With these thoughts, Matthew stopped dwelling on the limited improvement of his Fireball spell. With a calm mind, he refocused his attention on 【Energy Missile】—this basic spell that had shown incredible potential after his breakthrough.
“At least for now, practicing Energy Missile to a higher level is a much wiser choice...”
After breaking through to a Second-Grade Apprentice, the steel-like, surging Spirit in his sea of consciousness gave him ample confidence. He would no longer feel mentally lightheaded and exhausted after casting a 0-Circle spell only two or three times like before. His current total Spirit and recovery speed were already enough to support more sustained and deeper practice.
He hesitated no longer.
Locking his gaze onto another jagged boulder in the distance, he shifted his intent slightly.
His Spirit, like fine threads, precisely channeled the surrounding non-attributed energy particles. Without any need for deliberate preparation, a milky-white Energy Missile quietly hovered above his palm. A warm and stable glow flowed across its entire form, its edges sharp and completely devoid of any trembling.
Matthew was in no hurry to fire it.
Focusing his mind, he sensed the flow structure of the energy inside the missile, attempting to use finer control of his Spirit to "fine-tune" its internal makeup. He was not changing the spell model itself, but rather trying to make the energy distribution more even and the rotation more stable within the existing framework, hoping to produce a more concentrated destructive force upon impact.
This required an extremely high level of control precision and patience.
He maintained the shape of the missile as his Spirit, like the most dexterous fingers, performed subtle combing and adjustments within the energy structure. As time ticked by, fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, but his eyes remained focused, completely unfazed.
Finally, when the originally somewhat "turbulent" energy flow inside the missile became as calm as deep, still water, Matthew flicked his finger—
“Whoosh!”
The missile shot out silently, its speed seemingly a fraction faster than before, drawing a pale white afterimage in the air.
“Boom!”
The boulder exploded in response, sending stone fragments flying. Once the dust settled, what appeared on the rock was not a simple crater, but a web of cracks radiating evenly from the point of impact. This showed that the impact force was more concentrated, and the energy had been released more thoroughly in that instant.
“It works,” Matthew muttered, a flash of satisfaction in his eyes.
He did not stop, immediately beginning to condense a second missile, then a third...
With every cast, he was no longer satisfied with simple "formation and launch." Instead, while consciously maintaining the stability of the spell, he experimented with different fine-tuning directions: sometimes focusing on compressing the missile's volume to increase penetration, sometimes trying to add a rotational force to its surface to enhance cutting power, and sometimes deliberately prolonging the condensation time to observe the limits of energy saturation.
His post-breakthrough Spirit was like a set of more precise tools and a wider testing ground. He practiced tirelessly, treating every spellcast as a tempering of his spiritual control and a deepening of his understanding of the nature of magic.
In the valley, the soft whistling of the Energy Missiles tearing through the air and the muffled thuds of shattering rock echoed alternately, like a unique rhythm.
The sunlight gradually shifted, stretching Matthew’s focused figure as he practiced.
...
As noon approached, the light in the valley grew bright and clear.
Sunlight filtered through layers of leaves, casting dappled, swaying shadows on the forest clearing. A light fragrance of grass and soil warmed by the sun drifted through the air. Occasionally, a gentle breeze blew, carrying the cool moisture of a distant stream and blending it with the scent of the nearby sun-baked rocks.
The intermittent chirping of insects echoed from deep within the shade, making this valley far from the city's bustle feel exceptionally serene.
Matthew sat cross-legged on a flat bluestone, his eyes lightly closed, his breathing long and steady. After an entire morning of continuous spell practice, although his Spirit was not depleted, the sustained high concentration and minute control had still left his mind with a trace of subtle, hard-to-detect fatigue.
At this moment, he was running the Elemental Meditation Method, sinking his consciousness into his sea of consciousness, guiding his steel-like Spirit to slowly circulate, soothing the restlessness and healing the depletion.
The deep foundation of a Second-Grade Apprentice showed itself at this moment. Meditation was like cool spring water soaking a parched riverbed; his fatigue was rapidly dispelled, and the slight sluggishness and tension in his mind gradually melted away, returning to a state of perfect harmony and fullness.
After about half an hour, his eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes. The light in his eyes was restrained, and his aura was calm. The fatigue from his morning of cultivation was mostly restored.
With a stir of his mind, he clearly felt another significant change after breaking through to a Second-Grade Apprentice—his Spirit recovery speed was noticeably faster than when he was a First-Grade Apprentice.
In the past, after such high-intensity continuous spell practice, even if he ran the Elemental Meditation Method, it would have taken much longer to completely soothe the mental fatigue brought about by the concentration of his focus.
Although his Spirit could slowly recover, the melting away of that sluggishness and tension had always been a slow process, like snow gradually thawing.
Now, however, the steel-like Spirit in his sea of consciousness, which had undergone a qualitative change, was not only greater in "quantity" but also significantly improved in "resilience" and "activity."
During meditation, the circulation of his Spirit was smoother and more natural, as if a previously narrow river channel had been widened and reinforced, allowing the water to surge through without any obstacles.
The depleted portion was rapidly replenished, and the chaotic fluctuations were efficiently smoothed out. The entire recovery process was like having an acceleration button pressed.
“Is this one of the advantages of a Second-Grade Apprentice...?” Matthew thought to himself.
The rapid recovery of his Spirit meant he could engage in longer, higher-intensity cultivation every day, and possess greater endurance and confidence to adapt in actual combat or exploration.
This seemingly minor progress was actually an important cornerstone for the improvement of his overall combat strength. He exhaled a small breath of turbid air, feeling his Spirit once again full, abundant, and harmoniously circulating within his sea of consciousness.
He then stood up, dusted off the grass clippings and dust from his robes, and without lingering any longer, walked toward the inner city.
Stepping into the inner city, the bustling voices and market atmosphere rushed over him, as if he had crossed into another world from the tranquility of the valley.
Shops lined both sides of the streets, and the shouting of vendors, bargaining, and the rumbling of carriage wheels intertwined into a scene of vibrant life.
Matthew walked through it with a calm pace.
Feeling a bit of emptiness in his stomach, he had originally intended to head straight back to the inn and have the owner prepare some food.
However, a thought flashed through his mind without warning—perhaps he should go visit Nathan’s wife and daughter.
...
...
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