Inside the bar, as Shi Feng frantically drew in the surrounding magic power, the mana coalesced like droplets of water, converging toward him at a frenzied pace.
His Tier 4 mana was on full display.
Within mere moments, dozens of impossibly complex magic circles surfaced within Shi Feng's pupils, merging into an enormous dual-layered magic array. Had anyone witnessed him at this instant, they would have shuddered instinctively.
In this moment, Shi Feng's eyes seemed capable of piercing through every truth the world had to offer—no secret could exist before them.
"Now that my mana has reached Tier 4, the All-Seeing Eye's effectiveness has clearly improved quite a bit," Shi Feng murmured, gazing at the Dark Crystal in his hand with unconcealed delight.
The Dark Crystal, which his high-level Observation skill had been completely unable to decipher, now displayed a sliver of deciphered information. It was as if the outermost firewall protecting the crystal had developed a tiny fracture, and the All-Seeing Eye was exploiting that single crack, frantically forcing its way inward.
Shi Feng could feel the two forces locked in an ongoing struggle—no longer as helpless as before.
Ten seconds… twenty seconds… forty seconds…
Time ticked away second by second. As the two powers continued their clash, Shi Feng's brow furrowed slightly.
"The All-Seeing Eye does have some ability to contend now, but it's still clearly lacking in power."
The All-Seeing Eye could fight back, yes, but its duration was limited—it could last at most one minute. If it failed to breach the Dark Crystal's defenses within that minute, he would have to wait another ten minutes before trying again.
And the result would likely be the same…
Watching the seconds slip away, the All-Seeing Eye and the Dark Crystal still locked in stalemate, Shi Feng's mind raced, searching for a way to break through the crystal's power.
"The biggest difference between Tier 4 and Tier 3 lies in mana. Since reaching Tier 4 gives me the ability to contend, what I'm missing must be mana."
"My All-Seeing Eye still has an abundant supply of mana right now, which means the problem isn't the quantity of mana needed to breach the crystal's defenses. If it's not the quantity, then the only possibility is the intensity of the mana."
At that thought, no smile appeared on Shi Feng's face. Instead, he sank into deeper frustration.
Because mana intensity was not something one could simply improve at will.
Almost every treasure on the market that could enhance mana only increased its quantity. To increase mana intensity, the only options were to improve one's control over mana or to advance to a higher tier. There was simply no other method.
In other words, if he wanted to boost his mana intensity right now, he would need to elevate his mastery over mana to an entirely new level—or it was hopeless.
"Wait—that's not right!" Shi Feng shook his head. "An increase in mana intensity translates directly to an increase in magical power. If I can enhance the power of my magic, that's equivalent to increasing my mana intensity."
A flicker of hope reignited in his mind.
But the All-Seeing Eye had less than five seconds of duration left…
"It looks like I have no choice but to try it!"
Shi Feng glanced at the dwindling channeling time remaining and took a deep breath. He drew the Abyssal and immediately assumed the stance for the Light and Shadow magic combat technique.
In an instant, the mana surging in from all directions began to solidify, forming the phantom outline of a massive sword. Compared to when he had used it at Tier 3, the phantom was noticeably more substantial.
This sudden shift allowed Shi Feng to clearly sense a reaction within the magic circles in his pupils—a third-layered magic array was faintly beginning to form.
"Good! It works!" Shi Feng couldn't suppress a flash of excitement.
But the momentary thrill was cut short. The All-Seeing Eye's magic circles seemed to stall at forming the third layer—the mana intensity still wasn't enough.
"Still not enough intensity?" Shi Feng's brow creased tightly. "If I'm going to push it any further, I'll have to use Holy Devour…"
Holy Devour was the last technique he wanted to employ right now.
The full-powered version consumed far too much—it was not a mana combat technique suited for regular use by a Tier 4 Class. With the Seat Competition about to begin, he needed to maintain his peak condition to handle whatever lay ahead. A complete Holy Devour wouldn't leave him mentally exhausted like before, but it would drain his mental energy completely.