Forbidden Stone

The Boni robot said respectfully, "Yes, Master!"

Before long, a Mechanical Swordsman carried in a transparent, colorless crystal ball with a white crystal sealed at its center.

Boni said, "Please place your hand on this crystal ball. It will test your Soul Aptitude."

Yang Feng reached out, placed his hand on the crystal ball, and pressed lightly.

The crystal ball glimmered with a faint white light.

The Boni robot said, "Master, your cultivation Soul Aptitude is Level-1 inferior-grade. According to Boni's memories stored in my chip, with your Soul Aptitude, unless you transplant the bloodline of a powerful creature or consume a large quantity of the most precious potions capable of strengthening a cultivator's Soul Aptitude, it will be very difficult for you to become an official Level-1 Warlock in this lifetime."

"So lousy!"

Yang Feng's lips twitched. He had expected his cultivation aptitude not to be very good, but he had never imagined it would be this terrible. A Level-1 inferior-grade cultivation aptitude was utterly at the bottom of the Durando Subcontinent. Even if he randomly dragged out a farmer, that person's cultivation aptitude might be better than Yang Feng's.

Yang Feng asked, "Can you formulate potions that enhance Soul Aptitude?"

"Boni is not a pharmacist! Although he has a superficial understanding of potion-making, he can only refine basic potions from elementary potion-making. He lacks the ability to refine potions that enhance Soul Aptitude. Having inherited his memories, I can likewise only refine basic potions and cannot refine Level-1 potions. Moreover, formulas for potions that enhance Soul Aptitude are controlled by major powers. Boni's memories contain no such formula."

Yang Feng asked expectantly, "What is the best path for me to become a Warlock?"

Boni had been an official Level-1 Warlock and had survived in the Durando Subcontinent for over a hundred years. His knowledge far surpassed Yang Feng's. With such an official Level-1 Warlock at his side, it was as though he had a miniature encyclopedia of cultivation, allowing him to avoid many detours.

The knowledge possessed by an official Warlock vastly surpassed that of a Wizard Apprentice. The gap between official Warlocks and Wizard Apprentices could be called a chasm between heaven and earth.

"Antalya Warlock Academy, White Elephant's Fang, Eye of Justice, Rose Garden, Wild Claw, and Black Dragon Tower—these are the six most powerful Warlock groups of the Durando Subcontinent, and they also possess the most complete Warlock inheritances. Among them, Antalya Warlock Academy has the most comprehensive foundation and the most open academic atmosphere. Only by joining Antalya Warlock Academy will you have the chance to obtain a powerful Warlock inheritance, Master."

Yang Feng frowned slightly. "Can't you teach me?"

"The Warlock inheritance possessed by Black Hut can cultivate one up to a Level-3 Warlock. However, that requires Level-6 Superior Grade Soul Aptitude and incomparably vast cultivation resources for even a sliver of hope of reaching Level-3 Warlock. With your Level-1 inferior-grade Soul Aptitude, if you cultivate Black Hut's Warlock inheritance, then barring an accident, you have virtually no hope of advancing to Level-1 Warlock."

Yang Feng furrowed his brows, tapped the table lightly with his index finger, and fell into deep thought. Antalya Warlock Academy?

The Fein Deluo Family, the power backing the Fein Deluo Principality, was on good terms with Antalya Warlock Academy. Now that Yang Feng had deeply offended the Fein Deluo Family, joining Antalya Warlock Academy might prove somewhat troublesome.

The Boni robot said, "Master, Boni possesses a treasure extracted from a Forbidden Stone. That treasure will be of great help on your path as a Warlock."

Yang Feng asked curiously, "Forbidden Stone?"

The Boni robot explained, "Forbidden Stones are sealing stones created by Alchemists of the Second Warlock Dynasty. It is said that they can seal any existence. The Second Warlock Dynasty used vast numbers of powerful beings from various planes—humans, demons, devils, gods, giants, dragons, and more—for all manner of forbidden experiments, creating countless terrifying monsters and powerful secret treasures. On the eve of the Second Dynasty's destruction, many monsters and secret treasures were sealed away by the Second Warlock Dynasty within Forbidden Stones."

"The Second Warlock Dynasty?" Although Yang Feng had acquired some Wizard Apprentice memories, he had not mastered that knowledge. Thus, he was extremely unfamiliar with the history of the Durando Subcontinent and the like.

"From the rise of Warlocks until now, there have been a total of Eight Warlock Dynasties. Whenever a Warlock Dynasty flourished, humanity in this world conquered countless planes. Powerful Warlocks could even command demons, enslave gods, seize demons and gods from other planes, and use them as top-grade alchemical materials for refining."

"The Durando Subcontinent is merely a subordinate continent outside the Main Continent. In the Durando Subcontinent, even the strongest individuals are only at the level of Great Warlocks. Only on the Main Continent are there supreme experts above Great Warlocks."

"In Boni's memories, the six most powerful Warlock groups of the Durando Subcontinent—Antalya Warlock Academy, White Elephant's Fang, Eye of Justice, Rose Garden, Wild Claw, and Black Dragon Tower—all have the shadow of powerful Main Continent factions behind them."

A trace of gravity flashed through Yang Feng's eyes, and much of his excitement at capturing Black City faded at once. "So that's how it is. This world is far more powerful than I imagined."

Yang Feng said, "Take me to the location of the treasure extracted from the Forbidden Stone."

"Yes, Master!"

Led by the Boni robot, Yang Feng arrived at the first underground level of the Wizard Tower.

The first underground level of the Wizard Tower was a vast plaza. At its center stood an enormous blood pool. Countless runes brimming with mysterious power were inscribed along the pool's edge. Around the blood pool, at each node, were embedded blood-red crystals and Magic Stones filled with mysterious power.

At the center of the blood pool sat a transparent crystal basin. Resting atop that transparent crystal basin was a giant egg inscribed with all manner of profound runes.

The blood pool churned violently as wisps of crimson aura rose and flowed into the giant egg. The egg was like an enormous heart, releasing a heartbeat from time to time. Whenever it beat, a small wave of energy rippled through the plaza.

"This is the treasure Boni obtained from a Forbidden Stone! He planned to turn the creature inside the egg into his Contract Beast. To hatch the creature within and fill it with vitality, he set up this altar and slaughtered 1,376 virgins to perform a Blood Sacrifice ritual. The sacrificial ritual has basically been completed. All that remains is to form a contract with the creature inside the egg. In another five days, the creature within will officially break out of its shell."

"However, this is a Contract Beast that only an official Level-1 Warlock can tame. Master, you have no Warlock foundation whatsoever and cannot use normal means to establish a Soul Contract with the creature inside the egg."