Chapter 318

Chapter 318: Mind Crystal Pool

After the Others dispersed with their own thoughts, Midi swiftly ventured into the depths of the Central Temple, arriving at a vast circular hall.

Within the hall’s heart lay an oppressive darkness. Two towering figures loomed there, clutching sharp weapons as they awaited intruders—the Kings of Shadows.

“Die!” Midi roared. Flames of Golden-Red Sword Lights blazed around him while a mighty Dragon’s might radiated outward.

Fighting two opponents at once made his previous stamina-conserving tactics useless—it would only drain him faster. This time, he chose full firepower, unleashing his utmost strength to crush them instantly.

The Kings of Shadows’ mind-related abilities exerted crushing pressure, yet Dragon’s might proved deadlier against shadow creatures.

Neither side held back—who would prevail?

“Shadow Automaton!” At Midi’s mental command, two smoke-like entities materialized in the shadows, striking a vital spot on one King of Shadows.

The coordinated psychic assault from the twin Kings faltered, creating a momentary gap.

Seizing the instant, Midi channeled his surging Dragon’s might into a single sword strike that tore through air and space, striking with tyrannical force.

The impact left blood trickling from Midi’s lips, his face ghostly pale. Yet the blow annihilated one King of Shadows outright, while the residual Dragon’s might sapped the magic aura of the surviving King.

Without pause, Midi gritted his teeth. He directed the Shadow Automaton to flank the remaining King, swallowed back blood, and swung again.

A deafening draconic roar shook the hall, unleashing a searing storm. The wounded King of Shadows, already weakened, split into two before dissolving into dark ash.

Within moments, both Kings of Shadows fell.

This feat would’ve sparked a storm of emotions among witnesses, but to Midi, it was a calculated outcome. Having fought them before, he knew their defenses, resilience, and attack patterns. His task had been cold arithmetic—determining the precise cost to kill them.

This wasn’t a battle but an exchange: Midi endured their psychic onslaught through his Extraordinary Awakening physique, while the Kings crumbled under Dragon’s might. Victory, plain and simple.

Yet the price was steep—his first true injury since becoming an Awakened One.

“Mind-related abilities… even mental attacks eventually harm the physical form,” Midi mused grimly as he healed, unease lingering.

The setback only hardened his resolve to become a top-tier Thought Capturer.

Within thirty minutes, potent alchemical potions and Dragon’s Blood-fueled recovery mended his internal injuries. After verifying no hidden wounds remained through magic circulation, he pressed deeper into the hall.

The further he went, the stranger it grew.

Magical crystal lamps and starry skylights should’ve illuminated the hall, yet darkness thickened like ink, devouring all light. Even his Golden-Red Sword Lights retained their edge but lost their glow to the encroaching shadows.

Here, light couldn’t endure—only darkness prevailed.

Simultaneously, Midi detected faint psychic energy within the gloom—a thread linking his mind to the temple’s unfathomable depths, stretching endlessly into the void.

It seemed that after the initial test of personal power, this trial wasn’t about confronting mind-related abilities but experiencing them.

Understanding the temple’s arrangement, Midi summoned two Shadow Automatons as guards and closed his eyes to focus on sensing the psychic energy’s location.

As mental strength gathered, the psychic pull grew clearer. Midi followed this consciousness-only rope step by step.

He considered the possibility of traps, testing each path with his Shadow Automatons’ probes through knocks before moving.

Numerous traps were discovered along the way – some leading to bottomless pits where careless falls meant no return.

Yet the psychic guidance didn’t lead into traps but around them. Without automatons, this pull would be one’s only guide.

Midi remained cautious, knowing truth and deception often mix to lower guard.

Fortunately, the Mind Maze’s creator seemed only interested in making trial participants experience psychic energy.

The psychic pull weakened progressively, demanding more focus. Even Midi’s reincarnated will required frequent pauses and concentrated breathing to track the thread-thin trail.

After unknowable distance, silver brilliance exploded in his consciousness.

Opening his eyes, Midi saw darkness receding like tides, revealing the temple’s deepest hall.

Magical crystal lamps adorned the walls, banishing shadows. At center stood an enormous pool of unknown material, its sky-blue waters mirroring the unobtainable azure heavens and white clouds of Star Ocean.

"Mind Crystal Pool…" Midi inhaled sharply.

Having fought Heart-Seizing Demons across lifetimes and seized Blue Truth Sect’s headquarters, he recognized this core of their colonies – where formless psychic energy liquefied into absorbable magic-like substance, birthing the demons themselves.

Why did this appear in a Thought Capturer’s training maze?

No answers came, only certainty of its physical reality.

Midi dipped a finger into the azure liquid. Soul-numbing energy surged through him like lightning, sharpening his mind instantly.

The ancient voice resonated: "Mind Crystal Pool activated. Proceed with Mind Control Trial – final test for Thought Capturers, dangerous yet opportune."

"Proceed." Midi answered without hesitation.

"Enter the pool. Use all your power." The voice held new warmth beneath its usual mechanics.

Why conduct Thought Capturer trials in demon-spawning pools? Though puzzled, Midi immersed himself, entering meditative state as crystal liquid embraced him.

Darkness swallowed his senses, heartbeat vanishing. Seconds later, light revealed an opulent room.

"Trial begins. Survival time counted. One real day equals one trial month."

"Day equals month? An illusion?" Midi assessed.

True illusions surpassed Mind-Related Illusion Formations – psychic experts could craft entire cities with adjustable timeflow. Mind-entering dreams so real they trapped souls.

Midi knew his body remained in the pool, only consciousness transferred. Yet something felt wrong.

His illusion-body felt alien. Heart sinking, he raced through the building until finding a crystal mirror.

The reflection showed his true form here:

A full Heart-Seizing Demon.