"call out!"
"call out!"
The Sea Emperor and the Wizard of Ord took turns walking towards the semi-transparent Shadow Library.
The moment their figures touched the outer wall of the library, the surrounding space suddenly distorted slightly.
It wasn't tearing or teleporting, but rather a feeling as if the rules had been "rearranged".
Low-frequency, unique vibrations rippled through the air.
In the next instant, light and shadow flickered, and the two figures disappeared silently into the Shadow Library as if swallowed by shadow.
The outside world remained quiet.
At the summit of the Forged Spire, a colossal and eternally burning shadowy sun hangs high in the sky, casting its cold, desolate light in all directions.
The light fell on the observer's corridor and was reflected into the sea of shadows, where shadows overlapped one another.
A chilly breeze swept across the platform, carrying an almost absolutely rational indifference, as if "superfluous presences" were not welcome here.
Lynn stood alone on the platform outside the Shadow Library.
He did not rush to act, but narrowed his eyes slightly, repeatedly replaying in his mind the entire process of the Sea Emperor and Wizard Ald crossing the outer wall.
The ebb and flow of rules. The coordination of spirit. The "compliance" with the power of each rule.
"Anchor of Resonance..."
Lynn muttered to himself.
"This is certainly a state of mind, but in essence, it is more like a means."
His thoughts gradually became clearer.
If the criteria for judging the Shadow Library are truly whether one can follow the flow of the rules, rather than simply and crudely using the level of one's cultivation as a threshold...
Therefore, he is not without a chance.
The three stages of a fourth-level Morning Star Wizard rapidly unfolded in his mind:
Level 4, early stage, Echo Anchor. Rules come first, wizards act second, and can only passively bear the power of the rules, accompanied by inevitable losses.
Mid-Level 4, Anchor of Resonance. The wizard resonates with the rules, moving with them, no longer consuming the rules, yet still needing to follow their predetermined flow.
Late Stage of Level Four: Anchor of the Mind Realm. The rules are incorporated into the Mind Realm and completely controlled; one can move against the current without necessarily going with it.
Just now, what Wizard Ald and Sea Emperor of the Storm demonstrated was precisely the characteristic of the Anchor of Resonance: not by forcibly breaking through, but by making themselves "a part of the rules."
A glint flashed in Lynn's eyes.
"If it's just about following the rules..."
"Then, I might not be unable to do it."
At that moment, he slowly opened his eyes, a deep gleam appearing in them.
Just now, his mental energy was constantly focused on the subtle changes in the external rules of the two people.
He has completely memorized that flowing trajectory and that resonant rhythm.
"...I'll give it a try."
The words fell.
Lynn took a step forward and walked towards the semi-transparent Shadow Library.
When only a hair's breadth remained between him and the outer wall, the World Tree within him trembled slightly, and the gentle and pure power of the rules of creation slowly spread out.
There was no confrontation. There was no forced infiltration.
Lynn simply followed the flow of the rules, adjusting the "frequency" of his own existence in an attempt to be allowed to enter.
As the power of the rules subtly shifted, Lynn proactively adjusted his own state, conforming to the flow of that creating rule.
Ahead, the outline of the Shadow Library began to change.
The translucent tower seemed to be stretched and folded by some force, and the boundary between the real and the unreal gradually blurred. In the distance, it seemed that a "road" woven from shadows and rules was slowly unfolding in front of him.
At that moment, Lynn had a sudden realization; he was almost certain that he had found the right direction.
However, just when he thought he was about to succeed.
The next instant, the flow of the power to create rules within his body suddenly shifted extremely subtly yet fatally.
That state of resonance with the rules was instantly interrupted.
Lynn felt a sudden pause in his consciousness, and he was abruptly "bounced" out of his previous state. The surrounding scenery suddenly returned to its original solitude and desolation.
"Click!"
A clear tactile sensation was felt.
Lynn crashed directly into the outer wall of the Shadow Library, instinctively pressing his hands against it, only to feel a cold, hard, and almost absolute rejection.
He slowly withdrew his hands and glanced down.
“The power of the rules has changed…and I was unable to make adjustments in time.”
Lynn was not upset; instead, she quickly reviewed what had just happened.
"The Anchor of Resonance is ultimately a technique that only a mid-level fourth-tier wizard can reliably master..."
"At the beginning of Level 4, one can only imitate briefly, but cannot maintain it for a long time."
This is not surprising.
A true anchor of resonance is a continuous, stable state that is always ready to adapt to changes in the rules.
He had just forced himself into an "approximate state" by relying on his understanding of the rules.
Once the rules shifted, he was immediately thrown out.
However, there was no sign of defeat in Lynn's eyes.
Because he had already confirmed one thing:
This road is passable.
The only shortcomings are the reaction speed and duration.
For ordinary wizards, this may be an insurmountable chasm;
But for him, it might not be so.
