Chapter 164: Chapter 138: Choice (Part 2)
For a Legendary Mage, the path of cultivation during the Official Wizard stage involves acquiring a talent for Magic Power. Then, through a series of rituals, they strengthen the Magic Power within their body until it reaches a certain standard.
Upon reaching the Grand Wizard stage, conventional Magic Power reserves have already hit the human body’s limit. The Arcanist’s method is to use Meditation to inscribe an Origin Arcane Art within their soul. They first transform the soul, which then transforms the body, allowing them to contain even more Magic Power.
However, normal Legendary Mages cannot do this because they are unable to learn Meditation Skills, which are reserved for those with "talent."
Therefore, they must find an alternative path: to further modify their bodies, letting the transformed flesh influence the soul. This is how they complete their evolution from a "Low Position" to a "High Position."
Of course, this description is somewhat paradoxical, as Arcanists actually developed from Legendary Mages. In other words, Legendary Mages came first, and only then did Arcanists appear.
But the logic holds. After all, the Arcanist’s Meditation Skill was created by countless Wizard forebears who dissected and studied numerous Witches, basing it on the Witches’ own bloodline-tempering methods.
Compared to the Witches’ bloodline-tempering method, in which the soul and body transform simultaneously, the Arcanist’s Meditation Skill more clearly illustrates the different path taken by Legendary Mages.
That is why in modern textbooks, Legendary Mages are always compared to Arcanists.
Thus, the next step for Isaac was to undergo body modification.
This modification wasn’t something to be undertaken lightly. A Legendary Mage’s power originates from the Mysterious, so at the Grand Wizard stage, the methods for advancement are still closely tied to the number three.
For instance, after every three body modifications, a ritual is required to harmonize the body and strengthen one’s connection to the world. Only then can the modifications continue. After three such rituals, the path of a Grand Wizard is considered complete.
But this only completes the path of a Grand Wizard. To become a High-level Mage, one must conduct another three advancement rituals to completely integrate all of one’s Magic Abilities and transform into a High-level Magical Creature!
Furthermore, these final three advancement rituals can’t be just any rituals; they determine whether one can obtain additional Authority after becoming a High-level Mage.
For many Wild Sorcerers, even obtaining the first three rituals is difficult, to say nothing of the final set for advancement.
Wizards have always had a paradoxical attitude toward Knowledge: both generous and stingy.
Wizards will choose to share a great deal of Knowledge with others. Even if you aren’t a Wizard, you can obtain vast amounts of Knowledge from them as long as you have the thirst for it. The Transcendent path of the Knight, for example, developed in precisely this way.
At the same time, however, Wizards are also extremely stingy—especially toward their own kind!
Knowledge concerning advancement rituals, for instance, can still be purchased on the open market at the Official Wizard stage. But upon reaching the Grand Wizard level, you must join a Wizard Organization to acquire it—and sometimes, you might even have to join several!
This is because not all Wizard Organizations possess the complete set of advancement rituals.
As a result, many unaffiliated Legendary Mages who reach the Grand Wizard stage get stuck after three, six, or nine body modifications, with the majority stopping at three or six.
Besides, even after joining a Wizard Organization, obtaining these advancement rituals requires a great deal of effort. You can forget about it if you’re not prepared to put in several years of thankless work!
Isaac, however, had no such worries. For one, with a bit more research, he could substitute the first three advancement rituals with trading or Summoning rituals involving an Evil God. For another, he could obtain the final High-level Mage advancement rituals from the Flesh Sect.
And since he could handle the first three rituals on his own, he had ample time to accumulate Contribution Points to trade for the High-level Mage advancement rituals.
His current dilemma was which path to take...
A Grand Wizard’s body modification is not as simple as swapping in body parts from Magical Creatures. That could hardly be called an evolution.
Of course, if those body parts originated from High-level Magical Creatures, that would be a different story entirely.
