Wizard: Starting from the Skill Tree-Chapter 520: The Ritual

Duke observed the complete process of how this Longbow transformed from a chaotic, fluid energy form into a final Demonized Armor through the Magic Power within it.

In fact, every step of the process is within it, retaining traces.

The Wizard’s Magic can achieve a similar effect, manifesting energy into a physical entity.

But the key is, simply manifesting energy into a physical entity doesn’t carry any other special effects.

For example, this Longbow, perhaps an excellent Wizard Apprentice could study it for a while and potentially condense it.

However, if it involves the Energy Arrows and the conversion of different attributes of energy, then that’s beyond a typical Wizard Apprentice’s capabilities.

Nearly every Demonized Armor possesses various peculiar abilities, and these abilities are not decided by the Awakened, but are predetermined at the time they awaken these abilities.

In other words, they cannot choose what ability they awaken to, only accept it.

While researching this Longbow, Duke noticed that its internal structure seemed to be arranged by following some sort of rules, achieving such an effect.

This discovery made Duke realize that merely researching a Demonized Armor might only reveal its surface-level energy solidification principles, making it difficult to touch the true core that endows it with ability.

To verify his hypothesis, he needed more samples for comparison.

He retrieved another Demonized Armor obtained on the Plane Battlefield of the Devourer Plane from his Space Ring.

It’s a small, bone-white Shield, cold to the touch, with natural markings resembling a tortoise shell on its surface.

Just like when he researched the Longbow, Duke immersed his Spiritual Power into it, carefully analyzing its internal structure.

Sure enough, the energy structure inside this Shield also exhibited a highly orderly, woven materialized characteristic, similar to the Longbow.

As he compared the energy node arrangements and the weaving patterns of energy threads of the two, the more he looked, the more familiar it seemed.

Suddenly, a Lightning flashed across Duke’s mind, instantly connecting with some knowledge he’d learned before.

"This isn’t a simple energy solidification... This is a ritual, a solidification ritual that occurs in the instant of an Awakened’s death, using their life, soul, and all energy as a sacrifice to spontaneously realize an entity imprinted with some rules."

After discovering this, Duke seemed to understand something.

Rituals come in many forms and have a range of different processes and effects.

And the Demonized Armors of the Awakened are a unique type of ritual.

This ritual begins the moment they awaken, resulting in the ability they awaken to.

And when they die, this ritual might produce a Demonized Armor, turning into these objects.

And the special abilities manifested by these objects are actually the effects of the ritual.

Upon thinking of this, Duke suddenly thought: "Could I also try this ritual to see what I might create?"

He himself is not an Awakened, but after roughly understanding the principles behind the Awakened, he might attain a similar effect, perhaps even create a Demonized Armor for himself.

Duke immediately began reverse engineering the internal Ritual Array of the Demonized Armors he possessed; a delicate and massive project, akin to deciphering ancient codes, deciphering the energy nodes and threads representing ritual language, understanding how they convey various concepts through specific structures.

Time flew by swiftly in concentrated research, Duke immersed himself in the microscopic world of energy, tirelessly comparing, analyzing, and extrapolating.

He sketched countless complex, dizzying schematics of energy structures, attempting to uncover common grammar and vocabulary within them.

Gradually, he stumbled upon some pathways.

He discovered that these structures indeed adhere to a certain strict internal logic.

Based on these preliminary understandings, Duke decided to conduct a small-scale practice.

Instead of ambitiously attempting to create multi-attribute conversion or powerful defensive equipment, he chose a simple goal: reproducing a single, stable light effect.

This is equivalent to starting with the letters and words of ritual language.

Clearing a space on the lab bench, using his pure Magic Power as ink, and his highly focused Spiritual Power as a carving pen, he began slowly sketching, constructing a small foundational structure representing a stable energy field revealed from the Bone Shield, attempting to channel light characteristics.

This process required exceedingly fine control over Magic Power, and the spirit must perfectly synchronize with the routes of the ritual, imbuing it with definition.

On the first try, the structure collapsed into chaotic light dots the moment it formed.

On the second try, the structure barely formed but the light flickered inconsistently before extinguishing soon after.

By the tenth try, the structure stabilized for a few seconds, emitting a mild but continuous halo before slowly dissipating.

Far from discouraged, Duke’s eyes shone brightly.

He succeeded; albeit temporarily, he indeed imitated the ritual and created a temporary structure with simple functionality from pure energy solidification.

This proved his direction was correct; the essence of the Demonized Armor is a specific ritual that efficiently solidifies Rule Power.

This is a latent rule existing within the Endless Plane, and although Duke is now far from reaching the level of power to touch the rules, knowing very little, he can utilize the rule’s existence to wield its power.

In the following month, Duke remained focused on this research, spending most of the time on it aside from occasionally checking on the situation in Maple Hill County, achieving some results as well.

Through this period of study, Duke roughly deciphered the entire process of the Awakened’s ritual.

He discovered that each person should only be able to perform the Awakened ritual once; it’s a basic rule inscribed within the ritual.

It’s unclear who created the rules related to the Awakened, but there’s a great chance they have some connection with the Devourer Plane.

This ritual predetermines that no one knows what ability they will gain from performing the ritual, nor can they change or choose it.

Recalling the data related to the Devourer Plane, Duke found that indeed no Awakened with exactly identical abilities exists.

At most, two Awakened abilities might be similar, but absolutely never exactly the same.

Performing the Awakened ritual is like personally selecting an ability tailored for you from a massive treasury of Awakened abilities.

And upon death, an Awakened’s ability might return to this treasury, and if it condenses into a Demonized Armor, it likely won’t return anymore.