Ian looked at the description and rewards of the [Archmage] title on his retina, and frowned slightly. To be honest, he felt that this reward was somewhat unsatisfactory. After all, the introduction of this title sounded so cool and cool, but the substantial benefits it provided seemed a bit weak.
"Huh?" He suddenly let out a soft sigh, his eyes fixed on the phrase "certain laws that can distort reality at will" in the description, and a flash of light suddenly flashed in his mind.
"So, the so-called 'Conceptual Magic' is actually a downgraded version of 'reality distortion'? In this case, why don't I just become a reality distorter?" A trace of fanaticism flashed in Ian's eyes. He knew very well that in the vast world, there are definitely some special planes that can make people easily become like Max Faraday. Faraday is the kind of reality bender who can destroy the world.
Max Faraday is a character that Ian once saw in the comics. That guy was just an ordinary mortal, but he accidentally downloaded a mysterious program called "Creation Equation" on his computer. After reading it, he instantly became... Ian estimated that in the face of an existence of Max's level, even if it touched the Truth entity at the Eleventh Tier position, it would probably only be treated as a joke and rubbed on the ground.
"The existence of reality warpers is simply a BUG that destroys the balance. I must study it carefully."
Ian immediately communicated with Akashic Records and began frantically searching for top-secret information about the reality warper, trying to find a deep connection between it and Conceptual Magic.
"So that's it..." After a moment, he muttered to himself in sudden realization. According to the data, ninety-nine percent of reality warpers have their power strictly limited by the original universe in which they live. Once they cross dimensions and go to other universes, their omniscient and omnipotent power will instantly dissipate and fall to Divine Altar.
However, Conceptual Magic is completely different. As long as a mage's willpower reaches 8 points, he can cast Conceptual Magic in most universes; if he can break through to 10 points, he can do whatever he wants in any corner of Omniverse! Not only that, beings with the title of Archmage can even use Conceptual Magic to confront those reality distorters head-on, and gain a considerable degree of immunity to the law.
Of course, there are exceptions to everything. Certain reality warpers who defy heaven can remain omnipotent in any universe. And those who drive Chaos Magic or Ancient God Magic, such as Wanda·Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) can also ignore Dimensional Barrier and distort reality anywhere. Not to mention those supreme powers who have stepped into the Twelfth Tier position, they themselves are completely immune to most reality distortions.
"It makes sense now. If not, Conceptual Magic's strategic position is really not as important as I originally expected." Ian nodded secretly and was about to continue to check what substantive privileges his upgraded authority level brought.
Just then.
"Hahahaha!"
A burst of familiar and hearty laughter exploded in Void without any warning. Ian thought about it and turned off the holographic panel in front of him. He saw an old man looking at him with a smile, his face full of uncontrollable red light.
"You mastered Conceptual Magic so quickly? I thought you had to wait a little longer." The old man Merlin stroked his beard and did not hesitate to praise him, "And you actually did it at Eighth Tier. Not bad, quite good."
"Old man, you are a little unusually happy today." Ian raised his eyebrows.
"Hmph, it's not because those bad old men have been bragging in my ears all day long about how amazing and talented their apprentices are, which makes my ears almost get calloused. Now, I can finally fight back confidently, and my apprentice is no weaker than them!" Merlin seemed to have thought of some proud scene, and laughed heartily again, "Except for that old monster Dusan, no one will want to see my jokes anymore."
"Dusan?" Ian captured this name keenly.
"Toussaint Louverture."
"The black general who led the Haiti revolution in the 18th century?" Ian quickly flipped through the earth's historical memories in his mind and asked in surprise.
"Yes, that's him. After that guy died, he was selected by some kind of force and reincarnated from Primordial Earth to a pure Wizarding World. He just climbed all the way from the bottom to the next level. I am on an equal footing. And the disciple he taught is even more of a monster, he only understood Conceptual Magic at Seventh Tier." Merlin sighed with emotion.
'Dusan, Solomon, plus this unfathomable old man in front of me... It seems that these are the three giants of the starry sky that I know so far.' Ian thought to himself. As for whether there are He didn't really care if people understood Conceptual Magic earlier than him; he was never blindly arrogant. In this boundless Omniverse, he knew better than anyone else the truth that there is heaven outside the sky and there are people outside the world.
"Is it really so difficult to understand Conceptual Magic?" Ian asked.
"Willpower is a particularly special attribute in this universe. Because of this, even those powerful Tenth Tier entities usually only have a pitiful 2 points of willpower. Most people have to wait until they reach the Twelfth Tier level or even higher before they can barely touch The threshold of Conceptual Magic. Some peerless geniuses may be able to master it at the Tenth Tier position, but only those monsters called 'Golden Generation' can capture it at the Ninth Tier position or even the Eighth Tier position." Merlin explained.
Ian was thoughtful. He was keenly aware that the "universe" mentioned by Merlin definitely refers to "Omniverse" that encompasses all worlds, rather than just a certain universe. Moreover, there must be a deeper and shocking secret hidden behind the attribute of willpower.
"What kind of people are the so-called 'Golden Generation'?" Ian asked.
"To put it simply, they are a handful of the most talented direct disciples of my old friends. Without exception, they are all undergoing very cruel and extreme devil training." Merlin explained.
"Does that count me in? Am I Golden Generation?"
"No, you are not. But if you are willing, I can plug you into that plan." Merlin looked at him with a half-smile.
