Time flew by.

  In the blink of an eye, another month passed.

  Supported by an ample supply of Resonance Potions, Pierce's mental energy level finally reached 32.

  At this moment, deep within his mind, the magnificent Spirit Crystal was completely filled with dense, swirling mental energy mist.

  "I've finally reached the limit of the Rank 1 Gaseous Phase."

  Pierce let out a long breath, a flash of uncontrollable joy in his eyes.

  "The next step is to condense my mental power."

  The technique for extracting Faith Crystals had long been deduced. Pierce had also previously instructed Sophia and Payne to purchase the necessary materials.

  Besides the Exchange, there were many shops in Red Maple City that sold magical materials.

  These shops accepted Magic Stones for transactions.

  Of course, they didn't refuse Merit Points either.

  Naturally, the extraction process couldn't be done in his stone house. Pierce simply rented a spell laboratory near the Exchange. After closing the door, he began setting up the array.

  Once the array was arranged, he took out the statue of the Lady of Winter Frost and placed it in the center.

  After a moment's thought, he also placed the remaining small statue and the five Eye of Winter emblems into the array.

  With all preparations complete, Pierce pressed his hand against the edge of the array, began injecting his mental power, and muttered an incantation.

  Hum!

  The array slowly glowed with a crimson light, growing brighter and brighter until it evolved into a blinding, incandescent red, like molten magma.

  Simultaneously, the statues and emblems within the array spontaneously ignited with roaring flames.

  The fierce fire quickly engulfed everything, and the entire array instantly transformed into a towering pillar of fire.

  The blazing flames persisted for nearly half an hour before slowly dissipating.

  By this time, the array on the floor had vanished, along with the statues and emblems.

  All that remained in their place was a small pile of dull gray ash.

  Pierce stepped forward, brushed the ash aside, and found three silver beads within.

  They were Faith Crystals!

  "Statues and holy artifacts worth twelve or thirteen hundred Merit Points ultimately yielded three Faith Crystals. This is a highly profitable deal!"

  A smile appeared on Pierce's face.

  On average, the cost of one Faith Crystal was just over four hundred Merit Points.

  Meanwhile, a single Faith Crystal cost a thousand Merit Points at the Exchange—more than double the cost.

  "It's definitely much more cost-effective to extract them myself."

  Pierce immediately decided that from now on, he would collect divine statues and holy artifacts to extract his own Faith Crystals, and use his Merit Points to exchange for Sprouts of the Holy Spirit or other resources.

  "Time to start condensing my mental power."

  Pierce sat cross-legged, grasping a Faith Crystal in his palm. He took a deep breath and sank his consciousness deep into his mind.

  A formless tentacle of mental power extended out and entered the Faith Crystal.

  In an instant, his mind buzzed. Pierce fell into a trance, and scenes that felt somewhat familiar flashed before his eyes like fleeting shadows.

  It was the same grand, sprawling hall. A majestic and imposing statue of a deity stood high above, while countless devout believers knelt and bowed in worship.

  Countless whispers and hymns seemed to echo in his ears, recounting the deity's greatness and omnipotence.

  Simultaneously, deep within his mind, countless specks of golden light emerged, swarming eagerly toward his Spirit Crystal, attempting to erode and corrupt it.

  Pierce had long memorized the method for condensing mental power. He immediately mobilized his own mental power to combat this Power of Faith.

  As time passed, golden specks of light were continuously annihilated, only for new ones to take their place.

  Annihilation, generation, annihilation... an endless cycle.

  During this process, the gaseous mental power within his Spirit Crystal became increasingly condensed, gradually showing a tendency to liquefy. Tiny drops of silver liquid began to form on the inner walls.

  He didn't know how long passed before the number of golden specks noticeably decreased, eventually vanishing completely.

  The whispers in his ears faded away. Pierce snapped out of his trance and opened his eyes.

  He looked down at his palm. The Faith Crystal had turned into a pile of gray powder; he could no longer feel even a trace of the Power of Faith within it.

  "Omniscient Eye, quantify my current mental power condensation progress."

  [20.57%]

  "That little?"

  Pierce frowned slightly, but his brow quickly smoothed out.

  As far as he knew, when an ordinary Rank 1 Gaseous Phase Wizard condensed their mental power to break through to the Liquid Phase, they generally needed one to two Faith Crystals.

  Based on this calculation, a Wizard with a 24-faceted Spirit Crystal would likely need three to four.

  For someone like him with a 32-faceted Spirit Crystal, it was perfectly normal to need five Faith Crystals.

  "Looks like I won't be able to break through immediately."

  Pierce felt a slight pang of regret but quickly cheered up.

  He was only short two Faith Crystals. Assaulting one more Turin fortification should be enough.

  After resting for over half an hour, Pierce continued to condense his mental power.

