Level Up in Martial World

There was only one chance to become a mage because the brain would be irrevocably damaged on a second attempt.

The more powerful the mana, the less likely someone was to become a mage, as purer mana held more power.

In contrast, with the right guidance, even a child could become a mage, as mana guidance was not particularly challenging, and failure was rare.

An ordinary person had to prepare for at least thirty years before they had any chance of becoming a mage using a method like Lu Zhen.

However, if they relied on the guidance of their seniors or others, they could become proper mages in as little as 20 years with a better method.

Although Lu Zhen had weak pure mana with the water attribute, which was the tamest of them all, it was still terrifying. Lu Zhen fell unconscious despite his skills assisting him.

Lu Zhen slowly opened his crimson eyes, and Elv\'s eyes lit up when she saw him awake.

"Congratulations, you have finally become a mage," Elv began, but Lu Zhen frowned, ignoring her as he assessed his situation.

The lethargic feeling he had experienced disappeared. Lu Zhen felt much more energetic.

His perspective on the world had changed. It was as if the entire world had become much clearer to Lu Zhen.

Objects around him seemed sharper and more vivid, like he had upgraded to an enhanced vision mode. He could calculate their length, breadth, and height just by looking at them.

Even the tubes in front of him and Elv herself became clearer in his vision. Lu Zhen could perceive more details than before, noticing nuances and intricacies he had never seen.

His mind was sharper than ever, thoughts racing faster than before, countless ideas and observations flooding his consciousness. His thinking speed had increased significantly.

In short, Lu Zhen\'s brain power had taken a monumental leap, opening up a new world of possibilities and understanding.

Becoming a mage, however, had caused a remarkable transformation in his cognitive abilities.

Apart from his brain, there were no notable changes in his physical state. He didn\'t sense a substantial increase in his strength or improvements in his physique.

In fact, there seemed to be a slight regression in his constitution instead.

Lu Zhen frowned as he sensed these changes.

"Are you done with your thoughts?" Suddenly, he heard Elv\'s cold, icy voice tinged with anger, snapping him out of his contemplation.

Lu Zhen shamelessly nodded as he stood up.

"Hmph…" Elv, seeing Lu Zhen ignore her, her expression turned to anger with a pouting face.

Lu Zhen, noticing her expression, couldn\'t help but smirk.

"Did you really think I\'d believe you, an ancient grandmother who has lived for more than an era?" Lu Zhen sneered as he looked at Elv.

"Tch." Elv could only make a disappointed sound, her expression showing disappointment.

Lu Zhen simply shook his head in response to Elv\'s disappointment.

"So, let\'s get down to business now. You help me become stronger, and I\'ll help you capture a first-stage martial artist," Lu Zhen declared with a cold, serious tone.

"Alright," Elv agreed, dropping her previous playful demeanour. The contract contained a term, added by Elv herself, stating that she needed to assist Lu Zhen in becoming stronger. While Lu Zhen was a bit puzzled by this condition, he accepted it without complaint.

Lu Zhen glanced around the dimly lit room, which resembled a laboratory for a mad scientist.

"This corpse still holds value for you, doesn\'t it?" Lu Zhen\'s eyes sparkled as he looked at the mage\'s body.

"Yes, it\'s valuable to me," Elv confirmed with a slight frown.

Even though the stored mana in the armour was gone, the armour itself was valuable, as it was made of hard and valuable resources.

However, the most valuable resource wasn\'t that; instead, it was the red-haired mage\'s body in itself, which was one of the most valuable resources to her.

"Create a better chain for me using the armour\'s materials, and you can have the mage\'s body," Lu Zhen proposed with a knowing smile.

"Alright," Elv replied with an expressionless face, accepting the deal.

Lu Zhen contemplated the situation. He possessed no blacksmithing skills and didn\'t want to go through the unnecessary trouble of taking materials from the room to the outside world, which could attract unwanted attention. Thus, giving the materials to Elv seemed like the more sensible choice.

"So, what kind of help can you provide me?" Lu Zhen inquired, fixing his gaze on Elv.

"You\'re a third-stage martial artist, correct?" Elv asked.

"Yes," Lu Zhen confirmed.

"I can accelerate your cultivation with the assistance of pills," Elv offered.

Lu Zhen was taken aback. "You can still make pills?" He had a vague notion of how formidable the so-called "Sorceresses of Death" were during their prime as mages, given Elv\'s survival for an entire era. It was clear she had been a terrifying powerhouse in her era.

However, that was in the past, and nothing was eternal. The surviving mages had seen their mana gradually diminish, and without anything to rely on, they couldn\'t maintain their powers.

Mages without mana are no more special than an ordinary person, albeit perhaps a bit more intelligent.

This was why the unfortunate red-haired mage had met his end at Lu Zhen\'s hands.

Elv explained, "Pills are akin to the elixirs we used to create, albeit with a different name. Alchemy is a small matter compared to the power you possess; it\'s related to the language of the ###."

Lu Zhen\'s eyes widened when he heard this, as a frown appeared in his face.

"Say that again."

"Language of ###."

Lu Zhen, just like previously, couldn\'t understand this language, as if a barrier were blocking him.