Stone Of Will

The examination had finally ended, and Damon left the school grounds after a brief encounter with Tang Yue.

As he walked back to his rented apartment, Damon couldn't help but reflect on how the past six months had flown by. Nothing significant happened in the world, but for Damon, these months had been filled with noteworthy events.

Starting with his cultivation progress, Damon's two primary elements, Fire and Shadow, had both reached the 3rd level of the primary rank, just as he had planned. These were the elements Damon focused on the most, developing them in secret. Reaching the 3rd rank in two elements within a year as a primary-ranking mage was a record-breaking feat.

These two elements not only boosted Damon's strength significantly but also enhanced his control over magic, providing him with valuable insights into the elements and their fundamentals. Normally, each rank, even the minor ones, required considerable time to advance, even for lower realms like that of a primary mage. So, even with Damon's talent, it would have been nearly impossible to reach the 3rd rank in two elements in such a short time. However, Damon didn't rely solely on talent—he also used every external resource he could get his hands on.

There are three main ways to speed up cultivation. The first is through the use of Stardust tools, which can provide a cultivation boost. The second method is through combat, but for Damon, this was akin to suicide. Even facing low-rank monsters would be deadly, as monsters are three to ten times stronger than mages of equivalent rank, not to mention their physical prowess. This meant combat was not a viable option for Damon at his current rank.

The third way to boost strength is by consuming rare resources. These are scarce and expensive, making them accessible only to mages with powerful backing. Damon, however, did rely on this method to enhance his strength. Consuming these resources gave him the boost he needed, and though they were expensive, Damon believed they were worth the investment. After all, this was the reason he created his Crown Group.

Speaking of the Crown Group, the first phase of his plan had been successful. The mines had started generating revenue months ago, and after just six months, not only had Damon recovered his initial investment, but the mines had also begun to turn a profit.

The first phase of Damon's plan was simple: to utilize the mines for materials related to military use and luxury goods, earning significant revenue from the start and establishing a foothold. After six months of operation, the Crown Group had gained the foundation Damon was after. It wasn't as strong as other business groups that had been around for decades, but it was a decent start.

The information team Damon had set up was also performing well, climbing the ranks within the hunter's network at a pace Damon found satisfactory.

As Damon reflected on his progress, he noticed a line of luxury cars parked in front of his building.

"Those cars…" Damon frowned, recognizing them. It took him a moment to recall to whom they belonged.

"Yun Che?" Damon muttered in surprise as he spotted a man he instantly recognized. Dressed in a beige suit, the man stood near the entrance of the apartment, his handsome Asian face displaying a firm expression.

Hearing his name, Yun Che looked over and spotted Damon approaching.

"Boss, you're finally back," Yun Che said, stepping forward and bowing politely in greeting.

Yun Che was one of the first non-mage talents Damon had recruited in Shanghai due to his business acumen. At the time, Yun Che had been just an employee at a small company before Damon brought him into the Crown Group.

The men surrounding Yun Che, dressed in black suits, also bowed to Damon in greeting. They each held a wooden box in their hands.

"This is…" Damon frowned at the boxes the men held but quickly recognized them, his eyes lighting up.

***

"I brought this with me the moment it arrived in Shanghai," Yun Che said, opening one of the boxes and sliding it forward on the table.

Both Damon and Yun Che were now sitting inside Damon's apartment, where Yun Che revealed the box's contents.

As the box opened, a dim glow radiated from within. A beautiful silver crystal, glowing faintly, with rune-like patterns resembling star orbits etched on its surface, lay inside.

"Who would have thought there were still places where 'Stones of Will' could be found?" Yun Che muttered in surprise, gazing at the crystal.

The Stone of Will, an invaluable treasure long considered extinct, was the only known item that could naturally enhance one's mental strength and increase spiritual attainment. Spiritual attainment, a subset of cultivation where mages train their minds, is divided into three major realms, each with three minor realms—nine realms in total. Elements like space, curses, psychic, and chaos rely on spiritual attainment for their strength.

In ancient times, the Stone of Will was so highly valued that it was exploited nearly to extinction. Yet, who would have thought that beneath the unearthed lands of Central Africa, mines of these stones still existed?

"David has also defeated a few other lords and assimilated their territories under him, becoming a mid-ranking lord," Yun Che continued.

"Good," Damon replied calmly, holding the stone and feeling its cold surface.

These stones of will were what Damon was in dire need of at the moment, with the cultivation of fire and shadow there was no problem for Damon to advance easily to intermediate rank but for space element he couldn't say it.

Space element is an advanced element and requires mental strength and concentration of an average advance mage hence the mages usually awaken those at advanced level but Damon awakened this earlier with the help of his system.

Awakening space element earlier gave a significant boost to Damon's mental strength but not enough for him to control stars of space element.

'With this I can finally start the cultivation for space element.' Damon thought to himself before placing the stone back.

"Prepare resources for him and dispatch them to Africa. I want him to reach Super Tier as fast as possible."

For Damon, the most crucial investment was the Crown Mercenary Group, which he had acquired from David. As the mercenary group grew, it would provide Damon with the strong military force he desired most. Money and land were important, but in this world, true value lay in strength—military strength. There were many powerful clans and groups, like the Mu Clan and Zhao Clan, who held their heads high because of their military might.

If these clans ever targeted Damon in the future, no matter how strong he became, he would need a powerful force under his command to contend with them.

Money was just a luxury in this world. True value lay in strength. Those who held the power ruled the world, and the same applied to this world of magic.

Yun Che and Damon then discussed the current plans and projects of crown group while also nothing the significance of the stone of will planning to keep it absolute secret about the mines to exists and monopolise them solely for Damon and other mages under him.