I Arrived At Wizard World While Cultivating Immortality

**Chapter 744: Elevation of the State of Mind**

Jie Ming returned to the side of the flowerbed and resumed his position beside Augusta.

His aura had fully retracted. The crowd around him resumed their flow, and the clinking of glasses and toasts once again filled the air of the banquet hall, as if the brief freeze from moments ago had never occurred.

Berta Vera Augusta looked him up and down.

Her gaze swept from the top of his head to the tips of his toes several times. Then, she pressed her lips together. The usual layer of cold indifference on her face cracked open the faintest seam, revealing a fleeting smile that was almost gone in an instant.

“Well done,” she said.

Seeming to worry that her words might cause some misunderstanding, she quickly added, “Even though your strength is impressive, I won’t admit defeat!”

“Of course.”

Jie Ming smiled as well.

“But you’d better work harder. I won’t go easy on you.”

Augusta gave a light snort, turned her head away, and took a small sip from the juice cup in her hand.

Her movements as she drank remained graceful and dignified, yet the high ponytail behind her head swayed gently from side to side.

Although Jie Ming had known her for several thousand years, he indeed didn’t understand her very well. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

At the very least, however, one thing was certain: while Augusta claimed she wouldn’t admit defeat, that “well done” was probably the most direct praise she was capable of giving.

Jie Ming did not continue teasing her and turned his gaze back toward the banquet hall.

The three external helpers the opposing faction had spent a fortune to invite had been forced back with a single glance from him, and they had even returned their payment untouched. The subsequent power struggle no longer held any suspense.

The clan leader’s faction had already surpassed the other side in numbers thanks to David and Irene’s addition.

Now, their deterrent power also overwhelmingly surpassed the opposition.

In the upcoming resource allocation negotiations, the other side would have almost no ground to bargain from.

In the distance, the Sixth-Ring Wizards from both factions had resumed toasting and chatting merrily, appearing harmonious on the surface.

Yet every person’s spiritual force was operating at high speed beneath the table.

The clan leader’s smile was more relaxed than usual. The several Sixth-Ring Wizards from the Colmar side were also smiling, but the curves of their mouths were noticeably stiff. Clearly, they had suffered a significant loss.

From time to time, people glanced toward Jie Ming—some with awe, some with curiosity, and others with appraisal.

Jie Ming ignored all these gazes and continued standing beside the flowerbed, staring blankly into space.

Within his spiritual sea, he re-deduced the rune structure of the main array eye of the All-Heavens Star Grand Array from beginning to end. He then casually double-checked the energy conversion formulas for the Creation System’s spiritual material maturation module and began calculating extraction plans for the true dragon bloodline within the Dragonman bloodline.

He had no idea when the wedding would end.

But the pending tasks in his spiritual sea were more than enough to last him until the wedding concluded and still leave him with surplus time.

“Quite boring, isn’t it?”

A voice came from behind him, startling Jie Ming. He hadn’t sensed anyone approaching at all.

Jie Ming turned his head, his pupils contracting slightly.

Wizard Augusta had somehow already walked up behind him, holding a cup of steaming hot tea.

He stood at a moderate distance—roughly two or three steps away—his posture casual and composed, exactly the same as when he had been conversing with the other Seventh-Ring Wizards in the rest area earlier.

His black eyes, identical to Berta Vera’s, were looking at Jie Ming with scrutiny and gratification.

“Martial Uncle.”

Jie Ming immediately turned around and respectfully bowed.

Wizard Augusta nodded, accepting the greeting.

He walked to Jie Ming’s side with his teacup, not looking at him but raising his head to gaze toward the center of the banquet hall.

There, Clan Leader Colmar was surrounded by a group of Sixth-Ring Wizards. David and Irene stood beside the clan leader, surrounded by toasting guests. People from both factions had seemingly merged into one on the surface, their smiles radiant like those of old friends who hadn’t met in years.

“What do you think of them?” Wizard Augusta asked, tilting his chin slightly toward the group of Sixth-Ring Wizards.

Jie Ming thought for a moment and replied cautiously, “I can understand why they act this way.”

Wizard Augusta understood.

Having lived for over a hundred thousand years, such a level of euphemism was no different from speaking directly in his ears.

“Do you think the path they walk is wrong?” he asked.

Jie Ming was silent for a moment, then nodded.

There was no need to beat around the bush in front of his martial uncle.

Moreover, since Wizard Augusta had taken the initiative to ask, it meant the main point he wanted to convey was not this question itself.

“Although I understand your thoughts, I still want to tell you that sometimes, whether something is correct or not depends on one’s own standpoint and actual circumstances.” Wizard Augusta took a sip of tea, his tone remaining gentle, as if chatting about everyday matters.

“For example, do you think Clark’s path is correct?”

Jie Ming subconsciously nodded.

His mentor’s path was naturally correct.

The all-laws route allowed him to suppress multiple Seventh-Ring Wizards at the Sixth Ring. After advancing to the Seventh Ring, his law structure overflowed, turning the entire plane into an ocean of knowledge. If such a powerful path was not considered correct, then what was?

Yet Wizard Augusta smiled.

It was the tolerant smile an elder would show when seeing a junior unthinkingly jump into a pit.

“But to many people, the path Clark walks is wrong. With his aptitude, had he followed the conventional route, he would have become an Eighth-Ring Wizard long ago. Although he now stands at the very top among Seventh-Ring Wizards, he still cannot face an Eighth-Ring Wizard.”

