I've Become the King of Villains in the Game-Chapter 838 - 526: The Old Mage’s Advice

"Welcome, Mage Carmen."

Chen Lun walked shoulder to shoulder with the old mage on the church path under the nightfall. He tilted his head slightly, smiling politely as he spoke:

"You are one of the only two high-ranking saints in the team. In the future, many troubles will come your way, I hope you don’t mind."

"It’s fine."

Carmen waved his hand and sighed.

"Actually, I understand the teacher’s intention. He is right. Although I have been promoted to a high position for hundreds or thousands of years, most of this time has been spent on the pursuit of knowledge and magical research... There are still many things in this world that I do not understand and need to learn through experience."

"Read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles, cleanse the dusts within your chest, and naturally the landscape will emerge within."

Chen Lun nodded, quoting an old saying from his previous life.

Mage Carmen was a bit surprised.

In an instant, he understood the meaning behind it and nodded in agreement.

"Concise and accurate, indeed."

"By the way, Mage Carmen, you are knowledgeable. I happen to have some doubts. I hope you can help me solve them."

Chen Lun stopped in his tracks, leaning on an ivory white cane that was transformed from the Iron Crown as he spoke.

Carmen did not refuse, smiled lightly and said:

"As long as I can answer them, I will tell you, Jack."

Chen Lun nodded, remained silent for a moment, then organized his words and said:

"Actually, a long time ago, I realized a principle based on the ’Supernatural Asymmetry Law’, that after absorbing and learning knowledge from adjacent paths, one can draw analogies and obtain stronger power... Previously, with Lady Fleurette’s permission, I was able to study at the Meteor Tower for a week. Although the time was short, it benefited me greatly and further confirmed this principle for me."

He raised his head, frowning slightly.

"But now the conditions are limited. If I want to further develop my high-position abilities, do you have any suggestions?"

"Your thinking is correct, Jack."

Carmen nodded.

"From my teacher’s secretive notes, I know that the Sun, Moon, and Constellation are adjacent, forming the path of the Starry Sky; Flesh and Conspiracy are adjacent, forming the path of Corruption; Earth and Deep Sea are adjacent, forming the path of Swirl; Destiny, Nature, and Magic are adjacent, forming the path of Sorrow and Joy..."

The old mage took a deep breath, his cloudy eyes seemed to be thinking or reminiscing, then he asked slowly:

"Do you know why only these ten paths of the gods have been passed down through five epochs?"

"Because they have once produced true gods, enough to prove the reality of becoming a god?"

Chen Lun asked tentatively.

The old mage smiled and shook his head.

"This explanation is too superficial... In fact, it’s because only these ten paths can converge into four great paths, like the branches of the Inverse Tree, which can connect into a pillar-like trunk... This also indicates that combining adjacent paths does indeed provide power far beyond the original path!"

Carmen raised his hand, giving an example.

"Actually, since ancient times, you are not the only one to have had similar thoughts. Many people have had them, and some have even tried... But the vast majority have failed, only a very few have succeeded, and they have often become eternal beings... For example, Cat God Maggie Milna, who integrated the power of magic, and Wall Painting God Clarence, who once mastered the power of destiny."

Chen Lun couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

He was somewhat surprised.

’So, the reason I’ve been able to succeed all along is actually because I’ve taken advantage of the panel... It simplifies complex things for me, crudely bypassing the trial-and-error and research parts, directly giving me the results?!’

He pondered secretly.

’It should be so... From the passive skill [Survival of the Fittest] derived from nature knowledge at the beginning, to the [Magic Flying Card] derived from magic knowledge, and even the two ultimate techniques [Earth Trace, Heaven Seal] and [Fate of Death], are all like this... I can continue to follow this idea with the panel, becoming stronger and stronger! Far surpassing ordinary destiny faction transcendents!’

The old mage Carmen looked at his expression, seeming to guess what he was thinking, so he spoke:

"If you want to learn magic knowledge from me, it’s not impossible, but I follow the ’Idol School’ of my teacher’s lineage, and all the knowledge I master is concentrated in this one field, which may seem limited to you... My suggestion is, it is best for you to systematically study a range of foundational knowledge, and then gradually advance, only then can you clearly know which direction you want to pursue and draw from, thus gaining inspiration."

"Doesn’t [Fundamentals of Magic] count?"

Chen Lun asked in confusion.

Carmen smiled and shook his head.

"That is just a drop in the ocean of basic knowledge. The teacher asked you to master it just so he could better teach you [Fleurette’s Magic Seal]... Fortunately, you are now a high-ranking saint, your learning ability and efficiency are far beyond ordinary people, this can save a lot of time."

He looked to the north, pondered for a moment and said:

"Jack, perhaps you can go to the far northern Byron Kingdom, find a magic academy for further studies. It is the base camp of the Madman School. As a Righteous God Church, their resources and accumulations are extremely abundant, enough to help you complete further ability development."

