After dealing with the trouble, Leilin's life sank into complete tranquility.
Every day, apart from his scheduled meditations and subjecting himself to the radiation of the Snake Woman's finger bone to catalyse the maturation of his bloodline, he simply immersed himself in the Wizard Tower's laboratory. The data on bloodline synthesis experiments had been completely restored by him, which greatly deepened his knowledge and understanding of bloodlines.
Beyond that, he would occasionally discipline Sluii, or inspect his territory.
For him, such leisurely and peaceful days were a rare experience indeed.
And as time slowly accumulated, his strength could still grow ever so slightly — that was something truly satisfying.
Unbeknownst to him, his authority over this territory had already sunk in completely.
The enormous Black Castle stood firm upon the land, serving as the nucleus of mundane power. The passage of time had etched deep historical marks upon its walls.
Beyond its continued impregnability, the old castle now carried an additional air of history — the kind of gravitas that only a truly great noble's fortress could possess.
The one thing that remained unchanged was the colossal Wizard Tower not far from the Black Castle.
Its light shone eternal, as though it could endure for all eternity…
Inside the Wizard Tower, Leilin lay bare-chested upon a massive operating table, his lean, hard-cut muscles on full display.
Above the table, several mechanical arms gripped a semi-translucent crystal orb. From within it, crimson light pulsed outward, sweeping ceaselessly across Leilin's body.
Through the hard crystal surface, one could vaguely make out a milky-white finger bone suspended at the orb's centre, wisps of arcane vapour drifting from it.
Leilin lay upon the table with his eyes closed, seemingly sensing something.
The process continued for a full two hours before the mechanical arms retracted into their housings, and Leilin opened his eyes.
But his pupils had completely transformed into amber-coloured slits, their fierce gleam smouldering within.
The instant he opened his eyes, several tools before him turned to greyish-white stone, and the alarm signals of various instruments blared in rapid succession.
"Having too potent a bloodline is a trouble in its own right!"
Leilin lowered his head as though deep in thought. When he raised it again, the amber slit pupils had been completely concealed, replaced by a pair of dark, fathomless black eyes.
*Hissss!* A layer of yellowish epidermis was torn directly from his body and tossed aside.
The yellow skin was slick with bodily fluids and bore the distinct impression of scales.
Then Leilin began tearing at himself again, stripping away layer upon layer of dead skin that resembled shed serpentine husks.
"This is already the third time I've gone through the molting process!" Leilin looked at the pile of shed skin on the floor, a helpless expression surfacing on his face.
The cultivation of a Warlock was, through constant meditation and bodily transformation, to advance oneself toward the form of an ancient creature.
It could be said that the higher a Warlock's rank, the less human they appeared, and the Ouroboros Circle was no exception.
Leilin's bloodline was that of the Komoe Giant Serpent, so naturally the molting period during his growth was unavoidable—though under the radiation of the Snake Woman's phalange, this growth process had been greatly accelerated.
"Tower Spirit! Prepare hot water for me—I want a proper bath!"
Leilin issued the order casually, and the Tower Spirit acted swiftly. By the time Leilin arrived at the dedicated bathing chamber, steaming warm water was already prepared.
These were water droplets condensed from water elemental particles, utterly pure, and specially formulated to be perfectly suited for a Warlock's body and skin.
Leilin reclined comfortably in the black marble bathtub, gazing at his own skin—which had become fairer and smoother still—and his eyes gradually drifted into a vacant stare.
Every time he finished molting, his strength would undergo an earth-shaking transformation, and by now, his progress had become truly terrifying.
Leilin looked at his own palm. Who could imagine that hidden within this ordinary, slender hand lay power of such horrifying magnitude?
"Time really does fly. This leisurely life has lasted nearly a century now, hasn't it?"
Leilin sank into contemplation.
Yes, it had been nearly a hundred years since his last expedition to the Forgotten Land.
Such a vast stretch of time was enough for ordinary people to cycle through four or five generations, yet for Leilin, it had only made his face look slightly more mature.
For high-ranking Warlocks who routinely lived eight or nine hundred years, he was still in his youth.
During this century, Leilin had kept an extremely low profile, burying himself in research within his own domain. He had fully integrated his knowledge with that of the Central Continent, and in many fields had already pushed the boundaries of current understanding to their limits.
The Chip's data panel had long since been refreshed several times over.
"Leilin Farell — Warlock Tier 3 (Liquefaction) — Bloodline: Komoe Giant Serpent — Strength: 30 — Agility: 30 — Constitution: 45.5 — Spiritual Power: 315.6 — Mana: 315 (Mana is synchronously determined by Spiritual Power)"
By using the Snake Woman's bone joint to accelerate the maturation of his own bloodline, even without consuming Spiritual Power potions, the sheer augmentation from the bloodline's force alone caused Leilin's Spiritual Power to rise day by day, reaching the threshold required for the Liquefaction advancement.