Nascent Soul Rebirth: Starting as a Wizard

The next day, before the morning light had fully penetrated the thin mist over Emerald City, Solo quietly opened the heavy oak door before the knocking could sound.

Being in an unfamiliar place, he slept as lightly as ever.

The spiritual awareness did not spread too far, but was like a very delicate and sensitive membrane, gently adhering to the air around the room.

Any unusual approach, any slight ripple of energy, or even the faint sound of the carpet being stepped on in the corridor was enough to completely awaken him from his half-asleep state of alertness.

Therefore, when Lyana's highly recognizable, steady, and slightly aloof footsteps echoed at the end of the corridor, which was covered with a deep red patterned carpet, and headed straight for his room, he silently got up and quickly dressed.

So, just as Leah stood in front of his door, with the back of her hand an inch from the door panel, the door slid open inwards without warning.

Leah, standing outside the door, was clearly not expecting such a welcome. Her steps faltered abruptly, and a hint of surprise, which she could not completely conceal, flashed across her calm eyes.

What concerned Solo even more was the next moment—he clearly felt a faint but purposeful mental fluctuation, like an invisible tentacle quietly emerging from the darkness.

It suddenly extended from the direction of Leah, tentatively "touching" his location.

This is an informal, even somewhat subconscious way of perceiving each other among wizarding apprentices, somewhere between a greeting and a reconnaissance mission.

Solo's mind raced.

His mental sea rippled slightly. With the strength and characteristics of ten basic mental runes, he precisely controlled a gentle ripple, perfectly "returning" the probing wave and conveying a harmless response.

The surprise in Leah's eyes quickly faded, replaced by that familiar calm, but beneath that calm, there seemed to be a faint scrutiny.

"You woke up very early." Her voice was flat, making it impossible to tell if it was just a casual remark or something more. "Sister Catherine is already in the dining room; she asked me to call you to have breakfast together."

Solo nodded, turned aside to close the door, and silently followed her.

The corridor remained immersed in the tranquility of the early morning, the soft light from the crystal chandeliers stretching and shortening their moving shadows.

The restaurant is located in the east wing of the first floor of the mansion, and is exceptionally spacious and bright. Floor-to-ceiling windows that cover an entire wall bring in the morning light and garden views without reservation.

The air is filled with the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee, the sweet scent of toasted bread, and the refreshing aroma of fresh fruit.

A long mahogany dining table is covered with a snow-white jacquard linen tablecloth, and silver cutlery and crystalware are arranged meticulously, reflecting a soft, shimmering light.

Catherine sat in the main seat, elegantly enjoying her breakfast. Her attire was almost identical to when Solo first met her, still the perfectly tailored, dark wizard's robe devoid of any superfluous embellishments.

Upon closer inspection, the fabric of the robe revealed extremely subtle, dark patterns in the flowing light, like the breathing of a living creature, enveloping her in a calm and unpredictable aura.

"Sit down, no need for formalities." Hearing footsteps, Catherine didn't look up, but casually pointed to the seat opposite the long table with her silver knife.

The sound came through the rising steam from the cup, calm and undisturbed.

"The breakfast on Emerald Island is quite substantial, let's sit down and eat together."

Solo pulled out the high-backed chair as instructed and sat down, reaching for the basket of croissants closest to him, still warm from baking.

In that instant, a mental force field, far more powerful, condensed, and oppressive than that of Leah, appeared.

Like a silent, rising tide, it swept over the entire space he was in without warning, and also over his body.

This feeling is quite different from the sharp, sword-like, and all-seeing divine sense scanning of cultivators in the Xuanhuang Realm.

It is more "substantial," more "complete," and more like a comprehensive examination conducted with an absolute advantage in "quantity." The strength of this spiritual power stands firmly at the threshold of a cultivator who has just entered the Foundation Establishment stage in the Xuanhuang Realm.

A slight alarm bell rang in Solo's mind, but his breathing rate remained unchanged, and his hand reaching for the bread didn't even tremble. His muscles naturally remained relaxed.

He could sense that compared to a year ago, Catherine's total mental strength might have increased only slightly, but its foundation was clearly more solid and stable, and its operation was smooth and cohesive.

The initial sharpness and volatility have diminished, replaced by a calm and controlled demeanor.

Fortunately, he had made thorough preparations for this.

Since embarking on the path of immortality again and learning that he might have to cross paths with the wizarding world, Solo has devoted a great deal of energy to it.

He studied and implemented various secret techniques from different lineages to conceal and disguise his cultivation level, and meticulously transformed himself in a way that could be described as a "makeover".

Deep within his dantian, the core vortex that should have been slowly rotating and absorbing spiritual energy was compressed to the extreme by his secret technique, collapsing into a near-nothing "point".

The exterior is wrapped in layers of a disguise shell woven from its powerful spiritual consciousness, which far exceeds its current appearance, combined with several ancient concealment techniques.

This outer shell is as solid as a rock, and its nature is obscure, perfectly simulating the state of dormant and unawakened low spiritual energy, isolating it from all external exploration.

Within his meridians, the pure spiritual energy that was always prepared to deal with sudden crises was skillfully broken down into smaller parts and completely dispersed by him.

It blends evenly into the microscopic structure of the meridian walls and the entire body's flesh and blood, just as salt dissolves in seawater, leaving no trace.

Unless extremely special and costly methods are used for microscopic, inch-by-inch examination, it is extremely difficult to detect any clues.

As for the "Seed of Life" originating from the Knights of this world, its principles and manifestations are still unfamiliar territory for Solo. Forcibly hiding it might be superfluous and give him away.

Therefore, he did the opposite, allowing the seed to exude the calm and restrained life energy fluctuations that a seasoned knight with solid advancement should possess.

This fluctuation perfectly matched his revealed identity, and even became an excellent backdrop for diverting attention.

The relatively low-level internal energy was originally intended to be transformed into tangible energy after reaching the level of a first-class martial artist. At that time, the tangible energy would be injected into the limbs and torso, and it would be completely integrated with the flesh and blood. Even a cultivator's divine sense would find it difficult to detect anything unusual.

However, he has been traveling at sea for the past six months, extracting spiritual essence from spiritual caves and refining the remaining essence on the ship. He has not been able to spare much energy to cultivate his internal strength, so he is still at the upper level of a second-rate martial artist.

However, thanks to the profound mysteries of the Martial Arts Manual, Solo still managed to find a way to hide.

Dragon and Tiger Pictorial.

The immense internal energy generated by the Hunyuan Qi Jue allowed him to do things that only first-rate martial artists could do at the second-rate level—such as this tangible qi energy.

Through his profound inner strength, he can manifest it as tattoos on his body.

At this moment, a "tattoo" depicting a dragon and tiger fighting is subtly visible on his back.

The most essential spiritual consciousness is relatively "simple" to hide.

A cultivator's spiritual essence is highly condensed and meticulously controlled. He only needs to completely gather it, deeply conceal it within his sea of ​​consciousness, and simulate an appearance that conforms to the characteristics and fluctuations of "spiritual power" in this world.