Chapter 82: The First Attribute — Flame Magic Power

Chapter 82: Chapter 82: The First Attribute — Flame Magic Power

"Knowledge has value," Hathaway continued. "Its value is not determined by me, but by market exchange and the consensus of countless Wizards. Giving it to you for free would be devaluing it.

"Unless you are willing to take me as your master, or exchange something of equivalent value for it."

Chen Shang fell silent for a moment. Taking a master was out of the question; he hadn’t given up on the cultivation of the Starfall Inheritance Witchcraft yet.

If he had to trade... what did he have on hand that was worth exchanging?

The Samadhi True Flame was definitely a no-go. As a Purple trait, its value far exceeded the bit of knowledge Hathaway was offering.

After some thought, he took a Crystal Plate from his Space Book and placed it on the table. "Master, this is a Body Refinement model I’ve been researching. I call it Water-Fire Internal Refining. It uses the combination of the Water-Fire Elements to induce physical evolution. Do you think this is valuable enough?"

Hathaway picked up the Crystal Plate and probed it with her Spiritual Power, flipping through a few pages. "Dual-mixed elemental Body Refinement? I didn’t expect you to have such a good grasp of Elemental Runes as well. Interesting. Are you sure you want to trade this?"

Chen Shang nodded. "I want to exchange it for the method of carving an attribute into a Secondary Magic Spring without polluting the Main Magic Spring."

Hathaway looked at him for a few seconds, a half-smile playing on her lips. "Ordinary people wouldn’t research such a thing, unless... you have two Magic Springs.

"But you are only a Second Level Apprentice, so it’s impossible for you to have awakened a Specialized Talent. Are you a natural-born dual Magic Spring user?"

Chen Shang froze. Hathaway had completely guessed it. He could feel that she hadn’t used her Spiritual Power to perceive his condition.

Because after Spiritual Power Crystallization, a Wizard Apprentice became highly sensitive to external probes. His Spiritual Power was far inferior to Hathaway’s in strength, but he would still sense it if she forcefully probed him.

She had deduced it entirely from his words.

Seeing Chen Shang’s dazed expression, Hathaway chuckled. "It’s just a natural-born dual Magic Spring. Why are you afraid to admit it?"

Chen Shang smiled awkwardly. It wasn’t that he didn’t dare to admit it; rather, he had obtained his Second Magic Spring by exploiting a trait. There was no way to explain this, so he could only tacitly agree.

Hathaway waved her hand dismissively. "A dual Magic Spring is nothing. There are plenty of Apprentices with far higher talents in the Wizard World."

Indeed, some lucky individuals were born with the innate ability to control a specific element. Known as "Children of Elements," they could cast fireballs and summon lightning right from birth.

However, compared to the innate talents of the dominant races within the Pan-Wizard Alliance, these Children of Elements were nothing.

The physique of the Dragon Race, the longevity of the Elves, the sheer power of the Giants... before them, a Child of Elements was merely an ordinary person with a slightly better constitution.

But the beauty of the Wizard System lay in its high ceiling. Starting as a Third Level Apprentice, Wizard Apprentices would begin to awaken their own talents.

After Spiritual Power Specialization, everyone would possess a unique power. What was manipulating elements? Some could even control gravity or foresee the immediate future...

For Wizards to go from being inferior to those dominant races, to standing as their equals, and finally surpassing them—such occurrences were incredibly commonplace.

Chen Shang nodded. He had once deeply envied Princess Di Long, Ithirandir, who possessed power and a physique comparable to Tier Three entities just a few years after birth.

But as his studies deepened, he no longer felt he couldn’t catch up to her; it was merely that her starting line was further ahead.

Life was long; all he had to do was keep moving forward. The evolution that Wizards leveraged through perseverance and hard work would ultimately turn the tables, leaving the other races in envy.

"Alright, enough about that," Hathaway said, tucking the Crystal Plate away. "The knowledge you need—how to carve an attribute into a Secondary Magic Spring without polluting the Main Magic Spring—is a technique I call ’Elemental Enchantment.’"

She recorded the relevant knowledge onto a Crystal Plate, and under the witness of the Wizard’s Will, their exchange was successfully completed.

"Go back and try it yourself. If you have any problems, come find me."

Chen Shang took the Crystal Plate, quickly browsed through it, and then stored it in his Space Book.

"Thank you, Master."

"No need. You paid for it."

Back in his laboratory, Chen Shang read the contents of the Crystal Plate over and over again until every step was memorized by heart.

He then sat cross-legged and sank his awareness into his Sea of Consciousness.

The Crystal Core hovered in the center, stable and serene. Beside the Crystal Core, two magic vortices of the Chaos Attribute—one large and one small—were slowly rotating.

Chen Shang sent his Spiritual Power into the interior of the Second Spring, feeling its structure. It was incredibly pure; it had no attributes, no biases, and no specific traits.

Conversely, one could also say it possessed all traits.

He began his work. The first step was to condense the Samadhi True Flame. A cluster of dark gold flames suddenly flared up within his Sea of Consciousness. Like a golden snake, it coiled around the surface of the spring, slithering slowly.

Following the method Hathaway had taught him, Chen Shang used his Spiritual Power to build a bridge between the flame and the spring, gradually merging them step by step. In addition, he found a delicate point of equilibrium between the Gravitational Field of the Main Spring and the rotation of the Secondary Spring.

An unknown amount of time passed before a faint golden halo gradually spread across the gray surface of the Second Magic Spring. It was this layer of pale gold that completely transformed the aura of the entire spring.

It was as if it had gone from being a quiet satellite to an ignited star.

Chen Shang opened his eyes and reached out a hand, attempting to draw magic power from the Second Spring.

A ball of pale golden flame silently leaped forth. It was no longer violent, but as soft as silk, flowing and shifting between his fingers in perfect sync with his will.

With a single thought, Chen Shang activated the Flame Compression technique!

In an instant, the Samadhi True Flame in his hand condensed into a miniature sun. Its light retracted inward, not leaking a single trace of heat.

The leverage multiplier of this fireball had reached at least 20! Then, he clenched his fingers. The flame dissipated, leaving not even a hint of residual heat in his palm.

He had successfully enchanted his Second Magic Spring with an attribute!

The price was that from now on, this Magic Spring could only manipulate fire-related elements. The benefit, however, was that this Magic Spring could control flame-related Witchcraft as effortlessly as moving his own arm, and its destructive power was greatly enhanced.

Furthermore, for Chen Shang, there was a hidden benefit: his control over the Samadhi True Flame had significantly strengthened, which meant he could now attempt the next step—Elemental Multiplication.

Seeing that Chen Shang had finished, the Golden Crow carefully flew in, a look of amazement on his face. "Boss, did you succeed?"

"Mhm."

"So you have two Magic Springs now? An ordinary one and a fiery one?"

"Exactly. This Witchcraft also holds considerable reference value for you. If you’re willing to implant this Witchcraft, you’ll be able to master the Flame Element much more easily." Chen Shang looked at the Golden Crow.

The Golden Crow fell silent. After a long while, he raised his head. "Boss, are you saying I can also attach an attribute to my magic power? But I don’t have a Second Magic Spring. If I add an attribute, I’ll be stuck on that single path forever."

Chen Shang nodded. "But I can assure you, the potential of this path is limitless... At the very least, it’s far higher than the racial ceiling of a Dream Crow. Think about it."