Ian’s Spiritual Power scanned his Dimensional Ring. Inside, hundreds of precious potions and over two hundred High Level Magic Stones were neatly arranged. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

And... the Shadow Crow Blood Essence, refined from the complete heart of a Tier One Extraordinary Creature, the Flowing Wind Shadow Crow. Its energy concentration was five times that of top-grade Blood Essence.

Within the crystal-clear Blood Essence, the Extraordinary Bloodline no longer appeared as threads, but as a complete, illusory image of a Shadow Crow, constantly swimming inside.

This was from the "test" Amos had brought him last month. At the time, limited by his strength, Ian had only given him a relatively impure Blood Essence.

Even so, the surprise in Amos’s eyes was almost impossible to conceal.

But not long ago, after his Bloodline Purification Technique reached Secondary Limit-Breaking, Ian had refined the remaining Essence Blood again, purifying it into a complete Tier One Blood Essence!

These seven months were the longest period of peaceful Cultivation Ian had ever had, and also the most fruitful.

He pulled up his panel and opened a sub-page.

[Star Moon Middle Level Meditation Method: Mastery (1598/1600)]

[Bloodline Purification Technique: Limit-Breaking Second Stage (1/3200) (Limit-Breaking Effects: 1. Spirit Devourer, 2. Awakening)]

[Scorching Beam: Limit-Breaking Second Stage (12/3200) (Limit-Breaking Effects: 1. Focusing, 2. Yang Flame)]

[Crystal Energy Barrier: Limit-Breaking Second Stage (84/3200) (Limit-Breaking Effects: 1. Reorganization, 2. Floating Crystal Guard)]

[Rock Bear Potion: Mastery (147/1600)]

Ian’s gaze swept over the panel, and an indescribable sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart.

Seven months of nearly secluded, arduous cultivation, squeezing out every last drop of potential, had borne heavy fruit.

He closed his eyes, his mind sinking into his Sea of Spirit.

The seventy-five Will Runes were not only uniform in size, but after being nourished by potions and scoured by Spiritual Power countless times, they had become as solid as Star Essence Gold, shining brilliantly.

The Energy Circuits built between them were smooth and resilient, like the orbits of stars—stable and efficient.

It was just a pity that the entire rune array was not yet completely constructed, with a small portion still missing, giving it a sense of being flawed.

The biggest change was the "mist" that filled his entire Sea of Spirit.

It was no longer a thin haze that required careful Perception to even notice, but a dense, silver-white spiritual fog that was almost tangible!

This dense fog slowly swirled and surged, each movement carrying immense vitality, as if it could condense into some higher form at any moment.

’Complete Vaporization...’ Ian thought to himself.

This had already surpassed the level of condensation an Apprentice should have. Both the "quantity" and "quality" of his Spiritual Power were no less than that of a newly promoted Official Wizard.

All that was left was the final step. The moment the Will Rune array was fully constructed, he would trigger the world’s Rules, break through the barrier of life, and complete the leap.

Then, by using the brief moment of enlightenment from the descending Rules, he would condense a Lifebound Witchcraft and truly step into the ranks of Official Wizards.

His path to promotion was the reverse of others; he first achieved Vaporization of his Spiritual Power, and would then fully outline his Will Runes.

The biggest problem for other High Level Apprentices was that their Spiritual Power lacked the purity to achieve Vaporization. Ian’s Spiritual Power, however, had been refined by multiple Skill Limit-Breaks and had already completed Vaporization ahead of schedule.

He carefully experienced the brand-new power brought by the Secondary Limit-Breaking of his core Witchcrafts.

[Bloodline Purification Technique (Limit-Breaking Second Stage)]

The newly obtained effect, [Awakening], allowed Ian to touch upon deeper, ancient imprints or hidden fragments of rare Talents within the bloodline when refining its essence.

This "Awakening" didn’t grant the Talent directly. Instead, it could temporarily seal this activated, peculiar energy within the Blood Essence.

