Chapter 137: Old Acquaintances

Chapter 137: Old Acquaintances

The afternoon sky above Black Mist Jungle hung heavy with thick clouds, allowing only faint sunlight to pierce through the dense canopy. Dappled light danced across the forest floor in shifting patterns.

Luo En strode along the stone-paved path toward the central tower of the School. Today marked his first session of "Advanced Elemental Studies" — an upper-level course.

Compared to Spiritual Energy Control and alchemy, elemental theory had always been his weakest subject, though he naturally resonated strongly with both light element and fire element.

"Hoping this course can patch my weaknesses..."

Luo En mused inwardly. Since his bloodline activation, his sensitivity to elements had indeed improved. But when measured against apprentices specializing in elemental manipulation within the School, his foundational knowledge still felt thin.

Passing through a grayish-white archway, he entered the seventh-floor elemental classroom. Its interior bore no resemblance to the basic course rooms:

Vibrant crystal stones embedded in the walls pulsed with colorful hues. The ceiling displayed an intricate circular diagram depicting elemental cycles. At the chamber's heart floated a massive crystal orb, its interior swirling with multicolored elemental mana resembling a miniature vortex.

Several apprentices had already arrived, most wearing Intermediate Apprentice sapphire badges. Luo En recognized a few faces — senior apprentices renowned for elemental manipulation, a couple even achieving High Apprentice status.

Choosing a rear seat, Luo En silently observed his surroundings. Within the School, he'd long adopted the habit of concealing his sharpness, especially when entering new environments.

As apprentices murmured among themselves, the classroom doors opened again. A silver-haired elderly woman in a purple-trimmed robe glided in. Her snow-white locks were neatly coiled behind her head, wrinkles etched like deliberate artistry across her face, while her eyes burned with rare violet brilliance.

"Younimage!" a student whispered in astonishment, instantly silencing the room. Luo En straightened his posture instinctively.

Youni's name wasn't unfamiliar to him. She was one of the School's Full Mages specializing in elemental studies, famous for her groundbreaking research on elemental combinations and transformations. Rumor claimed she'd even contributed to designing the Central Hall's massive Element Pool.

"Welcome to Advanced Elemental Studies." Youni's voice rang unexpectedly clear and melodious for her age. "I am Youni Seraphine, temporarily replacing my student Laila as your mentor for the next three months."

She approached the central crystal orb, raising her hand. The orb's elemental mana immediately reconfigured into more complex vortex patterns.

"All of you have mastered foundational Element Perception and control. Now it's time to delve deeper."

Her piercing gaze swept the room. "The core of Advanced Elemental Studies lies in understanding elemental essence and their interrelationships, not merely manipulating one or two elements."

Luo En took meticulous notes, hanging on every word. Unlike Soren's reserved and profound teaching style, Youni's explanations felt vivid and intuitive — filled with concrete examples and live demonstrations.

"Remember", she emphasized, weaving an intricate sigil above the orb with both hands. The internal elements instantly decomposed and recombined. "Elements aren't fixed entities but different manifestations of mana. Under specific conditions, one element can transform into another — this is the core principle of Elemental Transformation Law."

With a flick of her wrist, water element within the orb gradually heated up, eventually transmuting into fire element. While seemingly simple, Luo En recognized the extreme mana control precision required.

"For today's first exercise", Youni announced, "perceive the classroom's elemental fluctuations and map them onto this specialized paper. This tests both your perception ability and Spiritual Energy Control accuracy."

Elemental servitors distributed peculiar silvery-glowing sheets. Luo En felt subtle energy ripples upon touching his — clearly no ordinary paper, but a special medium recording spiritual energy impressions.

Closing his eyes, he focused his spiritual energy outward. His perception expanded, sensing various elemental mana flows:

Fire element danced like flickering flames, water element flowed soft as silk, earth element felt solid as mountains, wind element remained elusive as whispers... To his surprise, he also detected rarer elements — light, shadow, thunder — vibrating through space with unique rhythms.

[Element Perception Experience Points +1]

Opening his eyes, Luo En began sketching his perceived elemental distribution. His hand glided smoothly, channeling spiritual energy into the paper to form intricate elemental mapping.

An hour later, Youni collected the works. Stopping before Luo En's, her eyebrows lifted slightly.

"Luo En Lalf..." she murmured his name, scrutinizing both the paper and its creator. "Your Element Perception range is remarkably broad — you've even captured rare elements. Your depiction of light element shows exceptional precision."

"Thank you, Mentor Youni", Luo En replied modestly. "I naturally resonate strongly with light and fire elements."

"It's more than affinity", Youni mused thoughtfully. "Your Spiritual Energy Control precision is impressive too — crucial for elemental manipulation. Keep this up, young man."

