Chapter 682: Dispelling Petrification, New Uses for Arcane Energy

Bishop Anbulier attempted once more to perform Banishment of the "curse" on Boke, while Xia Duo took the opportunity to continue observing the details of the Petrification Spell exposed by the stimulation of the Bishop's Holy Power.

"Huh—"

Xia Duo, who was observing and recording, suddenly discovered that the Petrification Spell on Boke's body was rapidly disintegrating, like pulling silk from a cocoon, or as if the bottom layer of a block tower had been removed, causing the whole thing to quickly collapse and fall apart.

Manifesting on the physical level, the petrified parts of Boke's lower body, along with his petrified clothing, suddenly erupted with a burst of intense elemental fluctuations, and then rapidly returned to their original forms—be it flesh, fabric, or leather.

"The curse is lifted?" Xia Duo asked in surprise.

"Yes, it is lifted!" Anbulier replied while wiping his sweat. "Fortunately, it was lifted early; if it had lasted any longer, it would have been impossible to recover."

"What about Jiabasi? He was completely turned into a Statue; is there still hope for him?"

"It should be fine. Let me rest for a moment, then I will try again."

As they were speaking, Boke, who was lying on the ground, suddenly muttered something and actually rolled over. Regarding this, Anbulier explained: "He endured immense mental suffering and needs a good sleep. Once he wakes up, he will be fully recovered."

Having said that, he sat down to rest.

However, while Bishop Anbulier rested this time, Xia Duo did not. There was no need to rest when he was just observing and recording. Right now, Bishop Anbulier seemed to have found the knack for dispelling Petrification Magic, and he had to collect all the information he could before the magic was dispelled.

Although the Petrification Domain at the ruins might be triggered again, no one could guarantee it; perhaps it was just a one-time trap!

After all, it was a ruin, and from a very distant past. With endless time passing, it was already remarkable that it could retain a single spell effect. Xia Duo held little hope that it could be triggered continuously.

Of course, the possibility could not be entirely ruled out.

Xia Duo still felt it was better to be safe. Previously, the Arcanist from the 【Hand of Secrecy】 had been so secretive about the 【Turn Mud to Stone】 spell that they wouldn't even trade it. Now that there was a similar spell, how could he let it go?

Not to mention that this might involve the general Principles of material transformation, the mere ability to transform stone was enough to excite him.

Thus, Xia Duo walked up to Jiabasi's petrified Statue and, imitating Bishop Anbulier's manner, extended his hand near the petrified surface of Jiabasi's body.

Arcane Energy circulated, diffusing from his palm and permeating toward Jiabasi. This was the first time Xia Duo had used this form of detection; before today, he did not know Arcane Energy could be used this way.

Or rather, Arcanists did not use Arcane Energy this way. Most of them simply treated Arcane Energy as a common source of energy for Spellcasting. Without Arcane Energy, one could directly Link Magic Web to draw energy, or use a Gemstone; there was no significant difference between these methods.

The manifestation of a Spell had nothing to do with what energy was used behind it; it only concerned the "blueprint" of constructing and weaving the Spell. And the so-called blueprint was actually something at the level of Spell design.

This was the Principle of the Spell, the essence of Magic.

Yet Holy Power was the foundation upon which a Cleric built their life. A Cleric spent their whole life sensing the inner nature of Holy Power, seeking to draw closer to the essence of the god they pursued.

Two completely different attitudes also created different attitudes—and even different usages—regarding the energy each possessed.

……

A visible blue light bloomed from Xia Duo's palm and surged, but in fact, this operation of his failed to "shake" the Magic Net, or rather, it failed to stimulate the Petrification Magic on Jiabasi.

"It seems simple imitation has no effect!" Xia Duo thought to himself. He had not yet realized where the difference between Arcane Energy and Holy Power truly lay.

Anbulier, who was drinking tea and resting nearby, saw Xia Duo's actions, and a hint of smugness could not help but appear in his eyes. If it were so easily imitated, he would have lived these decades in vain.

Xia Duo soon realized that although Arcane Energy was somewhat similar to Holy Power, it was ultimately not the same existence. He should utilize the inherent properties of Arcane Energy.

What properties did Arcane Energy have? Beyond serving as a consumable for Spellcasting, the Arcane Energy generated from Arcane Fire naturally carried some of the properties of Arcane Fire.

The essence of Arcane Fire was a cluster of Magic Net Strings that had been torn apart, isolated, and re-woven according to specific rules. Therefore, Arcane Energy actually possessed a certain ability to simulate Magic Net Strings.

When an Arcanist performs Spellcasting, in addition to the direct operation of the Magic Net like an ordinary Mage, they could also perform Spellcasting with Arcane Energy, relying on this property of Arcane Energy simulating Magic Net Strings.

A more common practice was to unfold the Arcane Fire to form a Micro Magic Net, and then operate this Micro Magic Net—exclusive to the Arcanist—to generate a Spell.

However, Xia Duo had only recently advanced to an Arcanist, and his newly born Arcane Fire was not yet sufficient to support him in unfolding it for Spellcasting, though he was no stranger to Spellcasting with Arcane Energy.

Or rather, this was a basic skill that every Arcanist should master. If one could not even perform Spellcasting with Arcane Energy, what face did one have to call oneself an Arcanist?

After changing his approach, Xia Duo quickly transformed the form of a portion of his Arcane Energy, highlighting the property of simulating Magic Net Strings, and aligned it with the existing Magic Net Strings in the external environment, beginning to Resonance and vibrate.

This was the first time Xia Duo had attempted this, but the effect was surprisingly good. The portion of the Magic Net that originally shrouded Jiabasi was immediately stimulated, and the Magic Net environment, which had been perfectly normal and indistinguishable from other locations, rapidly underwent a change.

Some complex internal structures were abruptly unfolded before Xia Duo!

It turned out that the normal appearance was merely a disguise created by the exquisite construction of the Petrification Spell!

However, despite this, Xia Duo still did not attempt to dispel the Petrification Magic himself. Boke, who had just been used for practice, was now fine, but Jiabasi was completely petrified. He did not want to lose a capable subordinate due to his own rash attempt; it was more appropriate to leave it to the professionals.

……

Just like that, Xia Duo stimulated the Petrification Magic to make it manifest while recording it in his Spell Notes. Before long, he had recorded all the known details.

Only then did he put away his notes and say to Bishop Anbulier: "Bishop, please proceed with the Banishment of the curse for him!"

"Very well!"

Anbulier did not ask any questions about Xia Duo's previous actions and agreed immediately.

……

Although the subsequent rescue involved several attempts and a few setbacks, it ultimately passed without danger. After the final attempt, Jiabasi quickly recovered from the petrified state.

But due to his previous movement, he lunged forward, landing right on top of Boke, who was still lying on the ground—which could be considered fulfilling the last intention he had before being petrified.