Wizard: I Can Refine Everything

The Mountain Dwarves' stele was somewhat like the Wizard's Inheritance Crystal Ball, where predecessors had engraved spiritual messages into a medium, allowing others to view them through the use of spiritual power.

After probing the stele with his spiritual power, Richard quickly memorized the two inheritances.

However, during this process, Richard reluctantly found that both inheritances required a more fundamental Mountain Path as a foundation for learning. Merely obtaining the inheritances, with his current level, would take him hundreds of years to extract anything useful from them.

His accumulated knowledge was too shallow. He couldn't, like the older wizards, quickly digest alien knowledge and integrate it into his own combat system.

Thus, Richard found himself back at square one—starting with the basic inheritances first.

As a wizard, Richard received quite favorable treatment at Changshan Temple, especially after enlightening the Abbott. He was treated with great respect by all the monks of the temple, which allowed him leisurely moments to observe these Mountain Dwarves' cultivations.

Once the Mountain Dwarves became Level 1 Creatures, they would regulate their energy cycles according to the inheritance they had learned. By adjusting their energy cycles, each dwarf's combat style also varied.

Some were more agile, others had vigorous and mighty force,

which reminded Richard of a novel he read in his past life, mentioning such cultivation techniques.

Amidst them, Richard also discovered some who had integrated spiritual attacks into their combat skills, forming something akin to Fist Intent.

Every attack he made carried both spiritual and physical impacts.

Such a technique, Richard had never seen among the wizards he knew.

A medium-sized world indeed worthy of the effort of several Great Wizards combined to conquer.

...

Half a year later,

"Ha!"

Richard, with his bare upper body and muscles knotted, suddenly swung a fist at the black boulder in front of him.

Boom!

A muffled sound came from the boulder; when Richard retracted his fist, a clear fist imprint had appeared on the black boulder.

Clap clap clap...

Behind Richard, a Mountain Dwarf draped in a steel kasaya walked up to Richard and said respectfully,

"Sir, you truly are a rare genius to be able to leave a fist print on the Mountain Essence with the Beng Stone Fist in just half a year.

We are truly in awe."

Richard wiped his fist. The Beng Stone Fist mentioned by the Mountain Dwarf was a top-notch technique from Changshan Temple, powerful and forceful. Ordinary Mountain Dwarves could easily deal blunt damage of fifty energy levels with just their physical strength, and the higher the physique, the stronger the fist.

To begin learning the Mountain Breaking Fist, Richard first had to master the Beng Stone Fist.

Due to the special environment of the Mountain World, Mountain Dwarves had extensive physical development. Even the entry-level Beng Stone Fist gave Richard a deeper understanding of the explosive power of muscular strength.

"Master jests. It's merely an inherited technique," Richard said lightly.

The dwarf beside him was the abbot of Changshan Temple, who was also a third-level creature. The "Fist Intent" Richard had seen earlier was his unique skill.

"Three months ago, I heard the master say that to learn your Changshan Fist Intent, one must first master this Beng Stone Fist. Now that I can leave a fist print on the Mountain Essence, I wonder if it meets the master's standards."

The abbot bowed slightly, "Of course it does, but..."

Seeing the abbot hesitating, Richard smiled and took out several modified Sacrificial Fungi from his pocket and handed them to the abbot.

"Don't worry, Abbot. I'm not interested in reneging. I'll definitely honor the deal we discussed."

There are Spirit Evolvers among the Mountain Dwarves, but unlike most worlds where Spirit Evolvers have frail physiques, Mountain Dwarves are proficient in both aspects.

Spirit Evolvers among Mountain Dwarves, due to their ability to influence gravity, often have stronger bodies than normal dwarves.

As for manipulating gravity, Richard didn't harbor much interest. Such a method required the bloodline of the Mountain Dwarves and years of practice.

Moreover, even if it were mastered, once removed from the special environment of the Mountain World, manipulating gravity could only serve as an auxiliary means, hardly viable for direct confrontation.

Even the Mountain Dwarves themselves used it primarily as a method to support their physique evolution.

The abbot, as a Spirit Evolver of Changshan Temple, although he also practiced with gravity assistance, was more interested in using his spiritual power to develop a unique skill.

After years of practice, the abbot had created Changshan Fist Intent, but it also caused soul injury due to the experiments conducted.

And once Richard learned of this, he exchanged his modified Sacrificial Fungi for his Changshan Fist Intent.

Wizards didn't always have to fight; peaceful exchanges were always preferable when possible.

Taking the Sacrificial Fungi, the abbot immediately swallowed them whole, then his spirits lifted slightly, as the chronic headaches caused by his soul injury eased under the influence of the fungi.

The abbot then took out a palm-sized stele from his robe and respectfully handed it to Richard before silently leaving.

Richard pocketed the stele and turned to enter the temple nestled in the mountains. After walking a long, winding road, he arrived in front of a secret chamber. The Mountain Monk guarding the chamber's door bowed slightly to him and then opened the door to the chamber.

The chamber was small, empty except for a well. The well contained no water, only an abyss of darkness when peered into from above.

As a well, it clearly did not qualify.

However, it led to the most mysterious place in Changshan—the Heart of the Mountain.

The special rules of the Mountain World, each mountain in a broader sense is alive. These mountain ranges were originally just protrusions on the plains, but as time passed, they gradually grew into the high mountains inhabited by the Dwarves.

The Dwarves discovered this fact and explored the secrets of the mountains.

The Mountain Heart is one of those secrets.

