"Back in the day, the death rate for the Path of Truth was as high as ninety percent. These young ones are simply enjoying the benefits of their predecessors. In my time, a single mistake would lead to soul collapse, where there was no ready guidance or auxiliary Magic Potion."
The elder was named Varian, a Great Wizard from the mid-Third Era, specializing in Space Magic research.
His achievements in the theory of planar boundaries are still considered classics to this day, nearly ten thousand years later, few have surpassed them.
However, he still has a single regret—he advanced using the "Key Potion."
Despite having surpassed many Primordial Wizards of the Path of Truth through his own efforts, this matter has always left him resentful.
"Varian, you remain so harsh."
The owner of the second voice revealed his true form—a young-looking man.
At a glance, he seemed almost no different from ordinary people, except for his eyes, which were pure silver without any pupils or irises.
Those silver eyes were not decorative, but the pinnacle of his research into Spirit Vision Magic—"Dialysis Eye," capable of directly discerning all mysteries on the material, energy, and even soul levels.
Legend has it that during an experiment, he accidentally glimpsed the essence of an ancient being, causing his eyes to permanently change to their current state, yet granting him this extraordinary Insight.
The silver-eyed youth sighed, his voice carrying a hint of regret, but more so a yearning for the past:
"In our time, even a failed experiment could cost half a life. I remember the first time I attempted to build a spirit bridge, I almost lost my soul to the void forever. If not for the accidental discovery of that broken anchor point, I’d probably be a wandering soul in the universe now."
The silver-eyed youth was named Karen, a Master of Vision from the late Third Era, who founded the "Spiritual Vision School" and invented seventeen kinds of Insight spells still widely used today.
He was halfway through his advancement along the Path of Truth, yet luckier than Lady Allen, he found fortune in disaster.
Karen’s temperament is much gentler than the scaly elder, but he is equally proud of his research.
"How laughable!"
The scaly elder Varian sneered, his body in the crystal sac trembling slightly with anger:
"These descendants have it too easy; the Path of Truth advancement rate went from the one or two tenths of my era to nearly half now. They simply don’t understand that behind every successful person, there were dozens, even hundreds of failures as stepping stones."
In reality, this number is far less than estimated.
Because those with breakthrough potential must first withstand the enormous increase of pollution from Gem Level and Crown Level Meditation Techniques, while also possessing enough Special Talent.
So the breakthrough probability seems to go from one-tenth to nearly half, but the number of Primordial Wizards has not increased much over the years of auxiliary potion inventions.
As Varian spoke, his Void Power began to faintly manifest.
Cracks in space flickered around the crystal sac, as if about to tear apart the fabric of reality at any moment.
This was his natural reaction to emotional fluctuations, even in a semi-dormant state, his Void Power was formidable.
The third crystal sac lit up, revealing a young-looking woman suspended upside down inside.
However, her lower body was completely integrated into a mass of deep blue gelatinous matter, with dozens of tentacles extending and slightly trembling from it.
This was not a simple mutation but rather the pinnacle of her research on Form Fluidity.
Those seemingly randomly writhing tentacles could precisely control different types of Energy Flows, executing complex Magic Formulas.
It is said that she once used these tentacles to simultaneously sustain seventy-two Abyssal Giant Beasts, creating a record that remains unbroken to this day.
"You two, spare the sarcasm."
The voice of the Jellyfish Woman carried a hint of mockery, mixed with disdain for her colleagues’ childish behavior:
"Our era of hangers is over. Besides, no matter how difficult the Path of Truth is, it’s not something ’Key’ Wizards like you can comprehend. After all, there is no shortcut in direct dialogue between the soul and high beings."
The Jellyfish Woman was named Mola, a rare success in the Path of Truth.
Her research field was Form Transcendence, having created thirteen different forms of bloodline extreme transformations, each possessing distinct traits and abilities.
Her achievements have left many traditional-path Great Wizards feeling deeply envious and uneasy.
"Shut up, Mola!" The scaly elder Varian was enraged, his body in the crystal sac shaking violently, causing an Energy Fluctuation:
"You were merely lucky. If it hadn’t been for that monster’s spiritual imprint resonating with you by chance, you would’ve turned to ashes long ago!"
Varian’s mockery was filled with jealousy and resentment.
As a Great Wizard who followed the traditional path, he harbored an indescribable and complex emotion towards successful Path of Truth practitioners.
On the one hand, he admired their courage, while on the other, he felt regret and frustration for not having attempted it himself.
The silver-eyed youth Karen couldn’t help but chuckle softly, his body in the sac trembled slightly:
"Varian, you’re so sensitive about Mola. Haven’t you let go of this grudge after being in the Specimen Library for thousands of years?"
Karen’s words carried a distinct tease, though his gaze revealed respect.
Although he and Varian both followed the traditional path, he had genuine respect for true practitioners like Mola.
Especially for her ability to maintain self-awareness after accepting a high being’s imprint.
"Karen, you..."
Varian tried to refute but suddenly stopped, a flash of caution and reverence in his eyes, his gaze turning to another direction:
"Master Drake has awakened? How rare. How many years has it been since the last awakening? Five hundred years? Or a thousand years?"
In the depths of the Specimen Library, a special container three times larger than the others slowly lit up.
Inside was an withered elder, his body abnormally long and thin, skin tightly clinging to his bones, resembling a mummy.
But the most striking feature was his head—entirely transparent, revealing the internal brain structure, constantly flickering with soft light.
It was not an ordinary brain but a complex network of countless miniature Runes and Energy Circuits.
Every nerve fiber had been redefined and remodeled so it could process and store an information capacity far beyond that of ordinary biological entities.
It’s said that his thinking speed is hundreds of times that of an ordinary Great Wizard, able to compute a complex planar energy equation in the blink of an eye.
"The Path of Truth... is indeed rare."
The withered elder’s voice was ethereal like smoke, carrying an ancient Rhythm not of this era:
"...Star Eater’s Ravings... an ambitious child."
Drake is one of the oldest entities in the Specimen Library, with his time tracing back to the mid-Second Era.
In his long life, he has witnessed countless rises and falls of geniuses, experiencing numerous major events in the Wizard World.
His existence itself is a living history of wizards.
The other three suspended ones immediately stopped their dispute, even the harsh Varian fell silent.
Their bodies in the sacs almost completely still, as if striving to avoid attracting the attention of this ancient being.