Farewell, Selection, Sparrow Carriage, and the Gatekeeper

The whole process was incredibly smooth; Ronan felt no resistance whatsoever, as if it were perfectly natural.

Compared to the process of painstakingly comprehending the fusion of multiple magic domains, [Hecalto's Death Gaze, Ancient Devourer], it's like heaven and earth.

Ronan had also come to understand the true meaning of this system of Spell Inheritance.

"The five fragments of the [Golden Fire] domain have merged into the true [Spirit Maya Golden Fire]!"

And now, he is only two Master-Level Spell away from welcoming the arrival of the fully-formed [Golden Fire Spirit Moye]! "Improving spell proficiency before Master Level is relatively simple, just a matter of grinding."

Originally, Ronan found the spells [Diamond Heart] and [Golden Soul] somewhat difficult to understand and comprehend. However, after undergoing the training of [Spirit Heart Amber], Ronan's will was greatly tempered, and his understanding of the soul became much deeper.

The difficulties and stumbles encountered during the practice of the two spells disappeared without anyone noticing.

He skipped over the [Brass Head] and [Diamond Heart] and chose to tackle the [Golden Soul], the biggest hurdle, first, in order to verify this point.

As Alazan said, the wonder and power of the Spirit Heart Amber are numerous, and he will feel them more and more as he cultivates it.

"The power of the [Golden Soul]'s domain seems to have some effect on eliminating the aftereffects of 'Reincarnation into Dream'."

Ronan watched as golden smoke billowed from his entire body. As the [Golden Soul] empowered him, some impurities within his soul seemed to be burned away and evaporated, which was just enough to eliminate some of the aftereffects of "Reincarnation into Dream".

However, the effect is very weak, probably because the current proficiency level of [Golden Soul] is relatively low.

In fact, Ronan could have already attempted a second "Reincarnation into Dream," but the time required for each dream entry was neither long nor short.

The key point is that there must be absolutely no external interference during the process, otherwise all efforts will be in vain.

The plan to split the [Law Control] rune has also encountered problems.

Ronan withdrew his spell, picked up his robe and draped it over himself. He placed his right fingers on the waxed floor and tapped them rhythmically to the song of the Mermaid Shell beside him.

Ronan currently has six blank Spiritual Power Crystal, and his plan is to split the [Law Control] rune into six parts and then inscribe them on individual Spiritual Power Crystal.

But after several attempts, he found that even if he split it into six parts, it was still a bit of a stretch, and a single Spiritual Power Crystal could not fully bear it.

"It might need seven, or even more."

Ronan pondered that this also meant he would need to undergo "dream entry" training two, three, or even more times.

Once everything is settled, he will immediately enter the dream a second time. If he wants to fully explore the potential of his soul during the misty stage, the "Clarity Potion" used in dream cultivation is naturally indispensable.

But where can he find a World Stone that he can use at will?

"Ancient Wizard Revival Society? Those madmen are scouring the world for World Stone, trying to open Space Passage to the Abyss, they probably have quite a few World Stone."

Ronan shook his head, dismissing the unrealistic idea.

We can only take it one step at a time.

"Buzzing—"

A faint runic fluctuation emanated from the Space Ring. Ronan's expression shifted slightly, and he raised his hand to gesture for silence to the Mermaid Shell and Arrietty beside him.

The singing of the Mermaid Shell stopped abruptly. Ronan raised his hand and put away the crystal fish tank. Arrietty, with a sweaty little face, hid in Ronan's collar.

Ronan took out a communication device that looked like a bat, Jason's deep voice came from it.

Damien, I'm waiting for you.

After hearing the message, Ronan remained silent for a while, then stood up, put away his personal Rune Array, and walked out of the room.

The bright sunlight and the outside noise crowded in together.

Ronan walked through the narrow corridor, brushed past several wizards, and finally arrived at the bustling downstairs.

This is a wizard transit city in the Central Destiny Empire. He and Jason have been staying here for almost half a month. During this time, he has been cultivating in seclusion, while Jason has been busy inquiring about ways to join a faction.

Jason's sudden contact with him now most likely means he has already found out the relevant information.

Jason proposed a meeting place in a small grove outside the city. Ronan walked out of the city and, as he approached the meeting place, slowed down and quietly spread his mental energy.

Only after confirming that there was nothing amiss did he continue forward.

Ronan's short boots, stitched with Warcraft leather, crunched softly on the newly sprouting grass of early summer. He stopped under an exceptionally thick silver birch tree and looked around at the nearly circular patches of light beneath his feet.

Damien

A deep call came from the side, a chilling gust of air blew through the lush weeds, and Jason, bald and dressed in black, stepped out, walking on wisps of undead black smoke.

"I've come to say goodbye."

Ronan's eyes flickered slightly. "You've already found a way to join the Wizard Heart Hall?"

"Um."

