Chapter 40: "Opening the Door" Ceremony - Obligations and Rights

Chapter 40: "Opening the Door" Ceremony - Obligations and Rights

Luo En set down the booklet, his heart racing with excitement.

Reaching the rank of Mid-Apprentice from Novice within three years? For ordinary apprentices, this might pose an immense challenge, but for him—possessing a Professional Interface and Multi-Profession Bonuses—this threshold seemed effortless to cross.

He continued reading, eager to learn more about the Ascension Mechanism's intricacies.

"The Ascension Ceremony for Full Mages is known as 'Opening the Door.' Each candidate must complete trials and undergo the highly dangerous Cerebral Domain Activation Ceremony under a mentor's guidance."

"This ritual requires a specially crafted 'key' potion as a medium. The potion's formula is strictly confidential, known only to a select few professors within the School."

"I see", he murmured to himself.

This explained why High Apprentices competed fiercely—every candidate eligible for Ascension needed to fight for exceedingly limited resources and opportunities.

The subtle rivalry between Holt and Aolifu now made even more sense: both were high-ranking apprentices on the verge of Ascension, each desperately vying for the scarce Ascension slots.

The booklet further detailed the privileges and benefits available to apprentices of different ranks, leaving Luo En stunned by the dizzying disparities.

Elementary Apprentices could only use Public Laboratories with strict monthly time limits, while Mid-Apprentices could apply for exclusive research spaces. High Apprentices even gained access to Private Experimentation Towers.

In resource allocation, the gap widened dramatically. High Apprentices received over ten times the monthly Mana Stone allowance of Elementary Apprentices, and once entering the Backup Mage Sequence, this number would multiply again.

"So even here, class stratification is inevitable..." Luo En smirked self-deprecatingly. "But at least now there's a clear path upward."

When he turned to the next chapter—"Apprentice Obligations and Rights"—his expression grew more focused.

According to regulations, as an Elementary Apprentice, he needed to complete fixed Alchemy tasks and submit the results to the School monthly.

The specific quantities and types would be adjusted according to individual skills and specialties.

Additionally, he had to participate regularly in public area maintenance or take on Field Assignment Duties.

In exchange, the School would provide foundational living support and learning resources—accommodation, food, access to public facilities, and a small monthly quota of Mana Shard Fragments.

The booklet also highlighted that apprentices could earn additional Mana Shard Fragments and Academic Credits by completing extra tasks or providing rare materials, which could be exchanged for Paid Courses within the School.

"Paid Courses?" Luo En's eyebrows lifted slightly.

He quickly flipped to the relevant pages, discovering that the School's Paid Courses spanned a wide range—from foundational "Spiritual Energy Control Techniques" to advanced "Energy Conversion Principles", covering nearly every aspect of mage cultivation.

These courses were graded by difficulty, with prices ranging from several Mana Shard Fragments to complete Mana Stones.

But what truly caught Luo En's eye was the section at the booklet's end about "Mentor Guidance":

"Within the School's system, apprentices with mentors gained numerous advantages. Besides monthly one-on-one sessions, they could access mentors' research findings for priority study and might even participate in Spell Refinement Experiments."

"However, Full Mages chose their students extremely carefully, typically requiring apprentices to demonstrate extraordinary talent or provide rare research materials. Ambitious apprentices should strive to enhance their value to attract potential mentors."

Luo En closed the booklet, taking a deep breath.

"Ascend to Mid-Apprentice within three years and enter the Backup Mage Sequence", he whispered, repeating the goal.

With the Multi-Profession Bonuses granted by his Blessing, achieving this objective should be straightforward.

But the real challenge lay ahead—how could he stand out among countless geniuses and seize the precious opportunity to become a Full Mage?

Walking to the window, he gazed at the Black Mist Jungle outside.

The night ran deep, but the eerie lights swirling above the jungle remained clearly visible, like countless pairs of watching eyes.

………………

Inside a towering spire deep within the Black Mist Jungle, Aolifu stood by the window, holding freshly delivered intelligence.

"Luo En-Lalf has successfully passed the Elementary Apprentice qualification..."

His pale, slender fingers tapped rhythmically against the window frame as he calculated. "Months earlier than I anticipated."

The opulent room radiated an unsettling aura.

The walls were adorned with meticulously preserved human skins, each stretched to maintain their final expressions—some terrified, others pained, but most bore an incomprehensible emptiness.

In the center of the chamber lay a grotesquely stitched corpse, riddled with complex conduits and rune-needles. Parts of its body clearly originated from different individuals—the left arm extended longer than the right, the head-to-torso ratio mismatched, with rough sutures visible along its neck.

Beside it, a newly added experimental subject—Darend, fully mutated. His exposed cerebral tissue had been carefully removed and preserved in a special solution.

Setting the intelligence report aside, Aolifu approached Darend's corpse, gently caressing the massive brain tissue, his eyes flickering with unrestrained regret and fury.

"Look at this, Amanda." He spoke softly to another corpse beside him. "A perfect mutated cerebral tissue, ruined prematurely by that damned Luo En."

The Amanda corpse naturally offered no response, but Aolifu seemed unfazed.

"Everything proceeded as planned", he muttered:

"The Spirit Catalyst dosage was precise, and I ensured Darend would find the correct formula to experiment with. Logically, he should have maintained conscious rationality far longer."

His fingers struck the table angrily. "If not for that accursed Luo En's interference, Darend would have fully transformed into a complete mutation after his brief lucid period—an existence rivaling High Apprentices."

Moving to the window, his eyes gleamed with cold calculation.

"What a perfect plan—the foolish candidate apprentices would be paralyzed by fear, trembling in their rooms. When Holt arrived, drawn by the commotion, even he would be unprepared for the sudden emergence of a complete mutation."

His fingers traced the window frame thoughtfully. "If Holt fell severely injured or contaminated by the sonic wave attack, he'd inevitably fall behind me in the Backup Mage Sequence competition. And now..."

He picked up a syringe filled with dark red liquid, carefully injecting it into Amanda's corpse.

"Fortunately, the plan wasn't entirely wasted." Aolifu consoled himself. "At least now I possess Darend's cerebral tissue."

The corpse convulsed violently, eyes snapping open as its mouth gaped soundlessly. Its eyes burned with inhuman terror and pain, as if trapped in indescribable torment.

"Patience, Amanda", the gray-robed youth's voice remained eerily gentle. "Fusion takes time. You're now integrating fragments of Darend's cognitive architecture. If successful, you'll become my thirteenth masterpiece."

Returning to the window, he picked up the intelligence report again, eyes gleaming with greed.

"Luo En-Lalf—from a Sixth-Class-Star waste to a qualified, even stable, Elementary Apprentice..."

Aolifu's fingers traced his cheek, where a nearly imperceptible suture line remained.

"Such an unremarkable individual, yet he killed a mutating subject with just a wooden sword", he mused.

His eyes flashed with fanaticism. "If he's truly awakened some special talent, then... this will be my final puzzle piece toward becoming a Full Mage."

A chilling smile spread across his face.

"Patience... patience. Prey is always most vulnerable when they feel safest."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end