A Wizard's Secret

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Seven forms!"

Merlin swiftly immersed himself in the cultivation methods of Glacier Country. The first message he deciphered was that Glacier Country had a total of seven forms. This was considered very powerful among special Pandora Demon Abilities.

Similar to Kleis' Spatial Blade and Wizard Leo's Darkness Eye, these were all special Pandora Demon Abilities with seven forms, so they were considered highly powerful. Naturally, the special Pandora Demon Ability Glacial Country invented by the Great Legend of Ice also had seven forms and was just as powerful as Darkness Eye and Spatial Blade.

Nevertheless, in order to complement its powerful abilities, the cultivation method of Glacier Country was also extraordinarily challenging. Furthermore, Merlin had never cultivated any special Pandora Demon Abilities. Even Darkness Eye was passed down to him by Wizard Leo, so he had no inkling of how challenging it would be to cultivate a special Pandora Demon Ability.

First and foremost, Glacier Country required Ice-type spells - that much was certain. Whether it was Darkness Eye or Spatial Blade, even if they did not require specific spells, the ability to construct spells was a must.

( ) As a Six-Elemental Spell Caster, Merlin of course also constructed Ice-level spells but this was merely the most basic prerequisite for cultivating Glacier Country. There was an even more onerous requirement, which was a physical transformation.

This was the most important requirement of all because once Glacier Country descended, it would be nothing short of a freezing arctic, and the conditions would be frigid. If a Spell Caster's body was unable to withstand such frigid conditions, it would be impossible to wield Glacier Country.

Physical transformation was the most arduous challenge for Spell Casters because their bodies were usually their weakest trait.

Seeing that cultivating Glacier Country required physical transformation, Merlin thought about Wizard Leo. He wondered back when Wizard Leo cultivated Darkness Eye, was it the need for physical transformation that made him dig out his eyes?

What about Kleis? Did he also undergo some special physical transformation in order to cultivate Spatial Blade? Otherwise, the act of slipping through space and slashing space with his bare hands were definitely not feats achievable by the weak physiques of Spell Casters.

The more Merlin dwelled on the question, the more he became certain of his inference. Every Spell Caster who cultivated a special Pandora Demon Ability had to undergo a physical transformation or else it was impossible to cultivate a special Pandora Demon Ability.

( ) Neither constructing spells nor cultivating ordinary fusion Pandora Demon Abilities imposed any physical requirement on the body. On the other hand, cultivating a special Pandora Demon Ability demanded great physical requirements from the body. The only reason Merlin managed to wield Darkness Eye so easily was owed to the fact that Wizard Leo had passed it to him directly.

If that was not the case, it was difficult to determine whether Merlin might have been able to cultivate Darkness Eye.

The foremost requirement of Glacier Country was a physical transformation, which involved immersing the body in frigid cold conditions so that it would be able to withstand the invasion of Ice Elements.

Moreover, the colder the environment that was being immersed, the more effective it would be toward cultivating Glacier Country. Merlin's ring did, in fact, contained a thousand years' ice bone marrow which he kept for the purpose of cultivating the second form of Glacial Finger. Since he already gave up on Glacial Finger, he no longer had any use for this thousand years' ice bone marrow.

However, the amount of this thousand years' ice bone marrow was simply too little so it would not suffice for Merlin to undergo a physical transformation.

In fact, cultivating a special Pandora Demon Ability was incredibly difficult, and the success rate was only one out of ten attempts. The first challenge, namely the physical transformation, was enough to fail countless Spell Casters. This was because only a very small handful of Spell Casters would be able to persevere through the physical transformation.

Darkness Eye, for example, perhaps did not require such drastic physical transformation but once cultivated, the Spell Caster would need to be constantly vigilant for its backlash. On the other hand, Glacier Country did not contain a large amount of backlash but imposed stringent physical requirements. Only after the physical transformation was successfully completed, the danger of cultivating Glacier Country would be reduced.

However, the transformation process would be akin to hanging a millstone against one's neck. Due to the inherently weak bodies of average Spell Casters, without the protection of spells, even the slightest chill might not be bearable for their bodies.

However, Merlin was not just an ordinary Spell Caster. He had practiced the mysterious postures of the relief structures, so his physical condition was very strong. Hence, he was relatively confident about attempting the physical transformation.

Thinking along these lines, Merlin withdrew himself from the memory fragments of the Ice Maxim and looked around. He was still in the magnificent great hall built from jade.

The only difference was that the naked body of the Ice Goddess on the huge jade bed had disappeared. This was because when Merlin seized the Ice Maxim, her corpse had decomposed and turned into dust, and was scattered by the wind.

On the jade bed, Merlin only saw an exquisite white gold pendant which was previously worn by the Ice Goddess on her chest. Initially, he thought that it was just an ordinary ornament but the Ice Goddess' body as well as all the other items had turned into dust and disappeared except for this pendant, which was still intact without blemish.

This proved that the white gold pendant was extraordinary!

Merlin stretched out his hand and grabbed the white gold pendant. The moment the pendant touched his hand, Merlin felt a cold aura gradually permeate into his body, and concentrated Ice Elements immediately gathered around the pendant.

"Hmm. Besides speeding up the formation of Ice Elements, it also gradually improves the body's condition to allow it to bond better with Ice Elements!"

