Chapter 260: New Star

"That's right."

Alet's tone carried a hint of resentment:

"That is precisely why I had to sign those... restrictive contracts."

The conversation suddenly shifted toward more substantial matters, and the golden-haired youth's expression turned solemn:

"Luo En, I came here today to tell you something important."

Luo En leaned forward slightly, his gaze becoming more focused: "What information?"

"Regarding the Crystal Spire's high-level decision about you."

The golden-haired youth lowered his voice, even though the room was already protected by a sound-isolation array:

"I heard some... internal discussions through special channels."

"Oh?" Luo En responded softly, his eyes showing cautious interest.

"'Treat normally.'"

The golden-haired youth spoke the phrase almost in a whisper:

"That is the only instruction given by Tower Master Cassandra."

Luo En nodded slightly, lost in his own thoughts.

Such an attitude was, in fact, quite favorable for him.

No excessive attention meant greater freedom and fewer disturbances.

"I am curious as to why you are being this candid with me."

He voiced his doubt directly, his gaze fixed on Alet like a torch:

"After all, our meeting at the Bloodline Altar could hardly be called pleasant."

Alet did not answer immediately; instead, he closed his eyes, as if listening to some silent sound.

When he opened them again, they held a strange luster.

"I can hear certain... echoes; this is one of the core abilities of my talent after advancement." His voice became ethereal and distant:

"Among them are possibilities regarding you. Although they are blurry, they are enough to convince me of one thing—your future is destined to be extraordinary."

He looked Luo En straight in the eyes, his tone becoming unusually earnest:

"In the Wizard World, investing in the future is far wiser than clinging to the past. Regardless of our past intersections, the connections of the future hold more value."

Luo En was not entirely convinced, but he understood the logic.

Relationships in the Wizard World were often built on mutual benefit; pure emotional factors were secondary.

"Understood." He responded briefly, making no explicit promises or replies, merely recording this information in his mind.

"There is one more thing," Alet continued, seemingly deciding to share all important information at once:

"Regarding the 'Throne Seed' you submitted, they have decided to process it through standard procedures, convert it into contribution points, and send it to the Abyss Observation Station."

His voice dropped even lower:

"Recently, the Abyss has shown some unusual energy fluctuations, especially in the seventh layer, the 'Soul Abyss' region. This change has drawn the high attention of the Tower Master, and she has even dispatched Great Wizard Yute'er to oversee it personally."

Luo En's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm on the surface.

The seventh layer, "Soul Abyss"—the terrifying region described in the *Extraordinary Creature Compendium* where the boundary between the material and spiritual realms blurred—was the core area for the activities of many "Apostles."

"What is your take on this project?"

Luo En asked, his eyes sharply observing Alet's reaction: "Are you considering joining?"

Alet shook his head, his expression becoming unusually firm:

"No, I will stay safely within the Crystal Spire to develop. Aside from contract restrictions, my talent only reaches its maximum utility in a relatively safe environment."

He looked at Luo En, his eyes holding a subtle sense of scrutiny:

"But for someone like you..." He seemed to be searching for the right words:

"... a lone wolf, the observation station might be a good choice. It provides a stable platform to contact the Abyss while having the protection of a Great Wizard."

"Moreover, Professor Yute'er, who is in charge of this matter, is Tower Master Cassandra's teacher."

Alet added, his tone carrying a hint of respect:

"Although there is an insurmountable gap between his power level and ours, he has always been quite generous to young people with genuine talent."

Luo En nodded slightly, taking this information into account.

The guidance of a Great Wizard, both in terms of knowledge and resources, was an extremely precious opportunity.

"However..." Alet added cautiously:

"Regarding matters involving the Great Abyss, I dare not make any rash judgments. The specific path depends on your own judgment and choice."

The conversation continued, and the golden-haired youth explained in detail how the Crystal Spire's contribution point system worked, and how to utilize various resources most efficiently.

From teaching contributions to research achievements, from special missions to resource exchanges, every link had clear and complex rules, demonstrating the rigorous organizational structure within this long-standing extraordinary gathering place.

"I'll be leaving now."

He stood up and straightened his robe:

"You will likely become my colleague soon; I hope for your guidance then."

Luo En stood up as well, and the two exchanged formal bows once more.

"By the way," Alet turned back before stepping out the door:

"If you decide to join the Observation Station, remember to notify me in advance."

After the other party left, Luo En stood by the window, watching the silver bird circle in the air for a moment before finally turning into a stream of light and disappearing into the distant tower cluster.

The existence of the Abyss Observation Station and the gathering of numerous high-level wizards undoubtedly indicated one important fact.

Some kind of abnormal change was indeed occurring in the Abyss, and this change was significant enough to draw the attention of Great Wizard-level existences.

This was both a risk and a rare opportunity.

