Chapter 116: Promotion: Second‑Tier Steam Wizard

The wondrous alchemy hut, after a little half‑day.

"Great Furnace and Craftsman's God, is this truly the quasi‑lord crystal I have forged?"

"If I could forge at this level every time, I would surely be the most renowned master of Saintland!"

"Oh! I wish this marvelous moment could linger a bit longer!"

He pinched up the near‑perfect, earth‑colored—Mountain Giant Bear quasi‑lord extraordinary crystal—with tweezers.

Dwarf Ba Jinsi, while brandishing his little iron hammer, voiced sincere praise and exclamation!

"I don't know whether you need to praise the Great Furnace and Craftsman's God, but I do know that the harmful traits within this quasi‑lord crystal and the will of that Mountain Giant Bear are truly hard to extract."

Nearby, Ta Ke examined the excited Ba Jinsi, silently contemplating.

"If it weren't for my Steam Origin Spirit State being able to strongly anchor those threads and pull them out,"

"the Light‑Precision Correction method would likely require considerable time to fully resolve and remove that big fellow's will."

He secured the core Mountain Giant Bear leader's extraordinary crystal.

Ta Ke's materials for promotion to Second‑Tier Steam Wizard were now completely gathered.

After handing a sizable number of extraordinary storage bracelets to Ba Jinsi and giving some instructions, Ta Ke silently left the wondrous alchemy hut, vanishing into the depths of the rain‑shrouded mist.

Seeing the dozen‑plus extraordinary storage bracelets Ta Ke left behind, Ba Jinsi couldn't help but mutter.

"How many people has that fellow killed to amass so many extraordinary storage bracelets?"

"That fellow will need considerable time to advance outward; first become a hot forge, and recall the feeling of forging that leader‑level crystal earlier."

Immediately, Ba Jinsi produced a Third‑Tier Elite Extraordinary Trait Crystal and began a new round of alchemical forging.

Soon, Ba Jinsi's angry, irritable roar echoed from the alchemy chamber: "Damn it, this forging is a pile of dog‑shit."

As a Steam Sequence, promotion inevitably brings about steam anomalies.

This is one of the minor side effects of a powerful sequence.

If it occurs within a safe tower domain, it would be merely a trivial issue.

But placed in the Black River Valley town where Dark Sun energy surges,

it would become a highly lethal problem.

Fortunately, beforehand Ta Ke had already scoped out a spot for himself.

Within the broad gorge of Black River Valley lie many "River‑Heart Islands."

At this moment, on a relatively spacious rocky River‑Heart Island,

as Ta Ke unfolded the Great Barrier Ritual Spell,

Large amounts of rock came to life and, under the power of the ritual, rapidly drew together to construct a small "Wizard Tower" ten meters tall and about three meters in diameter.

The structural framework of the rock wizard tower was also meticulously crafted.

Its core framework was a Silver Radiance Sacred Barrier, with the attached filler being an Iron Coupled Source Barrier.

This interwoven composite of forces is a technique Ta Ke himself devised for employing barrier power.

Although its strength falls short of a true Silver Radiance Sacred Barrier,

being only about eighty percent of a genuine one.

Yet the consumption of spirit and source energy is less than one‑tenth of a full Silver Radiance Sacred Barrier.

Making it stand out as "cost‑effective," "economically suitable," and "conveniently swift."

He entered the small wizard tower.

The heavy rain was completely barred outside.

After a careful inspection confirming no major issues in the union of the Iron Coupled Source Barrier and the Silver Radiance Sacred Barrier,

he spread a woolen blanket for meditation and settled calmly on the tower's uppermost floor.

Ta Ke began inventorying his promotion items.

A large batch of Second‑Tier Wizard Promotion Elixir.

As a Steam Wizard, this promotion elixir also required an increased dosage.

Soul material: Second‑Tier Leader‑level Spirit Deer Soul Crystal.

Source‑energy material: Second‑Tier Leader‑level Blood‑thirsty Barbarian Bull Source Energy Crystal.

Life material: Second‑Tier Quasi‑Lord‑level Mountain Giant Bear Life Crystal.

This full leader‑level material set could be called luxurious.

After roughly a hundred breaths, he adjusted his condition to optimal.

【49】 Ta Ke began mixing the promotion elixir.

a mass of rocks came alive, and under the ritual's power swiftly detached and assembled into a small "Wizard Tower" about ten meters tall and roughly three meters in diameter.

When the Spirit Deer Soul Crystal was added, ethereal blue soul‑light spread in the glass cup; the previously faint green liquid swiftly turned a deep blue, with a faint sight of the spirit deer lightly leaping on the liquid's surface.

Adding the Blood‑thirsty Barbarian Bull Source Energy Crystal turned the elixir a sanguine hue.

"Moo…" low, deep cow calls echoed.

When the Mountain Giant Bear material was added, the blood‑red shade gradually turned into a dense black.

The elixir itself even took on a hair‑like texture, pressing outward along the cup's rim.

Before these powerful traits could clash inside the cup,

Ta Ke gulped down the Second‑Tier Wizard promotion elixir in one go.

The spirit deer's screech.

The Blood‑thirsty Barbarian Bull's long bellow.

