The Wizard of Truth: Starting with Analyzing All Things

The journey back to Darkmoon Academy was far more arduous and lengthy than the way there. Barton carried Rowe, whose consciousness fluctuated between lucidity and confusion, while Lilith provided constant protection and support. The three of them practically stumbled back to the academy's north gate. The guard apprentices on duty, seeing their pitiful state, especially the terrifyingly chaotic energy fluctuations emanating from Rowe, were horrified. They immediately reported the situation and escorted them straight to Field's laboratory.

Master Field's face turned ashen upon seeing Rowe's condition. He immediately placed Rowe in the Fountain of Life and urgently summoned Master Walter (a first-circle wizard, an expert in elements and defense) and Master Rex (a first-circle wizard, an expert in mental domains), the memory weaver who had previously helped him.

Three first-ring wizards worked together to conduct an emergency examination and consultation on Rowe that lasted for several hours.

"Physical injuries and soul tremors are secondary; potions and the Fountain of Life are enough to stabilize him." Master Field frowned. "The troublesome thing is the spatial energy that has invaded his body; it's extremely strange. It's not simply a spatial cutting force, but more like... a highly condensed fragment of spatial laws, carrying the dreamlike and ethereal characteristics unique to the area around the Tower of Slumber, making it extremely difficult to remove."

Master Walter attempted to purify the space with fire energy, only to find that the spatial energy was like a slippery fish, completely unaffected and instead devouring and assimilating some of the fire energy, becoming even more active. "This thing is resonating with the abyssal mark within him! The two are intertwined, forming a malignant symbiotic structure that constantly erodes his spiritual power and vitality, and interferes with the intervention of any external energy!"

Master Rex's mental probing encountered even greater obstacles: "His sea of ​​consciousness is now like a mirror riddled with cracks, the resonance of spatial energy and the abyssal imprint distorting his perception and thought structure. Forcibly sorting it out is extremely risky; the slightest carelessness could lead to his consciousness being completely shattered or dragged into an eternal dream labyrinth."

The diagnosis was devastating. Lowe's condition was more complex and dangerous than anticipated. He was not only an injured apprentice, but had become a walking, highly unstable aggregate of conflicting energy.

Current status: Rowe (Late-stage Intermediate Apprentice)

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Injuries: Physical trauma and spiritual shock are within a manageable range.

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Core Crisis: Strange spatial energy fragments have infiltrated, forming a malignant symbiotic structure with the Abyss Mark, continuously eroding life and spirit, and severely interfering with energy manipulation and consciousness.

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Movement restrictions: Complete loss of spellcasting ability, confusion, requires 24/7 monitoring and treatment.

The only temporary stabilization method was for the three masters to join forces and set up a complex three-phase stabilization array around Lovi. Combining the energy of the Fountain of Life, they forcibly suppressed the activity of spatial energy and the Abyss Mark, slowing down its erosion rate and buying time to find a real solution.

Lowe was in a semi-conscious state within the magic circle, his body occasionally convulsing violently due to energy conflicts, his brow furrowed as if he were enduring immense pain. Lilith and Barton stood by his side, anxious and helpless.

Just when the team was at its lowest point, the "Starlight Resonance Beacon" deployed on the outskirts of the Tower of Slumber finally transmitted its first clear and continuous vibration!

Lilith always carried another miniature receiver with her. When the receiver suddenly emitted a faint but steady hum in the middle of the night, she almost jumped up.

"The beacon has been activated! The Gray Tower ritual... has begun!" She immediately reported the news to Master Field and Master Walter, who had just finished a round of consolidation training.

The two masters wore solemn expressions. The activation of the beacon confirmed the information brought back by Luo Wei and his companions: the Gray Tower was indeed conducting some kind of large-scale ritual in the Tower of Slumber, and it had reached a crucial stage.

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"We must stop them!" Master Walter, with his fiery temper, immediately ordered his men to attack.

"Calm down, Walter!" Master Field stopped him. "The Tower of Slumber has a unique environment, easy to defend and difficult to attack. If we rush in rashly, we may find ourselves on the defensive, or even be used against us by the environment. Moreover, inside the academy..." He lowered his voice, "the attitude of the Discipline Elders is still ambiguous. Elder Anderson seems to be waiting for more conclusive evidence. The power we can use is limited."

The situation has reached a stalemate. Despite knowing the enemy is conducting a dangerous ritual, internal constraints and a perilous external environment make it difficult to stop them.

At this moment, at the bottom of the Tower of Slumber, the ritual has reached its most crucial stage.

At the center of the altar, the chosen "vessel"—a boy with empty eyes and an unusually pure soul—was bound within countless shadowy runes. Master Elena stood before the altar, chanting ancient and blasphemous incantations. The suspended phantom of a dark heart throbbed violently, its connection to a distant being outside the tower growing ever clearer.

The immense abyssal energy was poured into the container through the phantom of the heart, and the boy's body began to undergo strange changes. Dark red veins appeared under his skin, and occasionally a glint of extreme greed and violence, not belonging to him, would flash in his eyes.

"Excellent... The 'Seed of the Abyss' is perfectly fusing... This vessel of 'Slumber Affinity' is indeed the perfect cradle..." Master Elena's eyes were filled with fanaticism. "Soon, very soon... a wisp of my Lord's will will descend upon this world..."

Outside the tower, the beacons deployed by Rowe vibrated more and more violently, as if emitting a silent scream.

At that moment, Luo Wei, who was in a semi-comatose state, was pushed into an unprecedented situation by the strange energy within his body.

