Chapter 69: The Wizard’s Path and Dual Casting

Within the depths of the inner world, the black fireball bug heading toward Su Nan collided with his own Dual-Cast Fireball Bug spell.

The orange-red fireball and the black fireball intertwined, neutralizing each other in a fiery display before vanishing.

Su Nan addressed the shadowed presence. "I've been leveraging constructs from the real world, such as my Angel Statue Soldier No. 1. By using the Wolf Pack Effect, I synchronize our incantations, effectively chanting the same spell twice."

"In essence, it's as if my Angel Statue serves as my second voice. I call this technique dual casting."

The voice from the darkness grew irritated. "There's no need to test me further. I know all your thoughts, all your spells. This little trick of yours—I understood it from the very beginning."

"I am you, but you are not me, Su Nan Peter. Do you understand?!"

From the shadows emerged a grayscale version of Su Nan, devoid of any color, striding effortlessly above the abyss of Su Nan's psyche.

Although Su Nan had anticipated such a confrontation, seeing it unfold made his expression tense.

It was undeniably himself—but crueler, more violent. This doppelgänger's magic was imbued with a palpable malice, forcing Su Nan to rely on his dual-casting trick to counteract it.

This wasn't just a shadow but the embodiment of his instincts, his latent cruelty and darkness. It was this force that had begun to rebel, weakening his magic and will.

No wonder that even at the height of the Wizard Civilization, most wizards chose to bypass Heart Meditation, resorting to secret techniques to suppress their inner turmoil, opting to replicate their mentors' paths rather than exploring true understanding.

But Su Nan knew that confronting his inner self was essential. Otherwise, he would remain merely an engineer of magical tools—not a scientist exploring the truths of the universe, a true wizard.

While engineers could achieve greatness, Su Nan believed that, having been granted the gift of magic, he must strive further, to uncover the ultimate mysteries of the craft.

Su Nan addressed the grayscale version of himself, "If you are a part of me, then why is it that I, as the primary self, must walk the Wizard's Path, while you can traverse the abyss above without fear of falling?"

"Is there a deeper secret to this?"

The grayscale Su Nan smirked disdainfully. "Laughable. The moment you saw me, you relaxed slightly, didn't you? You think that now your enemy is known, you can solve this through analysis."

"How pitiful."

"I am what truly makes you strong. Whenever I tried to push you toward fulfilling your instincts, you stopped me."

"You fear this abyss?"

"Ha! Ridiculous."

"You cower in your own inner world, afraid of being swallowed by your own psyche. You cling desperately to that pathetic little path. Tell me—why do you cling so stubbornly to becoming a wizard?"

The grayscale Su Nan's voice dripped with contempt. He waved dismissively. "If it's power you want, becoming a knight wouldn't be hard for you. With a little cunning, you could deceive the Storm Lord."

"You could even extract bloodline essence from those dead warlocks and become a warlock yourself. That wouldn't be difficult for you either."

"So why? Why do you walk this path?"

The grayscale Su Nan sneered. "You could turn half your domain into werewolves with your potions. Even if most of them died, went insane, or became uncontrollable, the destruction of the world wouldn't concern you."

"Tell me, Su Nan. When two entities have the same magical power, understanding, and technique, how is victory decided?"

Su Nan frowned. He hadn't expected his mental struggle to manifest so intensely.

Indeed, while a normal person might handle psychological issues healthily, a wizard amplifying their mental strength twentyfold risked inflating even minor flaws into monstrous proportions.

Su Nan began chanting the Lesser Fireball Bug spell.

Simultaneously, in the real world, the Angel Statue Soldier at the fountain of Peter Castle began chanting alongside him, its stone feet echoing with each step.

The werewolf steward, Warwick, had already evacuated the area and secured the castle. With the three major forces focusing on the Four Seasons Garden, few noticed the statue's unusual activity.

Only a handful of maids and servants witnessed it. However, under the stern guidance of the head maid, Pella, they quickly returned to their duties, dismissing what they had seen.

Years of loyalty to the Peter family ensured their discretion.

Back in the inner world, the grayscale Su Nan chuckled as he watched Su Nan chant. "Let me ask you something else. Do you think I can use dual casting too?"

"Never mind. I'll give you the answer."

"The Wolf Pack Effect and your constructs? I have them too."

The grayscale Su Nan began chanting Lesser Fireball Bug, his speed exceeding Su Nan's.

A massive black fireball, like a miniature dark sun, materialized between them.

Simultaneously, in the material plane, a black onyx bull statue at Peter Castle's gates began chanting the same incantation.

The head maid, Pella, stood by the gates, muttering a prayer. "May Lord Su Nan prevail."

"You are not just the master of this domain, but the foundation of our lives. So long as you stand, our home remains. Please, my lord, succeed."

In the Hidden Realm, Vasilyan, the Death Knight, roamed the wilderness. He turned to Or the Guardian, demanding, "Where is Lord Su Nan? I must aid him."

Or, ignoring the knight's aggression, stared silently at the spot where Su Nan had vanished. Deeply concerned, Or could only remain silent.

Two millennia ago, any wizard who overcame Heart Meditation by their own strength invariably became a full-fledged wizard—if they survived.

But such cases were exceedingly rare. In the entire history of the Gray Dust Graveyard School, fewer than three had ever achieved this.

This rarity had even inspired a controversial idea: a mature magical civilization should delay introducing wizards to Heart Meditation, allowing them to focus solely on magic and the physical world.

After all, while theoretical geniuses could break through Heart Meditation, their rarity meant the survival of magical civilization depended on practical innovators—those who could refine existing theories into usable magic.

However, civilizations built on this philosophy met their match in the Energy World, an enemy unlike any other.

Or murmured anxiously, "Lord Su Nan, I hope you overcome this trial. For a genius like you, the greatest enemy is often yourself."

"No—perhaps the more brilliant the mind, the more terrifying the Heart Meditation becomes."

"Because the higher your standards for yourself, the more enraged you become at your own flaws."

"Lord Su Nan, you must assert your dominance over your inner self."

"You must succeed."

…

In the Hidden Realm, Su Nan's expression darkened.

He had anticipated his adversary would be an aspect of himself, which was why he had prepared external constructs to aid him in this mental battle.

But he hadn't expected his inner self to seiz

e control of those same constructs in the material world.

There was no escaping it: his enemy truly was himself.

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