Chapter 324

Chapter 324: Inheritance of the Sea Emperor

Had he broken the rules?

Midi repeated the ancient voice’s words in his heart.

As the evaluation stated, without uncovering the deeper rules hidden within the trial, Midi could never have crushed Sandur and his sister—who wielded the "Mind Dual Rings" and "Staff of Divine Punishment"—so decisively in a single battle.

The key lay in the concept of "betrayal."

It was widely understood that the allegiance of Heart-Seizing Demons in each settlement hinged entirely on the ownership of their Mind Crystal Pool.

If a Mind Crystal Pool belonged to the same master, the Heart-Seizing Demons shared a partnership. If their pools were under different masters, hostility arose automatically. Without a master, they acted as neutral forces, attacking all factions entering their territory.

Because of this mechanism, seizing Mind Crystal Pools became the most critical step in the nine-temple conflict.

Capturing a Mind Crystal Pool meant trial participants hiding anywhere would be expelled by the system.

It also meant gaining the troops trained by competitors instantly, boosting one’s own army without extra effort.

Thus, after Wiseman’s elimination, the Mind Crystal Pool of the seventh temple—which controlled his Heart-Seizing Demon Necromancer army—became Sandur’s top priority.

Yet, those Necromancers didn’t belong to the seventh temple’s pool.

They were tied to the Central Temple’s Mind Crystal Pool instead!

After seizing Wiseman’s pool, Midi’s first order compelled the Necromancers to share all their knowledge and skills with his own troops.

Once his forces had enough Necromancers, Midi commanded Wiseman’s remaining ones to commit mass suicide. In reality, this would spark rebellion—but here, the Ruler’s orders were absolute. Midi had tested such commands earlier, confirming no resistance would occur.

When Sandur later drove Midi out and took the seventh temple, he found only an empty Mind Crystal Pool and a swarm of Midi’s undercover agents.

Even if Sandur claimed the pool, trial rules forced the Heart-Seizing Demons to despise him.

But Midi had given a cunning order: "Infiltrate the enemy and prepare for a fatal strike."

This aligned their hatred for Sandur with their undercover role. Their loathing made them perfect spies, exploiting Sandur’s resources to grow stronger while leaking every military secret to Midi.

With unwavering, well-placed spies and full knowledge of the enemy’s movements, victory was inevitable.

Sandur’s final trump card, the "Staff of Divine Punishment," startled Midi—but by then, the battle’s outcome was already certain.

A 99% chance of victory.

A guaranteed triumph.

This genius tactic, born from mastery of the rules, the Heart-Seizing Demons’ nature, and psychic energy, defied expectations—earning the ancient voice’s praise: "You broke the rules."

The battlefield’s smoke, the demon armies, and the Shaded Realm’s gloom vanished abruptly.

Midi blinked, his consciousness back at the Central Temple’s Mind Crystal Pool.

His blood flowed smoothly, and black sludge oozed from his skin. While his mind endured the trial, his physical form had been purified by psychic energy. Despite nearing the limits of his Extraordinary Awakening, the cleansing still expelled impurities—proof of its unique power.

At that moment, Midi felt his mind become crystal clear and razor-sharp, as though he’d been reborn.

The Mind Crystal inside him suddenly pulsed, enveloping his body in white radiance.

Mind-related abilities activated – Star Shift!

As the crystal’s power took effect, Midi’s surroundings blurred. He now stood in a vast space glowing with streams of psychic energy that formed a galaxy-like network across the heavens.

At the heart of this luminous web stood a towering hooded figure – or rather, its shadowy silhouette.

"Six thousand four hundred psychic energy points," the ancient voice resonated from the shadow. "Exceeding the Mind Crystal’s capacity. Impressive."

Six thousand four hundred?

Midi closed his eyes to check. The crystal within him brimmed with azure liquid threatening to overflow. Mental information flooded his consciousness:

Path of the Mind (300 points)

Shadow Maze – King of Shadows slain (1,250)

Octagonal Island Trial – Star Exile defeated (1,850)

Thought Capturer Trial – Central Temple claimed (3,000)

Total: 6,400

"In this Shadow Maze’s century of existence," the shadow sighed, relief coloring its tone, "you’re the first to break limits. You’re the chosen one."

"Are you the Maze’s creator?" Midi asked cautiously. The scale and complexity suggested a supreme expert’s work – beings even 85th-level second-awakeners feared.

The Blue Truth Sect’s weakened supreme expert was manageable, but facing an intact one? Midi would be less than an insect.

The shadow shook its hood. "Merely the creator’s lingering will. My purpose: forge supreme Thought Capturers to fulfill his wish."

A supreme expert’s wish? Even at his past life’s 85th-level peak, Midi couldn’t rival such beings. How at 54th level?

"First," the shadow continued, "receive the Sea Emperor’s heritage." It summoned Midi’s Mind Crystal. "Ordinary trial participants use these, but you require better."

Cold blue light pierced Midi’s mind, resolving into a multifaceted gem. Azure liquid erupted, flooding his consciousness and body – Pure psychic energy, exponentially refined compared to standard variants.

As the energy saturated him, Midi’s mind cooled like mountain springwater. His consciousness strained against physical limits while the Dragon Sealing Sword in his grasp developed new azure patterns beside its golden ones.

His level surged unprecedentedly:

54 → 54 (peak) → 55 → 56 → 57 → 58

Four levels gained – surpassing even his three-level leap at 20th level.

This… was the Sea Emperor’s power? A true supreme expert’s legacy?

The psychic energy quelled his shock, merging his awareness with the Star Ocean’s glittering expanse. His breathing synchronized with distant stars, movements becoming Nature’s will made flesh.

For one fleeting instant, his mind touched the cosmos itself – the hallmark of elite Thought Capturers and psychic masters.