The Wizard of Truth: Starting with Analyzing All Things

Time seemed to freeze at that moment. Lovi stood by the window, all his muscles tense, his mental energy surging at an unprecedented speed. His information weaving technique, like fine spider silk, desperately tried to capture any subtle exchange of information between the two Discipline Tower deacons downstairs.

Fragmented thoughts rained down on his consciousness like hailstones:

"...'The Silent Heart'...the source of the fluctuations...confirmed to be this area..."

"...Suspected unregistered...alchemical items..."

"...Target person Luo Wei...Key person to watch..."

"...Elder Anderson ordered...a thorough investigation...and, if necessary...forceful detention..."

Forced detention!

Luo Wei's heart sank. It really wasn't a routine patrol! Was it because the fluctuations from the "Silent Heart" test had been detected? Or was this just an excuse, a pretext used by the Discipline Tower to launch an attack against him from the outset?

He couldn't just sit and wait to die! He made a decision instantly. To forcibly confront two deacons at the peak of the Advanced Apprentice level would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock. His only chance of survival lay in stalling for time, creating chaos, and waiting for a change in circumstances!

Without hesitation, he activated the other "Silent Heart" in his arms, sending a specific vibration frequency to Lilith and Barton, signifying "Highest Alert, Come to the Rescue Immediately." At the same time, he took a deep breath, fully activating the "Keystone Rune - Stability" to suppress the turmoil within him, and forced a slightly surprised and confused expression onto his face before pushing open the door and walking out.

"My lords," Luo Wei said, standing on the steps at the entrance, bowing slightly and keeping his tone as calm as possible, "what brings you here so late at night?"

The tall, thin deacon, holding a detection compass, had sharp, hawk-like eyes. He sized up Luo Wei and said coldly, "Apprentice Luo Wei, we have detected an unregistered, anomalous alchemical energy fluctuation emanating from this location. According to Article 3 of Chapter 7 of the 'Academy Security Management Regulations,' we need to enter your residence for inspection, and we request your cooperation in the investigation."

The burly, cold-faced butler beside him took a step forward, an invisible pressure looming over him, clearly wary of any resistance or escape from Rowe.

"Abnormal fluctuations?" Luo Wei frowned slightly, revealing just the right amount of doubt. "The student has been meditating in the room and has not used any alchemical items. Could it be... that the deacon's artifact has made a misjudgment?" He tried to offer a final explanation and stall for time.

"Misjudgment?" The tall, thin deacon sneered, his compass needle suddenly pointing towards Luo Wei's chest, emitting a faint buzzing sound. "The source of the fluctuation is on you! Hand over the items and submit to inspection!"

Before he could finish speaking, the burly deacon had already made his move! He didn't use any lethal magic, but instead made a grasping motion with his right hand, and several energy shackles shimmering with pale golden runes condensed in the air, shooting towards Luo Wei's limbs like serpents! This was the Discipline Tower's standard binding spell, the Shackles of Law, designed to capture rather than kill.

Darkmoon Academy World Encyclopedia: Edict Manacles

A standard confinement spell commonly used by the Discipline Tower's enforcement forces. It temporarily constructs an energy shackle using the power of the Lawful Contract, possessing an extremely strong binding effect and capable of suppressing the target's energy flow to a certain extent. The strength of the shackle is directly proportional to the caster's Lawful Contract cultivation, providing additional deterrence and punishment for violators. It is highly difficult to break, typically requiring energy far exceeding the caster's to forcibly disperse it, or a skilled Lawful Contract practitioner to reverse the dismantling process.

Just as the energy shackles were about to strike his body, a flash of silver-gray light appeared in Luo Wei's eyes! His information weaving and spatial perception, already elevated to their peak, allowed him to "see" the energy trajectory and weak points of the shackles a fraction of a second in advance! He shifted his feet, his body twisting at an almost impossible angle, narrowly avoiding the entanglement of the two shackles. At the same time, a barely perceptible spatial energy disturbance flicked from his fingertips, precisely striking a tiny point of stagnation in the energy flow of the third shackle!

