Chapter 148: Awakening

"We found some strange experimental records and alchemy utensils in her residence; the preliminary judgment is that she may have attempted some kind of dangerous experiment, or... has defected."

This news caused surprise among everyone present.

Defection is an extremely rare event in the Black Mist School, because all apprentices signed a contract when they joined.

Defection means facing the pain of contract backlash, or even death.

Oliver's reaction to this news was particularly noteworthy:

His expression remained motionless, but Luo En keenly noticed that his fingers suddenly stopped tapping; obviously, this news had some kind of impact on him.

"Continue the investigation, and report immediately if there are any new discoveries."

The Vice Dean gave instructions and then turned to the second topic: "Next, discuss the preparations for the opening of the Bloodline Altar in half a year."

Hearing the word "Bloodline Altar," Luo En immediately became fully focused.

He noticed that not only himself, but almost all sequence members showed great interest; even Trish, who was always calm, had a flash of expectation in her eyes.

"According to the allocation of the Crystal Spire, our school will have five spots to enter the Bloodline Altar. These five spots will be generated from the top ten of the Candidate Wizard Sequence, and the specific candidates will be finally determined at the next quarterly assessment meeting."

The Vice Dean's gaze swept over everyone present:

"So, the next three months are the critical period for you to compete for these spots; I hope to see more young people like Huo Erte, Trish, and Luo En stand out with outstanding potential."

Hearing his name listed alongside Huo Erte and Trish, a sense of satisfaction rose in Luo En's heart.

This meant that his progress had been recognized by the highest level of the school.

Following this was a clear goal: he must enter the top ten or even top five before the next quarterly assessment to make the qualification to enter the Bloodline Altar a certainty.

The meeting then discussed some specific administrative matters and finally ended in applause.

When everyone began to leave one after another, Luo En also followed to the stone steps outside the hall.

A hand reached out gently, and he felt a familiar aura, not avoiding it.

His shoulder was patted, and turning around, it was indeed Trish, her eyes flashing with joy and a desire to share.

"Congratulations, Luo En." Trish said in a calm tone, but the joy in her eyes could not be hidden:

"In less than half a year, you have jumped directly to the fourteenth position; this is a rare achievement in the history of the sequence."

"You are also very powerful; I remember you have been in the sequence for less than a year, right." Luo En smiled and engaged in commercial mutual praise:

"From the twenties to the tenth, this jumping speed is not much slower than mine."

Trish nodded, a flash of excitement in her eyes, but soon returned to that calm and self-restrained expression:

"Mentor Ke Linna has recently strengthened my training, especially in bloodline activation."

She looked around cautiously, confirming that no one else was paying attention, before lifting her hair and quietly showing her ear to Luo En.

The ears there already showed obvious Forest Elf traits, presenting a cone-shaped pointed shape, more obvious than the last time they met.

"It seems that the spot for the Bloodline Altar is already in the bag." Luo En was sincerely happy for her.

"The possibility of you getting a spot is also very high."

Trish pursed the corners of her mouth, her voice lowered, carrying a trace of rare closeness:

"With your current upward momentum, entering the top ten in the next quarter should be no problem; by then we can enter the Bloodline Altar together."

Just as the two were talking, Huo Erte walked over with a polite smile on his face:

"Congratulations to both of you, especially Luo En; your progress speed is impressive."

Luo En knew that as the top of the sequence, it was natural for Huo Erte to maintain good relationships with all members:

"Thank you, Senior Huo Erte; you have always been a role model for everyone to learn from."

Huo Erte nodded slightly, his gaze carrying a trace of sincere appreciation:

"I heard that you have made considerable achievements in alchemy and element control recently; I look forward to having the opportunity to communicate next time."

"It is my honor." Luo En only responded politely, not making promises easily.

By the way, he used his "Extraordinary Identification" ability to scan the surroundings and found that basically none of them had special talents.

The sequence members might each have fields they were good at, but none reached the level of "special talent."

And Huo Erte could always stay at the top, besides his own four-star upper aptitude being high enough, he was also a hexagonal player who specialized in many aspects and had almost no obvious shortcomings.

Coupled with the fact that he had been in the school long enough, this made his position basically unshakable.

As for taking the risk to spy on formal wizards, he didn't dare to gamble.

Currently, he was only at the proficient level of "Extraordinary Identification," and when targeting them, he didn't know if it would be detected by their extremely sharp spiritual power fields.

Intuition told him not to try easily...

Next, several members at the front of the sequence also came over to greet Luo En one after another.

Obviously, his outstanding performance had attracted the attention of the entire sequence, and everyone wanted to establish contact with this potential new star.

When Luo En was about to leave, he noticed Oliver standing in a corner of the hall, looking at him with a complex expression.

