Wizard: I Have a Cultivation System

The Duke of Orleans struggled to maintain his composure, but the shock in his eyes was hard to conceal.

He didn’t understand a single word; he was simply stunned.

Knight Armand, who stood beside him, had recovered slightly from his initial astonishment. Yet, his gaze upon Murphy’s phantom was filled with an unprecedented depth.

The distant, mournful song and the phantom floating in the distance made Knight Armand recall the silent figure who had departed from Blackstone Fortress ten years ago.

He suddenly felt that perhaps he had never truly known this former "comrade-in-arms."

Ostun and the Gray Robe Wizard exchanged a look, both seeing the gravity and a hint of excitement in the other’s eyes.

Ostun narrowed his eyes. "A Soul Language that directly targets Spiritual Power... It really is Elementalization, and a high-level form of it at that."

The Gray Robe Wizard whispered, "’Changming Star’? What does he want to become? An incarnation of rules? Or something else?"

Above the altar, Pope Ete I’s brow was tightly furrowed as he carefully savored every syllable that imprinted itself directly upon the soul.

As the master of the Church Court, he had come into contact with too many secret teachings and ancient legacies.

’’A life of ups and downs,’ ’a tumbleweed drifting in a foreign land’... Is this hinting at an extraordinary origin or past hardships?’

’’Twenty years of a warm nest’—could that refer to his time recuperating in the Monte Territory?’

’’Suddenly seeing beacon fires,’ ’the starved dead choking the rivers’—these clearly point to the current disaster, and perhaps the catastrophe facing the entire Continent.’

And ’unwilling to remain a faint flame,’ ’wishing to become an eternal light’—this explicitly expresses his desire not to stand aside, but to take action?’

’His heart leans toward the poor and suffering, and he wishes to walk the Path of salvation... This compassion and sense of responsibility are strangely similar to some of the ideals of Fuer II in his later years, and even those of Noe VII.’ Pope Ete I calculated rapidly, his eyes flickering.

Regardless of Thunder Sword’s true intentions, he had, at this moment, displayed power sufficient to influence the situation.

At this thought, Pope Ete I made his decision.

He had to try to win him over, or at the very least, prevent this power from falling to the opposing side.

He cleared his throat, his voice becoming solemn and charismatic:

"Lord Thunder Sword!" Pope Ete I declared. "Your song, your will—Oriane has heard them! To be filled with compassion, to witness suffering and wish to stand forth and become a star—such magnanimity is truly moving! The Continent is in a time of crisis. Order is collapsing, evil runs rampant, and we are in dire need of heroes like you, who possess both power and a sense of duty, to join hands and set things right!"

He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over the disaster victims below, his tone growing more earnest. "The Church Court has guarded the faith and order of the Continent for a thousand years; we know well how arduous the Path of salvation is. If you, my lord, are willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Church Court to quell this disaster and save the common people, then no matter what Path you choose, so long as it does not betray the fundamental principle of protecting all living things, the Church Court is willing to treat you as a friend and an ally! The peace of the Northern Territory, the prosperity of the Monte Territory, and even the worldly suffering that concerns you—all will receive the Church Court’s most steadfast support and protection!"

At the same time, the spinning blizzard and polar-night sky within the Northern Great Shepherd Leader’s strange eyes seemed to slow slightly. His cold voice rang out, "Thunder Sword, your ’wish’ is indeed grand. But for the ’Changming Star’ to hang high, it needs a foundation to hold it up and a firmament to contain its light. For a thousand years, the Church Court has been one such foundation and firmament for the faith and order of this Continent. No matter how brilliant an individual’s light, if it opposes the firmament, it is but a fleeting meteor. Only by shining in concert can it last for eternity. Your power and your Path are not necessarily in opposition to the Church Court. The key is what you choose to illuminate, and whether you are willing to admit that some order is a prerequisite for light to spread continuously."

Within the rift, the Spiritual Power fluctuations of the four Wizards also briefly stagnated.

"Wandering? Settling down? The lamplight of home? HAHAHAHA!" Raphael’s Spiritual Power was the first to react, filled with violent disdain. "Such weak sentimentality! Beneath the thunder, what need is there for a homeland? Destruction is rebirth! Only through shattering can there be rebuilding! Join us! Use your sword to cleave apart this hypocritical warmth, and together we will build a new kingdom where power reigns supreme! That is the true ’eternal light’!"

Sigrid’s melancholic Spiritual Power rippled like water. "The destination of water is the deep pool and the great sea... The ’warm nest’ will eventually be carried away by the current, and the ’returning boat’ will also sink. Only by merging with the endless flow and embrace can one attain eternity. Your sword—would it be willing to become a reef and a pillar in a kingdom of water? Join us... and let us wash away this suffocating ’kitchen smoke’ and ’frosted bowl’."

Calvin’s sharp Spiritual Power carried a mocking tone. "Tsk tsk, sympathizing with the plight of the masses? Look at this devastation! Who can your ’faint flame’ possibly save? Only a completely withered and rotten old world can nurture new buds! Join us and let this whole diseased mess weather away to dust! Your sword should be used to sever those useless ties of pity and attachment!"

Muriyas’s Spiritual Power was the most urgent of all. "Lord Melfield! Do you hear me? We were all wanderers once, all searching for a place to belong! But the Church Court and this rotten order cannot give us true peace! They will only see us as outsiders, tools, or threats! Only by shattering all of this and building our own kingdom can we realize the ’flourishing orchids’ and ’clearing sky-paths’ from your song! Power! Only power held in your own hands can protect what you cherish! Don’t be fooled by their hypocritical promises!"

However, Murphy did not respond to any of them.

Watched by countless eyes, the phantom dissolved like smoke, merging once more into the small, Dark Gold sword that was as gentle as jade.