The aftermath of the planar war felt unusually tranquil in the wizard camp at Noren Workshop.
There were no deafening celebrations or grand reward ceremonies.
Wizards, ever rational and pragmatic, valued knowledge and results above all else.
Had this trial not been tied to the division of ownership over the Elosia plane, the honor roll of contributions might not have even been compiled.
Yet, this unexpected victory brought an unforeseen boon to the wizard apprentices involved—they completed the year-long trial early, gaining an extra half-year of precious free time.
This was invaluable time for reflection. For wizards, knowledge and wisdom far outweighed mere level advancements.
Only by amassing and integrating sufficient knowledge could a wizard truly match their current rank and prepare for higher tiers.
Jie Ming followed this principle.
Once settled in the camp, he cast aside all distractions and immersed himself in research.
He knew this half-year was a golden opportunity for self-improvement.Glancing at his research notes, Jie Ming circled the section on the divine faith network. “I’ll prioritize this area of study…”
To discuss the divine faith network, one must first address the existence of “gods.”
Even across the infinite multiverse, worlds with genuine “gods” were rare.
In most worlds, the “gods” worshipped by mortals were merely higher-tier beings or projections of powerful creatures, lacking true mastery over a plane’s core laws.
True gods, regardless of strength, innately grasped a specific rule of their plane upon birth, forming a unique divine portfolio.
Gods were divided into two types: Primordial Gods and Faith Gods.
Both held immense interest and research value.
Primordial Gods, to wizards, were living embodiments of planar rules.
Without exaggeration, thoroughly studying a Primordial God, no matter its strength, could propel a wizard straight to the sixth rank.
Their birth signified a deep bond with the plane’s origin, embodying its laws. Studying them was akin to directly accessing a plane’s core secrets.
Faith Gods, though slightly less potent and stable than Primordial Gods, were no less valuable.
In fact, Faith Gods were rarer, their formation far more demanding than mere powerful beings could achieve.
Many believed gods preceded faith, while others thought faith birthed gods.
Through deep study of the divine faith network, Jie Ming had confirmed both views were wrong.
He was now certain that an efficient energy transmission system preceded both faith and gods.
Simply put, a plane capable of birthing gods required an innately unique, highly efficient energy transmission and conversion system.
This system gathered specific energies, which, under certain circumstances, merged with a particular being—or the energy itself gained sentience—becoming a Faith God.
For this to occur, the plane’s energy system had to be extraordinarily efficient, almost exaggeratedly so.
Every plane with Faith Gods possessed a distinctive divine faith network—or energy transmission system.
If mastering a Primordial God’s rules could elevate a wizard to the sixth rank, studying a natural energy transmission system offered even greater theoretical depth and applications, potentially surpassing mere rank advancement.
The best way to study such systems was to examine fully formed gods, whose internal energy pathways were near-perfect replicas of the plane’s system.
Even without capturing a god, studying a plane’s residual traits yielded results.
The Elosia plane, stripped of its gods, was now an ideal “living dissection table.”
Months passed in a blink as Jie Ming voraciously absorbed this knowledge.
He poured all his energy into studying Elosia’s residual energy network, repeatedly delving into his mental sea to refine rune models, integrating new knowledge into his witchcraft system.
The results were astonishing.
By analyzing the plane’s energy system, his three witchcraft models optimized themselves three times, each bringing qualitative leaps—lower mental energy costs, wider ranges, and greater potency.
In the testing chamber, Jie Ming, having cast his witchcraft, eyed the results on the device and exhaled, “Not bad. Shame I couldn’t improve precision control, or these three would’ve formally advanced to first-rank witchcraft.”
His three models, all support-oriented, required exceptional control beyond raw energy output, making their upgrades “less noticeable.”
Had he built an attack-oriented model, his combat power would surpass most pure combat first-rank wizards.
This wasn’t a major issue. By modifying his runic artifacts, he could match or exceed attack witchcraft effects.
He pulled out a metallic bracelet, its surface etched with scattered runes—a prototype runic artifact. His ongoing research into the divine faith network’s energy system hadn’t hit a bottleneck, so the artifact’s design evolved daily, its appearance secondary.
“Made just a week ago, and already it’s flawed,” he mused.
Even without fully unraveling the system’s mysteries, his current knowledge doubled the artifact’s instantaneous energy output and elemental absorption efficiency without changing its rank, enhancing both endurance and burst power.
Crucially, this efficiency best suited element storage runic artifacts, not attack or defense types. If applied, his future element reserves and casting efficiency would reach staggering levels.
Time was short, though, and modifying storage artifacts was more complex. Jie Ming hadn’t started yet.
As he swam in the sea of knowledge, his artifact vibrated with a communication request from David.
Jie Ming accepted.
David’s projection appeared, his scholarly demeanor calm yet weary. “Jie Ming, sorry for the wait,” he said, voice hoarse. “I’ve finalized the zones for receiving Elosia’s native sentient beings and submitted them to the camp. You can take over anytime.”
“Oh?” Jie Ming’s eyes flickered with surprise. “You finished so quickly?”
He hesitated. His camp space was limited, unable to house many living beings.
David, sensing his concern, smiled faintly. “No need to worry about space. The plane cluster hasn’t been fully organized, but Elosia’s main plane is mostly cleared. Areas like the human kingdoms are under wizard control and partially planned. You can claim a territory now and request more later based on contributions.”
Jie Ming’s eyes lit up. He thought of the perfect place.
His Golden Harbor mansion, heavily modified with a sixth-rank array covering the estate, was secure and ideal as a base. The city, largely in ruins, was perfect for large-scale reconstruction and discreet experiments.
“Golden Harbor!” Jie Ming exclaimed, smiling genuinely. “David, I’ll choose Golden Harbor as my first territory. I’ll apply to the camp to take the entire area. Send the people and notes there.”
David smiled. “Golden Harbor? Good choice. I’ll arrange everything. Don’t worry, I’ll send the modification potions later.”
The call ended. Jie Ming stood, gazing at Elosia’s lands beyond the camp, and took a deep breath.