Aur sat calmly, legs crossed, his expression serene and undisturbed by any external turmoil. His waist-length white hair cascaded around him, adding to his air of tranquillity.
The mana in the surroundings seemed unusually active, swirling around him in intricate patterns.
In front of him, two middle-grade mana crystals lay, their energies being steadily refined by Aur with meticulous care, each refinement conducted with unwavering focus.
Suddenly, Aur's eyes snapped open, a bolt of lightning seemingly flashing within them. Despite the intensity of the moment, a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
"At last," he murmured with a sense of fulfilment.
Within his mental space, a sense of completion washed over him as every corner was filled to capacity with colourless mana, reaching every nook and cranny.
"Now, I must break down my mental space and reconstruct it to create a superior mental space, one capable of refining external mana into the blue mana," Aur mused, his expression contemplative.
With the help of the silkworm ring, which had merged with his vital spell, Aur's absorption technique had reached a high-level of proficiency. This is why, in just a few months, he had rapidly ascended to these levels.
However, Aur didn't dare to actively initiate his breakthrough right now. Once he began the process, there would be no turning back. Failure meant the mental space would be shattered mercilessly, forever consigning him to mortality, or worse, resulting in death.
Therefore, Aur needed to prepare himself thoroughly.
"I need a high-grade mana crystal first," Aur thought, his eyes narrowed in determination. While it didn't guarantee success, the pure mana from the high-grade crystal increased the chances of breaking through by at least twenty percent.
With these thoughts in mind, Aur looked out from the window, the streets were unusually active with people's activities bustling the childrens playing around with smiles on their face.
"It's already time for another caravan to come to the village," Aur murmured softly, a glint of determination flashing in his eyes. He recalled the previous ambush at the market, where he had narrowly escaped death when confronted by that strong man.
Though he had a suspicion about who had sent the assailant after him, it was irrelevant at the moment.
Revenge was not a priority for Aur; his focus lay solely on strengthening himself. Once he obtained sufficient power, he could choose to seek revenge if it served his interests; otherwise, it held no significance to him.
"This time will be different," Aur declared, his eyes alight with resolve as he summoned his "muscle system."
The blue panel materialised before him, flickering briefly before stabilising.
–––––
[Muscle System]
Aur walked out of his room with an expressionless face.
"Young master," Lucy shouted, gasping for air.
"What is it, Lucy?" Aur questioned her.
"Can you take me with you, please, master?" Lucy pleaded.
"No," Aur replied gently, patting her on the head with a warm smile. His gaze softened as he continued, "It might be dangerous for you there. Your life could be threatened, so you can't go."
"But—" Lucy began to protest.
Aur's stern gaze left no room for argument, prompting her to reluctantly nod her head.
"Good girl," Aur said, tousling her hair affectionately before departing.
Observing Aur's departure, Lucy couldn't help but seethe with anger. "What a boring bastard..."
As Aur made his way through the crowd towards the caravan, he suddenly noticed some familiar figure walking in the distance.
"Oh, is that John?" Aur wondered aloud, casting a curious glance.
Sure enough, John and Zaya were walking hand in hand, with Zaya's belly noticeably protruding.
It was obvious what had happened!
However, Aur didn't dwell on it much and simply carefully sensed his presence, causing him to shake his head.
"These guys' presence hasn't increased by much at all," he muttered to himself with deep disappointment, which soon turned into indifference. "The path to power is filled with obstacles. Once you slow down, you will fall behind, and later there will be no regret medicine to take."
Aur proceeded towards the caravan, surprisingly encountering no obstacles on his journey.
He smoothly gathered all the materials required for his breakthrough, as well as the spell ingredients needed for life magic.
Afterward, he swiftly returned to his dorm, firmly instructing Lucy not to let anyone in.
The academy allowed temporary leave from missions for the breakthrough to the tier one wizard realm, so he didn't need to concern himself with them for now.