Chapter 227: Silver Moon Level
For a while, Duane avoided any strenuous combat due to his injuries.
However, after Sarah healed the corrosion on his left hand, he didn’t remain idle.
His days were filled with studying Magic and refining Magic Crystal Powder and Basic Magic Energy Essence. Feeding Fur Ball and the Gale Bird became a leisurely pastime.
Although he consumed an enormous amount of Magic Power each day, he recovered quickly thanks to his Mastery Level Basic Meditation Skill.
Even when his Magic Power was nearly depleted, he could fully recover in two hours at most.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was June.
One day, Duane, who was deep in Meditation, opened his eyes. As he activated the Celestial Python’s Eye, the reflection of a brilliant galaxy seemed to surface within them.
[Congratulations, your Basic Meditation Skill has reached Perfection Level. You have gained 0.5 attribute points.]
[Your Perfection Level Basic Meditation Skill has triggered an Enlightenment. You have obtained the Starlight Meditation Skill. You have gained 1 attribute point.]
[Your Perfection Level Basic Meditation Skill has triggered an Enlightenment. You have obtained the Starlight Eye, the Void Eye, and the Pupil of Collapse. You have gained 3 attribute points.]
"The Basic Meditation Skill is finally at Perfection Level!"
Duane couldn’t help but show his delight.
He remembered that his Basic Meditation Skill had reached the Mastery Level just before he entered the Secret Realm for the first time.
In the time since, he had consumed vast amounts of Magic Power nearly every day, and he had never ceased his Meditation.
And yet, it still took over four months for the Basic Meditation Skill to reach Perfection Level, which just went to show how difficult it was to improve.
Fortunately, the three additional abilities were quite impressive.
[Starlight Eye]: The crystallization of arcane insight and wisdom. Allows you to see the flow of Magic Power within a certain range.
Duane used the Starlight Eye, which allowed him to see through his own skin and clearly observe the Fighting Qi flowing within his body.
’Building on the Celestial Python’s Eye, the Starlight Eye makes my perception even more detailed. It will also help with Magic Energy Manufacturing in the future.’
[Pupil of Collapse]: Applies a degree of Spatial Compression Power wherever your right eye focuses.
Duane stared intently at his right hand and activated this Pupil Power.
In an instant, he felt his right hand being squeezed by a faint force. The sensation was most obvious when he tried to lift his hand.
’This pressure isn’t very strong, so it would have a limited effect on enemies of the Same Tier. However, its power should increase once its Skill Level improves. If I use it in battle, I might get some surprising results.’
[Void Eye]: Your left eye connects to a Void Space where time stands still.
Duane froze for a moment, then he was overjoyed.
When he was out adventuring, he’d always been pained by having to abandon the carcasses of the many Demon Beasts he killed. His carrying capacity was limited, and they would eventually rot.
The Void Eye completely solved that problem.
He eagerly used the Void Eye, and a one-meter-wide, two-meter-high spatial Teleportation Gate appeared before him.
Duane probed it with his senses. The space inside was only about ten cubic meters—not very large.
’Still, it’s more than enough for storing things.’
He tossed in some stationery and books. When he took them out again, they were completely unchanged.
However, when he tried to toss in a living creature, he was met with resistance.
Clearly, the space connected to the Void Eye could not hold living things.
’It would have been great if I could store living things.’
Although he was slightly disappointed, he was still very satisfied with this ability.
Duane glanced at his attribute panel. By now, he had accumulated 22.4 attribute points.
This included the 16 points remaining from the 20 he had gained while resisting the Ancient God’s Whisper;
4.5 points from his Basic Meditation Skill reaching Perfection Level and the subsequent Enlightenment;
0.6 points from Sword Rain Storm and Thunderous Triple Slash reaching Mastery Level;
0.8 points from his Perfection Level Holy Shield Barrier;
and finally, 0.5 attribute points from advancing his Celestial Python Breathing Skill from Entry to Skilled and his Basic Extraction from Initial to Skilled.
Duane then looked at his two primary Attributes:
Strength: 60.0
Spirit: 33.0
’If I put all these attribute points into my Strength Attribute, I could probably become a Silver Moon Warrior right away, couldn’t I?’
For a Silver Moon Warrior, the Qi Sea transforms into a silver vortex. When they unleash the full, immense power of their Fighting Qi, a faint, moon-shaped phantom forms behind them.
Across the entire Pruck Kingdom, the only known living Silver Moon Warrior was Duke Kelvin Hughes.
