The balance scale was over ten meters wide, seemingly cast entirely from gold, radiating a dazzling brilliance.
Inscribed with incantations, it was filled with the mysteries of ritual magic and spell formations.
The offerings weighed on both sides were a sheep's heart and brain, symbolizing life and soul.
The Magic Stones embedded in the formation began to take effect, gradually coalescing into a more concrete form.
However, this process halted at a certain point because the true offerings had yet to be added.
The sheep's heart and brain were merely a "seed."
"Gentlemen, it's your turn now. Go and lure the giants for me!" Roy's voice rang out as he addressed the group.
"Yes!"
The apprentices divided into their respective teams and began to disperse into the surrounding areas.
"Boom!"
Not long after, the sound of Alchemy Bomb explosions echoed from the distance.
The giants living here had already been harassed by the Fishmen, and this provocation sent them into a frenzy, chasing after the source.
But Roy and his team had meticulously planned this, catching the first group of giants, merely three reckless ones, off guard.
Charging ahead, they were completely unaware that the surrounding light sources were created by Wizardry, guiding their path.
The moment they fell into the encirclement, iron chains tripped them, and rolling logs smashed down, trapping them in the formation.
Roy threw a test tube containing the Blackening Potion from a distance, accurately landing on one of the giants' heads.
Drenched in the potion, its skin split and flesh tore, and it was quickly killed by the combined efforts of the group.
The golden balance scale suspended in the air immediately changed, with one side of the tray displaying a shadowy flame-like figure.
On the other side, a corresponding crystalline form appeared.
It also projected as a shadow, with specks of light continuously merging into it.
"That's the power of the soul!
Pure spirituality, the Source Essence of the soul stripped of consciousness and memory, is merging into it!
The crystallization of such a thing is indeed the original form of the Philosopher's Stone!"
Roy, combining the knowledge in his mind, suddenly had an epiphany.
He then noticed that this method could indeed refine spirituality, forming "Soul Seeds" that enhance Mental Strength.
"The efficiency of the transmutation isn't very high...
And the nature and scale of the soul contained within each living being seem to vary.
Fortunately, I don't need much now.
Just about five should suffice."
Having just obtained the "Transmutation Circle," Roy lacked experience in its use and had no way to improve it yet.
But relying on the manpower and resources that the Elite Apprentices could mobilize, they successfully lured and killed over a dozen giants.
The ritual of transmuting life and soul reached its final stage.
Five gemstones the size of Magic Stones flew from one end of the balance scale.
Roy reached out to catch them.
But upon contact, like a dream bubble, they merged into his body.
The decomposition and recombination of the soul...
Thus completed!
Roy slightly tilted his head, as if sensing something, and recited a spell he had been contemplating for days.
""
(The primary principle of the Art of Alchemy is...)
"~!"
(Equivalent Exchange!)
Instantly, Roy felt everything around him slow down.
But it wasn't time stopping; it was an illusion caused by some peculiar mutation in his spirit.
In that instant, Roy suddenly looked up sharply, gazing at the sky that was about to break into dawn.
His vision seemed to pierce through the heavens of this world, reaching into the Star Sea, where countless stars were scattered across the dark backdrop.
A massive, nautilus-like disk appeared before his eyes.
The surrounding background quickly dimmed.
The stars also vanished.
Only two blazing lights remained in the center.
At the distant edges, several faint lights were arranged in a sequence.
"Is this...
The perspective of Soul Transmutation in Alchemy, my own 'Original Transmutation Array'?"
Roy felt a sudden sense of astonishment, an epiphany that seemed to come without guidance.
"Those lit-up starlights, are they my Alchemy Talents?
They've been manifested as stars by my Spirit Manifestation, which is why they look like constellations in the sky!"
Only then did Roy realize that the nautilus spiral he had drawn in his Transmutation Circle wasn't without reason.
It was a projection of his 'Original Transmutation Array'!
Roy tried to identify those stars and noticed that the two brightest ones in the center were clearly the Origin Talents: [Eye of Hermes] and [Equivalent Exchange].
Among them, [Equivalent Exchange] occupied the very center, its position as a dot signifying its extraordinary significance.
A few others, located closer to the edges but still quite bright, were [Sulfur-Mercury Theory] and [Blackening].
In comparison, [Proficient] and [Artisan Skill] were much dimmer.
Even dimmer were the other talents.
Five soul lights converged, slowly merging into the disk, but they didn't seem to condense into Alchemy Talents. Instead, they were absorbed into the disk.
As if the nautilus had grown, the disk widened, and the number of stars it could accommodate increased.
Roy's body trembled.
Previously, his Mental Strength had only been around 5 degrees.
But in this moment, it reached 10 degrees!
This was actually thanks to the 'Sacred Lake Blessing' he had consumed earlier.
It had opened the bottleneck for a breakthrough, and in this moment of enlightenment, the remaining medicinal power was fully unleashed.
Within the spiral disk, the stardust representing the Alchemy Talents [Sulfur-Mercury Theory] and [Eye of Hermes] suddenly surged.
Their effects increased by +1 and +4 respectively, elevating them to the second and fifth levels.
The other stardust also saw corresponding improvements.
Moreover, it seemed as if an invisible force within the universe was responding.
That was the so-called Mana!
Roy could feel that he was constantly absorbing a bright, white light from the natural world, integrating it into the disk.
That was the impersonal spirit of nature, considered a fundamental element of the soul.
From then on, both Mental Strength and magical power could grow in tandem until they reached the bottleneck of a first-level Wizard again.
"Have I advanced?"
Roy snapped back to reality, his face filled with delight.
"According to the "Wizard's Book", the Mental Strength of a first-level Wizard can gradually grow to around 50 degrees, with a natural lifespan of up to 360 years...
I used to wonder how humans could achieve such a feat.
So it's because of this natural resonance!"
Suddenly, Roy sensed an inexplicable, invisible pressure approaching.
He frowned slightly.
But soon, he understood.
This was the World's Will of this land noticing his presence, beginning to subtly reject him.
The natural resonance that had just emerged was immediately blocked and severed!
The Great Wizards once inscribed their will within it, forming "Sacred Laws" akin to natural laws.
Thus, after their promotion, apprentices must immediately venture out of the Star Sea to engage in battles across various regions.
It is urging me to leave!
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