Chapter 680
Evolution
Chapter 680 Evolution
The path to survival is now clearly laid out before us.
The only thing Gaode needs to do now is to raise his runemaster level to tier four as soon as possible so that he can replicate the channeling circle 21.0 left by Mordekay.
Therefore, Gaode plans to ignore everything else and focus solely on studying the classics, concentrating on "learning".
Being banished to the desolate and barren Soul Realm is not good news for anyone.
But for Gaode, it may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
The magic-free environment brought the mage's cultivation to a complete standstill, but it also allowed him to devote himself entirely to the study of runes.
A time multiplier of 6.5:1 means that one day outside is equivalent to six and a half days here, which can greatly shorten his practice time.
He had already thoroughly mastered the basic runes of the third and fourth tiers through the knowledge base of the Heart of the North.
In the past, I was busy with my sorcery training and challenges at the magic hall, so I had relatively limited time to study runes. I never had the opportunity to systematically practice and master the drawing techniques and operating logic of runes.
However, before he goes into seclusion to study the runes, he needs to collect enough fragments of soul essence.
This was not only for Liu Ying, but also for himself.
On one hand, he has the [Adaptive] specialty, which allows him to ignore the extreme environment of the Desolate Soul Realm and even be tempered in this extreme environment to become stronger.
Liu Ying, however, did not possess this ability.
If she wants to survive in the Desolate Soul Realm for a long time, she can only do what Mordekay did back then: rely on the fragments of soul essence within the Desolate Soul servants to eliminate the soul damage caused by the Desolate Soul Erosion.
Clearly, given Liu Ying's abilities, she cannot kill the Withered Soul Servant independently in a magic-free environment.
So the task of collecting the fragments naturally fell to him.
Of course, this is not a burden for Gaode.
After gradually improving their magic resistance, it becomes incredibly easy.
Now, he is able to cast a first-level spell.
Gao De had just buffed the bone fragments he picked up with a [Heavy Strike Blade+], and then he was cutting down these withered soul minions as easily as slicing melons and vegetables.
On the other hand, soul essence fragments are also the core raw materials for studying soul runes.
Without enough fragments, it is impossible to study soul runes.
On this trip, he has collected nearly a hundred fragments of soul essence.
Actually, Gaode doesn't mind farming more Soul Essence Fragments, which are such good items.
Putting aside everything else, its ability to enhance mental strength alone, even if limited in intensity, is priceless in the outside world.
Unfortunately, this isn't a real monster spawner.
The number of withered soul minions is limited, and each one killed reduces the number available; they do not respawn.
After this wave of clearing, the withered soul servants near the central tower have almost disappeared. If you want to collect them again, you can only do so far away from the central tower area.
Actually, Gaode still had another question in mind:
Although there were quite a few necromancers who were banished here in ancient times, their numbers could never support such a large population of withered soul servants in the Desolate Soul Realm.
Not to mention Mordekay, who must have reaped a huge harvest of withered soul servants in the Desolate Soul Realm back then.
It is conceivable that these withered soul servants were not all transformed from necromancers.
Even the withered soul servants transformed by necromancers constitute only a very small portion.
So, where did the other withered soul servants come from?
It seems that this land of exile still holds untold ancient secrets.
Gao De, who had never even heard of the Desolate Soul Realm before, obviously had no way of finding the answer and could only suppress his doubts for the time being.
Gao De returned to the central stone tower.
Liu Ying waited inside the tower.
Although dealing with those withered soul minions is quite easy for Gaode now.
However, it's better to be safe than sorry, so Gaode decided to leave Liuying in the tower.
To outsiders, staying in the tower without being able to cultivate oneself and having nothing to do would surely lead to boredom and depression.
But for Liu Ying, who had been "imprisoned" in her room since childhood, this "torture" was not torture at all; it was just part of her daily life.
Therefore, her mental state was excellent, with no signs of her sanity dropping.
From this perspective, the place of exile chosen by the Imperial Mage was actually quite poor.
In the desolate and barren realm, there are no rune pens, no magic ink, and no rune paper.
However, Gaode Maps didn't seem to care.
For him, these things are not absolutely necessary if it's just for basic rune practice.
He casually picked up a smooth animal finger bone and used his foot to spread the bone powder evenly on the ground, forming a flat "paper surface".
Using his finger bones as a pen and bone powder as paper, Gao De immediately bent down and immersed himself in the study of runes.
His plan was clear: first, to thoroughly master all the unmastered Tier 3 basic runes, and then move on to Tier 4 basic runes.
