**Chapter 101: Advancement, First-Level Wizard**
Take, for instance, the need for “benzene,” an organic compound.
By precisely recording the molecular structure, elemental composition, and energy fluctuations of a benzene ring, Jie Ming could use Extraction Technique to isolate it from carbon-hydrogen-rich organic matter.
Even in an unfamiliar plane, as long as he confirmed a substance or energy contained components similar to what he needed, he could extract the required parts.
Amy added, “This method can be quite wasteful with novel materials since you’re only taking a small part and discarding the rest.”
“But the advantage is obvious—in a completely unfamiliar environment, as long as you can confirm a substance or energy contains components similar to what you need, Extraction Technique can extract it, allowing wizards to quickly produce necessary potions.”
Victor had an epiphany.
No wonder high-tier potions, despite being theoretically more complex, weren’t exorbitantly priced!
Amid this travel and learning, time passed quickly.
Several days and nights later, the trio reached the edge of a desolate wilderness along the mountains.Jagged rocks and towering stones dotted the landscape, with an air of desolation permeating the area.
Using his Eye of Detection, Jie Ming pinpointed a highly concealed underground fissure.
“Here,” he said, indicating a narrow entrance hidden by vines. “It goes deep underground, blocking most energy fluctuations.”
Victor nodded, while Amy voiced concern. “The energy fluctuations from advancing to a first-level wizard are no joke. All three of us advancing will definitely attract powerful magical beasts, and in these tense times, it might even draw divine scrutiny.”
“Exactly, which is why we’ll advance one at a time,” Jie Ming said, activating Alchemy Technique. His powerful mental force surged into the fissure, expanding it and reinforcing it with solid rock and runes, creating a temporary secure underground chamber.
He cleverly sealed the entrance, leaving only a barely noticeable vent. “One person advances while the other two stand guard. Considering the enemies we’ll face, the longer we delay, the greater the danger for all three of us. So, I’ll go first. If we encounter strong enemies later, I’ll be better equipped to handle them.”
Amy and Victor had no objections.
Jie Ming was the strongest, and his advancing first would provide greater security for them.
In the chamber, Jie Ming sat cross-legged, placing a vial of shimmering silver advancement potion before him.
He immersed his mind in his mental sea, meditating to restore his mental energy, confirming it far exceeded the required threshold.
“Almost ready,” he murmured, picking up the potion and drinking it in one gulp.
The potion melted on contact, a cool yet faintly spicy energy surging through his limbs and into his mental sea.
Jie Ming clearly felt that this energy wasn’t like typical wizard potions, which merely supplemented mana or nourished the mind.
It was like a blazing flame, instantly igniting something within him.
As he had anticipated, there was a fundamental chasm between a third-level wizard apprentice and a first-level wizard.
The so-called “advancement potion” wasn’t about enhancement—it was about combustion!
In an extremely short time, it burned the wizard’s “residual life,” forcibly elevating their life essence to a higher state in an instant!
The wizard’s task was to, in that fleeting moment of “life sublimation,” construct the Ring of Truth in their mental sea as quickly as possible.
Using the Ring of Truth’s properties, they would stabilize their forcibly elevated life state in that instant.
The cost was immense.
If the advancement succeeded, the higher life essence would nourish the body, and the “burning” would no longer be a cost but a foundation for greater strength.
But if it failed…
Under the potion’s side effects, the wizard faced permanent loss of life essence, collapse of the mental sea, or even death on the spot.
For Jie Ming, however, this cost was negligible.
His body coursed with the pure true essence of the Foundation Establishment stage!
His life essence had already undergone a transformative sublimation during Foundation Establishment, far surpassing ordinary wizard apprentices.
The “advancement potion” was merely a bonus, bringing only a faint warmth without the pain or weakness of “burning life.”
Moreover…
Jie Ming’s throat moved as he extracted a drop of Foundation Establishment potion from his internal space and swallowed it.
With the Foundation Establishment potion supplementing him, he felt no depletion from the advancement potion.
His sole focus was the core challenge—constructing the Ring of Truth!
Feeling the soul-elevating sensation from the advancement potion, Jie Ming fully immersed his mind in his mental sea.
Nine radiant Truth Runes shone like stars, positioned at nine key nodes in his mental sea.
His task was to use his vast yet precise mental force to build sturdy bridges connecting these nine Truth Runes into a perfect circular ring.
This process was akin to constructing witchcraft models, only far more complex and vast.
The difficulty lay in the core runes within the nine Truth Runes, each representing different wizard truths.
These contained different power laws, prone to conflict.
If these conflicts weren’t resolved, the Ring of Truth would collapse, and the advancement would fail.
This was why the academy recommended that apprentices form all their core runes into witchcraft models before advancing.
During his apprenticeship, Jie Ming had independently constructed three distinct witchcraft models, each representing connections among three core runes.
What did this mean?
It meant that the power conflicts between these runes had already been fully resolved during the creation of the witchcraft models!
They had reached a state of perfect balance!
Now, Jie Ming only needed to resolve the conflicts between these three balanced rune groups.
With practiced ease, he manipulated his mental force like a precise engineer, referencing the witchcraft models to first connect the runes of the three models into three smaller internal circulations.
Then, he cautiously began building larger, more complex connections based on these three smaller cycles.
He keenly sensed every trace of energy flow, adjusting the angle and strength of each connection point.
When conflicts arose, he used his mental force like a comb to smooth them out.
The glow of the nine Truth Runes grew brighter, their connections becoming clearer and stronger.
Finally, at a certain moment, with the completion of the final connection, the nine Truth Runes fused perfectly, forming a circular halo radiating powerful fluctuations!
The Ring of Truth was complete!
*Hum…*
A tremendous energy wave erupted from Jie Ming, spreading outward!
His mental sea expanded like an ocean, his mental force becoming denser and vaster, nearly dozens of times stronger than before.
Every cell seemed infused with new vitality, and his soul resonated more deeply with the laws of the world.
He had succeeded!
He had officially crossed into the first-level wizard stage!
However, the energy fluctuations from his advancement spread outward like a beacon in the night.
“Roar!”
A low growl echoed from the distance, followed by more roars filled with greed and malice.
“Something’s coming!” Victor whispered, taking a deep breath.
Amy, sensing the external unrest, gripped her staff, ready for battle.