A Wizard’s Secret

“This…”

Merlin stared with mouth agape at his environment. The familiar tenth floor had already vanished, and where he was at now was, in fact, a lavish place, surrounded by transparent veluriyam.

When he looked down below, he could see everything that was beneath him. He was no longer on the tenth floor or to be more accurate, he had never been on the tenth floor.

“Teacher, where have you brought me to?”

Merlin asked softly.

“No, you’ve been here the entire time – the sixteenth floor. In fact, when you left the ninth floor, you were handed over to me on the sixteenth floor.”

“What? The sixteenth floor?”

Merlin’s expression changed significantly. He knew that the Mind Tower only had sixteen floors in total, and even now, the number of Spell Casters who had reached the sixteenth floor could be counted on one’s fingers. He had directly come to the sixteenth floor from the ninth floor.

“So, everything earlier was a Hallucinating spell?”

Merlin recalled that he had even drunk tea earlier. He could distinctly taste the aroma and bitterness of the tea. His Mind Power was very powerful, and he had experienced many Hallucinating spells in the past but never like this one. He had not the slightest inkling that it was an illusion. This was far too scary.

“What’s illusory and what’s real – aren’t they simply separated by a boundary? It’s just a shame that an illusion is still an illusion, and can’t become reality… All that I can accomplish now is merely to make an illusion seem real but it’s still ‘illusory’ in the end, and not reality! The Essence of Mind Power is to change the illusory into reality, and I can’t do that yet…”

The voice of the old man in white carried a helpless and rueful tone.

However, it was as if a stormy sea had broken out in Merlin’s mind. Only now did he sense that the old man in white before him, his new Teacher in Mind Power, was so terrifying in terms of Mind Power. This old man was definitely stronger than Ossais who had taught Merlin Nine Hit Strike.

At the very least, the old man in white had found his way whereas Ossais was still without direction.

After a long moment, Merlin understood that the identity of the old man in white was extraordinary. A powerful master who oversaw the sixteenth floor of the Mind Tower must be someone whom not even the Ultimate Arcane Wizards would overlook.

Therefore, Merlin asked carefully, “May I know who Teacher is?”

The old man in white laughed slightly. “Diss! However, this name isn’t commonly used. It’s so ancient that even I’m about to forget it…”

“Diss?”

Merlin carefully thought about this name but none of his memories carried an impression of it. It was an unfamiliar name.

“However, most people call me the Blackfire King!”

A strange smile had crawled over the old man’s face, and when Merlin heard this name, his face instantly became stiff.

King! This was not a label that most Spell Casters could achieve. Even the Great Honored Legends were not called a King. In simple terms, the label of King was not a definite indicator of one’s level but rather a general appraisal of one’s power.

To become a King, one must at least be an Honored Legend! Moreover, one must be unrivaled. After achieving the status of Legend, one must not have had any failures, and must also wipe out a foreign tribe’s civilization.

To wipe out a civilization by oneself – how awe-inspiring and terrifying was such a feat?

Just like the Dora Demon Tribe who had nine Royal Demons during their golden age who were comparable to Honored Legends. Finally, the Ultimate Arcane Wizard was enraged, and they personally attacked to slay those nine Royal Demons, extinguishing the Dora Demon’s civilization with one Wizard’s strength.

In truth, it was not just the Ultimate Arcane Wizard who had powers like these. Some formidable Honored Legends had similar abilities. Nonetheless, to fulfill those two conditions, one must at least be an Honored Legend, and exterminate a foreign civilization on one’s own. Only Spell Casters like these had the right to be called a King!

The Blackfire King was one such prominent figure. He might not be the strongest among the Honored Legends but news of his feat had definitely spread the furthest. Almost every Spell Caster in Arcane City had heard of him before.

The Blackfire King had cultivated two Maxims to their peak, which were a Darkness-type Maxim, and a Fire-type Maxim. “Blackfire” was thus an honorific, and “King” was an affirmation of his abilities and achievements.

The Blackfire King had previously, with just his own strength, wiped out three foreign civilizations, one of which even had a few powerful Honored Legends. Even so, they were slain by the Blackfire King alone, and thus he had acquired more than ten dimensions!

