Chapter 117.
Soren felt the surge of magical power and eagerly activated the Eye of Magic, trying to observe himself and see how much his magical power had increased.
However, he did not expect that at the moment he activated the Eye of Magic, his heart tightened, and his whole body felt as if it were being burned by fire. His blood surged within him as if it were boiling, and Soren sensed a strong disturbance in the power within his bloodline, as if he was experiencing a second magical eruption in his life!
Sure enough, Soren let out a painful scream, and a powerful magical force erupted from his body. The magic formed invisible waves of vibration in the air, causing shocking cracks to appear on the ceiling and surrounding walls of the underground cave.
Seeing massive stones beginning to fall from the cave ceiling with rumbling sounds, Soren dared not linger and hurriedly ran out of the cave, not forgetting to use a summoning spell to take several hundred spider eggs from the depths of the cave into his suitcase space. After all, the eggs of eight-eyed spiders are Class A contraband, and each one can be sold for at least 100 gold galleons on the black market.
[Hundreds of eight-eyed spider eggs obtained!]
After escaping from the underground lair of the eight-eyed spiders, Soren summoned Dobby and used a Disillusionment Charm to return to his dormitory.
Exhausted, Soren lay on his bed, pondering the reason for his second magical eruption.
Perhaps this was the phenomenon of ancestral bloodline power re-emerging.
In modern times, the power within the bloodline has weakened significantly compared to the era of his ancestors a thousand years ago. Absorbing high-level energies like the "Source of Life" and "Crystal of Wisdom" might be the key to unlocking the bloodline power.
Soren couldn't help but feel a bit of anticipation for Gryffindor's treasure—Ravenclaw has the "Crystal of Wisdom," Hufflepuff has the "Source of Life," so what would Gryffindor have left behind?
It wasn't until half an hour later that the weakness caused by the magical eruption slowly faded.
Soren felt the various changes in his body brought about by the second magical eruption.
First, his body had become much stronger. When Soren clenched his fists, he could clearly feel the strength generated by the muscles in his arms, at least twice as strong as before.
The increase in strength was also one of the factors affecting the outcome of wizard duels. Not to mention greater resistance to disarming and repelling spells, it would at least enhance his explosive power when running and jumping.
Then, his magical level had also significantly increased, successfully reaching the level of an adult wizard, and even a bit beyond that. In another year, when Soren is in his fifth year, he would likely reach the level of a junior Auror.
In contrast, by that time, his peers like Harry and Ron would just be barely touching the threshold of upper-year student levels.
With their kind of strength, in the original story, Harry's reckless group was able to break into the Department of Mysteries and fight a group of Death Eaters in their fourth or fifth year without any casualties. Aside from the absurd luck that comes with being the protagonist, it was probably also because the Death Eaters showed some mercy.
Soren remembered that this topic was one of the heated discussions in the fan club in his previous life. In the original story, when his father Lucius issued orders, he indeed said, "Kill if necessary."
Combined with his understanding of his father in this life, the correct interpretation of that statement is not to commit meaningless killings, and only to kill when necessary, especially when the target is a minor. The Death Eaters may be evil, but they also have family and children, like Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe; they have love, and they are not Voldemort, for whom killing children would be crossing their last line.
And what happened? In the battle at the Department of Mysteries, Ron was hit by the "Laughing" spell, Ginny was hit by the Stunning Spell, and most astonishingly, Antonin Dolohov, who had the power to defeat Mad-Eye Moody and kill Lupin, chose to cast the "Tarantallegra" spell on Neville! That's a spell used by first-year Hogwarts students for pranks!
If the Death Eaters hadn't held back, he wouldn't believe it.
Back to Soren.
Even with his current level of magical power, Soren's strength had greatly increased—he already mastered many rare and bizarre attack methods, combined with precise tactical planning and keen adaptability in actual combat. When his magical power was still at the level of upper-year students, he could challenge adult wizards across levels; now, he had enough confidence to challenge wizards at the level of junior Aurors!
In addition, Soren could also feel that his body was filled with overflowing magical power, as if a full water pool had suddenly extended small streams in all directions, forming an intricate network of magical flow, as if the body had developed a new vascular network specifically for the magical streams to circulate freely throughout the body, nourishing every organ, every tissue, and even every cell.
Just as Soren was still feeling and observing the changes in his body, he suddenly felt a warmth at the back of his neck.
"Tsk tsk tsk..." The phantom of Aquila appeared, showing a complex expression in a humanized manner. "It seems I have followed an extraordinary master!"
"It seems I have slept too long and missed some interesting things... When did your magical power become active?" Aquila asked seriously.
"Active? Aquila, are you referring to the fact that magical power can circulate on its own? That has been a while," Soren knew this happened after he let go of the occlumency technique with Moray, and after he opened his defenses towards her, the magical power suddenly shed the dark energy, leading to this change. However, since it involved personal feelings, he found it a bit difficult to speak.
"Uh... I don't really know how to say it, it's just that for some reason... I suddenly decided to lift the occlumency technique, and then I found that the magical power suddenly changed. I still haven't figured out the underlying principle."
"Interesting." Aquila's gaze sparkled with an ambiguous light. "Even you don't know how you did it; I can only say your luck is astonishing. Do you know that what you have achieved is the realm that Ravenclaw pursued throughout her life, a realm that even the wise Ravenclaw never succeeded in advancing to..."
"Of course, Ravenclaw was also unfortunate; she spent too much time dealing with her bloodline curse..." Aquila said seriously: "According to Ravenclaw's theory, the benefits of magical activation are countless..."
