The Threshold for Becoming an Official Wizard

"Spirit attribute and race had reached 10 points!"

Luo Lin looked at the information on the panel and could not help but sigh.

Having reached this point, he could already feel the limits of a Third-Rank Apprentice with great clarity.

His mana had grown in tandem, reaching 100 points.

After years of accumulation, his various fields of knowledge and spells had all improved considerably. In particular, the meditation methods and knowledge related to his foundation had mostly entered the proficient level.

Luo Lin could clearly sense the invisible barrier obstructing the leap in his life level.

It stood at the edge of his spiritual sea, solid and heavy.

As long as he shattered it, his spiritual power would undergo a qualitative transformation, advancing from a liquid state toward some higher form and officially entering the realm of a First-Circle Wizard!

However, Luo Lin did not immediately attempt a breakthrough.

He knew well that advancing from apprentice to Official Wizard was a leap in the essence of life. It could never be achieved through mere accumulation of power.

Wizard Eric and Wizard Stone had both mentioned that it required vast resources, meditation methods, and potions, as well as a clear understanding of one's own path—the so-called Spell Enlightenment.

Forcing a breakthrough carried an extremely high chance of failure and could even damage the source of one's spirit.

Luo Lin slowly reined in his surging spiritual power and let it return to calm.

His gaze fell on the exquisite little nest lined with soft cloth beside his pillow.

By now, Baha had grown nearly as large as a crow. Its feathers were black and glossy all over, while the gray markings at the roots of its wings and the tips of its tail feathers had become clearer, like carefully placed dark patterns.

All three pairs of its eyes had opened.

The first pair, like obsidian, handled ordinary vision and observation of energy flow.

The second pair, dark silver in color, could see through simple illusions.

As for the third pair, which had only recently managed to open, they were a deep dark gold. Whenever it stared, Luo Lin could vaguely sense through their connection an exceptionally sharp foresight toward "danger" and "malice."

At that moment, Baha was curled up in its nest with all three pairs of eyes closed, seemingly asleep.

Yet through their spiritual connection, Luo Lin could sense the increasingly powerful force within it, carrying the attributes of darkness, insight, and warning, slowly flowing.

Baha's existence was itself one of Luo Lin's greatest gains over the past two years. The unique energy it fed back had also greatly aided the refinement of Luo Lin's spiritual power.

"Not enough!"

Luo Lin murmured inwardly.

His spiritual power had reached its limit of 10 points, like a cup already filled to the brim and incapable of holding another drop.

Luo Lin could clearly "see" the tough barrier at the edge of his spiritual sea. It had no physical form, yet it made him feel more powerless than any material barrier.

He knew brute force would only be futile and might even trigger a backlash.

Over the years, Luo Lin had gathered information on how to break through from different channels, gradually piecing together a clear picture.

This was not a process that could be completed overnight. Several harsh conditions had to be met.

First was the crystallization of spiritual power.

This required a rare resource known as a Crystallization Medium as a catalyst.

Wizard Eric had mentioned it in a relatively detailed message:

"A Crystallization Medium is like a seed. It can guide overflowing spiritual power from disorderly flow into orderly condensation.

Common media include Mind-Calming Crystals, petals of the Soulflame Flower, pure Yuanqu Essence, and so on.

The higher the quality, the smoother the crystallization process and the better the quality of your future spiritual crystal."

Wizard Stone added from the perspective of energy:

"The crystallization process is essentially a transformation in the form of energy.

The medium's role is to provide a stable crystal nucleus and reduce the energy barrier required for the transformation.

Different media lean toward different attributes. Choosing one compatible with your own affinity gives a higher chance of success."

Luo Lin checked the Outpost's internal exchange lists and mission records, only to find that every one of these materials was marked either "extremely scarce" or "available for exchange by Official Wizards only." Even when they occasionally appeared on the black market, they usually came with astronomical contribution point prices or equally precious resources.

Second was the crucial Advanced Meditation Method.

