Chapter 23: Level 7, Mid-Stage

Yunluo Li, Year 9999, September.

In September, the heat in Yulan City gradually faded, with a coolness already present in the mornings and evenings.

Aikesi's cultivation had entered a subtle state. The visualization of the Nuwa Diagram grew deeper; the back of the woman on that scroll had become so clear in his mind that he could see the patterns on her robes. The pathways left by the Qi-refining methods spread throughout his body like blood vessels; every visualization allowed him to feel his spiritual power slowly flowing along those paths.

On the morning of September 3, he finished his visualization as usual. When he opened his eyes, he suddenly felt the world was somewhat different.

It was not brighter, but clearer. The texture of the leaves outside the window, the direction of the birdsong in the distance, even the minute differences in the fluctuations of elements in the air—all presented finer layers in his perception.

"Spiritual power has strengthened again," he muttered. Read good books, read novels every day on ttwk. tw, super worry-free.

This feeling was familiar. Whenever spiritual power increased significantly, this change would occur. But this time it seemed more obvious than before.

He went downstairs for breakfast; old Ka'er had, as usual, prepared everything.

"Does the young master have any plans today?" Ka'er asked.

"Going to the Royal Magic Academy this afternoon; the rest of the time at the manor," Aikesi said. "By the way, has there been any letter recently?"

Ka'er shook his head: "No. The last letter was the one written by young master Yelu in mid-August."

Aikesi nodded and said nothing more.

He knew his brothers were all busy with their own affairs.

After eating, he went to the study.

Over this month, he had gone through all the fire-related classics in the study. Although he had learned most of the content in Ensite, the magic system of the Yulan Empire was indeed somewhat different. Their research direction focused more on principles, while Ensite focused more on application.

"Each has its own merits," he concluded as he closed the last book.

In the afternoon, he used Teleportation to go to the Royal Magic Academy.

The fifth floor of the library was already familiar to him. The librarian recognized him; every time he saw him come, he only nodded, never disturbing him.

Today he chose his usual spot by the window, pulled out a copy of "Application of Fire Element Spiritual Power," and began to read.

This book discussed how to use spiritual power to control flames more precisely, which was exactly what he had been pondering recently. He read so intently that he did not notice until dusk.

When he closed the book, the sunset had already dyed the outside of the window.

He stood up, preparing to leave. As he turned, he saw that gray-robed old man again.

The old man still looked unfathomable, standing before a bookshelf and flipping through a book. He seemed to sense Aikesi's gaze, looked up once, and then nodded.

Aikesi nodded in return and turned to go downstairs.

Back at the manor, it was already dark. Old Ka'er lit the candles and set out dinner. Aikesi ate alone, his mind still thinking about the content of that book.

"Guiding spiritual power to form a spiral structure in the flames... this idea is worth trying."

After dinner, he went to the small grove to cultivate.

The Magic Array on the green stone glowed faintly, and the surrounding Fire Elements slowly gathered. He sat cross-legged, activated the Fallen Heart Flame, and began to try the control method he had seen in the book that afternoon.

The flame condensed in his palm, slowly rotating under the guidance of his spiritual power. At first it was not smooth, but after several attempts, he finally formed a stable spiral flame.

"Effective."

He tried a few more times, becoming more and more proficient.

An hour later, he ended his cultivation and stood up.

Back in his room, he visualized the Nuwa Diagram as usual.

That scroll unfolded in his mind, the woman's back standing quietly. The surrounding chaos slowly turned, and the rhythm of creating all things became clearer and clearer. He immersed himself in it, his spiritual power slowly growing with the flow of those patterns.

Night fell; he lay down and fell asleep quickly.

On September 10, Aikesi made a new discovery during cultivation.

That afternoon, while cultivating in the small grove, he suddenly felt the fluctuation of Magic in his Middle Dantian was somewhat abnormal. It was not a bad thing, but rather that feeling of "almost full."

"Approaching the mid-stage," he knew clearly in his heart.

From the early stage of Level 7 to the mid-stage, it took four months. This speed was not fast, but not slow either—normal Mages needed one to two years. The Fallen Heart Flame, the Five Spirit Wheel, the Nuwa Diagram, and the Qi-refining methods, four items stacked together, forcibly compressed the time to four months.

In the following days, he cultivated even more diligently.

On the evening of September 20, Aikesi was cultivating in the small grove.

The Fallen Heart Flame beat slowly within his body, the Five Spirit Wheel operated at full capacity, and the surrounding Fire Elements surged crazily into his body. The Magic in his Middle Dantian had reached saturation; every absorption was like pouring water into an already overflowing cup.

He knew, it was coming soon.

At the instant the Magic surged in once more—

"Boom—"

The Middle Dantian trembled slightly; that feeling of "full" disappeared. In its place came a more open feeling, as if the original small pool had suddenly expanded into a large pond. Magic rushed in quickly, filling the new space.

He opened his eyes; the perception of surrounding elements had become a few degrees clearer.

Level 7, mid-stage.

"Finally," he said softly.

He stood up and moved his body. The Magic within him was nearly thirty percent thicker than before, and the range of his spiritual power perception had also expanded significantly. He could clearly perceive the dewdrops on the leaves a hundred meters away, and could even distinguish several different elemental fluctuations in the distance.

Back in the main building, old Ka'er was preparing dinner.

"Young master, what shall we eat tonight?" Ka'er asked.

"Anything," Aikesi sat down. "I'm in a good mood today; make a couple more dishes."

Ka'er smiled: "Yes."

While eating, Aikesi drank two glasses of wine, which was rare. The wine was a fruit wine produced locally in Yulan; the alcohol content was not high, but it was very mellow. He drank alone, watching the moonlight outside the window.

"Level 7, mid-stage," he muttered.

After dinner, he went upstairs to visualize the Nuwa Diagram.

That scroll unfolded in his mind; the woman's back seemed clearer than ever. The surrounding chaos slowly turned, and the rhythm of creating all things was stronger than before. He immersed himself in it, and his spiritual power grew at a faster pace than before.

"After Level 7, mid-stage, the speed should slow down," he thought.

This was normal. The higher one went, the harder it became; the time needed from Level 7 to Level 8 might be several times that from Level 6 to Level 7. But he was not in a hurry; he had plenty of time.

On September 25, Aikesi received a letter.

The letter was from Qiaozhi, saying that he, Yelu, and Leinuo were all well, and Linlei was still the same. At the end, it said that they all missed their days at the academy and asked how he was doing in Yunluo.

He recalled those evenings when the five of them sat in the dormitory courtyard, chatting while watching the sunset. He recalled those weekends when the five of them went together to Fenlai Cheng to shop, eat, and drink. He recalled those days at Hou Shan when he activated the Falling Heart Flame while the other four cultivated nearby.

He picked up his brush and wrote back: "All is well. Do not worry."

On the evening of September 30, Aikesi stood in the courtyard, gazing at the moon in the sky.

Tomorrow would be October. In three more months, it would be the year 10000 of Yunluo Li. He knew what would happen that year—the destruction of Fenlai Cheng, Linlei's transformation, and those things he could not change.