Chapter 406: Supreme Arcane

Ao Xiliya is a Mage specialized in Arcane, already at Legendary Mid-stage; in Arcane matters, Lei En considers himself far inferior to her, so asking her for instruction is appropriate.

Moreover, she received the Key of Doors from me and knows how to maximize its effect.

"Already at five rings so quickly?"

Ao Xiliya looked up, unable to hide the surprise on her face.

"Hmm, luck was on my side; the Key of Doors upgraded during Soul Transformation," Lei En said with a smile.

Mages differ from Wizards: after each upgrade or advancement, a Mage must meditate to reconstruct existing spell models with mana, that is, Arcane Elements, reaching the current rank's ring‑count limit; whereas a Wizard may have the Elements rise during Soul Transformation, saving much effort.

Ao Xiliya nodded lightly, a thoughtful expression on her face, and said, "You are a Wizard, and a combat Wizard; normally you can only obtain spells by merging with a demon soul. The Key of Doors is an extra chance, not limited by demon souls, so you should aim for the rarest Arcane."

"I think the same," Lei En's line of thought was similar.

The biggest difference between Wizards and Mages lies in how they master spells.

Regardless of the school, a Wizard must either fuse a Law Seal or merge with a demon soul to acquire new spells, a relatively narrow path; after reaching Legendary this drawback becomes even more pronounced, as many intermediate and high‑level spells exist only in very rare demon souls, hard to encounter.

But Mages are different.

Mages can, through study, build spell models and actively grasp the spells they desire. Though it consumes tremendous time and effort, possibly taking years and even failing, it wins in stability, without needing to hunt demon souls like Wizards.

Both have advantages: the Wizard's method is shortcut, convenient and fast, but depends on luck; the Mage's tests talent, deepening understanding while building spells, resulting in a solid foundation.

Anyone who can cultivate beyond Legendary, whether Wizard or Mage, is exceptionally gifted, isn't it?

So overall, Mages still have a slight edge.

In the Legendary realm, that is levels 10 to 19, a Mage of equal level generally surpasses a Wizard; the higher the level, the larger the gap.

However, a Wizard of the same level is always much younger than a Mage, often only half, even a third, or a fifth of the Mage's age!

At Legendary High‑rank, Mages find it easier to breakthrough, becoming Legendary Grand Mage, which people often call "Grand Mage."

In contrast, the difficulty for a Wizard to ascend to Holy Soul Wizard may be several times higher.

After Level 20, the differences between Wizards and Mages are erased; there is no superiority, and victory depends on the caster's personal strength.

In the end, these are two different paths that lead to the same destination.

The cause of all this is the Blood Soul Curse; human souls are weak, talent insufficient, lifespan limited, forcing them to find a shortcut to magical truth—quickly gaining power early, struggling to improve mid‑stage, and compensating for flaws later, forging a uniquely human path of casters.

Lei En is a combat Wizard, required to merge an entire demon soul, so opportunities to grasp new spells are fewer.

Although he has already lifted the Blood Soul Curse, the meditation method cannot be changed; he cannot build spell models like a Mage and must still merge demon souls.

Therefore, the Key of Doors is his rare chance to choose spells at will.

Generally, the rarer the spell, the higher its ring count and the stronger its potency; among five‑ring Arcane there are many Supreme Elements, so a choice must be made among those Supreme Elements.

Ao Xiliya's hand slid over Lei En's solid chest and continued, "Your defense is extremely strong, and now you have also obtained the Thunder God's Hammer, so you lack no offensive means; thus the Arcane 'Particle Light Spear', 'Astral Guard', 'Burst Star Technique', and 'Force Field Blade' need not be considered."

The Arcane she mentioned are all Supreme Elements within the five‑ring tier, extremely hard to obtain and highly potent.

Mastering any one of them would be merely adding embellishment for Lei En, with no substantive boost to his strength.

"My suggestion is to pick one among 'Space‑Time Shock', 'Void Chains', and 'Mirror Image.'" Ao Xiliya said softly, "They cannot directly cause damage, but are very practical, covering the gaps in some of your abilities."

"Hmm, let me think."

Lei En nodded and began to consider.

These three Arcane are also Supreme Elements; he found information in his mobile library, and the teacher's spell notebook also recorded them.

Space‑Time Shock sounds impressive just by its name, but in reality it lacks particularly astonishing damage.

It manipulates Arcane energy, that is, a sudden surge of space‑time energy, creating a strong vibration that affects enemies within its range. The five‑ring Space‑Time Shock's spell range is tiny—a spherical space less than three meters in diameter—its impact feels like being struck by a wave, considerable in power and not to be underestimated, yet it does not reach an unstoppable level.

However, Space‑Time Shock has an extremely frightening side effect: it can interrupt casting!

The intense space‑time tremor around the body creates a sensory discontinuity, like a temporal distortion, lasting perhaps less than a tenth of a second—shorter than a blink—yet enough to sever the caster's spell formation, almost inescapable.

Its effect resembles a spell counter, but the principle is entirely different.

A spell counter can only be used at the instant the opponent's spell completes, demanding precise timing, whereas Space‑Time Shock can be employed at any point during the opponent's spell formation.

Even with instant‑cast spells, Space‑Time Shock still provides some disruption.

