The Wizard of Truth: Starting with Analyzing All Things

The complete success of the Wailing Caverns quest, especially the destruction of the rare "Desecrated Core," caused quite a stir among the higher-ups of Darkmoon Academy. When Wizard Walter led his surviving but high-spirited team back to the castle with the spoils (mainly the few broken rubies and some priests' relics) and the remains of two fallen apprentices, they received a far more grand welcome than before.

The elder deacon personally greeted them in the castle square and delivered a brief speech, highly praising all those involved in the operation, especially Wizard Walter's valiant leadership and Rowe [surname unknown]'s decisive contributions to "Energy Structure Identification and Destructive Field Application." This time, Rowe's name was placed alongside that of a formal wizard, and he was additionally rewarded with a huge amount of contribution points, as well as the opportunity to enter the first floor of the "Academy Treasury" and choose an item!

**The Academy's Treasury**! It's an even more mysterious place than the library, housing all sorts of magical items, rare materials, and even some powerful inherited magical artifacts accumulated by the academy over hundreds of years! Although it's only one floor, it's enough to drive any apprentice crazy.

Luo Wei's name, like a drop of water thrown into boiling oil, caused a sensation throughout the academy. A **mid-level apprentice**, participating in two high-risk missions, playing a crucial role both times, and earning public commendation from the elders and the qualification to be selected from the treasure vault! This broke too many of the academy's conventions, attracting countless gazes of envy, jealousy, or curiosity.

After the award ceremony, Lowe was almost surrounded by a frenzied crowd. Many unfamiliar apprentices tried to strike up a conversation with him, some small apprentice groups extended olive branches to him, and even some of the usually arrogant **higher apprentices** gave him friendly (or rather, calculating) smiles.

Lowe was exhausted from dealing with the situation; he wasn't used to this kind of scene. More importantly, he keenly sensed that behind this enthusiasm lurked scrutinizing and calculating eyes, among which were undoubtedly spies from the "Grey Tower." He remained humble and low-key, politely declining all invitations and questions on the grounds that he "needed time to recover and reflect." He was eventually able to escape with the help of Barton, Lilith, and others.

He didn't go to the treasure vault immediately, but instead returned to his room in the apothecary workshop. The continuous high-intensity battles and mental exhaustion had left his body and mind in a state of extreme fatigue after the initial excitement. He needed time to truly rest, process what he had gained, and clear his mind.

Field's summons came sooner than he had anticipated. That very evening, Tina brought a message.

Stepping into Field's laboratory once more, Rowe could sense that the usually composed first-ring wizard's gaze had become more complex, tinged with admiration and an indescribable solemnity.

"Sit down." Field gestured to the chair opposite the lab bench. Unusually, the table was empty of experimental equipment, instead containing two steaming cups of herbal tea with a calming aroma. "Wald wrote a very detailed report on this mission." He pushed a cup of tea towards Rowe. "You've far exceeded my expectations, Rowe. The 'resonance theory'... is very ingenious, and also very bold."

"It was Master Walter and my teammates who trusted me and gave me this opportunity." Rowe took the teacup, the warmth spreading through the cup and easing his tense nerves slightly.

"No need to be so modest." Field waved his hand, his expression turning serious. "Your abilities and potential have already attracted the attention of the highest levels. This is a good thing, but it also means that you have officially entered the sights of some people, including... some who are not so friendly."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "The Gray Tower has been making a lot of moves lately. That woman, Elena, seems to be showing even more interest in you. In addition, there are some disagreements within the council of elders about how to 'place' you. Some believe you should be given special protection and trained as a secret weapon; others believe you should be placed under more systematic and stricter supervision to ensure your abilities and... loyalty."

Luo Wei felt a chill run down his spine. Indeed, fame didn't bring only benefits.

"This opportunity in the academy's treasure trove is what you deserve, and it's also the result of compromises by some," Field said meaningfully. "Make the most of this opportunity. Choose what's most useful to you at this stage, not what seems most powerful. Sometimes, a suitable 'tool' is more valuable than a powerful 'weapon.'"

He was advising Luo Wei to prioritize practicality and concealment when choosing items, lest he be caught in the crossfire of possessing a valuable treasure.

"I understand, thank you for your guidance, Master," Luo Wei said gratefully.