After all, the construction of a fourth-order rune array must be based on a massive amount of third-order basic runes.
Just like building a skyscraper, you must first lay a solid foundation; there is absolutely no possibility of skipping steps.
Although the system of basic runes is vast, it is not chaotic. Instead, it has a clear division into categories, each with its own function, totaling four categories that together constitute the complete logic of rune arrays:
First are the basic elemental runes that form the foundation of the rune array, such as fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, light, and darkness.
They are the foundation of phenomena in the material world, like bricks and stones in a building, directly providing the energy and effects required by the magic array.
The same elemental basic runes are further divided into levels.
The strength differences between different levels are significant.
For example, combining two level-two "fire" runes can create a "high-temperature heating" effect, suitable for simple heating or smelting.
To achieve the "Flame Burst" attack effect, a level 3 "Fire" rune must be introduced. By leveraging its stronger energy aggregation properties and combining it with form-type runes, the energy can be released instantly.
The second category is the basic runes of the morphology system, which are responsible for shaping the form and range of influence of energy and elements.
They are also an essential component of rune arrays.
"Condensation" (compressing energy density), "Diffusion" (expanding the area of effect), "Sharpening" (converting energy into a sharp blade shape), "Blunting" (weakening the destructive power of energy), "Solidification" (converting energy into a physical entity), and "Liquefaction" (converting solid elements into a fluid form) are some of the most commonly used form runes.
Without them, the energy of elemental runes would be like an arrow without a target, unable to accurately strike the target.
For example, a level 3 "Fire" rune combined with a "Sharpen" rune can create a "Flame Arrow".
When paired with the "Diffusion" rune, it becomes "Flame Jet," resulting in a completely different application scenario.
The third category is the basic runes of the architecture system.
This is the core that determines the complexity and functionality of the magic circle, just like the steel frame and load-bearing structure of a building.
Elements such as "restriction" (defining the boundaries of energy action), "permission" (opening energy channels), "rejection" (blocking specific energy), "connection" (connecting different rune modules), "separation" (disassembling the effects of composite runes), and "storage" (sealing energy or effects in a magic circle) are all basic members of the architecture system.
It is thanks to the structural runes that multiple elemental and morphological runes can be combined in an orderly manner to form complex magic arrays with specific functions.
For example, to build a simple automatic defense array, you can use the "connect" rune to link the "fire", "sharpen", "restrict", and "allow" runes. The "allow" rune sets the trigger conditions, and the "restrict" rune defines the defense range, ultimately achieving the effect of "releasing the flame blade upon triggering".
The last type of basic rune is called the Concept type.
This is a field that only high-level rune masters can delve into, involving the application of abstract rules, much like the design concepts and core algorithms of architecture.
These types of runes have no lower-level versions with the same name, and are extremely rare. Take the "Space" rune as an example; it is unique to level 5 basic runes, and there are no corresponding runes with the same name for levels 0 to 4 or above 5.
Its principle is to directly interfere with the rules of the dimensional space, which is the core of constructing the "teleportation array".
Unlike fire runes, which have corresponding runes of the same name from level zero to level seven.
Before becoming a Tier 5 Runemaster, the basic runes that runemasters learn are all from the first three categories.
To become a third-tier rune master, there are three steps in total.
The first step is to master the corresponding number of level 3 basic runes.
This requirement is generally between 200 and 300, covering elements, forms, and architecture.
This is by no means a simple matter of memorization; rather, it requires thoroughly understanding the rules for drawing each rune and its energy characteristics, so that one can draw it with precision and accuracy as soon as one picks up a pen.
For ordinary rune masters, this is the most time-consuming but also the fairest step.
No extraordinary wisdom is required; just diligent practice day after day is enough. Even if one's comprehension is slightly lacking, it simply means spending more time honing one's skills, and one will eventually achieve the goal.
It's somewhat similar to memorizing formulas in mathematics.
Secondly, it can freely combine the composite runes corresponding to the third-order rune array according to the needs.
This requires rune masters to go beyond the limitations of individual runes and understand the synergistic logic of runes from different schools.
This step tests one's deep understanding of rune functions and creativity, and cannot be achieved simply through hard work.
This is similar to problem-solving ability. Just like some students can memorize math formulas perfectly, but if they don't know how to apply them, it's all for nothing.
Finally, we independently designed and constructed a third-order rune array that can operate normally and stably.
This requires not only mastering the skills of the first two steps, but also having a holistic perspective.
How to allocate rune positions to optimize energy flow, how to use architecture runes to build a stable magic circle framework, how to set trigger conditions and energy thresholds, and even how to reserve fault tolerance to cope with environmental interference.
