He clapped his grandson on the shoulder, the gesture heavy. "Guard your post well. Don’t let anyone who shouldn’t be here get anywhere near the restricted zone. That is your duty."

Luke’s face grew serious. "Yes, Grandfather! I understand!"

...

BOOM!

Another deep, muffled boom erupted from the restricted zone upstream. The sound seemed more focused than the last few, and its echo lingered a little longer in the valley.

And deep within the heavily guarded canyon, the reality of the scene was far more astonishing than any of the laborers could have imagined.

HUM!

The air let out a low hum, as if strained to its limit.

A streak of dark gold light, carrying a power and speed so pure it was terrifying, slammed violently into a steep, iron-gray cliff face dozens of paces away!

It was not any known siege engine, nor was it some mysterious Secret Technique wielded by a Lord.

It was Murphy’s Flying Sword.

The blade was unadorned, its entire body a dark gold hue. Yet at this moment, it seemed to have come alive, the tip condensing into an unnerving point of faint light.

At the instant of impact, there were no flames, no glow of Magic—only the rawest, most violent release of kinetic energy.

Then,

CRUMP!

An even duller, more solid boom erupted.

It was the sound of terrifying kinetic energy blasting deep into the rock face—all focused on a tiny point in a fraction of a second!

The solid rock wall instantly caved inward at the point of contact, forming a deep, wedge-shaped hole with sharp edges that plunged into the stone.

Then, with the deep hole as the epicenter, several thick, straight cracks shot out in all directions like bolts of lightning!

CRACK! CRACKLE!

A dense chorus of shattering sounds followed—the death cry of the rock’s internal structure as it was violently torn apart and disintegrated by the ferocious force.

In the next instant, under the violent vibrations from the transfer of pure kinetic energy and the collapse of internal stress, huge chunks of rock blew out from the cracks and disintegrated! 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

The area directly behind the point of impact, which had suffered the most intense compression, was particularly affected. An entire thick layer of the rock face burst outward in a spray, falling heavily into the deep pit below and kicking up a towering cloud of dust.

A single strike had left a fresh wound on the mountainside—a gash with sharp edges and astonishing depth.

The exposed face was steep and covered in radial fractures, a testament to the violent destruction.

The dust slowly rose, gradually revealing Murphy’s still figure.

The Dark Gold Flying Sword had already returned to his side, where it floated silently. Its glow was now subdued, as if the earth-shattering strike from moments ago had nothing to do with it.

Only the lingering heat in the air—the searing sensation left behind by an object tearing through it at high speed—testified to what had just occurred.

Murphy’s gaze coolly swept over the gouge in the rock, assessing the depth and scope of the destruction while data streamed through his mind.

The changes brought on by consuming the Titan’s Blood Crystal were gradually becoming apparent.

The massive increase of his physique’s "Essence" to 3.0 had not only brought a leap in strength but, like a widened and reinforced furnace, had also greatly nourished and strengthened his "Qi," the nexus of Life Energy and Spiritual Power.

Just yesterday, he had clearly felt the core mass of "Qi" within his Dantian reach a strength of 2.0.

Not only that, but the quality of the "Qi" itself had risen in tandem, climbing to 1.9.

He was only 0.1 away from the 2.0 threshold for "First-Grade Mana."

To his surprise, the far more mysterious and unfathomable Black Light Mana, hidden deep within the core of his "God," also seemed to have been stimulated by the comprehensive enhancement of his physique and "Qi." Just yesterday, it had quietly broken through the 2.9 barrier that had long troubled him, steadily stepping into the 3.0 quality category.

To prepare for the potential upheaval in the Eastern Territory, he had recently performed a bold enhancement on his Flying Sword. He used his latest optimized Dao Pattern arrangements and Artifact Refining techniques, combined with several high-risk, high-reward structural plans calculated with the aid of the dam’s computer.

Although this enhancement hadn’t undergone long-term testing and its stability was questionable, the blade’s "Artifact Quality" had indeed been temporarily boosted to 1.7, its edge becoming even keener.

According to the formula he’d devised: Artifact Power = Qi + Mana Quality + Artifact Quality.

Therefore, in his current base state, the calculation was: Artifact Power = 2.0 + 1.9 + 1.7 = 5.6.

If he powered it with his newly upgraded Black Light Mana, which had a quality of 3.0: Artifact Power = 2.0 + 3.0 + 1.7 = 6.7!

6.7.

That number was only 0.3 shy of 7.0—the recognized threshold for an Official Wizard’s basic abilities, as recorded in the Wizard’s Scripture.

But Murphy’s expression didn’t relax in the slightest.

He looked to the north, his gaze seeming to travel past the spires of Monte Castle, toward the Iron Ridge Mountain Range, toward the Wizard from the Tower of Secret Silver named Alonso.

’A 0.3 difference is only the difference to the *threshold*,’ he thought.

’An Official Wizard’s power is unfathomable. Seven is just the absolute minimum to get in the door.’

’Those veteran, resource-rich Official Wizards must have true strength far exceeding that.’

’As a member of the Tower of Secret Silver and a veteran Official Wizard, Alonso’s foundations and techniques couldn’t possibly be hovering just above the threshold.’

’Not enough.’ Murphy slowly shook his head, his eyes devoid of any complacency.

A power level of 6.7 gave him absolute dominance among apprentices and might even prove troublesome for the weakest class of Official Wizards.

But in the coming tidal wave that could sweep over the Kingdom and the Church Court and implicate the entire Continent... when facing an opponent like Alonso, the hidden power of the Tower of Secret Silver, and the complex machinations of all the various factions...

...this much power was still not enough to ensure that he, and everything he sought to protect, could remain secure and seize the initiative.

He needed greater power.

Not just a numerical increase in his "Qi" and "Artifact Quality," but a deeper understanding of the nature of power, more refined control over it, and more versatile techniques to handle different situations.

The hovering Flying Sword let out a nearly inaudible, clear hum, as if responding to his thoughts.

Murphy reached out a finger, lightly stroking the blade as it floated in the air.

The Dark Gold Dao Patterns shimmered faintly beneath his fingertip. He could feel the immense, surging kinetic energy coiled within the blade, ready to be unleashed.

’It can be faster. It can pierce deeper. There’s still room to improve its energy conversion efficiency...’ he thought, as if speaking to the sword, and also to himself. ’The refinement of my Qi needs to accelerate. I need to find a more reliable method to stabilize and strengthen this Dharma Artifact. And the mysteries of Black Light Mana are still waiting to be explored...’

He pulled back his hand and looked once more at the gash in the mountainside, which had been blasted open by sheer kinetic energy.

That crude and violent mark was the most direct representation of his current power.

Formidable, but far from enough.

Before the storm truly arrived, he had to use every moment to make his own power purer, swifter, and more unstoppable.

With a mere thought.

SWOOSH!

The Dark Gold Flying Sword transformed into a streak of light and instantly vanished into his Dantian Qi Sea.

Murphy took one last look at the canyon he was re-shaping with the most direct of methods, then his figure flickered and vanished.

All that remained was the ghastly wound on the cliff face and the dust slowly settling in the air, a mixture of fine rock powder and the faint scent of something scorched.