If he could join this project, he would not only obtain more first-hand data and rare materials regarding the Abyss, but might also use this to come into direct contact with the Great Wizard level.

Luo En walked slowly toward the third floor, preparing to organize some necessary materials and credentials so he could demonstrate his qualifications and abilities at the reception office.

In his mind, a path leading to a higher realm was gradually becoming clear:

Use the Crystal Spire as a platform to accumulate resources and knowledge, while simultaneously using the opportunity of the Abyss Observation Station to acquire more first-hand data on Abyssal matter.

………………

The young wizard followed the receptionist through a curved crystal corridor, where the energy fluctuations in the air were even denser and purer than those in Dawn Port.

"This is the 'New Star Reception Office,' responsible for evaluating all extraordinary beings coming to the Central Land, especially those wizards with special talents or potential."

The receptionist explained, his young face maintaining a perfectly balanced smile:

"Tower Master Cassandra specifically instructed us to arrange the most comprehensive assessment for you, presided over personally by three judges from the 'School Alliance'."

Luo En's heart stirred slightly.

Being able to draw the personal attention of the Crystal Spire's Tower Master and mobilize members of the School Alliance showed that this "Original Wizard" identity was indeed more precious than he had imagined.

"Speaking of which, you are the first Original Wizard to advance through the True Path in the last one hundred and fifty-seven years."

The receptionist lowered his voice, his eyes flashing with hard-to-conceal awe:

"Before you, the last person to walk this path was Tower Master Cassandra herself."

At the end of the corridor stood a massive silver archway, with complex runes carved into the door.

Those runes were not static decorations; they flowed and shifted across the door's surface, combining into various complex magic matrices that emitted a soft, cyan-white light.

Standing before the archway were two guards in moon-white robes, wearing the Crystal Spire's emblem on their chests, their eyes sharp as knives, and their bodies radiating energy fluctuations close to those of a Formal Wizard.

Seeing Luo En's wizard emblem, both performed a standard wizard salute.

They then touched the door, and the flowing runes immediately rearranged themselves, forming a new opening sequence.

The archway slid open silently, revealing a spacious circular hall inside.

The entire hall was hemispherical, constructed from some kind of translucent crystal.

At the top was an intricate astrolabe, constantly rotating and shifting, projecting images of the starry sky visible across the Ring Abyss Continent.

In the center of the hall was a complex multi-layered magic array, interlocking and stacked, with a platform about four meters in diameter at the very center, its surface shimmering with pale blue light.

Standing around the platform were three wizards in robes of different colors—azure, deep purple, and ash-silver, each color representing a specific faction within the School Alliance.

"Wizard Ralph has arrived."

The receptionist bowed to the three judges and then retreated to the side.

The female wizard in the azure robe stepped forward.

She was a middle-aged woman with a pleasant face, her dark brown hair tied into a bun, and her amber eyes flashing with wisdom.

"Welcome to the Central Land, Wizard Ralph."

Her voice was as clear and pleasant as flowing water:

"I am Melissa Albert, and this is William Wei Site."

She pointed to the bald old man in the ash-silver robe: "And that is Ivan Petrov."

The old man in the ash-silver robe and the middle-aged man in the deep purple robe nodded in greeting.

"Considering your application to join the Crystal Spire, we will conduct the standard Crystal Spire assessment for you."

Melissa continued, her voice calm and professional:

"The assessment will include magic power, control precision, spell extension, and multi-disciplinary comprehensive ability.

This is not an exam, but a way for us to better understand your range of abilities so that we can provide the most suitable resources and guidance."

Luo En nodded slightly: "A very reasonable arrangement."

He looked around, noting every detail in the hall.

The runes flickering faintly on the walls, the energy patterns flowing on the ground, and even the almost imperceptible magic detectors in the air.

These were the Crystal Spire's standard protection and monitoring measures, intended both to ensure the fairness of the test and to guarantee the safety of everyone present.

Luo En quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

Ever since stepping into Dawn Port, he had been thinking about one key question.

How much strength should he reveal in this brand-new environment?

The warnings from Elder Ailan, Haieke, and others still rang in his ears, but after careful consideration, he finally made his decision.

In this kind of formal assessment, over-concealing one's strength was actually a foolish act.

First, as an Original Wizard, many of his traits were difficult to hide completely;

Second, the Wizard King's Law and the Grace Rule provided him with a considerable degree of protection, so he didn't need to worry too much about the risk of being forcibly controlled;

Third, only by demonstrating sufficient talent and ability could he obtain resources and opportunities commensurate with them.

Of course, this did not mean he would display everything without reservation.

Certain core trump cards, such as his dual soul, substitute puppet, the pocket watch and other rare ancient artifacts, as well as the essence of his abilities, would remain secrets he guarded cautiously.

