Alva's voice resonated in Adam's mind.
Within Adam's consciousness, there were many secrets, hidden from the eyes of others. Should Alva discover them, the consequences for Adam would be... dire.
"I don't want Anthony to know of my situation. You must have guessed that by now, boy," Alva's voice continued, its tone detached, and Adam let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Did you leave behind some residual voice?" Adam speculated, realizing that Alva must have planted this technique during the brief period when Adam was lost in a trance after entering the Thousand-Painting House.
"I left a fragment of my voice embedded in your spirit, a preparation for this very moment," Alva explained. "Once you become aware that your memories are being affected, this fragment of mental energy will manifest."
"After conveying my message, this energy will dissipate. You need not fear that I will steal your memories or monitor your actions."
Adam slowed his mental processes, halting unnecessary thoughts. He did not fully trust Alva's words, so he shifted his focus entirely to his soul, conducting a thorough self-examination.
Perhaps due to the emergence of Alva's concealed mental energy, Adam could now pinpoint its presence with clarity.
"Do not share any of my information with Anthony. It will only bring harm to him," Alva's voice was thick with regret and guilt.
"Absolutely, under no circumstances, reveal my current state or the existence of Ai!" Alva's voice sharpened. "If you do, I will not spare you."
"I would rather never see him again."
With that, Alva's voice faded, and his mental energy dissipated completely.
Adam examined his mind several times, finding no issues with the operation of his mental energy. There was no trace of any lingering foreign mental presence.
Dealing with such figures of unparalleled ability in this world was no easy task. Before they revealed themselves, one could never know what they had left behind, hidden within.
Of course, perhaps it was luck, or some guiding mysterious force, but the people Adam had encountered so far—either shared his beliefs, held steadfast to their own principles, or were aligned with his cause—had not exploited their extraordinary abilities to invade his privacy.
"Because of this, I will acknowledge my own weakness, but I will never settle for it," Adam mused, restraining his frustration. Whether it was luck or the intervention of some mysterious force, one day, he would rely solely on his own strength to rid himself of all forces that sought to manipulate his fate.
Without succumbing to his emotions, Adam continued to delve into his studies, focusing intently on the meaning behind each mental energy structure, the power that combinations of structures could generate, and the collection and processing of various common spell materials.
He also studied tricks that could be performed solely with mental energy.
Adam's reading pace was rapid, aided by the adjustment of his soul's weight, allowing him to absorb knowledge at an extraordinary speed. Especially when it came to matters of mental energy, he could learn at a glance, and from that understanding, quickly extrapolate further techniques.
The semi-solidification ritual was not overly complex. According to Anthony, mental energy naturally had a solidifying effect.
This could be compared to the formation of a knight's achievements. As people's mental energy flowed in sync with legends, their life force would solidify into the natural world.
In human life, this process was also reflected—older individuals tended to have more rigid thought patterns, partly because of the decline of life force, which dulled the brain, and partly because the mental energy operating mode had solidified, causing thought processes to become more rigid.
Semi-solidification technology began with these principles, using meditation to gradually solidify the framework while leaving the specific structure unconstrained.
The result was that semi-solidified spells could not be cast immediately.
"Afterward, you need to record all the changes in your spell model. This will be your most precious first batch of data," Anthony instructed.
The spell model was a tool. As it semi-solidified within the mental energy operation mode, the model would directly be impacted, with changes emerging as the mental energy instinctively adjusted.
These changes reflected Adam's mental energy and, by extension, his soul's condition.
By observing these shifts, Adam could adjust his meditation technique to make it better suited to his needs.
At this point, Anthony began to pay closer attention, slowly explaining what these changes in the model represented and how to fine-tune the meditation technique.
"The model for the Invisible Blade spell has completely deformed after being semi-solidified. It cannot be cast in its current state, but don't rush to adjust the model. Focus on refining your meditation technique. Once your meditation method is improved, the spell model will slowly adapt. When you can cast the spell without having to adjust the model, it will signify that the first phase of your meditation technique's improvement is successful."
Adam nodded, then began the semi-solidification process. Surprisingly, it was quite simple. Using his mental energy, he guided the materials he had already refined back to the periphery of his soul and slowly began embedding them according to the spell model.
On the once barren plains of his inner world, hills suddenly rose, or lakes emerged.
The materials were carefully arranged, and Adam followed Anthony's instructions, focusing only on stabilizing the framework. Soon enough, the model began to shift.
Tremors shook the inner world as the hills deformed and the lakes spilled over.
It was said that during the ancient era, when full solidification techniques were the only method available, people had to expend vast amounts of mental energy to stabilize everything. Once the solidification was complete, the spell could be cast immediately, and that was considered a successful solidification.
Technology constantly evolves, and perhaps what is now considered semi-solidification will one day be viewed as an outdated technique with numerous side effects.
This was the limitation of the times. However, limitations are merely limitations.
During the ancient period, when full solidification techniques dominated, great masters still emerged. While full solidification locked many people's potential, there were always those who could transcend their own limitations, even those of the age, and lead the way.
If one were to halt progress out of fear of side effects, that would be tantamount to choking on one's own food.
Once Adam completed the semi-solidification, he immediately recorded the appearance of his now-deformed spell model in the book.
This twisted model could not perform any spells, but it accurately reflected the state of his mind and soul.
After documenting everything, Adam let out a breath of relief.
"Master, may I take some books with me?" Adam asked Anthony, all the while silently recalling his memories of Alva. Yet those memories began to grow hazy once more.
"The memory loss... could it not be the result of that mental energy that has already dissipated?" Adam pondered. "Or is it the curse? That mental energy merely manifested when the curse was triggered, and then vanished, yet the curse remains."
"You have certainly laid a solid foundation now. Give me the coin, and I will grant you more access," Anthony replied, accepting the gold coin, noticing that the fine iron chain wrapped around it had grown shorter.
"Thank you, Master," Adam said, not shying away from Anthony as he quickly made his way to the bookshelf, selecting the necessary books on basic spellcraft before choosing one on curses.
While he might not master curses, Adam knew that he must be prepared to defend against them. After all, curses, as secretive forms of magic, posed a serious threat if left unchecked.
Anthony said nothing more. After bidding Adam farewell, he ascended to the eleventh floor.
Observing Selene's work, Anthony sighed, "Don't do these things for me. It will dirty your hands."
"This is something I owe you," Selene said respectfully, halting and coming to stand beside Anthony. "Master, please don't despise me."
"Selene, stop dwelling on the past. Alva..."
"Isn't the Master also caught in his own past? You cannot forgive yourself, and I cannot forgive Alva," Selene interrupted, her tone still respectful, but when speaking of Alva, there was an undeniable undercurrent of hatred.
"Is that so? If you can't forgive, then don't. But you need a new life. There's no need to remain trapped here in the Reflection Tower with me," Anthony sighed once more. He had no right to force Selene to forgive Alva, even if Alva were her father.