"I still have 16,000 Merit Points left."

  Pierce thought for a moment and decided to exchange all his remaining Merit Points for the rare metals needed for Silver Star's evolution. In the end, he managed to purchase a total of eleven standard units of the metal alloy combinations.

  "Back to being flat broke again."

  Pierce sighed.

  After collecting his exchanged goods, he turned, left the Exchange, and returned to his stone house.

  Arriving at his usual meditation room, Pierce sat down cross-legged and chanted inwardly.

  Omniscient Eye, scan my current status.

  [Mental Energy: 90.37] [Physique: 80.99]

  "I'm only a little over five energy levels away."

  Pierce's eyes flickered. He took out a Purified Soul Crystal and examined it closely in the palm of his hand.

  The Soul Crystal was only about half the size of a pinky fingernail. It possessed an irregular crystalline shape, completely deep blue and crystal-clear like the finest grade of gemstone.

  In reality, its original form was indeed a gemstone.

  Soul Crystals were originally refined by using specific gemstones to absorb souls. Of course, the actual process was far more complex.

  Through physical contact, Pierce could clearly sense the calm yet massive energy contained within.

  He attempted to extend a tendril of mental power into the crystal. The moment he touched the energy, his mind jolted. It felt as soothing and luxurious as plunging one's hands into a hot spring in the dead of winter.

  After savoring the sensation for a moment, Pierce took out a Resonance Potion and drank it. Then, clutching the Purified Soul Crystal, he began his meditation.

  It wasn't until over two hours later that he opened his eyes, concluding his meditation. Summoning the Omniscient Eye, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that his mental energy had increased by 0.43 levels.

  The efficiency had more than doubled compared to before!

  One had to know that previously, using a Resonance Potion in conjunction with his Visualization Technique, his daily mental energy growth had already dropped to a meager 0.16 levels.

  "Those 12,000 Merit Points were absolutely worth it!"

  A smile crept onto Pierce's lips.

  "At this rate, I'll reach the critical threshold for a breakthrough in just thirteen days."

  Satisfied, he put away the Soul Crystal and took out something else.

  With a heavy thud, a massive chunk of blood-soaked permafrost abruptly appeared on the floor.

  Omniscient Eye, deduce the technique for creating a Bloodline Mark using the blood of the Silver Frost Calamity Wolf.

  [Task Created: Begin deduction of the Silver Frost Calamity Wolf Bloodline Mark technique. Estimated requirement: 4289 Mental Energy Levels.]

  "Over four thousand energy levels... That makes sense. It's the pure bloodline of an ancient creature, after all. The mental energy consumption to analyze it is bound to be high."

  "It'll take about forty days. But once I advance in a bit, the speed should increase."

  "Before that..."

  Pierce looked at another ongoing task.

  [Task 1: Optimize Alchemical Etchings. Estimated remaining requirement: 1581 Mental Energy Levels.]

  "Over fifteen hundred energy levels left. That should take another seventeen or eighteen days. It seems I won't be able to finish this until after I advance to a Rank 2 Wizard."

  Pierce shrugged, centered himself, and began practicing the Omniscient Breathing Technique.

  For the following period, Pierce threw himself entirely into his cultivation, just as he had done before the Great War broke out.

  Exactly as predicted, on the thirteenth day, his mental energy successfully reached 96 levels—the critical threshold required to condense his second Spirit Crystal.

  Inside the spacious room.

  Pierce sat on the floor, his gaze fixed on the two Energy-Absorbing Motherstones in his hands.

  From their appearance alone, they looked no different from ordinary rocks one might find by the side of the road.

  Yet, they were the most crucial auxiliary materials for advancing to a Rank 2 Wizard.

  "Time to break through."

  Reigning in his stray thoughts, Pierce calmed his mind and took a deep breath.

  Following his actions, the two Energy-Absorbing Motherstones in his palms suddenly disintegrated into countless specks of dust, like rocks that had weathered for eons. The dust trailed into his nose and vanished.

  At the exact same time, deep within Pierce's mind, a silver vortex resembling a swirling galaxy slowly manifested beside his first Spirit Crystal.

  Thin, wispy strands of mental power began to seep from the first Spirit Crystal. As if drawn by an invisible force, they drifted toward the silver vortex and gathered around it.

  As time passed, the mental power accumulating around the silver vortex grew denser, gradually forming a cocoon of light that slowly expanded.

  He didn't know how long had passed before a magnificent, multifaceted silver crystal slowly took shape, radiating a mesmerizingly beautiful light deep within his Sea of Consciousness.

  In the center of the room, Pierce abruptly opened his eyes, a look of profound joy flashing within them.

  "It's done!"

  "I am finally a Rank 2 Wizard!"

  The entire process went incredibly smoothly—far easier than when he condensed his first Spirit Crystal.

  Although the condensation process still placed a heavy burden on both the body and mind, Pierce's current Physique and mental strength were entirely incomparable to what they were back then.

  The burden that once required various precious auxiliary materials to endure, he could now withstand effortlessly.

  The true difficulty of advancing to a Rank 2 Wizard lay instead in the accumulation of mental energy and the gathering of breakthrough resources.

