Translator: AnubisTL
Initially, Jieming had little interest in their bickering.
This meticulous accounting of contributions held little appeal for him.
He was about to focus his thoughts on efficiently processing the fresh lava giant samples when a peculiar expression suddenly flickered across his face.
He sensed a faint pulsation from the talisman seal deep within his dantian, the seal designed to collect Mortal Dust Qi.
Immediately, he stilled his mind and channeled his mental power deep into his dantian, carefully probing the talisman seal.
To his delight, Jieming discovered that the seal's surface had indeed gathered a trace of Mortal Dust Qi!
"This... how is this possible?" Jieming thought, utterly astonished.
He had previously theorized that Mortal Dust Qi originated from the interaction between living beings' intense emotional fluctuations and the concept of "society."
In the Elosia Plane, this energy was practically ubiquitous.
Yet among wizards, especially within the orthodox wizard civilization, Mortal Dust Qi was exceedingly rare, almost nonexistent.
The wizards' daily interactions were governed by rational rules and cold data.
They rarely succumbed to anger, avoided deep emotional attachments, and shunned worldly sentimentality.
As a result, he had collected almost no Mortal Dust Qi from the wizards.
He subconsciously turned his gaze to the group of wizards nearby, still arguing heatedly, their faces flushed crimson. He then expanded his mental power, sensing the scattered qi signatures of other wizards in the distance, who were busy cataloging their spoils of war.
Though the wizards strove to maintain impassive expressions, their emotional fluctuations were clearly visible to his perception system, which was acutely sensitive to emotions.
There was anger, resentment, greed, cunning, and even a hint of suppressed desire, stifled by their self-restraint.
In that instant, Jieming's mind cleared, and understanding dawned upon him!
He finally understood!
The reason wizards, beings of near-extreme rationality, rarely generated Mortal Dust Qi was because most of them were exceptionally rational.
In their daily lives, they rarely argued with others, let alone engaged in the kind of fiery social interactions that characterized mortal life.
Their interactions revolved around knowledge, power, and utility, lacking the intense clashes of human emotions—the seven passions and six desires.
But!
When faced with genuine stakes, when competing for resources vital to their own advancement, even wizards would quarrel like ordinary people, driven by self-interest!
Their rationality still held sway, but they would resort to violence, they would curse, and deep within their hearts, the latent greed, competitive spirit, resentment, and even those dark, unspeakable emotions were now fully unleashed.
These seemingly insignificant emotional fluctuations were precisely the source of Mortal Dust Qi!
Jieming exhaled deeply, a profound realization flooding his mind.
This confirmed his long-held suspicions about "Mortal Dust" and completely shattered his preconceived notions about wizard civilization.
He had always believed wizards to be beings detached from worldly concerns, but now he understood that "rationality" merely suppressed the expression of their emotions, not eradicated their existence.
When faced with core interests, even the wizards' icy rational facade would crack, revealing the "mortal heart" hidden within.
No wonder wizard civilization was perpetually at war!
No wonder their desire for conquest was so insatiable!
He had once wondered why these beings who pursued eternal life and absolute rationality were so fanatical about conquering other planes.
Now he understood: the entire wizard civilization had long since become corrupted.
For this civilization, genuine "social" interaction and competition between individuals were no longer confined to peaceful daily life but had been cleverly transferred to the battlefield!
Resources were acquired through Planar Wars, and spoils and merit points were distributed through warfare. This most direct and primal allocation of benefits ignited the fundamental "seven emotions and six desires" within individual wizards: greed, bloodlust, competition, dominance...
These emotions, once suppressed by reason, were not only unleashed on the battlefield but became the very driving force behind their relentless pursuit of power and eternal life.
This was a civilization of extreme ruthlessness, yet also extreme efficiency!
It transformed all negative emotions into the fuel of war, channeling every personal desire toward external expansion.
Jieming watched the fierce arguments over spoils in the distance, the wizards' bickering voices seeming to carry a peculiar rhythm.
He once again sensed that faint yet ceaseless stream of Mortal Dust Qi flowing from the wizards into his dantian.
Yes, this was the wizards' true "society." Only on such battlefields, where they fought for survival and competed for resources, would the essential fire of their being truly ignite.
And from that fire bloomed the scattered, shimmering sparks of "Mortal Dust."
"Heh... what a pleasant surprise." Watching the scene unfold, Jieming couldn't help but grin.
Unbeknownst to himself, his smile was no different from those of the wizards around him, equally filled with greed.
Jieming stood suspended in mid-air, watching the other wizards continue their pursuit of the routed indigenous forces.
The distant sounds of pursuit and slaughter no longer concerned him.
After this battle, Jieming chose not to join the others in hunting down the remaining enemies.
Unlike the wizards who still needed to earn military merit and resources, his gains were already sufficient.
He had captured a large number of precious live lava giants, enough to keep his research fully occupied for the foreseeable future.
"It's time to return," Jieming murmured to himself. With a swift revolution, his form transformed into a streak of light, and he sped back toward the Wizard Camp without a backward glance.
For him, the mere act of killing or capturing creatures held far less significance than dissecting and analyzing them, extracting knowledge that was far more valuable and meaningful.
