Chapter 2313: Depake's Advancement

Two days later, the Advanced Laboratory.

Having received the notification from Aiboke, Xia Duo immediately learned from the Tower Spirit which laboratory Depake was using for his advancement, but he did not go alone; instead, he called upon all the Advanced Rank mages of the Tower of Time to observe the process on-site.

There were nearly twenty people in total, but in truth, even by past standards, fewer than ten could be called true Senior Mages; the rest were those who had undergone the Advanced Rank version of the Inheritance Ritual but had yet to fully digest it.

And if one were to follow the Job Rank Assessment standards established by Xia Duo, those who had reached the level 10 mage standard—counting Depake, who was making his final adjustments—numbered no more than four or five!

But the reason for including all of them, besides providing them with motivation, was that these individuals had already come into contact with the Fifth Layer of the Weave and could each be considered seeds for future Arcanists.

Observing the advancement in advance now would also help them understand the inside story of the advancement and build confidence in their own advancement.

Xia Duo detested the saying that "you shouldn't know about the deeper world until you reach a certain level." As a mage, if one does not understand the entire Magic system during the early stages, what happens if one takes the wrong path?

Furthermore, knowing the scenery at higher altitudes in advance is more likely to stimulate the thirst for knowledge in Apprentices.

Currently, Apprentices at the Tower of Time can come into contact with information related to Great Arcanists during their enlightenment stage, although it is only a general overview, such as how a Great Arcanist is achieved, how to continue progressing, what their capabilities are, and so on.

There are also some critical issues that, in the past, were basically "no turning back" situations, such as the fact that the best time to advance to Arcanist is when one comes into contact with the Fifth Layer of the Weave; if one misses this, one must gamble on a slim chance of becoming a Legendary Mage.

Another example is the protection of Arcane Fire; before becoming a Great Arcanist, although Arcane Fire is not a fatal weakness for an Arcanist, it is basically impossible to regain if damaged, unless one can become a Legendary Mage and then re-advance to Arcanist.

Some information may be just a casual mention by a Teacher, but as the saying goes, "A true teaching is but a single sentence, while false teachings fill ten thousand scrolls"; it might just have a critical impact on some Apprentice!

……

"Watch closely! Every one of you will have such a moment in the future." Xia Duo reminded them with a serious expression, then fixed his gaze on Depake in the center of the laboratory.

Perhaps to repay the promise of unlimited advancement permissions, Depake had agreed to Xia Duo's request for multiple people to observe.

Under normal circumstances, advancing to Arcanist concerns an Advanced Rank mage's future path; even biological brothers might not be allowed to observe on-site.

After all, even biological brothers have differences in talent; if one can advance and the other cannot, heaven knows if the psyche of the one who cannot advance will be twisted as a result.

Even without any conflict of interest, advancing alone is a better choice for the sake of Insurance.

"I am going to begin."

Depake nodded at Xia Duo, his expression gradually relaxing, and he even had enough spare attention to introduce the process to the Advanced Rank mages observing on-site—

"The first step, create Arcane Fire!"

Xia Duo had experienced this step more than once; of course, he had only experienced creating Arcane Fire at the Advanced Rank mage stage twice, while the others were all creating more perfect Arcane Fire directly at the Great Arcanist stage.

The key to this step actually has little to do with the Spellcaster themselves; after all, having reached the threshold of advancement, no one fails to pass the most basic hurdle of Spellcasting.

The key lies in the Suppression and separation of the Magic Net, which is the very purpose of the Advanced Laboratory.

If one were to tear the Magic Net under normal conditions in the outside world, first of all, it would be impossible to tear—at least not for an Advanced Rank mage—and even if the tearing were successful, it would cause a riot in the Magic Net.

By then, it wouldn't be an advancement; perhaps the Divine Punishment of the Lady of Mysteries would arrive first.

But inside the Advanced Laboratory, the Magic Net is suppressed and weakened to the extreme, so even an Advanced Rank mage can easily tear it; the so-called "tearing the Magic Net" and "seizing the essence" is actually stripping away the Magic Net String.

Afterwards, using the independent Magic Net String to weave the Arcane Fire completes more than half of the entire advancement process!

Depake had perhaps rehearsed this countless times in private; at this moment, his Spellcasting was skillful and without any obstruction. The moment the 【Arcane Fire Blueprint】 was completed, the Magic Net inside the Advanced Laboratory rioted instantly.

But this riot did not cause any catastrophic impact; instead, Magic Net Strings were continuously stripped from the main body of the Magic Net, converging at the source of the riot, which was the location of the Arcane Fire Blueprint.

From the Magic Net Strings that are nearly free-floating on the surface to the Magic Net Strings in the first layer that truly need to be "torn," the deeper the level, the more severe the collapse of the Magic Net structure caused by the tearing.

Seeing this scene, everyone, including Xia Duo, could not help but hold their breath; Xia Duo even unfolded his Arcane Fire, ready to provide assistance at any time.

Of course, in this situation, the only assistance he could provide was the protection of Depake.

……

Soon, with Depake as the center, the riot of the broken Magic Net became more and more violent. The leaked elements and energy were attracted by the Spell in Depake's hands—or more accurately, attracted by the Arcane Fire root that was taking shape.

The next moment, the Arcane Fire root woven from Magic Net Strings contracted violently until it reached an extremely tiny point; the next moment, a cluster of intense blue radiance emanated from this tiny point.

At the same time, everyone observing on-site could feel a brand new energy gushing out from that small point like a clear spring, then spreading and diffusing in all directions.

Arcane Energy!

Unsurprisingly, at the same time the Arcane Fire was born, Arcane Energy also appeared!

Seemingly shocked by this miracle of Magic, Depake actually began to daze. At this moment, the Spellcasting had long since ended, and Xia Duo, not worried about disturbing the other, hurriedly reminded:

"Depake, hurry! Merge it with your will!"

Arcane Fire is essentially a Micro Magic Net that has been artificially stripped and re-woven; if it is not connected to the Spellcaster's will, it will soon be assimilated if placed in a normal Magic Net environment.

And even in the Advanced Laboratory, one must consider the risk of the Arcane Fire burning out.

From the day of its birth, Arcane Fire will continuously convert Arcane Energy, but this is only if there is energy; if there is no energy, it will burn itself out.

It needs to be connected to the will immediately and then connected to the Magic Net. Although the broken Magic Net environment of the Advanced Laboratory is not conducive to energy transmission, it is enough for the Arcane Fire to exist stably.

Of course, as someone who has been through it, Xia Duo had prepared Arcane Crystal for Depake's advancement; in the past, when he had just advanced to Arcanist, he also kept Arcane Crystal on his person, fearing that a poor connection to the Magic Net would cause the Arcane Fire to burn out.

But regardless, merging it with the will first is never wrong; it is the most secure approach.