The Wizard's Pursuit of Truth

Wang Ya’s gaze landed on the far end of the incubation chamber. A black liquid rippled there, forming flowing pools, all secreted by a spherical object covered in dark ravines.

It was about three meters across. Biological tendrils sprouted from the bumps and pits within its surface ravines, making it look very much like the flesh-egg of some bizarre creature.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

Though faint, the sound of a heartbeat was as clear as a beating drum to Wang Ya.

The sensation was transmitted through his Spiritual and Soul Brands.

[Target: Harak]

[Spiritual Power: 8]

[Physique: 31+ (Transforming)]

[Biological Energy: 98 units+ (Transforming)]

[Extraordinary Traits: Shadow Head, Flesh Melting Furnace, Defeated Black Eye, Infectious Deep Touch, Infinite Blood Core]

[Estimated Time Remaining for Transformation: 4 days]

A satisfied look flashed in Wang Ya’s eyes. Harak’s current Life Level was now firmly in the High-tier Extraordinary Creature range.

Once it completely digested all its Biological Energy, its stats would increase across the board.

As for its Extraordinary Traits, unlocking more would require a breakthrough in its potential.

Coincidentally, it was also time to make progress on the Dream Infinite Genome.

Wang Ya took the Black Core out from his red metal ring. Its surface was covered in black Spells that were constantly swirling.

Within its faint black luster, he could see a multitude of twisted faces packed against the inner surface of the Black Core. Their features contorted constantly, as if they were screaming curses.

A smirk touched his lips. He had no intention of dispelling the Witchcraft Seal on the Black Core’s surface just yet.

It contained a vast number of Black Souls, so he needed to make preparations beforehand.

Besides, the Black Core straddled the line between an Extraordinary Witchcraft Artifact and a Witchcraft Creation, and it clearly had a deep connection to Rilis.

She might even use it as a medium to cast some Curse Witchcraft the moment he broke the seal.

Black Wizards were experts in that field; he had to be on his guard.

Wang Ya decided he would unseal the Black Core and remove Rilis’s brand somewhere between the Maple Forest and Heart Dream Lake.

With Teacher Illusion Illusory Dream as a safety net, he could act with complete boldness.

Wang Ya didn’t believe Rilis would dare to cast a curse through a medium in the presence of an Official Wizard.

An Official Wizard could follow the ripples of a curse back to their source and strike at the caster—it was no laughing matter.

As for how the Black Core could aid his Dream Infinite Genome experiment, the answer probably lay with the numerous Black Souls inside. The Black Core’s ability to contain so many Soul Bodies was, in itself, extraordinary.

’But it’s probably not that simple,’ he thought. ’Judging by Rilis’s reaction, this thing is clearly very important to her—important enough to die for.’

’Once I unseal it tomorrow, I’ll have the Eye of Truth analyze it. Then I’ll know for sure.’

Wang Ya moved to another laboratory.

This laboratory was spacious and filled with numerous Wizard Instruments, but the most eye-catching feature was the enormous incubation tank in the center.

Only the last head of the Gundas’ Dog remained—the one that had once hosted the girl, Ras.

Having absorbed the other heads, its appearance had changed drastically. It no longer had the form of a canine head. Instead, it was now an amorphous, mobile mass of scarlet flesh, constantly shifting into different shapes.

It even shared some traits with Harak’s Infinite Blood Core.

[Consciousness Coexistence Experiment]

[Experiment Process: Success]

[Experiment Status: All conscious soul fragments exist within a single individual, governed by the strongest will. Control can be swapped at any time. Furthermore, the other consciousnesses that reside within parts of the flesh are capable of independent thought.]

Wang Ya held out his palm. Inside the incubation tank, the sticky, scarlet mass of flesh clung to the glass, moving in tandem with his hand.

The phenomenon was astounding.

Wang Ya saw a unique beauty in it—a beauty distinct from Harak’s.