Merlin's heart was filled with delight. This pendant was perfect for his current situation. In order to cultivate Glacier Country, he first had to undergo a physical transformation so that his body could endure frigid cold conditions.

Right now, this white gold pendant would help him slowly improve his physical form as well as increase his affinity to Ice Elements. While these features might not have any immediate benefits, over a long period of time, they would be extremely helpful for him to train his body to withstand frigid conditions in the future.

This pendant was called the Goddess' Blessing, and was originally made by the Ice Goddess to be given to her believers. After she was suppressed by the Legend of Ice, this pendant was all that was left.

Merlin hung the Goddess' Blessing on his neck and took a deep breath, then exited the magnificent great hall.

Outside the great hall, Wizards Ernie and Watson were waiting anxiously, eager to see what was happening inside. Neither the Ice Goddess nor the mysterious ball of light was a sight that they had ever witnessed with their eyes.

Nevertheless, they were Merlin's slaves, so they did not dare disobey his orders. They could only hold back their curiosity and stand guard outside the great hall.

"Master!"

Upon seeing Merlin, their spirits rose.

"Let's go, this place is going to collapse soon."

Merlin did not even turn back as he headed straight for the exit, leaving a stunned Watson and Ernie staring at his back.

"Going to collapse?"

They did not believe that this mysterious place was about to collapse but just as Merlin's words fell, the entire passage began to shake violently. The magnificent great hall rapidly collapsed, and large chunks of rocks were about to fall on them.

Wizards Ernie and Watson were astounded. It looked like Merlin's words were not to be taken lightly. This place was indeed about to collapse soon, so they hurriedly followed him.

"Rumble rumble."

When Merlin, Ernie, and Watson walked out of the mysterious underground passage and returned to the frozen lake, the entire lake began to thaw.

Thick layers of ice began to rapidly break apart and melted into a large river. Previously, the river water had been frozen solid and, thus, was not flowing. At this moment, following the massive cracks in the ice layers, the frost began to melt and rapidly converged into a strong gush of water, running downstream, forming a real, flowing river.

Merlin had already anticipated this transformation. When the Legend of Ice used the Ice Maxim to suppress the Ice Goddess at the bottom of the lake, her natural affinity toward the Ice Elements as well as the powerful Ice Maxim attracted Ice Elements to the lake. Gradually, the lake surface froze and turned into the mysterious frozen lake.

Moreover, following the passage of time, the Ice Maxim at the bottom of the lake might have leaked some of its powers, therefore causing all kinds of strange and bizarre occurrences around the lake.

Now that Merlin had seized the Ice Maxim, and the Ice Goddess was irrevocably dead, the mysterious frozen lake would naturally cease to exist. Instead, in its place, was just a plain, ordinary river.

Seeing the transformation of the mysterious frozen lake take place in the blink of an eye, Wizard Ernie and Wizard Watson exchanged a look. They knew that Merlin must have done something inside the great hall to trigger this transformation.

Nonetheless, despite their envy, they did not dare to conceive any ill-intention toward Merlin. As his slaves, their lives were completely in Merlin's grasp.

"Master, are we going to continue the journey?"

Ernie asked cautiously. Previously, they were heading toward Ernie's residence but had come across this mysterious frozen lake on the way there. As a result, Merlin obtained an unexpected find.

Merlin did not answer immediately. Instead, he asked Ernie and Watson, "In Subzero Snowfield, is there some item or place that can improve a Spell Caster's physique in order to be able to withstand the invasion of frigid blasts?"

"Improve physique? Withstand the cold invasion?"

Wizard Ernie and Wizard Watson bobbed their head in unison. "There's only one place with that effect. It's the Frost Pond belonging to the Frost Lord!"

"The Frost Lord?"

Merlin's eyes frowned slightly. This moniker was quite unique, and it was the first time he heard of it. The moniker also did not sound like it belonged to a Spell Caster.

"Who's the Frost Lord? What's the Frost Pond?"

Following Merlin's inquiries, Watson and Ernie explained in detail.

The Frost Lord was indeed not a Spell Caster but had evolved from a snow sprite with thousands of years of experience. Its abilities were unfathomable. Some said it was on par with a Seventh-level Spell Caster while others said it was comparable to an Eighth- or Ninth-level Spell Caster.

Regardless, the Frost Lord was extremely mysterious and powerful. Although most Spell Casters knew that the Frost Lord was only a snow sprite, none of them dared to offend the Frost Lord.

Therefore, the Frost Lord designated an area where various types of snow sprites could inhabit freely. Some Spell Casters who were favored by the Frost Lord were also able to enter this strange area.

As for the Frost Pond, it was built by the Frost Lord over a long period of time. According to rumors, the Frost Pond could be used to nurture some of the snow sprites. Additionally, Spell Casters who were favored upon by the Frost Lord could also enter the Frost Pond. Once baptized, it would instantly improve one's physique, and increase one's affinity with Ice Elements to beyond imaginable levels.

As a result, the power level of Ice-type spells would increase many folds.

"The Frost Pond actually has such a unique effect. Very well, I'm going to visit the Frost Lord!"

Once Merlin learned the information about the Frost Lord, he could not wait to get going. If the Frost Pond truly had that rumored effect, then he had a very high chance of cultivating Glacier Country!

Naturally, Merlin did not want to miss this opportunity. Therefore, leading two thoroughly confused slaves Ernie and Watson, he flew swiftly toward the Frost Lord's designated area.