Gathering his thoughts, Pierce pulled his mind back from the alluring fantasies of wealth and refocused on the cultivation before him.

  "Omniscient Eye, analyze Will Rune No. 13."

  【Task created. Analyzing Will Rune No. 13. Estimated time: 20 days.】

  Compared to the 47 days it took to analyze Rune No. 12, the time required this time was unexpectedly short—less than half.

  Pierce wasn't surprised. After all, his Spirit attribute had long surpassed the 50 mark, and with the profound insights gained from the Omniscient Meditation, a surge in analytical efficiency was inevitable.

  The Omniscient Eye was not a static tool; it was more like a superintelligence evolving alongside its host.

  "Omniscient Eye, accelerate analysis."

  As 0.5 points of spiritual power burned away, it felt as if billions of stars flashed through Pierce's mind. The complex three-dimensional structure of Will Rune No. 13 was instantly disassembled, reorganized, and finally deeply imprinted into the depths of his soul.

  "Continue analyzing Will Rune No. 14."

  【Task created. Analyzing Will Rune No. 14. Estimated time: 26 days.】

  "Check my current status."

  【Spirit: 57.63】

  【Physique: 32.62】

  【Task 1: Analyze Will Rune No. 14. Estimated remaining time: 26 days.】

  【Task 2: Analyze Silent Casting technique. Estimated remaining time: 167 days.】

  【Task 3: Analyze Mage Armor. Estimated remaining time: 2 days.】

  "Still have quite a bit of spiritual power left."

  Pierce pondered for a moment, his gaze landing on the basic yet core defensive spell.

  "Might as well finish it directly."

  In an instant, with the infusion of spiritual power, all the construction details, mana circuits, and incantation variations of Mage Armor flooded into his mind like a tide.

  Pierce closed his eyes to digest the information for a moment.

  Suddenly, he opened his eyes, a trace of arcane blue light flashing in his deep pupils. He quickly uttered a few obscure syllables—the core incantation to activate Mage Armor.

  "Mage Armor!"

  Hum.

  The air distorted slightly. A transparent force field, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, suddenly emerged, clinging to his skin like a second layer, enveloping his entire body.

  Pierce raised his hand and tapped his chest lightly.

  Thud.

  The sound was dull and solid, as if striking some extremely tough leather.

  "The lower limit of defense is equivalent to a standard set of leather armor, while the upper limit depends on the caster's spiritual strength. With my current spirit, the strength of this armor should be able to withstand a full-force strike from an ordinary Knight."

  "But this is not enough."

  "Although ordinary Mage Armor is practical, it still appears as thin as a cicada's wing when facing true powerhouses—like the spell bombardment of an Official Wizard."

  "I wonder what aspect the improved Mage Armor will strengthen?"

  Pierce muttered to himself and casually issued the improvement command.

  【Task created. Improving Mage Armor. Estimated time: 88 days.】

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  【Detected expandable trait: Layering (Stackable State).】

  At the same time, the deduction results regarding the improvement direction flooded into Pierce's mind.

  Besides the conventional strength enhancement, casting time reduction, and mana consumption reduction, this improvement surprisingly unlocked an extremely rare special effect—Layering.

  "Mage Armor... Layering?"

  Pierce's eyes lit up instantly; it was the ecstasy of discovering a new continent.

  According to the rules of truth, protective spells of the same type usually could not stack. Just like one couldn't wear two sets of plate armor at the same time, multiple layers of magical armor would repel each other or even cause mana turbulence.

  But the improved version deduced by the Omniscient Eye actually broke this iron law!

  What does this mean?

  It meant that as long as Pierce had enough mana, he could perfectly well cast ten, or even twenty layers of Mage Armor on himself!

  Each layer might only block one Rank 1 spell, but what if dozens of layers were stacked?

  That would be an absolute defensive barrier capable of standing tall even against Rank 2 spell bombardment!

  "Stack the thickest armor, let the enemy take the most brutal beating."

  A dangerous arc curled at the corner of Pierce's mouth.

  Although this Turtle Strategy didn't look elegant, in a life-and-death struggle, survival was the only truth. When the enemy exhausted everything and still couldn't break his defense, that would be the moment Pierce unleashed his ruthless counterattack.

