Chapter 222: Codex

Adam's laboratory.

The moment he thrust his hands into the orb, his body in the outside world began to convulse intensely. So much so that he fell down from the couch and continued to thrash about on the ground.

"GAAAHHHH!!" He roared in agony as blood slowly started to seep out from his facial orifices.

He had thought he had made enough preparations over the years, but in the end, it turned out that they were not enough. Not even close.

Now, he could only grit his teeth and endure the pain as he continued to absorb the soul fragment. Along with the increase in his own spiritual power, memories started to flood in like tidal waves.

Memories that belonged to an expert powerhouse of this vast universe!

Although the memories were fragmented, there were still quite a lot of them. Adam couldn't help but curse himself for even trying to absorb this soul. His mind felt as if countless ants were biting into it.

However, along with the intensity of pain, his soul was strengthened at a remarkable pace. Adam had to put all his attention on enduring it, so he could only see bits and pieces of the memories that were pouring in.

It was of a high-ranking Magus who started from the bottom and climbed his way to the top of a large organization somewhere out there in the universe.

As the leader, he commanded countless powerful Magi. Many planets fell under his territory, its substantial resources all belonging to the organization he led.

Memories of countless spells and magic combat techniques...

A large number of mana extraction techniques as well as body enhancement techniques...

Memories of visiting fantastical places...

Personal experiences relating to mindfulness...

There were so many memories that the expert had accumulated throughout his long lifetime, that although they were fragmented, it felt as if Adam's mind would explode from the overload.

Just when he thought that he wouldn't be able to take it anymore, everything returned to normal as if whatever happened before was just an illusion. The pain receded just as quickly as it had arrived.

GASP!

Adam's bloodshot eyes snapped open and he took a large mouthful of air. He turned over and coughed violently, spewing large mouthfuls of blood.

By now, a small puddle of blood had formed underneath him. His face had turned bloody and so had his clothes.

A few minutes later, he was finally able to gather himself. He sat back up and rested his back against the wall. Looking at the amount of blood on the ground, he grimaced. "That's definitely not healthy."

His chest heaved up and down as he desperately tried to calm his fast-beating heart. A trace of fear flashed past his eyes as he couldn't help but deeply stare at the amount of blood loss.

"Note to self... don't bite off more than you can chew."

The next moment, a gourd of wine appeared in his hand. He uncorked it and started to madly drink from it. Only after he'd satisfied his thirst that he put the gourd away.

His lips slowly curled up into a grin. A wide grin. A maniacal grin.

"This guy turned out to be such a great hotshot!" He spoke in an incredulous tone. "Ha.. haha... hahaha! All that power in the world. All that wealth in the world. Yet..."

He remembered the scene he had first seen when he had acquired the white lotus. How effortlessly this seemingly unassuming flower had destroyed and then devoured the souls of Magi such as this expert.

And there were thousands of them.

"I believe the lotus is something far greater than I had imagined!" He muttered under his breath. "And Magus Stockholm..."

"To be able to single-handedly battle thousands of Magi of such level... Just what kind of monster was he?"

In his mind, the status of the white lotus and Magus Julian Stockholm was elevated to unprecedented levels.

Adam's breathing had turned so ragged that he couldn't help but chug another mouthful of wine to calm himself down. There were simply too many things to get excited over.

This soul fragment was by far the most promising one out of all the soul fragments he had absorbed since acquiring the white lotus.

A large number of spells, combat techniques, mana extraction techniques, and body enhancement techniques now permanently resided in his mind. And these were the ones of the least value.

The ones that held the most worth were the experiences of the expert!

"This powerhouse seems to be in the upper echelons of the Magus community in the universe. I can confirm this by his memories," Adam muttered to himself.

"With these experiences forever ingrained in my mind, I barely have to take any detours on my path as a Magus!"

After composing himself, he decided to comb through the memories and properly organize them. There were so many techniques to choose from. He had to make sure that he used only the best of the best.

"Only through a solid foundation will I be able to progress further as a Magus," He spoke with great determination. "Utilizing the best techniques that are suitable to me is crucial."

The youth slowly closed his eyes and entered a tranquil state almost similar to mindfulness. Except, instead of gathering mana in his body, he had now delved into the deeper parts of his mind to organize the memories of the powerhouse.

An entire night passed by silently. Adam opened his eyes at dawn. Just like the sun illuminated the lands kissed by twilight, the youth's eyes shone with an otherwordly light.

It took him the whole night, but he had managed to sort out most of the memories.

From spells of various ranks, techniques from the internal mana system, arcane knowledge and experiences, and locations to many fantastical and hidden places.

He now knew all of them like the back of his hand.

Ultimately, he found himself the perfect technique to use. Early on he had acquired the Astral Tyrant Manual which was a body enhancement technique. As for the mana extraction technique, he had been using the one given by the academy.

But now, he had something far superior!

A mana extraction technique personally practiced by the powerhouse whose memories Adam had just absorbed. This technique could be said to be one of the reasons why that Magus had reached such an incredible height of power.

The youth's lips slowly curled up into a faint smile as he muttered the name of this supreme technique,

"Five Elemental Codex."