"Spirit Body!!!"
Leilin's pupils contracted sharply.
Nobody knew when spirit bodies had first appeared on the continent, but most Wizards believed them to be an external manifestation of the soul.
The question of how spirit bodies formed was a puzzle that troubled many Wizards.
It seemed that the creation of a spirit body required a great deal of fortuitous circumstance. Sometimes, even an ordinary person could transform into a malevolent spirit after death, whereas formal Wizards never experienced that phenomenon.
Moreover, spirit bodies were extraordinarily rare. As for research into them, even Black Bone Forest Academy had only managed to gain a partial understanding of their habits through extensive observation.
Having studied at Black Bone Forest Academy, Leilin had picked up a few things about spirit bodies from his mentor's offhand remarks, so he wasn't as panicked as one might expect.
"Who are you?" Leilin took several steps back and asked warily.
"A name?" The translucent spirit shook its head. "I can't remember it anymore!"
"Millions of years have passed, and I've been wandering here ever since — until today! I sensed an interesting little fellow break into my laboratory, so I came out to have a look at you!"
Leilin's eyes flickered: "So you're the owner of this laboratory! My apologies for the intrusion!"
With that, he bowed in the formal
A faint smile appeared on the spirit's blurred lips: "I like well-mannered little fellows!"
A translucent hand extended forward, and a ball of light materialized in its palm. "You may receive a gift from a great Wizard."
"Is that so? That's wonderful!"
Leilin stepped forward several paces in "elation," when suddenly a green sphere shot from his hand, passing straight through the spirit and landing on the laboratory bench behind it.
Ssssss! The bench corroded instantly, a gaping hole eaten through it.
"Physical attacks are ineffective?" Leilin's expression turned grave.
"What are you doing, little fellow?" The spirit spoke with a smile, though its voice had taken on a sinister edge.
"This is the gift of the great Wizard Roman — it will allow you to successfully advance to a full Wizard!"
"Are you joking? A wraith pretending to be the master!"
Leilin took several steps back, a purple potion appearing in his hand.
"I don't think that thing in your hand is anything good!"
Boom!! The potion flew from his hand, erupting into violent combustion. Purple smoke billowed out, and within the haze, the ball of light in the spirit's palm dissipated, revealing a hideous face. It roared in unwilling fury, bearing a striking resemblance to the spirit itself.
"A malicious wraith that likes to seize living bodies!"
Leilin recalled a description he had once heard. "An evil spirit! You're an evil spirit!"
"Who can say?" The spirit bared a bloodthirsty grin.
"It was really this book that lured you out, wasn't it?" Leilin waved the alchemy notebook he had pulled from inside his robe.
"That's right! It belongs to me!" The spirit stared at the surface of the black notebook, a look of reminiscence surfacing in its eyes.
"You were the corpse by the door — killed by the gnawing floorboards while exploring this laboratory. Your soul was bound inside the villa by a magical array, and in the end you became an evil spirit!"
Leilin had deduced the truth of the matter, aided by his prior knowledge of the laboratory's true owner.
"Clever boy!" The spirit idly toyed with its fingernails. "What a pity! You're destined to die here today!"
Swoosh!!!
Leilin felt a flash of light and threw his body to the side, but several bloody scratches still appeared across his chest.
"The scent of blood!" Seeing the blood, the spirit's expression grew even more frenzied. It extended its stained fingers into its mouth and licked them clean.
"Such incredible speed! The naked eye can't track it at all!"
Blue light flickered in Leilin's eyes as the Chip rapidly calculated.
"You can't escape! Be a good offering for Lord Roman!" the wraith roared, lunging forward once more.
Its fingernails shot outward, sharp as blades.
Clang!! A layer of light suddenly appeared on the surface of Leilin's body, deflecting the spirit's frenzied attack.
Tilf's Cyclone Shield Potion!!!
"I've got you!" A cold smile crept across Leilin's lips.
Against a spirit that moved like the wind, Leilin couldn't hope to match its speed. Even though the Chip could track the spirit's movement trajectory, Leilin's physical capabilities were far too slow to keep up. Moreover, due to the spirit's ethereal nature, many physical attacks were completely useless.
Fortunately, the Tilf's Cyclone Shield Potion he had brewed beforehand — as the only defensive potion accessible to Wizard Apprentices — still had a significant restraining effect even against spirits!!!
A hand cloaked in a membrane of light shot out, seizing the spirit's right wrist directly in its palm.
"N-No... impossible!!! How can you touch me!!!"
The spirit's face twisted as it roared and struggled ceaselessly.
"Spirits are a great mystery to apprentices from other academies, but unfortunately for you, you've run into someone from Black Bone Forest!!! Accept your fate of defeat!" With a calm expression, Leilin produced a black crystal orb.
This was something he had scavenged at the academy — a Soul-Binding Orb, specifically designed for capturing and storing spirits!
