CHAPTER 115: CHAPTER 105: RING ABYSS CONTINENT GROUP

Magnus chuckled softly and took out an ancient pocket watch from inside his robe, glancing at the time:

"Since it’s still early, I think we can discuss some deeper topics."

Ron was slightly surprised but quickly nodded in agreement.

"How much do you know about extraordinary organizations outside the Black Mist Jungle?" Magnus suddenly asked.

"Not much. Lady Allen occasionally mentioned some, but they were very brief."

Ron answered truthfully, his heart stirring. Clearly, this Elder Alchemist wanted to tell him something important, and it definitely was related to Lady Allen.

"So, have you heard of the Crystal Tower?"

"I’ve heard Lady Allen mention it a few times, and it’s recorded in some of the school’s books, but the information isn’t complete; it merely notes it’s a larger extraordinary gathering place than the Black Mist School." Ron recalled.

Magnus nodded, his eyes becoming distant:

"The Crystal Tower... It’s one of the most glorious wizard organizations on the Ring Abyss Continent Group, located in the Central Rich Lands, where the concentration of magic power is more than five times that of the Black Mist Jungle."

Ring Abyss Continent Group... Ron’s eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed the mention of a larger geographical term, yet it was not explained in detail.

The elder stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the mist-shrouded forest in the distance:

"In truth, the Black Mist School is nominally affiliated with the Crystal Tower, considered an outer branch. But due to geographical isolation, this affiliation isn’t particularly strong."

Ron mused: "Then why would wizards choose to come to the Black Mist Jungle instead of going to the more resource-rich Crystal Tower?"

"That’s a good question." Magnus turned back, a trace of appreciation flashing in his eyes:

"You know? Both Lady Allen and I, and many of the older generation wizards you’ve met here, were actually members of the Crystal Tower."

Ron’s eyes lit up; this information matched the vague hints previously given by Lady Allen.

Magnus sighed softly: "Young one, you’ve probably already started encountering advanced meditation techniques, so you should have a preliminary understanding of spiritual contamination, right?"

"Yes, Lady Allen told me it’s an unavoidable ailment wizards get entangled with during meditation and experimentation."

"More than just that." Magnus’s voice became even lower:

"The accumulation speed of spiritual contamination is directly related to the concentration of magic power in the surrounding environment. The richer the magic power, the faster the erosion of spiritual contamination."

Saying this, he pointed again towards the distance, roughly in the western direction:

"The concentration of magic power at the Crystal Tower is five times that of here, and the wizards there endure at least three times as much spiritual contamination during meditation daily as those here."

Ron suddenly understood: "So you and Lady Allen..."

"You’re guessing correctly. For us, who are already old and have no potential for upward advancement, the Black Mist Jungle is a decent place to retire."

Magnus laughed self-deprecatingly: "Of course, the more direct reason is that we failed in the struggles at the Crystal Tower and were marginalized."

Ron seized the opportunity to raise another query: "However, Lady Allen once mentioned something called ’Grace,’ saying it was a crucial method for resisting spiritual contamination."

"Oh... She even told you about ’Grace.’" Magnus nodded, affirming his speculation:

"You’re correct; Grace can indeed slow the accumulation of spiritual contamination, but even with its help in places where the magic power concentration is extremely high, the accumulation speed still becomes astonishingly fast."

He suddenly shifted the topic to something seemingly unrelated: "By the way, do you know how long the lifespan of an Official Wizard is?"

Ron shook his head; with his level of access, there wasn’t much information available in the school’s public records concerning Official Wizards.

"In the absence of a spiritual contamination outbreak, even the most ordinary Official Wizard can live for at least over three hundred years."

Magnus slowly turned around: "And those slightly stronger, or who’ve undergone physical modifications, can reach the limit lifespan of five hundred years, until their souls naturally decay."

This figure shocked him—a lifespan of five hundred years, enough to witness the rise and fall of a mortal kingdom.

"Of course, this is all based on the premise that spiritual contamination doesn’t erupt prematurely."

Magnus added, a hint of caution flashing in his eyes:

"Many wizards don’t live to the natural end of their lifespan but are instead consumed by their accumulated contamination, going mad, becoming aberrant, or worse."

After a moment of silence, Magnus’s expression softened somewhat:

"However, you don’t need to worry too much about these matters now. With your talent and Lady Allen’s guidance, your path ahead will be long."

After this reflection, he put down his teacup and shifted the topic: "Speaking of which, I’m organizing a small alchemist gathering in half a month. Are you interested in attending?"

"An alchemist gathering?"

This was clearly a chance deliberately offered to him to build connections and exchange knowledge.

"Yes, it happens every quarter, not large in scale, just a dozen or so like-minded individuals coming together to share recent research insights. Sometimes they also exchange some interesting recipes."