  Omniscient Eye, scan my current status.

  [Mental Energy: 128.00] [Physique: 88.46]

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  "Mental Energy increased by 32 levels, and Physique increased by 16 levels."

  A highly satisfied smile appeared on Pierce's face.

  As expected, every major breakthrough represented a massive leap in strength.

  The increase in mental energy and Physique was only one aspect.

  On the other hand, possessing a second Spirit Crystal meant his spellcasting speed and power would both see significant enhancements.

  Furthermore, the number of spells he could inscribe had instantly doubled.

  "I now have thirty-two new inscription slots. Perfect for inscribing 4th-Circle spells."

  "Next is to continue increasing my mental energy level."

  After advancing to a Rank 2 Wizard, the mental energy required to progress from the Gaseous Phase to the Liquid Phase far exceeded the requirements of the Rank 1 realm.

  To reach the critical threshold for the Liquid Phase, one's mental energy level needed to reach six times the total number of facets on their Spirit Crystals.

  For an ordinary Wizard, that was 72 energy levels.

  For those who practiced top-tier Advanced Meditation Techniques, like Yuna and Gwendolyn, it was 144 energy levels.

  But for Pierce, the requirement was a staggering 192 energy levels—nearly three times that of an ordinary Wizard.

  Recovering from his joy, Pierce drank a bottle of Resonance Potion and attempted to meditate.

  Sure enough, just as he had guessed, after advancing to a Rank 2 Wizard, the Resonance Potion essentially lost all effect.

  "It's mostly because I've consumed far too many of them," Pierce shook his head with a bitter smile.

  As far as he knew, many Rank 2 Wizards still used Resonance Potions to aid their meditation.

  Even a significant number of Rank 3 Wizards still found them somewhat effective.

  Cases like his, where the Resonance Potion lost almost all effect immediately after reaching Rank 2, were exceedingly rare.

  But then again, ordinary Wizards weren't as extravagant as he was, consuming a Resonance Potion almost every single time they meditated.

  With such high-frequency consumption, it was only natural to develop a strong resistance to the potion rapidly.

  "Fortunately, I still have the Purified Soul Crystals."

  Pierce took out a Purified Soul Crystal and began meditating.

  Once he reached his daily limit, he summoned the Omniscient Eye and found that his mental energy had increased by 0.34 levels.

  "Not bad. It didn't drop too much."

  Pierce nodded inwardly.

  The higher the mental energy level, the slower the growth; this was to be expected.

  To still have a daily increase of 0.34 levels was already a very impressive result.

  "The optimization of Alchemical Etchings requires just over three hundred more energy levels. With my current mental energy, it should be done in three days at most."

  "The Silver Frost Calamity Wolf Bloodline Mark still needs around three thousand energy levels. That'll take about twenty-four days."

  "I'll focus on learning spells for now."

  After advancing to a Rank 2 Wizard, Pierce suddenly found himself with a multitude of new tasks.

  For instance, learning 4th-Circle spells, optimizing them, and then inscribing them onto his Spirit Crystal.

  Fortunately, with his current mental strength, optimizing a 4th-Circle spell wouldn't consume too much energy, meaning it wouldn't significantly delay the Bloodline Mark task.

  Conversely, inscribing the spells would likely take quite a bit of time. Pierce estimated it would take at least a month.

  "Then there's the Alchemical Body. Once my Physique increases a bit more, I can begin the first refinement."

  This recent breakthrough had enhanced his Physique significantly.

  He estimated that it wouldn't be long before he broke through to the Tier 4 Legendary realm.

  By then, the subsequent surge in Physique should meet the harsh requirements for refining the Alchemical Body.

  The thought of being able to inscribe another Alchemical Etching soon brought a smile to Pierce's face.

  The sheer power of Alchemical Etchings had been thoroughly validated during the recent war.

  If not for the Body of Silver, Energy Forcefield, and Dimensional Blink, he never would have had the chance to obtain the blood of the Silver Frost Calamity Wolf.

  Adding just one more Alchemical Etching would provide an immediate, explosive boost to both his combat prowess and his survivability.

  Not to mention that in just three days, the optimization of Alchemical Etchings would be complete.

  By then, possessing the 'Overcharge' characteristic, the power and effects of his Alchemical Etchings would undoubtedly become even more apocalyptic.

  Pierce couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation.

  "I should head to the spell testing lab and test my new strength."

  Pierce was a man of action. He immediately left his room, exited the stone house, and hurried toward the Exchange.

  Renting a spell testing lab near the Exchange, he began testing the changes brought about by his advancement.

  First was spell power, which had increased by roughly 100% compared to before his breakthrough.

  This was especially noticeable with offensive spells.

  "Other Wizards don't have a mental energy level as high as mine. Their power increase is probably only around fifty or sixty percent," Pierce guessed inwardly.

  Even so, that level of enhancement was already incredible.

  Casting more powerful spells while consuming less mental energy—this alone was enough for a Rank 2 Wizard to utterly crush a Rank 1 Wizard.

