Breaking Through

In an instant, an invisible vortex seemed to appear at the center of his Mental Sea, madly devouring his spiritual power.

At the same time, that trace of star power drawn from the Morning Star seemed to be pulled across the void and descended abruptly.

Boom!

Luo Lin felt as if his entire Mental Sea had been viciously struck by an invisible giant hammer.

That star power appeared weak, yet its essence was boundlessly vast and tyrannical, utterly different from his gentle spiritual power.

The moment the two came into contact, they produced a violent clash and rejection.

His Mental Sea shook violently, and tearing pain surged through it.

The Star Core embryo that had only just begun to form was extremely unstable, as though it could collapse at any moment.

Luo Lin let out a muffled groan, his face turning pale in an instant.

He immediately crushed the Mind-Calming Silverleaf in his mouth. An incomparably cool and tranquil aura instantly surged into his mind, barely stabilizing his consciousness on the verge of collapse.

At the same time, he frantically circulated the perfect-grade meditation method, using his strongest control to forcibly restrain and harmonize his spiritual power with that strand of external star power, attempting to fuse them.

It was like steering a small boat through raging wind and towering waves. One careless mistake would mean the boat destroyed and its passenger dead.

The tyranny of the star power far exceeded his expectations. It continuously battered and tore apart the structure of his spiritual power, attempting to assimilate or annihilate it.

Luo Lin guarded his mind tightly, his will firmly locking onto the visualized image of the Morning Star. Using it as an anchor, he guided the flow of star power.

Supported by the perfect-grade meditation method, his spiritual power displayed astonishing resilience.

Though it was constantly torn apart and consumed, it stubbornly reformed, wrapping around that strand of star power like a craftsman forging a piece of stubborn iron.

The [Dim-Light Star-Gathering Array] seemed to sense the arrival of the star power as well. Its light brightened slightly, releasing a gentler and more stable energy field that somewhat calmed the turbulence in his Mental Sea.

However, the consumption of star power vastly outstripped its replenishment. Luo Lin could feel his spiritual power draining away rapidly, while the Star Core embryo remained vague and unstable, as though it might disperse at any moment.

I can't fail!

A fierce glint flashed through his eyes. He split off a thread of will and activated the Water Elemental Essence and Mind-Calming Crystal beside him.

The instant the essence was activated, a vast and pure yet relatively gentle wave of water elemental energy poured into his body, nourishing his nearly dried-up spiritual power and wounded Mental Sea like sweet rain.

The Mind-Calming Crystal, meanwhile, released a cool, stabilizing aura that helped him better control the restless star power.

With the replenishment of external energy, Luo Lin's spirits rose, and his previously weakened spiritual power became resilient once more.

Seizing the opportunity, he used even stronger control to viciously compress and fuse his spiritual power with that strand of star power!

Within his Mental Sea, the vague Star Core embryo began to solidify at a visible rate.

A speck of star radiance, exceptionally faint yet incomparably pure, carrying a cold and constant aura, finally began to glow slowly at the center of his Mental Sea.

He had succeeded! The Star Core had initially condensed!

At the instant the Star Core formed, Luo Lin felt his entire Mental Sea suddenly tremble.

It was not collapse, but an essential sublimation and expansion.

The total amount of spiritual power that had already reached its limit and could no longer increase seemed to break through some invisible shackle, gaining room to grow once more.

The solid barrier that had long obstructed his life transformation also began to fluctuate violently beneath the illumination of that starlight, forming fine cracks like a spiderweb.

Even more astonishingly, he felt the nature of his spiritual power change, gaining the vastness, constancy, and penetrating qualities of the stars.

Through that tiny Star Core, he had established a mysterious and faint connection with the Morning Star in the unseen depths, as though he could vaguely sense its eternal rhythm of motion.

He slowly opened his eyes, and a cold glimmer of starlight seemed to flash through the depths of his pupils.

Though his face remained pale and his aura somewhat weak, his entire temperament had subtly changed, gaining a deeper and steadier quality.

He had succeeded!

Though he had only initially condensed the Star Core and lit the first spark of starlight, and had not even fully broken through that barrier, he had truly embarked upon the path of the Star Source Meditation Method.

The essence of his spiritual power had already begun to transform toward a higher level!

He glanced beside him. The Water Elemental Essence had dimmed by more than half, while the Mind-Calming Crystal was covered in fine cracks. They had clearly been greatly depleted in the process just now. But he felt it was worth it.

Baha let out a cheerful cry from his shoulder. It could clearly sense the more condensed and profound aura emanating from Luo Lin.

