The information confirmed what the Shapeshifter had said.
Only one final step remained before the Shapeshifter Skin could evolve into a true "Glorious Legacy" and gain the complete isolation ability that was essential to Robb's plan.
"Pure Soulforce, what exactly does that mean?" Robb probed further. "Is there a specific source or method to obtain it?"
"The souls of extraordinary beings," the Shapeshifter replied. "Especially those with rare bloodlines or innate talents. The rarer the bloodline, the purer the Soulforce. And the energy must be extracted at the moment of death, otherwise, it dissipates rapidly."
Robb fell into deep thought.
Soulforce from extraordinary beings wasn't easy to obtain, especially under the Academy's strict regulations.
But at the Blood Arena...
"I understand," Robb finally nodded. "You may rest."
The Shapeshifter's form melted away and reattached to Robb's skin, returning to its dormant state.
Robb returned to his workstation, opened a fresh notebook to jot down key data, and simultaneously began recording today's discoveries and thoughts in his Mental Library.
His plan was becoming more concrete:
First, he needed to continue refining the isolation layer technology and test its application on soulsteel to prepare for future magic weapon forging.
Second, he had to find a method to obtain pure Soulforce and help the Shapeshifter complete its final evolution from a Rare Relic to a Glorious Legacy.
Lastly, he needed to consider the potential negative consequences of soul fragmentation, and how to safely handle the separated soul shard.
"Blood Arena…" Robb muttered, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.
The arena might not only provide an opportunity to harvest Soulforce, but the champion's reward, the legendary Substitute Puppet, could also be the key to solving the problem of soul shard containment.
He recalled what he had learned from the slave merchant:
The Substitute Puppet could house the user's consciousness, creating a near-perfect "replica" of the original that remained unaffected by the host's physical harm.
"If I could place the separated soul shard inside the Substitute Puppet…"
Robb considered this possibility. "Perhaps I could avoid direct soul damage and gain more flexibility."
But all of this rested on several bold assumptions:
Could the Shapeshifter's Skin successfully evolve?
Could the isolation layer technology be applied to a magic sword?
Was the Substitute Puppet truly as powerful as the rumors claimed?
"I need more experiments and verification," Robb reminded himself, keeping his usual calm and rational mindset.
He walked to the window and stared at the gradually brightening sky, his mind racing.
Power was a tool, not the goal.
The pursuit was about mastering power, not becoming its servant.
With that mentality, Robb returned to his workstation and resumed his experiments.
The soulsteel gleamed coldly under the light, as if whispering ancient secrets.
He stood at the bench, glancing over at the crystal that had successfully been inscribed with the complete isolation rune system. A sense of accomplishment surged within him.
That crystal could simultaneously contain three distinct energy fields, keeping them completely isolated from one another, and it could maintain the effect for up to a week.
Over the past several weeks, he had poured countless hours into testing isolation layers and applying practical knowledge from his alchemy courses.
And it was this focused research that finally brought him a reward:
[Basic Alchemy (Novice) EXP +1]
[Breakthrough! Basic Alchemy (Novice 50/50) → Basic Alchemy (Adept 1/100)]
[New Trait Gained: Inspiration (Enhances creativity when designing alchemical items)]
Robb froze for a moment, then felt a surge of fresh vitality in his mind.
His breakthrough to the Adept level in Basic Alchemy marked a new understanding.
Of course, given his current level, simply reaching "proficient" no longer brought overwhelming excitement.
"Inspiration…" Robb looked at the name of the new trait, and suddenly it felt like sparks of insight were blooming in his mind.
Progress had been slow in recent weeks with the isolation layer, but now he began to see more possibilities.
Designs formed naturally in his mind, like someone was whispering blueprints in his ear.
Looking back, this breakthrough was no accident.
Since beginning his research into isolation layers, every failure had brought a new lesson.
He had tried dozens of rune combinations and materials, endured countless setbacks,
Overheated metals, brittle materials, unstable energy fields… Each failure had something to teach.
Robb stared at the densely recorded data in his notebook. His understanding of alchemy had shifted from textbook theory to genuine internalization.
This progress extended to his other disciplines as well, potion research, spellcasting, all saw improvements.
More surprisingly, the "Inspiration" trait didn't just spark new ideas. It offered a new perspective.
He began to see the subtle balances of energy flow inside alchemical objects, the resonance and rejection between different materials.
Opening his panel to check his alchemist class progression, Robb shook his head and smiled:
[Class Advancement Info Unlocked: Alchemist (2-Star)]
[Requirements to Advance:]
Basic Alchemy at Adept level √
Alchemy at Mastery level
Magical Perception at Adept level √
Independently craft at least three different basic alchemical items √
Successfully improve at least one existing alchemical blueprint
He had already found time to refine three different types of energy crystals, providing his workshop with a more stable and efficient power source, meeting the requirement for three basic items.
