Above the mage!

Chapter 573 Rapid Progress (Part 4)

As soon as he finished speaking, the mage Eldrin walked to the center of the magic circle and began chanting a special incantation.

As the incantation was recited, the three cores embedded in the center of the magic circle simultaneously lit up with a dazzling green light.

The runes of the magic circle activated in sequence, forming an elliptical spatial rift in the air.

The fissure was filled with rich wood-elemental magic, and one could vaguely see lush vegetation and flowing elemental particles inside, like another vibrant world.

After opening the demiplane, Eldrin spoke again:

"Although you should all be aware of this, there is still something I need to remind you before you reach the half-level of the Wood Element."

"The concentration of wood element particles in the demiplane is extremely high. The duration of cultivation needs to be adjusted according to your own mage level and adaptability. Do not be greedy."

"Otherwise, even anti-elemental potions won't be able to save you. Once your bodies are elementalized, it will be a losing proposition."

The mage Aldrin looked at Leo and Elena, his tone gentle.

"Leo, you are a mage in the early stage of the third ring, and you can cultivate for a maximum of six hours a day."

Elena, although you are also a third-ring early-stage mage, you have an additional cultivation method and stronger resistance to wood element particles. Your cultivation time might reach eight hours. You can manage that yourself.

Another method of cultivation?

Gao De, who was listening in, felt a jolt in his heart.

Does that mean that Elena, like him, practices both cultivation methods simultaneously?
The problem is that his second cultivation method, "The Secret Transmission of Zhenbing," does not require him to spend time and energy. It is entirely driven by the Zhenbing bloodline within his body, so it will not hold him back.

For other Dharma Masters, it is inevitable that practicing two different methods of cultivation will slow down their progress.

In this situation, Elena, who looks so young, is already at the early stage of the third ring mage level.

What incredible talent!

"As for Mage Gaode," Mage Eldrin continued, turning to look at Gaode and pausing.

"You are at the early stage of the second ring, and your tolerance for high concentrations of elemental particles is relatively weak. It is best to limit your daily cultivation time to less than four hours and be sure to take the anti-elemental erosion potion on time."

"Early stage of the second ring?!" Upon hearing what the mage Eldrin said, Leo's eyes widened as if he had heard something unbelievable.

However, at this moment, the mage Eldrin spoke again, "Alright, hurry up and go in."

Elena took the first step, walking step by step toward the rift.

Gao De followed closely behind, and Leo glanced at the two of them before quickly following as well.

The moment Gao De stepped into the spatial rift, a dense concentration of wood-elemental particles enveloped him.

The surrounding scenery changed in an instant.

Visible green particles floated in the air, swirling around him like fireflies.

Occasionally, when it lands on the skin, it brings a tingling, itchy sensation, but without any stinging pain.

But this comfort hides a deadly crisis.

In this plane, only the element of wood exists.

Any alien species would be regarded as "heretic".

Almost the instant the three stepped in, the surrounding elemental particles suddenly became active. The originally scattered points of light began to converge, forming thin green streams that surged toward them as if they were alive.

They attempted to completely assimilate them into a demiplane, namely the wood element, through "elementalization".

Gao De could clearly feel the wood element particles flowing into his body through his breath, bringing not harm, but an extremely comfortable feeling.

He was so comfortable that he couldn't help but want to groan softly.

The other two people felt the same way as Gaode.

However, Elena immediately took out a crystal bottle from her bag, uncorked it, and drank the emerald green liquid inside in one gulp.
It is a magic potion that resists elemental erosion.

The moment the medicine entered her throat, a light green film of light enveloped her body, isolating her from the surging elemental particles.

"Don't get carried away with this feeling. It's like boiling a frog in lukewarm water. The elemental particles will slowly erode your body. Take the potion as soon as possible. By the time you feel unwell, it will be too late," she reminded Gao De.

Actually, Elena didn't need to remind her.

Because the moment he entered the demiplane, Gaode's "adaptive" feature had already alerted him.

[Your body is undergoing continuous damage from the wood element. You are beginning to adapt to the erosion of wood element particles, and your body's tolerance to wood element particles has increased by 0.1%.]

On the other side, Leo did the same thing as Elena, immediately taking the potion.

After taking the potion, Leo finally had a chance to turn his gaze back to God, his dissatisfaction even greater than it had been outside the valley.