"Is that so..."

Chen Lun couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.

When he applied to transfer out of the Royal City to the remote Cold Leaf City, it wasn’t just to avoid the dangerous whirlpool there, but also to allow himself to settle down... Now, after getting the old mage’s advice, he felt somewhat tempted.

’I have already complied with Your Majesty Oscar’s request to inherit Ring Duke’s wish and slaughter the Seven Gods...perhaps this matter is still far off, and needs gradual planning, but no matter what, strength is the foundation; I cannot just remain stagnant... And soon, I’ll be participating in Your Majesty Conrad’s "Murder Feast" to deal with the Flesh Angel Dolomi Purness. I need to enhance myself as much as possible, regardless of whether I succeed in the end or not, at least I need enough self-preservation!’

Chen Lun thought for a while, then looked up at Carmen and said:

"Thank you for your suggestion, Mage Carmen, I think it’s a good choice... Then I may prepare for a few days, and leave Cold Leaf City next week, leaving my incarnation to guard the church. At that time, I’ll trouble you to take care of things."

"No problem... Just have someone prepare a quiet research room for me. Most of the time, I’ll stay inside. If there’s a major situation that your incarnation cannot handle, leave it to me."

Carmen smiled and said.

Chen Lun pinched the brim of his hat and nodded to him.

"Thank you."

*

*

*

Spirit World.

The Polaris Squad was advancing.

For seven or eight days straight, they had been focusing their efforts in the Immortal Realm, continuously conquering the hidden quest "Jack’s Past." Currently, "Prologue: Red Apple Dungeon" was essentially cleared, "Chapter One: Bone Gallery" had also been completed three times yesterday, earning an S-rank score.

Now, Polaris finally reached max level of 80 and gathered the Supernatural Knowledge of Sequence Six [Aerial Acrobat], preparing for ascension. Doghead Gold, Su Keying, and Wei Yin had also all successfully ascended to Sequence Seven.

Now, apart from Dragon King and Tutu, the Polaris Squad was entirely at mid-sequence, with an average level of around 55; their combat power was exceptional, and they were considered one of the top elite groups among players.

They were planning to hunt a few waves of corrupted creatures in the Spirit World to increase their Contribution Degree for the main quest.

"Be careful, the scene has changed again."

Dongyang walked at the front and spoke in a deep voice.

The others nodded, staying alert to their surroundings.

However, when the blue vision distorted for a while, the new scene that appeared in front of them left them stunned.

It seemed to be a dilapidated square, old cracked stone bricks lying haphazardly on the ground, with short walls rising at the edges and fire pits lit for illumination.

In front of them, the ground was littered with the recently dead corrupted creatures, a giant lizard that looked like a mini-boss covered in burn scars, its head severed by a large knife, lying in a pool of disgusting blood.

Dozens of players stood there, some collecting the spoils, some chatting quietly, led by two men and one woman.

"Hmm?"

One of them turned his head and was surprised to see the Polaris Squad, then revealed a meaningful smile.

"What a coincidence, isn’t it the number one on the leaderboard, ’The Strongest Solo Player’ Beizi... and my old acquaintances Dogzi and Forget No Taboo."

The person’s ID was "Lan Shi," a blond-haired, blue-eyed youth.

"Old acquaintance?"

Doghead Gold raised an eyebrow but couldn’t really remember him. His close friend Forget No Taboo thought for a moment, then frowned and asked:

"Are you Rotten Persimmon? Didn’t you delete your account and have a falling out with the guild?"

"Seems like you still remember me, Forget No Taboo."

Lan Shi smiled, wiping his blood-stained hands with a handkerchief, speaking to the two:

"That account is indeed useless, and I did leave ’God’s Love,’ but I wasn’t reconciled. Why should my heavenly-blessed character end up locked in the Undying Prison without a chance..."

He shook his head, a bit emotional.

"I don’t believe in fate! So I used the chance for ’Rebuilding Save Data’ and started a new account... Unfortunately, by that time, I had fallen behind, I had to level up desperately, silently catching up, and browsing forums for any lead... Watching you dominate the leaderboard for an entire patch, I can’t say I didn’t envy you, but I knew that one day I’d catch up."

Lan Shi threw aside the handkerchief, spread his hands and smiled:

"Guess what? There are still people with vision in this world, ’Lost Names’ guild later offered me a high-priced contract and cultivated me as a reserve star... You think only you guys are lucky in this game? Wrong! There are many of us!"

His expression gradually turned cold.

"By the way, back then, a significant part of my account’s downfall was due to the actions of you two big shots... I had originally planned to secretly develop a bit longer, then make a surprising debut, but now that we’ve met, why not use you as a stepping stone! Challenging the top elite squad on the leaderboard, sure would make headlines!"

With that, he ignited high-temperature flames in both fists, slashing a scorching trail, and charged towards the Polaris Squad.