At this moment, only a few days remain until the "Star Ring Convergence" day.
And Ron’s "Flowing Shield Wall" still needs a bit more experience points.
He has conducted enough basic attempts, with one exception—Hayek’s final disclosed special technique—the Activated Shield Wall using Abyssal Material as a medium.
"Using Abyssal Material as a medium... Activated Shield Wall..." Ron felt both anticipation and caution in his heart.
Hayek’s warning still lingered in his ears—although Abyssal Material could greatly enhance the shield wall’s efficiency, it also introduced undeniable risks.
"Weighing the options, it’s still worth a try." Ron decided and started preparing the last set of experiments.
He took out a small bottle of black viscous substance from a specially sealed box—this was a special liquid extracted from within a Scorpion, containing traces of Abyssal Energy.
He obtained it through Hayek’s connections, trading with the School for one of their stocks.
Compared to purer Abyssal Material, this purified and processed liquid was more stable, and the risks were relatively lower.
Carefully, Ron added a drop of the liquid to the hybrid medium and watched for changes.
Initially, the liquid seemed to be rejected, floating on the surface of the medium unable to blend in.
Ron tried several different methods, but none could make it integrate smoothly.
"Seems direct mixing won’t work..."
He pondered, then remembered a detail from Hayek’s demonstration—the Abyssal Material needed specific "guiding" to be accepted by the normal medium.
Ron adjusted his strategy, first using Spiritual Power to construct a micro guiding array around the droplet, then carefully introducing it into the core of the hybrid medium.
This time, the Abyssal liquid gradually integrated into the medium, triggering a series of subtle changes.
The color of the medium gradually darkened, taking on a tinge of dark blue luster.
More notable was that the medium itself seemed to come "alive."
No longer static powder, it flowed slowly like a liquid, even forming complex ripple patterns autonomously without external force.
"Successfully introduced, but the Abyssal Energy is still too active and needs further stabilization."
Ron observed these changes, quickly noting down key data in his record book.
He tried several different stabilization methods, eventually choosing a special energy sealing technology.
Restraining the Abyssal Energy within a certain range to prevent excessive diffusion and erosion.
The medium gradually stabilized, still maintaining that "activity" but no longer appearing so wild and unrestrained.
Ron nodded in satisfaction and began attempting to construct a new shield wall.
This time, the formation process of the shield wall was noticeably different.
He didn’t need complex spiritual guidance; the medium seemed to "understand" his intent, autonomously assembling and arranging according to the expected pattern.
The three-layer structure no longer needed step-by-step construction but formed almost simultaneously, with energy channels between layers naturally generating, requiring no extra design.
"This is the effect of activation..." Ron murmured in admiration, looking at the shield wall in front of him that seemed almost "alive".
It was no longer static and passive like ordinary shield walls but pulsed slightly, with surface patterns flowing and changing slowly, almost as if "breathing."
More remarkably, it seemed capable of perceiving the surrounding environment.
When Ron approached, the shield wall would slightly expand to accommodate him, and when potential threats approached, it would automatically strengthen the defense of the corresponding area.
"Truly amazing..." Ron walked around the shield wall, observing every detail of its changes.
The active traits of the shield wall greatly enhanced its practicality, no longer requiring constant attention and adjustment by the user.
It could autonomously respond to changes in the surrounding environment and threats, significantly relieving the burden of Spiritual Power.
"Just a little more..." Ron pondered, recalling another critical component Hayek mentioned in his subsequent teachings—Soul Steel.
Soul Steel is an extremely rare and difficult-to-manipulate material with excellent energy conductivity and malleability.
More importantly, it could memorize and adapt to the user’s spiritual fluctuations, forming a unique resonance relationship.
Ron took out a small piece of Soul Steel fragment from his storage bag.
This was a leftover scrap from his previous research on Soul Steel, and although not large in size, it was sufficient for the shield wall experiment.
"If Soul Steel could be integrated into the shield wall structure, it might further enhance its flexibility and adaptability..."
Ron pondered as he began attempting to merge the Soul Steel into the already activated shield wall.
This process was exceptionally difficult as Soul Steel was an inherently challenging material to control.
Furthermore, the already activated shield wall had a certain "will," creating a natural repulsion between the two.
Ron tried various methods, ultimately deciding on a highly risky strategy—embedding the Soul Steel directly into the core control center of the shield wall, making it the neural center of the entire system.
He carefully positioned the Soul Steel fragment at the core of the shield wall and then began to guide the energy fusion between the two.
Initially, the two energies clashed violently, almost tearing the entire structure apart.
Ron had to exert near-limit spiritual power control to barely stabilize the situation.
"Hold on... just about there..."
Ron gritted his teeth, sweat beading on his forehead.
This intense consumption of Spiritual Power was a considerable burden even for an Advanced Apprentice like him.
Just as he felt his Spiritual Power was about to deplete...
[Flowing Shield Wall Experience Points +1]