Chapter 144

At first, it was just a slight swelling pain, which then transformed into a comfortable, warm sensation, as if a miniature sun were slowly unfolding within his body.

That feeling was as pleasant as a tightly drawn bowstring suddenly slackening, or like a dried-up lake being refilled with clear water.

When the last trace of "Grace" dissolved within his body.

Luo En slowly opened his eyes and attempted to construct a spell.

He was surprised to find that the "Ring of Radiance" model floating on his palm was far brighter than in the past.

Even more shocking was that he felt almost no significant mana consumption.

【Mana: 1.6→2.0(+0.4)】

"This increase... is too amazing."

Luo En looked at the numerical change on the panel in astonishment.

His mana had increased by a full 0.4 points, which might have previously required months or even half a year of hard cultivation to achieve, yet it was brought about merely by the grace gained from teaching Li Liya for just over two weeks.

He immediately went to the special target to attempt to cast the "Ring of Radiance" spell, and the difference he felt was exhilarating.

In the past, casting this spell would have consumed about twenty percent of his mana reserve, but now he could complete a perfect casting with less than ten percent.

More importantly, both the duration and power of the spell had significantly improved.

The blinding and burning effects, which originally could only last for about one or two seconds, now easily broke through to more than 1.5 times their original duration;

The temperature and brightness of the flames also increased significantly, with both defensive and offensive capabilities being enhanced.

"The increase from 1.6 to 2.0 is far more than just a simple numerical growth."

Luo En muttered to himself: "Just like the spiritual power value, it is also a qualitative leap."

He continued to test other spells, finding that each one had become smoother and more powerful, with consumption greatly reduced.

Luo En immersed himself in exploring the changes brought about by the mana increase, his heart filled with anticipation for gaining more "Grace" through teaching in the future.

"If I continue to maintain this rhythm of teaching and gain a stable source of 'Grace,' my mana growth rate will accelerate significantly."

This was undoubtedly a major discovery, opening up a brand-new shortcut for his growth path.

Of course, the premise for all of this is that Li Liya can continue to progress, and given the talent and effort she has shown, this does not seem to be a problem.

Finishing these thoughts, Luo En took out the crystal ball recording the spell model, inside which the complete structure of the "Ring of Radiance" was suspended.

These days, he has been practicing this spell.

With the bonuses from the spell construction and elemental perception skills, the experience growth rate far exceeded expectations.

【Ring of Radiance experience +1】

【Current progress: Ring of Radiance (Entry 49/50)】

It was only one point away from breaking through to the proficient level.

Luo En took a deep breath and began to construct the spell model.

Accompanied by the powerful support provided by the 2.0 mana value, this construction was smoother than ever before.

Golden-red energy condensed in his palm, rapidly expanding into a perfect ring structure, possessing both the scorching heat of the fire element and the brightness of the light element.

【Ring of Radiance experience +1】

【Breakthrough! Ring of Radiance (Entry 50/50) → Ring of Radiance (Proficient 1/100)】

【Obtained additional trait: Flame-Light Transformation

(The light and fire elements mutually enhance each other, and its plasticity is stronger)】

"Flame-Light Transformation..." Luo En immediately felt a significant increase in the spell's power.

The ring-shaped flame not only increased in brightness by nearly thirty percent, but its temperature also rose to a new level, even capable of easily melting ordinary metal.

Even more pleasantly surprising was that this enhancement effect seemed to have produced some kind of synergistic effect with his Red Blood Flying Dragon bloodline.

This allowed the ring to flexibly change its form according to his will, no longer limited to a simple ring shape.

He attempted to deform the ring into a shield, then into scattered energy cones, and finally even formed a perfect hexagonal protective structure.

Each form could be maintained perfectly and retained the original defensive and offensive characteristics.

Luo En could not hide his excitement: "With this flexibility, the tactical value of the 'Ring of Radiance' will be greatly enhanced."

He quickly recorded the details of this breakthrough in his notebook, specifically noting the interaction between Flame-Light Transformation and his bloodline abilities.

These findings were not only beneficial for his personal growth but also provided important references for future magic sword designs.

"If I organically combine the magic sword with the Ring of Radiance... perhaps I could create a brand-new combat form?"

Luo En's thoughts were like a wild horse, constantly depicting various possibilities.

"Multiple growth paths, mutually promoting each other... this is precisely the greatest advantage of the golden finger."

He smiled and looked at the fish-belly white slowly rising on the horizon.

A new day, a new beginning.

