Chapter 40

Luo En put down the booklet, feeling his heart accelerate due to excitement.

Promoted from entry-level to intermediate apprentice within three years? For ordinary people, it might be a not-so-small challenge, but for him, who has a profession panel and multiple profession bonuses, reaching this threshold seems easy.

He continued to read, wanting to know more details about the promotion mechanism.

"... The promotion ceremony for formal wizards is called 'Opening the Door.' Each candidate needs to complete a trial and complete a highly dangerous brain-domain opening ceremony under the guidance of a mentor."

"This ceremony requires a specially made 'Key' potion as a medium, and the formula for this potion is strictly kept secret and is only mastered by a few professors in the school..."

"So that's it..." He whispered to himself in his heart.

This explains why there is fierce competition among high-level apprentices—every candidate qualified for promotion needs to fight for extremely limited resources and opportunities.

The hidden struggle between Huo Huo Erte and Ao Li Fu now seems clearer: both are close to being promoted to high-level apprentices and both crave that scarce promotion quota.

The booklet also detailed the differences in permissions and benefits for apprentices at all levels, which dazzled Luo En:

Entry-level apprentices can only use public laboratories, and there are strict restrictions on monthly usage time;

While intermediate apprentices can apply for dedicated research spaces, and high-level apprentices can even obtain the right to use independent experimental towers.

In terms of resource allocation, the gap is even more astonishing. The basic magic stone income that high-level apprentices can get per month is more than ten times that of entry-level apprentices, and after entering the probationary wizard sequence, this number will increase exponentially.

"So class solidification exists everywhere..." Luo En laughed at himself: "But at least there is now a clear path to climb up."

When flipping to the next chapter "Apprentice Obligations and Rights," his expression became more focused.

According to the regulations, as an entry-level apprentice, he needs to complete fixed potion refining tasks every month to submit to the school.

The specific quantity and type will be adjusted according to individual skills and specialties.

In addition, he also needs to participate in the maintenance of public areas regularly or undertake some field tasks.

In exchange, the school will provide basic living security and learning resources, such as housing, food, and the right to use public facilities, as well as a small monthly quota of magic stone fragments.

The booklet also specifically mentioned that apprentices can exchange for magic stone fragments and credits by completing extra tasks or providing rare materials, which can be used to purchase paid courses in the school.

"Paid courses?" Luo En's eyebrows raised slightly.

He quickly flipped to the relevant page and found that the paid courses provided by the school were numerous, from basic "Spiritual Power Control Techniques" to profound "Energy Conversion Principles," covering almost every aspect of wizard cultivation.

These courses are graded according to difficulty, and the price ranges from a few magic stone fragments to several complete magic stones.

But what really interested Luo En was the part about "Mentor Guidance" at the end of the booklet:

"In the school system, apprentices with mentors will gain many conveniences and privileges. In addition to fixed one-on-one guidance every month, they can also obtain priority reading rights for the mentor's research results, and may even participate in spell improvement experiments."

"However, formal wizards are extremely cautious in choosing students, usually requiring apprentices to show extraordinary talent or provide rare research materials. Apprentices who aspire to obtain a mentor should strive to improve their own value to attract the attention of potential mentors..."

Luo En closed the booklet and took a deep breath.

"Promoted to intermediate apprentice within three years, enter the probationary wizard sequence..." He repeated this goal softly.

With the multiple profession bonuses brought by his golden finger, this goal should be easily achieved.

But the competition behind it is the real challenge. How should he stand out among many geniuses and obtain the precious opportunity to become a formal wizard?

Luo En walked to the window and looked at the Black Mist Jungle outside the window.

The night was deep, but the eerie halos hovering over the jungle were still clearly visible, like countless prying eyes.

………………

Inside a high tower deep in the Black Mist Jungle, Ao Li Fu stood in front of the window, holding a piece of intelligence that had just been sent.

"Luo En La Er Fu, has successfully passed the entry-level apprentice qualification certification..."

