In his quarters, Liam was expanding his mind with the Psionic Rune as usual.
Over the years he practiced with it, the pain he experienced with it slowly dulled.
It was either through Liam’s mental barrier getting stronger, or his tolerance for pain growing higher.
After all, there weren’t many people who spent as much time as him strengthening their minds.
And perhaps no one had as many methods of expansion as much as he did.
At times, Liam used two to three Beast Wills with the Psionic Rune.
Which is why, at this moment in time, Liam was becoming a Rank 3 Magus.
A Rank 3 Magus!
However, that still didn’t explain how he advanced so fast.
But even as the advancement process began, Liam made a realization.
Did consuming bodies speed up his mental sphere too?
What if it did?
That must have been it.
There was no other explanation.
Not a day passed that Liam didn’t spend devouring at least five to six corpses of high ranking beasts and humans.
Even if it didn’t directly nourish Liam’s mind, it nourished everything else.
Also, he had just broken through the second Rank with his Chaos Pearl.
With all these things added, it made Liam’s achievement barely believable.
Slowly, Liam’s mental energy almost turned pitch-black.
Only a few strands of crimson red and blotches of black tainted that beauty.
They were the bestial side of the Ashura, and the corruption effects of the Dark Star.
Liam’s sea of consciousness rapidly expanded, rumbling hectically.
It just didn’t stop!
Both the blackish mental energy surged to fill the new space and barrier grew denser, sturdier, thicker.
The mental barrier was just as important as the mental energy.
The former provided capacity, resilience, and fortitude.
What did this mean?
It meant that Liam could hone his focus to a blade’s edge, endure more pain, and train more.
This meant Liam could do more Liam things.
Mental energy, on the other hand, was just as important.
It increased thinking speed, senses, and clarity.
This needed no explanation.
Massive amounts of pain flooded Liam’s mind.
Different parts of his brain forcefully opened up and clicked instantly.
It was like Liam didn’t have any intellect before this moment.
The process was well beyond excruciating, filled with all kinds of overwhelming senses, since Liam’s mind was being reconstructed in real time.
If he was still a Rank 2 Magus, Liam would writhe in agony.
However…
There was no hint of pain on Liam’s distant face, his eyes closed as he reveled in every foreign thought.
He could just ignore it!
As the advancement neared its end, a chilling aura spread throughout Liam’s quarters.
An electric buzzing noise accompanied the sudden change in temperature.
Liam radiated an untouchable air.
Liam was officially a monster.
At this time, he was just a few months away from 18.
And the average age to become a Rank 3 Magus?
34.
He was basically speedrunning the cultivation journey.
Liam slowly opened his multi-colored eyes.
The atmosphere changed.
As though something wicked had awoken from its slumber.
Something the world and its people could do better without.
But it was awoken nevertheless.
The first thing different about Liam was his eyes.
The King Eye’s glow had been accentuated.
It interchanged between low hues of amber, to scintillating shimmers of golden. Sometimes swirling with both colors at the same time.
The black pupil in the center was as sharp as a blade’s edge, even when relaxed.
Predators had vertical irises for one sole reason. 𝐨𝘃𝗹.
To keep track of prey.
Prey, instead, had horizontal shaped pupils to have a better view of their landscapes, making it easier to find sources of escape.
This is why Liam’s left eye was more terrifying than the right.
It had gained an intense shade of scarlet, as though a mix of blood and grime.
But the iris was both vertical and horizontal.
Liam could even track his prey’s escape routes.
Of course, these were just appearances.
Through these eyes, Liam saw wonders.
Obviously, the zooms he could do with the King’s Eye was nothing short of extraordinary.
He could even peer through the thin cracks of his walls and see past them!
Not to mention, the level of details were just insane with even the most mundane objects lying around his home.
Naturally, his senses gained layers upon layers of complexity that he naturally understood.
It took a minute for him to tune out the unwanted sounds from his brain.
The clanging of hammer against metal, the gurgling of cauldrons filled with chemicals, the cheers of an acolyte who just won a bet.
All between closed walls and far distance.
Finally, Liam focused on the King’s Eye again.
Liam didn’t wait to test out its illusionistic capabilities.
Liam spread his dense, buzzing mental waves that covered everything in an instant.
He used it on himself first.
Coating himself with mental energy, he closed his eyes and imagined something.
Then, he activated it.
A delicate ripple of iridescent light flickered across his entire body, transforming his form as it spread.
Elder Verium had suddenly taken over Liam’s place.
His high cheekbones, pale skin, black eyes and dark hair with tints of gray looked immaculate. Even his height was meticulous.
‘Wow… it’s pretty accurate.’
‘I’m pretty sure the Royals will never find me now.’
‘I feel like there’s more to this, though.’
Liam practiced a bit more with the King’s Eye.
Its uses were far more useful now.
Liam’s mental energy could twist in turn in immaculate ways, which he could then shape into intricate forms.
He concocted a floating fish with rainbow scales that flew around him.
As well as transforming his right hand into a vicious dragon’s claw.
Even something as complicated as a red wisp of fire danced in the palm of his hand.
All of it shaped with his amazing mental energy.
But it was all simply fake.
Nevertheless, Liam could basically feign attacks and even his element now.
Sort of.
Powerful cultivators could easily tell the difference between a real attack and a fake.
Their mental energy gave them special perception, after all.
And something as harmless as an illusion radiated no danger whatsoever.
But that didn’t mean they weren’t capable of being fooled.
‘What about the Shadow Clone spell?’