"Thanks, there's no need for that." Ian decisively refused.
"Very good, I guess you are wise, but I didn't want to send you in at all." Merlin curled his lips.
Ian was already accustomed to this old man's weird temperament, so he casually asked, "Why?"
"Because their behavior is too extreme and I don't like it."
"Extreme?" Ian was really surprised this time. You know, he has always claimed to be from the "neutral evil" camp, and he knew that many of the actions he made in pursuit of Truth were morally wrong. They are absolutely terrifying super villains on the scale. But now, even a giant like Merlin, who is used to seeing big winds and waves, feels that these people are more extreme than him? What kind of lawless and terrifying existence have these guys been trained into?
More importantly, why do those giants who stand at the top deliberately train their disciples to have this kind of virtue?
"Stop speculating." Merlin saw through his mind and interrupted, "But you'd better be mentally prepared. After you step into the Twelfth Tier position, I will give you some special tasks, and you will inevitably have to deal with them. As your rank continues to rise, sooner or later, I will personally send you to the real battlefield."
Ian's eyes flashed, and he nodded solemnly. Then he asked another question, "Conceptual Magic, is it really important to this extent?"
"To reach my current state, absolute control of the laws is an indispensable stepping stone. Therefore, the sooner you can come into contact with the laws, the more advantages you will accumulate in the future Transcendence." Merlin patiently gave guidance.
"I understand." Ian read a lot of China's light novels about cultivating immortals when he was young in his previous life, so he can naturally understand the value of this setting.
"Okay, it's time for me to go." Merlin straightened his robe and looked unusually serious, "Boy, I'm very proud of your achievements so far. But you must start to challenge your own limits, go to a higher-dimensional world, and face those real life-and-death crises."
"I will."
"Not just you, but your family as well." Merlin added, "In the upcoming endless Chaos, if you don't want to watch them become victims who are unable to fight back, you must temper them severely! And... it's time for you to polish your mind and learn to mentally bear the possibility of losing them."
As soon as he said this, Ian's pupils suddenly shrank, and his eyes narrowed dangerously.
"I have said everything that needs to be said." Before he finished speaking, Merlin disappeared like a dream bubble, as if it had never appeared.
For the next half hour, Ian seemed to have turned into a cold sculpture, sinking into deep thoughts without saying a word.
"Morgana."
"Boss?"
"Immediately build a top-level fantasy for me. In this fantasy, I will personally experience the process of losing all my family members." Ian's voice had no fluctuations and was as cold as ice. "The bottom-level parameters are set to: no matter how much power I burst out, no matter what I do, I can't save them, let alone Resurrection them."
"Are you... are you sure you want to do this?"
"OK."
"But when you say 'family', do you mean a certain person, or..."
"Everyone. Let them die one by one in front of me." Ian gritted his teeth and ordered word by word.
"Master, are you really sure this is a good idea?" Morgana eagerly dissuaded her. She knows better than anyone else that her family is the only spiritual anchor that supports Ian's mind. If he loses them, even if it is only in an illusion, he will definitely fall into complete madness, and it is very likely to cause irreversible negative trauma to his spirit and soul!
"Do as I say."
"... As ordered." Morgana reluctantly compromised. But she decided to spend some time in the background to arrange some advanced security measures to prevent Ian from making any irreparable mistakes in the illusion.
Ian suppressed the rolling thoughts in his heart, returned to the previous work at hand, and called up the panel of Akashic Records.
[Name: Ian·Bones]
[Origin Land: Primordial Earth]
[Gifts: Hyperthymesia (photographic memory), Extreme Magical Affinity, Limited Cosmic Perception]
[Willpower:8]
[Guide instructor: Merlin]
[Current coordinates: Universe No. 127490374 (Harry Potter Universe origin branch)]
[Authority Level: Level 2]
[Age: 932 years old]
[Rank: Eighth Tier, Stellar-System Level, Legendary Arcanist] [Title: Arcane Emperor, Civilization Founder, Sage of Wisdom, Holy Master, Pathfinder, Dark Explorer, Voyager, King of Wizards, Archmage.]
After careful review, Ian learned that due to the increase in authority level, the price of any knowledge he purchased in the system would be reduced by 5%. In addition, he also unlocked many top-secret knowledge bases that were previously inaccessible. More importantly, Akashic Records opened an exclusive task list for members so that they can earn Task Points points.
Nowadays, the number of available tasks has shown explosive growth, which also gives Ian an excellent opportunity to reversely deduce and analyze more in-depth intelligence about this mysterious record.
However, when Ian saw the ultimate reward at the bottom of the list, all the so-called benefits were instantly forgotten: he now has two precious quotas that can directly recommend new members to Akashic Records! As long as the recommended person can successfully pass a trial, he can officially join!
"This saves a lot of trouble. I no longer have to look for tokens in the universe like a headless fly, or do those tedious tasks." Ian breathed a sigh of relief.
As far as he knows, ordinary people who want to join Akashic Records must either go to certain specific planes to find scattered 'Fate Tokens', or they must honestly complete a large number of tasks to increase their level.
'The difficult question now is, who should these two quotas be given to?' Ian thought to himself. He wanted his wives to use this title system to strengthen themselves. After much thought, he decided to leave this decision to them and let them decide among themselves.
After handling this matter, Ian took a deep breath, used the system's search function, and solemnly entered a word that was enough to make countless planes tremble:
Main God.