With a soft "pop," the light of the shackles dimmed abruptly, its structure momentarily became unstable, and its speed decreased significantly.

"Huh?" The burly deacon let out a soft exclamation, clearly not expecting that Luo Wei could so accurately evade and disrupt his spell. Although the interference was negligible, and the shackles instantly stabilized and continued their pursuit, this slight delay had bought Luo Wei a precious breathing space!

"Sir! Why did you attack without even knowing the facts? What crime have I committed?" Luo Wei shouted as he darted and weaved through the narrow open space with his strange and agile movements (combining spatial perception and basic footwork), his voice infused with a faint trace of spiritual power, trying to attract the attention of other apprentices or instructors nearby.

"Resisting law enforcement is an even more serious offense!" The tall, thin deacon's face darkened, clearly not wanting to delay. His hand seals changed, and the detection compass floated up, shooting out a pale golden light screen that enveloped the area where Luo Wei was! Lawful Field - Slow! Wherever the light screen passed, the air seemed to thicken, and Luo Wei's movements instantly became sluggish!

At the same time, several legal shackles controlled by the burly deacon, like a persistent boil, converged from all directions, about to completely trap Luo Wei!

At this critical moment—

"stop!"

A thunderous roar exploded from afar! A fiery red figure shot towards the scene like a cannonball. Before the figure even arrived, a scorching and violent battle aura crashed into the pale golden slowing force field like a raging torrent!

boom!

The force field vibrated violently, cracks appearing everywhere! It was Barton! He finally arrived at the crucial moment! Moreover, the aura emanating from him... had clearly broken through that barrier, reaching the level of a quasi-wizard! Although his realm was not yet fully stable, his boundless battle aura and sharp momentum were far beyond what a high-level apprentice could compare to!

"Who dares to touch my brother!" Barton's eyes widened in fury, and his greatsword whistled through the air as he unleashed a powerful "Flame Slash" directly at the burly deacon, forcing him to remove his shackles and defend with all his might!

"Barton! How dare you obstruct the Discipline Tower's enforcement of the law!" The tall, thin deacon was both shocked and furious. He hadn't expected Barton to appear so suddenly, and he certainly hadn't expected his strength to have broken through!

"Enforcing the law? I think you're abusing your power!" Lilith appeared not far away, waving her hands repeatedly. Several bottles of potions of different colors shot like meteors towards the ground around the two deacons, exploding with a bang! Powerful paralyzing mist, corrosive acid, and anti-magic powder specifically designed to target energy shields instantly spread out. Although they couldn't cause fatal damage to the two deacons at the peak of the Advanced Apprentice level, they successfully disrupted their vision and casting rhythm!

Lina silently appeared beside Luo Wei, handing him a small bottle of potion that emitted a cooling sensation. "Take this quickly; it will relieve the suppression of the Lawful Words' force field!"

Team support arrived just in time! The situation was instantly reversed!

However, the deacons of the Discipline Tower were not to be trifled with. After a brief period of chaos, the two quickly regained their composure.

"Form the Lawful Words Formation - Imprisoning Cage!" the tall, thin deacon shouted sharply, quickly closing in on the burly deacon. Lawful Words runes lit up on both of them simultaneously, their pale golden light intertwining to form a semi-circular light shield that enveloped a small area including Luo Wei and his companions! Inside the light shield, the power of the Lawful Words increased dramatically. Luo Wei immediately felt as if he were sinking into quagmire, his movements becoming extremely difficult once again, and even Barton's battle qi circulation was noticeably suppressed!

"Hmph! A mere newly promoted wizard and a few apprentices dare to challenge the authority of the Discipline Tower!" The burly deacon sneered, forming hand seals, and more and more solid shackles of discipline instantly condensed within the light barrier, covering the four of them like a net from heaven and earth!

Barton roared repeatedly, his greatsword swirling wildly, unleashing a torrent of fiery battle aura that shattered the approaching shackles. However, new shackles kept appearing, and he also had to protect Luo Wei and the others, plunging him into a fierce battle. Lilith's potions were greatly reduced in effectiveness under the suppression of the Lawful Words Formation, and Lina's support was also stretched thin.

