Chapter 324

The interaction with the King of Phantasms last night, although it only existed on the conscious layer.

But that pressure from a Wizard King-level existence still left a deep mark in the depths of his spirit.

However, this experience also gave his mental resilience an unexpected workout.

He could clearly feel that his ability to withstand higher-dimensional information had significantly improved compared to before.

"Master, you look to be in good condition today."

Ailan's voice came from outside the door, and her emerald figure appeared at the room's entrance:

"Last night's rest time was twice as long as usual; have you been too tired lately?"

"Consider it giving my brain a little vacation."

Luo En responded briefly, without revealing more details.

Some knowledge is too dangerous to be easily shared, even with the most trusted assistant.

He quickly used magic to finish cleaning up, preparing to head to the forbidden area of the library.

The associate professor-level authorization Cassandra gave him yesterday allowed him the opportunity to access those secret materials he previously could not consult.

Regarding the conditions for changing professions for ancient alchemists, as well as those long-lost ancient techniques, these were all knowledge he urgently needed to understand.

The moment he stepped out of the mobile workshop, Luo En immediately felt a subtle change in the air.

It was a kind of exciting aura similar to the smell of blood.

The crystal display boards on both sides of the street no longer played those academic research results.

Replacing them were scenes of dazzling otherworlds, each frame silently telling of the glory of conquest.

On the first display board, three blood-red suns hung high in a verdigris sky.

The ground was a forest composed of living skeletons.

Those "trees" were actually giant vertebrae, hundreds of meters high, with surfaces covered in self-wriggling vascular networks.

In a clearing of this eerie forest, a group of arachnid creatures were prostrating before the conquerors, offering up sparkling "bone marrow crystals" with their eight long, thin arms.

The appearance of these indigenous creatures was nauseating.

Their heads were giant compound eyes, and their bodies looked like skinned spiders, with internal organs clearly visible.

"I heard this 'life bone marrow' can increase the potency of potions several times over..."

A young apprentice with black spots on his face said tremblingly, greed and fear intertwined in his eyes.

The second display board showed a world that was even more twisted.

There was no solid ground there; all matter was in a certain semi-liquid state, constantly changing shape and color.

In the center of the screen, dozens of transparent creatures resembling jellyfish but as large as houses floated in the viscous air.

Inside their bodies, one could see complex organ structures slowly wriggling.

These creatures were using tentacles to pass pulsating "heart fruits" to the wizards standing on floating platforms.

Every time these heart fruits pulsed, the entire screen would flicker slightly, as if even the display equipment had been affected by something.

"Functional enhancement material..."

An apprentice wearing heavy goggles nearby muttered to himself:

"It is said that eating one can bring physical strength to the level of an ordinary dragon-born, but the price is..."

He did not finish, but many apprentices gathered in front of that screen who had some understanding of this knew the price.

The user's appearance would gradually transform into those jellyfish creatures until they completely lost their human form.

In other frames, there was an ice and snow world shrouded in eternal aurora.

In this world, frost giants nearly fifteen meters tall knelt before the conquerors.

These giants used stiff fingers to carefully offer up pieces of "soul ice crystals" that emitted a cold aura.

Even more terrifying was that the giants in the frame were clearly not offering tribute voluntarily.

A long, thin metal probe was inserted into the back of each of their necks; that was some kind of control device.

Every time the probe flashed, the giants would mechanically repeat the tribute-offering action, and the ghost fire in their eyes would become even weaker.

"Complete enslavement..."

An advanced apprentice who looked quite knowledgeable commented in a low voice: "This is no longer conquest, but..."

"But what?" an older apprentice nearby sneered:

"The law of the jungle is the iron law of the universe. These alien races are inherently inferior life forms; being able to contribute to the development of our wizard civilization is their honor."

The apprentices watching fell into a subtle silence.

Some had eyes full of excitement, as if they had already seen the scene of themselves embarking on the path of conquest;

Others appeared worried and uneasy, clearly uncomfortable with this cruel plunder;

Still others maintained a cautious neutrality, just silently observing and thinking.

"These images... are they all real?" a young girl asked timidly.

"Of course they are real." The older apprentice's tone became even more arrogant:

"I have an uncle who serves as a material analyst in the conquest team, and he told me these are just a few of the most ordinary ones among the dozen worlds conquered by Tower Master Cassandra.

The truly valuable spoils are not publicly displayed here at all."

He lowered his voice and added mysteriously:

"It is said that the Tower Master has also conquered a dimension composed entirely of time, where the natives can manifest memories into reality. Imagine if we mastered this technology..."

The young apprentices' eyes began to glow, a light mixed with greed, fear, and morbid excitement.

When Luo En walked onto the street, these noisy discussions came to an abrupt end.

Everyone's gaze turned to him, but no one dared to look directly.

Those apprentices scattered quickly like frightened little animals, but he could feel countless gazes following behind him.

"It's Lecturer Ralph..."

"The temporary second-in-command of the Nova Project..."

"I heard Tower Master Cassandra personally held a private dinner for him..."