"Early stage of the second ring, you, an early stage of the second ring mage, insist on taking up a precious half-plane cultivation spot!" He looked Gao De up and down, his tone full of dissatisfaction.

"This semi-elemental plane opens only once a year, and only three people are allowed to enter at a time. The accumulated elemental particles are enough for three third-ring mages to cultivate for a month."

"Even a late-stage second-ring mage would have to exert all their strength to absorb 30%, so it's a waste of resources for any mage who isn't a third-ring mage to come in!"

“You’re only at the early stage of the second ring, and your absorption efficiency is less than half that of El. Isn’t this a waste of a precious spot?” Leo became more and more agitated as he spoke.

It's clear that he was acquainted with El, whom he mentioned, and they had a very good relationship.

"You mean, the elemental particles accumulated in this demiplane over a year are enough for three third-ring mages to cultivate with?" Faced with Leo's mockery, Gao De was not angry at all; instead, his eyes lit up as he asked in return.

Leo hadn't expected Gao De to react this way; it was completely different from what he had anticipated. His first reaction was one of speechless disbelief.
"Yes, theoretically it's enough for five third-ring mages."

"However, firstly, to allow for a margin of error, and secondly, because some wood element particles remain each year to nourish the demiplane, the number of people allowed to enter the demiplane each time is limited to three."

Although Elena, unusually, shared Leo's opinion that it was a waste of a precious spot for a mage like God to enter a demiplane for training, she still answered God's question very kindly.

As she spoke, her gaze fell on Gao De with a hint of curiosity.

She couldn't understand why a second-level mage would be more concerned about the total amount of elemental particles.
"Then I'm relieved." Hearing this, Gao De breathed a sigh of relief.

Our situation is different from others.

In the early stages, he did indeed have a shorter cultivation time, which was not as good as Leo and Elena, who were both third-ring mages.

But after a period of adaptation, he will eventually be able to bathe in wood element particles all day long.

Therefore, Gaode Maps inevitably worries that it might drain the pond of its resources, causing the elements and particles accumulated by the other side of the universe over a year and eleven months to be completely depleted.

Everything else is fine, but I'm worried it might affect the demiplane.

Elena's words put him completely at ease.

"Relaxed?" Leo, standing nearby, laughed out loud as if he'd heard the biggest joke in the world. He pointed at Gao De and said exaggeratedly to Elena, "Did you hear that? He actually said he's relieved? A mere early-stage second-ring cultivator, worrying about whether he has enough elemental particles?"

"I advise you to worry more about whether the potion is effective enough, or you'll regret it when your body turns to elemental!"

Gao De ignored Leo's taunts.

He simply nodded to Elena in gratitude for her explanation, then turned and walked deeper into the demiplane.

One should always be wary of others, especially in a training session that requires complete focus. Keeping a distance from the other two companions can prevent disturbances and better conceal the unique nature of one's "adaptive" ability.

His footsteps trod on the thick moss-covered surface of the wood elemental demiplane without making a sound.

Only the elemental particles at his feet were awakened, forming circles of pale green ripples, like magical trails left behind.

Elena's gaze fell on Gao De's retreating figure, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes.

As a fellow military mage, she didn't believe that Gao De, who had risen to fame among the sea sentinels, was a fool or an arrogant person. There must be a reason for Gao De's sigh of relief.

This piqued her curiosity.

But that's all.

At this moment, it is more important to focus on yourself.

On the other side, watching Gao De turn and leave, Leo's expression turned even uglier.

He wanted to say something more, but Elena took action, walking away in another direction, leaving behind a message:

“Cultivation time is precious. Instead of wasting energy on others, it’s better to quickly find a place to start absorbing elemental particles.”

Gao De found a quiet corner and, after confirming that he was some distance away from the two people, took out the warning crystal and activated it.

The crystal instantly lit up with a pale blue glow, and the runes on its edges activated one by one, flashing three times as if breathing.

A magical barrier, barely perceptible to the naked eye, quietly spread out from the crystal's center.

This eventually formed a hemispherical area with a diameter of about five meters, which perfectly covered the area where he was about to cultivate.

After activating the alarm, Gaode placed the warning crystal beside him.

The crystal automatically adjusts its angle so that the transparent crystal on its surface faces the bright part of the half-plane.