He kept calculating, his pale, slender fingers tapping lightly on the window frame: "It's several months earlier than I expected."

The room in the high tower was luxuriously decorated, but it also revealed an extreme sense of eeriness.

Various human skins were hung on the walls, each carefully processed, maintaining the last expression of the owner before death, some terrified, some painful, but more of an incomprehensible emptiness and confusion.

On the table in the center of the room, a corpse sewn together in a scattered manner was lying flat, covered with complex conduits and rune needles.

That corpse was human in appearance, but if you look closely, you will find that some of its parts clearly come from different individuals—the left arm is longer than the right arm, the ratio of the head to the torso is also uncoordinated, and the rough suture line on the neck is clearly visible.

Beside this corpse, a new experimental subject that had just been sent recently was added, which was Da Lun De after complete distortion.

His huge brain tissue exposed outside had been carefully removed and preserved in a special solution.

Ao Li Fu put the intelligence on the table to the side, walked to Da Lun De's corpse, and touched the huge brain tissue lightly, his eyes flashing with undisguised regret and anger.

"Look at this, A Man Da." He said softly to another corpse beside him: "Originally it should have been a perfect mutated brain tissue, but it was destroyed in advance by that Luo En."

The corpse named A Man Da of course could not respond, but Ao Li Fu didn't seem to care.

"Everything is going according to plan." He said to himself:

"The dosage of the spiritual catalyst is accurate, and I ensured that Da Lun De could find the correct formula to try. Logically speaking, he should be able to maintain rationality for a longer time while maintaining consciousness."

Ao Li Fu knocked on the table somewhat angrily: "If it weren't for that damn Luo En intervening in advance, Da Lun De would have completely transformed into a complete distorted body far beyond the current form after the short period of rationality maintenance ended, a terrifying existence enough to rival high-level apprentices."

He walked to the window, a flash of cold calculation in his eyes:

"What a perfect plan—those stupid probationary apprentices would inevitably be defeated by fear and hide in their rooms shivering; when Huo Huo Erte rushed over following the sound, facing the suddenly appearing complete distorted body, even he would be caught off guard."

Ao Li Fu's fingers rubbed the window frame lightly: "If Huo Huo Erte is seriously injured by Da Lun De, or polluted by sonic attacks, he will inevitably fall behind me in the competition for the probationary wizard sequence. And now..."

While speaking, he picked up a syringe filled with dark red liquid and carefully pushed the liquid into the vein of A Man Da's corpse.

"Fortunately, although the plan was interrupted, it was not without gain." Ao Li Fu comforted himself: "At least now Da Lun De's brain tissue is in my hands."

The corpse suddenly twitched violently, its eyes opened wide, and its mouth opened wide but could not make a sound. Those eyes were full of inhuman fear and pain, as if experiencing some kind of unspeakable torture.

"Be patient, A Man Da." The gray-robed young man's voice was still gentle:

"Fusion takes time. You are now receiving a part of Da Lun De's thinking construction ability. If you succeed, you will become my thirteenth masterpiece."

He walked back to the window, picked up the intelligence again, and greedy light flashed in his eyes:

"Luo En La Er Fu, from a sixth-grade star waste to a qualified and even stable entry-level apprentice..."

Ao Li Fu reached out and touched his cheek lightly, where there was an almost imperceptible suture mark.

He walked to the other side of the room and opened an exquisite cabinet.

Inside were several glass jars neatly arranged, each containing a complete brain soaked in it, with strange runes all over the surface.

"That guy is definitely not simple, to be able to kill a mutated body that started to distort with just a wooden sword."

A trace of fanaticism flashed in Ao Li Fu's eyes: "If he really awakened some special talent, then... this will be the last piece of the puzzle for me to move toward a formal wizard."

A creepy smile appeared on his face:

"Patience, I need patience. Prey is always easiest to capture when they are most relaxed."

(End of chapter)