Chapter 176: Second Circle Mage

Li En had a dream.

In the dream, it was not the Hall of Spirits beneath the familiar starry sky, but an endless sea of stars.

In the void, massive shadows emerged.

Among them were an elf empress veiled in silk, an ancient dragon king with horns, a titan giant playing music atop a cloud-city, a beast whose voice shook heaven and earth, and of course, the serpent that coiled across the heavens and earth.

They chatted merrily, drank, and sang—especially that serpent, who danced with wild enthusiasm.

Dancing with them were several other giant she-serpents, she-beasts, and female titans, yet the rhythm seemed familiar—like the pulsing disco of his past life.

As they played, they seemed to speak and exchange something.

Some of them began to argue.

Even the ancient elf empress smiled and waved at him, as if he had just entered.

"Huh? How do I know she's the ancient elf empress? Wait—interaction is happening. Is this not memory, nor a dream?"

"Oh dear, oh dear, little one, how did you get in here? Let me send you out."

The serpent's voice echoed in his ears; before Li En could respond, he blinked—and found himself back in reality.

He reached out his hand—but sat on his own bed.

He was bewildered, glanced at the night outside, and decided to go back to sleep.

When he awoke again in the morning, the dream had vanished completely.

This time, he slept especially sweetly.

"Time to get to work."

Li En rose and drank a large cup of water; the previous day, Dimon, Larry, and the others had treated him lavishly.

At the banquet, they spoke again of underground adventures and that lich, and soon the conversation turned to boasting—before he realized he'd drunk too much.

Though the Dragon Vein body had strong resistance, some dwarf spirits were named "Dragon Killer" and "Giant Slayer."

Li En, half-dazed, stumbling home from the carriage, proved their names were no exaggeration.

These were all loot seized by Dimon from smugglers.

He'd exploited a loophole: as a "Hermit," he was forbidden from enjoying such fine wines—but drinking plain water while entertaining friends was perfectly acceptable.

Thus, oaths were largely matters of the mind; if you truly believed conquest brought righteous order, then even deliberate slaughter and domination might not break your vow.

If you were mad enough, building a "righteous empire" was entirely possible—though history seemed to show no one had ever achieved it.

But for oaths, self-deception won't do; if you're too extreme, one day, while reflecting on your past, you might suddenly break it.

After all, deceiving yourself for a moment, numbing yourself—that's possible. But lying to yourself your whole life? Too unrealistic.

In a sense, this was truly a path where stronger will and more extreme emotion meant greater power; classical Oathbound Knights, severed from divine favor, once matured, far surpassed ordinary Paladins.

After all, they needed not kneel to divine power—only uphold their own inner promises and goodwill.

"Keep your vow."

"Fight for those I love and who love me."

Fight for the bottom line of humanity and human nature.

As he swung his Hero's Sword again, Li En felt something returning to him.

He had thought the oaths were mere words—but on this journey, he had repeatedly upheld all three, and thus received the vow's reward.

"Perhaps the essence of a Paladin is anger toward injustice, toward unjust acts." He vaguely grasped something.

Exhausted, he pushed his body to its limit again, then drank water and rested before sitting in meditation.

He did not rush to advance, though he deeply craved higher-tier abilities.

The path of cultivation was also a path of evolution—even transcendence.

The Radiant power gradually merged into his body; his Holy energy further "light-ified."

This was the cultivation method of the Judgment Path—and the life of a Judgment Knight.

At the stage of complete fusion, even a speck of Holy energy on the sword's tip could glow with light and fire, delivering strikes heavy with the attribute of "Punishing Evil."

Or, by then, one might simply cry out, "For the Holy Light!"

"Hmm, that works too." Li En closed his eyes—he sensed his Red Dragon bloodline's innate fire control now also governed the flame aspect of the Holy Light, enhancing its controllability and power.

Could his Exorcism Slash grow even stronger?

"Why didn't I feel this before? Oh—before, I wasn't truly a Dragonkin, just a bigger Kobold." The thin Dragon Vein had offered no sufficient elemental control or perception.

The awakened Dragon Vein in Li En slowly comprehended the power within—his Red Dragon's instinctive command over fire.

His outstretched hands faintly shimmered with flowing flame.

The mental model of "Scorching Ray" began forming; the three-stage flame trigger was easily constructed, and the "Dragon Head" symbol indicated the computational load was trivial. Next came channeling mana and guiding elemental forces—though the latter was the true difficulty.

Guiding the ray, maintaining its stability and speed, demanded extraordinary elemental control—and for a Red Dragon's child, this was no obstacle.

