Chapter 173 Becoming a Fourth Tier Mage (Happy birthday to our nation)

As time passed, when the effects of all the medicines in the meditation space had dissipated, Shaoke once again used meditation to observe the situation within the space. Dense clusters of spiritual light motes floated thickly in the air, with only the Three-pointed Star Magic Array rapidly rotating under the influence of the silver light, continuing its purification work.

He condensed a vast number of spiritual light points, forming a thin silver thread. Shaoke carefully manipulated the thread, inserting it into the continuously rotating Three-pointed Star Magic Array along a precise trajectory. Everything proceeded smoothly, as the Death Gaze hidden within the array and the Disintegration Structure embedded in it did not interfere with the thread's work. Once the spiritual energy thread emerged from the base of the array, Shaoke proceeded to the next step.

The chanting of the Ancient Magic Tongue and the tracing of strange gestures caused the spiritual thread to begin emitting special fluctuations. As the gestures and spell concluded, the Three-pointed Star Magic Array slowly expanded under the influence of the spiritual thread's fluctuations until it returned to the size it had when it first appeared in the meditation space. Subsequently, the magic array, condensed from spiritual energy, gradually dissipated and vanished.

He then also did the same thing within his mana space. After several rounds of meditation, the spatial turbulence caused by the dissipation of the Three-pointed Star Magic Array quickly subsided. Shaoke rested briefly before proceeding to the next step of the advancement process.

Using the same method as before, after the condensed spiritual energy in the spiritual space exploded, Shaoke silently sensed the special fluctuations brought about by the spatial expansion. It was only after nearly one and a half magic hours that he stopped perceiving these special fluctuations. The spiritual space, having once again expanded by a little over three times, finally ceased its expansion and calmed down.

After a short rest, not daring to waste any more time, Shaoke performed the same actions in the mana space. This time, the mana space expanded by more than double its original size. Shaoke estimated that this was entirely due to the influence of the silver light.

Once the expansion of the mana space stopped, Shaoke began preparing to outline the Fourth Tier advancement magic array. Although this advanced Fourth Tier advancement array was extremely complex, after failing several times, he successfully completed it within the meditation space before spatial turbulence occurred again. He then mobilized the seemingly greatly depleted spiritual energy to maintain the operation of the array.

After performing the same actions in the mana space, he successfully connected the arrays in the two spaces through the use of spells and gestures.

The arrays in the two different spaces, after absorbing all the energy within their respective spaces, finally formed a diamond shape. This diamond was different from the Second Tier diamond column; instead, it consisted of two diamond planar structures.

As time passed and the meditation space recovered, the two seemingly crystalline diamond planar arrays began to slowly rotate, actively absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy and mana. Everything appeared normal, which finally put Shaoke at ease.

The mage wholeheartedly immersed himself in the fluctuations emitted by the newly formed arrays, focusing intently on comprehending them. Just as the fluctuations of the arrays disappeared and Shaoke was about to withdraw due to the immense consumption, the meditation space suddenly experienced intense turbulence.

The newly formed diamond planar arrays appeared extremely precarious under this violent turbulence. Shaoke even sensed that the array within the mana space had begun to deviate from its original position, slowly shifting to one side under the influence of the fluctuations. This discovery prompted Shaoke to disregard his draining vigor and fully concentrate on condensing the turbulent mana to stabilize the arrays.

Unfortunately, the mana he had recovered since his recent advancement was insufficient to accomplish this task. Just as the arrays broke through the mana barrier and Shaoke believed his advancement had failed, another change occurred within the meditation space.

Countless shreds of silver or purple light converged within the meditation space. Under Shaoke's tense observation, they quickly condensed into a thin silver thread and a thin purple thread. After merging with the two newly formed arrays, they began moving toward the other space.

The two thin threads were utterly incapable of piercing through the spatial barrier, even the fragile barrier that had just formed. Their continuous collisions intensified the turbulence in the meditation space, giving Shaoke a headache. Fortunately, this situation did not last long. Countless fragmented silver glimmers suddenly appeared within the space without any warning, quickly merging into the two thin threads before vanishing. With the addition of the silver light, the two thin threads easily penetrated the barriers of the two spaces and merged into the diamond planar arrays within the opposing spaces.

Observing the thin threads intertwined and twisted above the arrays, Shaoke noticed that the spatial turbulence gradually subsided. Moreover, the diamond planar array within the mana space returned to its original position, slowly rotating and absorbing the mana light points that had just been generated.

