Chapter 377: Departure
The shackles on everyone’s Mental Power were loosening continuously. Su Lu felt as if his spirit had cast off some kind of chain; all burdens seemed to have vanished, leaving him feeling light and airy, as if flying.
He felt weightless, as if soaking in a hot spring, surrounded by warmth.
Ace watched as the souls of the five—Su Lu, Warren, Leon, Logan, and Lucilu—left their bodies. Bathed in a high-concentration Mana environment, wave after wave of mental impacts pushed them toward the ultimate leap.
Su Lu felt like he was being pushed upward by a flood, rising higher and higher. His Mental Power gradually broke through its limit. His body began to shrivel bit by bit, and the rule chains connecting his body and soul became thinner and thinner.
Just then, bursts of vitality mist surged out, nourishing Su Lu’s shriveled body and restoring it to health. He felt unparalleled pleasure.
It was indescribable, a hundred times more pleasurable than the most extreme pleasure he had ever enjoyed.
A leap in the essence of the soul marked the division of life. From this point on, one transcended the mundane and could be called truly supernatural!
Ace’s Eye of Truth flickered as he observed everyone’s state. It seemed a mysterious rhythm was responding to them, as if unlocking some kind of shackle on their souls and bodies.
Massive amounts of vitality power and mana poured into the five bodies, dyeing the spirit bodies of Su Lu and the others a pale red.
Su Lu felt very, very comfortable. He wanted to bathe in this warm Mana forever. Suddenly, a roar like thunder sounded in his ears, snapping him out of this intoxicated state. The rule chains of his soul and body dragged his spirit body back into his physical body rapidly.
Su Lu opened his eyes and realized Ace had used some kind of spell capable of shaking the soul.
Watching the five wake up one after another, Ace’s Eye of Truth (Pseudo) flickered with dazzling runes. Staring at them, he said solemnly, “I am about to transform the magic array to release vitality power with full force. Absorb as much vitality as possible. Use this opportunity, now that your body’s shackles are unlocked following the soul leap, to achieve a physical leap and attain the unity of spirit and flesh!”
Su Lu felt the changes in his body. He found that the vitality power was easily absorbed by his body, and his physical strength rose rapidly. Ace took out a small blood-red bottle and dripped the crystal-clear blood-red liquid into the magic array.
This was the essence Ace had extracted from the flesh and blood of several Intermediate Monsters. The vitality power contained within was somewhat similar to the miraculous and viscous life source he had once received as a gift from the Astral Traveler.
Although it didn’t have the ultra-high vitality concentration of the life source, it was basically sufficient.
A layer of blood-red crystalline cocoon enveloped the five. The vitality power inside was as warm as a mother’s embrace. Like being reborn, the five gradually felt the missing parts of their bodies being replenished after breaking free from the shackles.
Boom!
Pale red waves started from their hearts, dyeing their entire bodies bit by bit. When both soul and body were dyed pale red, a sound like a great bell or someone shouting rang out. The soul and body reached the same level, causing a marvelous change in their entirety.
Ace observed carefully, confirming that the breaking of some binding on the body and soul during this process was the key to life extension.
“If I can find this binding and discover the principle behind it, perhaps I can understand the hidden mysteries of life.
“Huh, what is this?”
Ace was muttering to himself when he suddenly noticed something strange about Betty’s father, the former Chief Magistrate Mr. Leon.
Leon had unconsciously activated the Misfortune Meditation Method. As a Quasi-Formal Wizard, his speed of absorbing surrounding misfortune was much faster, allowing Ace, who had his Eye of Truth active, to glimpse a sliver of the secret.
Ace observed with interest. Most of the time, misfortune and fortune were hidden and immobile, extremely difficult to observe, like dice thrown by God—no one knew the outcome before they landed.
But Leon’s behavior was different. It was as if he had filled one side of the die with mercury, making events inevitably gravitate in a certain direction.
“Maybe this stuff can be called luck? Misfortune is black, and fortune is gold, but at the extreme, they can transform into each other. The reason Leon is so unlucky is that his constitution can absorb misfortune. This is very interesting.”
Ace stared at Leon with golden eyes, becoming more and more interested. Although Ace had observed a trace of misfortune’s trajectory, he didn’t have a misfortune constitution and couldn’t control misfortune.
“It’s a pity there isn’t enough time. I don’t have time to study this carefully right now; I can only leave it until I return.”
The group gradually woke up. They expressed their gratitude to Ace one after another. A raging fire burned in Su Lu’s eyes—the fire of ambition.
He had finally completed the most important step on the Wizard’s Path, leaping to become a figure at the top of the High Tower Wizards!
Su Lu seemed to see himself standing at the apex of the High Tower, accepting everyone’s cheers alongside Ace and the others. He murmured, “I definitely can!”
Lucilu, on the other hand, stroked his pectoral muscles, marveling at the power coursing through his body. He was accustomed to using mid-to-close range fire magic combined with enchanted martial arts, surprising enemies with scorching fists and fiery torrents.
All five successfully became Quasi-Formal Wizards, reaching the state of Level 1 Life and achieving a significant extension of lifespan.
Ace didn’t keep them. He soon let them leave to seek guidance from Daina and the others at the High Tower, and to attend the Councilor Welcome Party.
Ace walked to the sealing room on the third floor of the West Tower. Arno was still hesitating there, staring blankly at Ollie frozen in the crystalline ice coffin. His eyes seemed to hold infinite nostalgia, sweetness, and regret.
Arno wore shining silver full-body armor. The aura of hatred and pressure were held back within him. That power was like turbulent waves but was firmly suppressed inside the armor. Only Arno’s pair of eyes emitted a daunting dark red light.
Hearing Ace’s footsteps, Arno turned his head somewhat sluggishly and stared at Ace.
Ace said softly, “Arno, pull yourself together. I am about to head to the northern border to deal with the enemy. You must guard the High Tower Territory well. Only by pulling yourself together and staying vigilant can you protect Ollie and Ancestar, and only then can we resurrect Ollie and wake Ancestar.”
Life slowly returned to Arno’s eyes. He slowly approached the ice coffin, hugged it hard, and said to Ace with a solemn and firm voice, “Lord Ace, rest assured. As long as I am alive, I will definitely protect the High Tower Territory well!”
Ace nodded with some gratification. At this moment, Arno was the most reliable warrior. He then took Arno to the Central High Tower outside the city. The Councilor welcome party was being prepared, and the entire High Tower was filled with joy.
Ace met with the four old Councilors and the five newly promoted Councilors. He appointed Betty and Arno as the war commanders in his absence, responsible for all combat matters, and then left the High Tower.
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