Wizard: Starting from the Skill Tree

Chapter 849: Chapter 767: The Second Level

Duke’s spiritual power probes into the disk, slowly traversing along those patterns, sensing their depth, width, and direction.

Deep within the patterns, energy faintly flows.

It’s not a single attribute energy, but multiple elements intertwined together, like tangled threads, indistinguishable in start and end.

Yet the shape of those patterns reminds him of something.

His gaze slowly moves along a pattern.

The edges of that pattern have fine serrations, resembling flames.

The serrations vary in size, arranged irregularly, but every seven serrations form a group, separated by a very thin horizontal line between groups.

Duke stands upright, steps back, and looks at the entire disk.

In his mind, fragments of those patterns begin to connect.

"This is a lock." Duke’s gaze remains fixed on the disk, "Not a physical lock, but an elemental lock. Specific elemental energy needs to be guided to specific positions to unlock the seal."

Vera steps over and stands by his side: "Are you sure?"

"I’m sure." Duke raises his finger, pointing at six slightly recessed positions on the disk’s edge, "These six points correspond to six elements. Inject the corresponding elemental energy into these points, guide it along the pattern to the center, and the seal will be unlocked."

Vera thinks for a while.

"Inject simultaneously?"

"Not necessarily, but the energy flow of each pattern cannot be interrupted. Once interrupted, it has to start from the beginning."

Vera looks at the densely packed patterns, her brow slightly furrowed. "This requires very high element perception ability, ordinary wizards can only perceive the one or two elements they resonate with, their control over other elements is not strong."

Duke says nothing. He walks to the front of the disk, raises his right hand, and suspends his palm above the center of the disk.

"Besides being skilled in earth magic, I’ve also trained for mastery over other element types. Let me try."

Vera gives him a glance, steps back, and remains silent.

Duke closes his eyes.

His spiritual power probes from his palm, like countless fine threads, seeping into the disk’s intricate patterns.

Those patterns light up one by one in his mind, like a map being illuminated.

He starts with the fire element, those serrated patterns ignite in his perception, every serration’s depth, width, and direction are clearly visible.

Duke’s spiritual power slowly advances along the trajectory of the fire pattern, simultaneously drawing out a strand of pure fire elemental energy from the surrounding environment, closely following.

Fire elemental energy flows into the first pattern. He controls the energy’s flow speed, not too fast or too slow, maintaining sync with the originally lingering energy remnants deep within the pattern.

A small region at the disk’s edge glows faintly, marking the corresponding injection point for fire element.

He doesn’t stop. His spiritual power splits into a second strand, probing into the water element pattern.

Those wave-like lines surge in his mind, the rhythm of crests and troughs vastly different from fire element, gentler, softer.

He draws out a strand of water elemental energy, advancing along the water pattern.

The two energies parallel within the disk, uninfluenced by each other.

The second region at the disk’s edge glows.

...

Methodically, Duke proceeds with the decoding of the elemental lock, his expression somewhat grave, seeming to carry an immense burden.

This scene makes Vera involuntarily sweat for Duke; this is a skillful task, requiring extremely high manipulation ability, not something an ordinary person can achieve.

Of course, she doesn’t know, in truth for Duke, this is as simple as breathing.

He’s merely performing for Vera, otherwise it would have ended long ago.

Six elements, six strands of spiritual power, advancing simultaneously.

All six regions at the disk’s edge light up, and the light converges towards the center along their respective patterns.

Six colors weave together on the disk, like a slowly unfolding scroll.

When the light of six colors simultaneously reaches the center of the disk, the disk suddenly shakes.

The patterns begin to rotate, like a giant gear, round and round, getting faster.

Light spreads from the center of the disk outward, illuminating the entire wall, illuminating the stone door, illuminating the entire passage.

The pale blue light membrane on the stone door starts to thin, like ice melting under the sun, turning from translucent to transparent, finally dissipating into countless light spots in the air.

The stone door emits a heavy low hum, slowly opening inward.

Duke withdraws his hand, steps back.

His face is slightly pale, sweat from his temple slides down along his cheek.

He looks at the open stone door, looks at the staircase leading upwards behind the door, remaining silent for a moment.

"Let’s go," he says.

Vera looks at him, her gaze carrying a hint of complexity.

But she doesn’t say much, merely nodding, leading the way up the staircase.

Duke follows behind her, stepping onto the first step.

The staircase is long, spiraling upwards, like a giant sleeping serpent winding in the darkness.

The walls on both sides have no lampstands, only faint light permeating from above, barely illuminating the steps.

That light is neither the white of crystal stones nor the yellow of flames, but a more ancient, metallic cool light, like reflection off a bronze surface.

Duke’s spiritual power probes upwards, sensing energy fluctuations at the end of the staircase.

It’s not the breath of a living being, more like some kind of activated magical construct.

Vera walks a half-step ahead of him, her steps light, making almost no sound.

Her magic robe shimmers with a faint silvery-white glow in the cool light, like a moving moonlight.

Neither speak, only the sound of footsteps echoes on the empty staircase, one ahead and one following, like some ancient rhythm.