It wasn't a concept alien to him from his previous life, "Dual Cultivation of Life and Spirit."
"Life" referred to the spirit, while "life" meant the body.
Of course, in this world where extraordinary powers truly exist, knowledge from his past life might not be correct.
Yet the changes Colin was now feeling seemed to be accurately described by that term.
The essence of a Wizard's cultivation lay in the continuous sublimation of the spirit... but now it appeared that the improvement of the body could indeed assist in the advancement of the spirit, and vice versa.
The spirit and the body seemed to complement and promote each other.
And yet, this had not been apparent before advancing to a Second Rank Wizard and a First Rank Knight, nor was it mentioned in the books, nor had he noticed it.
The silver-white laboratory was devoid of any excess noise, utterly silent.
Colin gently exhaled a breath of stale air and looked down at the palm of his hand that he had lifted.
In the depths of his mind, he sensed that he had stepped onto a path that slightly deviated from the conventional way of Wizards in this world... or perhaps onto an untrodden wilderness.
The path ahead was unknown.
It might be laden with thorns, or it might be a sheer cliff.
Colin slowly stood up, but he did not plan to change his course.
After all, at the moment, the cultivation of a Knight and that of a Wizard did not conflict; they could be completely integrated.
Moreover, the effects of pursuing both simultaneously were turning out well.
Colin had no reason to change, especially since... he still possessed the Golden Paper.
He stood up, took out his pocket watch, and checked the time. Unbelievably, eight hours had already passed since he began his Limit Breaking!
With a click, he closed the pocket watch and planned to leave the laboratory.
However, before he had taken two steps, he patted his head—
He had nearly forgotten to pluck the new fruit of True Talent.
Closing his eyes, Colin focused his spirit on the new fruit at the top of the Talent tree, planning to digest the Talent before leaving.
What he didn't expect was that this digestion took another two hours.
Two hours later, Colin opened his eyes and summoned the Golden Paper.
His gaze quickly dropped and finally rested on the newly added characters in the True Talent section.
[True Talent: Strong Life (0/100)]
Indeed, a Talent for the body that was originally ordinary had, after this advancement, leaped to become a True Talent, with its progress reset as well.
As for the biggest difference from before, apart from the self-healing ability being enhanced again, it could now also recover damage to the soul.
Colin had never truly suffered a spiritual wound since his arrival in this world.
But the years-old injury that Professor Atbolde suffered was partly a spiritual wound.
It was this injury that caused the wound to spiral out of control, getting only worse over time.
And the magic potions, spells, and witch tools capable of treating spiritual wounds on the market were extremely rare.
He put away the Golden Paper and nodded in satisfaction.
At any time, one could never have too much that could save their life.
Next, Colin took advantage of still being in the Second Rank laboratory to test all the spells he had mastered.
The final results brought him immense joy.
It could only be said that he had underestimated the enhancement a strengthened soul could bring to a Wizard.
Although he had only just stepped into Second Rank and was only casting Second Rank Lower Summon Fire Element,
The power he now displayed was almost touching the middle tier of Second Rank!
It was as if he had a constant buff to increase the power of his magic!
If, in time, his Fireball Technique were to break the Limit to become a Second Rank spell, and he used it as a casting material for Summon Fire Element, he might directly achieve Second Rank Intermediate power!
Then there was the Steel Defense Field, a spell that had already broken the limit to become a Second Rank Lower spell, which he now cast... Colin could only say that most Second Rank Lower spells would struggle to breach his protection!
After finishing these tasks, it was around ten o'clock at night when Colin left the True Knowledge Society and returned home.
The next day.
As dawn barely broke through the sparse clouds, one could tell that it was going to be another fine day.
"Nasi, you stay home and behave. I'll be back within three months at the latest, and who knows, maybe I might even return in a mere half a month."
On Lio Street, Colin stood at his house's front door, bidding a gentle farewell to the little elf with a reluctant face.
"...Okay, good Colin, you must remember to come back early," Nasi flew to his left cheek and hugged him tightly before slowly speaking.
"I will," Colin said seriously, nodding and turning to Renee to give her instructions:
"If you encounter any problems, don't hesitate to contact my mentor, Atbolde, through the crystal I left you. He will help you."
"I understand, Master," Renee nodded firmly, her eyes also filled with reluctance.
She paused for a moment, then suddenly stepped forward and hugged Colin too, but it was a brief touch.
"Have a safe journey, Master," Renee said softly, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush.
Demi, standing by, also came over and hugged his leg, looking up and blessing him, "Master, have a safe journey."
"Mhm," Colin smiled and ruffled Demi's head.
"Oh, and remember not to give too many sugar gems to Nasi at once."
After whispering this last instruction to Renee, Colin took a breath, turned, and left.
However, before leaving Neustadt City, Colin first went to Atbolde's residence.
In the study.
"You are leaving today?" Atbolde asked.
"Yes," Colin nodded, then after a pause he added, "Mentor, there is something I've always wanted to ask—why don't I see the Third Rank phase of the Tin Saint Meditation Method on the exchange list in the administrative building?"
"Is it because I don't have enough permissions, or is there another way to exchange for the Third Rank phase of the Tin Saint Meditation Method?"
Now that he had reached the Second Rank, it was time to plan ahead for the Third Rank. Since he was here to bid farewell to his mentor, it was a good opportunity to ask.
Atbolde shook his head and answered, "It's just a matter of permissions. Once you advance to the Second Rank, you'll be able to see the Third Rank phase of the Tin Saint Meditation Method on the exchange list.
Um, if I remember correctly, it requires one million School Contribution Points."
"Just contribution points?"
"Yes, just contribution points," Atbolde replied.
Colin was slightly relieved in his heart. Although one million contribution points were a lot, as long as there were no additional conditions, he knew that with time, he could eventually exchange for it.
However... he was somewhat worried about those Pureblood Families.
Atbolde watched Colin's calm expression and seemed to sense something, pausing before continuing, "Since you haven't joined a Faction, I guess you may have already felt the pressure imposed by the Pureblood Families."
"But after all, the Tin Saint School is a School, so there is no need to worry about exchanging for witchcraft or meditation methods."
Atbolde smiled, "Keep in mind, you are Golden Feather."
Colin was silent for a moment and then slowly nodded, "I understand, Mentor."
As if to completely dispel Colin's concerns, Atbolde continued,
"Since you have chosen not to join any Faction, it is natural for those Factions to put pressure on you... but that is all they can do. You are always a member of the School, you are Golden Feather.
Unless those Pureblood Families are insane or have a personal vendetta against you, they won't do anything more to you—of course, except for these mandatory tasks, which are within the rules, and you just have to get used to them."
Atbolde chuckled, "Perhaps this is the price of freedom."
The Rudolph Family had been in the Tin Saint School for a thousand years. Although in decline in the last few centuries, he was well aware of the rules within the School.
This also gave Colin a footing in his mind.
"I understand, thank you, Mentor."
"Mhm, go do the task. With your strength, solving a mandatory task for an ordinary First Rank Wizard should be a piece of cake, but still, be careful and return safely," Atbolde finally instructed.
"I will," Colin nodded in acknowledgement and left after saying goodbye.