Luo Lin gently exhaled a breath of stale air, feeling the stable starlight burning in his Mental Sea and the barrier covered in cracks, teetering on the verge of collapse. His heart was filled with excitement.

The door leading to an Official Wizard had already been pushed open by a crack.

Next, he only needed to accumulate strength and press forward in one burst to completely step into that brand-new realm.

He closed his eyes once more and began consolidating the newly condensed Star Core while slowly recovering his depleted spiritual power.

The successful initial condensation of the Star Core greatly invigorated Luo Lin.

But he knew well that this was only the first step of a long journey.

The Star Core was not yet stable, his connection to the Morning Star was still extremely weak, and though the barrier leading to an Official Wizard was covered in cracks, it continued to stubbornly endure.

He did not rush for success. Instead, he first spent several days doing everything he could to consolidate this hard-won achievement.

Every day, he immersed himself in meditation. With that newborn starlight as the core, he continuously circulated the Star Source Meditation Method, carefully nourishing and tempering the Star Core with his spiritual power, making it more solid and stable.

At the same time, through that faint connection, he continuously sensed and drew in the Morning Star's star power.

This time, the process was no longer as violent and dangerous as the first. With the Star Core acting as an anchor and converter, the drawn-in star power became much gentler, like a trickling stream that continuously merged into the Star Core, strengthening that point of starlight while nourishing and improving the quantity and quality of his spiritual power.

The powerful control granted by the perfect-grade meditation method played a crucial role at this moment.

He could precisely regulate the speed and amount of the star power he drew in, preventing any burden from falling upon the not-yet-fully stabilized Star Core. He could also efficiently convert the star power into the foundation of his own spiritual power.

He did not use the heavily depleted Water Elemental Essence or the cracked Mind-Calming Crystal again.

They were precious resources and had to be saved for the most critical moment.

Baha kept watch beside him day and night. It could sense Luo Lin's aura growing deeper with each passing day. That cold point of starlight was not dazzling, yet it carried a constant and vast meaning that benefited it as well. The Dark Insight fed back through their contract connection also seemed to gain a trace of star power's qualities, becoming purer and sharper.

During this time, Captain Holm and the other familiar team members learned that Luo Lin had entered seclusion to break through his bottleneck. They tacitly refrained from disturbing him and helped block some unnecessary trivial matters.

Time quietly passed amid his focused cultivation.

About half a month later, Luo Lin felt that the Star Core had completely stabilized, and his connection to the Morning Star had become slightly clearer.

That point of starlight in his Mental Sea burned steadily like a beacon, illuminating the edges of the originally dim Mental Sea.

The cracks in that barrier had already spread to their limit beneath the continuous illumination of the starlight and the impact of his increasingly powerful spiritual power, as though it would shatter completely the very next moment.

It's time!

Luo Lin adjusted himself to his absolute peak condition.

His spiritual power was full and abundant, carrying the unique texture of star power.

His physical condition had also recovered to its best through potions and training.

His mind was as still as an ancient well, incomparably firm.

He summoned the pale blue panel again and examined all his current data:

[Host: Luo Lin]

[Race: Human]

[Status: Healthy (spiritual power highly active)]

[Level: Third-Rank Wizard Apprentice (breaking through the limit)]

[Attributes:

Physique: 6.9 (↑)

Spirit: 35.5 (enhanced through star power infusion)

Mana: 355/355]

[Knowledge Mastered:

Basic Meditation Method (Perfect 100%)

Basic Rune Identification (Professional 5%)

Basic Magical Botany (Mastery 85%)

Basic Potion Material Processing (Master 68%)

Analysis of Common Cantrip Model Structures (Mastery 90%)

Fundamental Configuration Theory of Elemental Particles (Proficient 88%)

Basic Formation Analysis (Proficient 80%)

Preliminary Interpretation of Ancient Runes (Proficient 35%)

Fundamentals of Astrology (Beginner 65%)

Star Source Meditation Method (Beginner 10%)

Magical Pet Contract and Coordination (Mastery 20%)]

[Spells:

Mage Hand (Mastery 48%)

Acid Spray (Mastery 30%)

Weak Force-Field Armor (Mastery 55%)

Literacy (Proficient 95%)

Breeze Dust-Cleansing (Proficient 60%)

Acid Corrosion Orb (Beginner 90%)]

[Magical Pet: Mutant Six-Eyed Crow · Baha (peak growth stage)]

[Special Status: Star Core initially formed (Morning Star), spiritual barrier on the verge of shattering]

[Talent: Efficient Scholar (Passive)]