"Hmm." Field nodded, his tone softening. "You've expended a lot of energy on this mission, so the workshop will give you half a month off to recover and stabilize your cultivation. You have enough contribution points to exchange for a lot of resources, and you still have access to the first floor of the library, so you can use this time to reflect. As for the treasure vault, you can go there when you're in better shape."

Leaving Field's lab, Rowe made up his mind. He really needed time and peace and quiet.

For the next few days, he kept to himself, spending most of his time in his room or that secret dark chamber. He used his contribution points to exchange for a large number of spirit-nourishing potions and pure magic stones, and combined this with optimized meditation techniques to fully restore and stabilize his condition. The continuous tranquility field of the [Glimmering Moonlight Amulet] greatly aided him, allowing his recovery speed to far exceed that of ordinary people.

At the same time, he began to systematically organize and digest the gains from this mission.

First, there's the matter of knowledge. Personally experiencing and leading the destruction of a large-scale ritual site gave him an incredibly intuitive and profound understanding of the macroscopic construction of the "energy field," the connections between nodes, and the application of the principle of "resonance." This far surpasses anything learned from books. He repeatedly replayed every detail in his mind, especially the decisive "global resonance detonation," gaining new insights with each review. His understanding of the information on "field" and "energy flow" in the *Book of Truth* became even more thorough.

Secondly, there was the [Shadow Crystal]. He took it out and carefully placed it in a box reinforced with multiple purification runes. The cold touch and eerie whispers remained, but were firmly suppressed by the enhanced soul amulet and his more concentrated spiritual power. He didn't try to access its knowledge again, but the phrase "The other side of all things, the true scars" echoed in his mind like a spell. He realized that the power of the Shadow Well couldn't be simply summarized as "evil"; it seemed to touch upon some deeper, unknown secret of this world. This made his deciphering of the knowledge on the stone tablet even more urgent.

Finally, there's the question of defining his own abilities. He clearly recognizes that his greatest strength isn't immense magical power or powerful sorcery, but rather his "insight" and "control" based on the [Book of Truth] and his unique philosophy. He needs to further refine this path. He dedicates more energy to the in-depth analysis of basic runes and the training of precise mental manipulation, and begins to explore applying the concept of "resonance" to more subtle levels. For example, he attempts to optimize the production process of "secondary energy aggregates," exploring whether specific frequency energy oscillations can improve synthesis efficiency and purity.

His life seemed to have returned to its previous regular and fulfilling state, but the controversy surrounding him did not subside.

A few days later, Barton and Lilith came to visit him. Barton, thanks to his achievements in this mission, had received special attention from the academy, with significant resource allocation, and was expected to attempt to reach the level of **quasi-wizard** in the near future. Lilith, on the other hand, had made a new breakthrough in potion-making, seemingly gaining some inspiration from the mutation of the Howling Flower.

"Love, you'd better be careful lately." After a few casual words, Barton lowered his voice, his expression serious. "I've heard some rumors that the Gray Tower is still holding a grudge about what you did to them last time. Although they might not dare to do anything openly, they're definitely up to something behind the scenes. Marco, that guy, has been hanging out with some apprentices with questionable backgrounds lately."

Lilith added, "The academy isn't a monolithic entity. Some long-established apprentice families don't have a good impression of someone like you who suddenly rises to prominence and takes away a lot of resources."

Luo Wei nodded; this was all within his expectations. "Thanks for the reminder, I'll keep that in mind."

He gave Barton and Lilith several pieces of "secondary energy aggregates" that he had optimized as a thank-you gift. Both were surprised to sense the stable and considerable energy within them, but tacitly refrained from asking further questions and simply accepted them solemnly. Having gone through life and death together, they had built a trust between them that transcended that of ordinary classmates.

After seeing Barton and Lilith off, Rowe stood by the window, gazing at the gloomy sky and the towering wizard towers in the distance.

Peaceful days are probably numbered. He needs to make a trip to the academy's treasury. Perhaps there's something there that can help him weather the storm ahead.

Moreover, he had a premonition that the Gray Tower, or other forces lurking in the shadows, wouldn't give him much time to develop peacefully.

He must quickly transform this gain into tangible strength to weather even greater storms...