Chapter 171: His

Glancing back, it was Suo Lun, who was watching him with a subtle look in his eyes.

That gaze seemed to hold scrutiny, as well as a trace of elusive interest, much like a connoisseur admiring a magnificent piece of art.

He bowed respectfully to the mentors, then stepped away from the Central Tower.

Walking on the path back to the workshop, the twilight deepened, and the eerie atmosphere of the Black Mist Jungle grew increasingly heavy.

Strange hissing sounds drifted from the distance from time to time, making one's blood run cold.

Yet, these could not affect the thoughts in Luo En's mind.

"The bloodline of the Manticore indeed possesses unique value."

He evaluated today's harvest in his heart:

"The dual-heart system can separately process material energy and magic energy; this design has a significant advantage in an abyssal environment. And that distributed neural network grants it extremely strong survival resilience, allowing it to maintain basic functions even when suffering heavy damage."

But at the same time, he did not ignore the risks that might exist:

"However, the characteristics of abyssal creatures are often accompanied by some form of 'corruption' or 'erosion.' One must take sufficient isolation measures to ensure that while extracting useful traits, no harmful factors are introduced."

This was Luo En's consistent research attitude—a thirst for knowledge that never ceased, but every step of exploration had to be built upon an experimental foundation.

As the sunlight gradually slanted westward, Luo En returned to the workshop.

"Master!" Li Li Liya hurried to greet him, her eyes full of concern:

"Did everything go smoothly? I heard there was some controversy regarding the distribution of the final rewards at the Gladiator Society."

"Master is back!"

Daier jumped excitedly, curiosity flickering in her eyes:

"Did you get the prize? Did you get the prize?"

Luo En smiled slightly and gently stroked Daier's silver hair:

"Everything went very smoothly. Not only did I get all the rewards, but I also obtained some precious research materials."

He briefly introduced his experiences and gains to the two, but omitted the details that might be too professional.

"And."

His tone carried an undisguised expectation: "I have already obtained this."

Luo En carefully took out the ebony box containing the Substitute Puppet and showed the two this precious abyssal treasure.

"Wow! What a strange puppet!"

Daier leaned in curiously, but did not reach out to touch it, only opening her eyes wide to examine it carefully.

She had been repeatedly taught not to touch extraordinary items that might be dangerous at will, even if driven by curiosity.

"Those eyes..." the little sea siren murmured, her voice carrying a trace of instinctive fear:

"It seems to be watching us."

Li Li Liya's expression was more cautious; her brows furrowed slightly, and her lips pressed into a thin line:

"Is this the abyssal treasure that can create a substitute? It looks somewhat ominous. This aura reminds me of those stories about cursed dolls."

Indeed, even inside the wooden box, the blue-gray puppet exuded an eerie and strange aura, as if carrying whispers and memories from the Great Abyss.

Especially those dark red gem eyes, even in a static state, seemed to be constantly peeping at everything around them.

"Don't worry."

Luo En reassured:

"Items from the abyss often carry some kind of unsettling aura, but that is mostly just a facade; what is truly important is its function."

He closed the lid of the box, and that eerie aura immediately weakened significantly, as if it had been resealed.

"However, specific research and activation need to be carried out in a safer environment. I will handle this matter within the isolation array of the laboratory."

His gaze swept across the workshop, and he had already begun to plan the sequence of his next actions:

First, he must study the usage method of the Substitute Puppet; this relates to whether his future "Furnace Concept" can be successfully realized.

If there is free time, he must utilize the knowledge and samples obtained from this dissection guidance to further perfect his bloodline modulation research.

Finally, and most importantly, he must fully break through his meditation method to reach the level of a High Apprentice; this is a key step for him to move toward a higher realm.

"Li Li Liya, help me prepare some potions to stabilize the spirit tonight, especially 'Sobriety' and 'Mental Shield'."

Luo En assigned the tasks skillfully.

