And the crystalline cores and nexus energy had already come in contact. Hence, the instant cosmic energy flooded into his body through the energy pathways, it shot straight toward the cores, and the center core was completely transformed with mysterious patterns emerging inside them

His elixir field down below was also taking in cosmic energy at the same time.

In the lower elixir field, the barrier suppressing his energy levels broke, and his energy rose to a new level. Mysterious patterns emerged within the elixir field as well.

The 2nd rank was not limited to transformation alone. Each level also automatically increased energy levels, physical strength, or mental power, depending on the evolutionary path cultivated.

It was not just simple transformation.

The 1st genetic marking changed the structure of one's body, while the rest existed for the purpose of increasing foundational power, integrity, and structural strength of the newly forged DNA until it solidified at the 12th genetic marking and one truly became one with the chosen race.

Now that the first genetic marking had been ignited, the hidden rules of evolution began to take effect.

From that moment onward, the evolver would receive continuous strengthening from those rules themselves. This strengthening did not manifest as immediate power, but as structural elevation.

Flesh, soul, and essence were slowly reinforced to endure forces that would otherwise tear a mortal apart.

Without this evolutionary strengthening, reaching the 3rd rank was impossible. The body would collapse, the soul would destabilize, and the ignition of higher genetic markings would simply fail.

On that note, law transformation and law reshaping were not strict requirements to reach the 3rd rank. Once the 12th genetic marking was ignited, an evolver could already transcend mortal limits and condense their entire existence into a core.

But only because, with the help of the hidden evolutionary rules, the evolver had already raised their life foundation to a level capable of sustaining it.

This 3rd rank core became the foundation of everything. Body, soul, vitality, and identity were all anchored within it.

As long as the core remained intact, the evolver could regenerate endlessly.

Meaning, killing a 3rd ranker would be extremely hard.

That aside, reaching the 3rd rank in this manner came with a fatal flaw.

Those who skipped law reshaping would find their path completely sealed the moment they entered the 3rd rank. Advancement beyond early stages became impossible.

They would be permanently trapped at level 1. There were rare records of individuals pushing to level 4 under such conditions, but those cases were abnormal.

The resulting power was unstable, incomplete, and could not truly be considered a proper level 4 existence.

The reason was simple.

Progression within the 3rd rank depended entirely on law engravings.

These engravings, also referred to as markings, formed naturally around the core. Their number and quality depended on how many times the cultivator had reshaped laws before reaching the 3rd rank.

To advance, each engraving had to be ignited twelve times per engraving.

At this stage, quantity outweighed everything else.

Unlike the 2nd rank, where exceeding twelve genetic markings became inefficient and resource-draining, the 3rd rank rewarded accumulation. The more law engravings etched onto a single core, the greater the potential ceiling.

Every engraving that was lit brought a massive surge in strength, authority, and control over reality.

This was why 3rd rankers existed on an entirely different level.

A single exchange between them could fracture landscapes. With only a few moves, they could split apart half of the southern region.

Their presence alone distorted space, and ordinary evolvers stood no chance of even approaching such battles.

As for the 4th rank, there was no meaningful comparison.

A true 4th rank existence possessed enough power to erase the entire region outright with a single thought.

That was precisely why all 4th rank battles took place within the second layer of space. There, reality was denser, spatial currents were stabilized, and destruction could be contained.

Outside of it, the world itself would not survive their clashes.

And by the time Grey was finished musing, the transformation inside his elixir fields had finished, and the results completely shocked him.

The lower elixir field advancing aside, its size had also significantly increased. No, it could not just be called significant.

It was gargantuan.

The nexus energy that completely occupied it was only the size of a small atom. That was how much space was left.

It was the same for the elixir field in his heart as well.

'This is unexpected.' Grey was stunned.

Because as far as he was concerned, Lia's elixir field was not this big.

Then, he thought of something.

"The anchor." Grey became excited.

That was right. Although he had not transformed into his dragon form yet, its body was without a doubt enormous, which meant a larger elixir field.

This meant it would not be a mere doubling of his energy reserves, but perhaps ten times the result.

This unexpected outcome was far better than he had anticipated.

Grey no longer hesitated. He knew the abundance of cosmic energy within the White Spring, and if he fully utilized it, he should be able to completely fill both of his elixir fields.

But before doing that, he wanted to utilize the core essence to continue igniting the genetic markings.

He would not stop until he reached the 4th level. He wanted to reach as close as possible to the law transformation level, which was the 5th level, to sense laws more clearly than before.

Core essence surged into his body like a tidal wave at his instruction. Guiding it with precision, he shattered the second genetic marking just as swiftly.

Immediately, his DNA structure compacted and stabilized. The underlying framework of his cells thickened, and the foundation of his life force rose as the hidden rules of evolution activated once more.

His muscles tightened, fibers compressing into denser strands, while his blood refined itself, circulating with greater efficiency and carrying essence without resistance.

Without pausing, he moved on to the third.

Boom.

The third genetic marking exploded the instant it ignited. Core essence flooded inward again, and the hidden rules of evolution descended for the second time in rapid succession.

His skeleton rang softly as it was reinforced, bone density increasing as internal microstructures reorganized. His organs adapted in tandem, strengthening to withstand the mounting pressure.

Meanwhile, his nervous system sharpened, signal transmission accelerating as pathways were refined.

Then, finally, the fourth.

By now, the core essence had been almost completely used up. Only a small strand remained, but it was enough to ignite the fourth marking.

'It's done.' Grey thought as he observed his body. The leap in strength was definitely noticeable.

In fact, without his comprehension, he would not have been able to control his current strength at all.

He swiftly set those thoughts aside, because there was something far more important to do.

Hoard the cosmic energy and fill up his elixir fields, which had now become even larger than before.

He honestly did not know whether he would be able to fill them using only the White Spring.

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