Chapter 118

The early morning of the Black Mist Forest always carries a touch of gloom, with sporadic sunlight passing through the thick fog, plating the ancient buildings in a layer of hazy gold.

At dawn, Luo En stood on the workshop balcony, looking out at the morning glow of the Black Mist Forest.

The morning breeze brushed his cheeks, and he could clearly feel the huge changes that had taken place within himself.

The powerful strength of a Bloodline Knight flowed within his body, and among Chimera’s four consciousness cores, the dragon head representing the Crimson Blood Flying Dragon was continuously pumping scorching blood into his heart.

Three days had passed since he completed the bloodline activation ritual. During this time, he had been adapting to the changes brought by the Chimera bloodline and the Crimson Blood Flying Dragon ability successfully replicated by the first consciousness core.

Now, he could control the generation and retraction of dragon scales at will, and could even form a thin layer of scale armor deep within his skin without attracting attention, providing protection without being detected by outsiders.

"Time is up." Luo En said to himself, finally tidying up his brand-new dark gray robe.

This was something he had specially prepared for today; compared to the light gray of ordinary low-level apprentices, the color of this robe was deeper, symbolizing the upcoming change in status.

Ailan stood at the door, holding a small wooden box.

"Master, this is a gift I prepared for you." She carefully handed the wooden box to Luo En.

Luo En took the wooden box and opened it gently. Inside was an exquisite brooch in the shape of a leaf outline, with a tiny red gemstone embedded in the center, shimmering with warm light in the morning sun.

"I made it using one of my own leaves and a red crystal left over from the reagents you refined."

Ailan’s vines swayed gently: "I hope it brings you good luck."

Luo En was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected Ailan to prepare such a thoughtful gift for him.

He carefully pinned the brooch to his robe, right over his heart.

"Thank you, Ailan. This is the best gift." Luo En said sincerely, a warm current rising in his heart.

Leaving the workshop, Luo En walked along the stone path toward the central tower.

The Black Mist Forest was exceptionally quiet today, with sunlight casting mottled light and shadows on the ground through the gaps in the leaves.

Walking on the road, Luo En’s thoughts drifted to his recent achievements.

【Bloodline Knight】 had been successfully taken as a job. In fact, due to the attribute improvements generated by the double breakthrough, he already possessed the basic conditions to take on several other jobs.

"【Demon Hunter】 requires Constitution 2.5, now it is 2.7; 【Magic Swordsman】 requires Constitution 2.5 and Spirit 2.0, now both of these items have exceeded that."

Luo En calculated in his heart:

"But regarding how to perform magical beast organ stitching and 'Magic Sword Creation,' I am not very familiar with them and need to go to the library to find relevant information."

This advancement of 【Bloodline Knight】 also gave him an important revelation: use the synergy effect between jobs to create a positive cycle of attribute growth.

He could first take on branches with relatively simple conditions, and then use the attribute improvements obtained after taking the job to take on other branch jobs with higher attribute requirements.

This snowballing development strategy would allow him to make significant progress on every transcendent path.

"Once I advance to a mid-level apprentice and enter the candidate wizard sequence, I will be able to obtain higher permissions and find more detailed information about these jobs."

Luo En muttered to himself in his heart, his eyes flashing with expectant light.

Passing through a quiet garden, the central tower was close at hand.

This ancient building towering into the clouds was the central landmark of the Black Mist Forest and the most important administrative center of the school, where various important certifications and rituals were held.

Because he arrived early enough, there were only a few people queuing in front of the duty desk. A duty officer naturally wouldn't just handle apprentice certifications; they also needed to handle various miscellaneous tasks.

Luo En waited at the end of the line, waiting patiently.

An older male apprentice in front was actually also receiving certification. Judging from his nervous expression, this seemed to be another attempt after many previous ones.

When it was Luo En’s turn, he walked up calmly and handed over his low-level apprentice badge and various supporting documents.

"What do you need to handle?" A mid-level apprentice in neat attire asked, wearing a polite but distant expression on his face.

"I am here for the official certification of a mid-level apprentice, and by the way, I am applying to enter the candidate wizard sequence. I have already met the requirements for entering the sequence."

Luo En replied calmly, taking out the joint recommendation letter prepared for him after communicating with Eric and Leah, as well as last week’s weekly test transcript.

In addition to mental power needing to meet regulations, mid-level apprentices also needed to reach requirements in other comprehensive abilities such as spell construction, and these transcripts were the best proof.

The duty officer examined the documents, his eyebrows raised slightly:

"Skipping grades directly to the third-phase course? And recommended by Lord Eric personally?"

"Yes." Luo En maintained a humble posture: "I am fortunate to have gained the appreciation of Lord Eric and Lady Leah."

Hearing this, the other party used the alchemy items on the desk to confirm with his superiors before nodding to Luo En:

"Involving the candidate wizard sequence, my duty permission cannot handle it. Please follow me to the special certification room."

The duty officer led Luo En through the hall to a deep corridor.

Countless statues were placed on both sides of the corridor, each lifelike, as if they could awaken at any moment.

Luo En noticed that these statues included some creatures with strange forms, some of which were even difficult to identify as to what race they were.

