Mid-stage Level Seven

September, Yulan Calendar 9999.

September in Yulan City saw the summer heat gradually fade, with a chill beginning to settle in the mornings and evenings.

Akes's cultivation had entered a subtle state. His visualization of the Nuwa Diagram grew increasingly profound; the back of the woman in the painting was now so clear in his mind that he could discern the intricate patterns on her robes. The pathways left behind by the Qi refining techniques spread throughout his body like blood vessels, and with every visualization, he could feel his spiritual energy flowing slowly along those very routes.

On the morning of September 3rd, he finished his usual visualization and opened his eyes, suddenly feeling that the world was somewhat different.

It wasn't that things had become brighter, but rather sharper. The texture of the leaves outside the window, the direction of the birdsong in the distance, and even the subtle nuances of elemental fluctuations in the air—everything presented itself to his perception with greater refinement.

"My spiritual energy has grown stronger again," he whispered to himself.

This sensation was familiar. Every time his spiritual energy saw a significant increase, such changes would occur. Yet, this time, it seemed more pronounced than ever before.

He went downstairs for breakfast, where old Cal had everything prepared as usual.

"Does the young master have any plans for today?" Cal asked.

"I'll head to the Royal Magic Academy in the afternoon; otherwise, I'll be at the manor," Akes said. "By the way, has there been any mail lately?"

Cal shook his head. "None. The last letter was the one from Young Master Yale in mid-August."

Akes nodded and said nothing more.

He knew his brothers were all busy with their own affairs.

After finishing his meal, he went to the study.

Over the past month, he had scoured every tome on fire-elemental magic in the study. Although he had learned most of the content at Ernst, the magic system of the Yulan Empire was indeed somewhat different. Their research direction leaned more toward principles, whereas Ernst focused more on application.

"Each has its own merits," he concluded, closing the final book.

In the afternoon, he used Teleportation to reach the Royal Magic Academy.

He was already very familiar with the fifth floor of the library. The librarian recognized him and would simply nod whenever he saw him arrive, never disturbing him.

Today, he chose his usual spot by the window and pulled out a copy of Application of Fire-Elemental Spiritual Energy to read.

This book discussed how to use spiritual energy to control flames with greater precision, which was exactly what he had been pondering lately. He became so engrossed in his reading that evening arrived before he knew it.

When he closed the book, the evening glow had already stained the sky outside the window.

He stood up, preparing to leave. As he turned, he saw the gray-robed old man from last time again.

The old man still wore that unfathomable expression, standing before a bookshelf and flipping through a book. He seemed to sense Akes's gaze, looked up, and gave a nod.

Akes nodded in return and turned to head downstairs.

By the time he returned to the manor, it was already dark. Old Cal lit the candles and served dinner. Akes ate alone, his mind still occupied with the contents of the book.

"Using spiritual energy to guide flames into a spiral structure... this approach is worth a try."

After dinner, he went to the small grove to cultivate.

The magic array on the bluestone slab glowed faintly, and the surrounding fire elements slowly converged. He sat cross-legged, channeled the Fallen Heart Flame, and began to attempt the control method he had seen in the book that afternoon.

Flames condensed in his palm, rotating slowly under the guidance of his spiritual energy. It didn't go smoothly at first, but after a few attempts, he finally formed a stable spiral flame.

"It works."

He tried a few more times, becoming increasingly proficient.

An hour later, he finished his session and stood up.

Back in his room, he performed his usual visualization of the Nuwa Diagram.

The painting unfurled in his mind, the woman's back standing silently. The chaos surrounding her flowed slowly, and the rhythm of creating all things grew clearer. He immersed himself in it, his spiritual energy growing steadily as those patterns circulated.

The night deepened, and he lay down, falling asleep quickly.

On September 10th, Akes made a new discovery during his cultivation.

That afternoon, while cultivating in the small grove, he suddenly felt an anomaly in the magic power within his middle dantian. It wasn't a bad thing, but rather that feeling of being "about to be full."

"I'm approaching the mid-stage," he knew clearly.

It had taken four months to go from the early stage of the seventh rank to the mid-stage. This speed wasn't considered fast, but it wasn't slow either—a normal mage would require one to two years. The combination of the Fallen Heart Flame, the Five Spirit Wheel, the Nuwa Diagram, and the Qi refining techniques had compressed the time down to four months.

In the days that followed, he cultivated even more diligently.

On the evening of September 20th, Akes was cultivating in the small grove.

The Fallen Heart Flame pulsed slowly within his body, the Five Spirit Wheel operated at full capacity, and the surrounding fire elements surged into him frantically. The magic power in his middle dantian was saturated to the extreme; every absorption felt like pouring water into a cup that was already overflowing.

He knew it was close.

Just as another surge of magic power poured in—

"Boom—"

His middle dantian trembled slightly, and that feeling of being "full" vanished. In its place was a sense of greater openness, as if a small pond had suddenly expanded into a large lake. Magic power surged in rapidly, filling the new space.

He opened his eyes, his perception of the surrounding elements becoming a fraction clearer.

Mid-stage of the seventh rank.

"Finally," he said softly.

He stood up and stretched his body. The magic power within him was nearly thirty percent more robust than before, and the sensory range of his spiritual energy had expanded significantly. He could clearly perceive the dew on leaves a hundred meters away and could even distinguish several different elemental fluctuations in the distance.

Returning to the main building, old Cal was preparing dinner.

"Young Master, what shall we eat tonight?" Cal asked.

"Anything is fine." Akes sat down. "I'm in a good mood today, so make a couple of extra dishes."

Cal smiled. "Very well."

During the meal, Akes had a rare two glasses of wine. The wine was a local fruit wine from Yulan; it wasn't high in alcohol content, but it was fragrant and mellow. He drank alone, watching the moonlight outside the window.

"Mid-seventh rank now," he muttered to himself.

After finishing his meal, he went upstairs to meditate on the Nuwa Diagram.

The scroll unfurled in his mind, and the woman's back seemed even clearer than before. The chaos surrounding her flowed slowly, and the rhythm of creating all things felt more intense than ever. He immersed himself in it, his spiritual energy growing at a faster rate than before.

After the mid-seventh rank, the speed should slow down, he thought.

This was normal. The higher one climbed, the harder it became; the time required to go from the seventh rank to the eighth could be several times that of going from the sixth to the seventh. But he was not in a hurry; he had plenty of time.

On September 25th, Akes received a letter.

The letter was written by George, saying that he, Yale, and Reynolds were all doing well, and that Linley was the same as ever. At the end of the letter, he mentioned that they all missed their days at the academy and asked how he was doing in Yulan.

He recalled those evenings when the five of them would sit in the dormitory courtyard, watching the sunset and chatting. He remembered those weekends when the five of them would go to Fenlai City together to shop, eat, and drink. He thought of those days on the back mountain, where he would activate the Fallen Heart Flame while the other four practiced beside him.

He picked up his pen and wrote back: "All is well. Do not worry."

On the night of September 30th, Akes stood in the courtyard, looking up at the moon.

Tomorrow would be October. In three more months, it would be the year 10000 of the Yulan Calendar. He knew what would happen that year—the destruction of Fenlai City, the transformation of Linley, and all those things he could not change.