Once the situation stabilized, Shaoke could no longer hold on.

The immense consumption of energy caused him to collapse to the ground, unconscious.

When Shaoke awoke again, it was due to a persistent, throbbing pain in his head. After struggling to lift his hand and rub his head a few times, he noticed the medicine placed nearby to prevent physical deterioration was still there. He quickly grabbed it and swallowed it. Whether the efficacy had diminished due to the delay was not his concern. He believed that taking the medicine was better than not taking it at all.

The intense headache forced him to rest for a while. Approximately one magic hour later, the severe pain gradually subsided, allowing Shaoke, who had almost resorted to banging his head against the ground, to heave a long sigh of relief.

Once the pain disappeared, Shaoke quickly entered the meditation space to recover from the recent advancement consumption. The meditation array was outlined by the mage at nearly twice the previous speed, but Shaoke was not surprised. After all, following advancement, both spiritual energy and mana undergo significant refinement, which allows the advancer to manipulate their spiritual energy and mana more freely.

Even without the assistance of the silver light, the meditation array continued to operate rapidly. As his energy recovered, Shaoke began restoring his mana and spiritual energy, as the growth of the two arrays still relied on these two forms of energy as sustenance.

Meditation, uninterrupted meditation. He had to stop his long meditation when his body demanded food. Shaoke tidied himself up slightly using the mirror embedded in the stone wall, then pulled the red velvet rope in front of the writing desk to summon the maid.

Deeply sunken eyes, gaunt cheeks, withered hands, and pale skin—all of this left Shaoke in a daze for a long time. Having been wholly focused on his advancement, he had no time to examine his appearance. He never expected to end up looking like this after the advancement. Tugging at his dry, cracked lips, Shaoke pulled the curtain covering the mirror, causing his reflection to vanish from sight.

"Mage Xueye," the maid struggled to carry a large tray. She showed no surprise at Shaoke's current appearance, as she was already familiar with it, wasn't she?

Under the maid's care, Shaoke consumed a large amount of food. He felt that this advancement must have taken a considerable amount of time; otherwise, he wouldn't be so hungry. Of course, he did not ask the maid how long his advancement had taken, as he felt this information would be of no help to him.

After the last small cup of medicinal soup entered the mage's stomach, Shaoke requested the maid to give him a massage, particularly focusing on his head. Although the massage was very comfortable, Shaoke did not indulge in it for too long. Sensing that the effects of the recently consumed medicinal soup had mostly dissipated, he asked the maid to leave the room, while he continued to stabilize the results of his recent advancement.

Several dozen days passed in the blink of an eye. The results of the advancement gradually stabilized. Perhaps due to the efficiency of meditation, the two diamond planar arrays ceased to change. The spatial barriers also felt much sturdier to Shaoke due to the integration of vast amounts of mana and spiritual energy. After observing the intertwined thin threads connecting the two arrays during this period, Shaoke finally discovered their origin.

It turned out that these thin threads were the same two threads he had continuously used to reduce spellcasting consumption. They did not disappear along with the Three-pointed Star Magic Array but, for some unknown reason, decomposed and merged into the surrounding space. When new arrays formed, they resumed their task once again.

The appearance of these thin threads excited Shaoke for a long time, as it meant he would save at least over a decade of array practice compared to other mages. This, in turn, indirectly increased the time he could devote to other areas of study. Although he had not tested the reduction ratio in spellcasting consumption, Shaoke believed that maintaining the previous reduction ratio when casting Third Tier spells would be sufficient. Of course, even if it were slightly less, he could still accept it, as all of this was gained without any cost.

Upon realizing that his condition had stabilized, Shaoke reduced his meditation time and began studying Fourth Tier spells instead. He needed to select his Fourth Tier spells within a certain timeframe and copy as many as possible into his spellbook before leaving this place.

Of course, Shaoke was still using the advanced meditation method of the Third Tier. Since his meditation space was not yet sturdy enough, he could not employ the Fourth Tier meditation method to avoid damaging the meditation space.

The silver-white spiritual light points, after passing through the diamond planar array, formed thin bands of light. These light bands either merged into the surrounding spatial barriers or slowly dissipated within the space. The same changes occurred within the mana space. Shaoke knew that when the condensed light bands within the meditation space no longer dissipated over time, it would signify that he had the opportunity to advance to a Fifth Tier Mage. Of course, all of this was still a distant prospect for him, having just advanced to a Fourth Tier Mage.