Every time he looked back, everyone would quickly lower their heads, pretending to be focused on watching the display boards.

This strange atmosphere reminded Luo En of scenes in certain animal documentaries.

When a top predator appears, other animals instinctively keep their distance, daring neither to provoke nor to ignore.

Several formal wizards maintained a calm surface, but the complex emotions in their eyes were clearly visible.

Awe, jealousy, curiosity, and a subtle fear.

But that was not fear of Luo En himself, but fear of the Conquest Faction and Cassandra behind him.

On the way to the library, Luo En observed more changes in the school.

Those wizards who were originally focused on pure academic research now began to stop in front of the information boards on the street, asking about the conditions and requirements for joining the conquest teams.

The "Otherworld Geography" and "Large-Scale War Spells" specialty bookstores, which were usually deserted, now had long queues in front of them.

Luo En even saw several theoretical researchers who were usually gentle and elegant, fiercely discussing various plundering techniques and enslavement methods.

"I heard the 'Mental Shackles' spell can completely control the minds of alien races..."

"But that kind of spell... the personality of the controlled might be contaminated..."

"It doesn't matter, who cares about those alien races, as long as we ensure it doesn't backfire on ourselves."

These conversations reminded Luo En of those colonists and slave traders in Earth's history.

Under the temptation of huge profits, the boundaries of civilization and morality became blurred, and the darkest side of human nature began to reveal itself.

Even more worrying was that some young apprentices began to organize small groups to discuss how to form teams to participate in the conquest plan.

Although their current strength was not enough for cross-border conquest, this dangerous thinking had already begun to sprout.

The atmosphere of the entire Crystal Spire was undergoing a fundamental transformation.

The former academic rigor was giving way to adventurous restlessness, and the pure pursuit of knowledge was being replaced by the utilitarian desire for plunder.

Knowledge was still important, but now it was endowed with a more sinister meaning.

It was no longer a beacon lighting the way forward for civilization, but a tool for conquest and enslavement.

Luo En calmly analyzed this change in his heart.

From a sociological perspective, this was a typical characteristic of a civilization shifting from inward development to outward expansion.

When internal resources began to become scarce, plundering outward became the only choice to maintain development.

But the problem was that the speed of this transformation was too rapid, giving people almost no time to adapt.

By showcasing huge conquest achievements, Cassandra artificially created a "conquest mania," causing even originally rational scholars to begin being driven by greed.

This situation provided Luo En with opportunities while also bringing dangers.

On one hand, in this environment, he, possessing strong strength and sufficient academic reserves, was more likely to gain recognition and resources; on the other hand, when the entire society fell into madness, maintaining rationality might instead become a dangerous "heretical" trait.

………………

At the entrance of the Crystal Spire Library stood a daunting stone door.

It was a type of living mineral that changed color according to the observer's emotions.

When Luo En approached, the dormant runes on the door surface began to wake up.

Gradually turning from a dull gray to a warning orange-red, and finally stabilizing into the gold symbolizing high authorization.

The guard in front of the door was a three-meter-tall crystal construct.

Its body was composed of translucent blue crystal, with a constantly rotating energy core suspended in its chest cavity.

The "face" of this construct was a smooth mirror surface that would reflect the observer's deepest fears in real-time.

When Luo En stared at that mirror, what he saw was not his own face, but a figure entangled by countless tentacles.

That was the concretization of his worry about potentially losing control in the future.

"Identity confirmation in progress..."

The construct's voice was as harsh as grinding crystal fragments: "High-level authorization detected, starting deep scan."

The subsequent identity verification process was extremely uncomfortable.

The construct first scanned Luo En's magic signature, then analyzed his thinking patterns with some kind of invasive mental probe.

This scan lasted for nearly five minutes, and the feeling of being thoroughly scrutinized was extremely uncomfortable.

He could feel that the construct was looking for certain specific "marks."

... those traces that might indicate his connection to dangerous existences.

Fortunately, the interaction with the King of Phantasms last night did not leave obvious traces in his mental structure.

A Wizard King-level existence clearly possessed the ability to perfectly conceal its influence.

The construct's mirror-like face suddenly turned toward Luo En, its voice carrying mechanical confusion:

"Your mental structure presents an extremely rare multi-layer protection pattern.

This level of complexity... is abnormal even at the associate professor level."

Its energy core's rotation speed increased significantly, emitting a low humming sound:

"Authorization level: Associate Professor level.

Special notation: Nova Project member.

Mental pollution resistance: Real-time testing required to determine specific values."

The construct extended an arm made of crystal.

Eerie runes flowed on the surface of those crystals, pointing to a dark door deep in the library that was almost completely swallowed by shadows:

"Please proceed to the testing area to complete the pollution resistance assessment.

Reminding you, this is a necessary procedure for entering the forbidden area; any attempt to bypass this procedure will be regarded as a direct threat to the school's safety."

Luo En followed the construct through that dark door and immediately felt a change in air quality.

The atmosphere here seemed to have been compressed by some invisible weight, and every breath required extra effort.

He could hear a faint heartbeat coming from inside the walls, as if the entire building were the internal organs of some giant creature.

