78: Chapter 78 Branding Magic

Two days later.

The City Lord's Mansion, in the basement of the high tower.

After considering it for a day, Nie Ning went to find Audrey again.

Seeing Nie Ning arrive, Audrey couldn't help but smile.

"It seems you have made up your mind."

Nie Ning shrugged: "Yes, I think guarding this place is pretty good too."

"That is because you haven't seen the scenery outside. This world is ultimately barren; you will know how foolish this decision is in the future."

Audrey shook her head slightly upon hearing this, her words filled with emotion.

"I have no choice, do I?"

Although he understood the implication behind Audrey's words, Nie Ning had his own plans.

"That's also true. You might not even be able to get past the hurdle of elemental erosion, so saying anything more is just empty talk."

After saying this, Audrey walked to a cabinet nearby and took out a transparent glass bottle that shimmered with a cerulean luster.

"This is the advancement potion."

"However, there is a problem before you. According to my original plan, I should first try to clear the elemental erosion from your body, but this would cause all the magic power in your body to be eliminated."

"And if I let you advance first, it will undoubtedly increase the difficulty of the clearance, but strong Spiritual Power makes it easier to resist the backlash of elemental erosion."

"You must know, I have never tried to clear elemental erosion before; any unforeseen events could occur during this process..."

Audrey glanced at Nie Ning, handing the choice over to him.

Nie Ning rolled his eyes in his heart.

Aren't you the professional? Why are you asking me?

"Will my current strength be retained after the advancement?"

After a long silence, Nie Ning asked slowly.

After all, since it concerns the advancement issue, it is necessary to be a bit cautious.

Furthermore, judging by Audrey's implication, it is very likely that he would need to re-cultivate everything.

"Do not worry, powerful Spiritual Power makes it easier to condense magic power."

"Increasing strength is actually just expanding the storage capacity and quality of magic power; there is no need to worry about whether magic power can be restored."

Audrey explained patiently.

Hearing this, Nie Ning ultimately chose to advance first.

Being powerful provides more security, especially since he also has Supernatural Adaptability, which might increase in effectiveness as his strength improves.

"Follow me; everything that needs to be prepared is ready."

As she spoke, Audrey took the lead and walked toward another room in the basement.

But just halfway there, Audrey suddenly stopped and turned to look at Nie Ning: "Do you have any spells to imprint?"

"Uh, I only have two offensive first-circle spells."

Nie Ning rubbed his nose and said somewhat embarrassedly.

Although this is a transaction between him and Audrey, having to rely on her for everything really makes one feel a bit guilty.

Looking at Nie Ning's expression, Audrey shook her head slightly.

Truly a backwater place; it is likely not a legacy left by any powerful wizard.

"What is your attribute?"

"I have the five attributes of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth."

Nie Ning answered honestly.

"Hmm?"

Audrey's delicate brows furrowed slightly.

This is a bit different from what she thought.

Originally, because he cultivated so quickly, she thought Nie Ning had a single attribute.

It is not to say that having many attributes makes one weak; after all, powerful fusion sorcery is enough to make up for everything.

However, compared to single-attribute wizards, multi-attribute wizards have a slower cultivation speed, and practicing sorcery consumes more energy.

Moreover, being a five-attribute wizard, the future path of wizardry is destined to be rugged.

"Go pick a defensive sorcery suitable for you first."

Audrey sighed; it seemed that Nie Ning's advancement would have to be postponed. She then led Nie Ning upstairs.

Fortunately, she had plenty of time and did not need to rush.

Audrey brought Nie Ning to the study on the third floor.

It was piled with a large number of books, making Nie Ning dazzled.

Not caring about Nie Ning's bumpkin-like gaze, Audrey picked seven books from the bookshelf and placed them on the table.

Nie Ning picked up the books and looked at them.

One was Mental Force Field, two were dual-attribute fusions, one was three-attribute fusion, and three were single-attribute defensive sorceries.

"Are there none of the five-attribute kind?"

Thinking that he possessed five attributes, Nie Ning scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed, and asked.

Audrey couldn't help but roll her eyes, but she still explained patiently.

"Some things are not better the more attributes you have; just learning runes will greatly consume a wizard's energy."

"And five-attribute wizards are extremely rare; usually, wizards will choose one or two attributes to specialize in so they can have more time to cultivate."

Seeing Nie Ning hesitating, Audrey took out the Mental Force Field and the three-attribute defensive sorcery.

"These two are the most suitable for you; you can choose either one."

Nie Ning likely possesses a soul-control talent, so choosing the Mental Force Field is naturally the most practical.

The same applies to multiple attributes; since Nie Ning is unwilling to choose ordinary spells, only the three-attribute one remains.

Nie Ning looked at the two spell books on the table and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

But as he thought, his train of thought seemed to be triggered by something, and suddenly a flash of inspiration struck.

He thought of one thing...

Why must he choose a defensive sorcery?

You have to know, he is different from others.

Wizards need defensive sorcery to make up for their physical disadvantages, making it easier for them to survive in battle.

But what about him?

Supernatural Adaptability! Strange Beast Body!

As a humanoid Strange Beast, he inherently possesses the unique magic protection of a Strange Beast, and even more, he has powerful physical defense and self-healing abilities.

Then what is the point of choosing a defensive sorcery?

Is it just to reinforce the stability of his Spiritual Power?

And the powerful aspect of imprinted sorcery is that it can be used at will, and its power exceeds that of sorcery in its normal form.

If he were to switch to an offensive spell, it would seem better for himself.

Not only would the power of the sorcery increase significantly, but perhaps he could take a streamlined route.

For example, the path of breaking ten thousand techniques with one force, reducing the time spent researching rune patterns, and learning a small number of spells to obtain more cultivation time.

If he could acquire skills from Strange Beasts, his need for various spells would also decrease significantly.

In short, imprinting a defensive sorcery has no meaning!

He also does not need meaningless things!

Thinking of this, Nie Ning looked up at Audrey.

"I wonder if there are any powerful offensive sorceries? Like five-attribute fusion sorceries?"

Looking at Nie Ning's firm gaze, Audrey couldn't help but feel a bit dazed.

She did not understand why Nie Ning would suddenly want to imprint an offensive sorcery, and it seemed that he was very determined about it.

You must know, defensive sorcery is not only for defending against opponents, but also for defending against oneself.

The stronger the strength, the more powerful the sorcery used; sometimes just the aftermath of an explosion can injure oneself, and relying solely on magic defense is difficult to guarantee one's personal safety.

Especially in close-quarters combat, such as in the case of being ambushed by others.

Caught off guard, only an imprinted sorcery can be activated in time to save one's life.

These are all the actual combat experiences of predecessors, which is why they were written into books for later generations to read and learn from.