The Wizard of Truth: Starting with Analyzing All Things

The news of Harris's disappearance, like a stone thrown into a stagnant pond, sent ripples of unease through the Seventh Laboratory and the entire lower level. The Deacon sent people to inquire several times, but the disappearance of a mid-level apprentice did not seem to be a major event in Darkmoon Academy. The investigation quickly fizzled out after lacking clues, with the only warning being that apprentices should not go to remote areas alone at night.

The atmosphere of panic lingered for a few days before gradually being overshadowed by daily routines and the pressures of survival. Only Luo Wei kept this unease buried deep in his heart.

He absolutely refused to believe it was a simple accident or disappearance. Harris's disappearance was too coincidental; it happened right after he began to fear himself and might have obtained some "abnormal" information about him. Was it to silence him? Or... some kind of warning?

Either way, it meant that there was one, or even many, eyes watching everything in the academy from the shadows. This made his thirst for power reach an unprecedented level.

Field's recruitment was an opportunity, but also a sword of Damocles hanging over one's head. Without sufficient strength, entering that circle would only make one a pawn to be manipulated at will, or even an experiment.

He devoted all his energy to two things: using the darkroom to accelerate the production of "primary energy aggregates" and frantically breaking through the bottleneck of the **intermediate apprentice** level.

Inside the dark room, after dozens of optimizations and process solidifications, the production of energy aggregates had become relatively stable. Although the quality remained "inferior" and the success rate stayed around 70%, the output had stabilized at 2-3 aggregates per batch. Luo Wei strictly controlled the production pace and the receipt of raw materials to ensure that they did not attract outside attention. The accumulated energy aggregates were carefully hidden away as reserves for breaking through bottlenecks and for daily cultivation.

In his cultivation, he practically squeezed every last drop of time out of his body. The optimized meditation method ran day and night without pause, and the energy aggregate was consumed without restraint. He could feel that the spiritual power in his sea of ​​consciousness had reached its limit, like a container being constantly pressurized. The barrier leading to a wider world was already as thin as a cicada's wing, but it was just one final step away.

He knew that this was not merely an accumulation of energy, but a transformation of his spiritual essence. The biggest difference between a **medium-level apprentice** and a **novice apprentice** lies in the "resilience" and "activity" of their spiritual power. They can more freely construct and maintain complex spell models and begin to make initial attempts to project their spiritual power outward for detailed exploration or to exert subtle influence.

Late that night, all was quiet.

Luo Wei sat cross-legged in the center of the dark room, with several dull remnants of energy aggregates scattered around him. He had just swallowed his fifth energy aggregate of the day, and the pure (relatively speaking) energy exploded within his body like a surging tide, crashing against the solid barrier.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, the Book of Truth emitted a stable light, assisting him in organizing, compressing, and purifying this power. His mental energy was compressed to its limit, as if it were about to condense from a void gaseous state into a liquid state.

The pressure intensified, a tearing pain shot through his soul, and his consciousness began to blur. This was the most dangerous moment of the breakthrough; if he couldn't hold on, he would suffer mental damage at best, and at worst, become an idiot.

"Not enough...almost there..."

Luo Wei gritted his teeth, desperately guarding the last vestige of clarity in his mind. He suddenly swallowed the two remaining energy aggregates at the same time!

boom!

An even more violent surge of energy rushed in, as if it would burst him apart in an instant! But it was precisely this last immense force that became the final straw that broke the camel's back!

click-

A crisp sound, seemingly emanating from the depths of the soul, finally broke through that solid barrier!

The mental energy compressed to its limit underwent a qualitative change in an instant, like a river flowing into the sea, becoming more condensed, agile, and imbued with a unique resilience. His perception expanded outwards instantly; what he could previously only vaguely sense within a ten-meter radius now clearly covered an area of ​​nearly thirty meters! He could even "see" Pip's steady breathing as he slept in the adjacent laboratory, and "hear" the faint sound of insects crawling through cracks in the rocks in the corner.

Externalizing mental energy!

He's made it through! **Intermediate Apprentice**!

An unprecedented sense of power and control filled his entire body. It wasn't just his mental strength that had multiplied; he felt that his thinking speed, reaction ability, and even the precision of his control over the energy within his body had all improved significantly.

**[The main life level has been upgraded!]**

**Current Status: Intermediate Apprentice**

**[Mental Strength: 42.5 Standard Units (Continuously Increasing)]**

**[Computing power reserve: increased to 350%, 'Basic Spirit Extraction Method (Truth Optimized Version)' operating efficiency increased by 50%.]**

**The environmental monitoring area has been expanded to a radius of thirty meters.**

**[Unlock New Feature: Low-Level Energy Vision (Passively detects subtler energy flows and residual traces in the environment)]**

Luo Wei slowly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them before disappearing. He felt the surging power within him and let out a long sigh.

Finally, this crucial step has been taken.

He attempted to reconstruct several zero-ring spell models he had previously optimized. Almost instantly, the models took shape, becoming incredibly stable, and their power seemed to have increased as well. In particular, the [Miniature Blazing Flame] spell's flames, which danced at his fingertips, were no longer orange-red but instead had a faint pale tinge, and the temperature was noticeably higher.

The improvement in strength has brought greater confidence.

He stepped out of the dark room; dawn was approaching. He used his newly acquired **[Low-Level Energy Vision]** to quietly observe his surroundings. The world appeared different to him; magical particles floating in the air resembled tiny specks of light, and the walls and floor bore faint traces of past energy effects.

