Chapter 171 - 116: Blizzard Project and 4 Magic Springs

Chapter 171: Chapter 116: Blizzard Project and 4 Magic Springs

He proposed an idea. "The hexagonal structure needs to be changed to an octagonal one, setting up eight core Runes and eight energy transmission channels while keeping the central Spiritual Power access point unchanged.

"This way, with two extra nodes, the energy distribution will be more even, eliminating any dead angles. Moreover, an octagon is geometrically closer to a circle, which can double the range of the environmental modification."

He picked up a rune pen from the table and sketched an octagon on a blank space of the blueprint.

At each of the eight corners, he marked the position of a core Rune. The eight sides were connected by curves instead of straight lines. The curvature was calculated to ensure the energy wouldn’t create turbulence as it flowed through the channels.

Alicia stared at the octagon, silent for a long time. Her fingers tapped lightly on the table, as if she were deducing the path of the energy flow.

"Using curves for the eight sides indeed makes the energy flow smoother." She looked up. "But the curvature needs to be accurate to the exact degree. The slightest error will cause an energy backflow. Are you confident you can calculate it?"

"I can be even more precise." Chen Shang had the Eye of Truth, so he wasn’t worried about such issues. Even if his calculating ability fell short, he could improve the design based on the Eye of Truth’s observations.

He continued, "So the curves aren’t the issue. The problem lies in the selection of the core Runes. What kind of Ice Element condensation Rune are you using?"

"The standard Ice Rune. It’s the most efficient condensation Rune in the Ice Witchcraft of a Third Level Apprentice."

"What if we use the Ice Core Rune? It’s a more stable condensation Rune. We can sacrifice a bit of condensation speed in exchange for stability in energy output. A Blizzard doesn’t require rapid condensation; it needs sustained output."

Alicia’s fingers paused on the table. "The Ice Core Rune... I’ve learned it, but the difficulty of engraving it is more than twice that of the Ice Rune."

"As long as it enhances the power, the difficulty doesn’t matter."

The two discussed at the table for nearly an hourglass. Using his Eye of Truth, Chen Shang analyzed every Rune node in Alicia’s Frost Domain, pointing out several locations with excessive energy loss and some structural redundancies.

In turn, Alicia adjusted the arrangement of the core Runes and the direction of the energy pathways based on his analysis.

The regular hexagon on the blueprint was crossed out, replaced by a regular octagon. Eight core Runes were evenly distributed across the eight corners, connected by eight curves. The blank circle in the center was replaced by a small, three-centimeter-diameter circle, marking the exact position of the Spiritual Power access point.

Surrounding the octagon was a ring of auxiliary Runes, designed to absorb free Ice Elements from the environment to replenish the energy consumption.

Alicia rolled up the blueprint and tucked it into her clothes. "The octagonal structure needs to be reverified. It’ll be too slow if I do it alone. When are you free?"

"In a few days. I’ve been quite busy lately," Chen Shang sighed.

"Then I’ll start experimenting first and let you know!" Alicia stood up.

She walked to the door, her hand already resting on the doorknob, but suddenly paused.

"Your Wind-Fire Mixed Curse... uses the Fire Mark to carry the power of the wind. What if it were replaced by the Ice Mark? Would it work?"

Chen Shang leaned back in his chair and pondered. "Theoretically, yes. The Fire Mark provides heat, while the Ice Mark provides low temperatures. With wind as the medium and ice as the catalyst, the effect of the curse would change, but the principle remains the same. Only the Elemental Attribute differs.

"However, you would need time to deduce the Rune structure of the Ice Mark. I don’t have a ready-made one."

Alicia fell silent for a moment. She turned around and looked at Chen Shang, her light golden hair framing her face. "Then I want to trade with you for the Wind-Fire Mixed Curse. What do you think?"

The Blizzard Project was a joint development, meaning everyone would share the final experimental results. But a trade was different. A trade required offering something of equal value.

So, Chen Shang looked at her, the corners of his mouth curving slightly upward. "Multi-Casting."

Alicia’s eyebrows twitched. She knew he had seen through her trump card during the competition.

"You’re too greedy. I haven’t even thoroughly researched Multi-Casting myself."

She had developed more branching applications based on Double Casting, though it was still a far cry from true Multi-Casting.

Chen Shang shook his head. "Simple Double Casting isn’t enough. If you don’t believe me, we can summon the Wizard’s Will to appraise it."

Seeing his confident demeanor, Alicia frowned deeply. "Does that mean... the value of the Wind-Fire Mixed Curse is even higher than I anticipated?"

"Of course. To be honest, today was just a small display of its power... because I haven’t had the time to deeply research this Witchcraft."

On this point, Chen Shang wasn’t lying. This was a purple-tier attribute, meaning it was definitely stronger than a blue-tier one. He trusted the system’s judgment.

Furthermore, he genuinely hadn’t unleashed much of its potential. For one, he was unfamiliar with curses, and secondly, he wasn’t familiar with the attribute itself. He had only managed to use it with the system’s assistance.

Yet, that Cyan Bird Face had relied on this very technique to corrupt many Fire Elemental Lords. To introduce the Wind Element into a Fire Elemental Plane proved that this Witchcraft was far from simple.

Alicia’s delicate little face remained taut. "Multi-Casting isn’t something that can be taught overnight."

"I know. That’s why I’m in no rush," Chen Shang said. "The Blizzard Project is something we research together, but this trade... whenever you develop the complete system for Multi-Casting, I will give you the Rune structure for the Wind-Fire Mixed Curse."

"Deal!" Alicia gave him a glance, then pushed the door open and left.

Several days later.

The minor exams had completely concluded.

As expected, no one attempted to challenge Chen Shang. Originally, Evelyn had planned to spar with him using her Divine Sword, but seeing him buried in his research, a sudden sense of urgency arose in her heart, so she simply abandoned the idea of challenging him.