This was the core technique for guiding spiritual power into crystallization and constructing a stable First-Circle Wizard energy cycle.

The information barrier surrounding this was the highest.

Ordinary apprentices could hardly access its specific contents. They only knew it was a foundation that major organizations would never share.

Luo Lin had once cautiously asked several veteran apprentices who had spent longer at the Outpost and were likewise stuck at the bottleneck.

One of them, Old Jack, told him the truth with some bitterness after drinking:

"Kid, don't expect to get it easily."

"The academy's standard route is signing that two-hundred-year contract of servitude.

Otherwise, you take the route of ruin exploration or battlefield merit. That's gambling with your life, with nine chances of death for every chance of survival, and you still might not get one suited to you."

Another possible route was a private gift from a mentor,

but although Wizard Eric and Wizard Stone appreciated Luo Lin, neither had ever explicitly said they would provide one for free.

This involved organizational rules and their own resources. Clearly, Luo Lin would need to demonstrate greater value or pay a corresponding price.

Lastly, there was the understanding of innate spells.

In his most recent message, Wizard Stone had unusually said a few extra words:

"At the instant of advancement, the spiritual sea resonates with the rules. It is the best opportunity to solidify an exclusive spell model.

You need to prepare complete, high-quality spell model construction materials in advance.

These include Origin Ink to carry the spiritual imprint, Spatial Dust to stabilize the model's structure, and an Elemental Heart or similar core corresponding to the spell's attributes.

The better a spell suits you and the higher its rank, the harder it is to prepare. But once it succeeds, it will accompany you for life and answer your will as readily as your own arm."

This meant that Luo Lin not only needed to find a meditation method and a Crystallization Medium, but also had to plan the direction of his future core spell in advance and gather all those materials that were clearly far from easy to obtain.

After sorting through all the information, Luo Lin felt the weight on his shoulders grow much heavier.

Advancing to an Official Wizard was far from an endpoint one could reach through cultivation alone. It was a comprehensive test of resources, opportunities, planning, and even luck.

He glanced at the words [Basic Meditation Method (Perfect)] on the panel.

Could this unusual level bring some unexpected change?

He tried running the perfect-level meditation method more deeply. At his limit, his spiritual power seemed to possess an extra trace of subtle vitality, and his efficiency in sensing and drawing in energy particles had improved considerably.

"Perhaps... a perfect foundation will let me master an Advanced Meditation Method more quickly after obtaining one, or make me more stable during crystallization?"

That was all he could speculate.

Baha stirred in its nest, and its dark golden eyes opened a narrow slit. It seemed to sense the heaviness in Luo Lin's heart and sent over a trace of soothing emotion.

As Baha grew, its perception of emotions and danger became increasingly sharp.

Luo Lin stepped forward and gently patted it.

Having Baha was one of his greatest advantages.

Whether searching for resources or dealing with danger, Baha's unique abilities could provide tremendous help.

The road ahead had become clear.

First, use every available means to gather detailed information on Crystallization Media and innate spell materials, as well as channels through which to obtain them.

Second, actively seek ways to acquire an Advanced Meditation Method, whether through merit, exploration, or other means.

Third, continue deepening his knowledge and spells, especially preparing for the innate spell he might solidify and determining his own direction.

Fourth, use the perfect-level meditation method and Baha's feedback to further strengthen his foundation, ensuring that when an opportunity arrived, he could seize it in his best condition.

He no longer devoted all his time to fruitless attempts to break through the barrier.

Instead, he began organizing everything he had learned more systematically, drawing different casting concepts from ancient scrolls and attempting to incorporate them into his existing system.

At the same time, he paid closer attention to the high-risk, high-reward missions issued by the Outpost and began deliberately using connections such as Mason to inquire about black markets and secret gatherings.

The long road to becoming an Official Wizard had only now truly sounded its opening horn.

Like a patient hunter, Luo Lin began carefully preparing every piece of bait and every tool for the moment he transcended the ordinary.

He knew the greatest challenge concerning his future was about to arrive.