The same day, within the capital of the Chen Kingdom, Kaelan gathers every loose thread of consciousness inside his spirit space.
One by one, they entwine.
Mind-threads that once scattered like migrating birds now braid together—tight, orderly, unified.
His thoughts sharpen.
No effort, no strain—focus comes naturally, as if a thousand whispering voices finally agree to speak as one.
So this is what cultivators call the demon in the mind…
Before this, as his cultivation rose, each individual thought grew too powerful—splitting, diverging, tugging his mind in countless directions, and forcing him to suppress himself constantly.
Now, with his consciousness threads intertwined, everything becomes still—heavy—but steady.
A presence settles on his spirit like invisible gravity.
Clear. Grounded. Controlled.
Kaelan opens his eyes and leaves the cultivation chamber.
He flies out of the capital, stopping at a quiet stretch of barren earth.
The wind is cold, the land empty—perfect for testing power.
He lifts his hand.
Since forming the consciousness core, his control over mana has transformed—exquisite precision replacing raw force.
Time to measure the difference.
Softly, under his breath, he murmurs a great magic power from the Thirty-Six Solar Term Sword Arts—from the summer aspect:
"Solar Burst."
Light gathers at his palm—first a spark, then a pearl, then a miniature sun.
Golden radiance pours from it—warm, bright, oppressive, alive.
He releases it with a flick of his fingers.
The tiny sun falls silently—then—
Boom.
A blinding explosion erupts.
Heat washes outward in a tidal wave.
The ground splits—stone blackens—sand melts into glowing glass, lines of molten earth carving spiderweb patterns across the soil.
A crater forms—broad, deep, smouldering—its edges shimmering with residual sunlight.
Kaelan studies it expressionlessly.
Then he raises his hand again—not to admire, but to test.
He calls another great magic power.
A blade of wind.
Then lightning.
Then shadow.
Then a storm.
Each one sharper, faster, cleaner—no wasted mana, no uncontrolled recoil, no unnecessary force.
His eyes narrow—not in surprise, but calculation.
This isn't just an improvement.
This is evolution.
And for the first time since stepping into the Spiritual Wizard stage, Kaelan senses a new path unfolding.
Not vague intuition.
Not theory.
A direction.
A blueprint.
A possibility.
It begins with the materialisation of spirit power.
He flicks his fingers—not with mana, but with spirit.
A thin strand of invisible force lashes out like a whip.
Crack.
A tree several meters away bends—then splits cleanly down the centre, collapsing into two silent halves.
Pain flickers across his consciousness—not sharp, but present, like a taut thread snapping inside his mind.
Still… it is far less than before.
Progress.
If reduced to calculation, his current materialisation rate is:
1.76%.
A number insignificant to others.
But for him?
A foothold on a mountain no one else has ever climbed.
If he continues nurturing the consciousness core—strengthening, condensing, refining—it will grow.
Until one day, it reaches 100% materialisation.
And when that day comes, one of the three prerequisites for the Third Stage of Transcendence will be complete.
His gaze narrows.
Because now, the structure of advancement becomes clear.
Three prerequisites.
Law comprehension.
Spirit power materialisation.
Magic power materialisation.
He did not discover this alone—he learned it from Veena's techniques, memories, and cultivation understanding.
For a Qi Refiner to step into the Divine Mind Realm, only one of these prerequisites must be fulfilled.
Just one—and the gate opens.
But to step into the true Third Stage of Transcendence?
One must complete all three.
No shortcuts.
No exceptions.
And now he finally understands why—despite being only at the Second Stage—he has been able to face and defeat Divine Mind cultivators head-on, sometimes even overwhelming them.
Because the so-called Divine Mind Realm is not the true Third Stage.
It is merely halfway—a false plateau between realms.
Even those who complete all three prerequisites remain fundamentally unchanged in essence—their life level does not evolve.
Their spirit, soul force, and existence do not transform.
Only when evolution happens—when life takes the next step—does one truly break into the Third Stage.
Evolution brings lifespan.
Evolution brings qualitative transformation.
Evolution makes childbirth rare—or impossible—because life has risen too far from mortality.
Kaelan stands beneath the sky, the scent of scorched bark lingering in the wind, and exhales softly—calm, steady, unhurried.
He returns to his cultivation room and resumes deducing the clone technique.
To create a true clone, the core of consciousness must not remain singular—it must be divisible.
The primary core will become the mother chip.
Every clone formed from it will be a child chip, capable of independent thought without severing the connection to the original.
While the real Kaelan sits refining this theory, sharpening logic into law—his distant clone in the Tang Kingdom walks the castle corridors at dawn with Chen Qi beside him.
They enter a vast, empty chamber.
Kaelan stops, observing its silence.
"This room will be a library."
His gaze sweeps the walls, and the structure begins to form in his mind—clear, precise, complete.
Near the entrance: a large reception counter for the librarian.
Beneath the windows: a long communal table with chairs aligned beneath the sunlight.
The open floor: shelves in rows of two, columns of ten, stretching all the way to the ceiling.
And at the back: a wide empty space—reserved.
