The Wizard of Truth: Starting with Analyzing All Things

The horrifying images conveyed by the stone slab were etched deeply into Luo Wei's mind like a brand. The forbidden experiments deep within the Discipline Tower, the shadowy matter intertwined with the abyss's aura, and the black information stones used as experimental materials… the fragments piecing together this picture sent chills down Luo Wei's spine. What purpose was hidden beneath Elder Anderson's seemingly just and impartial demeanor, his insistence on maintaining order?

A profound sense of crisis overwhelmed him like a cold tide. This time, the threat didn't come from the Gray Tower or the abyssal monsters outside the academy, but from within the academy itself, from the Discipline Tower, one of the highest governing bodies! He was like a rabbit who had inadvertently witnessed a tiger licking its wound; a single misstep would mean certain death.

Impulsiveness is the devil. Lovi forced himself to calm down. Directly questioning or confronting the Discipline Tower would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock. What he needed was absolute caution, patient lying low, and… a stronger ability to protect himself.

He kept this earth-shattering secret buried deep within his heart, revealing not a single word to Lilith or Barton. This wasn't out of distrust, but out of protection. The more they knew, the more dangerous it would be for them.

In the days that followed, Luo Wei's life seemed to return to its previous routine, but his inner drive was completely different. He no longer studied merely to acquire knowledge or improve his skills, but rather to have a glimmer of hope in the storms that might come.

He visited the third floor of the library more frequently, but his focus shifted subtly. He no longer confined himself to runic literature and contract theory, but began systematically examining all texts related to the history of the Discipline Tower, the biographies of the Discipline Elders (official revised edition), the principles of high-level sealing techniques, soul restrictions, and anti-prophecy and anti-detection methods. He wanted to sift through these ancient documents to find the possible threads, weaknesses, and means of self-protection within this vast organization.

[The Book of Truth] is being recorded synchronously...

**[Discipline Tower Organizational Structure Analysis (Surface Level)... Authority Level Speculation...]**

[Deduction of weaknesses in advanced sealing techniques (basic)... Calculation of the possibility of energy node overload...]

[Soul Restriction Type Library Update... Reverse Analysis of 'Heart Scar Potion' Ingredients (Preliminary)... Contains trace amounts of mental anchoring components, suspected to be used for remote location and status monitoring...]

[Introduction to the basic theory of anti-prophecy... It is recommended to prioritize mastering the techniques of 'information disruption' and 'presence diminishment'...]

The "Heart-Scarring Potion" contained monitoring ingredients! This discovery weighed heavily on Luo Wei's mind. Elder Anderson's "care" for him went far beyond simple regular reports. He couldn't refuse to take the drug, but perhaps he could, to some extent, "fake" the data the other party wanted to see by precisely controlling his energy flow and mental state before and after taking it? This required extremely subtle manipulation and a deep understanding of the drug's effects. He secretly noted this problem down, needing Lilith's help, but he could only reveal it in an absolutely safe way.

At the same time, his honing of his abilities entered a new stage. The potential of his Void Affinity Physique far exceeded expectations. In a tattered notebook found in the library, titled "An Initial Exploration of Void Perception," a hypothesis was mentioned: when one's perception of space becomes acute enough, it might be possible to capture not only images and sounds left in space, but also fragments of thought and traces of information, and to organize and weave them to a limited extent.

This coincided with his ability to perceive information from the stone tablet and Carlson's "Library of Sources" hypothesis. Lowe began to attempt more refined manipulation. He was no longer satisfied with passively receiving information, but actively guided his mental energy, like spinning yarn, to "sort out" the chaotic flow of information in the environment, trying to strip away interference and extract more valuable, coherent "information threads," and even trying to "weave" different fragments of information to restore a more complete "event imprint."

Darkmoon Academy World Encyclopedia: Information Weaving

A high-level psychic ability existing only in theoretical concepts. The caster must possess extremely high information affinity and precision in mental manipulation, capable of perceiving, filtering, interpreting, and recombining residual information traces in the environment to trace past fragments, see through illusions and disguises, and even weave convincingly realistic information illusions. This ability is extremely difficult to master and highly susceptible to information contamination or backlash, demanding exceptional mental fortitude from the caster; it is considered a forbidden, marginal discipline.

This process was ten or even a hundred times more difficult than simply perceiving. Each attempt was like threading a needle in a storm, immensely draining one's mental energy and making one easily overwhelmed by the deluge of information. But Rowe persevered, relying on the precision of his "Heart of Analysis" and the secret protection of the stone tablet. Weeks later, he finally made a tiny breakthrough—in a specific spot in the academy's ancient corridor, he could occasionally catch fragments of indistinct words spoken in hushed tones by an apprentice a few days earlier, and roughly determine whether the speaker was anxious or excited.

This ability currently has almost no practical value, but it represents a crucial step he has taken towards "information control." He vaguely feels that this ability might be surprisingly effective in dealing with the Discipline Tower's surveillance and investigation in the future.

Current status: Rowe (Late-stage Intermediate Apprentice)

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Strength assessment: The realm is stable, the spatial perception and information capture capabilities are moving towards the prototype of "information weaving", and the precision of energy manipulation has been greatly improved.

