The five remaining small serpents let out terrified cries, struggling to break free from Leilin's body.
Leilin suddenly opened his mouth and sucked in sharply.
All five serpents were swallowed into his stomach.
At the same time, the magic array on the ground emitted a black glow, completely covering the basement.
Enveloped in darkness, Leilin felt a sense of returning to the womb—peaceful and comfortable.
Only the Chip's notifications continued to sound.
"A large amount of essence matter has entered the host's body. Identified as Shadow System energy particle crystals. Absorbing..."
"Due to the influence of the Ritual of Darkness, the host's absorption rate has increased. Crystal utilization efficiency improved!"
"Absorption complete! Host's Spiritual Elemental Progress has significantly increased. Current level: 35%!"
*Beep!*
A clear sound rang out from the center of the array, and then, all the black light contracted, converging onto a single figure at its center.
"Phew..."
Leilin slowly opened his eyes, a black lightning bolt flickering through them.
"This feeling..."
Increasing Spiritual Elemental Progress to 35% in one go was a wondrous sensation. Leilin could clearly sense that around him in the void, tiny, glowing-black Shadow System energy particles floated like fireflies, drifting about occasionally.
Although Leilin had always had an affinity for the Shadow System, this was the first time he could so easily perceive the energy particles in the air. The feeling was novel. Moreover, Leilin sensed that the spiritual power required to manipulate these particles had decreased considerably.
"Shadow Fireball!"
Leilin chanted the incantation rapidly, and black fireballs shot out continuously from the basement shadows.
The flames gathered in Leilin's hand, their volume suddenly increasing fivefold.
The corrosive flames rose higher, turning the ceiling rock layer of the basement red and even causing some of it to melt.
"Chip, scan my current data!"
Leilin thought.
"Optimized First-level Spell: Shadow Fireball. Actual Power: 40.5 degrees. Spiritual Elemental Bonus: +10.5 degrees!"
"As expected! The power of Shadow Fireball has surged by nearly half, and the consumption of spiritual power and mana has also decreased significantly..."
A smile appeared at the corner of Leilin's mouth.
His Spiritual Elemental Progress had now reached 35%. When casting Shadow System spells, he not only gained a power boost but also used significantly less spiritual power and mana, as he was now channeling ambient energy particles with spiritual power of the same system.
"What would it be like if Spiritual Elemental Progress reached 100%?"
A look of longing surfaced in Leilin's eyes.
With only 35% progress, the benefits were already this great. If he achieved 100% complete elementalization, wouldn't he be comparable to those ancient elemental creatures?
Of course, Leilin understood that humans weren't pure elemental beings, so the possibility of reaching 100% Spiritual Elemental Progress was minuscule.
For ordinary wizards, achieving over 80% was sufficient to attempt promotion to a Second-level Wizard.
A progress of 90% or above was the target only for prodigies carefully nurtured by major powers.
"100% is too much to hope for, but with such excellent conditions, I must push Spiritual Elemental Progress above 90% before I promote to Second-level!"
The stronger the foundation, the greater the future gains from promotion. This was a principle Leilin had understood even back when he was an apprentice.
"Element Crystals! I need a massive amount of Shadow System energy particle crystals!"
An intense, burning fervor filled Leilin's gaze.
After waiting a few minutes, Leilin ascended the spiral staircase in the basement.
"Chip! Scan my current data, check my body for any aftereffects or damage, and calculate when I can safely use crystals again!"
A faint cyan-blue light glowed before Leilin.
"Leilin Farell. Wizard, Level One. Bloodline: Kemo Yin Giant Serpent. Strength: 7.1. Agility: 6.7. Physique: 8.5. Spirit: 29.8. Mana: 29 (Mana is determined by Spiritual Power). Spiritual Elemental Progress: 35%. Condition: Healthy."
According to the Chip's data, after using the energy crystal, Leilin's Spiritual Elemental Progress had skyrocketed to 35%, and his spiritual power had also increased.
"Trace amounts of crystalline residue have been detected within the host's body. Identified as elemental impurities! Being continuously expelled through biological circulation. Estimated time to complete: 4 months and 21 days!"
The Chip's scan results surprised Leilin a bit.
He had long guessed that wizards who used external resources for promotion might encounter some problems, but he hadn't expected the damage to be so much lighter than he imagined.
"Wait, according to the Meditation Method and the Serpent King's Tome, the aftereffect of using crystals should be half a year of negative energy erosion, plus an elemental isolation effect, right?"
Leilin felt puzzled. If the effect of these energy particle crystals was this good, their price would have been many times higher.