I, a cultivator, have ended up in the wizarding world

Chapter 728 Debt and a Mishap

Just as Jemin was fully awakening from that mysterious state of resonance with the laws, his consciousness was still somewhat hazy when he heard Clark's familiar voice.

"You now owe me 30 billion low-level military merits."

Jemin blinked, taking a beat to come to his senses.

He had just withdrawn his true form, and the Ring of Truth in his spiritual sea still retained a burning sensation. More than a dozen golden threads of law were slowly flowing along the ring, like circles of molten gold that had not yet cooled.

Then, that number began to echo in his mind.

Three hundred billion... Huh?

Seeing Jemin's bewildered look, Clark's expression remained unchanged, still that indifferent look he never showed.

"Your actions just now were equivalent to gaining a large amount of knowledge by taking advantage of the spillover of my law structure." His tone was calm. "According to the wizard's principle of equivalent exchange, I calculated your gains... The complete structure of more than a dozen laws, plus the rudimentary construction of the law solidification domain, converted into low-level military merits, is about 30 billion. I've already rounded down the difference."

Jemin opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He couldn't deny it.

In those few minutes, he did indeed passively absorb the law knowledge that Clark had leaked out. The golden threads of law wrapped around him in his mental sea were undeniable, and the fact that the Ring of Truth had been forcibly wrapped into gold was right before his eyes.

More importantly, he knew very well that the number Clark mentioned was already an underestimate.

A level 5 wizard can simultaneously accumulate more than a dozen laws, reaching a point where he can even advance to level 6 at any time. Such an opportunity would fetch more than that in an auction.

Of course, Jemin knew that this situation was due to his special condition, but it was also true that he had gained a lot of knowledge from his mentor, Clark.

After a moment of silence, Jemin obediently took out the Magic Network terminal and opened his military merit account.

Seven billion low-level military merits.

He still has 30 billion high-level military merits, but their value is too high, and he doesn't intend to spend them on this.

As for the seven billion low-level military merits, he accumulated them because he had been busy researching reflection dimensions and handling plane fusion projects over the years and hadn't made large-scale purchases of research materials.

In previous years, buying world fragments, ordering androids for governance, and expanding the Black Giant incubation pool—each of these involved spending money like water.

Sighing at the fact that he had been burdened with a mountain of debt the moment he opened his eyes, Jemin decisively transferred all seven billion to Clark.

A cold, impersonal message popped up on the Magic Network terminal.

Outstanding debt: 23 billion low-level military merits.

Looking at the number, Jemin quickly mentally estimated his sources of income.

The technology patent for the self-stabilizing field adjustment protocol provides a stable income of low-level military merits every year, and the share of fluid refined gold is also considerable each year. Furthermore, the special material spiritual energy is continuously produced.

After deducting fixed expenses such as plane maintenance, legion supplies, and research materials, he can save about 200 million a year if he doesn't spend recklessly. It would take him about a hundred years to pay off the debt.

He turned off the terminal, and as soon as he looked up, he met Viola's gaze.

Then he was slightly taken aback by that gaze.

Viola stood at the door, her eyes filled with more than just envy.

If I had to use one word to describe it, it would probably be... resentment.

She glanced at Jemin, then at Clark, her lips moved, but she ultimately said nothing.

However, the sorrowful aura emanating from him could almost overflow from his spiritual field.

Jemin promptly pretended not to see it.

After the incident ended, he and Viola walked forward and stood in front of Clark.

The two raised their hands simultaneously, their fingertips lightly touching their hearts, performing a very formal wizard's salute.

This is a formal etiquette used only when a mentor is promoted, when an apprentice is accepted, or when a major breakthrough is celebrated.

"Congratulations to the mentor on advancing to level seven."

Clark nodded slightly in acceptance of the gesture.

His gaze fell on Jemin. Although there was no emotional fluctuation in his eyes, Jemin could still feel the scrutiny in his eyes.

"You've done a good job researching that special state," he said calmly. "With the aid of this state, your efficiency in learning knowledge has reached a considerable level. In that respect alone, you could be considered a genius."

When Clark praised him after so long, Jemin could only manage a polite smile.

Jemin had no intention of refuting his mentor's assessment that he was "a genius," because he genuinely felt a gap between himself and his mentor. In the state of Dao Integration, his perception was amplified to the extreme.

In those few minutes, he was not only passively absorbing Clark's knowledge of the laws, but also passively experiencing the structure of Clark's mental sea. The complexity of that structure, the precision of the interlocking between the laws, the depth of understanding of each law... the gap between the two was as vast as an entire universe.

All of this was achieved by Clark through his talent and hard work alone, without the blessing of the Dao Integration state.

The state of Dao Integration is his cheat code, a product of the Great Dao Library, and a crystallization of the cultivation system of another world.

But Clark's talent... that's pure, genuine talent.

Jemin knew he couldn't explain his state of mind at this stage, so he simply made sure his wizarding rituals were performed even more precisely.

