Wizard: Starting from the Skill Tree

Duke also saw all the places he had ever been to: Azure Vault City in the Oracle Plane, the Black Stone Plain Ruins in the Four Spirits Elemental Plane, and the Twisted Forest under the gray-white sky of the Nightmare Plane.

He saw even more places he had never set foot in: the Frost Giant Tower standing amidst the never-ending blizzards on the Far North Icefield, the lost ruins deep in the Southern Tropical Sea Region surrounded by coral and glowing jellyfish, and the Thunder Plains cloaked in eternal lightning at the edge of the Eastern Scavvy Continent.

Duke saw not only the places but also what was hidden behind the workings of all things.

Atmospheric circulation slowly moved between the ocean and continent, every shift in wind direction, every cloud formation, every raindrop, all were not merely the result of natural rules.

Beneath the surface of physical rules, he saw the true form of Wind Rules, countless pale cyan rule networks in the air weaving into a giant net that covered the entire Plane, with each vibration of the network affecting the direction of a strand of airflow.

Ocean tides rose and fell under the gravitational pull of the moon, but their rhythm is precise and stable because Water Rules constrain the movement trajectory of every drop, like an invisible hand subtly guiding the water cycle of the entire Plane.

Earth Vein Energy surged along the rock layers deep in the crust, starting from the World’s Navel, spreading along the networks of Earth Rules throughout the Plane, and each time it passed a vein, part of it was absorbed by the Elemental Crystal within, forming zones rich in Free Energy Particles around those veins.

Every stage of life’s journey from birth to death is silently driven by Life Rules, the moment spring grass breaks through the soil, the growth of tree rings, the regeneration of cells during wound healing, these are not random chemical processes but propelled by Life Rules according to a constant and ancient rhythm.

The operating rules and essence of all things are fully laid out before him at this moment.

Like a gigantic book that had been hovering above him suddenly flips open, every page filled with the ways rules operate.

The gaze focusing on him became clearer, as if all the rules of the Plane simultaneously affirmed his existence in that instant.

Having ascended to Level 3 at the World’s Navel, closest to the Plane Will, for one brief moment, the Plane Will cast its gaze upon Duke.

The birth of every Level 3 Mage signifies the addition of a node in the rule network of the Plane that can perceive, invoke, and even alter the rules to some extent.

Duke felt utterly transparent under that gaze; no secret could be obscured, the Plane Will’s gaze penetrated everything.

He couldn’t ascertain how long this feeling lasted, perhaps a very long time, or maybe it was just a fleeting moment.

...

As the last trace of Rule Power slowly withdrew from the Spiritual Sea, Duke opened his eyes.

Above was an artificial azure sky, with a few faint white clouds still drifting slowly at great heights.

The treetops on the distant hills gently swayed in the light breeze, the chirping of birds intermittently audible, sunlight spilled warmly and softly onto the grassy ground.

The environmental stabilization array of the ascension-dedicated site continued to accurately maintain every part of this space, as if the hellish dream-like storm moments ago had never occurred.

Yet Duke knew everything had changed.

He looked down at his hands.

The skin surface showed no change, but when he infused Spiritual Power into his palms, he saw a faint dark red halo seeping from beneath the skin, like flames flowing through his veins.

That was not Magic Power or a residual form of Elementalization, but rules.

The Fire Attribute rules had already integrated into his flesh, bones, and every corner of his Magic Circulation.

The Level 3 Body already far surpasses those of same-level mages, this Rule Baptism didn’t cause a qualitative leap in his physical attributes, but those subtle changes were more fundamental.

His body’s affinity for Fire Elemental Particles had elevated to a whole new level, from now on, any Fire Magic in his hands would be stronger, faster, and more efficient than those in the hands of ordinary Level 3 mages.

Duke submerged his consciousness into the Spiritual Sea, the Six-Element Compound Spiritual Crystal had expanded by a whole circle compared to before ascension, and the dark red rule traces on its surface fully penetrated into the crystal’s core, no longer merely an external mark but an intrinsic structure fused with the crystal itself.

The crystal rotated slowly in the Spiritual Sea, each rotation stirred a ripple of dark red in the surrounding Spiritual Power tides, that was Rule Power naturally overflowing at the Spiritual Power level.

Duke then glanced at the post-ascension attributes.

[Constitution: 343.3->367.9]

[Power: 350.2->382]

[Agility: 351.1->373.1]

[Spirit: 520.1->627]

[Free Attribute Points: 0]

He could clearly perceive the growth in Spiritual Power total, advancing from five hundred and twenty points before the ascension to six hundred and twenty-seven points now.

A single leap exceeding a hundred points, this increase far surpasses the average for ordinary Level 2 mages when ascending to Level 3.

An ordinary Level 2 Peak Mage’s Spiritual Power is around 512 points, typically reaching between five hundred and six hundred upon ascending to Level 3, with increases generally not exceeding a hundred points.

Yet his leap from five hundred and twenty to six hundred and twenty-seven, a net increase of over a hundred points, not only has a higher base, but the growth ratio vastly exceeds normal standards.

This is likely the enhancement effect brought by the Six-Element Compound Spiritual Crystal.

Mages with single-element affinity open only one rule pathway during ascension, whereas his Spiritual Power Crystal is of a six-element compound structure; the impact of Flame Rules triggered a chain reaction within the crystal, the other five-element affinity attributes, although not activated for complete rule perception, resonated within the crystal amplifying the effects of Rule Baptism, granting additional refinement to Spiritual Power in the baptism.

Moreover, each of his physical attributes showed no significant increases, which was expected.

Prior to ascension, he had already cultivated the Elemental Holy Body, with body strength already reaching the level of Level 3 Life.

The refining effect of Rule Baptism on the body of someone already possessing Level 3 Body won’t yield a significant enhancement indeed.

It’s like steel already refined, undergoing the same refining process again will improve quality slightly but won’t result in a qualitative leap.

The real qualitative change lies at the rule level.

Duke shifted his attention from the attribute panel to the Skill Tree.

That Skill Tree rooted deeply within his consciousness, before he ascended to Level 3, its crown was laden with various skills, magic, Meditation Techniques, Combat Techniques, Magic Potion Recipes, each leaf corresponding to a skill he once cultivated.

But those skills, regardless of their level or power, are essentially techniques, ways to utilize existing power, ways to manipulate Magic Power, Spiritual Power, and Elemental Particles.

At this moment, at the very top of the Skill Tree crown, above the densely packed skill leaves, a brand new branch was sprouting.

It was fiery red, an extremely pure and intense fiery red, like a crystal condensed with the purest Fire Rules.

This branch bifurcates from the very top of the Skill Tree’s trunk, higher and sturdier than any other branch.

The surface of the branch isn’t smooth, but covered in intricate, slowly flowing dark red traces; every trace aligns perfectly with the Flame Rules network Duke witnessed during the Rule Baptism.

[Fire Rules: LV1 (1/10000)]

In the Skill Tree, regular skills typically require only a few hundred points of proficiency to advance from Level 1 to full level, even the top-tier Meditation Techniques or Forbidden Magic won’t demand more than several thousand points.

However, reaching the first level of Fire Rules demands ten thousand points, implying that the elevation of Rule Power is far more difficult compared to conventional skills.

Only the Elemental Holy Body requires more proficiency than this, but keep in mind that each level it ascends enhances the life level of the body by a full tier, which isn’t the same concept.

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