Sss!! When the black crystal orb made contact with the spirit's surface, it suddenly emitted a faint glow, and a powerful suction force appeared on its surface, drawing the howling spirit straight inside.
A few seconds later, there was nothing left before Leilin. Inside the black crystal orb, a translucent human silhouette had appeared, preserved like a specimen trapped in amber.
Leilin let out a long sigh of relief. "Good thing that old man was only a third-tier apprentice. And thank the gods for Tilf's Cyclone Shield Potion and the Soul-Binding Orb — otherwise, this would have been real trouble today..."
For spirits, the strength of their soul determined their power.
And a Wizard's Meditation Method was precisely a means of training Spiritual Power to indirectly strengthen the soul.
There had once been a full Wizard who, after being transformed into a spirit, actually retained the ability to cast spells, becoming a spirit Wizard.
If what stood here today had been an evil spirit transformed from a full Wizard, Leilin wouldn't have been able to flee even if he tried.
He would only have his body seized, his soul sinking into eternal oblivion.
Staring at the black crystal orb in his hand, Leilin considered for a moment, then inscribed several seals onto it before placing the orb inside a small black pouch. He cinched the opening tight, then hung it at his waist.
Next, Leilin carefully inspected the entire villa once more. Only after confirming that absolutely nothing had been overlooked did he reluctantly leave the premises.
"What a shame!"
Leilin glanced at the massive black rock behind him, and without further hesitation, mounted the black stallion and rode swiftly away from the area.
Boom!!!
After his departure, the black rock suddenly erupted in a violent explosion, reducing the entire region to ashes...
Half a month later, in the laboratory, Leilin closed the final page of the black notebook.
"I never expected that both crafting the Magical Items from the fragments of the Luoyan Scripture, and the recipe for that ancient potion,
As for knowledge in this domain, Leilin had only heard Guofate mention it in passing during his time at Black Bone Forest Academy. He himself had absolutely no research in this area.
"I'm afraid... the only option is to take the most tedious approach — extensive observation, study, and experimentation, while using the Chip to collect data... In this regard, City Lord Jackson could be of help..."
With that thought, Leilin retrieved a black crystal orb from another corner of the laboratory.
The crystal orb had originally been placed on an altar inscribed with strange symbols, surrounded by three white candles that were still burning.
Leilin tapped the surface of the crystal orb.
Thump!!!
A sudden wave of fluctuation rippled outward, and the mist on the crystal orb's surface dispersed, revealing a hazy figure within.
The figure showed only an upper body, its lower half replaced by a ring of white swirling energy, and its face resembled that of an old man.
At that moment, the old man's expression was frozen completely, a look of shock permanently fixed upon his features, like an insect trapped in amber.
Leilin gazed at this evil spirit and suddenly smiled, uttering several syllables.
"Where am I? Let me out of here, now..." Instantly, everything that had been frozen inside the crystal orb burst back to life. The old man roared loudly, and though his face was twisted with ferocity and madness, it could not conceal the terror and helplessness beneath!
"Well? Mister Roman? How does it feel to have your thoughts suspended?"
Leilin raised the crystal orb before his face.
"It's you!!!" The evil spirit Roman pressed his head against the crystal orb's surface, yet could not break through.
Watching Roman crash around inside the crystal orb like a headless fly, Leilin chuckled softly and flicked the surface of the crystal with his finger.
Bang!!! Roman, inside, suddenly looked as though he'd been struck by a massive iron hammer. He collapsed to the ground, completely spent.
"How about it? Tell me your life story and everything about that laboratory now, and I might consider letting you out."
Leilin's expression was utterly flat.
"Not a chance!!!" Roman's face was set with unwavering resolve.
"Then I have no other choice!" Leilin shrugged and brought a fiery-red stone close to the crystal orb.
"AHHH!!!" Tiny flames instantly erupted all over Roman's body, and he let out a piercing scream.
"When it comes to inflicting pain on spiritual entities, I'm quite skilled at it! And inside the crystal orb, you can't even kill yourself. This torment will go on for a very, very long time..."
The syllables Leilin uttered gradually stretched out to an exaggerated length, so drawn out they could put someone to sleep.
"D-Domination magic?! Don't even think about it!!!" Roman, who had squeezed his entire body against the far side of the crystal orb, gnashed his teeth.
"You've got more spirit than I expected!"
Leilin arched his slender eyebrows. "Looks like I'll need to do this once a day to burn away most of this evil spirit's essence..."
Essence was the foundation upon which an evil spirit existed. Once an evil spirit's essence weakened sufficiently, its intelligence would often deteriorate until it was little more than a fool.
In that state, using techniques like the Mind Enchantment spell would be virtually guaranteed to succeed.
Even if he didn't drive Roman mad through torture, it wouldn't matter. As an Apothecary, Leilin was confident he could preserve Roman's essence before it dissipated entirely — even strengthen it — and torture him over and over again. As long as he persisted, he would eventually get the information he wanted.
For now, Leilin had all the time in the world to play with Roman.