Oliver noticed Luo En's gaze, forced a smile, nodded at him, and then walked out of the hall quickly.

Luo En returned a polite smile, but his heart became vigilant.

Walking out of the hall, he took a deep breath, calculating his next plan in his heart.

The goal he set for himself was to break through to a high-level apprentice at the next quarterly meeting, complete the branch advancement of "Bloodline Modulator," and obtain the "Modulator" qualification recognized by the school.

"Bloodline Modulation" as a branch of potion-making, his certification as a "Modulator" would not be too eye-catching, and the reason could be explained as having a foundation originally and learning quickly.

And if he were to certify another "Alchemist" qualification, that would be a bit too outrageous.

He had already checked, and there was no special talent of the "dual-mastery of medicine and equipment" type on the special talent list.

"Three months, enough." Luo En muttered to himself in his heart:

"The first goal is still the 'Bloody Gladiator Society' in a month, striving for the championship to increase prestige;

Then promote to a high-level apprentice before the next quarterly assessment meeting, obtain the Modulator certification, and raise the ranking to at least the top five to steadily get the spot for the Bloodline Altar."

This is a daunting task, but not impossible to complete.

Especially after he knew the power of "Grace," the growth speed is expected to further improve.

Luo En walked quickly on the path back to the workshop; in the extraordinary world, standing still means death.

………………

Night fell, and Oliver stood alone by the window, his gaze piercing through the thick fog, looking at the school tower looming in the distance.

His face looked exceptionally gloomy under the candlelight, and he held a note tightly in his hand, which contained the detailed results of today's quarterly assessment meeting.

"Sixth... I was at the second position at my highest before!"

He crumpled the note into a ball and threw it into the fireplace; the flames swallowed it instantly.

"I was also the object of envy by others like this..."

He laughed at himself: "It seems that everything started to get worse after contacting those black wizards."

Oliver turned to a corpse in the corner of the room—it was the shell of a young alien, whose brain had been hollowed out, leaving only a hollow skull.

This was his latest research material, from a secret transaction in the black market.

"The accumulation of spiritual pollution is becoming more and more serious."

He stared at the black pattern spreading on his right hand, which was the sequelae of long-term contact with Sin Domain Black Crystal:

"If I can't find a more effective purification method as soon as possible, or a more powerful energy source..."

He didn't finish, but the ending was obvious; he would be unable to stop himself from being completely swallowed by spiritual pollution, eventually becoming a walking corpse without reason.

Oliver walked to a mirror and carefully checked his face.

On the surface, he still maintained that flawless appearance.

But only he knew that every time he looked in the mirror, he needed to use spiritual power to fine-tune it to cover up the signs of distortion that were quietly appearing.

He turned and walked to the desk on the other side of the room, where a manuscript was spread out, recording the detailed steps of "Brain Extraction Technique."

"This secret technique... is it really the mentor's good intention?"

Oliver sneered as he flipped through the manuscript: "Thinking about it now, this is clearly a trap he deliberately set to lead me astray."

Recalling how the mentor "accidentally" let him discover this manuscript at the beginning, and how he inadvertently revealed the existence of this secret technique, Oliver's eyes became increasingly cold.

"Everything is carefully designed; he knew I had the special talent of 'Living Assimilation' and deliberately induced me to take this path."

Oliver gently touched the complex runes and diagrams on the manuscript, bitterly discovering the many limitations cleverly set within them:

This secret technique seems powerful, able to extract knowledge and abilities from others' brains, but in reality, it has extremely harsh conditions for the target:

It can only take effect on targets whose spiritual power is far lower than the caster, and can only extract those superficial, non-core ability fragments.

Even with his special talent, he could not obtain those true core abilities through this method.

"These limitations... these exquisite loopholes... are simply to make me never be able to surpass those true geniuses, and people like Trish and Luo En are all well protected."

Oliver clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms:

"I have absorbed so many materials, perhaps I will never be able to reach the level of Huo Erte."

He looked at the alien corpse in the corner with its brain hollowed out, his eyes full of despair:

"I am just constantly consuming myself in exchange for some insignificant ability fragments."

And that spiritual pollution, the side effect of this forbidden secret technique, is eating away at his reason and future bit by bit.

"Perhaps, Cynthia's choice to flee was the wisest decision..."

And he, perhaps, has always lived under the secret surveillance and deliberate guidance of his mentor, just waiting for the right time to harvest him directly...

As the person who researched this "Brain Extraction Technique," the other party perhaps has special achievements that can completely swallow the beneficial components of the target without being backlashed.

"Cynthia chose to flee."

He said in a low voice, thinking of that former ally: "But I can't leave; the shackles of the contract are too strong, unless..."

"I also perform a thorough awakening like Cynthia, heh, awakening, what a wonderful vocabulary..."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 149 =====