Li Li Liya nodded; she was already accustomed to not asking too many questions about every step of her master's arrangements:

"I will go prepare them immediately. You still have three bottles of 'Sobriety' and two bottles of 'Mental Shield' stored in the cabinet."

Luo En turned to Daier again, his voice softening a bit:

"Little one, you should rest well today. Tomorrow, I will make some new 'food' for you to help you better digest the energy you absorbed previously. This time, some special ingredients will be added to the 'food,' and the taste might be a bit more peculiar than before."

Daier nodded happily, her large blue-purple eyes full of expectation:

"I will be good! The 'food' Master makes is always the most delicious, even if the taste is strange, it doesn't matter!"

Her trust in Luo En was so pure, like the attachment of a stream to a riverbed, without reservation and without need for reason.

After arranging everything, Luo En came to the laboratory on the second floor of the workshop and carefully placed the Substitute Puppet in the center of the specially made array.

He activated all the ritual arrays inside and outside the workshop.

The rune light flickered in the darkness like fireflies, weaving an invisible barrier that completely isolated the internal energy fluctuations from the outside world.

Luo En sat cross-legged in the center of the laboratory, facing the Substitute Puppet that exuded an eerie aura, which had been taken out of the ebony box and placed on a specially made silver base.

The candlelight in the room was faint and flickering, as if it could be blown out at any moment.

"Ready."

He took a deep breath and locked his gaze on the puppet's dark red gem eyes.

Through the 【Extraordinary Identification】 ability, he had already roughly understood the working principle and activation method of this abyssal treasure.

Just like other rare antiques, activation usually required his blood as a medium, and only his blood had an effect.

But unlike the previous Skin of the Shapeshifter and the pocket watch, the Substitute Puppet also required the user to actively introduce a portion of their consciousness or soul to complete the true binding.

This was a deeper and more dangerous process than a simple blood connection, requiring extreme caution.

Luo En took out a small silver dagger and gently made a small cut on his index finger.

Bright red blood seeped out along the wound, like a string of tiny pearls.

He gently squeezed the wound, letting a drop of blood fall precisely onto the center of the puppet's forehead, where there was an almost invisible shallow depression.

The moment the blood touched the puppet, it was absorbed by the runes on the puppet's surface at a speed visible to the naked eye, like a desert swallowing rainwater, quickly disappearing without a trace.

After it was completely absorbed, a faint buzzing sound seemed to ring from the puppet, like a sigh from afar.

A moment later, those originally dim runes began to flicker with a faint red light.

Flickering on and off, like the beating of a pulse, it endowed this dead object with a quality close to life.

As he input magic power, the puppet began to expand rapidly like a balloon.

"Next is consciousness introduction."

Luo En looked at the eerie puppet that had quickly grown to about the same size as his own body, furrowed his brows, and reached out to touch its forehead.

A cold feeling immediately came; that coldness was not just in temperature, but more like a sense of nothingness existing on a spiritual layer.

But as the contact continued, this cold feeling was gradually replaced by a sense of familiarity, as if touching a fragment of self that had once been lost.

Luo En closed his eyes and began to try to introduce a portion of his consciousness into the puppet's body through his fingertips.

As the amount of introduction increased, he began to feel a subtle resistance and discomfort, as if a cup were already near overflowing, and every extra drop of water poured in became difficult.

"Sure enough, it's not an affinity problem, but a limitation on capacity."

As Hayek said, the Substitute Puppet indeed has a limit on the amount of consciousness introduction.

Introducing too little cannot form effective control;

Introducing too much will have a negative impact on the main body, just like a piece of paper being torn in half, where neither half can fully exert its original function.

This limitation is likely the main reason why even formal wizards find it difficult to effectively use this treasure.

Luo En carefully adjusted the amount of introduction; his spiritual power control precision far exceeded that of ordinary people.

As a portion of his consciousness was successfully introduced, he suddenly felt a peculiar "sense of splitting," as if his self had been cleaved by an invisible knife, split into two.