And herein lay Isaac’s struggle. Two paths lay before him. The first was the path of Dragon’s Blood, a classic body modification route. Its destination was becoming a High-level Dragon Witch, possessing the Magic Power, flesh, and lifespan of a Giant Dragon, as well as Knowledge that surpassed the Dragons themselves!
Though their power would originate from Giant Dragons, they would possess strength surpassing them, naturally gaining the ability to dominate even Pure-blooded Giant Dragons!
The advantage of this modification path was that it was well-established. The corresponding techniques and materials would be provided for free by his research group, saving Isaac a great deal of effort.
The second choice was Isaac’s own original idea, leaning toward the Mystical System. He would essentially DIY his own path. The upsides were more freedom and flexibility with a higher ceiling for potential, but the downside was a much lower floor.
Compared to the path of the High-level Dragon Witch, this route offered far more possibilities!
After all, the path of the Dragon Witch...
...wasn’t complete!
Giant Dragons were not the strongest beings in this world. There were other modification paths of comparable power, such as those involving Demons, Demon Gods, and Deities.
This was what Isaac was hesitating over: should he take a gamble for a higher ceiling, or play it safe and secure a solid foundation?
"Tsk."
RUSTLE!
Isaac casually crumpled the paper in his hand into a ball and tossed it onto the floor.
"Still agonizing over it?" Cheryl, who had come to call Isaac for dinner, walked in and saw the floor littered with crumpled paper. She spoke with a helpless sigh.
’The Arcanist’s path doesn’t involve as many choices as that of a Legendary Mage, but it still has them. I hesitated for a long time back when I had to choose my own Origin Arcane Art.’
’In the end, burdened by my family’s expectations, I chose the safer option: inscribing a pre-existing Origin Arcane Art.’
’As a fellow genius, I can understand how Isaac feels right now. Geniuses are all proud.’
’And unlike me, Isaac isn’t burdened by anyone’s expectations, so he won’t be forced to make a choice due to outside pressure.’
’But that’s both a blessing and a curse!’
’He could very well hesitate for too long at this stage and miss the optimal window for his transformation!’
’After all, a Grand Wizard is only at Tier Two for a Transcendent. Even with all their incredible abilities, they are still fundamentally mortal. They still get old and sick, and eventually die. And their lifespans are especially short compared to Demons. If he’s not careful, time will slip away before he knows it.’
"Yeah, it’s too hard to choose..." Isaac leaned on the table with both hands and let out a long sigh before abruptly standing up. "Cheryl, you guys go ahead and eat. I don’t have an appetite. I’m going to take a walk outside to clear my head."
"Okay, go on. Don’t overthink it. With your talent, you’ll become incredibly strong no matter which path you choose, as long as you survive. There’s no need to chase perfection."
"I know." Isaac nodded.
’I understand all that.’ He had his Golden Finger, he had an Outer God. He could even say, with a touch of arrogance, that given just a little time to consolidate his power, he would absolutely be the strongest at any given Level!
’It’s just that the gaps between the High Levels are becoming wider and wider. Otherwise, I’d still be confident in fighting opponents several Levels above me!’
’But...’
’Then again, when you have the chance to pursue perfection, who would ever be willing to settle for less?’
’So...’
’...making a choice is so damn hard.’
Strolling through the castle gardens and breathing in the faint scent of flowers, Isaac slowly made his way to... a rather out-of-place section of the garden...
Unlike the harmoniously pruned and natural-looking flowerbeds he had just passed, this area was a chaotic mess. It was, to be frank... ugly.
However, everything has two sides. To Isaac’s eyes, the small hut formed from these tangled, chaotic vines was a symbol of boundless, untamed imagination.
After all, he had built it when he was a child.
Back then, he was still young. He had just transmigrated and hadn’t yet witnessed this world’s cruel side. His heart was still full of bright hopes for the future.
Though his body was still weak, he had ordered Smith to leave all sorts of strange things here...
"Strange things... all sorts of strange things... Haha."