Luo Wei was anxious. His information weaving technique was almost completely ineffective due to the interference of the Lawful Words, and his spatial perception had become blurred. Was he really going to have to surrender?

Just as he was considering whether to risk using the power of the gray slate to fight for a glimmer of hope—

An immense pressure, far greater than that of the two deacons, descended suddenly like an invisible mountain!

The entire Lawful Words Formation shattered like fragile glass! The countless Lawful Words Shackles vanished instantly!

The two disciplinary tower deacons grunted and staggered backward, their faces showing horror.

In the sky, Elder Anderson's figure appeared silently. His expression was calm as his gaze swept over the chaotic scene below before finally settling on Rowe.

"Elder!" The two deacons quickly bowed and paid their respects.

Elder Anderson ignored them, looked at Rowe, and slowly spoke. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears: "Apprentice Rowe, you have privately developed and used unreported highly concealed alchemical communication devices, violating the academy's regulations. Your companion violently resisted the law, which aggravates your crime."

His words carried an unquestionable authority, and Barton, Lilith, and Lina all turned pale.

Lowe's heart was in his throat, bracing himself for the worst possible consequences.

However, Elder Anderson changed the subject: "But there's a reason for it, and you were all trying to protect yourselves. Besides, this thing... does have some ingenuity."

His gaze swept over the unactivated "Heart of Silence" in Luo Wei's arms, and a barely perceptible strange light flashed in his eyes.

"Given your special circumstances, the Discipline Tower may not pursue this matter further." Elder Anderson's words stunned everyone.

"However," his tone turned cold, "you may escape death, but you will not escape punishment. From this day forward, Apprentice Luo Wei, your 'Overseer's Contract' level is raised to level two. You must report to the Discipline Tower twice a month, and your dosage of 'Heart Scar Potion' will be doubled. Without permission, you are not allowed to leave the core area of ​​the academy, participate in any high-risk missions, or contact any unidentified individuals. All your research findings must be reported to the Discipline Tower first."

Level 2 supervision! This means tighter monitoring and less freedom!

"Furthermore," Elder Anderson said, looking at Barton and the other two, "you have helped them resist the law. You will be fined three months' worth of resource rations and confined for one month as a warning to others."

The punishment was severe, but far less severe than the imprisonment or demotion one might imagine!

Luo Wei understood instantly. The Discipline Tower didn't truly intend to completely suppress him, but rather to control him with even stronger shackles! What they valued was perhaps the "potential" he displayed, especially the alchemical (or informational) technology that the "Silent Heart" might represent! What they wanted to control was him as a person, and the value he could potentially create!

"Student...accept punishment." Luo Wei lowered his head, concealing the complex expression in his eyes. This was the best outcome at the moment.

Elder Anderson nodded, said no more, and his figure slowly disappeared into the air.

The two deacons glared at Luo Wei and his companions, but there was nothing they could do, so they turned and left.

The crisis has been temporarily averted, but an even heavier, invisible cage has already loomed over Lovi's head.

As the last rays of the setting sun shone down, they illuminated the chaotic scene and the somber mood of the four people.

Barton, panting heavily, slammed his fist against the wall beside him: "Damn Discipline Tower!"

Lilith looked at Rowe with concern: "Level 2 supervision... will make our operations even more difficult from now on."

Lina gently tugged at Lilith's sleeve and whispered, "That elder... his eyes were... a little strange when he looked at 'The Silent Heart' just now."

Luo Wei took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He touched the gray stone slab in his arms, feeling a slight coolness.

The shadow of the Discipline Tower loomed even deeper. But this also meant that his previous suspicions were likely close to the truth—the Discipline Tower had designs on him, or rather, on the "knowledge" he had access to.

The road ahead is destined to be even more difficult and perilous. But he has no way out.

"Let's go back first," Luo Wei said calmly, yet with a hint of determination. "At least, we're still together."

As night deepened, the lights of the academy gradually illuminated the scene, like countless eyes silently watching everything. But the real competition had perhaps only just begun.