Chapter 172 - 116: Blizzard Project and the 4th Magic Spring

Chapter 172: Chapter 116: Blizzard Project and the 4th Magic Spring

The rankings hung on the light screen for a day before being replaced by new notifications.

For Wizards, past results were only for reference. Today’s number one could be surpassed tomorrow, and this year’s dark horse might not even pass the preliminaries next year. No one would lower their guard just because of their placement in a single minor competition.

This was also the purpose of the Star Fall minor exam. Everyone found their flaws during the assessment, allowing them to adjust their evolutionary pace in a more targeted manner. At the very least, this was true for Chen Shang; he had thoroughly analyzed his own flaws.

First, the issue with the Eye of Truth could not be easily resolved for the time being. It was his own body that was dragging down such an excellent eye, so he could only improve it slowly. Besides, how could he just not use such a good eye? Moreover, it only exhibited incompatibility during combat; it was extremely useful in experiments, making it an ability geared more toward research.

Second, there was the issue of environmental and Witchcraft counters. His agreement to join Alicia’s Blizzard Project was part of his in-depth research into this matter.

Finally, the condensation issue regarding the Three Elements Witchcraft had a clear solution. Because in Three Elements Mutual Multiplication, the Fire Element was the Samadhi True Flame from the Second Magic Spring, and the Water Element was the One-Element Heavy Water from the Third Magic Spring, but the Wind Element could only be mobilized by Chen Shang from the Main Magic Spring.

Therefore, the solution was divided into three steps.

Step one: condense the Fei Lian Eight Winds. He had already collected six entries for the Fei Lian Eight Winds; he only lacked the Changhe Wind and the Guangmo Wind to synthesize the complete Eight Wind System.

Step two: open up the Fourth Magic Spring. The Multiple Magic Springs could continue to be built, allowing his total Magic Power to jump up another notch.

Step three: integrate the Fei Lian Eight Winds into the Fourth Magic Spring. The winds of heaven and earth containing eight Divinities would merge into one. He would seal them into the Fourth Magic Spring, making the fourth spring an exclusive magic origin for the Wind Attribute. By then, his Control Power would also increase significantly. Attempting to fuse the Three Elements Mutual Multiplication Sorcery would definitely be much easier than it was now.

Chen Shang immersed himself in his busy work.

Surprisingly, Amy had also made it into the top thirty.

Her base stats were only considered above average among First Level Apprentices, and her combat prowess was not strong either. Had it been anyone else, they might not have even passed the preliminaries. However, her Red Plague Ghost worked wonders in actual combat. The Violent Plague performed much more stably in the arena than the Plague Bottle. The examiner’s evaluation was: "Clear tactical thinking, adept at utilizing limited resources to create the maximum battle outcome."

Furthermore, the progress of the Blizzard Project was faster than expected. The Eye of Truth quickly calculated the core arc precision of the Octagonal Rune Array; all that remained was recording and debugging. Alicia was responsible for recording the Ice Rune, while Chen Shang handled the interface between Call Wind and the Frost Domain.

The two met twice a week, and every time, they argued until they were red in the face in Chen Shang’s laboratory. Of course, they were not truly fighting; rather, it was a collision between two completely different Witchcraft Systems. Chen Shang’s Elemental Multiplication logic and Alicia’s Ice Witchcraft logic frequently clashed, but after every conflict, they would produce a much better solution than before.

Alicia appeared aloof on the surface, but when discussing Witchcraft Runes, she could talk endlessly and spoke very directly. This was perhaps one of the reasons for their increased efficiency.

Several weeks later, an acquaintance came to visit Chen Shang. It was Victor, the Wizard with whom he had traded before. When Victor arrived, Chen Shang had just managed to extract the seventh wind of the Fei Lian Eight Winds.

"Chen Shang, long time no see," Victor said.

Chen Shang stepped aside to let him in. "Long time no see, Master."

Victor walked into the laboratory, his gaze sweeping across the Recording Platform. He then sat down on a chair, pulled out a Crystal Plate from his coat, and turned the screen toward Chen Shang. Playing on the screen was a clip of Chen Shang’s speech during the minor competition.

"Your Samadhi True Flame has upgraded." Victor’s tone was not a question, but a statement of fact.

Chen Shang sat opposite him and nodded. "I gained some insights."

The upgrade of the Samadhi True Flame wasn’t exactly his own doing. He had merely happened to find a suitable Fire in the Stone, and the system had helped him fuse them together.

Victor turned off the Crystal Plate, leaned back in his chair, and sighed. "Alas, I didn’t expect you to move faster than me. I want to make another trade. I’ll offer something in exchange for your upgraded Samadhi True Flame."

Chen Shang fell silent for a moment; this trade made him quite conflicted.

During their last transaction, he had traded the Samadhi True Flame for the Water Spirit Realm and clues regarding the Wind Elemental Eye. At the same time, he had used his Golden Finger to snatch the Water Elemental Eye and the One-Element Heavy Water. Regardless, he had profited massively from that trade.

However, the magnitude of this upgrade wasn’t that large—from 7% to 13%. A 6% increase was not a leap from nothing to something, so it was not enough to exchange for items of the same caliber. Asking for another Elemental Eye would definitely not be enough. As for asking for something else, he didn’t know what he wanted.

Victor looked at him without rushing him, nor did he offer any suggestions. Trades between Wizards were just like this: if you wanted to trade, you made an offer. If a price couldn’t be agreed upon, the trade wouldn’t happen.

Chen Shang looked at Victor, his mind racing. The other party was an Official Member of the Mechanical Throne who dealt with creatures from various Planes year-round; the resources he could mobilize were far greater than his own.

He currently had several needs.

First, ready-made puppets. The kind that could be thrown into battle at a moment’s notice to supplement his immediate combat strength. After all, the Mechanical Throne excelled at making such things.

Second, other components of the Samadhi True Flame. For example, the higher-level Aerial Fire and Fire in Wood. Combined with his Heart of Molten Fire, it might be possible to continue upgrading it.

Third, the Water Element Series Witchcraft. His Call Wind had already grasped the authority of the wind; the next stage should be Rain Summoning, which required Water Element Control. The One-Element Heavy Water alone could not activate the entry. He needed more systematic knowledge. If he could obtain a few sets of high-quality Water Element Witchcraft, he might be able to increase the completeness of the Wind-Calling Divine Techniques.