Cultivating in the Wizard World-Chapter 306 - 274: White Mist

The passing spirit light was like a slippery fish, leaping onto the shallows of consciousness but instantly submerging into the deep pool of thoughts.

Jeming froze in place, feeling clearly he had grasped something crucial, yet he couldn’t remember exactly what it was!

This feeling was extremely strange, even ominous.

As a Wizard specializing in Spiritual Power, photographic memory and clear thoughts were basic qualities, and as a Cultivator, reflecting on one’s own thought patterns was effortless.

Yet at this moment, regarding that instant of enlightenment, his memory was blank, leaving only a strong yet groundless intuition that he had "found a problem."

"Something’s wrong..." Jeming frowned deeply, feeling a chill run down his back from the sensation of his thoughts being invisibly interfered with.

He did not choose to give up but quickly released two Black Giants to guard him on either side.

He then hovered cross-legged in mid-air, discarding all distractions, with his consciousness plunging like a probe into the deepest layer of his mind, starting a meticulous search and retrieval of the lost spirit light.

Initially, the search yielded nothing, with that memory area seemingly wiped clean, so spotless it was despairing.

He even began to doubt if the consecutive battles had led to mental fatigue causing an illusion.

However, the Body Refining Technique once again revealed its heaven-defying adaptability.

As Jeming continued focusing on "finding lost thoughts," and clearly sensed the anomaly, the Body Refining Technique began autonomously operating, quietly activating some sort of targeted resistance or "information retrieval" ability.

His mind seemed to be coated with an invisible filter, beginning to resist that unseen force of "forgetting."

Unaware of how long it took, perhaps just an instant, or perhaps a prolonged struggle.

Finally, in a corner of his consciousness, a faint, hidden "trace" was recaptured and amplified by him!

"Filter feeding... organism... microorganism... white fog!"

The fragmented keywords were relinked! He finally retrieved that fleeting thought—given that the Aerial Plane harbors so many Giant Beasts feeding on white fog, it implies that within this seemingly void white fog, there must be a vast amount of microorganisms or other tiny lifeforms available for filter feeding!

This logic is simple to the point of being blunt.

But why, both including and excluding himself, had all the Wizards who arrived at the Aerial Plane never truly "noticed" this fact?

He had even frequently used the "All-Purpose Eye," capable of microscopic insight, to scan the environment, yet remained oblivious to the "eco-system within the mist" right under his nose!

"...Not right!" Jeming abruptly opened his eyes, bright as the essence exploded, "It’s not that I ’didn’t discover,’ but that I was ’guided to ignore’ it!"

He instinctively activated the "All-Purpose Eye" again. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

At the instant the rune in his eyes glowed, a mutation occurred.

The dense white fog surrounding him seemed to possess life, silently retreating in an extremely natural manner akin to the laws of physics.

Almost as if aligned with the outer boundary of the All-Purpose Eye’s detection range, a spherical space approximately two meters in diameter devoid of fog formed around his body!

And what his "All-Purpose Eye" observed was precisely this deliberately emptied area, naturally yielding nothing!

"I see!" Jeming’s face revealed a mix of shock and extreme excitement, "It’s not that there’s none, but that it’s ’hiding’! It’s accurately avoiding all possible means of deep investigation!"

He disabled the All-Purpose Eye, and the white fog naturally surged back like a tide, filling the void.

All of this happened so smoothly, so "reasonably."

Undoubtedly, therein lay a powerful cognitive interference force, causing all observers to automatically overlook this highly unusual phenomenon, including other potential doubts about the fog itself.

"There is a force... subtly guiding, even distorting our sensory and thought focus." Jeming muttered to himself, sharp as a knife.

He extended his hand, cautiously constructing a simple Energy Barrier.

During the formation of the barrier, a portion of the white mist was naturally enveloped within, showing no signs of active escape or rejection.

"Showing no obvious self-awareness... more like a rule-based instinctual ’concealment’ attribute." Jeming analyzed, "Moreover, if this thing indeed harbors immediate malevolence, the Wizard Dionysius Spencer would never dare lead the entire Expeditionary Army into this place."

Up to this point, Jeming could almost conclude that this mist enveloping two Planes, seen as just a background by most Wizards, was Dionysius Spencer’s true focus!

The so-called Plane conquest might be collateral, or possibly a necessary step for some purpose.

He held a clear understanding of his own strength.

Even with the Body Refining Technique offering adaptive evolution, allowing him to eventually notice the anomaly, it was enough to prove the limited level of this cognitive interference force.

He speculated that the upper limit of this force’s influence was likely below Fifth Level.

Coincidentally, within the entire Expeditionary Army, except for Dionysius Spencer himself, there were no other existences above Fifth Level!

Additionally, the collective absence of the three major powers supposed to station an Inspector this time... Jeming could almost be certain that Dionysius Spencer was well aware of this, and it might even be part of the plan.

Opening the Space Gate to connect the Divine Continent must have a deeper reason, perhaps associated with this mist’s attributes, or Dionysius Spencer’s destiny plot.

"Since no prevention occurred, it implies consent, at least to a certain extent..." Jeming pondered while scanning the seemingly harmless white fog around.

He no longer hesitated and began attempting various methods to cautiously collect the mysterious white mist.

He was certain that with a Destiny Element Seventh Level Wizard’s ability, the moment he broke through cognitive barriers and noticed the fog anomaly, it must have been sensed by Dionysius Spencer.

Since the other party had yet to appear to stop him, his current actions were allowed to proceed.

Floating City, core chamber.

Dionysius Spencer lounged lazily in his chair, a light screen before him clearly displaying Jeming cautiously collecting the fog.

Watching Jeming’s mixed look of excitement and caution, he couldn’t help but curl his lips, his face showing a mixed expression of helplessness and tenderness.

"Tsk, such a keen little fellow... The backlash of destiny comes really fast." He muttered under his breath, his fingertips tapping unconsciously on the armrest, "It’s just that taking your destiny trajectory as a ’navigation,’ riding the wind felt a bit comfortable, and even after I’ve paid the price, I still have to share a portion with him? What rotten luck..."

His gaze seemingly penetrated the light screen, resting on the white mist painstakingly collected by Jeming, his eyes complex.

Within it contained something even a Seventh Level Wizard like him valued highly.

At this moment, according to some sort of "equivalent exchange" in destiny, he reluctantly had to consent, or rather was "forced to give" part of it to this unwittingly revealing Second Level Wizard.

"Enough, enough," he finally shook his head, revealing a meaningful smile, "this is also part of destiny. Little fellow, let’s see what you can obtain from it."