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, the trace of Starforce drawn from the Morning Star seemed to be pulled across the void before suddenly descending.

Boom!

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

Though the Starforce appeared weak, its essence was incomparably vast and domineering, completely unlike 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 agony surged through it.

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

Luo Lin let out a muffled groan, his face instantly turning pale.

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

At the same time, he frantically circulated the Perfect Meditation Method, using his strongest control to forcibly restrain and reconcile his own spiritual power with that wisp of foreign Starforce, trying to fuse them together.

It was like steering a small boat through raging winds and towering waves. One careless mistake would mean both boat and man destroyed.

The tyranny of the Starforce far exceeded his expectations. It constantly struck and tore apart the structure of his spiritual power, attempting to assimilate or annihilate it.

Luo Lin guarded his mind tightly, locking his will firmly onto the visualized Morning Star diagram and using it as an anchor to guide the flow of Starforce.

Supported by the Perfect Meditation Method, his spiritual power displayed astonishing resilience.

Though it was constantly torn apart and depleted, it stubbornly reformed, wrapping around that wisp of Starforce like a craftsman forging a piece of stubborn iron.

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

However, the consumption of Starforce far exceeded its replenishment. Luo Lin felt his spiritual power draining rapidly, while the embryonic Star Core remained vague and uncertain, as though it could disperse at any moment.

I cannot fail!

A ruthless 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 pure, vast, yet relatively gentle current of water elemental energy surged into his body, nourishing his nearly dried-up spiritual power and injured Mental Sea like sweet rain.

The Mind-Calming Crystal, meanwhile, emitted an icy, stabilizing aura that helped him better control the restless Starforce.

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

Seizing the opportunity, he used even stronger control to ruthlessly compress and fuse his spiritual power with that wisp of Starforce!

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

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

Success! The Star Core had initially condensed!

At the instant the Star Core took shape, Luo Lin felt his entire Mental Sea shudder violently.

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

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

The solid barrier that had long obstructed his life's evolution also began to fluctuate violently beneath the illumination of that starlight, developing fine, spiderweb-like cracks.

Even more wondrously, 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 established a mysterious and faint connection with the Morning Star in the unseen distance, as though he could vaguely sense its eternal rhythm of motion.

He slowly opened his eyes. A cold glimmer of starlight seemed to flash through the depths of his pupils before vanishing.

Though his face remained pale and his aura somewhat weak, his entire temperament had undergone a subtle transformation, gaining a sense of depth and composure.

He had succeeded!

Though he had only initially condensed the Star Core and lit the first speck of starlight, without even fully breaking through that barrier, he had truly set foot on 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. Clearly, both had been greatly depleted in the process just now. But he felt it was worth it.

Baha on his shoulder let out a cheerful cry. 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 within his Mental Sea and the cracked, teetering barrier, his heart filled with exhilaration.

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

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

He closed his eyes again 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 full well that this was merely the first step of a journey of ten thousand miles.

The Star Core was still unstable, his connection with the Morning Star remained extremely weak, and although the barrier leading to Official Wizard was covered in cracks, it still stubbornly remained.

He did not rush for success. Instead, he first spent several days consolidating this hard-won achievement with all his strength.

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

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

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

The powerful control granted by the Perfect Meditation Method played a crucial role at this moment.

He could precisely regulate the speed and amount of Starforce drawn in, preventing any burden from falling on the not-yet-fully-stabilized Star Core. He could also efficiently transform Starforce into the foundation of his own spiritual power.

He did not use the mostly 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 guarded him day and night. It could sense Luo Lin's aura becoming increasingly profound by the day. Though that cold speck of starlight was not dazzling, it carried a constant and vast quality that benefited it greatly as well. Through their contract link, the Dark Insight it fed back seemed to gain a trace of Starforce's characteristics, becoming purer and sharper.

During this period, 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 with the Morning Star had become slightly clearer.

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

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

It is time!

Luo Lin adjusted himself to his absolute peak state.

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

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

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

He summoned the pale-blue panel once more 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:

Constitution: 6.9 (↑)

Spirit: 35.5 (being enhanced by Starforce 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 (Dawnstar), mental barrier on the verge of shattering]

[Talent: Efficient Scholar (Passive)]