Chapter 295: Gravity Law, The Most Crucial Step
Su Nan did not immediately respond to Lize's question; instead, he inquired about the military expansion of the Star Alliance over the years.
In recent times, the Star Alliance's offensive against Black Suo Tower had considerably slowed, yet its military expansion had shown no signs of waning.
Over such a long period, the Star Alliance's military strength had increased at an astonishing rate.
Taking the report handed to him by Lize, Su Nan quickly flipped through the pages.
First, the Golem Legion had expanded to twenty-two Army Corps and was currently in the process of establishing a twenty-third.
Next was the Magic Knight Order.
In recent years, the Star Alliance had been purchasing large quantities of Magic Pattern Constructs from the City of All Things.
Over eighty percent of the Magic Pattern Constructs produced in the entire City of All Things had found their way into the hands of the Star Alliance, causing the prices to rise by more than thirty percent.
The resulting changes were significant.
Due to the drastic decrease in the number of reserve members, the Star Alliance decided to remove them from the corps altogether, retaining only the official members.
The Star Alliance now had twelve Legions, comprising sixty Corps, and a total of six hundred thousand official members.
Additionally, there were still over five hundred thousand reserve members, who were expected to be equipped with Magic Pattern Constructs in the future and become official members.
Overall, including both official and reserve members, the total count of Magic Knight Order members had exceeded 1.1 million.
This was already the maximum capacity for the Star Alliance.
The lifespan of a Magic Pattern Knight was limited. While new Magic Pattern Knights joined the army, older ones left due to injuries, illness, or old age.
As time passed, these numbers would gradually reach a balance.
Ultimately, the total number of Magic Knight Order members would fluctuate around a certain threshold.
Unless war broke out, significant increases or decreases were unlikely.
This threshold depended on how many mainstream races of human civilization’s planes were controlled by the Star Alliance.
Currently, the Star Alliance governed only two human planes: Ulan Plane and Starlight Continent. This number of Magic Pattern Knights was already at its limit.
Regarding the Witch Hunter Legion, the number of Puppets has already surpassed five thousand. When counting all the built-in Puppet Legions from the Wizard Towers of the Star Alliance, the total number of Wizard-level Puppets in the Star Alliance now approaches eight thousand.
Su Nan, preoccupied with cultivation, has not had the time to modify the Twilight Valleys, resulting in the upper limit on the number of wolves remaining unchanged. However, after over three hundred years, the Twilight Wolves have finally reached their maximum limit of six hundred and two. As for the War Creations, the offensive has slowed down, and the number of Wizard Towers seized by the Star Alliance in recent years is minimal; they are primarily focused on building their own Wizard Towers.
Currently, the number of Wizard Towers has grown to seventy-one, most of which have been reinforced. In contrast, the growth in the number of Star Fortresses and Flying Fleets is much more impressive, with the former exceeding five hundred and the latter skyrocketing to sixty-five. This significant increase is mainly due to the relatively low intensity of warfare in recent years, resulting in minimal losses among the War Creations.
What delights Su Nan the most, however, is the increase in the number of Wizards. Three hundred years of management and development have fully exploited the population advantage of the Ulan Plane. Currently, the total number of Wizards in the Star Alliance stands at one thousand seven hundred and sixty-seven. Overall, compared to when they first captured the Man Luo Plane and the West Ge Plane, the military strength of the Star Alliance has more than doubled.
Not counting True Spirit Wizards, the current comprehensive strength of the Star Alliance qualifies it to be among the ranks of Second Rate Wizard Forces. Once Su Nan advances to True Spirit Wizard, they will immediately ascend to the status of a Second Rate Wizard Force.
"Not bad," Su Nan said, a satisfied smile spreading across his face as he finished reading the document.
"Reply to the representatives from the Wisdom Codex and inform them that we agree to their request." After developing for so long, it was time to show their fangs. Su Nan originally intended for the Star Alliance to launch a large-scale attack in the near future to capture the four planes of the Black Suo Tower and take this opportunity to request some resources from the Wisdom Codex.
Lize asked, "Then what kind of resources should we request from the Wisdom Codex? Magic Pattern Constructs or materials?"
"Neither," Su Nan replied, his eyes gleaming. "Ask for a Law Fruit."
"Lize paused for a moment, and then a look of realization dawned on his face.
Although the name contained the character for "fruit," Law Fruit was not a true fruit but rather a collective term for the crystallized material manifestations of Law Power, primarily originating from the Realm of Truth.