’If I apply the results of the Consciousness Coexistence Experiment to Harak, and combine it with the Dream Infinite Genome...’ An image formed in Wang Ya’s mind: every inch of Harak’s flesh, down to every single cell, could possess a fragment of consciousness. When separated, each piece could form a new individual.

’It would be a matriarch of life, a gestalt of countless beings.’

The mere thought of it sent a thrill of excitement through Wang Ya.

’To spit out a glob of dark sludge and, with sufficient Biological Energy, create a multitude of life forms... That’s the power of a creator. In the myths of my past life, it would rival the divine creation of the goddess Nuwa.’

Achieving this might take a very long time, but Wang Ya had more than enough patience and energy to see it through.

Of course, that didn’t mean he would neglect his own Power.

Soon, with a ripple of a Witch Array, he arrived in the laboratory where he was conducting the Cultivation of the Blood-sucking King Vine Sub-body.

In the adjacent botanical incubation tank, the sub-body had completely absorbed the nutrient solution and the Water of Life Source. It had successfully grown into its complete form, meeting the requirements for Wang Ya’s experiment.

Wang Ya hadn’t wasted the remains of the Gundas’ Dog bodies from the Consciousness Coexistence Experiment. Instead, he had processed them multiple times, making them perfectly suitable for his Magic Plant Gendas fusion project.

A sealed vial appeared in his hand. It contained a viscous, two-toned liquid, one part scarlet and one part black. Crucially, the two colors had not merged, remaining sharply distinct.

Wang Ya poured the vial’s contents directly into one of the sub-body incubation tanks.

Some of Harak’s flesh and the flesh from Gundas’ Dog would counteract each other, achieving a degree of neutralization. Combined with the natural adaptability of the Magical Plants, the experiment’s success rate would be much higher.

After finishing all this, Wang Ya went to his study.

The cold wind from the window rustled the pages of a book on the desk. The Tower Spirit was strictly following Wang Ya’s orders to ventilate the room at regular intervals.

Wang Ya closed the Extraordinary Book and slid it into an empty spot in the third position on the top shelf.

He then pulled out another Witch Book to review.

It was a way to consolidate everything he had learned. This particular Witch Book served as a general summary, touching upon all sorts of subjects.

He was reminded of the Wizarding courses he had purchased from the Jialan Wizard back when he was a Wizard Freshman. He still hadn’t attended a single class on Alchemy.

’If I ever get the chance to meet that legendary Teaching Wizard for Alchemy,’ he vowed, ’I’m definitely getting my fifty Magic Stones back.’

「The afternoon arrived.」

Wang Ya felt it was about time he considered acquiring some High-tier Extraordinary Knowledge.

His Inheritance Witch Book contained a High-tier Witchcraft called the Fury of Hephaestus.

He now had his own ideas for creating and modifying High-tier Witchcraft, so he wasn’t limited to just mastering this one.

’The Flame Demon Witchcraft Stream I created isn’t necessarily inferior to the inheritance of the Rhine Lineage. It might even be stronger.’

Still, Wang Ya decided to master it. Since it was part of the same lineage, he could surely draw valuable insights from it when creating a High-tier Witchcraft better suited to himself.

[Target: Fury of Hephaestus]

[Estimated Analysis Time: 15 days]

As for the seventh Wizard Rune of the Dream-Recalling Meditation Method, that would require about 60 days to analyze.

This was unavoidable. The higher his Spiritual Power became, the more his progress would slow.

Wang Ya also planned to start focusing on his Physique, mainly to increase his Particle Energy Units.

If he mastered a High-tier Witchcraft, his current Particle Energy Units would only allow him to cast it two or three times before he’d have to retreat and recover.

Chugging a Potion—like the Azure Potion—also required time for digestion, making it difficult to rely on in the heat of battle.

Everything proceeded according to plan. Then, around the tenth day, Wang Ya received a notification from the Dark Land Headquarters: his mission had been changed.

.....