"These are all important figures in wizard history."

Noticing Luo En’s gaze, the duty officer explained:

"Not just humans; any race, as long as they have achieved something on the wizard path, can leave their mark here."

Finally, they arrived in front of a door inlaid with blue gemstones.

The duty officer knocked on the door three times and then stepped back: "The certification officer is inside. Good luck."

"Thank you." Luo En nodded in thanks, took a deep breath, and pushed open the heavy gemstone door.

The interior of the room was unexpectedly simple, with no gorgeous decorations or complex ritual equipment, only an ancient oak table and a few chairs.

Sitting behind the table was a middle-aged man with a serious temperament, his gray-white hair neatly combed back, his face full of the vicissitudes of time.

Judging from the powerful magical fluctuations hidden within him, it was clear that he was an official wizard.

It seemed the school really valued these wizard seeds, actually having a dedicated official wizard responsible for this matter.

"Good morning, young man." The certification officer looked up, a flash of scrutiny in his eyes:

"I am Solon Griffith, one of the certification officers for the school’s candidate wizard sequence. Are you here for mid-level apprentice certification?"

"Yes, Lord Griffith." Luo En replied respectfully, handing over the documents:

"I am Luo En Ralph, a professional Potion Master."

Solon took the documents and read them carefully, his brow furrowing and smoothing from time to time.

"Interesting." He finally spoke, his gaze fixed on Luo En:

"You have been a low-level apprentice for less than half a year, right? Now you want to become a mid-level apprentice?"

"Yes, sir." Luo En responded calmly.

"Under normal circumstances, it takes at least three to five years to go from a low-level to a mid-level apprentice."

Solon’s voice carried obvious suspicion: "Your speed is a bit too fast."

This was precisely the questioning Luo En had anticipated.

He nodded lightly, his voice humble yet firm: "I understand your concerns, Lord Griffith. In fact, this is related to my special talent."

Solon raised an eyebrow: "Special talent?"

"Yes, I possess a special talent known as 'Potion-Body Resonance'."

Luo En explained cautiously: "This allows me to absorb potion effects more efficiently, especially those potions used to enhance mental power."

Solon’s gaze became sharp:

"'Potion-Body Resonance'... it is indeed a second-tier talent recorded in the 'Collection of Special Talents.' How did you discover you possessed this talent?"

"Initially, I just noticed that potions had a stronger effect on me than on my peers. Later, I conducted some comparative experiments with friends around me, and gradually confirmed this matter."

Luo En answered unhurriedly, neither overemphasizing nor being overly humble; his current level as a professional Potion Master was the best endorsement.

"Interesting, very interesting." Solon tapped the table lightly, seemingly thinking about something:

"This indeed explains why you have achieved such success in potion studies, but the speed of mental power improvement is also so fast, which is still surprising."

Solon pondered for a moment and stood up: "Regardless, we need to conduct an official test. Follow me."

He led Luo En through several corridors to a room shrouded in a magical force field.

In the center of the room stood a huge crystal, standing there like a mirror.

"This is the 'Star Mirror,' capable of directly reflecting a person’s mental power strength and quality."

Solon explained: "Please stand in front of the crystal and concentrate your mental power."

Luo En nodded and walked to the front of the crystal.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, concentrated his attention on his mental core, and then slowly released a stream of mental power, guiding it to flow toward the Star Mirror.

The crystal immediately lit up with a deep blue light, and countless star-like light spots appeared inside, swimming and gathering like living things, finally forming a bright ball of light.

"3.6-degree mental power strength..." Solon’s voice carried undisguised surprise:

"This has already far exceeded the entry standard for a mid-level apprentice, and the quality is quite pure, without obvious chaotic fluctuations."

He observed the ball of light in the crystal for a while longer, confirming there were no abnormalities, before signaling Luo En to stop the test.

"Conduct another spell construction test." Solon took a special crystal plate from a cabinet nearby:

"Please construct a triple-stacked spell model on this and maintain it for at least one minute."

Luo En nodded and took the crystal plate, concentrating his spirit again.

This was exactly the content he had repeatedly practiced in Eric’s course, and it was already quite proficient for him.

His mental power flowed into the crystal plate, beginning to construct a complex three-layer ring structure.

With the addition of the "Stability" characteristic, the spell model he constructed was exceptionally stable, the three energy rings perfectly stacked together, forming a harmonious and unified whole.

"Excellent control." Solon nodded approvingly:

"This level of stability is difficult to achieve even for some seasoned mid-level apprentices."

The test ended in exclamations of praise, and Solon took Luo En back to the initial room, signing his name on the certification document.

"Congratulations, Luo En Ralph. You are now officially a mid-level apprentice of the Black Mist School and also a member of the candidate wizard sequence."

Solon handed a light blue apprentice badge to Luo En: "This is your new badge, representing your identity and status."

Luo En carefully took the badge, feeling a faint magical fluctuation coming from it.

This badge was not only a symbol of identity but also a simple magic storage device, capable of providing a small amount of extra magic in emergencies.

"Thank you, Lord Griffith." Luo En bowed politely in thanks.