Jie Ming opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but stopped before the words came out.

Because he knew Wizard Augusta was right.

Mentor Clark had displayed exaggerated combat power at the Sixth Ring, even capable of facing hundreds or thousands of Seventh-Ring Wizards simultaneously as a Sixth-Ring. However, in wizard civilization, the higher the rank, the greater the combat power gap between ranks.

Sixth to Seventh Ring was a chasm.

Seventh to Eighth Ring was an even deeper abyss.

Even after advancing to the Seventh Ring, Mentor Clark most likely still could not defeat an Eighth-Ring Wizard.

Clark had personally said in private that, even disregarding an Eighth-Ring Wizard’s law fixation ability, there was a significant gap in elemental output multiplier alone between him and a conventional Eighth-Ring Wizard.

The all-laws route granted him invincible combat power at the same level but also slowed his speed of breaking through to the next level.

For Clark himself, this was trading “slower advancement speed” for “stronger same-level combat power.”

But if judged solely by personal development, this path was wrong.

“Therefore, whether a path is correct or not must be considered alongside one’s specific circumstances.”

Wizard Augusta’s voice remained steady, yet his tone carried a deeper meaning.

“If one becomes complacent within their own world, they will ultimately lose themselves within their own worldview. For wizards who must constantly research and break through, becoming immersed in their own worldview means losing the possibility of climbing higher.”

Jie Ming fell silent.

He felt something deep within his heart being gently touched, as if an extremely fine crack had suddenly appeared on a wall he had never carefully inspected before.

He had indeed believed his judgment was correct: those Sixth-Ring Wizards who had stagnated had taken the wrong path.

Mentor Clark had taken the right path.

But now, Wizard Augusta told him that correctness depended on whose standpoint one viewed it from.

He suddenly realized that all his previous judgments about “correct paths” had stemmed from the same perspective: his own.

Wizard Augusta watched Jie Ming’s silent expression, a flicker of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

Half the reason he had come to this wedding today was probably to say these words.

He took another sip of tea and continued.

“For example, look at these Sixth-Ring Wizards.” He pointed with his teacup toward the group of Sixth-Ring Wizards toasting in the center of the banquet hall. “You feel that their choice to remain stagnant, or even begin to decline, is wrong. But if the subject is placed within the entire wizard civilization, the existence of these wizards is instead necessary.”

“In reality, the number of Sixth-Ring Wizards in wizard civilization is very large—almost no fewer than Fifth-Ring Wizards. The Sixth-Ring Wizards you usually see on the battlefield fighting alongside you are only a small portion. The vast majority of Sixth-Ring Wizards are in similar situations to them: their talent has been exhausted, they cannot advance further, and so they can only ‘retire.’”

“The true high-rank wizards who can continuously delve into battlefields and keep breaking through are ultimately a minority. These Sixth-Ring Wizards who can no longer advance and retire are the true mainstay of wizard civilization.”

Wizard Augusta raised his head, his gaze falling into the distance.

“Precisely because of this vast number of retired Sixth-Ring Wizards can the enormous territory of wizard civilization’s continuous expansion be supported. They guard planes, manage territories, reproduce offspring, train apprentices, and maintain the most basic operations of wizard civilization.”

“Without them, elite combat units like you would have to withdraw from the front lines to manage territories. You feel you can fight with peace of mind on the front lines because you have no worries behind you. And this stability was earned by the logistics team supporting you.”

“The same applies to the Colmar family—these retired Sixth-Ring Wizards support the daily operations of an entire clan. The principle is the same when applied to the entire wizard civilization. Therefore, to wizard civilization, their path is not wrong.”

Jie Ming stood in place. Wizard Augusta’s words echoed word for word within his spiritual sea.

He had never considered the issue from this angle before.

He had always stood from his own perspective, using his own standards to measure the paths of others.

Even when understanding others’ difficulties, he had still maintained a superior attitude in judging them.

But in reality, they had reached the end of their limited talent and chosen to stay where they were, continuing to contribute value to wizard civilization in another way.

This was not wrong. This was another kind of correctness.

He felt a subtle change occur in his state of mind, and his way of understanding the world shifted along with it.

For a long time, he had used himself as the benchmark to measure everything, judged others’ paths by his own standards, and understood the world’s operations from his own perspective.

But now, thanks to Wizard Augusta’s words, he had for the first time truly stepped beyond the boundary of taking himself as the benchmark.

And as Jie Ming genuinely broadened his vision and stepped out of the boundary of the “individual,” the Dao Integration state he had maintained also changed imperceptibly.

Dao Integration meant integrating with the Great Dao of the world, and the world itself naturally did not possess only one Dao.

Even “Dao” itself was a forced definition by intelligent life; to the world, “Dao” originally did not exist.

The Dao of billions of ordinary people, the Dao of retired Sixth-Ring Wizards, the Dao of the all-laws route, the Dao of specialization routes… All these paths existed simultaneously and supported one another, forming the vast and complex whole that was wizard civilization.

Understanding this point was itself a deeper comprehension of “Dao.”

He felt his Dao Integration state become even more stable, and the world seemed to become clearer.

It was like having observed the world with only one eye before, and now Jie Ming had opened the other eye, finally seeing a more three-dimensional world.

After coming back to his senses, Jie Ming sincerely bent at the waist toward Wizard Augusta and bowed.

“Thank you for your guidance, Martial Uncle.”