Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

The next morning, someone came to visit.

Ian scanned the area with his mental energy, somewhat surprised. "How could it be him?"

He walked to the door and opened it a crack.

A tall, thin man stood outside the door, wearing a dark brown robe with runes and a shimmering rune badge pinned to his chest.

Kevin, the rune wizard who bought his Tier 0 potion.

He is skilled in creating barriers and transmitting energy, and has a wide network of connections within the tower.

"Wizard Marcus," Kevin said with a smile and a slight bow, "I apologize for this intrusion."

"What's wrong?" Ian didn't move the door open.

"I have some news that I think might interest you," Kevin said in a low voice, "about the 'Sleeping Palace'."

Ian's eyes flickered, and he opened the door.

"Enter."

Kevin walked into the living room, his eyes quickly scanning the room before finally settling on the notes on the bookshelf.

"Sit down," Ian said, gesturing to a chair.

Kevin sat down, took a small wooden box from his pocket, and pushed it towards him.

"A small token of my appreciation to Wizard Marcus... I wish him all the best lately."

Ian opened the box.

Inside are three high-quality "Tranquility Runestones" that can aid meditation and stabilize the mind.

It's not particularly expensive, but it's very practical.

"Just say it." Ian closed the box.

Kevin rubbed his hands together.

"It's like this... My uncle works in the resource management department, and he revealed a couple of days ago that the Tower has begun to draft an exploration list for the 'Sleeping Palace'."

Ian stopped Kevin from speaking: "What's with the list?"

After Kevin's explanation, Ian understood what was going on even better.

Similar to Robert's report, but more detailed.

At least a level one wizard is required to explore the underground palace in depth.

"The selection process remains the same as before: internal recommendations plus performance evaluation," Kevin said.

"But this time it's a bit special. Deep inside the underground palace, we've confirmed the presence of a 'Void Anchor Stone' vein. Although the quantity isn't large, it's enough to make people envious."

Ian's heart skipped a beat.

"My uncle saw the exploration report with his own eyes. It contained an energy spectrum diagram of the underground palace, and the characteristic waveband of the anchor stone was very obvious."

Kevin paused, lowering his voice even further.

"Wizard Marcus, there will be many people vying for this."

Not only our tower, but also the Wither Council, the Crimson Court, and several neutral wizarding organizations and families will send people.

There are limited spots available, so competition is expected to be fierce.

"You've come to me, so just tell me what's on your mind," Ian said calmly.

Kevin looked at Ian with a strange expression: "Wizard Marcus, with your strength, securing a spot is a sure thing."

"If you go in, please bring me some 'Dungeon Ghost Dust'. I need this material to forge a magical artifact... Price is negotiable!"

"Let's talk about it after I get a spot," Ian said noncommittally.

"With your abilities, there's definitely no problem!"

Kevin slapped his thigh, then remembered something and added a sentence.

"By the way, the assessment is probably in three months. The specific rules haven't been announced yet, so get ready."

Ian's eyes narrowed slightly.

In three months, not to mention himself, Gaga's strength will also improve further.

After the battle in the Dark Hills and the consumption of a lot of blood essence, Gaga's strength has now been firmly established at the mid-stage of the first tier.

When combined with [Ominous Eye] and Shadow Travel, it becomes extremely effective.

"Okay," Ian said.

"Then I won't bother you any longer, Wizard Marcus. If you ever need anything from the rune system in the future, just let me know."

He walked to the door, then turned back and smiled.

"Honestly, you're quite the big shot in the tower now. A lot of old guys are asking about you, some wanting to win you over, some wanting to form an alliance, and some wanting to probe your background... Be careful."

"Um."

The door closed.

Ian sat back in his chair, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.

"Void Anchor"

……

In the afternoon, there was another knock on the door.

The sound was very soft but steady, three times, with even intervals.

Ian scanned the area with his mental energy and was slightly taken aback.

He turned and walked to the door, then opened it.

Alyvia was standing outside the door.

She was wearing the vice dean's dark purple uniform robe, her hair was neatly pulled back, her face was expressionless, but her eyes were softer than usual.

"Dean Alyvia," Ian stepped aside, "Please come in."

Elijah nodded and went into the living room.

She didn't sit down, but stood in the center of the room, her gaze sweeping over the notes on the bookshelf and the several drafts spread out on the table.