Thereafter, the Blackfire King had made an astonishing move. He gifted the ten dimensions he had received to Arcane City at no cost, and thus became a Legend-in-residence at Arcane City, staying here ever since.

From that point onward, few had seen the Blackfire King, and most did not know what he had been up to. Now, it looked like the Blackfire King had always been in Arcane City, and was even appointed by the Ultimate Arcane Wizard to oversee the sixteenth floor of the Mind Tower!

What Merlin found hardest to understand was that the Blackfire King’s detailed elaboration on the system of Mind Power earlier was definitely not insights he had simply gained overnight. Surely, in terms of Mind Power, he was highly accomplished.

A powerful Great King still wanted to focus on cultivating Mind Power? It should be known that the system of Mind Power Masters was still not refined. There were no Mind Power Masters who could solely rely on Mind Power to be on par with Legends.

Forget about a Great King; even among most Great Wizards or Legends, few would concentrate on cultivating Mind Power.

“There’s no need to be puzzled… Although I’ve grasped two Maxims thoroughly and become a King, there’s almost no hope for me to go any further. In truth, having reached this stage of a Great Legend, I don’t have to focus on consolidating Maxims anymore because it’s practically impossible. Since there’s no more hope, most would turn to research other matters. For instance, some Great Kings like to study puppets, focusing their research on puppets which are powerful to the extreme. Or they might research runes. It just so happens that I have an interest in Mind Power, and I think that once the system of Mind Power is perfected, and we discover the Essence of Mind Power, changing the illusory into reality, we would likely reach a level that even an Ultimate Arcane Wizard would find difficult to conceive. Merlin, you’re the first one to learn of my theory in full, and you have the best chance to perfect the system of Mind Power Masters, thus fulfilling my theory…”

Countless thoughts flashed across Merlin’s mind. Even if he put aside the Blackfire King’s guidance in terms of Mind Power, the Blackfire King was still a Legend with a Darkness Maxim. His understanding of Darkness-type spells was not inferior to the Legend of Darkness Oflas in the slightest.

After all, having condensed a Darkness Maxim to its peak, his general power was the same. The only difference was that a Darkness Maxim had a different approach, and most Spell Casters who had cultivated Darkness-type spells would have comparatively stronger Mind Power.

Perhaps this was why the Blackfire King focused on studying Mind Power.

“Teacher, be rest assured that there’ll come a day where I’ll improve the system of Mind Power Masters, making your theory come true!”

Merlin’s voice was solemn, and the Blackfire King smiled before he said slowly, “That’s right, what I’ve achieved for the system of Mind Power Masters is only in theory. All that I can help you with is to simply point you into one direction. However, besides Mind Power, perhaps I can still assist you in other areas.”

A mysterious smile crossed the Blackfire King’s lips, after which he stretched out a withered hand, and passed it gently over Merlin.

“Buzz.”

Merlin’s entire body stiffened, following which Darkness Eye in his palm seemed to come under great pressure. The giant ghostly face abruptly formed over Merlin’s head, and one could even see the wrath of the ghostly face.

“Whoosh.”

The Blackfire King made another vigorous gesture, and the bloodlike Darkness Eye was forcibly extracted from Merlin’s palm, coming into the Blackfire King’s hand.

“Hehe, Darkness Eye. This is the most notorious technique of the Legend of Darkness Oflas. All who cultivated Darkness Eye are practically Oflas’ puppets. Once you’ve cultivated Darkness Eye to its seventh form, heh, you won’t be yourself anymore. Darkness Eye will retaliate completely, turning the Spell Caster into a puppet instantly. Through all these years, under Oflas’ hand, there had appeared a dozen or so individuals who had cultivated Darkness Eye to its seventh form, and finally, become Oflas’ Legendary puppets!”

“What? Become a puppet?”

Merlin had gone through numerous shocks by now. He had always felt that Darkness Eye was rather odd, thinking that it was because it had absorbed too many negative emotions, resulting in a backlash.

He did not expect that this was simply a trick by the Legend of Darkness Oflas, whose intention was to turn Spell Casters into his puppets.

