Inside the
Lei Lin stared unblinkingly at the massive extraplanar Wizard Formation.
Under the full output of the positive and negative energy pools, the symbols on the formation were lighting up one after another as terrifying spatial fluctuations gradually gathered together.
"Formation operating normally. Current activation at 67%. Gaia curve is stable!" The Chip continuously monitored the formation, relaying feedback at regular intervals.
As the formation gradually came online, the blue glow atop the Star Planar Stone at its very center slowly coalesced, radiating brilliant light.
The spatial fluctuations, which had been trending toward instability, steadied the moment they merged with the blue light and surged powerfully in a single direction.
At the same time, Lei Lin sensed a terrifying wave of energy pouring out from the Star Planar Stone, powering the entire formation's operation.
"Formation startup accelerating. Current progress: 75%, 85%, 100%!!!"
The Chip reported at breakneck speed.
Once every last symbol in the formation had blazed to life, vast quantities of spatial energy flowed along fixed channels and converged before Lei Lin, forming a fist-sized silver mirror with a small vortex at its center — leading to parts unknown.
This was something Lei Lin had seen many times with
But his Spiritual Power channel was far smaller than the one Gilbert had opened. He couldn't open multiple channels simultaneously, and in fact, only seed coordinates of Spiritual Power could pass through — no physical matter could make the journey.
Something like last time, where Star Planar creatures had attacked through the mirror, was naturally even more impossible now.
Though he had lost the opportunity to fish for useful items, the advantage lay in safety and stability — a fair exchange of gains and losses.
Lei Lin savored the sensation carefully. Assisting someone else's experiment and conducting one independently were vastly different experiences.
He could feel the difference right now. Through the formation's assistance — and especially the energy conduit from the Star Planar Stone at its center — his Spiritual Power seemed to have glimpsed the very edge of a terrifying dimension.
That place was the intersection of all space and time, the pinnacle of the entire universe. A higher dimension — something so far beyond description!
Even the faintest wisp of its aura was so brilliant, so resplendent, so timeless and eternal that it stirred the depths of his desire to explore.
"This experiment... setting everything else aside, just this single insight alone makes it worth the effort..." Lei Lin sighed.
Such an opportunity to gaze directly upon the Plane of Stars was an exceedingly rare experience for a Wizard. Moreover, even setting aside any other gains, simply being able to observe the conditions and workings of the Plane of Stars every day would offer benefits beyond words for any Wizard.
Of course, this was utterly impossible. Conducting Plane of Stars experiments every single day? Even a Morning Star Wizard would go bankrupt!
"Initiating Astral Spiritual Power coordinate projection! Recording data!"
On Lei Lin's command, the Chip responded immediately.
A wisp of crystalline Spiritual Power emerged from Lei Lin's forehead, carrying a brilliant, gem-like radiance. It condensed into a Spiritual Power seed and swiftly plunged into the silver mirror surface, vanishing into the vortex in an instant.
"Initiating positioning assistance. Activate navigation mode!" Lei Lin ordered.
Almost immediately, his Spiritual Power seed seemed to find its bearings amid the violent spatial turbulence, pressing forward boldly to carve out a path. It even managed to push against the current.
The Chip calculated at breakneck speed, streams of data and curves flickering ceaselessly before Lei Lin's eyes.
"Spatial turbulence estimated in 0.34 seconds. Recommend changing course — veer 23 degrees left!"
The mental exchange was completed in the span of a heartbeat, and Lei Lin's Spiritual Power seed immediately shifted direction, deftly dodging one spatial current while catching the momentum of another hidden undercurrent, drifting further into the distance.
Compared to the blind luck approach of Gilbert's experiments, Lei Lin's method was clearly far more efficient and far more likely to yield results.
Unfortunately, Lei Lin was the only Wizard with a Chip to assist him, and there was no way he could expose his secret.
As such, when he was with Gilbert, Lei Lin could at most familiarize himself with the Chip's functions, but dared not use it freely.
Only when conducting experiments on his own could he put his more ambitious ideas into practice.
"As expected — with the Chip's assistance, my Spiritual Power seed's attrition rate is far below the average!" A look of delight appeared on Lei Lin's face.
"Warning! Warning! A spatial storm is forming ahead. Estimated threshold: 0.0000001 seconds. Recommend immediate retreat!"
The Chip's voice sounded once more.
But it was already too late. Though Lei Lin's Spiritual Power seed struggled to withdraw, its efforts were as insignificant as an ant's struggle amid the spatial currents. With time running out, a terrifying spatial storm materialized in an instant and engulfed the Spiritual Power seed.
Lei Lin stumbled back two steps, feeling a wave of dizziness wash over him, but he recovered quickly.
