Chapter 491 - 358: The Star Mage’s Path Forward

Chapter 491: Chapter 358: The Star Mage’s Path Forward

A moment later, Isaac stood beside the stone pillar, a pensive expression on his face. Sure enough, the data the two of them had collected had some discrepancies. It wasn’t a major issue, though. They were both High-level Mages, after all, so the deviations weren’t numerous.

Besides, he had been remotely managing the entire experimental process, so there wasn’t much that needed to be changed. After a moment of thought, the revised plan materialized in his mind.

CLAP CLAP. Clapping his hands, Isaac looked at the ten people and said, "It’s close enough. Prepare to begin the experiment."

At his words, the group’s expressions turned solemn. Everyone here obviously had some understanding of Isaac’s research. By now, they understood that his work wasn’t about developing exclusive Magic for Star Mages or studying the great Shadow of the Star God or anything of that sort.

Its most fundamental purpose was to perfect the path of the Star Mage and grant them true Casting Ability!

This might be their key to breaking through to Tier Four!

Of course, besides this ultimate goal, once the path of the Star Mage was perfected, breaking through to Tier Two or Tier Three would become much easier than it was now. That was what they truly sought.

Excessively distant goals tend to be daunting, but for many people here, Tier Two and Tier Three seemed to be just within reach.

However, they had assumed Isaac would want to familiarize himself with the situation here first, waiting at least two or three days before beginning the experiment proper. They never expected him to start so quickly...

At this thought, they all felt a little apprehensive. They had no idea what Isaac was truly capable of. ’Is this confidence, or arrogance?’

But their apprehension didn’t affect the experiment’s progress. Soon, Isaac walked into a sealed room. A bed was placed in the center, and from it, dense Magic Texts spiraled outward in concentric circles. The entire formation was enclosed by a Hexagram at its outermost layer.

Different objects were placed at each of the Hexagram’s six points: a pitch-black finger, an ironstone gleaming with cold light, a bloody heart, and even a Demonic Puppet Core in one corner. The materials were wildly varied.

The entire ritual looked extremely eerie, even by the standards of a Legendary Mage’s rituals. The materials used to construct it were far too diverse, meaning the extracted Concept would be incredibly discordant. A single misstep could create a misshapen monstrosity!

If anyone other than Isaac had created this ritual, they would never believe it could possibly succeed.

Of course, the Wizards from the Real World didn’t quite believe in this contraption either. The ritual was simply too bizarre. They would only trust it if a knowledgeable and reputable expert vouched for it.

Unfortunately, Isaac only fit the first half of that description. An experiment conducted by a madman like him...

...it felt like the outcome would be just as unhinged as he was.

The few from the Real World exchanged glances, each seeing the worry in the other’s eyes. But worry was just worry; they made no move. What could they do? Isaac was the one with the power.

Besides, his people had built this entire laboratory. As mere assistants, what right did they have to voice an opinion?

Meanwhile, Isaac, inside the room, paid no mind to the others’ thoughts. After checking the ritual one more time, he waved his hand, gesturing for a Tier One Star Mage to lie down in the middle of the ritual.

The first to step forward was a young man with black hair and golden eyes. He wore a white robe and lay on the bed with an air of grim resignation, his shoulder-length hair fanning out around him in disarray.

"Calm your mind, then visualize the Shadow of the Star God." After giving this simple instruction, Isaac stepped outside the ritual circle and waited quietly.

Although the young man’s emotions were in turmoil, he was a proper Star Mage. Visualizing the Shadow of the Star God had practically become instinct for him. A moment later, under the influence of the Ritual Array, the Shadow of the Star God—which should have only existed in his mind—materialized in the room!

A headless Existence with six wings sprouting from its back, hands like a bird’s talons, and a fish-like lower body floated silently above the young man. Its upper body possessed remarkably imposing features. Specks of light coalesced from the Void, then sank into the young man’s body.

This was the Shadow of the Star God—or rather, the Shadow of the Star God that was unique to this young man!

That’s right. The Shadow of the Star God each person visualized was different, even for Star Mages practicing the same Meditation Skill. A Star Mage’s Cultivation path was a process of continuously perfecting and enhancing their Shadow of the Star God.

Isaac believed this might be the fundamental reason why, despite their power clearly originating from a Star God, they were not influenced by that Star God’s power.

It was also based on this realization that Isaac had initially planned to end the battle quickly. Things were different from what he had anticipated; he originally thought this world’s unique Extraordinary Power came from a fallen Star God.

This wasn’t an impossibility. The origins of the Extraordinary in many Little Worlds stemmed from such an event, especially for Caster-type Extraordinary Powers.

But judging from the Star Mages’ power system, it was clearly not the result of being influenced by a single Star God. Instead, using this world’s unique rules, they had developed a Meditation Skill capable of absorbing a Star God’s Divine Power and molding it into their own desired form.

This was also why Isaac believed the key for a Star Mage to advance further lay in fusing with their Shadow of the Star God.

Therefore, when compared to the developmental path of Wizards from the Real World, this was the logical next step. As the saying goes: good artists copy, great artists steal.