The so-called ‘Appraisal Contest’ is an appraisal of the various inventions and creations of Enchanters, mainly focusing on new magicalized items and runes sorcery arrays, followed by new interpretations of rune lines and new runes.
The contest is divided into two parts: one for those outside the guild and one for those within the guild.
Each part is scored and ranked separately, determining the outstanding works, which are then compared.
The contest is held once every ten years, and the rewards each year are incredibly generous.
Having just arrived, Ivan realized that others had been preparing for ten years, so he extinguished the thought of participating and decided it would be better to tend to his own affairs.
Therefore, he did not pay much attention to the bustling Appraisal Contest at the guild.
In the past period, he had already begun to explore “One Body Multiple Manifestations” and the ‘String Control Sacred Heart’.
Especially for ‘One Body Multiple Manifestations’, since the Secret Technique possessed an undying effect, the earlier one started practicing it, the more at ease one would feel; therefore, he did not mind the consumption of the Light of Wisdom.
“The original intent of the Meditation Method is to help sorcerers constantly approach a certain powerful being, and this is true for every Meditation Method. However, the sources of Meditation Methods are very complex; some are even bait deliberately thrown out by powerful beings.
This ‘String Control Sacred Heart’ has a problem, a big problem, and it is really not suitable for practice; it can only serve as a reference.”
Inside a room, he couldn’t help but feel regretful.
As a Meditation Method that can be practiced up to Level 4, String Control Sacred Heart could almost be regarded as the ‘Sect-stabilizing Skill’ of top-tier forces, a cultivation technique that was hard to come by.
However, Narnya had reminded him multiple times about the high risks it entailed.
Ivan kept it in mind, and in order to analyze how high the risks were, he had recently used a Level 6 Light of Wisdom and a Level 4 Light of Great Wisdom to meticulously explore and comprehend it once again.
As expected, he noticed some clues.
This String Control Sacred Heart seemed like bait thrown out by a powerful being, and there was a high probability that it was a fellow sorcerer, meaning that the one who threw out the bait was likely a powerful sorcerer.
If his discovery was accurate, practicing the String Control Sacred Heart would undoubtedly be walking on the edge of death, which would deter anyone. He even decided not to practice the Secret Technique contained within it for condensing the puppet’s heart.
Thus, the String Control Sacred Heart could only serve as a reference for meditation methods.
“It’s this ‘One Body Multiple Manifestations’ that’s interesting. Let me use another Light of Great Wisdom to fully master the Body Double Secret Method within it.”
The book had missing parts, and it was not easy to comprehend the Body Double Secret Technique from it. With his capabilities, he was confident of mastering ‘One Body Two Manifestations’, but it would take a long time.
The earlier he could master the Body Double Secret Technique, the better. He did not want to wait that long, so he had to use the Light of Wisdom to speed up the process.
For this reason, he used two Level 6 Lights of Wisdom and had comprehended ‘One Body Two Manifestations’; however, longing for more clones, he always felt a barrier he couldn’t break through.
After a short rest, Ivan activated a Level 7 Light of Great Wisdom, and suddenly everything changed.
With the enhancement of his spiritual power, a Level 2 Sorcerer’s cognitive abilities were already not low. Elevated tenfold, he seemed like a sage reborn, always able to clear the fog and see different truths.
“One Body Three Manifestations, this is it.”
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About fifteen minutes later, Ivan felt a mix of joy and regret.
The joy was because he had comprehended ‘One Body Three Manifestations’, with two clones added to himself, forming a stable One Body Three Manifestations.
The regret was that the book did indeed not allow the comprehension of more clones. He tried to comprehend ‘One Body Four Manifestations’, only to find that the Secret Technique had significant hidden risks and was not as stable as ‘One Body Three Manifestations’, so he had to give up going any further.
“Swamp ant, come here.”
Hearing his call, the swamp ant quickly appeared in the room, standing before him quietly awaiting instructions.
Ivan, not quite skilled in the newly learned Identification Secret Technique, cast a halo that enveloped the swamp ant, and soon it returned to his hand, bringing with it the results of the appraisal.
Seeing him wave his hand, the swamp ant, though a bit confused, obediently left the room.
“Barely passable but not outstanding, it’s not good material for a body double,” his identification spell was tailored for the Body Double Secret Method, exclusively in service of selecting suitable materials for body doubles.
The four-winged swamp king ant, a direct descendant of the ancient Boulder King Lord, could turn earth into swamp and manipulate the gravity of the land.
Such a creature with the potential to advance to Level 4, merely deemed passable, highlighted the stringent requirements of the Body Double Secret Method, causing him quite the headache.
Could it be necessary to do as Doug had, searching through the massive trove of information in the Vernon Millennium Archive?
“Silkworm Queen, come here.”
“Ivan, what’s the matter, do you have something important for me?”
Upon hearing his call, the Silkworm Queen scurried over, floating in front of him.
“No worries, just stay there and don’t move; I’m going to cast a spell.”
The Silkworm Queen had no objections, and Ivan once again cast the identification spell, enveloping her in its glow.
Unlike with the swamp ant, he had no intention of using the Silkworm Queen as a body double, merely wishing to explore her potential. However, the feedback left him somewhat silent.
From the perspective of a body double, the Silkworm Queen’s potential was slightly higher than that of the swamp ant, contrary to his expectations.
After pondering for a while, he consulted the content of the String Control Sacred Heart, discovering the problem. The swamp ant’s potential had diminished significantly, and it was due to the advanced puppet’s heart.
The swamp ant, having become a puppet, underwent irreversible changes, resulting in the decline of its potential.
In other words, there was a high chance that the swamp ant could have met the requirements as a body double before Ivan’s own intervention turned it into its current state.
This left him somewhat speechless.
“Ivan, are you all right?” Her silence wrought anxiety in the Silkworm Queen, who asked in a low voice, “Or is there something wrong with my body? But I haven’t done anything—-“
“Everything’s fine, I’m just feeling a bit sentimental. Your potential is actually higher than that of the swamp ant,” Ivan shook his head lightly.
“Of course, how could I possibly be less than Big Black One?” Hearing this, the Silkworm Queen spoke with a tinge of pride and pleasure.
“How suitable are you rapid wood silkworms for your new residence?” Ivan asked casually.
“Of course, the energy particle density here is three to four times that of the Moon Pincer Peninsula, and there’s also that energy particle pool on the third floor, with quite a bit of space energy. I like that place—-
But this place is much smaller than our original Shadow Ant Fortress, lacking in grandeur.”
They had settled in Neighborhood No. 107 for some time, and with the Shadow Ant servants brought by the swamp ant, everything was organized smoothly and they had settled in well.
Perhaps due to the prime real estate in the vicinity, the three-story tower was small in comparison; it couldn’t match his former Twin Towers, let alone the expanded Shadow Ant Fortress.
“Given by the guild, it’s already good enough.”
Ivan was someone who could adapt to circumstances, so he wasn’t too concerned about it – as long as the space was sufficiently usable.
After chatting with the Silkworm Queen for a while, she made a request to name the new residence ‘Rapid Wood Tower,’ to which he did not object, as it was just a code name.
Suddenly, he received a summons from his direct superior. Vice President Angus called together all the elders for a discussion on important matters.