"Just because others can't do it doesn't mean I can't."
The principle of "Heaven rewards diligence" doesn't mean he can achieve instant success, but rather that every attempt will leave behind valuable experience.
As long as he tries enough, he will eventually be able to adjust the rules the moment they change. Even if he can only maintain it for a few breaths, it will be enough to pass the judgment of the Shadow Library.
As for how many times to try?
Lynn didn't care at all.
"Since Wizard Ald said there's a chance to find an opportunity here..."
"Since we're already standing here..."
"Wouldn't it be a wasted trip if we didn't go in and take a look?"
The thought settled.
Lynn closed his eyes and focused his mind again. The World Tree within him trembled slightly, and the power of creating rules began to flow again.
First failure.
Second attempt.
This time, he maintained his breath for a full two breaths longer than before.
The rules reversed again, and the attempt failed.
Lynn simply exhaled softly, without pausing at all, and immediately began his third attempt.
Once, twice, three times...
The duration of the resonance gradually increases without us even realizing it.
One breath. Two breaths. Three breaths.
Four breaths. Five breaths...
When Lynn stood steadily before the outer wall of the Shadow Library, that state of resonating with the rules finally ceased to be precarious.
Right now!
"call out!"
A force that spread like ripples from the Shadow Library swept across Lynn's body.
The world before my eyes suddenly changed in the next instant.
………………………………
"Is this... the interior of the Shadow Library?"
Lynn looked around and muttered to himself.
To describe this place simply as a "library" would be too mild.
This place is more like an inverted abyss.
With no solid ground beneath his feet, Lynn seemed to be suspended in absolute darkness, losing all sense of direction.
There were no steps, no bookshelves, and no architectural structures common in the wizarding world.
As far as the eye could see, there was only an endless abyss extending downwards.
Above, where the tower should be at its top, hangs a massive core structure.
It was a "core furnace" formed from the highly condensed rules of shadow.
The furnace core had a deep purple luster, neither fiery nor bright, but stable and profound, like a constantly beating shadowy heart.
From the heart of the furnace, countless fine threads, as thin as hair, hung down.
These threads, though seemingly fragile, possess an unimaginable resilience, as if they were stretched and stitched together from the very rules themselves.
They swayed slightly in the void, and when they rubbed against each other, they made a low and subtle sound, like the echo of metal being slowly stretched.
At the end of each of the "regular stitches", a shadow cocoon with a diameter of about one meter is suspended.
The shadow cocoon is teardrop-shaped, semi-transparent, and as black as night.
They floated densely in the void, like fruits growing on a tree of shadows, swaying gently with the rhythmic undulations.
Lynn didn't need to guess.
The moment he stepped into the Shadow Library, a message naturally surfaced in his consciousness.
These shadow cocoons are not physical objects.
Rather, it is an existence formed by a high-level wizard who directly extracts a memory, an understanding of a rule, or even a perception from a key breakthrough from his consciousness, compresses and solidifies it, and finally condenses it.
They are not books, but the original experience itself.
As for how to "read" these shadow cocoons, the method is equally unique.
Above the dome, a dark purple light poured down, casting thin, blurry shadows in the void.
Lynn does not need to move her body.
All you need to do is stand at the edge of the void and drive your own shadow.
Under the blessing of the Shadow Rules, the shadows will appear to have a physical form, climbing up along those "rule seams" like silent tentacles, touching, connecting, and analyzing the selected shadow cocoon.
At that moment, the memories and understanding of rules contained within the Shadow Cocoon will flow back along the shadow and directly enter the wizard's consciousness.
This is the "reading method" of the Shadow Library.
Lynn stood still, silently processing this information.
But he quickly looked away.
He didn't come here to read.
The Wizarding Council's library, in terms of both quantity and systematic organization, far surpasses that of this place.
For him, simply accumulating knowledge is no longer the most pressing need.
He came here because of the two words mentioned by the wizard Alder: opportunity.
"So……"
Lynn's gaze slowly swept across the inverted abyss, past the dense, star-like floating shadow cocoons, and finally settled on the dome above, on the dark purple core furnace.
"Where exactly is this so-called opportunity hidden?"
A hint of inquiry quietly surfaced in his eyes.
Lynn had not forgotten Wizard Ald's earlier warning: opportunities are not guaranteed, but rather there is a probability of them occurring.
If that's the case, then it means that not everyone who enters the Shadow Library will gain anything.
This premise naturally led Lynn to make a conjecture.
Is opportunity related to an individual's "performance"?
So, what exactly is this so-called performance?
Is it the strength of one's mental power? Or is it the understanding of the rules?
Or... is it related to these billions of shadow cocoons?
Lynn's gaze fell upon the shadow cocoons hanging from the ends of the regular stitches, and a thought stirred within him.