“Darkness Eye is mystical indeed. Once cultivated to its seventh form, most Great Wizards can explode with the power of a Legend! Therefore, Oflas has relied upon Darkness Eye to establish a troop of relentless and fearless Legendary puppets. He really has his tricks. However, for him to have targeted my disciple, I’ll have to teach him a lesson.”

An icy glint flashed across the amiable face of the Blackfire King, following which his body emanated wisps of the Darkness Maxim which immediately engulfed Darkness Eye.

“Boom!”

Darkness Eye swelled up frantically, following which an image was projected from Darkness Eye, transforming into a black-caped Spell Caster shrouded in darkness.

“So, it’s the Blackfire King! Since this Wizard is connected to the Blackfire King, naturally, I won’t disturb him anymore…”

This projection was the Legend of Darkness Oflas. He even gave Merlin a deep look before deciding to leave but the Blackfire King laughed coldly. “Oflas, you dare to touch even a disciple of mine. Heh, it seems like you no longer have any regard for me these days?”

The Legend of Darkness Oflas was rather afraid of the Blackfire King. Even though Oflas was a Great Honored Legend with a longstanding reputation, he was still junior to the Blackfire King.

“Great Blackfire King, surely Merlin wasn’t your disciple before this?”

“So what? Oflas, regardless of whether Merlin was my disciple before this, he’s my disciple now! I’ll keep this Maxim seed of yours as a form of restitution to Merlin. If you’re unhappy about that, you can ask the Arcane Wizard to arbitrate!”

With that, the Blackfire King’s hand flared up with a surging blaze. The flames were transparent, and one could only feel the fearsome heat.

Under the scorching temperature, Oflas’ expression changed quickly, even wailing loudly, “Blackfire King, you’re too unreasonable, I’ll bring this matter to the Arcane Wizard, argh…”

The projection of Oflas unleashed pitiful cries, following which it was burned to ashes by the flames, leaving only a mystical force. It was a Darkness Maxim cultivated to its peak.

This Darkness Maxim was immediately inserted into Darkness Eye by the Blackfire King, following which he waved his hand and Darkness Eye was embedded once more into Merlin’s palm.

“That Maxim of Oflas had cultivated Darkness Eye to its sixth form… This is a small gift to you! Darkness Eye can still be useful. With the seventh form, one can achieve the fighting powers of an ordinary Legend. However, the seventh form isn’t easy to cultivate. Oflas had cast a wide net, and who knows how many Spell Casters are cultivating Darkness Eye but only a dozen or so have recently cultivated it to its seventh form.”

Merlin was nearly mad with ecstasy. He could feel the immense energy fluctuations of Darkness Eye, which was nearly on par with some Great Wizards at their peak. Even if it could not defeat the top Great Wizards, it was still Merlin’s greatest weapon for now.

“Thank you, Teacher!”

Merlin knew that the Blackfire King had no qualms about offending the Legend of Darkness Oflas only for the sake of his disciple.

“Merlin, you mustn’t mention to anyone outside that you’re my disciple! In truth, that teacher Zado of yours isn’t bad as well. Five Maxims – that’s an extreme potential. Once he becomes an Honored Legend with the Terra Maxim, his battle prowess would only be second to a King. In addition, he’s a Five-Elemental Spell Caster, which is aligned with the spells you constructed, so he’s suited to guide you. As for Darkness-type spells, you can ask me… However, what you currently need is your own understanding. Other people, even Honored Legends, can only help you directly to a small extent…”

Merlin bobbed his head. He sensed that even Honored Legends could only guide him in the right direction. For concrete improvements, he would have to rely on his own understanding.

“Alright, it’s time to leave. If you want to look me up for anything in the future, just talk to this rune, and I’ll know immediately… However, the Void Zone has no space nor time, so this rune is useless there. You can only use it when you’re in Arcane City.”

Merlin kept the Blackfire King’s rune carefully, following which he bowed in respect again. Today, the Blackfire King had done him a huge favor. In his heart, the Blackfire King had risen to a level similar to Wizard Leo, both being teachers who had helped him immensely.

“Go forth! I’ll wait for the day when you’ll perfect the system of Mind Power Masters…”

The Blackfire King gazed warmly at Merlin before he waved his hand. A white light covered Merlin, and instantly transported him from the Mind Tower