The testing room was a perfectly circular space, without any decoration, only pure black walls and floor.

In the center of the room floated a giant crystal ball with a diameter of about two meters, inside which nauseating dark mist surged.

Those mists were not stationary, but formed complex spiral patterns inside the sphere.

Every rotation released a faint but extremely dangerous mental shockwave.

"This device..." Luo En activated "Extraordinary Identification," carefully observing that crystal ball.

In his special vision, the sphere's surface was covered with dense rune networks, and those runes were constantly absorbing and converting the surrounding energy.

Even more terrifying was that he could feel that inside the sphere, fragments of some living creature's consciousness were indeed sealed.

"Do you see anything?" The construct seemed to notice the change in his expression.

"This is not a simple testing device." Luo En analyzed calmly:

"What is sealed inside the sphere are mental fragments of real abyss creatures, with intensity adjusted through the rune network. This design... is quite clever, but also extremely dangerous."

"Very sharp observation." There was more approval in the construct's tone:

"Indeed, these mental fragments come from various high-level creatures killed by the abyss exploration teams.

Their resentment and chaotic consciousness are extracted and used to test the mental pollution resistance of wizards."

It paused for a moment and continued to explain:

"The test will be divided into two stages.

If any discomfort occurs at any stage, please signal to stop immediately."

The construct's energy core began to pulse slowly, and every flicker caused the temperature in the room to drop by several degrees:

"A special reminder: there was once an associate professor who thought he had a strong will, but during the test, the pollution hidden within him was completely activated.

After the test ended, he had already begun to gnaw on his own fingers, laughing while crying and saying, 'Finally found the real delicacy.'"

This detail made Luo En's expression become even more solemn.

The terrifying thing about mental pollution is that it fundamentally distorts the victim's cognition and values.

Contaminated people often do not notice their own abnormalities, but instead believe this distorted state is "normal" or even "beautiful."

Moreover, he felt that the intelligence and abundant emotional expression of this "construct" were a bit unlike an artificial intelligence?

"I understand the risks." Luo En nodded and walked toward the testing crystal ball.

When he was three meters away from the sphere, the first stage of the test quietly began.

The mist inside the crystal ball suddenly surged violently, releasing a nauseating mental pressure.

That was not simple fear or anxiety, but manifested as a more fundamental denial of existence.

As if countless voices were whispering in his ears simultaneously:

"You shouldn't exist..."

"Your efforts are meaningless..."

"Death is the only relief..."

"Why struggle? Why not accept the void?"

Just this?

For Luo En, who practiced "Whispers of the Star Eater," this level of mental shock could almost be ignored.

His meditation method itself was built on communication with higher-dimensional existences, which had long since allowed his mental structure to adapt to pressure from higher dimensions.

"First stage passed, time taken seventeen seconds." The construct recorded the data:

"This speed is at an excellent level for the associate professor level; starting the second stage of the test."

The color of the crystal ball began to change, from dark gray to deep purple.

The density of the mist also increased significantly, almost completely obscuring the structure inside the sphere.

The mental shock of the second stage was more complex and cunning.

It was no longer simple denial and despair, but attempted to fundamentally distort Luo En's cognitive structure.

Hallucinations began to emerge before his eyes:

He turned into a mass of wriggling tentacles, devouring all his companions around him, yet he felt unprecedented satisfaction;

Ailan's emerald figure rotted and melted before him, turning into a pool of foul-smelling pus, but her voice was still thanking him for "liberating" her;

Even the entire Central Land collapsed under his feet, countless innocent lives vanished because of his actions, yet he stood on the ruins laughing uncontrollably...

These hallucinations tried to make him believe that destruction and depravity were the true "happiness," and that rationality and order were just self-deceiving shackles.

But these distorted temptations were completely unable to shake Luo En's rational core.

The mental resilience forged in the pursuit of the Time Hound and the threat of the "Eater" allowed him to clearly distinguish reality from hallucination.

More importantly, his strong obsession with "controlling himself" provided him with sufficient mental anchors.

No matter how tempting the hallucinations were, he would not give up control over his own destiny.

"Second stage passed, time taken one minute and ten seconds." The construct's voice carried obvious surprise:

"Test completed, total time taken one minute and twenty-seven seconds."

The construct's voice carried disbelief:

"Pollution resistance level: IV. This is a higher rating at the associate professor level; you can safely access most of the content in the forbidden area."

It paused for a long time, as if processing some complex data:

"According to historical records, only six associate professor-level personnel have obtained Level IV, three of whom later successfully promoted to Dark Sun Wizards, one even promoted to Great Wizard, and one became the captain of the Abyss Exploration Team..."

The construct did not say the ending of the sixth person, but Luo En could feel some ominous implication from its slightly dimmed energy core.

After passing the test, a door that was previously completely invisible appeared on the wall.

The door itself was a work of art, composed of some kind of living material that breathed on its own, with a surface covered in wriggling vascular networks.

When Luo En approached, those blood vessels began to pulse faster, as if welcoming a long-lost guest.

(End of chapter)