If a caster is hit by Space‑Time Shock and their Willpower and resistance are insufficient to recover quickly, it induces an effect akin to 'Silence', preventing further casting.

Moreover, Space‑Time Shock's casting range is far greater than that of a spell counter, and its casting time is short.

If one masters Space‑Time Shock to instant‑cast level, Lei En is confident that only a handful of casters in the world could cast a spell before him.

He was almost immediately tempted.

However, the second Arcane, 'Void Chains', is also excellent; formed from void energy into semi‑solid, semi‑illusory chains about as thick as an arm, capable of controlling five simultaneously at will, each chain bearing seventh‑level power, even if merely used to strike enemies, its force is strong.

The true function of Void Chains is to trap foes; once entangled, they sever the link to space, preventing the use of teleportation spells such as Arbitrary Door, Flash, elemental Flash Flame, Spirit Wind, or Shrink‑Earth, as well as swift steps and charges. All movement abilities are severely weakened, dropping to a low tier; those lacking strength are locked in place, essentially an enhanced version of the five‑ring 'Ring of Confinement'.

They can also be placed around the body, forming a protective technique with counter‑attack capability.

It combines attack, defense, enemy immobilization, and escape prevention, and can even be used to torture foes, like a binding game.

Whether facing melee super‑humans or casters, Void Chains are a killing move.

This Arcane is plain yet powerful.

The last is 'Mirror Image'; Lei En has previously witnessed its potency.

The five‑ring Mirror Image can create three mirror clones, each identical in appearance and aura to the original, making ordinary detection spells struggle to discern truth.

It is an advanced element of the three‑ring Arcane 'Mirror Shadow', whose clones are mere phantoms that burst like bubbles upon impact.

Mirror clones, however, possess substance and can cast spells or engage in melee.

Nevertheless, the clone's spell power is halved, and its strength and defense are only half of the original's.

The number of Mirror Image clones rises with ring count: at six rings there are four, at seven rings two more, and thereafter each additional ring adds two, reaching ten at the maximum nine rings!

But that is not the limit; the Affinity Element of Arcane energy also affects the number of mirror clones.

One Void Resonance can add an extra mirror.

Back then, Lei En and Ao Xiliya encountered Master Lu Yin; he created ten mirror clones. As a Legendary High‑rank Arcane practitioner, Lu Yin's spells topped at eight rings, yet he had so many clones, indicating he possessed two Void Resonance Elements.

Lei En has only one Void Resonance, but the Key of Doors also grants an additional Void Resonance effect.

If he masters Mirror Image, during the Five Rings he can create five clones; upon advancing to Legendary High‑rank, he can also have ten clones!

The spell power of Mirror Image clones is halved, which is a considerable drawback for a pure caster; often, half the spell effect is useless.

Most casters have mediocre physical condition; weakening it further makes them too fragile. Mirror Image clones crumble at the first blow in battles above Legendary, perhaps a single Arcane missile can kill them, or they can be vaporized by the residual energy of high‑ring spells.

However, for Lei En, this is no problem.

He doesn't mind the halved spell power, since his attacks aren't primarily magical; he only needs more Mirror Image clones.

Even if his strength and defense are only half of his original body, that's still astonishing.

Five Mirror Image clones, each possessing half his own strength and defense, combined with the newly activated multi‑core crystal in his phone, multitasking with a single mind; each clone has independent thought, cooperates seamlessly—what magnitude of effect can they achieve?

This alone can boost his overall power by two to three times!

Just thinking excites Lei En, yet he doesn't decide immediately, because the first two spells also suit him well.

Space‑Time Shock can make him a nemesis of casters, scarier than the rare transcendent class "Breaker of Spells"; the strongest opponents are often casters, giving him a huge advantage when facing other Wizards, mages, or warlocks.

Void Chains have a wide range of uses, are flexible and versatile, and can produce remarkable effects in many battles.

These three Arcane are each extremely rare, only a handful of rare, powerful demon souls carry the corresponding Arcane Element; Legendary Wizards can only hope to encounter them, never obtain them. Mages also find them hard to master; the spell models are exceedingly complex, construction difficulty is very high, time‑consuming and labor‑intensive, and after years of effort they are likely still in vain.

After a moment's thought, Lei En ruled out Void Chains; this Arcane has many effects, but he has alternative means for each, so it is not indispensable.

As a result, he must choose between Space‑Time Shock and Mirror Image.

Lei En thought for a long time but could not make up his mind.

Ao Xi Li Ya saw his conflicted expression, chuckled softly: "You can pick one first; if you favor the second Arcane, you can choose it later when the Key of Doors reaches the sixth ring. It's only a matter of order, no need to rush."

Lei En's spirits lifted, and he shook his head: "There are also excellent Arcane in the sixth ring; later I'll still have to make a choice."

"Otherwise, roll a die and let the goddess of fate decide for you?" Ao Xi Li Ya produced a six‑sided crystal die and handed it over.

This is Ai Lun E Si's custom; when people are indecisive, they roll dice and let the goddess of fate decide for them.

Especially mages, who love this method.

"No need," Lei En replied decisively, "I prefer to decide myself."

He closed his eyes in silence for half a minute, then opened them, with no hesitation left, and said, "I choose Mirror Image."

Today aim for the third watch.

(End of chapter)