As he approached the entrance to the main area of ​​the Seventh Laboratory, his gaze inadvertently swept over the shadow beneath the hinges of the door. There, a small patch of extremely faint, almost indistinguishable dark energy remnant blended into its surroundings; were it not for his [Low-Level Energy Vision], he would have been completely unable to detect it.

This residual energy possessed a cold and obscure quality, unlike any elemental energy he had ever encountered. It was more like... negative energy or shadow power? Moreover, this residue was very "fresh," with its energy structure not yet completely dissipated, meaning it could not have been formed more than twelve hours ago.

Did someone come here silently when he broke through to the next level, or even earlier? Was it a passing butler? Or...?

Lowe's heart sank. He remembered Harris's disappearance.

He remained calm and started working as usual, but his mental energy remained highly vigilant, with both his [Low-Level Vision] and [Environmental Monitoring Mode] fully activated.

In the morning, Kyle arrived at the lab and was visibly taken aback when he saw Rowe. His face then lit up with surprise: "Rowe, you...you broke through?"

Lowe didn't hide anything and nodded: "Yes, Senior Kyle, we succeeded by sheer luck."

"Great! That's wonderful!" Kyle's face lit up with genuine joy as he patted Rowe's shoulder forcefully. "I knew you weren't that simple! Now that you're an intermediate apprentice, you can seriously consider Master Field's invitation!"

Luo Wei smiled but didn't reply. Instead, he asked casually, "Senior Kyle, were any people from the Deacon's Office here last night or early this morning? I think I heard some noise."

Kyle shook his head blankly. "No? I didn't receive any notification. Maybe it's just the patrolling guards? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I probably misheard." Luo Wei changed the subject, but he was even more certain that the residual energy was not left by any official personnel from the academy.

All day, Luo Wei familiarized himself with the power he had gained after the breakthrough, while secretly keeping an eye on the energy traces around the laboratory. The shadowy energy remnant never reappeared, as if it were just a mark left by a passing ghost.

In the evening, just as Rowe was about to return to his dormitory, Tina appeared again.

This time, his attitude was noticeably more serious. He had clearly also sensed Luo Wei's improvement in his cultivation level.

"Love, congratulations on your breakthrough." Tina's tone was calm, but her eyes held a stronger scrutinizing gaze. "Master Fields asked me to ask you what your decision is. He said that if you are ready, the workshop has a project that requires manpower to process a batch of 'Dragon Blood Moss' that has extremely high purity requirements. Perhaps you could give it a try."

The opportunity has presented itself again, and this time it is more concrete.

Luo Wei's mind raced. Breaking through to the intermediate apprentice level certainly gave him more confidence. Staying at the bottom was safe, but it also meant that the acquisition of resources and knowledge would be extremely slow, making it impossible to deal with potential threats (such as the master behind that shadowy energy). Entering the potion workshop, although riskier, was also the best way to improve rapidly.

Moreover, "Dragon Blood Moss"? He remembered it as a rather rare, violently energetic, and difficult-to-handle magical plant, usually used to make potions that strengthen the physical body. Master Field used it to test him, and the amount was considerable.

"Thank you for your high regard, Master and Senior Tina." This time, Luo Wei did not refuse. He raised his head, his eyes firm. "This student is willing to give it a try."

Tina nodded: "Very good. Report to the potion workshop tomorrow morning. I'll show you around." With that, he turned and left.

As Luo Wei watched his departing figure, he knew that starting tomorrow, he would step into a brand new, more dangerous, and more exciting stage.

He returned to the dark room and collected all the remaining energy aggregates. These would be his key assets in facing unknown challenges in his new environment.

Then, his gaze fell once again on the gray stone slab he had picked up from the pile of junk, which recorded ancient knowledge.

After advancing to the **Intermediate Apprentice** level, and especially after unlocking the **[Low-Level Energy Vision]**, he observed the stone slab again and made a new discovery. Beneath the grime on the surface of the stone slab, there seemed to be extremely fine, non-naturally formed energy patterns flowing very slowly, faintly echoing the complex inscriptions he had previously deciphered inside.

"The key... perhaps doesn't need to be sought externally." Luo Wei stroked the rough surface of the stone slab, a thought rising in his mind: "Could stronger mental power and more acute perception themselves be a key?"

He decided to try one more time before entering the potion workshop. He concentrated his mental energy intensely, like the finest carving knife, slowly infusing it along the subtle energy patterns captured by his [Low-Level Energy Vision].

This time, the stone slab did not remain unresponsive.

The subtle patterns seemed to activate, suddenly emitting a barely perceptible gray light, and the temperature of the stone slab rose slightly. At the same time, the Book of Truth transmitted a completely different message:

**[The system detected that the main mental energy has reached the minimum decryption standard... attempting initial synchronization with the encrypted inscription...]**

**[Synchronization rate 1%... 3%...]**

**[Acquiring fragmented information streams: '...Energy is not created...but follows the path...', '...Basic Rune Type Seventeen...Structural stability...', '...Boundaries...Non-boundaries...']**

Although the synchronization rate was pitifully low and the information obtained was fragmented and full of incomprehensible jargon, it was undoubtedly a huge breakthrough!

This stone slab truly requires sufficient mental strength to open! The knowledge it contains seems to point directly to the essence of energy and the foundation of runes!

Excitement gleamed in Luo Wei's eyes.