As for whether each noble family had hidden Shooting Star or Silver Moon Level experts, the answer was a resounding yes.
However, this was a closely guarded secret for each family, and it was difficult for outsiders to learn the truth.
’Becoming a Silver Moon Warrior at my age... it’s just too strange.’
’As the saying goes, "The tree that rises above the forest will be felled by the wind." But once I reach the Silver Moon Level, even if people want to eliminate me, it won’t be a simple task for just a handful of individuals.’
That being said, it didn’t mean Duane could act recklessly without any inhibitions. A Silver Moon Warrior was not invincible.
On the contrary, this was a world where individual Combat Power wasn’t overwhelmingly decisive.
If a Celestial Tier Warrior could take on a group of five hundred, a Shooting Star Warrior could contend with a thousand-strong Legion.
A Silver Moon Warrior, in turn, could probably take on five Legions single-handedly, and that would be their limit.
After all, even slaughtering five thousand pigs would be exhausting, let alone well-armed Legions with coordinated offensive and defensive tactics.
Once a Silver Moon Warrior’s Strength and Fighting Qi were depleted, they would be swallowed by a sea of enemies.
Of course, if a warrior of that level was determined to flee, it would be nearly impossible to stop them, barring special circumstances.
However, Duane was the Lord of Black Forest Island. The man could run, but his domain could not.
Therefore, as long as he still intended to vie for power, he had to play by the rules to some extent.
Duane pondered.
As a Level 4 Mage, he could gain a large number of attribute points by perfecting spells and crafting various Spell Scrolls. He wasn’t worried about his Mage Level stagnating in the future.
For now, the priority was to ensure his injuries healed as quickly as possible and to secure that territory.
’Then I’ll become a Silver Moon Warrior first.’
Duane began to spend his attribute points.
When his Strength reached 80.0, his power broke through once more, and he became a Silver Moon Warrior.
The rapid promotion plunged Duane into a state of surging energy. A chaotic, powerful aura erupted from his study, blanketing the entire castle.
Fur Ball was so terrified it trembled in a corner, losing control of its bladder and bowels.
The servants and Guards all trembled uncontrollably, finding it hard to even breathe.
Fortunately, Duane quickly got the sudden surge of energy under control and retracted his powerful aura.
The backs of the Guards patrolling the castle were drenched in sweat.
"What just happened? I felt like something was choking me!"
"Me too! It was like I was paralyzed by a Demon. I couldn’t even move a finger!"
Someone said worriedly, "Could it be that Demon Beast that injured the Lord Baron has come to the castle for revenge?"
"Quick, go report to Commander Kaelon!"
Duane paid no mind to the chaos outside, instead focusing on sensing his own condition.
’My Qi Sea has doubled in size, and my Fighting Qi is more concentrated and abundant. My Spirit Attribute increased by five points, and my body has been strengthened once again!’
Now, in his Scale Transformation state, the defense of his physical body alone was likely enough to withstand attacks from ordinary blades.
He flexed his left arm. There was still some pain.
’The bones have healed quite a bit, but not enough for me to move it freely yet.’
’But with my body’s current resilience, I’ll definitely be fully healed before the tournament begins.’
Without this promotion, it would have been questionable whether he could heal in time for the tournament.
Now that he was a Silver Moon Warrior, his body’s regenerative capabilities had naturally been boosted significantly.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK~
"My Lord, your servant requests to see you."
Duane grunted in acknowledgment. "Come in."
The Male Servant, Owington, pushed the door open and walked in.
"My Lord, a terrifying aura just enveloped the castle. The Guards are all wondering if that Demon Beast has returned."
Duane paused, then realization dawned.
Only a handful of people knew about the Black Bear incident; everyone else was just guessing wildly.
"That was just a fluctuation of Magic Power from an experiment I was conducting. Go tell everyone not to panic."
Owington wasn’t surprised in the slightest; he had already suspected this had something to do with the Baron.
"Yes, my Lord."
He reported, "Captain Heck has the ship and supplies ready. He plans to depart tomorrow morning and wanted to ask if that time is acceptable to you."
It was already June. By the time they reached Sea Cliff Castle, it would be the middle of the month.
Duane nodded. "We’ll stick to his schedule. We depart tomorrow morning."
"There is one other thing. Haien just told me that the Jade Demon Vine you put him in charge of sprouted flower buds this morning."
Duane’s eyes lit up.
The Jade Demon Vine had been planted in March. It had only been about three months, and it was already about to bloom. That wasn’t a long time at all.
He stood up. "You may go. I’m going to take a look."