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Soul Status: The Abyss Mark has been effectively suppressed (requires continuous medication), and the user is wary of the monitoring effects of the "Heartmark Potion".

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Knowledge Base: Extensive exposure to theories related to the Discipline Tower, anti-detection, and sealing techniques, thus expanding one's knowledge base.

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Development priorities: Deepen information weaving techniques, master counter-surveillance skills, carefully investigate clues from the Discipline Tower, and consolidate existing strength.

Barton has fully recovered from his injuries. After surviving a life-or-death battle, his aura is more profound and his fighting spirit more refined, putting him one foot in the door of a quasi-wizard. He spends most of his time undergoing intensive training under Master Walter's guidance, preparing for his upcoming advancement. Lilith has successfully extracted some of the hallucinogenic components from the fragments of "Void Mirage" information and, based on this, has begun developing a new type of "Mental Interference Dust." She is also secretly helping Rowe analyze the components of "Heartmark Potion" (Rove provided a small sample under the pretext of researching potion resistance), attempting to find ways to circumvent or weaken its monitoring effects. Lina is immersed in researching the various strange materials brought back from the Shattered Star Mountains; her natural perception seems to have increased again.

The team members were all busy with their own tasks, but the core bond remained intact.

One evening, in a secluded corner on the third floor of the library, Lowe once again opened Carlson's notebook. Combining the images conveyed by the stone tablet—which appeared to show Carlson studying multiple information stones in the Metal Hall—he reread certain passages in the notebook and made a completely new discovery.

One page in the notebook contained a sketch in extremely messy handwriting of a complex network structure composed of countless rays and nodes, with a note next to it that read: "...Information does not exist in isolation; it intertwines, forming networks and flows... If we can find the 'nodes,' we may be able to see the whole picture from a glimpse... The 'Source Library' may have its 'index'..."

"Index?" A jolt went through Luo Wei. Did Carlson believe that the "Source Library" wasn't entirely chaotic and disordered, but possessed some kind of retrieval mechanism? And that the black information stone might be a "node" or "index" carrier in some sense?

This idea thrilled him. If he could find more similar information stones, or decipher the "index" patterns in existing information stones, would he be able to more proactively acquire specific knowledge from the "Source Library" instead of passively waiting for the stone tablets to bestow their gifts?

However, this idea is also extremely dangerous. The Discipline Tower is clearly also collecting and studying Information Stones, but what is their purpose? Is it for knowledge like Carlson's, or... for some darker purpose? Master Elena's whispers and the idea that "binding is hindrance" stand in sharp contrast to the Discipline Tower's facade of order. Is this also related to the Information Stones?

He felt as if he were standing in the center of a huge mystery, surrounded by thick fog, where every step could lead to a trap.

Just as he was deep in thought, a gentle voice sounded beside him: "Apprentice Lowe, are you interested in this notebook?"

Lowe was startled, but he kept a straight face and closed his notebook. He looked up and saw that his mentor, Harald, was standing next to him, looking thoughtfully at the notebook in his hand.

"Professor Harald," Rowe rose and bowed, "I only discovered this by chance, and I found some of the conjectures quite bold."

Harald picked up the notebook, flipped through a few pages, and a look of reminiscence and complexity flashed in his eyes: "Carlson... he was a genius, and a madman. Many of his ideas were too ahead of their time, even... dangerous. This notebook was almost destroyed back then, but I felt it was a pity, so I secretly kept it and put it here. I didn't expect you to find it."

A thought struck Luo Wei, and he cautiously asked, "Mentor, do you know Mr. Carlson?"

"I suppose so." Instructor Haral sighed, lowering his voice. "He was once the most promising rising star in the Runecraft Department, even participating in the optimization of some of the sealed runes in the Discipline Tower. But later, he became obsessed with the so-called 'Origin of World Information,' violating certain... taboos, and eventually disappeared. The official record states it was an experimental accident, but..." He shook his head, not continuing, and placed the notebook back in Rowe's hands. "It's fine to look at it, but don't go too deep. Some knowledge, knowing too much isn't necessarily a good thing. Especially, don't let others know you're overly interested in it."

Harald's warning was quite meaningful. Rowe nodded solemnly, "Thank you for the reminder, Master. I understand."

After his mentor Harald left, Rowe looked at the notes in his hand, his mood growing even heavier. Carlson was indeed connected to the Discipline Tower, and might even have met with misfortune because of his research. This further confirmed his worries about the Discipline Tower.

We need to be more careful.

He put the notes back where they belonged, deciding to temporarily keep them out of public view. Related thinking and research could only be conducted in a completely secure, dark room, using a stone slab.

As he practiced the art of information weaving and delved deeper into his study of the Tower of Discipline, Lowe felt as if he were weaving an invisible net. A net of information used to capture the truth and avoid danger. And at the center of the net was the unfathomable Tower of Discipline, and the "Library of Source Matter" that might connect to endless knowledge.

The storm was brewing in the shadows, and all he could do was try to make the net stronger and more secretive before it came.

He knew that the silent battle with the Tower of Discipline had already begun. And his only advantage was that, before the other side had fully realized it, he had already glimpsed the undercurrent hidden deep beneath the order...