Chapter 115 - 97: Guidance and Helpers

Chapter 115: Chapter 97: Guidance and Helpers

Inside a small room of a high tower within the Starfall Half-Plane.

The room was small, its domed ceiling embedded with a ring of glowing Crystal Stones. The soft light they cast illuminated the entire space like a perpetual twilight.

There were no windows on the four walls, only rows of built-in bookshelves crammed with paper books and Crystal Plates.

A massive stone table sat right in the center of the room, strewn with Rune Diagrams and half-finished Alchemy Devices. A middle-aged man stood busily working before it.

His fingers moved rapidly across a diagram. The SCRATCH SCRATCH of his pen nib gliding over the paper was exceptionally distinct in the quiet room.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open.

A burly young man strode in. He had broad shoulders and thick arms, with prominent knuckles that looked like the hands of someone who carved runes year-round.

Wearing the Apprentice Robe of the Starfall Laboratory with the badge of a Third Level Apprentice pinned to his chest, he walked up to the stone table and got straight to the point.

"Grandpa, about that Chen... was his mission assigned by you?"

The middle-aged man’s fingers paused. Without looking up, he continued drawing on the diagram and asked in a flat tone, "Why would you think that?"

"There aren’t many people with both the ability and the motive to do so." The young man’s voice was not loud, but concise and to the point.

The middle-aged man set down his pen and turned around. His face bore some resemblance to the young man’s, but his eyes were dark gray and carried a trace of exhaustion.

He looked at the young man, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded frankly.

"That’s right, I did it. I am clearing the obstacles for you."

The young man furrowed his brows. He shook his head in slight exasperation. "Grandpa, I don’t need your help. I will defeat all my competitors and earn the qualifications for the Starfall Legacy on my own."

The middle-aged man’s expression instantly turned cold. He stood up from his chair, planted both hands on the stone table, and leaned forward, his voice rising several octaves.

"What do you know? Do you have any idea what it means for Haimer to accept an apprentice?"

He took a deep breath, suppressing his temper. "The knowledge from public education is only enough for your cultivation up to a First Level Wizard at most. Any further, and you either have to forge your own path or seek out a legacy.

"Do you know how difficult it is to forge your own path? To be Lord Haimer’s apprentice means having status, connections, knowledge, and power. These are things that are extremely difficult for you to achieve on your own!"

The young man stood there, not shying away from his grandfather’s anger. He met the elder’s gaze calmly and nodded only after he had finished speaking.

"I know all of this."

Seeing that the young man was unmoved, the middle-aged man’s breathing grew rapid, his chest heaving violently. His fingers clenched tightly against the stone table, his knuckles turning white.

"I am doing this for your own good! You have the best Force Field Talent in our family in recent years, and you have the greatest chance of obtaining the Starfall Legacy..."

The young man neither retorted nor argued. He simply said softly, "Grandpa, you’re old."

Those words caused the middle-aged man’s voice to abruptly cease.

His lips moved slightly, but no sound came out. After a long silence, he turned his back to the young man and waved his hand weakly.

"Fine, I will no longer interfere in your affairs. As long as you know what you are doing."

The young man said nothing more. He bowed slightly, turned, and walked out of the room, closing the door gently behind him.

The middle-aged man stood before the stone table, staring at the scattered Rune Diagrams and half-finished Alchemy Devices for a very long time.

Then he sat back down in his chair, leaned against the backrest, and closed his eyes.

This proud grandson was truly just like he had been back in the day.

When did he become like this? In his youth, he was just like his grandson, his eyes fixed only on the road ahead. He never looked back nor glanced sideways, firmly believing that his own strength and wisdom could smash through any obstacle.

Later... later, he had a family, responsibilities, and people to protect. His path was no longer a straight line.

He started calculating, weighing options, and using rule-compliant methods to pave the way for his descendants.

He thought he was protecting and continuing the family bloodline, but his grandson’s words felt like a basin of cold water poured over his head.

Wizards possessed long lifespans. But if one lost their pioneering Wizard’s heart and became consumed by petty schemes, could they still be considered a qualified Wizard?

Opening his eyes, he gazed at the ring of glowing Crystal Stones on the domed ceiling. He recalled the first time he had opened a history textbook back then, and the large line of text that had greeted his eyes.

"Wizards are not a race born of nature, but a legacy of thought."

***

"Amy, you have to observe this thing using Wizard’s thinking!"

Inside Chen Shang’s laboratory, he was currently instructing the young girl in front of him.

"Don’t think a Demigod Level body is a big deal, and certainly don’t doubt your own abilities because of it. Anything can happen in the Endless Star Sea. You need to hypothesize boldly and verify carefully..."

"I understand, senior!" Amy replied energetically.

In truth, Wizard’s thinking was a multi-dimensional concept. Chen Shang didn’t necessarily understand it completely himself, but that didn’t stop him from using it to teach little Amy.

Wasn’t this exactly how Leia had taught him back in the day?

He reminded Amy of a few safety precautions and pointed out several key nodes to watch out for during the Zhong Kui Rune carving, before returning to his own Recording Chamber.

He closed the door and began his daily cultivation.

Taking the last bottle of High-Grade Spirit Condensing Potion from his Space Book, he observed the pale blue liquid fluorescing inside the glass bottle. The certification badge of the Magic Potion Association on the bottle’s body gleamed faintly under the light.

He had traded for three bottles at the time, and this was the very last one. Chen Shang unscrewed the cap and downed it in one gulp.

The moment the potion slid down his throat, a familiar cooling sensation spread from his throat to his entire body. Within his Sea of Consciousness, the liquid Spiritual Power surrounding the Crystal Core began to surge, fine bubbles surfacing on its exterior.

He closed his eyes and began his Meditation.

The Crystal Core rotated slowly, growing a fraction brighter with every revolution. After the time of one Hourglass, his Meditation concluded, but the potion’s effects would continue to last for several months.