And at this moment, Li Liya, who had just woken up, looked at the second floor of the workshop where the lights were still on, rubbed her eyes, and felt admiration and even a bit of awe for her teacher's diligence...

………………

Luo En exhaled; the carefully prepared "Fusion Adhesive" had finally reached its ideal state.

This is a special alchemical medium that can serve as a buffer between two mutually exclusive elements, significantly increasing the success rate of bloodline fusion.

He carefully dripped the adhesive onto the autophagic slime on the experimental bench.

This was his eighth experimental subject; the previous seven had already been consumed in various degrees of testing.

The slime immediately absorbed the adhesive, its color changing from translucent to light blue, and ripples appeared on its surface, indicating that it had entered a highly sensitive state.

Luo En then took out two completely different bloodline samples: one was the tip of a wind sprite's feather, and the other was a scale fragment from a water snake-person.

Wind and water have a natural repulsion in their elemental attributes.

Direct fusion without a buffer was destined to fail, which had already been confirmed in his previous experiments.

The third slime had exploded into smithereens after twisting crazily in just such a way.

But now, with the assistance of the "Fusion Adhesive," the situation should be very different.

"Begin the bloodline modulation process."

Luo En calmed his mind and began the modulation according to the steps described in "Introduction to Bloodline Modulation."

First, he used precise spiritual power control to completely decompose the wind sprite feather fragments into a pure energy state, then slowly introduced them into the slime.

The color of the slime changed immediately, from light blue to pale cyan, and fine ripple-like structures began to form on its surface, as if a gentle breeze were sweeping across it.

This was a sign of successful absorption.

Next, Luo En concentrated his spiritual power again to guide the energy essence of the water snake-person scales.

This step was extremely critical; if the introduction speed was too fast or the energy was not pure enough, it would likely trigger bloodline rejection.

With the addition of the water-type energy, the slime began to tremble violently, its color becoming chaotic and uncertain, with cyan sometimes gaining the upper hand and blue sometimes spreading across its entire body.

"Stabilize, balance, fuse..." Luo En chanted softly, guiding the two energies to slowly blend under the action of the adhesive.

This process lasted for nearly ten minutes, and the nerve-wracking vibrations gradually subsided.

The color of the slime finally stabilized in a cyan-blue state, with both wind-like ripples and water-like flow on its surface.

【Bloodline modulation experience +1】

【Current progress: Bloodline modulation (Entry 48/50)】

"Success!" Luo En breathed a sigh of relief, looking with satisfaction at the stable fusion body before him.

Although it was only an experimental subject, this success meant that his understanding of bloodline modulation had risen to a new level.

Moreover, compared to a simple skill improvement, this experiment brought him a more intuitive result—a perfect modulation product that simultaneously possessed affinity for both wind and water elements.

Luo En gently flipped the switch on the experimental bench, and a weak current passed through the platform, stimulating the slime to display its characteristics.

With the stimulation, miniature water currents and wind swirls appeared on the slime's surface simultaneously; although the intensity was not high, it was clear proof of a perfect fusion.

"Using Fusion Adhesive as a buffer, combined with progressive energy introduction, can indeed significantly increase the success rate of fusing mutually exclusive bloodlines."

Luo En recorded the details and conclusions of this experiment.

The same method should also be applicable to higher-level bloodline modulation.

For example, for the growth path designed for Dai'er, or for other branches to fill his Chimera core in the future.

More importantly, he noticed an interesting phenomenon—

As his bloodline modulation skill improved, his bloodline activation ability also gained corresponding growth.

【Bloodline activation experience +1】

【Current progress: Bloodline activation (Entry 30/100)】

Although the growth was not large, this undoubtedly confirmed his hypothesis: there was indeed a linkage effect between related skills.

Understanding of bloodline modulation would, in turn, promote the improvement of bloodline activation.

Luo En immediately thought that perhaps he could take this opportunity to re-examine his own Red Blood Flying Dragon bloodline to see if there were any new insights.

He gently closed his eyes and mobilized the red-gold power within his body.

As his breathing deepened, the Red Blood Flying Dragon bloodline was gradually awakened.

A scorching sensation spread from his spine to his entire body, and he could feel the presence of those tiny scales beneath his skin.

Andre's Red Blood Flying Dragon bloodline originated from the lineage of the ancient Solar Dragon, and after several eras of dilution and mutation, it had moved far away from its initial pure form.

However, under the replication of the Chimera bloodline, this energy was partially purified, regressing a small step toward its original form.