"Did Malena come looking for you yesterday?" she asked.

"Yes," Ian said.

"She got stuck on the witchcraft model, and I gave her some advice."

Alyvia hummed in agreement, took a metal tube from her pocket, and placed it on the table.

The cylinder is cool to the touch, and the emblem of the Shadow Moon Tower is engraved on its surface.

"Take a look at this."

Ian picked up the metal tube, unscrewed the cap, and pulled out a roll of parchment.

The paper was thick, with gold thread embossed along the edges. When unfolded, it was covered with dense text and charts.

The top line of text:

[Preliminary Exploration and Resource Assessment Report on the "Sleeping Underground Palace" (Top Secret)]

Ian looked up.

Alyvia sat down in the chair, her fingers tapping lightly on the table.

"The news spread faster than you thought," she said calmly.

"It's already starting to circulate among advanced apprentices and some first-level wizards."

Ian looked at the parchment in his hand. "Robert can't get information at this level."

"He really couldn't find out," Alyvia said, looking at him. "That's why I came to you."

Ian continued reading the report.

Ian continued reading the report.

The report is very detailed, mentioning the location of the underground palace, the predicted period of stability, the characteristics of its internal environment, and the identified danger zones...

Also, resource forecasting.

"Ancient alchemy laboratory...regular crystallization mining area..."

Ian read out a few keywords, which were similar to the information Kevin had given that morning, but in more detail.

Ian put down the report and looked at her.

Aren't you going in?

"I'm not going," Alyvia shook her head. "I'm the vice dean; I can't leave the tower easily."

She paused, then added, "Marlena won't go either. She just advanced in rank and isn't strong enough; going in would be suicide."

Ian remained silent for a few seconds.

"So you came to see me because you wanted to...?"

"Cooperation," Alyvia said bluntly, "or rather, delegation."

She took out a small leather bag from her bosom, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards her.

The bag wasn't tied, and Ian could see that it contained a large pile of high-level magic stones, as well as a few abyssal rune stones that shimmered faintly.

"I need you to bring something out for me," Alyvia said.

"Deep within the underground palace, there is a material called 'Sands of Time,' which will be helpful for my research into time-related magic."

Ian looked at the leather bag on the table but didn't touch it.

"It's dangerous inside, I might not go in."

Alyvia said with certainty, "With your current strength, there are no more than five first-level wizards in Shadowmoon Tower who can surpass you, and of those five, three are too old to risk entering the dungeon."

She paused, then added, "Moreover, you just killed three core deacons of the Withering Council. Although it wasn't explicitly stated, those who need to know already know."

Now, inside the tower, few dare to underestimate you.

Ian didn't respond.

Alyssa looked at him, her gaze deepening.

"Ian, the underground palace is an opportunity, but also a meat grinder."

All factions will send people in. The Withered Council lost the Raven, so they will definitely send even more powerful people this time.

The Crimson Court will also be present; they've always been at odds with Shadowmoon, so they need to be even more careful.

Ian considered for a moment, then looked up and said, "I will participate."

He absolutely must get his hands on the Void Anchor.

Alyssa stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed.

The smile was faint, but genuine.

"I knew you'd say that." She stood up from her chair.

"Keep these things; consider them a deposit I've paid in advance. I'll arrange the spot in the underground palace for you, but the assessment still needs to be done formally, so please prepare accordingly."

What are the assessment criteria?

"It's not decided yet, but it's highly likely to be a real-world application."

Alyvia walked to the door, turned back, and said, "Oh, by the way, thank you for your help with Malena."

"It was just a small favor."

"It's a small favor for you, but it saves her a lot of time."

Alyssa opened the door. "See you in three months."

The door closed.

Ian stood there, looking at the report on the table.

He walked over, picked up the report, and read it carefully again.

Especially the lines about the Void Anchor Stone Vein.

"...Located deep within the 'Twisted Corridor' on the third level of the underground palace, the energy reaction is intense, but the surrounding spacetime turbulence is dense, making detection extremely difficult..."

"...Suspected remnants of an ancient protective magic array, danger level: extremely high..."

Ian rolled up the report, put it back into the metal tube, and stored it in his dimensional ring.

The sky outside the window had completely darkened.

In the distance, the spires of several wizard towers lit up, like silent eyes in the darkness.