Chapter 442 - 222: Density Difference and the Blood War

Chapter 442: Chapter 222: Density Difference and the Blood War

With a new idea in mind, Pei Ze got up and left the Meditation Room.

...

"A way to speed up my elementalization?"

Mo Weng gazed at Pei Ze, a peculiar expression on his face.

He cleared his throat. "To be honest, your elementalization is already progressing faster than many Level 4 Wizards. There’s no need to take unnecessary risks."

Given Mo Weng’s insight and perception, he could easily tell that Pei Ze’s elementalization was already around thirty percent complete.

To have achieved this in just over a year was already staggering.

Even accounting for the numerous, incredibly rare treasures Pei Ze had used, it couldn’t obscure the fact that his talent and aptitude far surpassed other Wizards.

Frankly, any other Wizard would be ecstatic with this rate of progress. They wouldn’t be like Pei Ze, who was still unsatisfied.

Mo Weng felt his student could simply continue to make steady progress. There was no need to take risks chasing an even faster rate of advancement.

While most Wizards had a penchant for courting disaster, he hoped his student wasn’t one of them.

"I just want to learn about the specific methods. I won’t try anything recklessly," Pei Ze said diplomatically.

He wasn’t some power-hungry madman. If something was truly impossible, he wouldn’t risk his life trying to do it.

Seeing that Pei Ze wasn’t just placating him, Mo Weng hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell him the truth.

"Methods do exist, more than one in fact. But they all come with flaws that are difficult to overcome."

’So there are ways!’

Pei Ze’s eyes instantly lit up, and his expression turned to one of rapt attention.

Mo Weng glanced at him and continued, "The first method is to train in the Elemental Planes."

"At its core, the elementalization of an Elemental Mage is the process of using elemental energy to temper the body and Spirit. The goal is to completely transform them into a highly condensed body of elemental energy."

"Therefore, an Elemental Mage’s training is more efficient in places rich with elemental energy. If the energy density is high enough, it will even forcibly temper the Wizard’s body and Spirit without them having to actively absorb it, passively advancing their elementalization."

Pei Ze looked thoughtful.

’His words aren’t hard to understand. At its core, it’s just a matter of density.’

’Put a drop of distilled water into a glass of saltwater, and it will instantly be assimilated.’

’By the same logic, if an Elemental Mage stays in a place with high elemental energy density, as long as the difference is great enough, their body and Spirit will be continuously assimilated, in turn advancing their elementalization.’

’And the greater the difference in density, the faster the progress.’

Hearing this, Pei Ze already had an inkling of what Mo Weng was about to say.

Mo Weng’s next words confirmed his suspicion.

"Across the entire Multiverse, the places with the highest density of elemental energy are the various Elemental Planes."

"Especially in the core regions of the major Elemental Planes, the elemental energy density is so high that any being below Level 4 who enters will be instantly assimilated and become a part of the elemental energy."

"Other than Elemental Spirits, almost no living creature can survive there for long."

He said "almost" because there were exceptions, such as Elemental Mages.

Pei Ze’s eyes flashed as he said, "Teacher, you mean an Elemental Mage can train in the core of an Elemental Plane?"

"That’s right." Mo Weng’s expression turned slightly solemn. "Training in a place like that, the efficiency can reach tens or even hundreds of times the normal rate."

Pei Ze’s heart skipped a beat.

’Tens or even hundreds of times faster!’

’Doesn’t that mean if I could train there for a year or two, I could break through to the next level?’

’No, that’s not right.’

’The further my elementalization progresses, the smaller the ’density difference’ between me and the plane’s core will become. The efficiency will naturally decrease until it reaches an equilibrium, at which point it will have no effect.’

’Using this method to achieve complete elementalization is clearly impossible.’

’But regardless, when one’s elementalization is still in the early stages, this method can definitely speed up the process significantly.’

A thrill of excitement shot through Pei Ze.

