In a crystal-clear pond, Ronan stood on a lotus leaf swaying gently in the breeze.
He murmured a short incantation, his lips moving softly over the water's surface.
Soon, ripples formed at the center of the pond, and a whirlpool emerged. From it leaped a massive red-skinned frog.
The frog's bulging eyes rotated, reflecting Ronan's image, and it spoke in a human voice, "Proof."
Ronan raised his right hand, revealing the Spirit Lake Ring he wore on his ring finger.
The red-skinned frog nodded slightly, then opened its mouth. A white light blossomed from its dark cavity, revealing an entrance.
There were many entrances to the Spirit Lake Secret Realm, often hidden in places beyond ordinary imagination. Ronan had chosen the one closest to him.
As he stepped into the frog's gaping mouth, Ronan's body suddenly trembled slightly. A momentary dizziness seemed to overtake him, and he paused in place.
After a brief moment, when the red-skinned frog urged him impatiently, he regained his composure and walked in.
Passing through a short spatial tunnel, he reappeared above the vast Spirit Lake.
Ronan was in no hurry to descend. Instead, he stood still, gently massaging his temples with his fingers.
"Soul aftereffects... Another memory flashback?"
Alazan's voice echoed in his ears, "You'd better prepare everything quickly and attempt the ascension..."
Ronan slowly lowered his hand from his temple, not responding to Alazan's words. Instead, he murmured thoughtfully, "If even the Devourer of Worlds can be found, there's no reason the entire wizard community wouldn't have a single Awakening Serpent left. Alazan, do you think divination spells could provide me with guidance?"
Alazan spoke slowly, "You can try. If there really is a clue, with your current strength, it would certainly be easier than venturing into another world to capture one yourself... If you wish to continue cultivating the 'Spirit Heart Amber,' the Awakening Potion is an indispensable aid."
Ronan nodded, saying nothing more. He created a whirlpool on the lake's surface, passed through a winding crystal tunnel, and finally arrived at the circular lake that served as a transit point.
He entered the waterfall pit at the center of the circular lake, his body slowly descending.
Just as he was about to reach his residence, Ronan suddenly noticed a figure standing quietly at the entrance to his private spatial realm, as if waiting specifically for him.
Ronan approached, and the figure at his "doorstep" slowly turned around.
It was a young male wizard, handsome in appearance, a Level Four Dawn.
He wore an exquisitely luxurious Wizard Robe, and even his hair seemed meticulously groomed strand by strand. From head to toe, he exuded an air of noble elegance, like aristocracy among wizards.
The young wizard looked at Ronan, a smile spreading across his face, and a glow emanated around him.
"Ronan Damien."
He accurately called out Ronan's name, then said softly, "I am Zorn. I represent Misha... to deliver something to you."
Ronan gazed at the noble wizard before him, his eyes flickering.
After a moment, he took a light breath and said, "Please, come in and speak."
Inside the spacious and bright secret realm space.
Misha, with her flowing blue-gold hair, sat casually like a young monarch on her throne. She idly played with the magical sand table before her while conversing with the person beside her.
Suddenly, a figure appeared at the entrance of the space. Several people looked up.
"Zorn is back!"
Zorn, with his crystal-red hair and the most standard noble wizard demeanor, seemed utterly overshadowed in front of Misha. He walked up to the group and took the initiative to bow to Misha.
"Did you meet him?"
Misha looked at him, narrowing his eyes as he awaited the answer.
Zorn nodded, pondered for a moment, and then spoke, "Like everyone who has crawled out of the mud, he is resolute, stubborn, and carries pride in his bones. Although he possesses remarkable talent, he lacks sufficient confidence. He showed great respect when facing me, warmly entertained me, yet couldn't even produce a decent set of tea utensils. His place of residence hasn't undergone any repairs or upgrades."
Zorn paused, shook his head, and continued, "It's said that he now relies solely on being an assistant to Heliodor and occasionally taking on some low-difficulty tasks to slowly accumulate magic stones. He indeed is in dire need of these resources."
"Heliodor is notoriously stingy, no wonder he was so eager to pledge his loyalty to me."
Misha said indifferently, "Did you hand over the items to him?"
"Of course."