【Substitute Puppet activation successful!】

【Current energy: 0/100%】

【Effect: Create a substitute that shares part of the user's abilities; current state is ordinary simulation.】

【Limit distance: 100 meters】

【Trait: Dual consciousness (user can control both the main body and the substitute simultaneously)】

Luo En tried to control the puppet to move, focusing a portion of his attention to command it to lift its arm.

The puppet did move according to his will, but the movement appeared extremely mechanical and stiff.

Just like an infant learning to walk or a rusty tin man, the movement of every joint carried obvious stiffness and lag.

"It's harder to control than I imagined."

A trace of dissatisfaction flashed in Luo En's eyes, but he quickly returned to calm.

He could feel that the portion of consciousness he had split off could control the puppet, but the effect was far less flexible and natural than controlling his main body.

"This should be the 'multi-tasking' puzzle that Hayek mentioned."

Luo En suddenly realized, understanding the Vice Dean's warning.

For ordinary apprentices, this kind of split control is indeed an obstacle that is difficult to overcome.

Without sufficiently strong spiritual power and consciousness control ability, it is difficult to manage two bodies simultaneously without experiencing serious coordination problems.

Those who attempt to do so likely mostly end in failure, and may even be injured due to excessive mental fatigue.

However, thanks to the "Dual Soul" talent, Luo En has a clear advantage in this regard compared to ordinary apprentices.

"The state of the Substitute Puppet is only a high-level simulation, not a true flesh and blood body."

Through a series of precise experiments, Luo En gradually understood the essence and operating mechanism of the puppet.

The puppet does not simply split the user's consciousness into two, but works under a "transmission-imitation" mechanism.

The user needs to consume a large amount of magic power to transmit their own information to the puppet.

The puppet then performs a certain degree of high-level imitation, generating movements and abilities similar to the main body.

The problem is that this kind of replication can never be perfect; there will always be a certain degree of information loss and delay.

This also explains why, although the puppet can simulate the user's abilities, the effect is always greatly discounted, as if separated by a damper.

"In this way, the double training effect I imagined cannot be realized for the time being."

Luo En thought with some disappointment.

He had originally hoped to be able to train through both the main body and the substitute simultaneously, thereby gaining double the progress.

But now it seems that the puppet's state is more like a remote-controlled robot; although more flexible than simple remote control, it still cannot achieve the true effect of "dual-body co-cultivation."

Information flows in one direction; the puppet cannot transmit its own experience and gains back to the main body.

At the same time, this also means that his plan to have the substitute bear the risks of the Hunter path while the main body enjoys the benefits cannot be realized for the time being.

The Hunter job change requires real changes in the flesh, not just surface simulation.

He checked the panel information again:

【Note: When charging reaches 50%, it will be able to unlock the "Deep Binding" function, realizing two-way information transmission between the substitute and the main body.】

"This might solve the current problem."

Luo En pondered, a gleam of light flashing in his eyes:

"If the puppet can transmit its state back to the main body, then the concepts of 'dual-body co-cultivation' and 'one-way risk-bearing' have the possibility of being realized."

But now the puppet's charge is at zero, and there is still a long way to go before 50%.

He had previously asked the Shapeshifter, and the high-concentration magic power contained in magic stones is actually universal for all "rare antiques."

But now the workshop has just gotten on the right track, and his magic stone reserves are not considered large.

He had tested it a few times before, and one complete magic stone could only replenish 1%; he planned to use it for the recording ability of the "Thousand-Change Phantom."

The charging of this "Substitute Puppet" can only wait for a period of time.

Thinking of this, Luo En continued to conduct a few more sets of precise experiments to test the various boundaries of the puppet's abilities.

"As an initial state, this is already quite good."

He concluded: "Although there are many limitations, the tactical value of the Substitute Puppet cannot be underestimated."

In battle, a substitute that can share damage and execute auxiliary tasks can undoubtedly greatly enhance his survival ability and tactical flexibility.

