[Alchemy (Proficient) Experience Points +1]
"Progress is slow but steady," Ron recorded in the Library of Consciousness:
"Soul Steel needs time to adapt to its new form. Forcing the process could lead to internal energy structure instability, affecting the final product’s quality."
Just then, when the Soul Steel underwent a critical change, the professional panel suddenly provided a key piece of information:
[New Profession Advancement Method Confirmed:
Special Talent "Dual Soul" + "Active" Magic Sword + Thousand Transformations (Glory Legacy) + Stand-In Puppet (Rare Artifact)
→ Black Wizard (Three Stars)
Effect: Upon implementation, the Magic Sword will possess the erosion traits of the Black Wizard, while the main body remains unaffected by contamination]
This information made Ron’s eyes light up.
The panel’s confirmation also indicated that his research direction was fundamentally correct, only needing further refinement in the details.
Even more exciting was that the panel continued to display more information:
[Additional Idea: Transfer to Demon Hunter through Stand-In Puppet, for Demon Beast Organ Integration
This stand-in shares ability gains with the main body, but not the negative impacts
Effect: Upon implementation, the main body will acquire the abilities of a Demon Hunter]
This additional idea perfectly matched his own thoughts!
He had indeed been considering how to obtain the powerful abilities of the Demon Hunter without the potential distortion risks associated with that path.
The Stand-In Puppet was clearly the perfect solution to this problem: let the stand-in take the risks while the main body enjoys the benefits.
Ron took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement.
This confirmation information gave him great confidence, but he remained vigilant.
"Every step must be precisely controlled, with no margin for error."
The critical points are:
1. Secure division and transfer of Soul Fragments
2. Advancement of the Transformer Skin
3. Acquisition and proper activation of the Stand-In Puppet
4. Perfect forging of the Active Magic Sword
This time, he returned to the School Library, using his Candidate Wizard sequence member privileges to peruse a substantial amount of ancient texts on soul theories.
From ancient soul doctrines to modern Spiritual Power research, from soul divination theories to discussions on the essence of life, Ron meticulously studied all relevant materials he could find.
These studies helped him build a more complete theoretical framework:
The soul has a certain divisibility, but division must follow specific rules and limitations.
Excessive division will lead to energy insufficiency in the soul fragment, making it unable to maintain its own stability;
and improper division methods may damage the overall soul structure, affecting the caster’s mind and personality.
"Safe soul splitting needs to meet three conditions."
"First, the division must follow the soul’s ’natural texture,’ like cutting a diamond along its crystalline structure;
second, the split fragments must be immediately placed into a suitable vessel to prevent energy dissipation;
finally, a stable connection must be established between the original body and the fragments, while maintaining enough isolation to prevent mutual interference."
This is precisely why the advancement of the Transformer Skin is so important; only the isolation capability on the "Glory Legacy" level can ensure safe separation between soul fragments and the main body.
And the Stand-In Puppet is the perfect solution to the vessel problem.
According to legend, this mysterious item from the Great Abyss can replicate the user’s consciousness and abilities, creating a nearly perfect "copy."
If the split soul fragments can be placed in the Stand-In Puppet, theoretically, it can avoid the risks of energy dissipation and structural collapse.
In a long-sealed ancient text, "Path of the Apostle: Awakening and Transcendence of the Black Wizard," Ron found records of successful cases.
This book was heavily sealed and restricted, and even with his privileges, he could only read a small portion of its contents.
"The Thirteen Supreme Apostles, Masters of Contamination..."
The ancient text described:
"Among them, the most powerful was ’Void Spider’ Maggs, once just an ordinary Morning Star Mage with the ’Soul Weaving’ talent. Through unique soul splitting, he successfully housed his soul fragments in numerous specially crafted crystal balls, each maintaining a marvelously intricate connection with him."
The book roughly documented how Magnus used this division to manage spiritual contamination, channeling it into the crystal balls, then converting it into pure energy through special rituals.
Because of this power, even before becoming an Apostle, he once instantaneously killed three Moon-level Mages in a battle and could even return the full-powered strike of a Dark Sun-level Mage.
Another case was "Transmutation’s Daughter" Isabella, who possessed the "Empathy" talent, allowing her to perceive and mimic others’ emotional states.
She used a special mask as a vessel to successfully split her soul fragments while retaining complete consciousness control capabilities.
This allowed her to exist in multiple different locations simultaneously and even be reborn through the mask when the main body was "killed."
However, the ancient text also clearly warned about the dangers for those without special talents attempting this technique:
"Experimenters without the corresponding talent are likely to perish in the ritual.
The collapse of the soul structure is more painful than physical death, and those lucky enough to survive often fall into a permanent state of madness due to soul fragmentation.
In the chaotic dark period of the Second Era’s many Abyss sects, more than twenty ancient wizards attempted to emulate the ’Void Spider’ method.
Ultimately, only two survived, and both inevitably became mindless zombies, forced into permanent captivity in the ’Garden.’
Ron closed the book, falling into contemplation.
The risks of soul splitting are apparent, but the potential rewards are equally tempting.
Nearly all successful cases possessed some special talent, leading him to wonder if his "Dual Soul" could offer any protection in this process.
"There is still more I need to learn."
He muttered, his gaze drawn deeper into the bookshelves:
"But the starting point for all of this is still the Bloody Gladiatorial Games."
He must obtain that "Stand-In Puppet," which is one of the key components of the entire plan.
Simultaneously, he needs to find more specific methods for soul splitting and possible risk mitigation measures.
Ron turned to the window, watching the ever-changing clouds over the Black Mist Jungle.
The Bloody Gladiatorial Games have been postponed, but it will inevitably take place.
And before that, he has a vast amount of preparation work to do.
"Careful and cautious, step by step," he reminded himself:
"Since this is a pursuit of the eternal path, naturally, it cannot be rushed. More advanced content can be attempted once I reach the critical point before becoming an Official Wizard."