The difficulty of these three steps should increase progressively.
For ordinary rune masters, the first step is to practice hard, and the next two steps are to rely on comprehension and creativity.
But for Gaode Maps, the order is exactly reversed.
The last step, however, was the simplest for him.
His aptitude for runic literature was so high that even Hoshi had to praise him.
Furthermore, with a grasp of the six laws of Hosey, Gaode can construct magic arrays through calculations, even if it's just theoretical.
Instead of conducting hundreds or thousands of trials, we can accumulate experience from failures by anticipating potential errors through calculation.
And calculation is precisely what Gaode excels at.
Ironically, what is considered the simplest and most basic first step in the rune world is the most challenging for Gaode.
The reason why mastering basic runes is the simplest is because the procedure is simple.
All you need to do is spend time practicing diligently.
The last two steps require creativity and wisdom. If you don't have that wisdom, no amount of time will help.
The reason it's so challenging is that drawing basic runes has extremely strict standards.
The angle, length, and curvature of each stroke, even the variation in the thickness of the rune lines, and the gradual change from the beginning to the end of the stroke, all directly affect the stability of the rune and the efficiency of energy transmission.
There are no shortcuts to achieving these standards.
Runemasters must develop muscle memory through repeated practice, and Gaode is no exception; he must hone his skills from scratch.
That's all.
Thinking this, Gao De took a deep breath, clearing his mind of all his chaotic thoughts.
With his mind focused, he controlled the finger bone pen and slowly made the first stroke, beginning his practice of the level three "conversion" basic rune.
This is a basic form rune. As its name suggests, it breaks the inherent form of energy and enables the transformation of different types of energy.
The bone powder, guided by the finger bone, outlined a short vertical line, which was fairly neat.
The second short vertical stroke was also completed smoothly, with the intersection of the two lines falling precisely in the center without any deviation.
But a problem arose when drawing the third diagonal line:
The lines are uneven in thickness, slightly thicker in the middle and thinner at both ends, giving them a distinct "bulging" shape.
According to rune theory, these uneven lines can cause a "bottleneck effect" in the energy transmission process.
That is, the energy flow rate is slower in the thicker middle part and too fast in the thinner ends.
Ultimately, this causes energy to accumulate in the middle of the arc, preventing it from being successfully converted. In mild cases, the runes become ineffective; in severe cases, it triggers an energy rebound.
Gaode frowned, still feeling the lack of responsiveness.
However, he was not impatient at all. He simply raised his palm and gently brushed the bone powder on the ground, erasing the trace of the failed rune and leaving only a flat and clean "paper".
Without pausing, he picked up the finger pen again and began drawing once more.
Gao De's mind and body were completely immersed in the world of runes, and everything outside seemed irrelevant to him.
His eyes were fixed on the gradually forming rune, and his heart was set on the ultimate pursuit of precision.
Not far from him, Liu Ying was keeping her eyes fixed on Gao De, who was drawing runes.
With nothing else to do, she could only watch the rune-drawing game, Gao De, as a somewhat boring "TV series".
A silent film without dramatic plot twists, dialogue, or even superfluous actions; it consists only of Gaode bending down to draw, erase, and then draw again in a repetitive loop.
But this is the only form of entertainment she can find these days.
Fortunately, she wasn't picky.
They even watched it with great interest.
Unconsciously, Liu Ying leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on her knees and supporting her cheeks with her hands.
She watched Gao De's serious profile as he frowned slightly, watched his calm movements as he erased the traces of failure, and watched his focused eyes as he redrawn.
The actions were so monotonous and repetitive, yet they possessed an inexplicable allure that kept her eyes glued to them from beginning to end.
Seeing the runes approach perfection time and time again under Gaode's guidance, a sense of joy would unconsciously well up in her heart.
This is a very subtle emotion.
Under the influence of this emotion, even the passage of time seems to speed up.
"call--"
A soft exhale broke the silence inside the stone tower.
Gao De finally stopped what he was doing, straightened up, stretched, and his bones made a slight clicking sound.
His prolonged intense focus had taken a toll on his energy, leaving him with an undeniable look of fatigue between his brows and faint redness in his eyes.
"That's enough for today," he muttered to himself, his voice slightly hoarse, as he raised his hand to rub his throbbing temples.
Liu Ying only snapped back to reality when Gaode stopped moving and made a sound.
She blinked unconsciously, as if all her attention had been suddenly drawn away.
The hunger pangs in her stomach told her that a lot of time had passed.
It just feels like I only watched for a short while.
(End of this chapter)