"Exploring the astral plane is like the Age of Exploration — the lucky few who successfully discovered new continents and brought back gold were always in the minority. The rest of the bones were all buried beneath the ocean…"
Leylin sighed.
He left the restraint chamber and arrived before the Astral Gate. A grey feather silently materialised in his hand.
The feather looked completely ordinary, without the slightest hint of anything unusual — as if it were the most mundane bird's flight feather.
But Leylin knew very well that it was anything but ordinary.
This feather was a gift from the Owl, from the rift between illusion and reality.
"The Dream World is actually another plane of existence. I wonder if I can use the Astral Gate to establish a connection!"
Before today, Leylin had already used the Chip to scan the feather multiple times and had conducted numerous experiments, but none had yielded any results.
By all appearances, it was simply an ordinary feather.
Now, having exhausted all other options, Leylin had finally decided to use it in his astral experiments, hoping to establish a connection with the Dream World.
In the boundless expanse of the astral plane, the two most powerful worlds currently known were the Wizard World and the World of the Gods.
Of course, both worlds had declined due to the Great War of antiquity, but they were now continuously restoring their former glory.
As for the Dream World, it was the most enigmatic of all worlds! Time and space were scrambled within it, and it was filled with all manner of uncertain rules.
Constants and common sense didn't even exist there — in short, it was a world that overturned everything, a place where no rules applied whatsoever.
Even the Wizard World of ancient times had suffered a devastating blow when facing the Dream World's invasion.
Of course, it was precisely this very uncertainty of the Dream World that caused its invasion to fizzle out anticlimactically.
"Though it's filled with all manner of grotesqueries, that's exactly what gives me my opportunity!"
A glint of light flashed in Leylin's eyes.
Other planes of existence at least still adhered to objective rules; an individual's growth required vast amounts of time and energy reserves.
But in the Dream World, anything was possible! If one wished to obtain the greatest power in the shortest time, a gamble there was necessary.
Of course, one had to be prepared to lose everything.
"Chip!" Leylin commanded inwardly.
Upon entering the chamber, Leylin's spiritual force had long since taken control of all the instruments and energy sources within the laboratory, entrusting them to the Chip for unified management.
Though Leylin had also set up a formation spirit here, it was purely a smokescreen — those low-level routines were nothing compared to his Chip.
“[Ding! Energy sources preparing! Circuit check normal! Loss rate 0.0017%! Initiating connection to the Astral Gate!]”
The Chip quickly responded, and with its mechanical prompts, the instruments in the entire laboratory lit up in orderly fashion. Numerous streams of light and sound combined, like a magnificent symphonic dance.
With the Chip’s auxiliary control, Leylin had a feeling of flawless control over everything within this laboratory.
“The Astral Gate is activated!”
In the very center of the laboratory, the stone gate, which had been emitting a faint starlight, suddenly roared. The entire doorway was wrapped layer by layer in a blue fluorescence, finally condensing into a mass of blue flame.
Countless mysterious connections formed within the flame. The void collapsed, and faintly, the shadows of countless unknown spaces emerged.
These shadows of other worlds were like stars, forming a river of light entirely filled with blue stars, surging majestically into an unknown darkness.
“This sight… no matter how many times I see it, I can only praise it…” A fervent light flashed in Leylin’s eyes, and he muttered to himself.
After advancing to the rank of Radiant Moon Wizard, the form of the Astral Gate had taken on new meaning in Leylin’s eyes, and his exploration of the Astral had become even more profound.
An archaic and ancient aura continuously emanated from the Astral Gate.
Leylin’s expression turned solemn. He closed his eyes and focused intently.
Faint blue starlight flickered across his body. As time passed, the light gathering on him grew denser and denser, even taking on a fiery glow.
Within his origin point, the Soul of the True Spirit Crescent Moon suddenly burst forth with a clear, bright light.
Leylin’s soul seemed to have absorbed something from the Astral, becoming more pure and radiant. The soul power that had surged violently after devouring the Fire Phoenix Egg had undergone a degree of cleansing and purification, and had now completely stabilized.
“The mysteries of the Astral… and this common frequency between the soul and the Astral…”