Jason nodded, then tossed Ronan a shimmering Rune Stone for recording.

"I've also found out all the relevant information about Spirit Lake for you."

Ronan caught the Rune Stone Jason threw at him, briefly scanned it with his mental energy, and a faint strangeness appeared on his expression.

"Thanks."

Jason waved his hand and said, "Joining Spirit Lake isn't easy. It's too early for you to say thank you."

"Speaking of which, I don't know if we are lucky or unlucky. The prophet of the Pendulum of Fate died, so many wizarding forces, including the Wizard Heart Hall and the Spirit Lake, have recently started recruiting official members."

If it weren't for this, we might have to wait decades or more. But because of this, an exceptionally large number of wizards want to take this opportunity to join these two Super Large wizarding forces, and the resistance they will encounter during the selection process will be far greater than usual."

Ronan listened, nodded slowly, thought for a moment, and then asked Jason, "Are you confident?"

"Half, I guess."

Jason's face showed little emotion as he calmly said, "The result of this selection process at the Wizard Heart Hall is not important. In any case, I need to choose a faction to join anyway."

If the Wizard Heart Hall doesn't work, we can just find another one..."

"Good luck."

Ronan put away the Rune Stone Jason had given him and spoke.

Jason didn't say anything more, but just waved to Ronan, then his robes billowed, and he soared into the air like Night Owl.

A cold, howling wind rustled the surrounding grass and trees, and the sunlight was blocked by the sudden shadows.

"Damien, I will let you know when I unlock the secret of the Linked Ring."

"I hope that when we meet again, both of us will have Dawn!"

Jason's arrogant voice faded away, but Ronan did not respond. He simply looked up and watched Jason's figure disappear into the distance.

Until Jason turned into a small black dot in the sky and disappeared completely.

Yes, it will.

Ronan withdrew his gaze and turned to leave.

Three days later, under a clear blue sky.

A uniquely designed carriage wobbled through the air.

Countless sparrows, each carrying a hook in its beak, were dragging the carriage forward. The driver was a strong man wearing a mask with iron spikes, obscuring his face and revealing only his owl-like eyes.

The driver held a whip that glowed blue and kept whistling loudly but in a strange tone.

Every time he whistled and cracked his whip, the sparrows pulling the cart would flap their wings with extra effort, and sparrows that died from exhaustion would fall from the sky, while more sparrows would fly in from all directions to join the cart-pulling team.

The sparrow carriage flew all the way to a bare mountain, then slowly descended and finally stopped at the foot of the mountain.

"Honorable guest, you have arrived at your destination!"

The burly man wearing a spiked cage turned and shouted into the carriage. His voice was as high-pitched as a cat in heat, completely unlike his appearance.

"Good."

A calm voice came from inside the carriage, and a moment later, a tall and slender young man stepped out of the carriage.

The young man had an exceptionally well-proportioned figure, wore a black robe, and had a masculine and handsome appearance. His moon-colored long hair was simply combed, with two strands hanging naturally from his ears, and he wore silver hair ornaments, which added to his mysterious and noble aura.

"In the past two weeks, you've been the eighth guest I've escorted to Tataka Mountain..."

The coachman spoke to the young man who got off the carriage in a high-pitched voice. After the young man casually tossed him a Storage Waist Pouch full of magic stones, the coachman immediately beamed and let out a series of even higher-pitched giggles.

"But you are definitely the most generous one of them. I wish you all the best on your trip."

The coachman bowed respectfully to the young man, then hummed an unknown tune, summoning the sparrows that were scattered around pecking and resting, before returning in the carriage.

Ronan watched the vehicle, with its distinctive local character Pendulum of Fate, disappear into the distance, then turned back to examine what lay before him.

According to the information Jason gave him regarding the selection process for entering Spirit Lake, this mountain in front of him is one of the places where one has the opportunity to obtain the qualification for entering Spirit Lake.

The information states that Spirit Lake has set up many qualification distribution points within the territory of the Destiny Empire, which are also the entrances to Spirit Lake.

Only by gaining the approval of the gatekeeper can one have the opportunity to truly participate in this selection process.

In the mountain before him lived a gatekeeper of the Treant Race named "Tataka. Kilim," but the information did not explain how to gain his approval and be allowed to enter.

That makes sense. The number of wizards wanting to join Spirit Lake is already almost overwhelming. Every wizard participating in the selection can be considered a competitor. The fewer people who enter, the less competition there is. How could Jason possibly find out such crucial information so easily?

Ronan didn't think too much about it and calmly walked towards the giant mountain.

There was a narrow, winding path in front of him, leading straight ahead. The coachman of the Sparrow Carriage must have brought him here on purpose. He figured if he walked a little further, he would see the so-called gatekeeper.

Ronan walked along the path for a short while, then his expression shifted slightly, and he stopped naturally.

A few breaths later, a bush not far from him rustled, and two figures emerged from it one after the other.