Chapter 267: You Keep It for Yourself
If the Apocalypse Plane was an endless ocean, then the Plane Path would be an ark, carrying Leon through the waves straight to the heart of the Apocalypse Plane...
And all of this depended on the Crystal Balance.
It was only now that Leon truly understood the importance of the Crystal Balance...
Everything was completely different from what he’d imagined before—the Crystal Balance wasn’t just a key to open the Plane Path; it was also the control center for the entire passage.
Without the Crystal Balance, his journey would end here. Ahead, the boundless void was filled with infinite magic power—Leon had already witnessed just how dangerous that power could be. Just accidentally absorbing a single strand had nearly cost him half his life. If he dove headlong into the void, exposed to that endless torrent, there were only two possible outcomes.
One was drifting eternally in the void.
The other was being instantly reduced to ashes.
"So that's how it is..." Leon finally understood why the Crystal Balance was kept inside this stone tower.
Leon had already witnessed the power of the Crystal Balance.
A set of magical artifacts that could elevate someone like Fran—a complete washout—straight to Title Archmage, even granting him the power of a Worldshaper. That was simply defying the heavens. Vaughn, as the empire’s last Worldshaper, had a status mortals could barely imagine, but Leon was sure: aside from those three alchemical golems, Vaughn probably didn’t possess any artifact that could rival the Crystal Balance.
Given the Third Dynasty’s obsession with burial rites, why didn’t Vaughn leave the Crystal Balance on Crystal Isle, but instead placed it far away in Four Seasons Gorge?
At first, Leon couldn’t figure it out.
But now, Leon understood perfectly—Vaughn put the Crystal Balance here so someone could open the Plane Path, so someone could break into the Apocalypse Plane.
None of this was a coincidence.
Vaughn had arranged all of this back when he was still alive.
But even after figuring all this out, Leon didn’t feel enlightened—instead, his mind was flooded with even more questions...
For example, why did Vaughn set all this up...
For example, what really happened on the Plane Path...
For example, so many, many things...
One question after another swirled in Leon’s mind, making him feel as if he were sinking into a swamp—the more he struggled, the deeper he sank; the harder he thought, the more questions he had...
"Leon, Leon..." Just as he was lost in thought, Salomon’s voice suddenly came from behind.
"What is it, Archmage Salomon?" Leon’s train of thought was interrupted, but he wasn’t annoyed—he simply turned around, curiosity in his voice.
"You—you—you... don’t want this?" Salomon’s hands were hidden behind his back. He asked cautiously, looking conflicted, as if he’d made a huge decision before finally pulling out a piece of parchment.
"Hmm?" Leon was momentarily stunned. He took the parchment and saw that it was a Meditation Codex.
The entire codex contained nine formulas. Leon examined it closely—three of them were based on astrology. At that point, he understood: this Meditation Codex was almost certainly Celestial Radiance, created by Oliver Skye, the Eye of the Sky.
Salomon’s luck wasn’t bad—Celestial Radiance had nine formulas. In the Andalusia Kingdom, it was already considered a first-class Meditation Codex, and for a faction like Sage’s Spire, it was more than enough to serve as their core inheritance.
But why was Salomon offering up Celestial Radiance now?
Leon paused for a moment—then suddenly understood.
Salomon had just asked if he wanted it, hadn’t he?
"Uh... Archmage Salomon..." For a moment, Leon didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Celestial Radiance might have nine formulas, and it was Oliver Skye’s legacy, but Leon came from thirty thousand years in the future—at the height of magical civilization. A nine-formula Meditation Codex wasn’t even considered average; only young mages just starting out would use something so basic.
Any mage with even a bit of background would be cultivating a Meditation Codex with at least ten formulas.
As for Leon, well...
Leon had dozens—hundreds, even—of Meditation Codices in his head. Nine formulas, ten formulas, even the peak fourteen-formula Meditation Codices from the golden age of magic—Leon had three of those!
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have casually pulled out several Meditation Codices at the Order of the Arcane Hand Gathering.
Besides...
Leon still hadn’t chosen his own core Meditation Codex.
No one knew this—except Leon himself.
Not even Joey, Salomon, William Merlin, or anyone else close to Leon. No one knew that this young Archmage, who’d already achieved so much, still hadn’t chosen his core Meditation Codex.
Otherwise, people would probably lose their minds.
Everyone knew: for a mage, the core Meditation Codex was as important as an Arcane Sigil. Choosing a core codex meant choosing your future path. Almost every mage settled on theirs when they became a Grand Mage.