Is it possible that by contacting and analyzing the Shadow Cocoon, one can demonstrate their understanding and potential, thereby gaining some kind of "recognition"?
Or perhaps, during the reading process, some kind of hidden judgment is triggered?
Just as Lynn was considering various possibilities, in another space of the Shadow Library, the Sea Emperor was doing almost the same thing.
The structure of the Shadow Library is extremely unique. Each person who enters is assigned to an independent space, where they cannot perceive or see each other.
After receiving the information from the library, the Sea Emperor of Surging Waves took immediate action without much hesitation.
He manipulated his mental power, extending it along those "rule seams" to touch the shadow cocoon suspended in the void, clearly intending to try to trigger the so-called opportunity in the most direct way.
However, the reaction from Wizard Alder was completely different.
This was not his first time entering the Shadow Library.
Therefore, after entering this space, he did not act immediately, but first looked around, his gaze wandering back and forth between the inverted abyss, the core furnace of the dome, and the endless shadow cocoons.
A moment later.
Wizard Alder shook his head slightly and muttered to himself:
"...He's not here."
There was no disappointment in his tone; instead, there was a calmness as if he had expected it.
"It seems that this time, I won't be able to find an opportunity."
If Lynn or the Sea Emperor were to hear these words, they would probably be greatly surprised.
Because in the understanding of the wizard Alder, the so-called "opportunity" has never been a vague reward mechanism.
Its criterion is extremely simple: does that thing exist, or is it present?
If the "projection" or "traces" of that being happen to remain in the Shadow Library, then those who enter will naturally have the opportunity to gain something.
If it's not there, then nothing will happen.
As for why the wizard Alder didn't say this explicitly, but instead remained vague, the reason is quite simple.
To avoid offending those in positions of authority.
The more terrifying a being's power, the more sensitive they are to being mentioned, discussed, or called upon by others.
Moreover, they were talking just outside the Shadow Library, which was extremely close.
Wizard Alder didn't want to leave any unnecessary "impressions" on himself or his companions because of a slip of the tongue.
However, this has created a subtle misalignment.
Lynn and the Sea Emperor were still diligently searching for that non-existent "opportunity" in their respective independent spaces.
The wizard Alder, who had seen through everything, simply shook his head slightly, his expression carrying a hint of inexplicable regret.
However, the wizard Alder was unaware that deep within this Shadow Library lay...
In that place, which is like a bottomless abyss, where even the rules tend to stand still.
A long-dormant consciousness is slowly stirring in the darkness.
"...This scent is so familiar."
The voice was low and indistinct, as if it had not yet fully awakened from a long slumber.
Am I dreaming?
After a brief silence, the consciousness paused slightly, as if touched by something, and then became clearer.
"……wrong."
"This is not my dream."
"This is real... This aura comes from the Soul Forging Tower."
The moment the thought arose, that consciousness seemed to open its "eyes".
"Let me see what's happening outside..."
The moment this thought took shape, the Shadow Library itself underwent a change.
From the outside, the library still appears semi-transparent, as if it were made up of countless books burning with ghostly flames, with no discernible abnormalities.
However, the real change occurs at the deepest level of the rules.
This change was so sophisticated and transcendent that ordinary wizards would not notice it at all.
Even level four and five Morning Star Wizards did not sense the slightest fluctuation.
Only those sixth-level wizards who had entered the Dawn Star Realm felt a faint, indescribable tremor for a moment.
At the heart of the Shadow Forge, within the Shadow Spire.
A Morning Star Realm expert suddenly raised his gaze, his eyes piercing through layers of rules, and fell towards the direction of the Shadow Library.
"That sir..."
He frowned slightly, his tone hesitant.
"Haven't they only been in a slumber for a few years?"
"If you think about it carefully... it probably won't even be a hundred years, right?"
"How could he show signs of waking up at this time?"
Doubts aside...
But the thoughts of that being are clearly beyond the comprehension or even discussion of those at the Dawn Star Realm.
As for the so-called opportunity, they never even entertained the thought.
For them, there is only one thing that truly matters.
Taking that step will make you the Radiant Moon Queen.
And this is a path that no one can ever guide you on.
Even that being could not walk the path for them.
A moment later, the Dawn Star Realm members of these Shadow Forges each composed themselves and looked away, as if nothing had happened.
Inside the Shadow Library.
In the space where Lynn was located.
He was immersed in his deductions and speculations, pondering whether he should try to use his mental power to sense those suspended shadow cocoons.
Just as this thought was about to be put into action, a voice rang out without warning.
Not tall, but clear.
It's devoid of emotion, yet impossible to ignore.
Lynn's heart clenched, and a chill ran down his spine.
It was as if some being, through countless layers of rules, was precisely observing him.
"...The aura of the Soul Forging Tower...so it was here..." (End of Chapter)
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