Chapter 265 - 204: The Eve of Advancement, Part 2

Chapter 265: Chapter 204: The Eve of Advancement, Part 2

Three more months passed, and the Angel’s Heart Isaac had transplanted was now fully fused with him. With all preparations complete, he began to replace his liver.

The liver Isaac was transplanting belonged to a Titan, a species that now exists only in the Void. They possessed eternal life and near-undying regenerative abilities. They were dedicated to maintaining peace and preventing worlds from falling to ruin—they were as righteous as they come.

Of course, because of their incredibly noble ideals, despite being immensely powerful, Titans were, without exception, dirt poor. The moment they got their hands on any money, they would invest all of it into rescuing endangered worlds instead of keeping a single coin for themselves.

Therefore, some Titans would often resort to selling parts of their own bodies to make ends meet. A Titan’s Life Force is so incredibly potent that, forget a liver—they’d dare to sell off their heart or even their brain!

Of course, whether you’d dare to take them up on the offer was another matter entirely.

Because a Titan’s level of existence is extremely high, nearly equivalent to that of a Deity, their flesh and blood is not so easily utilized. A single misstep could get you killed!

This was one of the reasons Isaac chose to transplant the Angel’s Heart instead of a Titan’s Heart.

Of course, the main reason was that he couldn’t afford it...

Isaac had already gone to great lengths just to acquire this Titan’s Liver, even calling in a few favors. A Titan’s Heart...

’It’s just not in the cards, you know?’

Like the Golden Dragon’s rib, the Titan’s liver was a massive object to Isaac. In fact, the liver was far, far larger—a full two stories high!

Fortunately, the interior of Isaac’s Mage Tower was large enough to contain it.

However, though the Titan’s liver and the Golden Dragon’s rib were both enormous, the modification process was different. The Titan’s liver had to be transplanted in its entirety!

Of course, before the procedure, it first had to be magically shrunk, condensed down to the size of a human liver, before the transplant could begin.

Fortunately, this step wasn’t difficult for Isaac, who could rely on his Golden Finger to stack the effects of his Magic. Thus, it only took him one month to complete the Titan liver transplant. And, just as he had done with his heart, he integrated his own liver into the new one.

Next, Isaac waited another three months. After the signs of physical rejection subsided, he immediately began the final modification surgery!

...

In the blink of an eye, another three months had passed. Isaac had now completed all the physical modifications for the Grand Wizard stage and was just three rituals shy of becoming a High-level Mage.

The first was the ritual for the third stage of the modification surgeries. This was also Liu Li’s promotion ritual, and Isaac planned to use its power to unleash the full potential of his [God-Stealer] ability, securing greater benefits for her.

The second was completing the third Magic Book of the Grand Wizard stage. This section had to be inscribed with knowledge obtained from an Outer God. The Necromancy he’d acquired from the Black Orc God technically counted, but Isaac had no interest in Necromancy Magic—at least, he didn’t plan to learn it himself. Besides, transcribing it wouldn’t be too much trouble.

And the last was the ritual to become a High-level Mage!

Once Isaac completed the nine modification surgeries, the Sect officially granted him access to the methods for advancing to a High-level Mage.

The method for a Legendary Mage to advance to Tier Three is quite different from that of a Knight or an Arcanist.

For Knights to advance to Tier Three, they must first manifest an Authority and then use its power to evolve their life form. Depending on the method used to manifest this Authority, there are two distinct paths for a Knight.

Arcanists, on the other hand, are different. They first evolve their life form and only then do they acquire an Authority.

In this respect, they are quite similar to Legendary Mages. The key difference is that Arcanists possess an innate talent for Magic Power, so they don’t need to modify their bodies to raise their Magic Level.

An Arcanist’s method involves studying and mastering a Great Arcane Art, which first causes the soul to metamorphose and ascend. This spiritual transformation then, in turn, promotes the evolution of the physical body. It is an exceptionally stable process.

This is only natural. After all, the path of the Arcanist developed from the path of the Legendary Mage. In a way, Arcanists are indeed a step forward from Legendary Mages.