Moreover, he had another research target in mind—the Snow Monsters of the Frostdark Realm.
Upon returning to the Wizard Camp, he didn't immediately head to his temporary laboratory. Instead, he went straight to the designated "Resource Trading Area."
The area was brightly lit, even during the lulls between battles, filled with the low murmurs of wizards bartering and the clashing of energy fluctuations.
Countless wizards had brought their war spoils here, either to sell, trade, or seek the raw materials they needed.
The air was thick with the mingled scents of alchemical potions, elemental materials, and magical ores, a chaotic yet orderly blend.
Jieming had applied for a stall via his magic net terminal on his way back. Now, following the terminal's guidance, he stopped at his designated spot and carefully retrieved several of the best-conditioned second-tier lava giants from their containment boxes.
Bound by runic arrays, the live lava giants lay quietly in the specially designed boxes, their bodies still radiating faint, scorching heat.
These were the elite specimens he had meticulously selected from the thousands of routed soldiers, each possessing complete vitality and a powerful elemental core—rare research samples indeed.
"URGENTLY NEEDED: Live Yeti!"
Jieming didn't shout to attract customers. Instead, he posted his request through the magic net terminal, clearly listing the items he could offer in exchange: high-quality live lava giants and copies of his exclusive research data on lava giants.
As expected, within moments, several logistics wizards specializing in biology and elemental affinity gathered around his stall.
Second-tier live lava giants were highly sought after, especially specimens as well-preserved as those on Jieming's stall.
"Your lava giants are quite impressive. I have a few newly captured second-tier Snow Monsters here, with remarkable vitality. What do you say?" A biology wizard's eyes gleamed with interest.
In his containment box, several Snow Monsters bound by Ice-Blue Runic Chains emitted low, mournful howls.
These creatures were entirely covered in long, white fur, slightly smaller than their lava giant counterparts of the same tier, yet radiated an equally potent life force.
After a brief negotiation, Jieming successfully traded some of his live lava giants, along with several magic network-verified data models and witchcraft formulas for "High-Frequency Sonic Suppression," in exchange for several live Snow Monsters.
Satisfied, he stored them in his space ring, knowing these fresh specimens would fuel his research progress for some time to come.
With the transaction complete, Jieming wasted no time returning to his temporary laboratory.
He was eager to begin a detailed study of the Snow Monsters.
As representatives of the planetary poles, their elemental composition and physiological adaptations were bound to differ drastically from those of lava giants, holding a vast treasure trove of knowledge.
Jieming placed a live yeti into a special ice crystal containment box on the dissection table and used his Universal Eye to conduct a preliminary examination of its surface and external energy flows.
The Snow Monster was clearly better adapted to the extreme cold. Ice element activity surged within its body, and its long white fur even crystallized into natural ice armor.
It had been forcibly subdued into unconsciousness by a spell, yet even in this state, each breath carried an intensely low temperature, causing frost to form in the surrounding air.
Just as Jieming prepared to delve deeper into his examination, the magic net terminal emitted another urgent and solemn alert!
This time, however, it wasn't a combat alarm, but a top-priority notification for a new mission assignment.
Such notifications were typically directed at all combat personnel or specific core functional departments.
Jieming's heart quickened. He halted his current research and opened the terminal.
As expected, the mission directive was addressed to all logistics wizards, and even some exceptional combat wizards, for simultaneous execution.
The issuers were Master Alvin and another fifth-tier wizard Jieming had yet to meet.
The mission objective was clear and concise:
Urgent Mission: Downgrading and Disseminating Targeted Destruction Spells
Mission 1: Downgrade and modify the "Targeted Destruction Spell" against lava giants (codename: Lava Annihilation).
Led by Master Alvin, all relevant research wizards must collaborate closely.
Objective: Simplify the witchcraft model to make it more accessible and understandable.
Requirements: Reduce the spell tier and create tiered witchcraft models ranging from Tier 1 to Tier 5, suitable for battle wizards of varying skill levels to learn and use.
Key Focus: Ensure the modified spells are comprehensible to combat wizards and can be mastered quickly.
Task 2: Downscale the "Targeted Destruction Spell" (codename: Frost Soul Dissolution) designed for the Snow Monsters of the Frostdark Realm.
Led by Master Roland Vernal, all relevant research wizards must collaborate closely.
Requirements and objectives are the same as Task 1.
Jieming's gaze swept rapidly across the task list, having anticipated this assignment.
After all, targeted destruction spells required the highest level of knowledge among spells of their tier. To make them accessible to the broader battle wizard community—especially considering the brute-force combat wizards—simplification was essential.
This was an excellent opportunity for Jieming. Accepting the task would grant him access to the research data from the spell's development, knowledge that would prove invaluable to his own studies.
"But... Roland Vernal?"
Jieming glanced at Task Two, his gaze turning peculiar as he read the master's name.
Strictly speaking, Roland Vernal was a semi-acquaintance. He had been among the Tower of Annihilation wizards who surrounded Jieming when he registered at the junction point.
Vernal was also one of only three fifth-tier wizards participating in this expedition.
"So many familiar faces..."
(End of the Chapter)
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