Viola stood to the side, her gaze darting back and forth between Jemin and Clark, her lips moving as if she wanted to ask something. She was clearly intrigued by the special state Jemin had just entered.

The ability to passively absorb the complete structure of more than a dozen laws in just a few minutes is an efficiency that would make any level six wizard envious, but she ultimately remained silent.

The rules among wizards regarding core knowledge are ingrained in their very being.

To casually inquire about someone else's core knowledge is tantamount to coveting their foundation.

This is a major taboo in any wizarding organization; one wrong move and you could face trial by the tribunal.

Even though she was Jieming's senior, and even though their relationship was much closer than that of ordinary classmates, this line couldn't be crossed lightly. Jieming keenly noticed the change in his senior's gaze.

He quickly made a decision in his mind.

The state of merging with the Dao is essentially a product of the continuous development of the entire cultivation system.

From Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, to Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Deity Transformation, Void Refining, and then to Dao Integration, each major realm is an extension and qualitative change of the previous realm, but each realm can also be separated into its own "techniques" or "states".

However, he has not yet fully understood the entire mechanism of the Dao Integration state, and before he has localized it into a technical module of the wizard civilization, Jemin really does not dare to sell it to Viola.

So he gently shook his head at Viola.

The magnitude was small, but the meaning was clear.

Viola looked away, her expression returning to normal, though a trace of lingering envy remained at the corner of her mouth.

Just then, soft footsteps came from outside the laboratory door.

The shadowy girl who had been guiding the way reformed and bowed to Clark.

"Master, Starfall Wizard and Anya Wizard have arrived."

Clark nodded.

The girl in the shadows quietly retreated.

A moment later, the laboratory door slid open again, and two people walked in from outside.

Leading the way was a tall, slender female wizard.

The deep purple robe was embroidered with the unique patterns of falling stars, and the solidified law domain shimmered with a faint silver-blue light at the edges of the robe.

Her features were delicate and aloof, yet a perfectly timed smile played at the corners of her lips.

However, compared to the disheveled appearance that Jemin saw in the Starfall dimension, Starfall now looks much neater and more elegant.

Starfall Wizard, holder of the Level 1 Training Agreement, Viola's close friend, had a deep collaboration with Clark when creating the living plane. The young witch following behind her is much more naive.

He wore a light gray robe, his short hair was slightly curled up at the sides of his ears, and his face still carried the unique sense of novelty and restrained excitement that one would have when first stepping into a high-level wizard's laboratory.

"Congratulations, Wizard Clark."

The Starfall Wizard walked up to Clark and gave a simple congratulatory bow.

"When the news of my promotion to level seven came out, I was wrapping up the Living Dimension project and couldn't come to congratulate you right away. Fortunately, it's not too late now."

Viola came over from the side, arms crossed, a familiar smile on her lips.

"How did you, such a busy person, manage to find time? Isn't the Living Plane Wizard Legion project supposed to be incredibly busy?" "The first batch of Living Planes has entered the process of developing sentience, and what follows is a long observation period." Starfall Wizard shrugged, his tone carrying a rare hint of relaxation. "I've actually become quite relaxed. If you think I'm late, I can leave now."

"No." Viola grabbed her sleeve. "I need someone to talk to, and you're just in time."

As the younger generation, Jieming and Anya consciously stepped aside, leaving space for the three seniors who were exchanging pleasantries.

Anya looked Jieming up and down a few times, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.

"Your aura is much stronger than when we last met," she said. "You're at the peak of level five, aren't you?"

"Pretty much." Jemin glanced at her and casually replied, "You're not slow either, you're already at level five."

Anya rolled her eyes: "Thank you for the compliment, but I have a feeling you're mocking me."

"Don't you know what your reputation is among fifth-level wizards?" She pointed at him. "Do you want me to list your glorious achievements back then? Even now, many wizards still talk about them with great interest. I hear your name more often in the fifth-level wizard circle than I hear my grandmother's name."

Jemin blinked, coughed lightly, and decisively changed the subject:

"How's David doing lately? He's been contacting us much less."

Anya's expression changed slightly before returning to normal.

"He was promoted to level six two years ago."

Jemin paused for a moment.

"So fast?"

“It wasn’t a normal promotion.” Anya shook her head, a hint of sadness in her voice. “He met with me once before and we talked for a long time. He said he was certain that his talent had peaked at the fifth level of wizardry, and that he had hit a ceiling in his research and learning. The level of law control required to go from fifth to sixth level was not feasible for him.”

She sighed and looked out the window:

"David figured that if he continued to stay in the elite combat unit as a level 5 wizard, he would probably just slowly sink into oblivion in endless wars. Unfortunately, he ended up being just a name in some mission briefing."

Jemin fell silent, unsure of what to say.

Anya's voice softened:

"So he used the reward for discovering the parallel dimension, that military merit plus the resources obtained from selling the dimension, directly pushing himself to level six." "I see..." Jemin scratched his head.

Seeing him like this, Anya smiled and comforted him, "You don't need to be sad for him. Although the combat power of a level six wizard created this way is definitely not as good as that of a normally promoted level six wizard, at least there is no mandatory war conscription for level six wizards. He can retire from the battlefield and accumulate more resources for the family."

