Chapter 234: Evaluation Team

Besides the rat swarms encountered earlier, there were some even more bizarre existences.

Originally ordinary reptiles and insects had become abnormally sized and distorted in form under the influence of abyss energy.

A group of spiders hung from the ceiling, each the size of a plate, their backs covered with tumor-like protrusions, while their eyes grew bizarrely on their abdomens, flashing with sickly purple light.

The silk they spat was no longer the usual white, but purple-black with fluorescence; anything entangled by this kind of silk would begin to corrode slowly.

"Abyss Spiders! Watch out for their poisonous silk!" Youni warned, purple flames leaping in her palms, forming a defensive barrier.

Luo En's gaze condensed, and he waved his left hand; the Substitute Puppet quietly floated beside him.

This puppet was completely different from before, emitting a bizarre, shuddering aura, like a predator ready to strike.

"Go." Luo En ordered softly.

The Substitute Puppet pounced forward like a black shadow, its movements as fast as lightning.

Its form underwent astonishing changes during the movement—the torso elongated, and its arms turned into sharp sickle-like limbs.

Spikes grew on its back, and the entire outline looked like a perfect killing machine born for battle.

Most amazing was its way of attacking.

Facing those hanging Abyss Spiders, the Substitute Puppet did not simply tear or repel them, but devoured them one by one with a posture bordering on greed.

That torn big mouth could expand to an unimaginable degree, swallowing a plate-sized spider whole in one bite.

Every time it devoured an Abyss Spider, the black patterns on the Substitute Puppet's surface would light up for a moment, as if absorbing and transforming something.

【Substitute Puppet charging progress +0.2%】

Hayek and Suo Lun exchanged glances, feeling that the other party's strange puppet looked familiar, but they did not associate this thing that displayed terrifying characteristics with that chicken-rib "Substitute Puppet" at all.

After all, after Luo En performed the Hunter job transfer on it, its aura had completely taken on a new look.

Luo En did not care about their reactions, just focusing on manipulating the Substitute Puppet to clear the road ahead.

As they went deeper, the types of distorted creatures in the passage became more and more numerous.

Besides Abyss Spiders, there were mutant rat swarms and distorted reptiles.

Even some creatures that should have been rabbits were now growing extra heads and limbs, and their behavior was extremely fierce.

However, these did not seem to be a problem for the Substitute Puppet. It showed astonishing combat intuition and special perception ability toward abyss creatures.

No matter how those distorted creatures hid or disguised themselves, the Substitute Puppet could always find them precisely and devour them without hesitation.

【Substitute Puppet charging progress +0.3%】

【Substitute Puppet charging progress +0.1%】

【Substitute Puppet charging progress +0.2%】

Charging prompts flashed in Luo En's mind constantly, every devouring bringing energy improvement to the puppet.

"This kind of specialized ability against abyss creatures..."

Hayek's eyes flashed with strong academic interest: "It's simply a perfect weapon born to fight against the abyss."

A particularly huge Abyss Spider suddenly pounced from the side, aiming directly at Suo Lun, who had the weakest aura among the few.

Luo En raised his hand almost instinctively, and a "Sonic Oscillation" was fired silently.

That giant spider suddenly stalled in mid-air, and then its entire body was crushed like being ground by invisible pressure, exploding into a mass of purple-black mist.

However, unexpectedly, these mists did not dissipate, but were pulled by an invisible force, all surging into the Substitute Puppet's body.

【Substitute Puppet charging progress +1%】

"Truly incredible," Youni sighed softly, her purple eyes flashing with concern: "It doesn't just eliminate these creatures, but in a sense, purifies them?"

The passage continued to extend forward, and the degree of space distortion became more and more severe.

The walls began to flow like melted wax, cracks on the ceiling continued to expand, and bursts of unsettling vibrations came from deep within.

"This is the weakest part of the seal, the space structure has begun to collapse." Suo Lun explained weakly: "Must find a way out as soon as possible..."

Although the abyss creatures rioting was annoying, the few of them could clear them away with a casual wave.

But if they encountered space collapse, that was a disaster that even a Dark Sun level would have no chance of surviving.

Passing through the exit, the four finally returned to the ground of the Black Fog Jungle.

The sky was still overcast, but at least there was no longer that suffocating abyss energy oppression.

In the distance, the Central Tower of the Black Fog School was vaguely visible, seemingly standing tall in this chaos.

Suo Lun let out a long breath, looking up at the sky: "I survived."

"Yes, you survived thanks to Luo En." Youni reminded with a slight smile.

Suo Lun was not a person who didn't know how to behave, directly taking out a piece of parchment from his storage bag.

He quickly wrote some terms on it and handed it to the other party, explaining:

"This is a contract, Wizard Luo En. After returning to the school, you can use this to exchange for extraordinary items or magic stones equivalent to this rescue."

