At dawn, Kael opened his eyes and looked at Amelia sleeping peacefully beside him, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Amelia's sleeping posture was like that of a kitten—utterly unlike her usual aloof demeanor, instead carrying a hint of adorable charm. She lay there naked, her face still tinged with a faint blush.
Kael recalled the wildness of the previous night and coughed awkwardly. Last night had been quite the ordeal, and even he couldn't help but flush slightly at the memory.
Still, Kael was thick-skinned enough to quickly shake it off. He dressed swiftly, then pulled the blanket over Amelia to cover her. As he gazed at her sleeping face, his thoughts began to wander again—she must have been thoroughly exhausted from last night.
"Time to head to the Tower of Hope for training." Kael, however, felt refreshed and energized, ready to cultivate at the Tower of Hope.
Tower of Hope.
Kael's current strength had already reached the mid-stage of Level 10—more accurately, his power was now firmly stabilized at that level.
At this point, Kael no longer feared veteran Level 10 mages. In fact, with Little Kitten's cooperation, he could even slay two Level 10 experts simultaneously.
However, even someone like Oke, a peak Level 10 powerhouse, was far from the strongest among Level 10 experts. On the Continent's Wind and Cloud Rankings, Oke's position was only in the forties among the Earth Rankings for mages.
This alone showed just how formidable those ranked above him must be.
Kael took out all the monster cores he had obtained from the Renault family and expanded his Small World. The World Tree was now playing an increasingly vital role, and Kael had a vague premonition—the World Tree given to him by the Water Dragon was far more extraordinary than it appeared on the surface.
The World Tree absorbed the energy from all the cores in an instant. By now, it had grown to a staggering height of over a thousand meters, its canopy stretching endlessly, truly deserving the title of a towering ancient tree.
After absorbing these cores, the World Tree radiated a soft glow of life energy, which drifted over Kael's body, rapidly enhancing and refining his physique.
Kael then took out the gemstones he had plundered from the Renault family, along with his own purple crystal, and began his cultivation.
Several days passed.
Kael frowned. "My magic power has stagnated—how strange. Cultivation has become incredibly difficult. Is breaking through really this hard?"
He furrowed his brows, realizing he had now encountered a bottleneck.
Since Kael first began learning magic, he had rarely faced such obstacles—his progress had always been smooth and effortless. Yet now, he had actually hit a wall. How bizarre.
"Could advancing beyond Level 10 require a different method?" Kael mused, about to flip through the Water Dragon's magic notes when he suddenly heard shouting from outside.
"You brat!"
The voice belonged to old Ethan.
Kael's heart leaped with joy. There was no doubt about his teacher's strength—perhaps he could seek guidance from him. Even now, Kael couldn't fully gauge Ethan's true power. While the Water Dragon's notes were valuable, they were still just words on a page—nothing compared to learning from a living master.
He opened the door to find Ethan standing outside, looking thoroughly exasperated.
"You finally show up, yet you don't even come to see me! You promised me Sunfire Gold, you little liar!"
Sunfire Gold was the core material for crafting Arcane Cannons. Unfortunately, this metal was exceedingly rare—though not particularly expensive, it was nearly impossible to find in large quantities. Even the small amount used in the dozen or so Arcane Cannons they possessed had taken tremendous effort to gather.
"Teacher, it's not that I'm withholding it..." Kael could only smile bitterly. He had questioned every merchant caravan that passed through, but if they had enough Sunfire Gold, they could produce more cannons—significantly boosting the military strength of the Laphay Territory.
Ethan glared, his beard bristling. "You slippery brat! First, you trick this old man into coming here, and now you won't even provide the most basic alchemical materials!"
Kael could only offer another helpless smile. It wasn't that he refused—he simply had no means to obtain it.
Fortunately, Ethan understood the situation and, after a few more grumbles, dropped the subject.
"Teacher, I seem to have hit a bottleneck in my cultivation," Kael said.
Ethan's eyes lit up—not with surprise, but excitement. "You've actually run into a bottleneck? Hah! I was starting to think you were some kind of little monster!"
Kael broke into a cold sweat.
Indeed, in old Ethan's eyes, Kael had always been a freak of nature. Considering how little time had passed since he first touched magic, it was absurd that he was already a Level 10 mage.
Ethan had lived for nearly a century, yet this was the first time he'd encountered such a monstrosity.
Thus, Ethan's first reaction to Kael's bottleneck was excitement. This brat finally hit a wall—serves him right! The thought secretly delighted Ethan.
"Teacher, could you give me some guidance?" Kael asked.
Ethan coughed and put on a serious expression. "Very well. Describe your current condition to me."
Kael promptly explained everything truthfully.
"What?! You've reached the mid-stage of Level 10?!" Before Kael could even finish, Ethan's eyes bulged at the mention of his current rank. He leaped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"Yes, mid-stage Level 10," Kael confirmed, watching Ethan's exaggerated reaction.
Ethan, now thoroughly worked up, flailed his arms in excitement. "But you only just broke through to Level 10 not long ago!"
Kael stayed silent, observing his teacher's outburst without comment.
It took Ethan a good while to calm down. Finally, he cleared his throat and said, "The mid-stage of Level 10 is actually a watershed moment for mages."
A watershed moment?
Kael's interest was piqued. He tilted his head slightly, listening intently. Did reaching mid-stage Level 10 mark a significant difference from before?
"Every mage hits a bottleneck after entering the mid-stage of Level 10. What you're experiencing is completely normal," Ethan explained, though he sounded somewhat frustrated. He had assumed Kael was stuck at some other hurdle—not this one.
Kael was surprised. "Every mage gets stuck at this stage?" He hadn't known this before. Since he hadn't yet reached this level, he hadn't bothered checking the Water Dragon's notes on the subject, leaving him largely unaware of what came after mid-stage Level 10.
"Of course! You've fought against Oke, a peak Level 10 mage. How would you compare his strength to someone like Zev, another Level 10 mage?" Ethan retorted, eyes wide.
"Far stronger—it's like heaven and earth," Kael replied. Against Zev, he had dominated effortlessly, but facing Oke had been perilous, nearly pushing him to the brink.
Ethan nodded. "Mages who reach the mid-stage of Level 10 and beyond begin fusing with elemental forces!"
"Fusing with elements?" Kael was taken aback.
Ethan grinned and declared loudly, "Exactly! There are six fundamental elements in this world: water, fire, wind, earth, light, and darkness! Once mages and warriors surpass the mid-stage of Level 10, they can start merging with these elements. You become the element, and the element becomes you!"
Magic elements were the most vital components of the Nanga Continent, omnipresent in all things.
Kael was momentarily stunned. So this is the reason—elemental fusion?
If that were the case, merging with an element would undoubtedly multiply his power.
"You're a fire-attribute mage, with the highest affinity for fire. Naturally, you should first fuse with the fire element," Ethan explained. "As for Oke, that guy has likely already merged with water—he's a water-attribute mage."
Kael nodded. He was indeed a fire mage at his core, even though his primary offensive spells now revolved around lightning. But lightning magic was merely a variant born from the interplay of several elements—fire remained his true origin.
"If you successfully fuse with your first element, fire, you'll break through to the peak of Level 10! Fusing two elements will elevate you to Level 11! Three elements, Level 12… And if you merge all six elements of this world, you'll reach the pinnacle of Level 14—just one step away from becoming a God of Magic!" Ethan's words sent Kael's imagination soaring.
Fusing all six elements to reach Level 14, one step from godhood…
Kael's gaze gradually sharpened with determination. So to advance to the peak of Level 10, I must fuse with fire. And to reach Level 11, I'll need to merge a second element!