The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　However, as the source of the loss becomes more divine, the time required for recovery will increase significantly.

　Therefore, sampling once a week is a more appropriate frequency.

　During this process, Christina's long cloud of Io cannot be continuously extracted.

　This night.

　Dark and his colleagues extracted one percent of the Root Divinity from Christina and then conducted three experiments.

　The first two experiments ended in failure, but the final experiment barely succeeded, cultivating the first high-level "Life Beast - Fire Seed".

　This success is very significant; otherwise, the next experiment would have been a week later.

　With the successful creation of this advanced flame as a guarantee, Dark and the others can now use the two advanced flames obtained from the temple with peace of mind.

　In addition, after a night's work, a new secondary spark was successfully cultivated, which can then be used to carry out targeted cultivation experiments.

　March 24th, evening.

　Shirley Augustine arrived at the Hidden Laboratory. The experiment on the targeted cultivation of physical bodies officially began. They first conducted consumable experiments using secondary fire. The cultivation of physical bodies differed slightly from the cultivation of "Beasts of Life." The most important precaution was to suppress the development of sentience.

　The "Beast of Life" created by the God of Life is complete, with its body, soul, and consciousness slowly developing during the gestation process.

　However, what Dark and the others needed were soulless physical bodies. This greatly reduced the difficulty of targeted training.

　Professor Harvey possessed an unparalleled understanding of the human body; as long as there was a possibility, success was assured, it was merely a matter of time. Compared to the rapid creation of the spark, the research on targeted cultivation was significantly slower, the research process gradually became tedious, and the time required for observation increased.

　But Darke still followed along the whole time, keeping track of everything, big and small.

　His ultimate goal is not based on existing research.

　The correct steps are followed to cultivate identical human bodies step by step.

　Instead, it requires mastering the complete set of research methods, conducting independent research, and customizing the physical body of each magical spirit.

　During this process, he made rapid progress in technical skills.

　Aside from not yet knowing necromancy, he already possesses the necessary skills required of a necromancer.

　Three days later.

　The first human body was officially cultivated.

　However, apart from possessing the immense vitality of the "Beast of Life," this human body has no other characteristics.

　It can only be considered a milestone in the entire experimental process.

　To test the integrity of the body, Professor Harvey had Shirley Augustine transfer and parasitize it.

　As a "parasite," once she successfully parasitizes, she can quickly gain complete control over a body.

　The final result was perfect.

　The human body nurtured by the "Beast of Life's Fire Seed" is more perfect than the one she used before, and its vitality far exceeds that of ordinary humans.

　However, the drawbacks of targeted training have also become apparent.

　The cultivation of a secondary "Beast of Life Seed" should be natural, as it will fully develop its potential during the gestation process. Therefore, it is a guardian beast of demigod level from birth.

　The targeted cultivation is essentially adding several shackles to the original "Beast of Life," forcing it to grow according to the cultivator's ideas. The end result is that its potential is restrained, making its strength in the early stages of its birth far from reaching the level of a demigod.

　Whether further development can restore it to demigod strength is difficult to determine.

　Even if it wasn't quite at the level of a demigod, that human body still contained immense vitality, making it an acceptable product.

　That evening, Dark and Professor Harvey had a small celebration. Then, the next phase of the experiment began in earnest. This time, their goal was to cultivate a body that perfectly matched that of "Ice Princess" Sherry Augustine.

　That is, adding the element of "ice" to the original human body.

　In addition, the details of Shirley Augustine's body should be replicated one-to-one.

　Professor Harvey has extensive experimental experience in this area. However, his previous experimental subjects were all undead.

　He was extremely skilled at creating undead creatures of various attributes. Now, transferring these experimental methods to living bodies would certainly require some improvements.

　Fortunately, the academy has abundant resources, and you can get any kind of ice-type material you want.

　Even the blood of humans with exceptional ice magic talent can be easily obtained.

　—Dark used the treasures provided by Professor Harvey to exchange for a vial of blood from senior Winnie.

　Of course, he also clearly explained the purpose of the blood and obtained Winnie's consent.

　This stage of the experiment was based on the results of the previous stage, which saved a lot of time.

　However, even with the testing of the new elements, it still took time to get results.

　Even so, this speed is already very fast.

　It is evident that the "Beast of Life's Fire Seed" itself possessed the potential to be molded into a specific species; it's just that the Goddess of Life, "Kukuku," did not do so.

　From "Kukuku's" perspective, these sparks could probably be easily produced in large quantities. However, targeted cultivation would require much more effort and time, and the final results would not be ideal. It would also require additional time to develop their potential, which would be superfluous.

　From this perspective, what Professor Dark and Professor Harvey ultimately researched was likely just one method of using the "Beast of Life's Fire," rather than something truly groundbreaking.

　Shirley Augustine's physical cultivation was very successful.

　She conducted tests through parasitism to confirm that the body possessed all the elements she desired.

　However, in terms of ice-type talent, she might be slightly inferior to her past physical abilities.

　This doesn't mean that Winnie's ice-type talent is worse than before, but rather that she is somewhat limited in human cultivation.

　But Shirley was already very satisfied with this.

　She is currently a second-year student at a magic academy, and her future career path is also in magic.

　While magical talent can be helpful to a mage, it is not as decisive as it is for a magician.

　In fact, she was already very satisfied with her previous ordinary body.

　She is not a greedy person.

　But Professor Harvey was a "greedy" man. He was not satisfied with his current achievements.

　The next step immediately involves using advanced fire seeds to cultivate a perfect physical body without any growth limitations!