It only needs to absorb 1 hour of natural light each day to replenish its energy, without consuming magic crystals.

Gao De then sat down cross-legged, placed his leather bag beside his knees, and first took out a bottle of anti-elemental erosion potion.

The moment the stopper was pulled out, a fresh, herbal scent wafted out.

Gao De did not drink it all at once, but tilted the bottle and let a small portion of the emerald green liquid slide down his throat.

The moment the medicine entered my throat, it wasn't a spicy or irritating sensation, but rather a warm, soothing feeling, like lukewarm water, as it slid down my esophagus into my stomach.

It then transformed into a pale green energy stream, which rapidly spread throughout the body.

He could clearly feel that this energy formed an extremely thin film of light on his body surface, which could block the influx of excessive elemental particles.

Although there is an "adaptive" feature that helps Gaode adapt to the erosion from wood element particles.

However, this is a gradual process. Before his tolerance level increases to a sufficient value, he will still need to drink anti-elemental erosion potions.

However, Gao De only drank a small portion of the bottle, mainly to slow down the erosion rate of the wood element particles and buy time for his body to adapt.

Then, he took out a bottle of Bone and Blood Thorn Elixir, drank it all in one gulp, and then, without wasting any more time, closed his eyes and began to circulate the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture".

The next second, Gao De fully experienced the terrifying boost that demiplane brought to cultivation efficiency.

The wood element particles floating in the air seemed to be guided by an invisible force, and instantly converged towards him.

The originally scattered green light spots have now transformed into thin streams of energy, flowing towards the wood magic crystal in the magic pool as if they have found their home.

These elemental particles showed no repulsion whatsoever; on the contrary, they perfectly merged with the magic power circulating in the "Azure Wood Longevity Scripture," rapidly cycling along the trajectory of the magic power's pathways.

The wood crystals in the mana pool, like greedy sponges, absorbed all of this pure elemental energy.

The seventy-one magic runes on the surface of the magic crystal glowed faintly under the nourishment of energy.

Before long, Gao De felt a slight expansion coming from the magic crystal.

This is a sign that magic power is about to overflow.

Indeed, the outline of the seventy-second magic rune was slowly emerging on the Wood Magic Crystal.

Gao De took a deep breath, suppressing his joy, and continued his cultivation, using the continuous stream of wood element particles to enhance himself.

Soon, the new magic runes gradually took shape.

First, a light green dot of light condensed on the surface of the magic crystal, and then the dot of light extended along a specific trajectory.

The magic crystal's thirst for energy grew stronger, and the surrounding elemental streams suddenly accelerated.

Gao De slightly slowed down the operation of the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture," guiding the elemental particles to flow into the magic crystal at a steady rhythm, gradually filling in the outline of the new magic runes.

As the last elemental particle merged into the end of the magic rune, the entire rune instantly lit up with a dazzling green light, echoing the other seventy-one magic runes on the surface of the magic crystal, forming circles of green energy ripples that spread to the surrounding mana pool.

The seventy-second demonic rune was thus formed!

However, behind the gains lies a simultaneous increase in risks.

While his cultivation level was rapidly increasing, it was also accelerating the process of elemental erosion of his body.

This is why the mage Eldrin solemnly reminded everyone that even after taking the anti-elemental erosion potion, one should not overdo the training time.

While the light membrane of the anti-elemental erosion potion can block elemental particles from the outside, it cannot intercept the "escaped fish" that are actively introduced into the body during cultivation.

These residual particles may seem tiny, but they actually carry a strong "will to assimilate".

But just as these elemental particles want to assimilate and eliminate heretics, the human body also has the same immune function, which will devour these elemental particles that invade the body.

However, this will take some time.

Therefore, one should not spend too long cultivating in a day after entering the demiplane, and leave the remaining free time for the body to clear these elemental particles on its own.

An ordinary second-ring mage would stop practicing their cultivation method and wait for their body to recover after condensing a new demonic rune.

But Gaode continues.

It's not because he's greedy, but because [adaptive] technology has already begun to take effect:
[Your body is undergoing continuous damage from the wood element. You are beginning to adapt to the erosion of wood element particles. Your body's tolerance to wood element particles has increased by 5.5%, and your body's ability to clear element particles has increased by 1.1%.]

(End of this chapter)