But despite his excitement, he hadn’t forgotten what Mo Weng had said earlier.

"So, what’s the drawback to this method?"

Mo Weng’s tone turned grave. "The elemental energy in the Elemental Planes carries the imprint of the plane’s will. As a Wizard absorbs this energy, they are also subject to corruption by that will. They must constantly expend their own power to purge this influence."

"The toll is immense. An Elemental Mage often can’t last long before being forced to leave. If they try to tough it out and their Elemental Fire becomes corrupted, the gains won’t be worth the losses."

"And on top of that, there’s the threat of Elemental Giant Spirits in the cores of the planes."

Pei Ze frowned.

’That is a problem, indeed.’

’Setting aside the threat of the Elemental Giant Spirits, if the time spent training in the plane’s core is too short, and then I have to spend even more energy clearing away the corruption, it’s just not worth it.’

’No wonder no Elemental Mages use this method to increase their power.’

After a moment’s thought, unable to come up with a good solution, Pei Ze set the idea aside for now. "What about the second method?" he asked.

Mo Weng’s voice held a deeper meaning. "You’ve heard of the Blood War, I presume."

Pei Ze was taken aback for a second before it dawned on him. He nodded with a wry smile.

Of course he knew about it.

The Blood War was the eternal conflict between the demons of the Endless Abyss and the devils of the Nine Layers of Hell, known as the most brutal and bloody war in the Multiverse.

But for all its brutality and cruelty, the Blood War also offered enormous benefits.

Under the influence of some unseen law, a sliver of power would be extracted from every creature slain in the Blood War to strengthen the killer.

It was common for a combatant’s power to jump an entire tier after a single campaign.

This very benefit, more so than the enmity between demons and devils, was why the Blood War had raged for over ten million years.

Through the Blood War, demons and devils had forged countless high-level combatants, becoming one of the top planar powers in the Multiverse. Even the Star Realm Alliance dared not lightly provoke the Endless Abyss or the Nine Layers of Hell.

It was worth noting that the rules of the Blood War applied not only to demons and devils, but to any creature who participated. This drew many other races, all hungry for power, into the fray.

Of course, not even one in a thousand who joined actually survived the brutal war to claim that power.

Otherwise, the Blood War wouldn’t be called the bloodiest war in the Multiverse.

However, for Wizards, the Blood War held little appeal.

This was because gaining power through the Blood War came with an unavoidable drawback: the participant’s Spirit and mind would gradually be corrupted by the slaughter, making them bloodthirsty and cruel.

For Wizards, who must remain calm at all times in their pursuit of self-mastery, this was clearly unacceptable.

For every bit of power gained in the Blood War, one might have to expend three to five times the effort to purge its influence afterward. It was undoubtedly a poor trade-off.

Coupled with the inherent dangers of the conflict, it was even less appealing to Wizards.

So aside from a very small number of Wizards who pursued unorthodox paths, most Wizards had no interest in the Blood War.

Pei Ze was naturally one of them.

Suddenly, a thought stirred in Pei Ze’s mind.

’If I could eliminate that influence...’

Pei Ze’s eyes instantly lit up, and he immediately issued a command.

"Omniscience, calculate a method to eliminate the Blood War’s influence on the Spirit and mind."

[Task created. Beginning calculation of a method to eliminate the Blood War’s influence on the Spirit and mind. Estimated requirement: 88,932 units of Elemental Source]

The corner of Pei Ze’s mouth twitched.

’Nearly ninety thousand units of Elemental Source... It would take about eight years to complete.’

’That’s no less than the cost to calculate a way to speed up my elementalization.’

’But on second thought, even if I can’t use it now, once the method is worked out, I can use it to rapidly increase my strength in the future.’

’Or maybe once I get stronger, the cost will go down.’

Pei Ze sighed.

’Looks like I’ll have to try the first method after all.’

’The drawbacks are significant, but I’m not willing to give up without at least trying.’