　There are only three high-level flame seeds available for now, but that should be enough to cultivate just one physical body…

　However, even after successfully cultivating a perfect physical body, the experiments on Shirley Augustine did not end.

　Cultivating a usable physical body is just the beginning.

　Only after its soul is extracted from the "parasite's" body and sewn back into the flesh can it be reborn.

　This involves the extensive use of necromancy. Fortunately, these necromancy spells are mostly experimental. Dark had already mastered quite a few during his previous "Heroic Spirit Transformation" experiments. Continuing to learn them now wouldn't take much time. Moreover, his requirements at this stage are lower. Because magical spirits...

　It lacks a soul in the narrow sense.

　In Dark's theory, magical spirits are creations equivalent to living souls.

　It is indeed like the soul, capable of attaching itself to consciousness.

　But to utilize it like a soul, a different approach is needed.

　For example, transforming it into a "Heroic Spirit".

　"Heroic Spirits" exist between life and death, and are essentially special life forms that possess some of the characteristics of "wandering souls".

　It possesses a function that magical spirits do not have, namely, the ability to be sewn into a human body.

　Furthermore, because the structure of "Heroic Spirits" is more stable and less prone to damage.

　Therefore, the difficulty of stitching a "heroic spirit" to a physical body is far lower than that of stitching a soul to a physical body.

　Of course, transforming a magical spirit into a "Heroic Spirit" is not easy. However, Professor Harvey has already paved the way. Dark is simply going through the same path again.

　Once this experiment is completed, Dark plans to transform Victoria into a "Heroic Spirit" and then conduct an experiment to "life-transform" her.

　He possesses "vampire essence" and already has all the conditions to cultivate a "vampire heiress" body.

　However, the time arrangement may be a little rushed.

　It can generally only begin after the World Cup Duel Challenge ends.

　But the experiment is progressing much faster than he expected. So there are absolutely no problems.

　March passed quickly amidst the busy life of shuttling between laboratories, and St. Mary's College ushered in the most important month of April.

　Easter this year is on Sunday, April 18th.

　However, the opening ceremony of the World Cup Duel Challenge was scheduled for April 11th. The World Cup Duel Challenge would then begin on April 12th and last for a week, with the final scheduled for Easter evening to awaken Hermes.

　Therefore, mages who want to participate in the World Cup Duel Challenge should start preparing now.

　However, Darke still didn't leave the laboratory. He was essentially a person who enjoyed peace and quiet.

　He would rather read in the library than play basketball on the playground. So, compared to dueling, he actually preferred studying and research.

　But that's life; no one can do things entirely according to their own preferences.

　Fortunately, he didn't dislike dueling, just not as fanatical as some duelists.

　He will go all out in this World Cup Duel Challenge, but his goal is not to win the championship.

　He knew very well that the real battlefield was the "God's Cup" held after Hermes awoke.

　This World Cup Duel Challenge is merely a preview of the "God's Cup".

　So don't rush.

　So he didn't leave the lab until the experiment was over.

Chapter 1467 Darkdemon and [Elysium V] (4k)

　As soon as April arrived, the promotion for the World Cup Duel Challenge was rolled out on a large scale. Not only were newspapers everywhere, but pubs, squares, and shopping streets were also quickly plastered with World Cup advertisements.

　To ensure the success of this World Cup, all parties that have joined the Magic Alliance have invested enormous resources.

　In these chaotic times, security issues, in addition to publicity and promotion, also need to be given special attention.

　In particular, a great deal of manpower and resources were invested in securing key transportation routes. The teams dispatched to explore various ruins were also gradually consolidated.

　Upon learning the exact details of the World Cup, the mages either began their final preparations or embarked on their journey to the City of Freedom long ago.

　Since the end of Christmas, the world has become more chaotic, but also more dynamic.

　Communication between nations and exchanges between races have become more frequent.

　Naturally, the flow of goods and the economy increased, resulting in a prosperous situation.

　Meanwhile, at St. Marian Academy.

　The holiday schedule during the World Cup Duel Challenge was also posted on the bulletin board outside the castle on April 1st.

　Although the announcement caused a stir because it was released on April Fool's Day, everyone naturally accepted the fact as long as the announcement remained on the following day.

　Then came the expected celebration.

　Even if you're indifferent to duels or have no interest in the World Cup, you should still celebrate.

　After all, this is a week-long holiday! And there's no such thing as a make-up holiday in this world.

　This week does not include the weekend before the opening ceremony. For most students at St. Mary's College, the significance, mission, and future impact of the World Cup Duel Challenge are all extremely distant concepts.

　Even if they have heard about it, it is difficult for them to feel that they have actually been involved. The most they can do is to study harder than before.

　As for when it's time to have a holiday, of course we should still have a holiday.

　However, this World Cup Duel Challenge holiday is not the kind of holiday that is purely for fun.

　The professors will definitely assign a lot of related homework, such as writing a viewing diary, a duel analysis paper, and a reflection on the final match, etc.

　If the professor is very strict, they may even take attendance every day.

　Although they had already participated in the Academy Championship in the latter half of last year, the academy attaches even greater importance to this World Cup Duel Challenge than to the Academy Championship.

　Conversely, students generally felt that this World Cup Duel Challenge was far less relevant to them than the Academy Championship.

　After all, the outcome of the college championship involves the honor of the college, while the World Cup Duel Challenge is an individual competition, with at most a few students and professors participating in their own names.

　That would mean it wouldn't be as relevant to the other students.

　And until now, they still don't know which students and professors will definitely participate.

　It is said that the final list of participants will not be determined until the opening ceremony.