Using the puppet to scout the path, divert the enemy's attention, implement feint strategies, or act as a scapegoat in critical moments—these are all extremely practical tactical applications.

Most importantly, this abyssal treasure indeed has good compatibility with his "Dual Soul" talent, and the usage effect far exceeds the "mechanical stiffness" state described by Hayek.

But to truly exert more of the puppet's functions, Luo En knew what he needed to do: break through to the High Apprentice stage and obtain stronger spiritual power.

Only when spiritual power reaches a sufficiently strong level can one better control this complex state of consciousness splitting.

Let the two bodies be as flexible as one's own arms, rather than the barely maintained situation now.

"The breakthrough is already urgent."

Luo En withdrew his consciousness from the experiment and retracted the portion of consciousness introduced into the puppet.

The puppet's movements stopped immediately, like a puppet with cut strings, and the light in its eyes faded, returning to that static, sealed state.

But a subtle connection had already been established.

He carefully put the puppet, which had shrunk again after losing magic power, back into the ebony box, ensuring the seal was intact to prevent any energy leakage.

Then he walked to the preparation room to check the various auxiliary potions that Li Li Liya had already prepared.

Those potion bottles were neatly arranged on the shelves, each labeled with detailed information showing the formula, effect, and applicable situation.

The two key potions, "Sobriety" and "Mental Shield," were particularly conspicuous; they exuded pale blue and golden light respectively, quietly waiting for the moment of use.

"Let's start the full-speed sprint."

Luo En looked at these potions prepared for the breakthrough, his eyes filled with complex emotions of expectation and caution.

The breakthrough of a meditation method is often accompanied by risks.

The quantitative change to qualitative change of spiritual power is like the moment a kettle is about to boil; it is both a critical point and the most unstable state.

A tiny mistake could lead to total failure, or even cause irreversible mental damage.

And Lady Ailan had also warned him before:

"Inspiration is both an opportunity and a danger. Many outstanding wizard seeds lost themselves at this node."

Unfortunately, he was the type of person with extremely high inspiration.

Luo En took a long breath, his gaze falling on those auxiliary potions, as if confirming the final safety measures.

He picked up the first potion, which was "Amber Thought Liquid," capable of temporarily eliminating distracting thoughts and improving mental concentration; it could help the user enter the state faster and reduce external interference.

He carefully pulled out the stopper, and the potion immediately exuded a faint scent of grass, like the first breeze at dawn.

Luo En tilted his head and drank it in one gulp, letting the liquid slide down his throat into his body.

Almost immediately, he felt a cool sensation spreading from his throat to his whole body, like a clear stream washing over every cell.

Those messy thoughts that popped up every day were blown away by the wind like mist, leaving only pure thinking and focus.

Next, he picked up the second bottle, which was "Mental Amplification Liquid," capable of increasing the activity of spiritual power in a short time.

But the side effect was that one would feel a slight headache after taking it, and excessive use could even lead to short-term hallucinations.

He cautiously took only a medium dose to avoid accidents due to excessive stimulation.

The slightly spicy liquid slid into his abdomen, like a ball of fire spreading in his body.

He could feel his spiritual power being injected with a powerful vitality, becoming more acute.

Finally, he took the third bottle of "Mental Shield" potion; this was the final insurance measure, specifically used to resist potential high-intensity mental pollution.

The preparation work was completed, and Luo En sat cross-legged.

As his body relaxed, his consciousness began to detach from the perception of the physical world, gradually sinking into that familiar meditation state.

As his consciousness deepened, his spiritual world slowly unfolded like a boundless star map.

Complex star-orbit runes naturally formed in the space of consciousness, like a precise cosmic model.

Every node exuded a faint and stable light; they connected to each other, forming a complete and harmonious whole.

This was the core structure of "The Whisper of the Star Eater." After long-term practice, Luo En was already able to easily construct this complex model and maintain its stable operation.

Compared to the fragile state that was tottering at the beginning, the current rune structure was solid and flexible, capable of accommodating more spiritual power flow.