There, a staircase will descend underground, where knowledge becomes increasingly restricted.
The ground level will house manuals for mortals and Zero Stage cultivators.
The first underground floor—for First Stage knowledge.
Forbidden texts will go lower.
Only those matching the cultivation realm—or granted his approval—will ever step past the next layers.
He sends the full visualisation directly into Chen Qi's mind.
"Build it like this."
Then he turns and walks away, with Chen Qi hurrying behind him, already overwhelmed by the scale of the vision.
As Kaelan moves through the halls, another thought flickers—laboratories.
They must be underground as well, secure from leaking knowledge, accidents, or spies.
Hours pass.
New students register.
Schedules form.
Curiosity spreads through the academy like wildfire.
Later, in one of the new classrooms, Kaelan stands before his original twelve students.
They rise and greet him.
He looks at each familiar face, then speaks.
"Everyone—it's good to see you again."
Silence settles—expectant, eager.
Kaelan continues.
"From today onward, the subjects of transcendence will be taught."
Their eyes widen.
Hope, fear, ambition—ignited.
"But to attend transcendence classes, you will need academic points."
The room breathes in sharply.
Kaelan glances over the students ' eyes, bright, nervous, expectant—then turns and writes on the blackboard:
*Elemental Science.
Material Science.
Basic Runology.
Human Body Science.
Spell Casting.
Spirit Science.*
"These," he says, voice steady, "are the required subjects for apprentice wizards."
He taps the chalk once against the board.
"Each subject will be taught four times per month.
Each class costs ten academic points."
A hand rises.
Gu Yun.
His voice carries eagerness beneath restraint.
"Teacher… how do we earn academic points?"
Kaelan studies him for a heartbeat—sensing the subtle fluctuations in his aura.
He's close to breaking through to mid-stage apprentice.
Among them, only Lu Chen had already reached it.
He answers:
"There are multiple ways to earn academic points. But for the first year, the academy will grant each of you one hundred points per month."
Murmurs ripple through the room.
Kaelan continues, expression unreadable.
"Beyond that, points will be earned by completing academy missions."
He Shoumie lifts her hand.
"Missions?"
"Correct. The academy will publish tasks, and completing them will earn points."
The whispers grow louder now—uncertainty mixed with curiosity.
Kaelan raises his voice—calm, instructive:
"And academic points aren't only for classes.
You may exchange them for cultivation resources, meditation techniques, spells, and treasures."
Excitement sparks—eyes widen—breathing grows faster.
Gu Yun can't hold back:
"Teacher—when will missions start?"
Kaelan answers simply:
"There is already one."
The students straighten.
"A court-issued project: to increase crop yield."
Their excitement deflates instantly—faces falling as if struck.
They expected demons, spirits, forbidden ruins.
Not… farming.
Kaelan ignores their reactions and writes again on the board:
*Life Programming.
Plantology.*
"These are elective subjects. Anyone wishing to help complete the mission must pass the tests for Material Science, Life Programming, and Plantology."
He adds more course names in sweeping strokes—each one opening a door to a possible future.
"These electives form specialised wizard paths.
For example," he continues, turning, "those who study Life Programming and Plantology walk the path of the Life Wizard."
He Shoumie raises her hand again.
"Teacher—if I study Advanced Runology and Array Theory instead…?"
"Then," Kaelan replies without hesitation, "you walk the path of a Formation Wizard."
More hands go up.
Kaelan answers each question, patient yet precise—clarifying futures, boundaries, possibilities.
Finally, when no more questions remain, he dismisses them.
"Go to the administration building and register your schedules."
The students bow—wide-eyed, whispering, minds racing—then file quietly out of the room.
Kaelan remains still for a moment.
Today, no lessons.
Tomorrow, the academy truly begins.
"The main body still needs to send the meditation techniques for the Wizard Association," he murmurs.
He walks to the tall window and looks out.
Beyond the courtyard, the forest sways—dense, shadowed—and among the branches: crows.
Hundreds.
Some are stronger than before—several are already stepping into the First Stage Demon realm.
Kaelan focuses on one.
A subtle command crosses the invisible spiritual tether.
The crow spreads its wings and departs—heading toward the Chen Kingdom where its main body waits.
He turns away.
For now, he lacks the raw strength to dig the underground library levels. So he chooses a nearby room and examines its space.
"This will be a laboratory."
But the thought brings another obstacle.
Equipment.
Without instruments, tools, and precision apparatus, engineering crops through magic alone would be time-consuming—inefficient.
And if it required high cultivation to execute, then no apprentice or mortal would ever learn it.
Better to build a system that stands without him.
Better to design a method that anyone could replicate.
He steps out of the laboratory and walks through the quiet stone halls of the castle.
If crop engineering can be done without magic, he thinks, then it becomes a discipline—knowledge—not a privilege.
At the riverbank, the world feels busy and alive.
Dozens of boats cross the wide waterway—merchants, workers, children, travellers—all part of a kingdom rebuilding itself.
Kaelan watches a moment, then steps into one of the boats.
The oars push through the current, and the vessel drifts forward toward the other shore.
Toward the next step.
Toward the future he intends to shape.
END