"This is why my flames are purer than Andre's, and their forms are more regular."

Luo En realized: "The Chimera does not just replicate simply; it also instinctively optimizes toward a more superior direction."

This discovery filled him with confidence for future bloodline replication.

As his understanding of the essence of bloodlines deepened, the Chimera's replication ability would also become more precise and powerful.

"The next task is to continue improving alchemy to prepare for future magic sword forging."

Luo En took a deep breath, feeling the wonderful sensation of mana flowing through his body.

The 2.0 mana value provided a more abundant energy reserve for his alchemical research.

"Let's try a higher-level energy condensation."

Luo En took out a piece of ordinary stone and concentrated his mind to conduct an energy-sealing test.

Usually, such an attempt would consume about twenty percent of his mana reserve, but now, he felt almost no significant consumption.

His spiritual power and mana were as responsive as his own limbs, and under his guidance, the energy flowed smoothly into the stone, forming a stable energy core.

Compared to before, the energy density of this sealing was higher, and the structure was more precise.

【Alchemy experience +1】

【Current progress: Alchemy (Proficient 17/100)】

Luo En recorded the data and compared it with his own career advancement conditions:

【Career advancement information unlocked: Alchemist (Two-Star)】

【Advancement conditions:

1. Basic Alchemy reaches Proficient

2. Alchemy reaches Mastery

3. Extraordinary Identification reaches Proficient √

4. Independently complete the production of more than three primary alchemical items

5. Successfully improve at least one existing alchemical item blueprint】

"There is still a long way to go..." Luo En planned silently in his heart, but he did not feel discouraged.

At his current rate of progress, he was confident that he could break through to the Alchemist profession after going to the bloodline altar in half a year.

By then, he would have sufficient ability to use rare materials like soul steel to forge his own "Master Sword" and formally become a 【Magic Swordsman】.

This was also the reason why he invested so much time in alchemical research:

Only by mastering a sufficiently high level of alchemy could he ensure that the quality of the magic sword reached its optimal state.

According to the records in "Mana and Steel: The Secrets of Magic Sword Forging," the quality of a magic sword is closely related to the user's future growth ceiling.

A shoddily made magic sword might limit the user's potential to a relatively low level;

While a perfectly forged magic sword can continuously evolve along with its master's growth and even provide additional protective power in dangerous moments.

"According to the book, a perfect magic sword requires an alchemist to help forge the sword blank, then supplement it with powerful spiritual power to build a connection, and incorporate a part of the user's soul..."

Luo En recalled the descriptions in the book: "In a way, this has the same effect as a wizard's staff."

But what if he didn't need to rely on others to forge the sword blank, and he himself was a sufficiently excellent alchemist?

Forging a "Master Sword" most suitable for himself according to his own needs, walking a path that no one had ever explored before, but which was clearly more superior...

After all, in the extraordinary system of this world, the wizard and knight paths are mutually exclusive.

Perhaps there might be geniuses who could walk both paths simultaneously, but they would not invest their limited time in the mediocre path of dual cultivation of magic and martial arts.

Those capable of walking the wizard path would never spend a large amount of time walking the knight path, which could be seen to the end at a glance, even if it were a magic swordsman who was much stronger than an ordinary apprentice.

And a qualified alchemist happens to require at least the spiritual power realm of a high-level apprentice.

Looking at the various semi-finished alchemical materials on the experimental bench, he already had a preliminary concept.

His "Master Sword" would fuse solar essence with the refined essence blood he extracted, items closely related to his current bloodline and mana attributes.

Possessing the dual power of light and fire, it could release scorching flames and also emit purifying light.

Such a design perfectly matched his current bloodline characteristics and elemental affinity.

In the future, it could be further upgraded as other Chimera branches were filled and other professions were expanded.

And the foundation for all of this came from his persistence in multiple growth paths.

From the initial potion master, to apprentice, to bloodline knight, bloodline modulator, and alchemist.

Every identity and skill was constantly promoting each other, forming a perfect growth closed loop.

There were still more than four months until the bloodline altar opened, enough for him to further perfect his combat system.

The silver-bell-like laughter coming from the corridor broke his train of thought, mixed with Li Liya's gentle voice and the rustling sound of Ailan's vines swaying.

"Since that's the case, I'll go check on little Dai'er. It's not good to just stay behind closed doors researching; it's good to relax."

Luo En stood up, left the laboratory, and gently closed the door.

When he walked into the courtyard, the scene before him made him smile involuntarily.

