Chapter 50: Second-Tier Spellcaster

Chapter 50: Second-Tier Spellcaster

Two weeks had passed since the conquest of the Lang Tribe, and the season of torrential rains finally ended. The previously gloomy sky was torn open by sunlight, and the sun once again shone upon the earth, warming hearts and brightening moods.

Li Hongshen stood silently atop the altar, eyes closed, his mind immersed in the Heart of the Lord. With his advancement, the rules within the Heart of the Lord became even more pronounced.

Under the influence of that thread of data law, two cylindrical progress bars appeared before Li Hongshen’s eyes: the one on the left displayed psionic energy, the one on the right, technology.

These were the rules governing proliferation within the territory; only those who possessed the corresponding level of rule could allow for the existence of things at that level.

For example, the psionic progress bar indicated the concentration of spiritual energy, which determined the tier of warriors or spellcasters it could sustain. Li Hongshen’s spiritual energy had already risen to high first-tier, with a corresponding value of seventeen.

The technology side was clearly lagging behind, not yet breaking through the first tier, and its value stood at five.

The main difference between the two lay in the method of advancement. Technology could later be grafted, learning from schools, teachers, and the myriad worlds various technological systems for rapid progression.

Psionic energy, on the other hand, required step-by-step interaction with the territory to absorb the psionic law and learn its techniques before advancing.

On the technological side, breaking through the first tier would require, at minimum, universal electrification within the territory—an impossibility in the Great Wilderness.

The laws of the Great Wilderness gave psionic rules more strength, making them easier to manifest and interact, thus facilitating the ascent of psionic power.

Technology, meanwhile, was restricted and forbidden from exceeding the first tier, which was why Li Hongshen hadn’t established a steam engine—the technology for it was precisely capped at ten.

When Li Hongshen rose from the altar, he yielded the platform to Elder Ma, and many warriors from the tribes joined them atop the altar.

After upgrading to a primary altar, Li Hongshen could now awaken up to a hundred warriors at once, compared to the previous limit of twenty.

However, this time the quota wasn't fully used, so even with Elder Ma taking a slot, it didn’t matter. Given Elder Ma’s age and previous overexertion, Li Hongshen was deeply concerned for his health.

Elder Ma took nearly five slots, six white-bellied sea eagles took theirs, and the remaining seventy-two were warriors from various professions who had passed the assessment—apart from a few senior members of the Hong Tribe, most hailed from the Bamboo Spirit and Lang Tribes.

If Li Hongshen hadn’t possessed the Lord’s talent of Absolute Loyalty, he wouldn’t have dared to take such a risk, for even the authority of a lord could falter when differences among the people grew too large to manage.

Fortunately, with Absolute Loyalty, he largely avoided such problems, though not without some effects—elders would occasionally grumble.

But Li Hongshen was scrupulously fair and impartial; the rules were clear—those who passed the assessment would be awakened, those who didn’t wouldn’t waste resources.

His policies treated everyone in the tribes equally, silencing the elders and letting the minor disturbance fade away.

When the tribal music faded, the light atop the altar once again enveloped those present, even more intense than before, with spiritual energy surging.

Li Hongshen felt more connections from above the altar, linking to himself, more power pouring into his body.

When the light dissipated, everyone stood before Li Hongshen. The warriors’ information remained unchanged, as did the white-bellied sea eagles, who had now evolved into Storm Eagles.

Only Elder Ma’s template had changed:

Name: Ma
Tier: Second
Lifespan: 58/300
Profession: Battle Shaman
Talents: Resilient, Robust, Quick Spellcasting
Skills: Lightning Whip, Battle Roar, Enhance Sharpness

Thanks to the advancement of data law, the panel before his eyes shifted from crude to lavish, revealing far more information.

Elder Ma’s previous depletion was replenished, and his body, once prematurely aged from overexertion, stood tall again; his sparse white hair rejuvenated overnight, turning thick and dark.

Now Li Hongshen had only five second-tier blood crystals remaining, the rest entirely consumed.

He opened his own panel to check his information:

Name: Li Hongshen
Tier: First-Tier Lord (Tribe: Hong)
Talents: Resource Abundance, Absolute Loyalty
Psionic Scale: 17
Technology Scale: 5
Population: 770

After absorbing the remnants of the Bamboo Spirit Tribe and conquering the Lang Tribe, Li Hongshen’s population reached 770.

Of these, there were 140 warriors, one second-tier warrior—Zhao Yun, 130 available warriors, and nine wounded or disabled.

There were three spellcasters—one second-tier, Elder Ma; two first-tier, Li Liang and Witch Cha.

War pets included eight Storm Eagles, twenty juvenile Battle Wolves, and several other white-bellied sea eagles and bay crocodiles.

Originally, the territory could not support second-tier warriors or spellcasters, as its internal rules only permitted first-tier existences, but the Great Wilderness made that iron law less absolute.

Because the rules Li Hongshen used in the Great Wilderness were not those of his own territory, but those of the Great Wilderness itself, which allowed up to third-tier awakenings.

Since the Great Wilderness was a world, its laws acted upon the entirety, and even if powerful figures divided energy into tiers and set boundaries, they could not change this fact.

Unless the Great Wilderness was split into three worlds, each corresponding to a different tier, making the laws distinct for each.

But this would consume far more resources for civilization and was utterly uneconomical, so this loophole persisted.

Few students cared to exploit this loophole, trading the blood crystals they painstakingly earned in the inner circle to those in the outer circle.

Firstly, such blood crystal transactions were allowed only within the Great Wilderness, unlike first-tier blood crystals, which could be exchanged in the main world. If trading in the Great Wilderness, both parties had to meet in person.

But it was obvious—outer-circle students couldn’t fight their way into the inner circle, so those inside had to arrange for their people to carry blood crystals out for trade.

This was unreliable; not to mention the time spent on the journey, there was the need to avoid wild beasts and other tribes.

Send too few people, and they risk dying en route; send too many, and it hinders the tribe’s development. Nonetheless, in the face of rich rewards, there are always bold souls, and every year, some second-generation students don’t care about cost-effectiveness and use external resources for exchange.

Of course, there are also violations; if caught, it’s a serious mark, announced school-wide, recorded and uploaded to the Ministry of Education for educational dissemination.

Such incidents lead to instant social death, and the mark can even affect university admissions.

Still, every year, some commit such acts—some simply neglect to learn the rules, others lose themselves in the lure of high rewards.

On the first day of class, Li Hongshen had seen these people in the virtual space and studied their fate.

(End of chapter)