"Can we begin?" Luo En asked, his voice indifferent yet confident.

"Of course." Melissa made an inviting gesture: "Please step onto the central platform."

Luo En stepped onto the glowing circular platform and immediately felt a gentle but deep energy scan sweep over his entire body.

It was an extremely refined detection spell, far more precise and comprehensive than any test he had experienced at the Black Fog Sect.

However, unlike ordinary detection, this spell seemed to deliberately avoid the most private mental areas, focusing only on those ability indicators that could be objectively measured.

"First is the magic power test."

William Wei Site spoke, his aged voice carrying unquestionable authority:

"Please release your magic field; there is no need to hold back."

Luo En nodded slightly, slowly closed his eyes, and began to release his magic field.

Having advanced to Formal Wizard not long ago, his magic pool was larger than that of an ordinary Morning Star-level wizard, though it was far from reaching its limit.

Additionally, his magic quality benefited from the "Star Projection" trait, presenting an exceptionally pure state.

As the magic field gradually expanded, the air in the entire hall seemed to become heavy.

It was a gentle but unavoidable sense of oppression, like deep-sea water pressure, silent yet tangibly squeezing the surrounding space.

What attracted the attention of those present even more was that Luo En's magic field presented a rare silver-white light.

Like the condensation of starlight, every wisp of energy was as pure as crystal, without the slightest impurity.

"Terrifying magic quality."

Ivan Petrov evaluated in his heart, his body leaning forward under his deep purple robe, his sharp gray eyes fixed on Luo En:

"This level of purity is extremely rare among newly advanced wizards, even surpassing many veteran Morning Star-level wizards."

William nodded, his withered fingers tracing a strange symbol in the air, activating a series of measuring devices on the ground.

Those devices quickly recorded various parameters of Luo En's magic field—intensity, purity, stability, diffusion rate, and interaction mode with the surrounding environment.

"Magic pool capacity is 2.2 times that of a standard early Morning Star level."

William read out the data, his voice carrying a hint of astonishment:

"This value is indeed somewhat unbelievable for a Formal Wizard who has just advanced."

Next was the magic control precision test.

A series of complex energy patterns appeared on the platform, ranging from simple geometric shapes to multi-layered three-dimensional structures, each requiring Luo En to use precisely controlled magic to replicate and deform.

This test not only examined the fine control ability of magic power but was also a challenge to mental concentration and spatial imagination.

Luo En's performance was naturally quite outstanding.

Especially with those complex patterns that required multiple transformations and cross-construction, he demonstrated near-perfect control, without a single trace of redundant energy fluctuation.

"Control precision rating: Excellent."

Melissa's voice carried clear appreciation:

"This level of precise control is sufficient to meet the construction requirements for most complex spells."

The third test was spell extension, which was one of the areas he was most confident in.

After advancing to Formal Wizard, both his "Sonic Oscillation" and "Ring of Radiance" had undergone qualitative leaps.

Coupled with the advanced version of "Flowing Barrier" he had newly mastered, his spell library, while not vast, consisted of spells that had each undergone deep research and personalized improvement.

When he demonstrated his improved version of "Flowing Barrier," Ivan let out a slight exclamation:

"A perfect multi-layered defense structure; the application of energy layering technology is textbook-level. I am very curious, how did you think of combining this traditional, ancient spell with modern theory?"

Luo En explained his thought process and experimental process as simply as possible, as well as how he gained inspiration by observing layered structures in the natural world.

His explanation was professional and deep, yet clear, demonstrating a profound understanding of spell theory.

"I heard you are also proficient in Potionology, Bloodline Modulation, and Alchemy?" Melissa asked, her eyes flashing with expectant light.

Luo En nodded slightly: "I have dabbled in them."

In the subsequent multi-disciplinary comprehensive test, he demonstrated his professional level in these three fields.

He could not only expound on complex concepts from a theoretical level but also demonstrate superb skills through practical operation.

When he successfully synthesized a complex "Mental Stabilizer" in just ten minutes, and its potency and stability exceeded the standard formula, the expressions of the three judges became even more astonished.

Even more impressive was when Luo En explained the core theory of Bloodline Modulation.

His unique insights into the fusion of Abyssal creature bloodlines even caused William, the old scholar, to fall into deep thought, nodding in agreement from time to time.

"I must admit, Wizard Ralph."

William finally said, his cloudy eyes flashing with rare excitement:

"Your depth of understanding of bloodline studies even exceeds that of many scholars who have focused on this field for decades. That theory of using 'individual consciousness' versus 'collective consciousness' as the key point of bloodline rejection is especially refreshing."

Luo En responded modestly: "This is just a preliminary inference I drew based on experimental observations; there are still many details that need to be perfected."

The final part of the assessment was the special talent test, which was also the link he was most cautious about.