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  By the time all three Faith Crystals were consumed, it was already the next day.

  "Omniscient Eye, check my current status."

  [Mental Energy: 32 (Liquefaction Progress: 61.64%)]

  [Physique: 21.93]

  "Not bad."

  Pierce nodded in satisfaction.

  His current mental energy level was already higher than the vast majority of Rank 1 Crystalline Phase Wizards.

  And as long as he extracted two more Faith Crystals, he could break through to the Liquid Phase at any time.

  It was also worth mentioning that after this period of cultivation, the Omniscient Breathing Technique had successfully broken through to the fourth layer.

  Pierce estimated that once he reached the fifth layer and advanced to Tier 3 Legendary Knight, his Physique attribute should exceed 30.

  Everything was improving steadily.

  Leaving the spell laboratory, Pierce didn't return to his stone house immediately. Instead, he headed to the Mission Hall.

  Standing before the battlefield map again, Pierce noticed significant changes. Many of the previous fortifications were gone—both friend and foe—and at the same time, many new ones had appeared.

  Clearly, the clashes between the two sides had remained incredibly fierce over these past two months.

  Pierce looked at the location of the Mithril vein.

  According to the notes, the resource point was still under Turin control.

  And it was still currently unaccepted by anyone.

  "I wonder if it's because no one has accepted it until now, or if some unlucky bastards tried and failed?"

  Pierce shook his head, pushing the thought aside, and began selecting his target.

  Generally speaking, Turin fortifications contained a statue of the Lady of Winter Frost, which served both to enhance the power of the defending soldiers and Priests, and as the core power source for the defensive array.

  However, there was no guarantee that some smaller fortifications wouldn't lack a divine statue.

  Therefore, Pierce focused his targets on fortifications confirmed to be garrisoned by a Rank 2 Priest.

  A fortification of this level definitely possessed a divine statue; he wouldn't have to worry about making a wasted trip.

  Of course, the corresponding garrison strength would undoubtedly be stronger, but Pierce didn't particularly care.

  He was able to destroy a Turin fortification over two months ago. Now that his mental energy level had more than doubled, he naturally had even less to worry about.

  Soon, Pierce selected his target, registered the mission at the counter, and left the Mission Hall.

  On the way back, he made a detour to a shop to buy some gemstones for inking Magic Tattoos, and casually sent a Message to Sophia and Payne.

  By the time he returned to the stone house, Sophia and Payne were already waiting at the door.

  "Prepare yourselves. We depart for the battlefield tomorrow," Pierce got straight to the point.

  Hearing this, Payne's eyes instantly lit up, revealing an eager expression.

  For the past few days, he had done nothing but train. His strength had skyrocketed, but he had nowhere to test it. He felt like he was starting to rust. Now, he could finally head to the battlefield.

  Sophia was calmer. She asked, "My Lord, where is our target?"

  "Fortification No. 17." Pierce tossed the magic map to her. "You can read the specific details yourselves."

  With that, he entered the stone house to prepare and ink a new Thunderburst Magic Tattoo.

  He had been so busy cultivating over the past two months that he hadn't had time to ink new Magic Tattoos. Now that he was about to enter the battlefield, he definitely needed to be fully prepared.

  Watching Pierce enter the house, Sophia finally opened the magic map and examined it closely.

  "How is it? Is the enemy garrison strong?" Payne leaned over and asked.

  "One full detachment of Church Knights, four to five Winter Frost Priests, one of which is a Rank 2 Priest."

  Sophia looked up, her expression relaxed.

  "Not bad. About the same as last time."

  A relaxed smile also appeared on Payne's face.

  Based on past patterns, after more than two months of closed-door cultivation, Lord Pierce's strength must have increased significantly once again.

  If the Lord could destroy Fortification No. 89 two months ago, this one would naturally be even less of a problem now.

  "I'm joining the fight this time. I can't just watch from the back anymore," Payne swung his greatsword.

  Sophia pursed her lips and nodded emphatically.

  Just half a month ago, her Omniscient Breathing Technique had broken through to the second layer. Her strength had more than doubled compared to two months prior.

  Coupled with her dual Elemental Power, she was now confident she could put up a fight even against a Tier 2 Legendary Knight.

  As for Payne, there was even less need to say.

  Ever since he obtained the Omniscient Breathing Technique, the Barbarian Bloodline in his body was no longer a shackle. Instead, it had completely become the source of his rapid power scaling.

  He had broken through to the second layer a full month earlier than she had.

  If it weren't for the fact that her Succubus Bloodline gave her superior control over Elemental Power, she would definitely be completely suppressed by this hulking brute in a fight.

  The next day, Pierce and his two followers set off early.

  Retrieving their Giant Eagles from the stable, the three mounted the birds and soared into the sky, flying toward their destination.