"First, you must have already noticed that your magical power has become a bridge, linking your mind and soul together. This realm is called 'Unity of Spirit and Soul,' where the soul and mind can merge and nourish each other... It is precisely for this reason that it laid the foundation for your extraordinary encounter this time..."
"If it weren't for the fact that you have already stepped into the realm of magical activation and unity of spirit and soul, the inheritance of Lady Hufflepuff would at most only be able to transform your body, at best allowing you to master a new arcane knowledge or increase your total magical power... This might be an incredible encounter for others, but—compared to what you have gained, it is simply insignificant!"
"Do you know how lucky you are—" Aquila still found it hard to believe how Soren managed to achieve all this, as there were too many coincidences in the whole process, which seemed unbelievable luck to it!
"It is because the magical bridge in your body had already formed before you absorbed the 'Source of Life' left by lady Hufflepuff, so under the infusion of a large amount of magical power, the magic was forced into your body—meaning you have broken through the limits of the human body!" Aquila then asked, "Do you remember the third question of the eagle-shaped door ring?" Soren nodded.
He certainly remembered; that question was quite tricky, asking a young wizard, "What is the essence of life?" In the end, Soren answered, "Matter, spirit, and soul," and it was because of this that he was accepted as a candidate for inheriting the treasures of Ravenclaw.
Aquila fell into a brief memory, then showed an appreciative expression. "To be honest, your answer at that time indeed amazed me—matter, spirit, and soul; there is no better summary than this. Simply put, it is body, mind, and emotion; the three-in-one is life."
Aquila continued to explain: "In your case, after achieving unity of spirit and soul, your magical power has further advanced, linking the mind, soul, and body together. This situation conforms to the description of 'three-in-one.' Strictly speaking, you have touched upon the essence of life, and you could even say that you can no longer be considered a wizard but a brand new species."
What? Is it that impressive?
Soren listened in a daze; he didn't feel particularly special at all!
"Don't you believe it?" Aquila looked at Soren's expression and sneered, "Let me tell you, you just don't understand how to guide your magic—your magic may have been activated, but it's like a baby, still in the exploratory stage. As the vessel of that magic, if you learn to guide it, it will become your most terrifying weapon!"
Soren pondered for a moment and slowly spoke, "So, how do I guide it?"
Soren believed that Aquila understood; it was just waiting for him to ask for guidance. Otherwise, why would it say so much to him?
Aquila said, "You think you can get answers from me without giving anything in return? That's not going to work; you need to offer something in exchange!"
Soren pouted; he was just trying his luck to see if he could get something for free. Now that he understood the importance of guiding magic, with his knowledge of mental and soul magic, it was impossible for him not to figure it out on his own—he just needed to spend some time on it.
Soren sorted through the characteristics of the mind, soul, and magic in his mind.
The soul has fluctuations; under extreme emotions, such as deliberately committing evil murder, it can stimulate the fluctuations of the soul, causing it to split. The "Abattoir" soul chapter even points out a shortcut to enhance the soul—killing the one you love most.
As for magic itself, it is inert; only when casting spells can a wizard feel the flow of magic, and it flows in a fixed, one-way direction—from the hand into the wand, then through specific wand movements to convert the magic into spells.
Now Soren's magic had come to life.
This meant that magic could flow into any part of his body.
This meant that Soren could cast spells using any part of his body?
Soren imagined himself using his toes to grip the wand and wave it, and couldn't help but shudder; the image was simply unbearable!
Ah! No, wait!
Soren realized he had fallen into a logical fallacy; who said casting spells had to involve a wand!
Putting aside wandless magic for now, after all, the effects and power of wandless magic are far inferior to using a wand. Even someone as powerful as Dumbledore or Voldemort wouldn't dare to duel without a wand.
However, there are some spells that do not require a wand!
For example, Transfiguration!
Yes! That's it!
Soren's eyes sparkled with wisdom as he looked at Aquila, revealing a proud smile, "Aquila, I've figured it out!"
"Oh, really? Show me," Aquila said, somewhat skeptical. This kid's luck was already remarkable; if he had such insight, it would be incredible.
Aquila was created during the tenth century, a time of great heroes, and thus it had witnessed countless dazzling geniuses—Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Gryffindor, Nalida Valkanova, Merlin, Morgan le Fay—who among them was not extraordinarily talented?
However, Aquila was sure that none of the aforementioned individuals were as abnormal as this kid at the age of 14. This kid's strength was growing at an unnatural rate.
Soren closed his eyes, trying to cast Transfiguration on his own body in his mind—understanding the composition and transformation of matter, the flow and combination of magic, along with unwavering confidence and determination!
Magic flowed from the magic pool through his heart and brain, finally entering his body.
Magic slowly filled his body, but due to a lack of guidance, it couldn't be released. Soren felt every part of his body, every cell, filled with intense magical fluctuations, a vague sensation of swelling, even accompanied by a slight pain, like being cut by the edge of a piece of paper.
He took a deep breath and released the magic from his body!
He felt every part of his body, every cell, twisting and changing!
Soren's body suddenly grew taller, his hair turned deep black, his eyes became deep black as well, and his facial features and shape changed completely—this was the appearance of his past life, Carter!
Sure enough, Soren was right; he had mastered a new ability—Polyjuice Magic!
[Bloodline Secret of the Black Family—Polyjuice Magic Awakens!]
Aquila's beak dropped open, but it couldn't utter a single word—Soren not only truly comprehended how to guide magic but even grasped its practical application!