Puff!
Uncle Panson held the syringe and stabbed Allen's arm.
His strong muscles instinctively tensed, bending the needle.
The injection was finally completed before the needle broke.
Alan breathed a sigh of relief.
Every time he injected the awakening potion, he couldn't help but feel nervous.
As a rule, disciples of Panson's martial arts school who reached the first level before the age of sixteen were rewarded with a "Bloodline Awakening Potion."
After the injection, there was a high probability of awakening the first-level spell "Giant Transformation."
However, Allen had already spontaneously awakened "Giant Transformation."
Instructor Panson, who had a special fondness for him, specially replaced it with a treasured high-end Bloodline Awakening Potion and injected it into him.
This potion was even more potent than "Giant Transformation"!
If everything went well and there was no bloodline rejection reaction,
Within three days, Allen will awaken the 1st-level spell "Thunder Wave"!
...
Thunder Wave: Consumes 4 mana points to instantly unleash a shockwave, accompanied by a deafening roar that spreads out to a 5-meter radius, dealing sonic damage to targets within this radius.
Anyone who loses their balance will be knocked to the ground by the "Thunder Wave."
Glass, crystal, ceramics, minerals, and fragile crystals take double damage!
...
Generally speaking, only warlocks with wind, lightning, or sonic bloodlines can awaken "Thunder Wave."
Alan lacks these bloodlines, so to awaken "Thunder Wave," he must rely on external aids.
This is precisely the value of this bloodline awakening potion!
Alan was deeply grateful for this.
"Teacher, thank you..."
Pantheon waved his hand, signaling him to cut the politeness short.
"Alan! You've been at the martial arts gym for over half a year."
"You've been practicing diligently and making great progress."
"But!"
Pansen changed the subject, his expression becoming exceedingly serious.
"Don't think you're qualified to compete with those children from wealthy families!"
"Teacher, I know what's going on," Alan said obediently. "Others are more talented, have more resources, and work harder than me. There's no reason I should surpass them."
"Kid, you have a good attitude, but I have to say, your thinking... is still too one-sided!"
Pansen shook his head and smiled bitterly.
"Besides talent, resources, and hard work, there's something else that's equally important!"
"Teacher, what are you referring to?"
"Opportunity!"
"Opportunity..." Alan frowned, pondering.
"Many times, in this world, things are 30% determined by hard work, and 70% by fate."
Pan Sen sighed.
"That 70% determined by fate refers to opportunity!"
"But then again, opportunity often comes with risk."
"How can you possibly fish for chestnuts from the fire without getting burned?"
"Alan! Right now, there's such an opportunity, right before us."
"It's a good opportunity, but it also carries great risks."
"As your teacher, I've always been responsible and unwilling to take risks."
"But this time, for your future, I want to seize this opportunity and give you the chance to enter the secret realm for cultivation!"
"Alan, now it's up to you!"
"If you're not afraid of risk and are willing to take a chance, I'll recommend you to Vice Dean Ganesa for a special mission."
"Complete the mission, and you'll receive this opportunity—a precious spot in the secret realm for cultivation!"
"Teacher, what is a secret realm?" Alan asked curiously.
"A secret realm is a hidden place that ordinary people cannot enter. It is home to many exotic flowers and plants, magical stone veins, and also to ferocious demons and monsters."
Pantheon explained patiently.
"The secret realms that have been discovered can be roughly divided into two types."
"The first type is called 'space secret realms'. They are located in a different spatial dimension from the world we live in."
"They may be hidden in a demiplane."
"Or they may be a different plane themselves, such as the Feywild, the Abyss, or the Hell where demons are born."
"To enter a space secret realm, you must find a special teleportation channel or use teleportation magic."
"Our Warlock Academy currently has a number of space anchor points."
"Use these anchor points to directly enter the corresponding space secret realm."
"Most space secret realms have unique ecological environments."
"You can collect resources that aid your cultivation, or simply plant and raise exotic flowers and animals that cannot grow in the warlock world and harvest them regularly."
"Those are generally the uses of space secret realms."
Pantheon took a sip of tea to moisten his throat.
"The Secret Realm of Time I'm about to talk about next is both more important and more complex!"