"Only two tasks left." Robb refocused on his experiments: "With the help of the Inspiration trait, completing the remaining goals should be much easier."
Now with high-level alchemy skills and the Inspiration trait, his research into isolation layers had made a breakthrough.
Processes that once relied on repeated trial-and-error became intuitive, he could now predict the likely outcome of a rune combination without always needing to test it.
The road to becoming a true alchemist was finally clear, and this was only the first step of his Furnace Concept.
"There's still enough time," he calculated.
Because of the Oliver incident, the Blood Arena had been postponed by about a month and a half, enough time to prepare.
In that time, he needed to push his alchemy skills even further, laying the foundation for forging the magic sword.
He also had to train Daera, ensuring she would stand out in the arena battles.
With that thought, Robb took a deep breath and returned to his delicate work.
Outside the window, daylight had fully arrived. A new day had begun...
Oliver leaned against a cold rock wall, his breath weak.
His eyes still held a disturbing clarity, rationality that did not match his grotesquely mutated body.
What was once a strong physique was now gaunt like a dried corpse. His skin was a pale, unnatural gray, with sunken eyes and prominent cheekbones.
His once-handsome face was now unrecognizable. The right side was especially distorted, with black fluid seeping from his pores, reeking of decay.
Most disturbing were his eyes, no longer eyes at all, but two thin tendrils hanging from his face like dying snakes, occasionally twitching.
"My… lovely… little Oliver…"
Cynthia's voice echoed from deep within the cave, sticky and twisted.
"You're not dead yet, are you?"
Oliver weakly turned his head toward the once-beautiful woman.
Cynthia's lower body had swelled to triple its size, coated in thick mucus. Countless tendrils extended from her in all directions, some as thin as hair, others as thick as arms.
Her face still held a human-like beauty, but tiny compound eyes had grown around her eyes, and her mouth had split into a grotesque maw like something from ancient myths.
"Why haven't you drained me completely?" Oliver croaked, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
Cynthia moved with an eerie grace despite her alien form, her tendrils weaving elegant arcs in the air like choreographed dance.
Her mucus-covered skin shimmered with a pearlescent glow, glinting seductively in the cave's dim light.
Her voice was like honey: "Did you think I was mindlessly draining you?"
A thick tendril gently caressed Oliver's cracked lips, secreting a viscous fluid.
The moment it touched his skin, it was greedily absorbed.
His eye-tendrils lifted slightly, signs of a faint vitality.
"Don't look at me like that, darling."
Cynthia's tone turned soft: "I just need energy, this new body needs massive nourishment to stabilize."
"And I'm helping you, actually." She giggled: "Your mental corruption had reached a critical point. Left unchecked, you'd already be a mindless beast."
Oliver paused, recalling when he first encountered those fully awakened comrades in the cave.
They had lost all reason, only primal urges remained.
"It was me," Cynthia said proudly, lifting her head with pride: "I regularly drain your excess corruption to keep you balanced, between sanity and madness."
Her tendrils wrapped closer around Oliver, her tone alluring and gentle: "This benefits both of us, doesn't it? You stay conscious, and I…"
Cynthia's grotesque form unfurled in the darkness, a strange but undeniable beauty.
"I become even more perfect."
Oliver stared in shock, slowly grasping the truth.
Cynthia had mutated into a monster, but not a mindless one.
She had found a way to direct her mutation toward a twisted evolution, rather than chaotic degeneration.
"How did you do it?" Oliver asked.
Her compound eyes shimmered: "Dear Oliver, that's my secret. Maybe I'll tell you someday, if you're obedient enough."
Her tendrils secreted more energy fluid, nourishing him while deepening their symbiotic bond.
Oliver could feel it clearly, every time Cynthia drew energy from him, she returned a portion of refined energy.
This cycle didn't just keep him alive, it kept his mind intact.
Her tendrils lifted him gently.
"And I haven't abandoned you, have I? Everyone else ran like cowards."
Indeed, the cave was now empty.
Just before dawn, the middle-aged man who claimed to represent the Abyssal Eye had suddenly turned pale and announced the cleansing force was coming.
He vanished through a secret exit without even alerting the others.
The awakened members scattered in panic, none willing to help the drained Oliver.
Only Cynthia, whether out of twisted affection or energy addiction, chose to escape with him.
Just then, they both sensed a terrifying surge of magic power in the distance.
"It's time," Cynthia's tone turned grave: "We have to leave…"
"The others panic and flee, not realizing all exits have long been sealed…"
She sneered, and her lower body swelled, encasing Oliver entirely.
Her tendrils, now filled with energy, spun rapidly like a biological drill, digging deep underground.
"They're coming," Cynthia's voice echoed from all directions, tinged with fear:
"That overwhelming mana pressure… It's Vice-Chancellor Hayes."