  Once he mastered the pinnacle 4th-Circle spell, Lesser Globe of Invulnerability, the advantage of a Rank 2 Wizard over a Rank 1 Wizard would become even more absolute.

  "Next up, the Elemental Runes."

  With a single thought, dense clusters of Lightning Runes instantly materialized, scrambling to sink into his body.

  Because of the existence of the second Spirit Crystal, a Rank 2 Wizard possessed a much higher affinity for energy particles and could manipulate them with far greater precision.

  This was exceptionally beneficial for Elemental Runes.

  Coupled with his enhanced Physique, Pierce held very high expectations for his rune capacity.

  And reality did not disappoint him. It wasn't until he had applied 35 Lightning Runes that his body faintly registered a sense of saturation.

  "Excellent."

  Pierce revealed a highly satisfied smile.

  One had to know that previously, without fusing with Silver Star, he could only bear a maximum of 24 Lightning Runes.

  "Now, let's try it with Silver Star fusion."

  Silver Star had long since been upgraded by Pierce to the +18 level, massively boosting its bearing capacity.

  As the silver liquid rapidly coated his entire body, the number of Lightning Runes he could bear skyrocketed to 77.

  And this was merely his normal state. Pierce continued adding them, pushing the count all the way to 85 before his body finally reached its absolute limit.

  "Looking at it this way, if I activate the Body of Silver, my absolute limit will definitely exceed 150."

  Pierce rejoiced inwardly.

  Previously, in the same state, he could just barely break past a hundred. Now, his capacity had increased by over fifty percent.

  And that was just the increase in quantity; the increase in power was far beyond that.

  After all, both the growth in his mental energy level and the enhancement of his energy particle affinity led to a massive boost in the individual power of each Lightning Rune.

  Taking everything into account, the overall strength enhancement provided by the Lightning Runes had at least doubled.

  "I wonder if my current strength is enough to fight a Rank 3 Wizard?"

  For a moment, Pierce felt a strong urge to test his limits.

  "Even if relying solely on Lightning Runes and Silver Star isn't enough to fight a Rank 3 Wizard, adding the Alchemical Etchings should make it close."

  "Once the Alchemical Etching optimization is complete and they gain the 'Overcharge' trait, even against a Rank 3 Wizard, it's not like I wouldn't have a chance of winning!"

  It took a while for Pierce to recover from his joy and begin pondering his next steps.

  The war had reached a point where the dust had essentially settled; it no longer had much to do with Free Wizards.

  There was little point in remaining on the Planar Battlefield any longer. It was time to leave Red Maple City.

  "I wonder what the situation is like in the other war cities."

  If possible, Pierce naturally didn't want to just return to Aurora City.

  After all, whether it was inscribing new Alchemical Etchings or purchasing the metal alloy combinations needed for Silver Star's evolution, he required a massive amount of Merit Points.

  Furthermore, his upcoming progression through the Liquid and Crystalline Phases would require vast quantities of Faith Crystals.

  Only by remaining on the Planar Battlefield could he rapidly acquire sufficient resources.

  But this was assuming that the other war cities hadn't erupted into all-out war yet.

  Once an all-out war broke out, it meant there was no room for Free Wizards to operate.

  "I'll go ask Yuna."

  Pierce quickly formed a plan.

  If worst came to worst, he would just return to Aurora City. At most, he would brew more Resonance Potions to sell; he would eventually scrape together enough Magic Stones to buy the resources.

  Additionally, the matter of strengthening Mist Raven also needed to be put on the agenda.

  Thinking of this, Pierce willed it, and the black bracelet on his wrist instantly dissolved into mist, floating over to his shoulder. It coalesced into the form of Mist Raven, which gently pecked his cheek.

  Pierce smiled slightly and stroked Mist Raven's slightly cool feathers.

  Through their contract, he could feel that as he had broken through, Mist Raven's power had also experienced a certain degree of enhancement.

  Even its aura of death had grown slightly stronger.

  However, compared to the enhancement gained from devouring Nether Ravens, this passive boost was noticeably weaker.

  "Little guy, summon a Fog Crow."

  Mist Raven let out a caw and separated a wisp of black mist, which landed on the floor and solidified into a Fog Crow.

  Pierce cast the Summon Monster I spell, summoning a Dire Boarman whose strength bordered on the Tier 1 Legendary level, and set it to fight the Fog Crow.

  The final result left Pierce extremely satisfied. The Fog Crow killed the Dire Boarman, and it had clearly held the upper hand from start to finish.

  "The combat capability of a single Fog Crow has reached the Tier 1 Legendary level."

  "And within Mist Raven's body... there are over six thousand such Fog Crows."

  Over six thousand familiar derivatives at the Tier 1 Legendary level. This was enough to obliterate seven or eight Church Knight Legions in a head-on battle!

  At this point, Mist Raven could undeniably be called an army unto itself.

  "Try merging all the Fog Crows together."

  Pierce issued a new command.

  Mist Raven gave a human-like nod and flew to the center of the room. The next moment, its pitch-black body expanded as if inflated. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a majestic, colossal avian standing nearly two meters tall with a wingspan exceeding seven meters.