Absorbing the Arcane Crystals 

After collecting the essences of the four Violet Spideres, Seth, Amias, and Ajax didn't have the heart to ask for the Arcane Crystals that came from the four beasts. As valuable as they were, none of the three felt in a position to share this precious resource with Mary and Liam. Nor were those two the type to please others without powerful motivations.

After receiving the crystals that Seth and Ajax had collected from the enemy bodies, they took the four crystals for themselves.

Mary wanted to keep only one crystal, as she only had one Spirit to feed, and Liam was the one truly responsible for their victory. 

"Keep more, Mary. I'll take the 2-Star spider crystal. That's enough for me for now," he said as he urged her to take two 1-Star Violet Spider Arcane Crystals.

She hesitated, but accepted as they walked to the place where they would eat tonight.

'Arcane crystals are like a turning point for Spirits. Depending on the quality of the crystal, the level of the Spirit, and their potential, a single crystal can change everything about them, refining their powers and even giving them new characteristics.' Mary thought about what she had learned about these precious items.

Arcane Crystals were the crystallization of a special organ that every magical being, including Spirit Masters, possessed. In life, this special organ connected the soul to the body, absorbing mana, and transforming it into spiritual power.

When magical beings died, this special organ crystallized to form the famous Arcane Crystals, if, of course, these parts of their bodies were not destroyed during their death.

Arcane Crystals were of almost no use to Spirit Masters or even beasts. But they had a lot of potential when used by Spirits.

For this very reason, Mary couldn't help but look at Liam mysteriously, her heart pounding with doubt. 'Doesn't his first Spirit need it? In the book we read about the qualitative classification of demons, there's nothing about incubus.'

The rules for Spirit Masters were quite clear. In the case of Arcane Crystals, if the Spirit was of a prime quality, consuming crystals of a lower quality had no value.

Liam didn't know what Mary had in mind when he sat down to eat his dinner, but he also thought about the crystals he had received. 

'Arcane Crystals can improve the rating of Spirits of the same or lower quality than themselves. These two crystals can help me with the Shadowfiend.' He thought, planning to let Thal'Korr consume his crystals later.

It was possible for crystals of lesser quality to aid in the evolution of a higher-quality Spirit. But that would require a large amount of crystals, which were not always easy to gather.

'From what these two crystals tell me from their magical fluctuation, they must be of the King-grade, probably of the Advanced sub-level... That should be enough to improve Thal'Korr a bit.' Liam picked up his bowl of soup and ate while the three Aspirants in his group talked about the earlier battle.

After eating, with only Seth, Amias, and Ajax talking, Liam and Mary went to meditate close to the group in this makeshift camp area.

Normal meditation differed from cultivation that used Arcane Crystals as a component.

Liam and Mary sat in lotus positions, as they always did to meditate; it was the most comfortable position to sit in for even hours without moving. But as soon as they drew the surrounding mana closer to their bodies, their Spirits appeared behind them and mimicked them.

The purple Arcane Crystals, glowing as if they were living essences, pulsating with mana and pure elements, floated in front of their bodies and gradually disintegrated as if they were decomposing.

A purple mist emerged from these decomposing essences, passing through the Spirit Masters and going directly to the couple's Spirits.

Upon touching the bodies of the two Spirits, these demons subtly vibrated as their bodies turned purple and the surrounding mana entered their bodies, something that didn't happen when they were outside of their masters' soul spaces.

Liam and Mary felt the difference in using these crystals in their Spirits, with her realizing how much more powerful these two crystals were compared to the ones she used on the Eternal Doom Island.

Meanwhile, Liam was experiencing this sensation for the first time!

'Is this Arcane Crystal absorption?' Liam wondered as he felt a subtle but powerful change for a meditation of only a few minutes.

As the first of the crystals crumbled in front of him, Liam could feel that Thal'Korr had taken another step forward, making a small advance of 10%.

This was little compared to what he needed to reach the Ancestral-grade. But for just one crystal absorbed and a few minutes of cultivation, it was enough to make Liam feel positive.

He felt the larger purple crystal in front of him, from the strongest of the Violet Spiders, disintegrate as Thal'Korr absorbed this essence.

Arcane Crystals had unique attributes depending on their origin. Certain attributes could only be absorbed by compatible beings, while others could be absorbed by anyone.

Normally, a being wouldn't have just one affinity, so it was common for Spirits of different attributes to benefit from any crystal.

But there was one type of crystal that was ideal for every type of Spirit, and one type of Arcane Crystal that the Spirit would get almost no good from it.

With Liam and Mary's crystals, they came from negative creatures, not so different from the demons that had created their Spirits.

They weren't the perfect crystals for their Spirits, but they were good enough to feed their Spirits.

After 45 minutes of meditation, Liam opened his eyes with Thal'Korr back in his soul space.

For a moment, he thought about the incubus, thinking it might help him become stronger that way. But since Liam did not have the control to summon the incubus, there was nothing he could do.

'He's probably waiting for something compatible...' Liam thought as he considered the creature was certainly selfish enough not to turn down good opportunities.

If it didn't ask for crystals, then it certainly didn't need or wasn't compatible with the resources Liam had gotten his hands on so far.

Leaving the incubus aside, Liam clenched his fists at the thought of the Shadowfiend. 'Thal'Korr is close to advancing qualitatively. If I can get my hands on Lower-level, Ancestral-grade Arcane Crystals, I can make him advance to that quality!'

After letting Thal'Korr consume the two Violet Spider crystals, Liam sensed the quality and level of this Shadowfiend.

Thal'Korr was on the same level as Liam was now, 3-Star of the Second Realm, and should be classified as Lower-level, King-grade Spirit.

As for the incubus, Liam did not know what level or magical quality this Spirit was at.

He got up to return to the carriage and resume his reading while Mary was still finishing her meditation.

Merlin looked at him from a distance, eyes narrowed in thought.

'Why did he only use them in one of his Spirits?' the gray-haired man wondered, eyeing the strongest man in this group of Aspirants. 'He didn't use his second Spirit in the fight either... Something's wrong here.'

Liam might be a fool, willing to risk his own body in magical combat. But Merlin didn't think that was all there was to it. Even if Liam wanted to risk himself, why not do so with the two Spirits at his side?

'I'll monitor the brat. Maybe he's got something more valuable than this spear.' A subtle smile formed on Merlin's lips before he disappeared into the shadows of the camp.

Liam would return to his reading alongside Seth, Amias and Ajax, oblivious to what the members of the group, like Merlin, thought of him or planned for him...

The night wore on, and soon a new day dawned, marking the start of another day of travel for the group.