High above the edge of the forest, Hayes hovered, his violet robe billowing in the wind.
His expression was calm, but his gaze held a terrifying power like thunder trapped behind still water.
As this Radiant Moon Magus looked down, the entire forest seemed to shudder under his presence.
"Are preparations complete?" he asked.
His voice wasn't loud, but it cut through hundreds of meters of space, clearly reaching every enforcer.
"Yes, Vice-Chancellor."
The enforcer captain stood reverently, head bowed, not daring to meet Hayes's eyes: "All escape routes have been blocked. The sealing formation is in place."
Hayes nodded coldly, not even glancing at the captain.
To him, these enforcers were no different from ordinary apprentices, mere cogs in the machine.
"Begin."
The Radiant Moon Magus raised his right hand and drew a clean, violet arc through the air.
He took a deep breath, preparing for a super-magic casting.
Just the preparation distorted the surrounding air. Trees swayed despite no wind, as if saluting the mighty presence.
No chant, just a flick of his finger, and the formation rapidly expanded, visible to the naked eye. Energy ripples filled the air.
Intricate spell matrices glowed, composed of countless nested components arranged with microscopic precision.
Hayes's expression remained composed, as if crafting such a massive structure were effortless.
The enforcers looked up in awe. Some were so overwhelmed by the sight they stood frozen.
High-density energy flowed from Hayes's fingertip like a river, feeding the growing structure, which glowed ever brighter.
The array in the sky began to spin, emitting a piercing hum.
"High Magic: Multi-Layer Diffraction!"
With a burst of power, a massive dark purple beam erupted from the formation, hundreds of meters in diameter, blasting straight toward the underground cave.
The beam ionized the air, surrounding itself with lightning webs.
The ground quaked violently. Trees, rocks, soil, even water vapor, were instantly vaporized or broken down.
All life within several miles was turned to ash. Nothing could survive the strike.
The earth melted into a vast crater of glassy rock, its edges smoking gray.
Through it all, Hayes's expression stayed calm.
Even as the beam roared down, he leisurely smoothed a wrinkle from his robe.
For this Radiant Moon Magus, such devastating magic was just a casual demonstration.
When the beam faded, he slowly descended to the crater's edge, surveying the scorched wasteland.
"Continue the search. Confirm no one escaped."
His tone was flat: "I've cleaned the rat's nest. The rest is up to you."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and vanished into thin air.
All that remained was the ruined earth, a silent testament to the terrifying power of a Radiant Moon Magus.
At the same time, from the top floor of the Black Mist Academy's workshop, Robb watched that sky-piercing light pillar with waves crashing in his heart.
Even from this distance, the destructive waves of magic power were crystal clear.
The entire forest held its breath, all life cowering instinctively in fear.
"So this is the power of a Radiant Moon Magus…" Robb whispered, his eyes full of longing.
There might be a gap between him and lower apprentices, but that was like shrimp to a crab.
Between them and a Radiant Moon Magus? That was like shrimp to a blue whale.
He couldn't look away, his thoughts tumbling.
If a Radiant Moon Magus like Hayes could casually destroy miles of land… what about the even more powerful Breaking Dawn Magus?
And what of the legendary Grand Overlords and Primordial Sages?
Footsteps behind him. Layla approached, staring at the now-calm sky.
"Teacher, that was…"
"Vice-Chancellor Hayes' purge," Robb explained simply. "Looks like the Abyssal Eye hideout has been destroyed."
Layla trembled slightly. "That kind of power… It's unbelievable."
"Yes. Unbelievable." Robb turned to her, a hint of a smile in his eyes: "But it reminds me, we've got a long road ahead, and a lot left to learn."
Layla seemed to sense the conviction in his words and nodded solemnly. "Yes, Teacher."
Back inside the workshop, Robb glanced once more at the distant sky, his mind adrift.
This purge would undoubtedly shift the balance in the Black Mist Forest.
Where would the surviving members of the Abyssal Eye flee?
Were Oliver and Cynthia among them?
And the power displayed by Vice-Chancellor Hayes, what did it signify in the grand hierarchy?
In this infinite chain of worlds, was a Radiant Moon Magus truly a force to be reckoned with?
These questions flickered through Robb's mind like stars, but he knew he wasn't ready to seek their answers.
What he had to do was sharpen every skill, increase every attribute,
Until one day, he could stand at that ultimate height and gaze down upon all.
"Per aspera ad astra (Through hardship, to the stars)."
That ancient motto was engraved on the stone tablet in the Order's central hall. Its origin long lost, but its meaning remained profound.
Many had tried to interpret it. Robb had his own understanding:
"No matter how small you are, the path to the stars has an end."
With that, he reined in his scattered thoughts and returned to work.