Alan nodded, listening intently.
"A Secret Realm of Time, as the name suggests, is a place where time flows at a different rate than in the normal world!"
"There are two types of Secret Realms of Time."
"In the first, if you spend a day in it, many days, or even years, have passed in the real world."
"So when you emerge from the Secret Realm, you remain unchanged, while the world outside is transformed beyond all recognition."
"The friends you played with are now either white-haired old men or buried in graves, while you remain youthful..."
"This is the first type of Secret Realm of Time."
"They're usually used to house the terminally ill, giving them more time to seek treatment, or to shelter them from natural disasters in the real world."
Pantheon continued.
"The second kind of time secret realm is the exact opposite of the first."
"You spent a full year in the secret realm, while in the outside world, only a month, or even just a few days, might have passed!"
"Alan, I'm sure you've guessed it."
"This kind of secret realm is absolutely a sacred place for cultivation!"
At this point, Pantheon couldn't help but get excited.
"The biggest worry for a sorcerer's training is a lack of time."
"Whether genius or loser, whether from an aristocratic family or a commoner, everyone has only 24 hours a day. Absolute fairness!"
"But with the second kind of time secret realm, that fairness no longer exists!"
"You entered the time secret realm, utilizing its special time laws to cultivate for several years, greatly increasing your power. Then, upon exiting, you discovered that only a year had passed in real time. Of course, others haven't made as much progress as you! Doesn't that mean you've surpassed your competitors?"
"Teacher, I understand your point, but..."
Alan frowned, a look of doubt on his face.
"For example, I'm fourteen now. I've been cultivating in the Secret Realm of Time for ten years, but only one year has passed in the outside world."
"When I emerge from the realm and return to the real world, will my physical age, and the way I appear to others, be that of a twenty-four-year-old youth or a fifteen-year-old?"
"The answer, of course... twenty-four!"
Pansen confessed frankly.
"That's the only flaw of the Secret Realm of Time."
"The higher the time flow multiplier in the realm, the greater the loss of lifespan."
"It's even possible to enter the realm as a teenager, and after a period of cultivation, emerge as a sixty-year-old, looking even older than your parents, who have lived in the real world."
After hearing his mentor's words, Alan's interest suddenly waned.
The so-called Secret Realm of Time doesn't extend a person's lifespan.
It simply transforms the uniform flow of life into a series of unevenly spaced numbers.
After years of frantic cultivation in the secret realm, upon emerging, one's temples were already gray.
The friends you played with back then were still young and green.
You think you have a higher level of cultivation than your friends, that you've got the upper hand?
But you're already old.
You're closer to death.
This method of cultivation, to put it bluntly, is forced maturation.
Precocious teenagers appear taller and more mature.
In competition with "peers," they can indeed gain an advantage.
However, the price to pay is...
Overdrawing on life and potential.
With a sigh, Allen felt the need to speak to his mentor.
"Teacher, please forgive my bluntness."
"In my opinion, so-called secret realm cultivation is essentially involution."
"If everyone uses secret realms to accelerate their cultivation, then no one is using them anymore."
"A lot of time is wasted, a life wasted."
"It's like everyone is watching a play in a theater."
"Someone in the front row suddenly stands up to see more clearly."
"This blocks the view for the people behind him."
"That person also has to stand up to see the stage more clearly."
"And so the message spreads back, until everyone in the theater stands up."
"Standing to watch a play is obviously less comfortable than sitting, and the view isn't much better, so why bother?"
"Instead of this involution, it would be better if everyone didn't use secret realms in the first place. Life would actually be easier."
"You have a point, but I have a question!"
Pansen raised his index finger.
"Imagine you're sitting in a theater, and the audience around you all stands up."
"You're surrounded, unable to even see the stage."
"Tell me, would you continue to sit and endure this unfair treatment alone, or would you stand up and join the internal competition?"
Alan put himself in their shoes...
Suddenly, Wu Ming's anger flared up!
"...I'll just roll up the fucking arse!"
Pantheon laughed heartily.
"Okay! Now tell me, are you going to fight for a spot?"
"I'll go, who's afraid of who!"
Alan gritted his teeth.
"Everyone, roll up!"