Chapter 97: Meditation Auxiliary Stone, Alchemy

That doesn't make sense. Didn't Andre say there were Magic Swordsmen and so-called "Corona Knights"?

Especially the Corona Knights, who are said to have combat power comparable to formal wizards. The knight path must be far more than this.

Luo En continued to flip through, hoping to find detailed information about Magic Swordsmen and Corona Knights, but the records of these two rare professions in the book were exceptionally brief:

"...Magic Swordsmen are considered an alternative breakthrough in the knight path, pioneered by the bloodline knight 'Abraham Silva'."

"When facing the bloodline limit, he created a brand new way of using power by introducing mental power into a specially made magic sword..."

"...Records of Monarch Knights are even rarer, considered to be the product of the perfect combination of special bloodlines and magic-fleshed bodies."

"It is rumored that only a very small number of knights who have awakened corresponding attribute ancient bloodlines and mastered the top breathing techniques have the possibility of embarking on this path..."

[Monarch Knight], a new term appeared, perhaps corresponding to the [Corona Knight] in Andre's mouth.

It seems that different types of top breathing techniques can complete corresponding advancements, and then they are collectively referred to as so-called "Monarch Knights" by wizards.

Interestingly, among those alien transcendent beings, the most powerful existence is also called "Monarch". I don't know if there is any connection between them.

But what made Luo En feel strange was that whenever the book mentioned the specific symptoms and consequences of knight deformation, the relevant paragraphs would come to an abrupt end, with obvious traces of deletion and modification.

"Why is the consequence of deformation so taboo?" He had doubts in his heart: "Could it be that the consequences caused by deformation are even more terrifying than imagined?"

The whole book emphasized how to prevent and control deformation from beginning to end, but almost never mentioned what would happen once deformation occurred, as if this were an unspeakable taboo topic.

"Like an incurable disease, irreversible, can only wait for death..."

Combined with the mental pollution brought by meditation methods, the transcendent path of this world might be far more dangerous than he imagined.

Thinking of this, he closed the book, his mood a little low.

Putting the book back in its place, Luo En had more questions in his heart than before coming to the library.

About the knight system, wizard promotion, and most importantly—the essence of deformation, seemed to be intentionally hidden, only left for those with enough permissions and qualifications to know.

………………

In the afternoon, he arrived at the teaching area on time to attend Eric's "Magic Circuit Optimization" course.

There were already more than a dozen apprentices sitting in the classroom, mostly low-level apprentices, and a few mid-level apprentices came to review the basics.

Luo En chose a seat in the front, took out the notebook he carried with him, and prepared to record key points.

Eric appeared on time as always, wearing a purple-edged dark gray robe, his expression focused.

"Today we continue to discuss the cross-optimization of magic circuits." He said straight to the point, his fingers outlining a complex energy network in the air...

Luo En listened with rapt attention, recording key information in his notebook from time to time.

Compared to the first course, he now had a deeper understanding of magic circuits, and the content Eric explained became clearer and easier to understand.

"Apprentice Luo En."

Eric suddenly called his name, his attitude significantly friendlier than toward other apprentices, "Please come up and demonstrate the 'Circular Circulation' technique we talked about last time."

Luo En stood up and walked to the podium, standing in the position Eric indicated.

This time he no longer had the confusion of the first time, but calmly closed his eyes, began to adjust his breathing, and guided the magic power in his body to flow along a specific path.

With his guidance, strands of weak but stable magic power formed a circular circulation in his body, and each cycle made the magic power purer.

"Very good." Eric nodded with satisfaction, "Please tell everyone your experience, what changes happened to the magic power after each circulation?"

Luo En sensed slightly, then opened his mouth: "Each circulation, a part of the impurities in the magic power will be screened out, and at the same time, the pure magic power will resonate with the circuit, making the circuit stronger and more flexible. This is like..."

He pondered a suitable metaphor: "It's like water flowing to wash the riverbed, both cleaning up the silt and making the riverbed smoother."

"Brilliant metaphor!" Eric clapped his hands, a look of appreciation flashing in his eyes:

"This is the core principle of 'Circular Circulation'. It is not just purifying magic power, but more importantly, strengthening the circuit itself. Persisting in this practice for a long time, both your magic power storage and quality will be significantly improved."

[Spell Construction Experience +1]

Luo En returned to his seat, feeling the envious and curious gazes cast by the surrounding classmates.

Clearly, his mastery of this course in a short period of time had exceeded the expectations of most classmates.

When the course ended, Eric called Luo En: "Your progress speed is amazing, faster than I expected."

He lowered his head slightly and lowered his voice:

"If you are willing, you can participate in a special test next week and skip the first phase of the course directly. With your performance, there should be no problem."

Luo En said gratefully: "Thank you very much for your recognition, Lord Eric. I will definitely prepare well for the test."

Eric nodded: "The test content will include both basic theory and practical operation. Especially the practical part, which requires you to be able to maintain stable magic power circulation under pressure. Practice more."

After leaving Eric's course, Luo En hurried to the third classroom on the north side of the fifth floor to attend Leah's "Mental Power Stability Technique" course.

Unlike the previous class, Leah's classroom focused more on practical operation.

As soon as they entered the classroom, apprentices were required to practice the stable rhythm output of mental power in front of a special crystal ball.

Luo En sat in his seat, placed his hands lightly on both sides of the crystal ball, closed his eyes, and began to try.

Soon, a pale blue light lit up inside the crystal ball. With the input of his mental power, the light gradually became stronger, but always maintained a certain brightness range.

"Not bad, Apprentice Luo En."

