been transported to another world.

Instead of returning directly to the treehouse, he first went to see Liria, briefly reported the situation, and explained his intention to go into seclusion for an extended period.

Liria already knew about Kate's amazing performance in the Eternal Night Canyon through encrypted channels. Looking at the disciple in front of her, whose aura was restrained and profound, but whose eyes were more wise and firm than before, she was filled with satisfaction and a hint of barely perceptible amazement.

"Very good, Kate. Knowing when to reflect after glory and when to retreat from the torrent—that's the heart of a true strong person. Your choice is wise," Liria praised. "The Barrier will provide you with the best environment for seclusion. The meditation room deep within the Garden of Life's tranquil roots—I will apply for long-term access for you."

That place is close to the root system of the World Tree, where the life energy is most pure and concentrated, and it is absolutely quiet and undisturbed.

"Thank you, mentor," Kate said gratefully. This was exactly what he needed.

"Go ahead. Contact me anytime if you need anything," Liria waved.

Kate bowed and left her tutor's office.

Instead of heading to the meditation room immediately, he returned to his treehouse first.

Months after I left, the treehouse remained tidy, clearly cleaned regularly by Teresa.

He carefully inspected the protective array inside the house, and then took a look at the Green Vine Workshop.

Terrell had managed the workshop perfectly, and was overjoyed to see Kate return. She immediately reported on the recent operations.

Kate offered her a few words of encouragement, leaving most of the magic stones and contribution points to the workshop as operating funds, and only taking a small amount of top-tier meditation aids and materials with her.

After making these preparations, he set off for the depths of the Court of Life.

The "Tranquil Roots" meditation room is located in a natural cave formed by the intertwined roots of a giant ancient tree. The entrance is hidden, and the interior space is spacious. The walls and floors are made of warm, living wood, which exudes a refreshing fragrance and a vast, ocean-like life energy.

Kate activated the protective barrier at the entrance, completely severing all communication between the inside and outside.

Sitting cross-legged in the center of the meditation room, he let out a long sigh of relief, finally able to completely relax and devote all his mind to his practice.

The retreat has officially begun.

Kate's first task was to thoroughly review all the takeaways from her trip to the Eternal Night Canyon.

Within the sea of ​​the spirit, the heart of reincarnation slowly rotates, the seed of life is verdant and vibrant, the core of death is dark and profound, and the garden of space is stable yet dynamic. The three are no longer simply parallel, but have formed a closer and more harmonious cycle.

His consciousness sank into it, like the most sophisticated instrument, beginning to examine every detail.

Status Check:

[Mental Strength: 290/376 (Late Stage 1 Wizard)]

[Completeness of the Heart of Reincarnation: 72%]

【Seed of Life (Fragment of the Root of Immortality): Highly activated, "Growth through the perception of rules," "Nourishment," "Purification," "Immortal True Meaning" (Beginner)】

【Core of Death (Origin of the Eternal Night Howling Demon Lotus): Deeply condensed, rule comprehension annihilated, decayed, soul howling, death resistance】

[Space Garden (Ethereal Jade/Aish Feedback): Stable framework, flickering sense of rules, "Anchoring", "Forbidden" (Beginner), "Weaving" (Introductory)]

[Symbiotic System: Ashe (lower-tier second ring), Bloodthirsty Vine, Golden Thorn Armor, Floating Flower, Moonshadow Vine (all reaching the peak critical point of first ring)]

[Core Abilities: Life Drain, Death Resistance, Spatial Teleportation, Seed of the Spiritual Pivot, Soul Resonance (Beginner), Whispers of the Dead (Beginner)]

"Mental strength cap 376 points - the typical first-ring wizard's mental strength cap should be 330-350 points. It seems that the solid foundation I laid when I advanced to the first ring makes my potential far exceed that of ordinary wizards."

Kate realized, "This means I need to accumulate more energy and a deeper understanding of the rules to achieve true perfection, but it also means that my strength will be even greater after advancing to the second ring."

With a current mental strength of 290, there is still a gap of 86 points to reach the upper limit.

The gap is huge. The closer you get to the limit, the more difficult it becomes to improve even a little bit. It requires painstaking effort and a deeper understanding of the rules.

Kate wasn't in a hurry. She had plenty of time and resources.

He first began to activate the Heart of Reincarnation, fully absorbing the purest life energy in the meditation room.

Like a whale sucking in water, a vast life force surged into his body, transformed and purified by the Heart of Reincarnation. Part of it nourished his physical body and soul, while the other part transformed into the most primal spiritual power, slowly propelling his spiritual level upward.

[Mental Strength +0.1 — +0.1 — +0.2 —]

The speed is slow and steady.

At the same time, most of his consciousness was immersed in understanding the rules.

He repeatedly savored the extreme "withering" and "decay" power of the rules he felt when confronting the Pale Lord's avatar, which corroborated his own death core, refining and eliminating the dross.

