Chapter 343 Leaving Might Be the Best

Shaoke felt the biggest change was in the land within this space. The land in his meditation space had originally been formed from mana and mental energy using special methods, and he could fully control its changes. But ever since those strange characters continuously drifted down from the altar, he found that it became very difficult for him to alter the terrain on a large scale. Another change was the emergence of wind in the entire meditation space—a wind composed of mental energy and mana, moving autonomously, no longer under Shaoke's control. Of course, he was powerless to change this, and there was no need to, as these changes brought him great benefits.

Over the years of his construction, the time ratio within the meditation space had diverged greatly from the outside world. Often, two days in the outside world would see three cycles of altar and Eight-pointed Star Magic Array rotations within the meditation space.

Under these conditions, some plants aged, but their offspring remained permanently in this space. Shaoke discovered that these new plants, grown in the meditation space, were more effective at absorbing and refining mental energy than their predecessors. He only discovered this after the golden horn merged into the altar, sharpening his spiritual perception.

A year later, Shaoke had fully absorbed the messages from the two golden horns. During this period, he had also completely deciphered the spellbooks of the three mages he had killed. While their spellbooks contained no extraordinary spells, their understanding of spell structures greatly aided him, deepening his comprehension of Eighth-tier spells.

One day, while using a special spell to absorb the golden light from a magic tome, the Blue-robed Mage came looking for him. After welcoming her to sit down, Shaoke withdrew the spell into the pool of mental energy and mana within his meditation space.

There, the spellbook could absorb Shaoke's mental energy refinement more quickly, thereby enhancing its power to some extent.

"Mage Xueye, do you still have those two fallen horns you obtained? I'd like to study them." The Blue-robed Mage gazed calmly at Shaoke, noticing that in just one year, this mage had changed even more—most notably in the aura emanating from his body, an aura she had sensed from ancient magic scripts and original texts, reminiscent of ancient spellcasters.

"You should control yourself," the Blue-robed Mage said, abruptly changing the subject. "Don't spend too long contemplating the influence of those ancient spellcasters. Although it helps us greatly, absorbing too much of that influence can cause unnecessary trouble." She added, "You now seem like someone not of this world. If this continues, it will be very difficult for you to get along with others."

"The horns have vanished," Shaoke said, nodding indifferently. "Can you tell me about these fallen horns? I thought there was only one." He poured a glass of wine and handed it to the Blue-robed Mage, standing upright, his black cloak completely obscuring his face.

"You don't need to know too much about those things. Just know that there are many such horns. Don't focus all your energy on that horn. Though it has great power, prolonged use will have some effect on your cultivation." The Blue-robed Mage said nothing more, instead quietly holding her glass, lost in thought.

"You want this kind of horn?" After a moment of silence, she finished her wine, then took the horn from her ring and tossed it to Shaoke. "If you want to study it yourself, forget it. Your Mage Roman—her family spent over ten thousand years researching these horns without finding any use. Earlier, many other families tried, but they only found it effective on those below the Eighth Order. For Eighth-order practitioners, it has little effect." She knew too much but didn't want to tell him any more for now.

Taking the horn, Shaoke saw it was almost identical to the first one he had obtained, also bearing thirteen strange patterns. "What do you want in return?" He examined the horn briefly and stored it in his ring. He didn't believe she would give it without any conditions.

"I don't need to make demands of you now," the Blue-robed Mage said, lowering her voice. "Wait until you have fully mastered that staff before leaving here. The situation in the capital is quite different." She had long known Shaoke wanted to leave and no longer wished to detain him, as her personal matters had delayed further exploration of the ruins for the time being.

"Will the Orpheus Family attempt to assassinate me in the capital?" Shaoke refilled her glass and stood waiting silently.

"Battles involving Eighth-order practitioners and above are forbidden in the capital." The Blue-robed Mage took the crystal cup and swirled it. "Do you want to see Mage Roman?" She tucked a strand of messy blue hair behind her ear, and Shaoke felt it was just like something Roman would do.

"I'm not sure," Shaoke admitted. Though he missed Roman, he wasn't sure if he should seek her in the capital, where it was now dangerous for him. "I promised her I would come find her." He poured himself a glass of water.

The Blue-robed Mage sighed softly. "The scepter I gave you—as long as you stay within the Blue Feather Empire, we can communicate. If anything unexpected happens, return here. No family's power can reach this place." She then shared some secrets about Eighth-order beings, cautioning him to avoid involvement with the military, before leaving his room, as she had many tasks.

Drawing the black curtains to block the sunlight streaming through the window, Shaoke sat cross-legged, starting to work on integrating the golden horn. He planned to leave after merging the horn into his meditation space and stabilizing it. As for the black staff obtained from the ruins, he had already refined most of it; within a few months, he would fully control it.

Half a year flew by. One day, while studying original books from the underground city, the Blue-robed Mage suddenly sent him a message via the scepter. It read: "Come to the Fallen Capital immediately." The reason was not specified.

After a brief thought, Shaoke gathered essential items and picked up the refined black staff, then flew in the direction the Blue-robed Mage had indicated. Along the way, he released his mental energy openly to scan his surroundings. This made him feel safer, as it helped avoid unnecessary trouble and danger.

Soon, he detected the Blue-robed Mage's mental fluctuations; she wasn't suppressing them deliberately. He sensed no other presences in that direction. Relieved, he found her.

"What's the matter?" Without any formalities, Shaoke asked directly why he had been summoned. He landed in her small courtyard in the capital, where she was standing upright under a grapevine.

"There's going to be a battle. Will you join?" The Blue-robed Mage turned to face him, her waist-length blue hair slightly tousled by the wind. She explained the upcoming conflict in detail: "The Mage Guild and some mage families have allied to seize the Fallen Capital quickly. I hope you'll participate."

Shaoke glanced at the Blue-robed Mage, then shifted his gaze to the grapevine. "I'm leaving this place," he said. "I have no connection to anything here. Perhaps, if the opportunity arises, I'll return to explore the underground ruins with you." He gave her an equal salute and turned to leave, but the Blue-robed Mage urgently stopped him.

"Mage Xueye, don't you realize we are now wandering practitioners? The Wanderers are naturally opposed to the Mage Guild and those families. There's no place left in the Blue Feather Empire for wandering mages to live freely—only this Fallen Capital. Do you want this last free city to disappear entirely?" She spoke loudly, her breathing quickening. Brushing back her messy hair, she stepped in front of him, an unnatural flush on her pale face.