The young wizard saw this and did not hypocritically decline, nodding and putting it into his storage bag.

Hayek on the side suddenly sighed, his expression becoming solemn: "I must tell you some not-so-good news—the Black Fog School is likely to face major changes."

The gazes of the three turned to him simultaneously, and Luo En's brows furrowed slightly: "Is the destruction of the Bloodline Altar that serious?"

"Far beyond your imagination." Hayek said heavily:

"The Bloodline Altar is not just a trial ground, but a key node for the energy balance of the entire Black Fog Jungle. Its collapse will lead to continuous abyss energy leakage; according to my estimation, within ten years, the entire Black Fog Jungle will be completely soaked by abyss substances, becoming a dead land where survival is impossible."

"What about the school?" Suo Lun asked, although weak, his thinking was still sharp.

"Must migrate." Hayek said affirmatively:

"In fact, I estimate that within two years at most, the school will be forced to move away completely. And the first batch of evacuation work may begin in a few days."

Luo En listened silently; the news had very limited impact on him personally at this time, but it was of great significance to the overall fate of this region.

"Then, will the damage to the Bloodline Altar be reported?"

Luo En asked, the implied meaning very clear—how would the Crystal Spire and the Truth Court react?

Hayek understood his concern:

"You are right; I will head to the Central Land in a few days through the teleportation array set up by the Crystal Spire back then to report the specific situation. This is not a small matter and requires the school alliance to discuss countermeasures together."

He looked at Luo En, his eyes carrying some encouragement:

"Speaking of this, since you have become a formal wizard, there is something you should know—there are general airship services provided specifically for formal wizards between regions."

"General airships?" Luo En raised his brows slightly.

"Yes, as a formal wizard, you can take these airships for free. Of course, in exchange, you will also assume certain airship defense responsibilities."

Hayek explained: "This is a convenience facility established by the wizard world to promote exchanges."

Youni added: "This is much safer than ordinary land or sea routes, especially on the way to the Central Land. The dangers in Blackwater Bay and the Endless Sea connected to it are too great; very few ships can navigate them."

"It is said that ancient wild giant beasts inhabit the depths of the Endless Sea, capable of swallowing even islands whole."

Suo Lun, although in a poor state, couldn't help but interject: "And the sea surface is shrouded in storms all year round; ordinary sailing is almost suicidal behavior."

Luo En expressed strong interest in this geographical information; with the geographical knowledge he could currently understand, the overall structure of the Ring Abyss Continent Group still seemed full of mysteries to him.

"There is one more thing you might be interested in."

Hayek suddenly said, his tone carrying some probing:

"When you arrive at the Central Land, it is very likely that an evaluation team will be sent specifically by the Crystal Spire to evaluate your special talents and academic achievements."

Luo En's brows furrowed slightly: "Evaluation team?"

"Yes, this is a routine procedure for newly advanced wizards."

Hayek explained:

"They will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of your research results, bloodline characteristics, and personal abilities, and then give a comprehensive ranking.

The higher the ranking, the higher your status in the wizard community, and you can also obtain permission to read more and higher-level occult knowledge."

Youni nodded: "The rarity and value of a Primary Wizard are self-evident; passing the formal evaluation can give corresponding status recognition and resource inclination."

"And." Suo Lun added confidently:

"Your achievements are already astonishing enough; advancing to a Primary Wizard at such a young age, plus those interdisciplinary extraordinary talents... I bet the evaluation team will pay special attention to you."

A roar in the distance interrupted their conversation.

Everyone looked up and saw the ground in the direction of the Bloodline Altar suddenly collapse, forming a huge deep pit.

Purple-black energy gushed out from it, like a volcano erupting.

"It seems the space inside has completely collapsed." Hayek's expression was solemn: "We must return to the school's central area immediately to assist in the evacuation work."

The sky of the Black Fog Jungle became more overcast, and the shadow of the abyss had already shrouded this once-prosperous school.

………………

The evacuation work lasted for three full days.

Under the organization of Hayek and other mentors, ordinary apprentices were sent to safe areas through large transportation tools;

Some high-level apprentices were assigned to various important nodes to assist in collecting precious materials and equipment;

Members of the candidate wizard sequence were responsible for maintaining order and fighting against the constantly emerging abyss creatures.

Luo En took the initiative to undertake the defense work in the most dangerous frontier area, using the newly acquired Primary Wizard ability to establish temporary energy barriers one after another, buying precious time for the evacuation.

