Under the dim glow of a lamp, the dark shadow of a mahogany round table was cast upon the surface below.
The four table legs stretched long shadows across the wall, like the limbs of some monstrous beast, bearing an ominous sheen.
Leilin stood before the table, his own shadow stretched long behind him.
On the red wooden tabletop, a bundle of black scrolls lay in silence. Upon the surface of the scroll was a pattern of a crow — and the crow seemed to have come alive, cawing continuously, emitting an unsettling sound.
"No matter what, I'll examine the contents first!"
Leilin steeled his resolve. "Even if it's a trap with tracking spells or something similar inside, I'll have more than enough time to escape!"
Even so, Leilin still gripped a freshly concocted Tirf Swirling Shield Potion in his palm.
Then, his expression turning solemn, he spoke in the Ancient Byron Language: "In the name of Leilin Farell — open!!!"
Caw, caw, caw!!! The black crow let out a burst of cries, its form twisting and writhing as numerous black lines reconverged, transforming into the pattern of a black skull.
Leilin pulled a red crystal from inside his robes and tossed it into the skull's mouth.
Crunch! Crunch!!! The black skull flew straight off the surface of the paper, devouring the red crystal.
Boom!!! After consuming the crystal, the black skull shattered completely. The scroll trembled and began burning from the bottom upward, emitting a green flame.
The green flame coalesced in the air, forming individual letters.
Leilin's eyes narrowed slightly — the green letters were written in a cipher that outsiders would be utterly unable to read, but he had studied the corresponding methods of encryption and decryption at Black Bone Forest Academy.
Beneath the green text was a vivid red seal. Underneath a name written in the Ancient Byron Language, there was also an image of a black serpent crawling out from within a skull.
"So even the Dean's seal has appeared — it seems the message is genuine!"
Leilin's expression shifted continuously as his eyes traced the green cipher text, his face alternating between light and shadow.
After a long while, the flames finished burning. The green characters vanished into the air, leaving behind only a pile of ash on the tabletop.
Leilin let out a long breath, then furrowed his brow tightly.
"They've actually issued a highest-priority command, ordering all apprentices in the field to abandon all current tasks and return to Black Bone Forest Academy immediately!"
"And the punishment has been set to an extremely severe degree — anyone who fails to arrive at the Academy within three months will be directly declared a traitor, wanted and hunted by the Academy's enforcement squad!!!"
"I'm afraid I'll have to go back," Leilin murmured to himself.
As for whether this might be a trap laid by his enemies, Leilin harbored no such concerns whatsoever.
First of all, he was merely a lowly apprentice — no enemy would go to such elaborate lengths for his sake. Besides, the Dean of Black Bone Forest was a legendary figure, a Wizard of at least the second rank or above. Even if Black Bone Forest Academy had suffered defeat, his personal seal would not have fallen into enemy hands so easily.
"Black Bone Forest Academy…" Leilin sighed, thinking of Mentor Guofate, Biji, Nis, and the others, wondering how they were doing.
His decision to leave in such a hurry back then had indeed been somewhat selfish, but his strength was less than an ant's compared to two academies, and he could think of no better course of action.
"I never expected that after three years, I'd finally be going back!"
Leilin suddenly commanded, "Chip, display my current status!"
"Ding! Leilin Farell, Third-Rank Apprentice, official Knight. Strength: 3.1, Agility: 3.3, Constitution: 3.7, Spiritual Power: 13.1, Mana: 13 (mana is synchronously determined by Spiritual Power). Condition: Healthy."
More than a year had passed, and the new formula of the Azure Potion had proven highly effective even for third-rank apprentices, pushing Leilin's Spiritual Power up by another 3 points.
But the drug resistance in Leilin's body had now reached its absolute limit — no matter how much more Azure Potion he consumed, it would have no further effect whatsoever.
Unless he could concoct some other type of Spiritual Power potion, it would be impossible for Leilin to continue increasing his Spiritual Power the way he had these past few years.
"After third-rank apprentice comes the realm of an official Wizard!" Leilin murmured to himself. "The gap between a third-rank apprentice and an official Wizard is a massive hurdle — far more difficult than advancing from second rank to third."
The higher-ups of the Wizard world seemed to deliberately control all information regarding the progression to official Wizard. Even with Leilin spending Magic Stones hand over fist, he had been unable to gather any useful content on the matter.
The harrowing scene from his last advancement to third-rank apprentice suddenly flashed before Leilin's eyes.
"The upper echelons of the Wizard world strictly guard the critical knowledge of Wizard advancement. No matter how talented a wandering Wizard might be, as long as they refuse to join them, they can never obtain the knowledge needed to advance — a means of suppressing the lower ranks and maintaining their rule…"
Leilin had experienced firsthand the dire consequences of this system last time. If it weren't for the Chip, he would have been dead long ago, not even bones remaining.