Under normal circumstances, Law Power was a mysterious, ethereal existence that could only be felt through intuition and could not be physically touched.
However, within the Realm of Truth, known as the sacred ground of Law, the dense Law Power could, through a series of coincidences, manifest in physical form, allowing people to actually interact with it.
All materialized Law Power was collectively referred to as Law Fruit.
Most Law Fruit lacked specific attributes; any True Spirit Wizard or Tier 3 Crystallization Wizard could absorb and convert them, thus enhancing their understanding and control over Law.
It was said that a single Law Fruit could increase the chances of a Tier 3 Crystallization Wizard advancing to True Spirit Wizard by one to two tenths.
Though this may seem modest, the average chance of a Tier 3 Crystallization Wizard advancing to True Spirit Wizard was originally less than one tenth. Thus, a single Law Fruit could significantly increase those odds, highlighting its preciousness.
Due to its extreme rarity, the Wisdom Codex might not agree to this condition, necessitating negotiation to reach an understanding.
After delegating the matter to Lize, Su Nan ascended to the top floor of the Wizard Tower.
Having just broken through, he needed to stabilize his realm.
Before obtaining the information about the Gravity Plane, it was an excellent opportunity to consolidate his newfound strength.
"Law Fruit?"
After hearing about the Star Alliance's condition from his subordinate, Ronning was stunned, shock evident on his face.
Su Nan had broken through to Level 3 Crystallization?
The moment this thought crossed his mind, Ronning instinctively wanted to dismiss it.
After all, he knew that Su Nan had only broken through to Level 3 Liquefaction less than four hundred years ago, and achieving another breakthrough in such a short time was simply incredible!
Perhaps Su Nan hadn’t truly broken through, and his desire for Law Fruit was merely a preparation for future understanding of Law after a forthcoming breakthrough.
However, recalling the many astonishing feats Su Nan had accomplished, Ronning felt a wave of uncertainty.
A genius like Su Nan should not be judged by ordinary standards.
With this thought, Ronning's mood became increasingly complicated."
Never would he have imagined that he, a man generally acknowledged as a genius, would one day regard another young wizard as a monster.
Ronning sighed.
First, there was Maiisha, and now another Su Nan. There truly are many monsters in this world.
Shaking his head to dispel unnecessary thoughts, Ronning took out a crystal, pressed it to his forehead for a few seconds, and then crushed it, transforming it into a streak of light that vanished into the void.
About half an hour later, the streak of light returned, appearing out of thin air in front of Ronning and morphing into a large character.
“Approved!”
Seeing this, Ronning exhaled and turned to his subordinate. "Agree to the Star Alliance's conditions, but they must conquer at least one Plane within a century."
"Yes, sir!"
When Wisdom Codex and Messenger arrived at Ulan City, Su Nan was no longer on the Ulan Plane.
As he had expected, the Star Alliance had easily obtained information about several Gravity Planes from the three major merchant guilds of the City of All Things.
The moment he received the information, Su Nan set off to one of the Planes.
"So, this is the Shimmering Spirit Plane."
High above, Su Nan hovered in the air, taking in his surroundings.
Everywhere his gaze fell was barren and desolate.
The empty fields consisted solely of sand and jagged rocks, with no plants or traces of life in sight—just a suffocating stillness.
"It seems this Plane is quite barren. Well, that’s to be expected; if it weren’t, those people from the City of All Things wouldn't have sold the information so readily."
Su Nan didn’t mind; he wasn’t here for the resources anyway.
On the contrary, he was quite satisfied with another aspect of the Shimmering Spirit Plane.
The moment he entered the Plane, he felt an overwhelming pressure.
The terrifying gravity enveloped his entire body almost instantly.
This was no ordinary pressure; the gravity exerted an all-encompassing force. Every inch of flesh and blood, every bone, even every cell of a living being was subjected to a 360-degree heavy pressure.
If one’s strength was slightly lacking, they would be crushed into pulp in an instant by the overwhelming gravity!
"The gravity here is probably more than a hundred times that of the Starlight Continent."
"Creatures below the Legendary Knight level that enter here would likely be instantly annihilated," Su Nan clicked his tongue in wonder.
According to the information provided by the City of All Things, very few creatures inhabited this area, but each one possessed formidable strength at the Wizard level.
It made sense, he thought. Anything that could adapt and survive in such an extremely high-gravity environment couldn't possibly be weak.
The intelligence included the locations of these creatures, but Su Nan had no intention of engaging them. Avoiding those spots, he began searching for a place suitable for comprehending the Laws.