His consciousness was not completely asleep; on the contrary, due to the intrusion of spatial energy, it became extremely sensitive and...jumping. He felt as if he were floating in the gap between reality and illusion, surrounded no longer by the corridor of memories, but by countless broken, flowing, bizarre fragments of space and dream remnants.

In this peculiar state, the gray stone slab in his arms, which had been silent all along, suddenly resonated with an unprecedented intensity!

The previously blurry runes on the stone slab lit up one by one, no longer about knowledge of energy circulation and field construction, but flowing out a large number of difficult, ancient fragments of information that pointed directly to the fundamental rules of the world! These fragments of information interacted in a strange way with the spatial energy in his body, as if guiding him to "understand" and "soothe" that violent spatial power.

[Synchronization rate with the gray slate has increased dramatically: 25%... 27%... 30%!]

[A large amount of information is unlocked: 'Analysis of Basic Spatial Structure', 'Introduction to Void Energy (Incomplete)', 'Anchor Point Setting for Dreams and Reality'...]

[High-purity fragments of spatial laws (contaminated with dream elements) detected within the subject's body... Attempting to guide and assimilate them...]

In a moment of clarity, Luo Weifu, in his dazed state, relied on the instinct of his "Analytical Heart" to subconsciously guide the rampant spatial energy within his body according to the knowledge transmitted by the stone tablet. Instead of resisting it, he began to... sort out and integrate it!

This was an extremely painful and dangerous process, akin to performing a microscopic spatial surgery within the body. But guided by the stone slab and aided by the three-phase stabilizing array, the originally raging spatial energy actually began to be tamed little by little, flowing like a stream along some mysterious trajectory, slowly merging into his spiritual power, his flesh and blood, and even the very essence of his soul!

Darkmoon Academy World Encyclopedia: Void Affinity

A rare talent or acquired special constitution refers to an individual's extraordinary ability to perceive, adapt to, and even manipulate spatial energy and void power. Individuals with void affinity often possess unique advantages in spatial teleportation, dimensional perception, and self-concealment, but are also more susceptible to backlash from void energy or attracting the attention of dangerous entities from the void. Acquired formation usually requires undergoing significant spatial upheavals or absorbing special spatial primordial power, a process fraught with peril.

After an unknown amount of time, when Luo Wei opened his eyes again with difficulty, he found himself still lying in the Three-Phase Stability Array, but the excruciating pain in his body and the tearing sensation in his soul had lessened considerably.

He looked inward in surprise and discovered that the strange spatial energy had not disappeared, but it was no longer malignantly symbiotic with the Abyss Mark. Instead, it had transformed into countless tiny, shimmering silver-gray rune chains, evenly distributed throughout his energy channels and soul structure, forming a peculiar balance. The Abyss Mark still existed, but it was enveloped and isolated by these newly formed spatial rune chains, its activity suppressed to an unprecedented low.

His strength level had not improved and remained at the late stage of intermediate apprentice, but his perception of the surrounding space had become clearer than ever before! He could even vaguely "see" the subtle folds and energy flow in the surrounding space, feel the operating trajectory of the laboratory array, and vaguely detect the unsettling spatial disturbances coming from the direction of the distant Tower of Slumber—that was the fluctuation of the beacon being continuously activated!

More importantly, in the process of sorting out the spatial energy, among the massive amount of information that emerged from the stone slab, there were several core runes that appeared repeatedly and were emphasized, which subtly echoed the clues of the "Source Codex" and the "Key".

That didn't seem to be the name of a specific item, but rather more like a symbol of... authority or interface! The vague idea conveyed by the stone tablet was: only by truly understanding and mastering these cornerstone runes that represent "stability," "composition," and "origin" can one access the so-called "source code," or rather, obtain the "key" to read the "source code"!

This remains a long-term and arduous goal, but the direction is clearer than ever before—to deeply analyze the slate and grasp the essence of space and composition!

"Love! You're awake?!" Lilith, who had been waiting, was overjoyed to see him awake.

Barton and the two masters immediately gathered around. After examining him, all three masters were shocked and incredulous at the condition inside Lowe's body.

"Unbelievable... the spatial energy has actually been assimilated? Although it can't be eradicated, it has formed a strange balance, suppressing the Abyss Mark instead?" Master Rex marveled. "This is simply a miracle!"

"Is it thanks to this stone slab?" Master Field's sharp gaze fell upon the gray stone slab that Rowe was still holding in his hand. They had noticed the slab's extraordinary nature long ago, but only now did they truly realize its value.

Rowe nodded weakly, not explaining much about the mystery of the stone tablet, but simply informing the master of his new understanding (simplified version) of the "Source Codex" and the "Key", as well as the continued activation of the Tower of Slumber beacon.

"The Gray Tower ritual is underway, we must act now." Lowe struggled to sit up. Although his body was still weak, his eyes had regained their former sharpness and determination. "My spatial perception has improved a lot now, perhaps I can be of help."

Master Walter looked at Rowe, then at Field, and finally nodded emphatically: "We can't wait any longer! Since the Discipline Elders are still hesitating, let's do it ourselves! I'll take a few trustworthy old buddies, plus you youngsters who know the situation, and form a strike team to raid the Tower of Slumber and disrupt their ritual!"

A bold and dangerous raid plan was quickly being conceived.

As for Luo Wei, the boy who had just crawled back from the brink of death, although his strength had not yet recovered, he became an indispensable part of the plan thanks to his newly acquired spatial perception and preliminary understanding of the knowledge of the stone tablet.