Of course, he worked so hard naturally not because of how grateful he was to the school; on one hand, it was to exercise his new abilities, and on the other hand, it was to continue charging the Substitute Puppet:

【Substitute Puppet energy fully absorbed】

【Current charging progress: 80%/100%】

Added to the charging progress obtained from devouring Sheng Pan earlier, the distance to reaching 100% and evolving into "Glorious Legacy" to unlock the avatar form was no longer far away.

【Next stage, requires higher purity abyss energy】

On the evening of the third day, when the last batch of people near the altar were safely transferred, Luo En finally returned to his workshop.

Pushing open the door, a familiar herbal fragrance rushed toward him.

Lilia, Daier, and Ailan were already packed, and several large boxes were neatly placed in the center of the hall, clearly having prepared for everything to leave long ago.

"Back." Lady Ailan was not staying in her herb shop.

The old woman sat in a rocking chair by the fireplace, calm light flashing in her emerald eyes: "Is the school's evacuation work over?"

Luo En used magic tricks to clear the dust on his outer robe and nodded, though he was not surprised by the arrival of this mentor:

"Yes, my lady. The most critical part has been completed, and what follows will be a long-term orderly evacuation plan."

He looked around, noticing that the main equipment and materials in the workshop had been properly packed, everything in good order:

"It seems everyone is ready."

"Yes, Teacher." Lilia stepped forward:

"According to your instructions, we have packed the most important equipment and materials. Some things that are inconvenient to carry have been sealed in the basement, waiting for you to destroy them yourself."

Ailan also walked over, her vine rolling a thick record book:

"I organized all experimental records and results, classified and numbered by importance. The core research has been protected by encrypted runes, and only you can interpret it."

Luo En nodded with satisfaction: "Well done."

"Go, have a good rest tonight." Lady Ailan smiled slightly: "Starting tomorrow, you will embark on a brand new journey."

Luo En nodded and followed Lilia to the dining room.

Dinner was ready, and Daier and Ailan were also waiting in their seats.

Ailan served Luo En a bowl of hot soup: "Master, you look very tired. The evacuation work of these three days must have been difficult."

"Not too bad." Luo En took the bowl and took a light sip, feeling the warm liquid sliding down his throat:

"The seal of the Bloodline Altar has completely collapsed, and abyss energy is spreading in all directions. The Black Fog School has already started a long-term evacuation plan, and will move away completely within about five years."

Lilia asked cautiously: "Teacher, are we going to migrate with the school in a few days?"

"Yes." Luo En nodded to confirm, looking at the three women, his tone gentle:

"Pack your personal items; although most of the equipment and materials have been packed, be sure to ensure that no important personal items are missed. Once we leave, I'm afraid there will be very few opportunities to come back in the future."

After finishing dinner, Luo En went to the laboratory alone; he needed some private time to review the previous battle.

Sitting at the experimental table, he closed his eyes and began to reproduce the duel with Sheng Pan in his mind.

Although the victory seemed easy, he knew the key points well and also knew his own shortcomings.

"The reason I could win this time was mainly because I took the initiative."

Luo En pondered, his face becoming more solemn:

"The whispers of the Erosion Movement and the Hunter's Hunt Evil characteristics are all restraint means specifically aimed at abyss-transformed creatures, plus the bonuses of multiple advanced characteristics, the explosive power is indeed astonishing."

A flash of dissatisfaction flashed in his eyes:

"But if he had completed the apostle-ization transformation, the situation would have been completely different."

"Not to mention, I used nearly half of my magic power in just three moves in the battle with Sheng Pan. The endurance is still far from enough; if he could withstand my set of three moves, the subsequent battle would have become extremely dangerous."

Luo En shook his head, his eyes carrying a kind of strictness toward himself:

1. Insufficient refinement; every spell release has energy leakage; although powerful, the efficiency is not high.

2. Endurance is not enough; currently can only use three moves.

The road ahead is still long; he needs to strengthen refinement and spell control, and increase magic power through star projection.

Luo En lowered his head and looked at his hands, where the faint burning sensation after the spell release still remained.

Super magic techniques were still rough, like a sharp knife without a handle, dangerous and inefficient to use.

Need continued improvement of spell construction skills to truly exert the full potential of this characteristic.

Early the next morning, the sun pierced through the clouds and spilled onto the roof of the workshop.

Luo En got up early and conducted a final comprehensive inspection.

All important equipment and materials had been properly packed, and non-essential large facilities were sealed with runes to delay the erosion of abyss pollution.

Ailan, Daier, and Lilia were also packed and ready to go.

"Is everything ready?" Luo En looked around, confirming one last time.

"Everything is ready, Master." Ailan responded elegantly.

Daier patted her crystal tank excitedly: "I can't wait to set off!"

Lilia nodded slightly: "All lists have been checked, no omissions."

Luo En nodded with satisfaction, looked around this workshop that accompanied his growth one last time, and then gently closed the door.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 235 =====