The practical session followed. Youni guided apprentices through basic elemental transformations — water to steam, wind compressed into visible forms.

Luo En immersed himself, astonished by the striking parallels between elemental transformation theory and mana transformation principles he'd learned in alchemy. This interdisciplinary connection deepened his elemental understanding.

[Element Perception Experience Points +1]

After class, most apprentices quickly gathered their belongings and bowed respectfully to Youni before departing. Luo En noticed she remained behind, organizing materials. Remembering Soren's special guidance that benefited him greatly, he decided to take the chance.

Once the classroom emptied, he approached. "Mentor Youni?" he began politely. "I have some questions about elemental transformation..."

Her violet eyes sparkled approvingly. "Of course, Apprentice Luo En. In fact, I was expecting your questions."

"Expecting me?" he asked, surprised.

"You and Soren are old friends", she smiled warmly. "He spoke highly of your curiosity. Master Ai Lun recommended you as well."

Hearing Madame Ellen's name, Luo En's heart stirred. "You know Madame Ellen?"

"Of course! We were contemporaries back at Crystal Spire. Most of us old-timers in this School know each other well..." Her eyes softened with nostalgia. "Ai Lun had a special innate talent for alchemy, much like my obsession with elements. Though she chose seclusion at Herbal Medicine Shop, her academic prowess rivals — even surpasses — Magnus himself."

Indicating the seat opposite her, she invited, "So, what questions trouble you?"

Luo En organized his thoughts. "During elemental transformation, mana loss control seems critical. When water transforms to steam, heat dissipates mana. Is there a way to maximize mana retention?"

Her eyes glinted. "Brilliant question! This is indeed one of elemental transformation's core challenges."

She retrieved a small crystal from her robe. "This is a special alchemy item — 'Mana Anchoring Crystal'. It captures and recycles lost mana during elemental transformations."

The crystal shimmered with strange light. Luo En sensed its complex mana structure.

"Most apprentices focus solely on the transformation process, neglecting mana conservation importance", she explained, guiding mana streams with a fingertip. "True elemental mastery retains nearly 95% mana during transformation, while beginners usually retain only about 50%."

Pushing the crystal toward him, she said, "Take it. Since you're Ai Lun's student, consider this a mentor's welcome gift. The Mana Anchoring Crystal enhances your ability to perceive and capture transformation mana flow, significantly improving efficiency."

Luo En looked surprised. "This... feels too valuable, Mentor Youni."

"To me, it's just an unused relic. Knowledge and tools should flow to where they create most value", she dismissed with a wave. "I see your innate talent and work ethic. This crystal will serve better in your hands than gathering dust in my drawer."

"Thank you, Mentor Youni", Luo En said sincerely, carefully tucking the crystal into his robe.

For the next half-hour, Youni explained advanced elemental transformation theories and intricate elemental relationships. Far surpassing classroom content, Luo En devoured every detail greedily.

"The elemental world's complexity exceeds most people's imagination", she said, eyes alight with passion. "Foundational elements share a relationship I call 'Resonance'. Understanding this allows minimal-force elemental manipulation and combination according to your will."

She described a complex meditation technique purportedly helping practitioners intuitively perceive elemental resonance. Luo En meticulously noted everything, already planning how to integrate these teachings into his cultivation.

"Regarding your relationship with Madame Ellen..." Youni's parting words carried subtle meaning as they departed. "That stingy woman rarely shows generosity, even to old acquaintances. Yet she's been unusually generous toward you..."

"Madame Ellen has given me invaluable guidance. I'm deeply grateful", Luo En responded humbly.

"Excellent. Maintain that humility", Youni smiled. "After next week's class, feel free to continue consulting me."

Leaving the tower, Luo En felt unusually light-hearted.

...

Back at the Workshop, Luo En immediately practiced Youni's elemental meditation techniques. Sitting cross-legged in the training hall's center, he carefully placed the Mana Anchoring Crystal before him.

His "Transcendent Perception" ability confirmed no hidden traps — truly just a generous elder's gift. The crystal gleamed softly like a miniature star.

"Focus first, perceive surrounding elemental fluctuations..."

Following Youni's instructions, he closed his eyes, steadying his breath. As his spiritual energy extended, perception pierced material surfaces, revealing deeper mana structures.

Various elemental mana patterns gradually emerged within the Workshop:

Medicinal herbs on shelves emitted faint life-element ripples. The fire furnace's residual heat contained fire element traces. A water bucket in the corner held quiet water element currents...

Most captivating was the crystal's unique energy fluctuations before him. It functioned like a miniature elemental vortex — gently attracting and releasing surrounding mana in rhythmic pulses.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end