Dai'er—that little sea siren who was once only the size of a palm, had now grown to the size of a six or seven-year-old human child.

She was no longer confined to the crystal tank but was able to temporarily evolve legs with the help of her innate spells, running and playing back and forth in the courtyard.

At this moment, she was wearing a small blue dress tailored by Li Liya, hopping and chasing a butterfly transformed from Ailan's vines.

"Dai'er, be careful not to run too fast!"

Li Liya stood to the side, a hint of worry on her face.

"It's okay!"

Dai'er answered crisply, her voice as pleasant as a mountain spring:

"I'm very capable now; I can stay on land for two hours without getting tired!"

As she spoke, she suddenly saw Luo En standing at the door, her eyes lighting up: "Master!"

She cheered and ran toward Luo En; the small legs temporarily evolved from her fish tail were slightly unsteady, but her movements were very flexible.

Luo En squatted down and picked up the little sea siren:

"It seems my little Dai'er has made new progress, hasn't she?"

"Mm!" Dai'er nodded excitedly, her long silver hair fluttering gently with the movement:

"Sister Lily taught me how to use mana to control the form of my legs, and now I can run faster! And Mother Ailan also played many fun games with me!"

Luo En looked at Li Liya and Ailan.

He noticed that in the few days since moving into the workshop, Li Liya had not only made great progress in potionology but had also quietly changed the atmosphere of the workshop with her unique thoughtfulness.

She had unknowingly become the bond connecting everyone in the workshop:

Helping Ailan organize medicinal materials and care for plants, accompanying Dai'er in learning and games, and even silently preparing everything needed when Luo En was busy with research.

The young girl who had originally come to seek refuge to escape Keynes had now become an indispensable member of the workshop.

"Li Liya, thank you for your hard work."

Luo En held the little sea siren who wouldn't stop acting spoiled toward him and smiled faintly:

"It seems Dai'er is having a great time under your care."

Li Liya shook her head gently:

"It's nothing. In fact, taking care of Dai'er makes me feel very happy. She learns things very quickly, and she is naturally lively, always bringing a lot of laughter to the workshop."

Ailan's vines swayed gently, and a line of text appeared on her leaves:

"Master, no need to worry. Lily and I take care of Dai'er together, and she is growing up very healthily."

With the time spent with Li Liya these days, Ailan was no longer as full of vigilance and unease as she was at the beginning.

Dai'er twisted in Luo En's arms and said excitedly: "Master, look at the new skill I learned!"

She stretched out her small hand, palm upward.

A miniature water ball gradually formed in her hand, then began to rotate, finally turning into the shape of an exquisite water flower.

Luo En felt a sense of gratification.

Dai'er's growth rate was indeed astonishing; not only was her body size growing rapidly, but the development of her abilities in all aspects also far exceeded that of ordinary sea sirens.

Looking at this little life that could only swim in a crystal tank a little over a month ago.

Now she was able to move freely on land and even initially master elemental control.

Luo En's heart was filled with a sense of accomplishment.

"Master, can I learn more spells from you?"

Dai'er opened her eyes wide and asked with anticipation: "Sister Lily said you are the most powerful wizard!"

Luo En touched her head: "Of course you can. When you grow up a bit more, I will teach you more knowledge about elemental control."

He gently put Dai'er back on the ground and watched her run happily toward Ailan to continue their previous game.

Li Liya walked to Luo En's side and said softly:

"Dai'er is really smart; she has even started asking questions about the essence of the world. I feel that she not only has powerful physical growth potential, but her mental development also far exceeds that of sea sirens of the same age."

Luo En nodded: "This is precisely her trait as a high-purity sea siren. Given sufficient nutrition and correct guidance, a sea siren's mental growth can keep up with physical development, and even exceed human children in certain areas."

He looked at Li Liya: "Also, thank you for your care and guidance of her. I didn't expect that you would not only have talent in potionology but also be so excellent at taking care of children."

A faint blush appeared on Li Liya's face:

"It's nothing... I took care of several younger siblings when I was little, so I have some experience. Besides, Dai'er is really cute and sensible; teaching her is a very pleasant thing."

They fell into a brief silence, watching Dai'er and Ailan playing happily in the courtyard together.

"By the way, Teacher." Li Liya suddenly remembered something:

"A letter was delivered this morning; it seems to be a notice regarding the quarterly assessment meeting for the probationary wizard sequence. I have already placed it on your desk."

Luo En nodded: "Thanks for the reminder; I'll go look at it in a moment."

(End of chapter)