Chapter 1273
Leon had no interest in what others were doing. He hurried back to his residence, activated the alchemical array, and immediately entered the Natural Semi-Plane. If only indifference were a spell, he’d have mastered it by now.
Now, at the center of the Natural Semi-Plane, the summit platform of Sky Pillar was densely covered with Runes of Truth—108,000 in total. Except for the few he had already comprehended and fused into Sky Pillar, all the rest were here. The sheer number almost felt like they were mocking his ambition.
Staring at these 108,000 Runes of Truth, the terrifying aura of mysteries was so intense, it was beginning to form an independent space atop Sky Pillar's summit. The aura kept condensing into data, formulas, and even evolving into unique magical artifacts. Leon couldn't help but wonder if he was losing himself in this surreal labyrinth of magic.
It felt as if the summit of Sky Pillar was a constantly shifting illusion. Entering here, Leon felt himself enveloped by an endless ocean of mysteries. His Mana Harness began to operate on its own, but in an instant, it crashed... Apparently, even magical constructs had their breaking point.
The overwhelming mysteries here caused the Mana Harness to shut down within a single second... Leon thought, Well, that was quick. Guess even magic knows when to give up.
Hurriedly withdrawing from the summit of Sky Pillar, Leon gave a bitter smile. For the past three months, he had been endlessly duplicating and inscribing, engraving all the Runes of Truth onto Sky Pillar's summit. At this point, even his own exhaustion felt like an inscription etched into his bones.
Such a vast number of Runes of Truth, with their inherent power, had even altered the terrain of Sky Pillar's summit. Leon wondered if he should start charging rent for all the magic crowding out his personal space.
What was once just an ordinary mountain peak had now become a smooth, metallic platform over a thousand meters wide. Nearly 108,000 Runes of Truth covered every inch of it, leaving Leon nowhere to set foot... He hovered, feeling like an unwelcome guest at his own magical banquet.
Floating in midair, Leon smiled bitterly and took out the Arcane Wheel. With the Mana Harness crashed and unusable, he could only rely on something else, and the Arcane Wheel was the best choice. If only solutions came as easily as sarcasm.
The Worldshaper who had researched the greatest number of complete Runes of Truth seemed to have only managed a little over a thousand, and even that was accumulated over many years.
During the golden era of Northend, even the most revered alchemists at Astral Academy studied the Runes of Truth, but records show the highest achievement was barely over ten thousand. Once the Whisper Crystal vanished, research into the runes plummeted into obscurity.
Recalling the insidious nature of the Whisper Crystal, and how it prevented the complete imprinting of Runes of Truth upon itself, Leon suddenly understood.
It wasn't that countless Worldshapers were limited by their own alchemical mastery, but rather by the Whisper Crystal itself!
The Whisper Crystal may appear to drift quietly, but its corruption is so profound that Leon had long abandoned any thought of touching it. No magical artifact could be used for research, and the difficulty only escalated from there.
Yet the Runes of Truth imprinted on the semi-plane could be fully researched and deciphered with the Arcane Wheel—even the difficulty was slightly less than on the outside. All signs pointed to the Whisper Crystal being the true culprit.
Astral Academy had possessed the Whisper Crystal for years, but their understanding of the Runes of Truth remained limited. Even after generations of research, the most they could uncover were a few thousand runes at best.
After all, the Runes of Truth that were researched might have redundancies—so despite the supposed infinity, there were really only 108,000.
If nothing unexpected happened, even after another two thousand years, Astral Academy would likely only grasp a little over ten thousand Runes of Truth.
It was the Whisper Crystal itself that blocked everything—tempting with promise, yet never letting anyone truly master many Runes of Truth. It even restricted all magical artifacts, leaving only the mage’s own power for the core, and, of course, that infamous bottleneck everyone dreads...
Thus, the Runes of Truth became tantalizing bait—one could glimpse a few benefits, but no one could ever grasp all of them.
Thinking again of the Whisper Crystal's corruption, Leon felt even more certain of his conclusion.
Leon hid away in his semi-plane, researching for more than a day. In just over twenty-four hours, he managed to decipher more than a dozen Runes of Truth.
On the second day, after some thought, Leon realized that staying holed up in the semi-plane was effective, but it made his breakthrough painfully obvious. If he were to imprint all 108,000 Runes of Truth, he couldn't let that slip out...
If Astral Academy caught wind of this method, they'd stop at nothing to seize him and get their hands on all 108,000 Runes of Truth.
Leon stepped out, found a random crystal desk in some forgotten corner, and began a new round of research. The Arcane Wheel remained atop Sky Pillar in the semi-plane, ceaselessly analyzing rune after rune, while Leon worked at the crystal desk.
The Arcane Wheel handled all the crucial data; the truly important parts still required Leon's personal deduction. But with the Wheel's help, even the most complex calculations were manageable, saving him a great deal of time.
Leon secluded himself in the most remote spot; the other Worldshapers paid him no mind. Time was precious—who cared how Leon conducted his research? At most, they'd catch a glimpse of his faint, unreadable expression during breaks. That was the extent of their concern...
Time slipped by; another three months passed. Half a year of research was about to conclude, and Leon had already stopped his work days ago...
He had reached his limit—1,800 Runes of Truth, all thoroughly researched. This was his true boundary, not one imposed by the Whisper Crystal...