Zorn seemed to recall something amusing, couldn't help but curl the corner of his mouth, and said in a humorous tone, "When he took the items, I could clearly feel his fingers trembling slightly. Probably thought you gave too much."
The wizards nearby all burst into pleasant laughter upon hearing this.
"He kept expressing his gratitude to me, escorted me all the way to the lakeside, and I could still see him waving goodbye as the spatial gate closed."
Zorn slightly raised his voice, his tone becoming even more relaxed.
Misha couldn't help but laugh too.
"Such a person would willingly become a qualified sword in my hand."
Misha's face radiated with unparalleled confidence, a momentary surge of ambition, "Together with you, help me step by step to the position of the Son of Spirit Lake! Do you believe..."
Misha looked around at the group, smiling faintly but with certainty, "Even without the constraints of a soul pact, this Ronan Damien would also be sincerely convinced by me."
"No one can resist Misha's charm—not even men!"
Someone exaggeratedly shouted, instantly filling the scene with a joyful atmosphere.
Misha slightly raised his hand, suppressing the laughter of the crowd, and regained the composure and calmness a leader should have.
"Of course, whether he is worth more investment from me still depends on his subsequent performance."
Misha looked at Zorn again and inquired, "You must have handled the entry qualification for the Silent Corridor, right?"
Zorn nodded, hesitated slightly, and then added, "Sigel is somewhat displeased. The spot for Ronan Damien was originally promised to his nephew."
"Let his nephew wait for the next time."
Misha frowned and said coldly, "He dares to show dissatisfaction towards me? He probably forgot who stood up against the pressure of Tyrant Caneus for him when he transferred to the deep sea. He has taken so many benefits from me, yet has hardly shown any value... Hmph..."
Misha's eyes flickered for a moment, then he suddenly said, "Isn't he fighting for the spot for his nephew? Then let him accompany Ronan Damien into the Silent Corridor this time. I want to see if he really has any dissatisfaction towards me."
After speaking, Wizard Misha gently brushed the sleeve of her Wizard Robe and said indifferently, "Reset the sand table, and you'll accompany me for another round." "Yes."
"Is this a magic crystal?"
Ronan sat on the sofa in the living room, holding a mysterious crystal the size of a fist in his hand. It resembled a crystal but was far more beautiful.
Inside the crystal, colorful lights flowed continuously, occasionally outlining patterns similar to runes.
"Even the lowest-grade magic crystal is worth your scrutiny... In our era, these were stones that no one would bother to pick up from the roadside."
Alazan's voice slowly echoed in Ronan's mind, seemingly quite dismissive of the so-called magic crystal that Ronan treasured.
"Times have changed, my dear Wizard Lord."
Ronan casually pushed away Arrietty, who was clinging to a magic crystal with shining eyes, refusing to let go, and gathered all the magic crystals on the table.
He sighed lightly, "In today's wizard world, even for a fourth-level Dawn Wizard, this is an extremely precious treasure."
At least, Ronan hadn't found any trace of magic crystals in the space ring of Lumian, a fourth-level fire wizard of the Elemental Ring.
Magic crystals are a higher-level "currency" for wizards than high-grade magic stones.
In addition to storing many times more energy particles than an equivalent unit of high-grade magic stones, magic crystals also contain naturally formed rune fragments.
Magic stones are typically used as the energy core to activate Magical Artifacts and Rune Arrays, while magic crystals are crucial for maintaining certain high-grade ancient large-scale arrays. They can be considered strategic energy resources.
In the two Dawn promotion plans Alazan provided to Ronan, magic crystals were also indispensable. The Spirit Lake had a dedicated channel for exchanging magic crystals, but it required a lot of contribution points and magic stones. Ronan had been struggling, unsure when he would be able to save up enough.
Now, the problem was solved.
Not only that, but Misha had also mapped out Ronan's entire promotion path.
Considering Ronan's relatively poor soul aptitude, they had specifically arranged for him to gain access to the Silent Corridor.
The Silent Corridor is a large ancient secret realm site within the Fate Empire. Every so often, it allows wizards from various major factions within the empire to enter and explore. Among its treasures are relatively well-preserved ancient promotion arrays.
These magic crystals were meant to activate the arrays.