Jemin remained silent.

He and David were good acquaintances, and their collaborations had left a positive impression on him.

Looking back, David was once a top genius full of vigor, one of the top young geniuses in the entire Norren Workshop, and after joining the elite combat unit, he achieved several impressive victories.

As a result, by the time he reached level five, he had gradually faded into obscurity.

Anya spoke again, her voice even softer than before.

"Actually, I myself... felt it after being promoted to level five."

She looked down at her hands, as if she were saying something she was reluctant to admit.

"Back when I was at level two or three, I could understand the law model after reading it a few times and reproduce it after doing the experiment once. But now, it takes me several days to read a paper written by a level six wizard, and I'm not even sure I can fully understand it."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but look up at Jieming, her eyes filled with undisguised envy.

"At this rate, I probably won't be able to break through to level six on my own. You probably can't understand how that feels, right? You should be considered the most talented among our group back then. After all, you're much more famous than me now. Even my grandmother came along to see you."

Jemin opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know how to respond.

He couldn't very well say that without the passive bonus from the Dao Integration state within the cultivation system, he would probably have hit a bottleneck much earlier than David and Anya. Even before level three, his wizarding talent wasn't particularly outstanding.

They managed to survive only by working hard to make up for their shortcomings, plus the help of another world's system.

David and Anya, however, are the true geniuses of the wizarding civilization.

They made rapid progress before reaching Level 5, learning at a speed several times faster than him.

They were stuck at level five not because they weren't working hard enough, but because the knowledge system of the wizarding civilization itself was a steep slope that got narrower and narrower as you went up. He couldn't say these things.

Finally, Jemin just gave a dry laugh.

"Good luck, good luck."

Anya gave him a look that said, "Do you think I believe you?"

Jemin thought for a moment, then asked with some doubt, "By the way, why do you say my reputation has grown again? Has something happened that I don't know about?" At this moment, the voice of the Starfall Wizard came from the side.

"Regarding your matter, there was a minor misunderstanding before, don't you know?"

Jemin and Anya turned their heads at the same time.

"Huh? What misunderstanding? I haven't been out and about for the past ten years or so, have I?" Jemin looked bewildered.

"Oh...didn't you work with Broadleaf Wizard and the others before?" Starfall asked.

Jemin nodded subconsciously: "Yes, it's kind of like a mandatory conscription mission for me..."

The Starfall Wizard's lips curled up slightly.

"A while ago, Kuoye went to see Anton Buchanan, your advisor," she said slowly. "He wanted to trade your knowledge of being able to withstand dimensional differences and be immune to wish-granting abilities. He felt that this level of resistance couldn't have been developed by you; it was most likely core knowledge passed down from your mentor or advisor."

She glanced at Jieming, her voice tinged with suppressed laughter.

"As it turned out, your mentor was in seclusion at the time, so he went directly to your grandmaster. Your grandmaster was completely baffled and said that he had never passed on such a thing."

Upon hearing this, Jemin's lips twitched.

He truly hadn't expected it to be because of this.

However, the resistance he showed against the broadleaf was indeed too exaggerated.

Being able to withstand dimensional differences without getting hurt and being immune to wish-granting abilities—this level of resistance would be considered a trump card for any level seven wizard.

Broadleaf believed that this wasn't his own knowledge, but rather core knowledge passed down from a higher-ranking wizard, and this judgment itself wasn't wrong. Although the source wasn't a wizard, the body-tempering method was still considered a top-tier inheritance even in a cultivation civilization.

"So now the news has spread." The Starfall Wizard's tone carried an undisguised envy. "A technique that can move a level seven True Name Wizard and even cause a misunderstanding by directly approaching a level eight Grand Wizard, it's hard for such a thing not to spread in the circle."

Her gaze toward Jemin became noticeably more serious.

"You little rascal, you're now the talk of the town among many level seven wizards."

"If you ever plan to sell this kind of knowledge in the future, you must consider me first." She said bluntly, "Whether it's dimensional resistance, wish-fulfillment immunity, or even the special learning state you've entered... as long as you're willing to give it up, I can pay a high price." Jemin smiled awkwardly, neither nodding nor shaking his head.

He believed what the Starfall Wizard said. After all, as the holder of the Level 1 training agreement, she could mobilize far more resources than he could imagine if she wanted to.

It wasn't that Ke Jieming didn't want to trade, but rather that he couldn't explain the source of this knowledge.

Wizards aren't fools; if he hadn't revealed the specific techniques, they could have made all sorts of guesses.

But if it were actually brought out, it would be immediately obvious that it was not something a lower civilization could possess.

He could only bow to the Starfall Wizard, his smile tinged with helplessness.

"Thank you for your kindness. If a suitable opportunity arises in the future, I will definitely give you priority consideration."

He said this with a sincere expression.

While it's true that I can't explain the principles to others right now, if one day Jemin feels he can completely localize these things, then it's not impossible to sell a copy.

(That's all for today)