  Fortification No. 17 was a bit further away than Fortification No. 89.

  Moreover, it happened to be only about eighty kilometers away from the Mithril vein.

  Pierce made up his mind to end the battle quickly, lest he attract the Winter Frost Priests guarding the Mithril vein and cause unnecessary complications.

  "My Lord, may I join the battle later?" Payne shouted loudly.

  Pierce turned his head. Seeing Sophia looking at him with equal anticipation, he thought for a moment and agreed.

  "As you wish. But remember to keep your distance from me during the fight, so you don't get caught in the crossfire."

  Sophia and Payne were overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly agreed.

  In truth, even without Pierce's reminder, they would absolutely stay far away from the battlefield between Pierce and the Winter Frost Priests.

  The battle from two months ago was still vivid in their minds.

  A clash of power at that level was simply not something they could interfere with.

  Just the shockwaves from the battle would be enough for them to endure; they wouldn't dare get close.

  As the two were gearing up, they suddenly heard Pierce speak in a deep voice.

  "Stop. Descend to the ground."

  Sophia and Payne were stunned, not understanding why Pierce suddenly gave this order. But they habitually obeyed and quickly steered the Giant Eagles downward.

  Upon landing, Pierce leaped off his eagle, turned to face the empty wilderness, and a half-smile flashed across his face. He raised his voice and said, "Stop hiding. You've followed us for such a long way; it's time to come out."

  Sophia and Payne, who had just landed and stabilized themselves, were taken aback by these words. Then they immediately reacted, drawing their weapons and assuming combat stances.

  Under their shocked and vigilant gazes, the air over forty meters away suddenly warped, and a figure slowly materialized.

  Victor stared gloomily at Pierce and said coldly, "You noticed I was tailing you all along?"

  "Duh." Pierce wore a smile, but his words were entirely devoid of politeness. "Your technique for masking mental fluctuations is so clumsy, it'd be hard not to notice."

  Victor's face grew even darker.

  Not because of Pierce's mockery, but because of the implications behind his words.

  Generally speaking, excluding Wizards with special methods, a Wizard could only easily see through another Wizard's mental force field masking under one circumstance:

  Their mental energy level far exceeded the other's!

  By at least a 20-level difference!

  And Victor himself had advanced using an Advanced Meditation Technique; his mental energy level was much higher than an ordinary Rank 1 Liquid Phase Wizard, having already reached 31.

  Under these circumstances, for Pierce to still detect his tailing meant his mental energy level was highly likely over 50!

  The moment this thought crossed his mind, a wave of intense, uncontrollable, jealous hatred surged from the depths of Victor's heart.

  He had clearly advanced to formal Wizard much earlier than Pierce, yet now he had been surpassed. This fact was hard for him to swallow.

  In reality, however, while Pierce's mental energy level did indeed exceed Victor's, it was still far from 50.

  The reason he was able to detect Victor's tailing was entirely because he habitually used the Omniscient Eye to scan his surroundings and inadvertently discovered Victor's presence.

  It could only be described as a coincidence.

  His previous words were merely meant to shake Victor's resolve.

  But on the other hand, Pierce wasn't surprised in the slightest by Victor's appearance.

  "You arrived later than I expected."

  Pierce narrowed his eyes, sizing Victor up. He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but the man seemed to exude a faint, unsettling aura.

  Victor's eyes flickered. "You guessed I would come looking for you?"

  "Isn't it obvious?" Pierce shrugged. "Only on the Planar Battlefield do you have the opportunity to strike at me. And I, in turn, can eliminate you without any scruples."

  In the past, upon hearing Pierce say to his face that he intended to kill him, Victor would definitely have mocked him for his arrogant boasting.

  But having heard of Pierce's battle record of single-handedly destroying Fortification No. 89, he could no longer voice such words.

  Whether he admitted it or not, in terms of sheer combat power, the current Pierce had already surpassed him.

  After a few seconds of silence, a chilling, murderous intent surfaced on Victor's face.

  "If you think you have me dead to rights, then I'm afraid you are—"

  But before he could finish, he was impatiently cut off by Pierce.

  "Alright, alright, I know you have a trump card."

  Pierce wasn't stupid. For Victor to catch up so quickly after he left the city, he must have been monitoring his movements for more than just a day or two.

  In that case, this guy definitely knew about his record of destroying Fortification No. 89.

  Under such circumstances, for Victor to still dare appear before him meant he definitely had something to rely on.

  It might even be the source of that unsettling aura clinging to him.

  Repeatedly mocked by Pierce, Victor's eyes practically spat fire. He took a deep breath to suppress the raging fury in his heart, glared at Pierce with a gaze full of murderous intent, and bizarre waves of black mist began to surge from his body.