Ronan thought that since the ancient promotion arrays in the Silent Corridor were deemed more effective than ordinary ones, they should at least meet the standards of Alazan's first plan.
In this way, all the problems Ronan had been worrying about were resolved at once.
All he had to do was politely invite a certain arrogant individual into his house for a sit-down, without even offering a cup of tea, and sign a worthless soul contract.
"Grateful... to that stranger, Misha."
Ronan couldn't help but sigh.
He had come up with this clever scheme, originally thinking he could at least swindle some resources from the mastermind who had hired assassins to hunt him down, saving himself some effort and time.
Little did he know, he had underestimated the credibility of soul contracts among wizards and the other party's "thirst for talent."
"It seems he really wants to become the Child of the Deep Sea..."
The towering mountain that had loomed before him was effortlessly removed by someone else, leaving Ronan with a sense of emptiness in his heart.
After some thought, he decided to continue refining his Soul Rune.
Now, there were no external factors to hinder his advancement. Having faced Juventus twice, Ronan couldn't deny that he had been deeply affected.
Only by advancing to the fourth level as soon as possible could he close the gap between himself and his opponent.
Three months later, Ronan ventured out of the Spirit Lake Secret Realm once more.
In a desolate and uninhabited wilderness, he removed a "Soul Nail" embedded within the body of the Sky Weaver Wizard, Sindison.
He promised Sindison that he would remove one of the remaining two nails each year.
By the time the competition for the Child of the Deep Sea concluded, all the "Soul Nails" would have been removed.
Sindison was unaware that the effects of these [Soul Nails] could only last for a maximum of three years, after which they would gradually dissipate on their own.
Although Sindison had some reservations about this arrangement, he was ultimately under Ronan's control and didn't dare to say much. He left in a sullen mood, promising to return in a year.
Later, Misha sent someone to inquire in detail about the time Ronan planned to enter the Silent Corridor for his advancement. They advised him not to rush, as the entry slot would be reserved for him. They emphasized the importance of preparing thoroughly to ensure a successful advancement in one attempt, and so on.
They also sent him a batch of resources, which left Ronan feeling "warm" inside.
Meanwhile, the potion preparation work with Heliodor was progressing steadily. As Ronan became more proficient in potion-making and material processing—perhaps due to his innate talent—the progress of the ten thousand potion recipes accelerated, steadily approaching completion.
"Buzz—"
Ronan stood under the blue sky, his Wizard Robe billowing silently, his white hair lifting.
Threads of intense Spell fluctuations radiated from his body, as if countless invisible strings were being plucked simultaneously, causing the outline of his figure to blur.
Above him, large swathes of dark clouds rolled in, as if brewing some terrifying storm.
At a certain moment, within Ronan's consciousness space, seven Mental Power Crystals converged, fitting together seamlessly.
He suddenly opened his eyes, his clear blue eyes instantly turning deep purple, becoming as vast and profound as a starry summer night. A complex and mysterious rune flashed deep within his pupils.
"Taboo."
Ronan spoke, pointing slowly toward the ground in the distance.
"Black Hole!"
In an instant, pure black lightning silently descended from the dark clouds that had accumulated to their peak.
An indescribably terrifying Taboo aura surged forth.
Dense clusters of pure black lightning gathered like flowing water at Ronan's fingertip, and a point of black light appeared, rapidly expanding into a bottomless black hole that devoured everything!
The terrifying black hole melted a large gap in the void and, guided by Ronan, began to descend toward the ground.
Like a distorted black sun sinking endlessly, everything in its path—countless grains of sand, soil, and rocks—was swallowed by the black hole, reduced to pure nothingness, and fueled the black hole's power.
"It's done!"
Ronan's face was pale, and he swayed unsteadily as he gazed at the scene before him—the distortion of light, the annihilation of the land, and the sinking of the black sun. Despite his weakened state, a look of joy was unmistakable on his face.
After countless efforts, immeasurable time and energy, and numerous failures and restarts, he had finally condensed Herams' Law-Controlling rune into his own innate Soul Rune.
At last, he no longer needed to rely on the effects of the Law-Controlling armband. He could now summon the Taboo. Black Hole with his own abilities, standing tall and proud.
The joy and satisfaction in Ronan's heart at this moment were beyond words, something no outsider could fully comprehend.