However, Arcanists require an innate talent for Magic Power, which is the only reason the path of the Legendary Mage continues to exist. Otherwise, if he had the choice, Isaac would have wanted to be an Arcanist too.

Unfortunately, there were no ’if onlys’...

With no talent for Magic Power, he could only choose the path of the Legendary Mage.

Compared to the singular and safe advancement methods of Knights and Arcanists, the methods for a Legendary Mage are not only numerous but also extremely high-risk!

There are three traditional methods for advancement. The first is the potion-based method: constantly consuming Magic Potions to achieve a deep fusion with one’s foreign Magic Organs, ultimately triggering an evolution of one’s life form.

The advantage of the potion-based method is its stability. The entire process is incredibly time-consuming, but this ironically gives the Wizard ample time to adjust the Magic Potion formulas based on their specific condition.

However, the disadvantages are numerous. First, the time investment: even the fastest recorded advancement took a full three years!

Second, there is a high probability of going insane. This is because it requires consuming vast quantities of Magic Potions. While these potions have no ’toxicity’ in the traditional sense, they are imbued with Concepts. If this process is handled improperly, it can leave behind a residue of useless Concepts in the user. In severe cases, one might lose their sense of self entirely and become a madman!

The second traditional method is the path of mortal combat: continuously fighting, pushing one’s limits, and walking the razor’s edge of death. At this absolute limit, one forces a complete fusion with their modified organs, thereby ascending their life form.

The advantage of this method is its perfection; if successful, there are absolutely no lingering side effects. Of course, the drawback is just as stark: if you fail, it’s game over.

A noble Mage, tempering themselves through bloody combat...

Yeah, it’s a bit ridiculous.

Thankfully, there are even more absurd figures among Legendary Mages: the Mad Sorcerers. They drew inspiration from the second method. ’Walking the line between life and death,’ as they saw it, was just a matter of seeking a thrill. And what thrill in this world could possibly compare to confronting an Outer God face-to-face?

Of course, that is the Mad Witch’s method of advancement, not a traditional one. The third traditional method, however, was developed as an optimization of the Mad Witch’s approach.

It uses the power of a ritual to forcibly shatter the foreign aspects of the Concepts within the modified organs and then completely integrate them into one’s body.

Compared to the first two methods, this one is remarkably safe and pure.

But its drawbacks are also obvious. First, setting up such an advancement ritual is extremely difficult. The level of understanding of the ritual and mastery over Concepts required is beyond what an ordinary Wizard can achieve.

If that were the only issue, it would be manageable, as anyone who reaches the point of advancing to a High-level Mage is no mediocrity. At worst, they simply have a lopsided skillset.

The biggest problem with this advancement method is that—the process requires the power of a True God...

And not just any True God, either. It has to be a relatively powerful one.

While the former could be achieved through sheer talent, the latter is purely a matter of background. Your average nobody doesn’t have the qualifications to use this method.

This is one of the reasons why, even today, there are still so many strange and varied methods of advancement.

However, as a member of the Flesh Sect and a highly anticipated genius Wizard, Isaac was different. Though he was a Mad Witch who wasn’t quite right in the head, his talent was the real deal.

Therefore, he naturally had the right to use this method.

For Isaac, the only drawback to this method was that it involved True Gods, which meant there was no way to earn a little something on the side...

But there was no other choice. When it came to a major event like advancing to a High-level Mage, he didn’t dare let an Outer God get involved. That would be no different from suicide.

To get back on track, these three rituals were all quite simple for Isaac. The only real difficulties were making the right choices and the time they would consume.

The first ritual Isaac performed was, naturally, Liu Li’s advancement. Her advancement was simple: he just had to continue stealing Divine Power from an Outer God and fusing it with her.

As for the target...

Well, it would have to be his old friend, the Master of Billions of Flesh!

It couldn’t be helped. Isaac wanted to go after some slumbering Demon God, but the conditions simply weren’t right. The sacrificial materials were too difficult to collect...

Nowhere near as convenient as collecting Flesh Essence...