His spiritual power flowed along the rune trajectories like water in a galaxy, forming a perfect cycle.

Every cycle would give him a deeper understanding of the universe and the essence of spiritual power, as if every cycle were a small death and rebirth of thought.

Gradually, Luo En felt his consciousness drifting away from his physical body, entering a more vast space.

Around him was the boundless cosmic starry sky, with countless stars flickering in the darkness.

They were no longer just simple points of light, but living existences, each containing unique energy and information, as if countless eyes were watching him, the intruder.

This wonderful experience was not the first time it had appeared, but each time it brought him new feelings and insights.

The appearance of the starry sky seemed to have subtle differences each time, like a living body that was constantly changing, rather than a static background.

"The meditation state today is very stable."

Luo En muttered in his heart, continuing to focus on the guidance and circulation of spiritual power.

According to past experience, he needed to persist for a sufficiently long time in this deep meditation.

Time became abnormally slow and abnormally long in meditation.

Luo En did not know how long had passed; perhaps it was a few minutes, perhaps a few hours.

In this deep meditation state, the concept of time became extremely blurred, or even disappeared completely.

He could only feel the flow and accumulation of spiritual power; that feeling was like a sponge slowly absorbing water, gradually becoming heavy and full.

【Experience value of "The Whisper of the Star Eater" (Proficient) +1】

【Current progress: "The Whisper of the Star Eater" (Proficient 197/300)】

As long as he accumulated a few more experience points, he could complete the first stage of practice of "The Whisper of the Star Eater" and formally step into the realm of a High Apprentice.

He focused his attention even more, devoting his whole heart to meditation.

The speed at which spiritual power flowed along the rune trajectories became faster and faster, like water about to boil.

With the continuous accumulation of spiritual power, his ocean of consciousness gradually became surging.

It was as if something was about to break through the ground.

That feeling was both expectant and fearful, like standing on the edge of a cliff, both afraid of falling and longing to fly.

【Experience value of "The Whisper of the Star Eater" (Proficient) +1】

【Current progress: "The Whisper of the Star Eater" (Proficient 198/300)】

As the value approached the critical point, the stars in the surrounding starry sky seemed to become brighter.

Their light was no longer just static flickering, but carried a certain rhythm, as if they were conveying some information to him.

It was an ancient and mysterious language, not expressed through sound, but conveyed through changes in light and shadow.

【Experience value of "The Whisper of the Star Eater" (Proficient) +1】

【Current progress: "The Whisper of the Star Eater" (Proficient 199/300)】

The surging of spiritual power became more and more intense, and Luo En felt an unprecedented pressure, as if the entire universe was squeezing toward him, trying to crush him into dust.

The entire starry sky seemed to come alive, full of a certain indescribable vitality.

The light of the stars flickered on and off, and the rhythm became faster and faster, like some mysterious drumbeat, trembling Luo En's core of consciousness.

This was the most dangerous and precious part of "The Whisper of the Star Eater"—the "Empowerment" trait was triggered.

【Inspiration currently triggered, please maintain high caution!】

The originally orderly stars suddenly seemed to be stirred by an invisible giant hand, beginning to rotate and move violently, forming a huge vortex.

Luo En's consciousness was attracted by this vortex, unconsciously floating toward its depths.

The center of the vortex was a deep darkness, darker than the surrounding universe, as if it could swallow all light.

The darkness suddenly moved, like the eyelids of some huge creature slowly lifting.

A huge "eye" that could not be described by any language opened in the darkness, staring straight at Luo En.

That was not an eye in the sense humans understood, but more like a concept, a phenomenon, a kind of high-dimensional object.

It had no specific form, yet it could make one feel an overwhelming sense of presence.

Unlike usual, this time the "eye" seemed to be truly looking at him, rather than scanning aimlessly.

That gaze contained some indescribable emotion; it was not anger, not curiosity, not indifference...

But a kind of... doubt?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 172 =====