He was no longer the freshly advanced Tier 3 Wizard he had once been. Having entered the crystallization stage and become a Morning Star candidate, injuries that could have damaged his Spiritual Power back then were now trivial. He could even produce over a dozen Spiritual Power seeds in a single breath without any trouble.
"The Chip's assistive functions are only limited after all — at most, they let me go a step further than other Wizards!" A bitter smile appeared at the corners of Lei Lin's lips.
The dangers within the spatial turbulence were truly terrifying beyond measure, and with their instantaneous, sudden nature, even the Chip's enormous computational power struggled to fully model and understand them clearly.
Moreover, even if he knew dangers lay ahead, once caught in the embrace of the spatial turbulence, Lei Lin's Spiritual Power was not necessarily able to break free.
"The Chip's role is simply to take the one-in-ten-million chance other Wizards face and inflate it to one-in-ten-thousand for me!"
But even so, Lei Lin was already quite satisfied.
A one-in-ten-thousand chance! As long as he persisted and tried multiple times, he would surely see results. In truth, this probability was already enough to make other Morning Star Wizards green with envy, not to mention that Lei Lin still had other methods at his disposal.
"Whenever it comes to matters of probability, the Destiny Gold Coin might also prove useful!"
Lei Lin flipped his palm, and a dark gold coin materialized in his hand. Since this was his own experiment and no outsiders were present, he was free to employ any means he wished.
A crystalline Spiritual Power seed took shape once again, and Lei Lin swept the gold coin across its surface. The entire seed immediately took on a layer of dark golden light.
Crack! At the same time, another massive fissure split open across the surface of the Destiny Gold Coin, nearly cleaving the entire coin in two.
Seeing the Destiny Gold Coin so close to ruin, a pained expression crossed Lei Lin's face, and he quickly stored it away.
The Destiny Gold Coin worked flawlessly for realms below the Morning Star Wizard level, but once it came into contact with forces at or above the Morning Star, it would suffer a terrifying backlash.
And the Interplanar Turbulence? The dangers within it were even more terrifying than those posed by Morning Star Wizards.
Given the current state of the coin, if he forced it into use a few more times, it would most likely be utterly destroyed!
And during all his time on the Central Continent, Lei Lin had never encountered anyone like Weiling or Lombardon — individuals known as children of destiny. His instincts also told him that crafting another Destiny Gold Coin was likely a very distant prospect.
What happened last time had simply been a fortunate coincidence. Pulling off something like that again would not be so easy.
"The power of destiny — I hope it can help me find the way forward…" Lei Lin sighed, then sent the dark gold Spiritual Power seed into the spatial turbulence.
"Monitoring — estimated spatial vortex detected to the left-front. Recommend immediate retreat!"
This time, a blue glow blazed from Lei Lin's eyes as the Chip unleashed its full computational capacity without the slightest restraint, flooding vast streams of data before his gaze.
Like a seasoned helmsman weathering countless storms, he guided the Spiritual Power seed forward through the tempest, executing all manner of incredible evasive maneuvers to dodge the spatial turbulence.
Within the vast spatial rift, a mote of golden light threaded through the gaps between countless turbulent currents like a tiny boat, its movements extraordinarily agile, carrying a fluid elegance.
"Awooo..."
At that moment, an enormous dark silhouette suddenly materialized from the void, lunging toward the golden Spiritual Power seed.
"A void creature — I didn't detect it!"
Lei Lin seethed with fury. Creatures living in spatial rifts often possessed terrifying phasing abilities, and the Chip was too far away to scan it in time.
"Avoid immediately!" The dark-gold Spiritual Power flickered swiftly to the side, but the black shadow roared in pursuit, a massive gaping maw forming in front of its underbelly, refusing to let go of the seed's trail.
"Ding! Warning! Warning! Spatial storm imminent ahead — estimated critical threshold: 0.00023 seconds!" The Chip's alert sounded once more.
"Damn!" Bloodshot veins crept across Lei Lin's eyes as he fought desperately to steer clear of that region.
Boom! Violent spatial waves surged forth, sweeping Lei Lin's Spiritual Power seed into their midst.
"Awooo..." The void creature, watching its morsel get swallowed by the spatial storm, could only let out a frustrated howl at the edge before fading back into the darkness.
"Is it going to be annihilated again?" Bitterness welled up in Lei Lin's heart.
Just then, a dark-gold gleam flashed across the surface of the Spiritual Power seed.
BOOM!!! An even greater spatial vortex formed nearby, and the two storms clashed ceaselessly, wreaking havoc across the surrounding void.
Crack! Crack!
Countless silver bolts of lightning flickered wildly, tearing open swathes of spatial rifts.
And Lei Lin's Spiritual Power seed, riding along one of the cracks, plunged through with a narrow escape.
"The power of fate!"
Sensing this scene, Lei Lin let out a quiet sigh, his reverence for the strange and unfathomable force of fate deepening ever further.
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