Within the same plane, gravity varied from place to place.
After spending considerable time, Su Nan found a location with relatively higher gravity. He took out the specially prepared Golem from his Magic Cube and constructed a simple temporary camp.
He ordered the Golem to patrol and remain on guard, then Su Nan entered the structure, sat cross-legged, and began to comprehend the Law.
Understanding the Law was a profoundly mysterious process, difficult to articulate.
Simply put, it involved a Wizard merging their powerful Spiritual Power into the void—or rather, into the Plane—deeply interacting with the Plane's origin, discovering the Law within it, and then identifying the specific Law to comprehend among the many others. After that, it became a tedious process of comprehension.
In a plane like the Shimmering Spirit Plane, with its extremely high gravity, the Gravity Law within the origin would be more evident than in other planes, making it relatively easier to understand.
During the process of comprehension, Su Nan took out the Law Crystal and held it in his palm.
With the aid of the Law Crystal, it would be easier to find the Law within the Plane’s origin.
In the Shimmering Spirit Plane, where there were so few creatures, no one would disturb Su Nan.
As time passed, he gradually entered a state of single-minded focus, completely abandoning his awareness of other things. He was wholly immersed in the Plane’s origin.
Slowly, a strange, colorful world unfolded before his eyes.
Each color in this world represented a Law. The colors were not sharply defined but rather interwoven and mixed together, each containing elements of the others.
"Sometimes, several colors would blend together, forming a brand new hue. Yet, within this new color, one could still discern the original shades, creating a strangely profound sensation.
The dazzling array of colors nearly blurred Su Nan's vision.
He quickly steadied his mind, widening his eyes as he searched for the hue that represented the Law of Gravity.
He couldn't tell how long he'd been looking, but finally, he experienced a breakthrough. Among the countless colors, he spotted a wisp of deep Blue Black.
The moment he beheld that wisp of Blue Black, a realization dawned in Su Nan's heart.
This was the Law of Gravity he had been seeking!
Overjoyed, Su Nan swiftly extended his tendrils of Spiritual Power.
The instant they connected with the Blue Black, his entire Sea of Consciousness erupted, as if his Soul had been struck. After a brief moment of dizziness and confusion, clarity returned to him.
Before his eyes, the previously mixed colors rapidly receded like a tide, replaced by vast swathes of Blue Black that suddenly dominated his vision.
In the blink of an eye, Su Nan was enveloped by this expansive Blue Black.
Taking it all in, he exhaled deeply, a genuine smile spreading across his face.
He had succeeded!
In the midst of his joy, Su Nan suddenly snapped out of his focused state, and everything before him abruptly vanished into thin air.
When he opened his eyes again, he was still in the same small hut, the surroundings empty, as if all he'd experienced was merely a dream.
Yet Su Nan knew that everything had been real.
On the panel floating in the void before him, a new line of text had appeared.
【Gravity Law Comprehension Progress: 0.01%】
Su Nan's heart swelled with joy.
He had taken the most crucial step, and now it was just a matter of steady progress.
As long as he continued to comprehend, he would one day master the Law of Gravity.
Regaining his senses, Su Nan stepped outside.
Everything in the camp was just as it had been before his seclusion; nothing had changed.
Before he entered seclusion, Su Nan had specifically instructed a Golem to keep track of time. Now, he discovered that fifty-three full years had passed.
Yet, in his perception, it felt as though only a brief moment had elapsed.
"I didn't expect comprehending a Law to take so much time."
Su Nan sighed inwardly.
With the Law Crystal in hand, comprehending the Law was relatively simpler than it was for other Wizards.
Even so, it still took him over fifty years to complete that crucial first step.
For anyone else, it would likely require several times longer.
In fact, the greater likelihood was that they would never manage to take that vital first step at all.
Although he'd experienced it firsthand, if Su Nan were to describe the process and experience of comprehending the Law now, he would still find himself at a loss for words.
The memories felt dreamlike; while he could recall them, articulating them in concrete terms proved elusive.
If he had to convey it, he would say it was Idealism.
"No wonder no True Spirit Wizard has summarized the experience of comprehending the Law over the years," he reflected.
"It’s not that they didn’t want to; they simply couldn’t."
"This kind of understanding can only be grasped personally; others can't provide much assistance."
Su Nan shook his head, then turned and went back into the house to continue his cultivation.
For now, he had only a preliminary understanding of the Law. He needed to deepen his comprehension further until he truly mastered Law Power; only then could he advance to become a True Spirit Wizard.
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