The Mountain Giant Bear's roar.

In an instant, it filled Ta Ke's mind.

The outlines of the three powerful leaders now filled Taku's steam wizard ecology even more.

But they did not show any aggression.

Taku's purpose in smelting these three materials is exactly that.

Expelling the materials' negative and harmful traits, erasing the leaders' will.

Thus, when absorbing and digesting, it wouldn't be like fighting a life‑and‑death battle.

Promote!

Just need to highlight stability.

Otherwise, Taku would have waited all this time for nothing.

At this moment, in Taku's sequence ecology.

Previously presenting an ordinary wooden form, the 'Wizard Tree'.

Now it has become the 'Steam Wizard Tree' of the steam sequence.

The Steam Wizard Tree displays the silver‑gray hue unique to life metal.

And the entire Steam Wizard Tree is visibly suffused with a divine aura.

Taku's steam core contains an extremely strong divine light angel trait.

Although it is not outwardly expressed.

But on the Steam Wizard Tree, this divine light trait has been completely integrated into Taku's ecology and sequence.

Divine light has already become part of Taku.

At the base of the Steam Wizard Tree's trunk, in the deep, thick and well‑developed roots.

The 'Tree Heart Furnace' draws in source energy to burn, continuously bursting forth source energy flames.

It brings the source‑energy fire to the whole Steam Wizard Tree.

Further up is the 'Source Energy Steam Machine' produced by the steam sequence.

Drawing on the source‑energy flame, the Source Energy Steam Machine pulls source energy from Taku's source pool, releasing source‑energy steam that permeates the entire steam wizard ecology.

The entire Steam Wizard Tree, compared to the original Wizard Tree,

shows more efficient use of source energy in the sequence.

And the rising source‑energy steam builds a steam ecology that is clearly stronger than the original, more primitive wizard ecology.

More importantly, the steam wizard ecology possesses a powerful 【cycle】 ability.

Gather source energy, burn source energy, release source‑energy steam.

And these source energies will soon settle, to be re‑absorbed and used by the source pool.

Then they enter the next cycle.

This lets the steam wizard ecology, in its efficient cycle, have self‑purification, self‑adjustment, and self‑recovery abilities.

And this is also the most impressive aspect of the steam ecology that humanity has built in the modern world.

Because this kind of self‑cycling, self‑maintenance, self‑correction, and even self‑expanding ecology,

can prove a truly terrifying thing.

That is!

The steam sequence ecology itself is a powerful 'Transcendent Ecology World'.

An ecology that humanity can create, capable of standing against the external world.

When the rumble of steam sounds in this world,

it is like the gunshot that echoes in an ancient primordial forest.

The gunshot itself is not important.

But the meaning behind it is extraordinarily significant.

…………

Wuu wuu……

As Taku gradually absorbs and digests the three leaders' materials,

the Steam Wizard Tree grows rapidly.

the flames of the Tree Heart Furnace wildly increase their intensity.

Wuu wuu…… wuu wuu……

The Source Energy Steam Machine also exerts itself to spray out source‑energy steam.

At this moment.

Taku's Steam Wizard Tree emits the metallic friction sound characteristic of life‑metal growth.

At this moment, Taku's body also swells as the source‑energy steam rises.

Wuu wuu……

The whistle sounds in Taku's ears, nose, eyes, and mouth as the flag's signal dissipates.

Like a speeding steam train approaching.

The clattering rain curtain separates River Heart Island from the distant River Valley Edge Town.

The whistle had barely left the island when the heavy rain washed it away.

Rain curtain!

It became Taku's safe refuge.

No one knows how long passed.

The source‑energy steam finally ceased to dissipate.

That strange 'mechanical feeling' also gradually faded from his body.

Ta Ke gradually regained the feeling of self-control.

Although he already knew he had completed the advancement.

But this did not delay Ta Ke from opening his attribute panel, adding a bit more joy.

【Supernatural Sequence】

Steam Wizard: Level 20.

Origin Dark Sea: Level 19.

……

The Level 20 rank imprinted itself on his vision.

Ta Ke smiled knowingly.

"Ordinary material advancing to second rank is still second rank."

"Leader-tier material advancing to second rank is still second rank."

"But the gap between them is enormous."

"Even though I already am is a Steam Wizard, the changes brought by this three great leader-tier materials are still astonishing."

"In terms of strength, it increased by about 5.6 times. In terms of life force intensity, it increased by about 4 times. Just the foundation of this Vital Pulse Giant Bear material alone could let me live another twenty or thirty years at least."

"As for the soul aspect, although the increase is weaker, it is still about 3.2 times."

"Even, I am now able to feel my spiritual entity."

"The advancement of the Source Energy Pool itself, plus the extra boost from the leader-tier material."

"It also roughly reached about four times the previous level."

"It is almost catching up to one-fourth the size of the Origin Dark Sea."

"The foundation of the Transcendent Wizard has greatly increased compared to before."

"The increase in overall strength is also astonishing."

"Not bad, not bad."

Inside the Wizard Tower deep in the Rain Curtain.

Ta Ke finely felt this all-around transformation inside and out, enjoying this long-lost joy!