Li En vaguely realized: between professions, and between profession and flesh, there was no separation.

On the contrary, they fused, influenced each other, and ultimately shaped the result.

"Scorching Ray."

His extended finger fired two beams of condensed flame.

"Boom!"

Only the first struck its target, exploding into sparks against the wall.

The second dissipated naturally—clearly, even as a Dragonkin, he still needed vast training and trial-and-error.

"Success—but I'll need a few more days to refine it." Yet he still underestimated the Second Thoughtline's role.

That "AI" swiftly calculated and adjusted during the second casting; by the third, all three rays erupted stably!

Precise spellcasting, requiring repeated practice and calculation to perfect, was effortlessly integrated with the aid of the Second Brain.

When the spell succeeded, a faint Arcane aura encircled Li En—he entered the Second Circle of the Mage.

This was clearly abnormal; he hadn't even mastered a few First Circle spells, yet he'd kicked open the door to the Second Circle—instantly, without doubt, Li En was now a full Second Circle Mage.

"I can go to the Mage Quarter ahead of schedule."

This was expected—the Sage's "treasure," after all—but Li En hadn't anticipated it would come so soon.

Yet thinking of the Sage himself, who had spent half his life stuck in Second and Third Circles, Li En sighed, suddenly feeling sorrow.

But soon, he had no time for such thoughts.

"You—you're already Second Circle?!" Luo Yisi, a Third Circle Mage, stared in shock.

He'd seen prodigies before—but never anything this abnormal.

Less than a month? From Zero Circle straight to Second Circle? Just days ago, he'd been teaching Li En his first First Circle spell: Rapid Advance.

And Li En's innate talent—Luo Yisi, who had taught him, knew well.

He wasn't even a top genius; such "mediocre talent" often abandoned magic entirely after two months of stagnation.

"Hmm, luck. I encountered some things in the Underworld." Li En's face bore the weight of painful memories.

But if you dared ask what exactly he'd endured to leap so far, the answer remained: "Painful to recall."

"I encountered the Master Brain and a swarm of Mind Flayers—and awakened psychic abilities." After consideration, Li En decided to weave in a bit more "truth."

After all, he was about to choose a mentor—he needed reputation and credentials. In the Mage world, Li En was a blank slate; their attitude toward other professions was oddly delicate, even arrogant.

Ordinary nobility meant nothing to them; they pursued only knowledge and the possibility of higher magic.

"Truly enviable," Luo Yisi gazed at Li En with full admiration.

To him, this wasn't merely saving a few years (he'd estimated Li En needed three years to reach Second Circle)—it drastically raised his ceiling and opened many convenient paths.

Combining Psionics, Sorcerer bloodlines, and Magecraft offered unique, powerful trajectories.

"Perhaps, Li En, you should consider which specialization to pursue—or even become a Psionic Sorcerer. Progress may be erratic, but it saves time." As he spoke, Luo Yisi signed Li En's "graduation certificate" and prepared a recommendation letter.

"No, I've already decided. I intend to specialize in Evocation. Can you recommend a master in that field?"

Though Mages typically chose their specialization at Third Circle, if seeking a mentor, it was best to decide early; with Li En's current achievements, he had no shortage of potential masters—he could even aim for the most suitable one.

"Evocation? That's plenty."

The Mage world never lacked spell-slinging brutes.

Li En's choice was natural: "Exorcism Slash" and "Fire Magic" were both Evocation; his entire combat style relied on Evocation—no reason to choose anything else. Ku Ku's earlier advice had sealed his decision.

". aster Scor, the Thunderfire; the Temperamental Flame Mage Wednesday (pseudonym); the Little Dragon Louisa sisters… Don't be surprised they all wield fire—fire users make up at least a third of Evocation." His emphasis on these "fire mages" clearly indicated he'd noticed Li En's red dragon scales.

Dragonkin Sorcerers might be rare, but the local Mage Quarter certainly had several.

At this moment, this "enlightenment" mentor of Li En's treated him with unexpected eagerness—even flattery.

He not only introduced famous fire mages, sorcerers, and psionics, but actively contacted his own contacts to recommend suitable Mage resources.

He even subtly hinted that, before finalizing a mentor, exploring multiple paths wasn't a bad idea.

The world of spellcasters could be relatively simple—and Li En's demonstrated potential gave him undeniable leverage to make even the proud bow and flatter him.

Recalling the senior apprentice he'd met before—whose eagerness carried an undercurrent of condescension—compared to this Third Circle Mage's earnest deference, Li En couldn't help but smile wryly.

(End of Chapter)