Jumping into the deep well, Richard's body began to plummet rapidly under the influence of gravity, and after about ten minutes, his body jerked abruptly, and gravity seemed to disappear at some point.

And in front of him, there appeared a dazzlingly gigantic heart.

This heart was bigger than a War Airship, with black Mountain Essence forming the main body of the heart, and Mithril and Pure Gold its framework. Embedded on this heart were countless Elemental Gems of exceptional quality, and lava flowed into the heart through Pure Gold blood vessels, then, with a very deep heartbeat sound, pumped in another direction. The gems dazzled brilliantly under the glow of the fire.

However, these precious materials were not what Richard was concerned with; at this moment, he was using Energy Vision to carefully observe the energy structure of the Mountain Heart.

Not stopping until tears of blood streamed from the corner of his eyes.

"Phew." Richard wiped away the blood tears, switched his vision, and said, "Garon the Great Wizard is truly generous, leaving such a treasure untouched."

The Mountain Heart, as the core of a great mountain, is itself a manifestation of the rule of the mountains of the Mountain World, a rule which even to Great Wizards is precious.

Yet Garon the Great Wizard left it in the Secret Realm, and even told the Mountain Dwarves, allowing incoming Wizards to observe the Mountain Heart.

Is this the Great Wizard who is just one step away from the truth?

After leaving the Mountain Heart, Richard returned to his residence and took out a Crystal Ball to start drawing an incomplete Rune.

He named this rune The Mountain Heart; he didn't know the exact effects himself, but with the mindset of a thief not leaving empty-handed, Richard still recorded it.

Who knows when he might be able to enter this Mountain Secret Realm again, so it's always good to keep a record.

...

Time swiftly passed, and before long, half a year had gone by.

During this half-year, under the guidance of the Mountain Dwarves, Richard's understanding of the Mountain Path deepened. He had started the preliminary practice of those two secret teachings.

Mountain Refining Body was the method used by the abbot of Changshan Temple to nurture his physique and temper his body. Its essence was a method to control gravity, similar in effect to the methods used by Spirit Evolvers among the Mountain Dwarves but easier to use, more detailed in execution, and it also didn't require the participation of the Mountain Dwarves' bloodline.

More importantly, over many years, the predecessors at Changshan Temple had recorded almost every scenario encountered while using Mountain Refining Body in the legacy of the technique.

Unfortunately, Richard was not a Mountain Dwarf, rendering these records completely useless to him.

The only thing viable for him was the method of controlling gravity with spiritual power, which Richard could indeed learn.

As for the Mountain Breaking Fist, Richard still couldn't grasp it.

This martial art was extremely complex, requiring a synchronized coordination of bodily muscles, internal energy, and even spiritual power to achieve the effect of breaking anything.

Richard had observed the abbot when he used this martial art; the abbot simply pointed a finger lightly on Mountain Essence, and the massive Mountain Essence became mere pebbles no bigger than a fingernail.

The hardness of Mountain Essence was slightly less than that of Pure Gold, and even if Richard used all his methods, it required great effort to achieve what the abbot had done with a single fingertip.

At the end of a year, Richard had no choice but to leave Changshan Temple and return to the Wizard World.

When leaving, Richard left behind numerous alchemy gadgets and Aldo Mushrooms at Changshan Temple.

He might still be able to enter this Mountain Secret Realm in the future, so spending a little to improve the relationship seemed to Richard a very worthwhile transaction.

Leaving the Secret Realm, Richard greeted Jimmy with a smile.

"Master Jimmy, long time no see…"

Before Richard could finish speaking, his body just after entering the Wizard World started behaving oddly, becoming like a black hole, attracting all the Magic Power in the Duel Arena toward him.

Because Richard had maintained the use of Flying Technique throughout his stay in the Mountain World, even during meditation, it had cost him a good deal of Magic Stones but also caused some changes to his body.

These changes were not conspicuous in the Mountain Secret Realm, but once back in the Wizard World, they became apparent.

The commotion caused by Richard disturbed many, and a figure suddenly appeared next to Richard, gently patting him.

Then, Richard felt an immense, ocean-like power sealing his body.

"Back under low gravity conditions, and such a strong reaction. Kid, your development of the Life Core is quite advanced."

The individual who sealed Richard exclaimed in appreciation, and upon seeing his face, Richard immediately performed a Wizard's Salute.

"Minister, hello!"

Garon the Great Wizard smiled and patted Richard, then said to Jimmy, "Jimmy, what's his name, his witchcraft seems quite interesting."

Jimmy immediately responded, "Minister, his name is Richard, graduated from Black Tower Wizard Academy. As for witchcraft… sorry, Minister, this club hasn't required registration."

Garon the Great Wizard waved his hand, "No registration is fine, I'll talk with the Black Tower."

Then he turned his head towards Richard, who took the opportunity to carefully observe this embodiment of Garon the Great Wizard.

Garon the Great Wizard had a handsome face, blonde hair, and blue eyes, standing next to Richard with no imposing aura, appearing like any other Wizard. But having experienced what he just did, Richard looked at Garon the Great Wizard with deep awe.

This Great Wizard was truly unfathomable.

Garon the Great Wizard looked at Richard, his tone slightly encouraging, "Richard, your development of the Life Core is good, it is the correct path. If you plan to delve deeper into this path, you can choose to join Garon Wizard College in the future, just find Jimmy."

Having said this, Garon the Great Wizard then disappeared from the Duel Arena.

"Garon Wizard College…" Richard muttered, "Is this an invitation?"