C18 Soul Refining! Ancient Fire God Catalog!

Moments later, Symas was drenched in sweat after practicing with the various bone blades and bone spikes of the remould worm, exhaling a warm breath. The remould worm had depleted much of its strength, but thanks to the assistance of the small gold-type pet hive, it could swiftly replenish its diminished metallic energy. Within a few breaths, Symas could distinctly sense the pale golden mist rising from beneath the rocks of the hive and flowing into his body. The myriad remould worms within his bones and blood voraciously consumed the metallic power, rapidly regenerating.

With each additional exertion and subsequent absorption, Symas could feel his flesh and vigor fortifying, his physical strength noticeably enhanced after each round of body tempering. Each absorption of the metallic energy, even after filtering through his flesh, resulted in a tangible boost. It was as if each use of the remould worm served as a potent tonic, refining his body with each application.

Should Symas enter a metal monster's nest, with the remould worm's augmentation and the ability to endlessly devour external power, he could potentially battle indefinitely with an inexhaustible source of strength.

After calming the remould worm, Symas massaged his temples. The expenditure of metallic energy had taxed not only his physical body but also his spiritual force. He immediately shifted his focus to the soul refining technique, a skill he had acquired upon advancing to a black iron beast tamer.

This technique was a milestone in the over two centuries of beast taming history on Orithyia. Symas's mastery of the soul refining technique was perhaps unprecedented, as he was enhancing his mental strength through cultivation before even attaining overlord status. Of course, Symas considered the possibility that he was unaware of similar mental cultivation methods possessed by the powerful clans within the Trintis Dukedom.

As Symas concentrated on the soul refining technique, a surge of enigmatic information erupted from the text, flooding his mind with the secrets of the art. The knowledge was somewhat arcane and elusive, and he could faintly discern an aged voice murmuring incantations close to his ear.

Symas immediately assumed a cross-legged position, focusing intently on the soul refining technique. The information at hand covered only the first two levels. To master the initial level, he needed to concentrate his mental energy and, within his sea of consciousness, visualize either a ferocious creature or an assortment of objects, thereby solidifying his mental strength.

The first level involved diagram condensing, while the second entailed manifestation. The records indicated that once the second level was reached, the visualized beast or object could be summoned into reality for a mental energy assault.

As Symas set out to practice the first level, phantom images of ancient beasts emerged from the soul refining technique, each one vivid and animated, claws and teeth bared as they hovered in the void. Among these, Symas's gaze was drawn to a humanoid figure ablaze with flames, towering a hundred feet tall with a fire dragon entwined at its side. This fiery deity stood apart, as other beastly phantoms kept their distance.

"This one will do."

With his faint mental energy, Symas connected to the phantom, and the Ancient Fire God's image promptly solidified into a near-transparent depiction, etched into the expanse above his sea of consciousness.

Upon contact with Symas's mental energy, the diagram unleashed a fierce tug, voraciously absorbing his mental strength.

"What's going on?"

Moments later, Symas's complexion was ashen. In a mere few breaths, thirty percent of his mental energy had been consumed, yet the semi-translucent Ancient Fire God Catalog floating above had filled less than a tenth.

Outside, in the Void Territory, the shift in Symas's aura caused a flurry of luminescent specks to materialize, swirling like fireflies before merging into his form.

Internally, Symas felt a wave of coolness flood in from the external world, as if the most refined divine essence had entered his sea of consciousness, striking a subtle equilibrium between the depleted and the replenished spiritual energy.

But this external boost was not sustainable indefinitely.

In just under fifteen minutes, the connection was severed. The Void Territory beyond was merely at level one, still in its nascent stage. Yet, to enhance this realm, it wasn't enough to unlock the required buildings—five at level one—he also needed to invest a hefty sum of 30 million gold coins and secure an elite-grade asteriated stone, which he didn't have at his disposal. Opening his pet shop promptly to sell potions was imperative to make money, as was venturing into the wilderness to hunt monsters. The materials harvested from these creatures were crucial for boosting his pets' attributes and levels. He could even craft battle armor for them. Indeed, if he could subdue and domesticate the wild monsters, they could serve as his own pets.

Symas was set on hunting monsters in the Littlewell wilderness, not only to procure materials but also to hone the melee skills of the remould worm and his indolent Charmander. While he practiced his craft in the Void Territory, the Charmander continued to slumber in its nest, yet its level inched up by 1% to 2% daily. This pace, however, was excruciatingly slow. Without upgrading the nest to level two, leveling up through sleep alone would take over three months.

Afterward, Symas recalibrated his condition within the Void Territory, regaining some of his mental strength. A quarter of the Ancient Fire God Catalog within his sea of consciousness was now complete. With a mere thought, he summoned a repulsive force from the void around him and vanished, reappearing in his home at Valengor Residence—a bedroom he knew well. Night had fallen outside his window. Glancing at the clock, he noted it was 11:30 PM. His foray into the Void Territory had spanned over ten hours, but it had yielded a significant boost in his combat abilities.

At that moment, Symas sensed an anomaly—an inexplicable unease crept over him.

...

Fifteen minutes earlier, atop the roof of Valengor Residence under the cloak of night, the lights within the complex had dwindled post eleven o'clock. Rimid, the leader of the Dark Order from the city's eastern district, had stealthily infiltrated the top-floor corridor, blending into the shadows of Valengor Residence.

He glanced up at the ceiling, a sharp glint passing through his eyes. It was time to act. Rimid had initially intended to merely investigate Symas, but to his surprise, Symas had headed straight for the Beast Tamer Association upon leaving his home.

Within just a few short hours, Symas had managed to secure a breeder certificate.

Going forward, even if he wasn't affiliated with Farhaven's Beast Tamer University, he would undoubtedly be connected to one of the other elite institutions.

Someone of this caliber was now a legitimate target for the Dark Order.

And at the moment, Symas possessed only a Wild Wind Falcon from the Beast Tamer Association. All Rimid needed to do was swiftly eliminate the falcon.

Then, he could ascend to the sixth floor and dispose of Symas, a task that wouldn't even take a quarter of an hour.

Pulling this off would surely reap substantial rewards from the Dark Order. It was an opportunity too good to pass up.