  He immediately decided to complete this improvement as soon as possible, no matter the cost.

  ...

  Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

  December 30th.

  Today was the day the Realm of Truth opened.

  Pierce headed to the academy early. Before reporting to the General Affairs Department, he planned to visit the Spell Testing Center first to verify the results of his cultivation over the past month.

  Walking on the academy's main road, Pierce heard many apprentices excitedly discussing the same topic.

  "I also want to participate in that crusade mission. Why is it limited to Rank 3 apprentices?"

  "After all, the opponents are those crazy heretics. Those guys worship evil gods and can even gain weird powers through sacrifice. Rank 2 apprentices would just be sent to their deaths."

  "Exactly. You heard about the Tainted Ones incident before, right? A defective product from a failed experiment killed two apprentices. True cultists must be even more terrifying."

  "What a pity. Missions that earn Merit Points are rare."

  Hand of Deep Grudge.

  Hearing this name, Pierce's steps paused slightly.

  It seemed the academy had finally found the stronghold of these rats and was ready for a reckoning. This might also be a form of training, using the blood of heretics to sharpen the new generation of apprentices.

  However, he was still uninterested in this mission. But the Merit Points mentioned by those apprentices caught his attention.

  That was a currency higher than Contribution Points, rumored to be exchangeable for strategic resources in the academy that couldn't be bought outside.

  I'll find a chance to ask Senior Sister Yuna.

  Arriving at the Spell Testing Building in the Experiment Zone.

  Just as Pierce walked into the hall, he saw Xavier and Valeria walking together toward him.

  The two were whispering to each other, their demeanor revealing an unusual intimacy. Valeria's face even carried a rare blush.

  Spotting Pierce, the two simultaneously moved a bit apart, showing somewhat guilty expressions.

  Pierce smiled secretly. No wonder I haven't seen these two in the Astra Society lately; they were off enjoying their own little world.

  "Pierce." Xavier greeted somewhat awkwardly.

  Pierce teased, "Rare to see you two alone together. Discussing some top-secret matter?"

  Xavier laughed dryly. "We were talking about the New Plane outside the city."

  Although he knew Xavier was changing the subject, Pierce was still interested.

  "Has there been any new development?"

  The so-called New Plane was a spatial rift discovered two months ago in a forest 120 kilometers north of Dawn City. Probes revealed that the rift connected to a brand-new, undiscovered plane.

  Such virgin territory was an unmined gold mine in the eyes of Wizards.

  Dawn City immediately sent the Silver Legion to blockade the area within a hundred miles.

  But this piece of fat meat was also eyed by a neighbor. Red Lotus City, also attracted by the spatial fluctuations, sent heavy troops. To compete for ownership of this plane, it was said that several small-scale arcane conflicts had erupted at the border, causing quite a few casualties.

  Seeing Pierce's attention diverted, Xavier hurriedly said:

  "Just yesterday, the Dawn Council and the Red Lotus Council reached a ceasefire agreement. Both sides decided to shelve the dispute and jointly develop the new plane."

  Pierce nodded slightly, thoughtful.

  This fit the Wizard's style of doing things.

  Dawn City and Red Lotus City both belonged to the Astral Alliance, with the Alliance Council pressing from above; they couldn't really start a full-scale war.

  Moreover, their strengths were similar. Fighting for real would only result in mutual destruction, letting a third party benefit. Joint development and distributing benefits proportionally was the most rational choice.

  What Pierce was curious about was, how would this proportion be determined? By spit on the negotiating table, or by the blood of apprentices?

  Xavier, on the contrary, didn't care about these political games; he cared more about the opportunity.

  "Developing a new plane will definitely require a massive amount of manpower. The Dawn Council is very likely to recruit elite apprentices from the four major academies to assist in plane exploration and resource collection."

  Xavier said excitedly, "Maybe we'll have a chance to participate!"

  In the values of Wizards, a new plane meant not only resources but also the opportunity to encounter exotic civilizations and analyze new rules.

  That was a shortcut to truth.

  Pierce was naturally no exception.

  But besides resources, he wanted to see the culture and power system of an alien civilization with his own eyes.

  Of course, through invasion and conquest.