Leah stopped beside him, observing the state of the crystal ball with satisfaction:

"You have mastered the essentials of 'Constant Output'."

[Mental Power Stability Technique Experience +1]

When the course ended, Leah also extended an invitation to Luo En for a special test:

"Since Eric has already recommended you to participate in the test, I have no objection here. Your talent in mental power control is also impressive."

She took a small transparent crystal from the inside of her robe:

"Give you a little gadget, this is a 'Meditation Auxiliary Stone', which is a result of my minor in alchemy. It is not worth much magic stone itself, but it can help you better perceive mental power fluctuations. Practice more before the test, I believe you will perform very well."

"Thank you very much for your trust and help, Lord Leah."

Luo En took the crystal after expressing his gratitude, and then bid her farewell and left.

After leaving the teaching area, his heart was full of curiosity about the "Meditation Auxiliary Stone" given by Leah.

He had always had a near-obsessive desire to explore new things, a habit he had developed when he was a student in his previous life.

This small transparent crystal emitted a faint halo in the afternoon sun, as if it were pulsing quietly with life.

One must be wary of others, but his ability to identify medicinal materials was about to break through to the master level, and he now possessed basic identification and insight into other transcendent items besides medicinal materials.

The crystal given to him by the other party did not set any traps or dark hands, clearly it was indeed out of good intentions, and she just gave him a little gadget.

"Since I am already in the teaching area, why not go directly to the meditation room to try the effect of this crystal."

Luo En pondered, then turned and walked toward the registration office nearby.

The meditation rooms in the teaching area charged by the hour and had special magic arrays that completely cut off magic power leakage, one magic stone fragment per hour.

For the candidate apprentice period when he was once strapped for cash, this was not a small expense, but for Luo En who had already become a professional Potioneer, this little spending could only be considered a drizzle.

He took a magic stone fragment from the money bag at his waist and placed it gently on the tray in front of the registrar. The other party recorded the time skillfully, and then called an guide to take him to the meditation room.

The guide was a middle-aged man with a blank face. The sapphire badge on his gray apprentice robe indicated that he was already a mid-level apprentice, but he seemed to have been doing this simple work for a long time.

Luo En couldn't help but ponder, in the Black Mist Forest, how many mid-level apprentices like this were there, although they had survived the two rounds of elimination of the candidate period and the low-level apprentice period, they still couldn't see any hope of further progress, and could only spend their lives in such trivial matters.

Perhaps, this is the siphon effect of the Black Mist School as the top transcendent gathering place in the surrounding area, just like the strong siphon effect of first-tier cities on surrounding counties and cities.

Entering the meditation room, the indoor light was soft, the four walls were inlaid with low-brightness night light stones, and the floor was covered with a layer of thick sound insulation boards.

The air was filled with a subtle fragrance, which was a special incense specifically used to stabilize the mind, seemingly mixed with the scent of calming grass and winter dream flowers, making people relax involuntarily.

Luo En sat cross-legged on the meditation mat, gently placed the crystal in his palm, and closed his eyes.

After three deep breaths, he began to adjust his mental state according to "The Whisper of the Star Eater".

Unlike the peaceful and quiet feeling in the "Basic Meditation Method", the mental state guided by "The Whisper of the Star Eater" was more like standing on the edge of the universe overlooking the abyss of the galaxy hiding endless dangers, both full of awe and carrying a deep and unpredictable sense of danger.

Just as his consciousness gradually sank into that sea of living stars, the crystal in his hand quietly played a role.

"This feeling..."

Luo En was surprised to find that the crystal seemed to be able to capture and amplify his mental fluctuations, making those mental power lines that were originally blurry and difficult to distinguish clearer.

That feeling was like suddenly having a faint lighthouse when sailing in the dark night, although it was not enough to illuminate the entire sea surface, it could provide key direction guidance.

The star track runes required to be constructed by "The Whisper of the Star Eater" were much more complex than the "Basic Meditation Method", and often a tiny mistake would lead to the collapse of the entire rune.

But now, with the help of the crystal, he could grasp the direction of each rune line more accurately than before.

Inside the mental sea, those star-like mental powers condensed into threads, and under the drive of consciousness, depicted a complex structure similar to a double helix.

This process was still difficult, and every step required extreme concentration, but compared to the past, it had an extra bit of smoothness.

["The Whisper of the Star Eater" (Proficient) Experience +1]

The crystal effect was not particularly significant, but it did bring tangible help.

Luo En could feel that the runes he constructed were more stable and purer than usual, and the flow of mental power under the guidance of the runes was also smoother.

"Is this the charm of alchemy?"

He opened his eyes, looking at the crystal in his hand, a trace of new interest rising in his heart.

Although this auxiliary stone was simple, it let him see the infinite possibilities of alchemy.

Using suitable materials and technology to create transcendent items with specific functions.

This path of creation had the same effect as potionology, but it was unique.

Luo En closed his eyes, recalling the occasional words he heard in Lady Ailan's shop, as well as the alchemy information he learned from Andre.

Unlike spells that directly manipulate magic power, alchemy focuses more on solidifying magic power into specific media to create lasting and stable transcendent effects.

It originated from the exploration of the essence of matter, and in the long process of development, it gradually differentiated into multiple branches.

The most basic is alchemy transformation—changing the basic properties of matter through special alchemy processes, such as transforming ordinary metals into transcendent metals with special properties;

There is also alchemy construction—combining multiple materials together to create composite items with new functions;

And the most mysterious life alchemy—the forbidden art that is said to be able to manipulate the essence of life...

And among these branches, the most practical and terrifying in power is alchemy explosives—transcendent items that can erupt with terrifying destructive power in an instant.