When using this special type of Blood Essence, besides obtaining the usual pure Life Energy, one could also gain insight into these "awakened fragments."

This would lead to a deeper resonance with the Extraordinary Bloodline, and perhaps even allow one to inherit certain Special Abilities.

This also explained why Amos valued the Blood Essence he refined so highly, even testing his ability to process the heart of a Tier One Extraordinary Creature.

For an Apprentice stuck at a bottleneck or seeking to deepen their bloodline, a Blood Essence containing the "Awakening" effect was far more valuable than an ordinary one—it was a catalyst that could induce a qualitative change.

[Scorching Beam (Limit-Breaking Second Stage)]

The new effect, [Yang Flame], wasn’t a simple increase in temperature. Instead, it infused the beam with a trace of the Purification characteristic of "True Sun Fire."

It had an extra suppressive and destructive effect against negative energy creatures or Witchcraft, such as Undead, Shadow, and Curses.

Wherever the beam passed, sinister and evil auras would be greatly purified, like snow meeting boiling water.

More importantly, when the [Yang Flame] effect was combined with the first Limit-Break’s [Focusing], not only could the beam cause terrifying high-temperature burns and piercing damage upon hitting a target, but it would also leave a persistent "Yang Flame Scorch Mark" in the wound.

This mark would continuously dispel negative energy and severely hinder the target’s regenerative abilities. It would be extremely effective against enemies known for their resilience.

[Crystal Energy Barrier (Limit-Breaking Second Stage)]

The new effect, [Floating Crystal Guard], was a unique ability born from Secondary Limit-Breaking, after Ian successfully integrated parts of the Crystal Rune structure into the Energy Shield model.

While maintaining the main Crystal Energy Barrier, he could separate off up to six small, independent, hexagonal Crystal Shields.

These "Floating Crystal Guards" did not just orbit him fixedly. Instead, under Ian’s Spiritual Control, they could move flexibly within a ten-meter radius, independently blocking attacks from different angles.

Following Ian’s will, they could even proactively crash into and intercept enemies or the Witchcraft they launched.

The defensive strength of each "Floating Crystal Guard" was about one-third of the main barrier, and the main barrier’s defensive strength had now roughly doubled.

The flexibility and number of the Crystal Guards greatly enhanced his ability to handle multiple attacks, stray projectiles, or complex battle situations.

They shared the same energy source as the main barrier, their consumption was relatively manageable, and they represented a clever, integrated application of both offense and defense.

As for the Secondary Limit-Breaking effect [Deep Tie] for his Secondary Frost Freeze Beam, Ian had long since verified its power in actual combat. Its ability to inflict a powerful freeze and disintegrate material structures from within had become a reliable method for him to control the battlefield and execute his foes.

With his completely vaporized Spiritual Power and several core Witchcrafts at Secondary Limit-Breaking, the current Ian was strong enough to dominate the ranks of High Level Apprentices.

He even had the confidence to briefly hold his own against the weakest of Level One Wizards and find an opportunity to escape.

However, he did not let his guard down in the slightest.

The hidden implications in Amos’s words, and the atmosphere in the Glowing Forest that was simultaneously loose and yet increasingly tense, were like invisible threads, reminding him that a dark undercurrent might be surging beneath the calm surface.

"Strength is the key to everything."

Ian whispered to himself, his gaze sharpening.

His gaze returned to the panel, to the Skill Level for his Star Moon Middle Level Meditation Method: (1598/1600).

’Only two more points to go.’

Without hesitation, he immediately took a Concentration Potion, sat down cross-legged, and sank into the deepest level of Meditation.

The potion’s power dissolved, and a cool energy surged into his Sea of Spirit. The already dense sea of spiritual fog began to spin faster.

The seventy-five Will Runes shone brightly, their connections growing even tighter, as if they were about to merge into one.

As usual, Ian instinctively guided his Spiritual Power, circulating it along the paths recorded in the Meditation Method...

[Star Moon Middle Level Meditation Method Skill Level +1]

...