He carefully analyzed the new perspectives on the "creation" and "stabilization" of space that he had shared with Ashe, and tried to integrate them into his own spatial blinking and confinement, so that spatial magic would no longer just "utilize" space, but would begin to "influence" or even subtly "change" the spatial structure.

He focused on honing his newly acquired "soul resonance" ability. Through a deep spiritual connection with symbiotes such as Ashe and Bloodvine, he no longer suppressed them with absolute control, but tried to understand their "emotions" and guide their "instincts," making their cooperation more seamless and natural, and even able to use it to improve his own understanding of the corresponding rules.

For example, through a deep resonance with the Blood-Eating Vine, he gained a more intuitive understanding of negative rules such as "devouring" and "plundering," no longer simply rejecting them, but understanding their inevitability as part of the life cycle, thus making the application of the death rule more harmonious.

Time flew by during deep meditation.

One month, two months —

Kate's mental strength steadily increased, 291-293-295-

His understanding of the rules has become increasingly profound.

The light of the Seed of Life became more restrained and mellow, the fluctuations of the Core of Death became more profound and eerie, and the framework of the Garden of Space subtly expanded.

Especially the symbiotic connection with Ashe, because both are in a period of rapid improvement, the benefits of this resonance are mutual.

Ashe stabilized the two environments, and her understanding of the spatial rules fed back to Kate; Kate's deep understanding of the rules of life and death also helped Ashe better balance her own power, and the light of her Star Fruit became increasingly profound.

However, when Kate's mental strength increased to 298 points, just one step away from the 300-point mark, he clearly felt a sense of "stagnation".

The speed of improvement suddenly slowed down, as if it had encountered an invisible barrier.

[Warning: Mental strength growth has plateaued. Regular energy accumulation efficiency has decreased by 75%. A deeper breakthrough in rules or a special catalyst is needed.]

Kate awoke from her deep meditation, her brow furrowed slightly.

"As expected—when approaching the limit, simple quantitative accumulation is no longer enough. A qualitative change is needed, or—some kind of catalyst that can break through the bottleneck."

""

He wasn't surprised. This was a common occurrence in wizarding practices.

He carefully examined himself, analyzing the root cause of the bottleneck.

"The essence of the mind of reincarnation lies in circulation and balance." Life, death, and space must maintain a dynamic harmony.

It appears that the rules of life and death have made tremendous progress after absorbing the essence of the Immortal Sacred Vine and the Eternal Night Demon Lotus, and have reached a relative saturation at their current level.

While the spatial rules are underpinned by Ash feedback and ethereal jade marrow, their depth and breadth seem somewhat lacking compared to the rules of life and death.

Yes, it seems the growth of the Garden of Space is lagging behind the pace of the Seed of Life and the Core of Death.

He realized that the problem might lie in the relative "shortcomings" of spatial rules.

Although it appears strong, compared to the rapid progress of the other two through life-or-death trials, the advancement of spatial rules relies more on external objects and sharing, lacking a thorough transformation from the inside out.

"We need an opportunity that can truly deepen our understanding of space, and even connect life and death, promoting a higher level of integration among the three—"

Just then, through a deep soul resonance with Ash, a vague sense of enlightenment, originating from the instinct of plant life, quietly flowed into Kate's heart.

That's a kind of understanding about the "core" and the "origin".

As a plant life form, Aishi's growth and the formation of its rules naturally revolve around its "core"—the three star fruits and the deeper seeds of rules.

All its power originates from this, and returns to this.

The existence of this "core" makes its power highly concentrated and its growth direction clear.

On the other hand, look at Kate herself—

His power system is vast and complex. The Heart of Reincarnation is more like a dominant "platform" or "domain," with life, death, and spatial rules as its "residents."

While these rules are powerful, they seem to lack a true "core hub" that can completely integrate them into a unified whole.

The Seed of Life, the Core of Death, and the Garden of Space are more like three relatively independent "energy sources" and "rule condensation points," coordinated through the Heart of Reincarnation, but not truly "united."

"What I lack—is a fundamental substance that can serve as the true core of the 'Heart of Reincarnation'?"

A sudden inspiration struck Kate: "A supreme treasure capable of encompassing and elevating the three rules of life, death, and space, allowing them to transcend mere coexistence and undergo a deeper chemical reaction—even giving rise to a cycle of reincarnation unique to me!"

The moment this thought came to mind, it was like a sudden awakening, instantly making him understand the essence of the bottleneck he had been experiencing!

It's not that he lacks energy or his understanding of the rules; rather, he lacks a "core" that can perfectly integrate all of this and catalyze its transformation!

So, where can we find such "core" treasures?

Kate's first thought was the library of the Garden of Life and the higher-level archives of Aoki Castle.

He ended his seclusion, stepped out of the meditation room, and once again immersed himself in the vast ocean of knowledge.

He consulted countless books and records about the origins of rules, wonders of the world, ancient alchemy, and divine secrets.