Magnus explained, looking at him with a hint of expectation: "For a newly advanced alchemist, this is a good opportunity to meet some veterans in the field."

"I’m very interested, Master Magnus." Ron immediately nodded in agreement: "I’d be happy to attend this gathering."

"Excellent, then let’s meet at Cedar Hall in the North District of the school, the afternoon of the second Wednesday from now."

Magnus nodded in satisfaction, his beard quivering slightly: "Bring some of your own improved recipes; everyone will be very interested."

A scrutinizing glint appeared in his eyes: "The magic potions you concocted for Trish were said to be quite effective; perhaps you could bring one or two samples to showcase."

Ron felt a shock in his heart; he didn’t expect Magnus to be so well-informed about even such trivial matters.

"I will be prepared, Master," he replied respectfully.

Magnus finished the last sip of tea and stood up, "I won’t disturb your work any longer, young man. I look forward to seeing your research results at the gathering."

His gaze lingered on the tree spirit in the distant corner:

"For an assistant, a tree spirit is indeed a good choice. Their perception ability of plants is a rare aid in magic potion refining."

Ron smiled slightly, "Yes, Ailan has already helped me a lot."

"Ailan?" Magnus raised an eyebrow, "You’ve already named it? Interesting. Most people just use them as tools, forgetting that tree spirits are intelligent beings as well."

The old man nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied with Ron’s attitude towards his magic potion assistant, "Treat it well, and it will reward you more."

After seeing Magnus off, Ron returned to the laboratory.

His gaze fell on the scroll on the table, Magnus’s gift—the formula for "Sunlight Essence."

Ron carefully unrolled the scroll and began thoroughly studying this precious material.

The formula structure was clear, with each step marked with precise amounts and timing; even substitutes for various materials were detailed, showing the meticulousness of the writer.

As the reading deepened, Ron’s eyes grew brighter and brighter.

This formula was more exquisite than he had imagined. Not only were the material choices thoroughly considered, but the timing tips for various configurations were also extraordinarily precise.

"So perfect that I can hardly improve it... Master Magnus truly deserves to be a magic potion professor from the Central Rich Lands."

Ron murmured in admiration, while a bold idea formed in his mind:

If he could combine this potion with the Bloodline Activation Potion he was researching, it might solve the directional issue currently faced.

The two potions theoretically had complementary properties—"Sunlight Essence" focused on activating the qi and blood and guiding positive energy, while the Bloodline Activation Potion concentrated on awakening dormant genetic potential.

"The key lies in ’positive energy’ as the guiding medium."

Ron muttered to himself, his eyes shining with a thoughtful gleam:

"Sunlight Essence can activate and enhance the positive energy within, which is precisely a fundamental characteristic of the Sun Flame Dragon bloodline."

He quickly grabbed a pen and jotted down this inspiration in his notes:

"Utilize Sunlight Essence as a guiding medium for the bloodline factors, precisely activating the bloodline segments related to the Sun Flame Dragon through energy resonance."

With a clear train of thought, Ron immediately picked up a pen and wrote a brief letter to Andre, telling him about his new idea.

"...This formula will help us resolve the unclear bloodline activation direction. I already have an initial plan, but we need to discuss the details. If all goes well, we might complete the first batch of samples within two weeks..."

After finishing the letter, Ron satisfactorily looked at the experimental items and notes on the table.

The day’s gains exceeded expectations; Magnus’s visit not only brought a precious formula but also opened a door to a broader network of connections.

As night fell, only a few candle flames still burned within the workshop, but Ron still did not stop to rest.

He picked up the ironwood sword and began his daily swordsmanship training, the wooden sword tracing graceful arcs in the air, emitting a slight whistling sound.

With his breathing body refining reaching a proficient level, his control over the sword was now incomparable.

Every move was as fluid and powerful as a flowing stream, as if the sword had already become an extension of his body.

He could feel the flow of energy within, shifting direction with the change of sword momentum, forming a unique rhythm.

But strangely enough, the experience points of Basic Swordsmanship stubbornly remained at the last point, refusing to break through.

[Current Progress: Basic Swordsmanship (Proficient 99/100)]

"Why can’t I break through?" Ron asked himself with a frown, putting down the wooden sword, the sweat on his forehead sliding down his cheeks.

He carefully recalled each sword form, each breath and movement coordination, and even every subtle angle of the wrist.

Every form, every move of Basic Swordsmanship was already deeply ingrained, with muscle memory so firm that he could almost complete the entire set of movements with his eyes closed.

Everything seemed impeccable, yet he couldn’t take that last step.

After thinking for a long time, Ron suddenly thought of a possible reason—lack of real combat experience.

Theoretically, the highest realm of swordsmanship was not in the moves themselves, but in the state of "Heart and Sword Unity."

That was an instinctive reaction forged between life and death.

And his training, although strict and systematic, had always remained on the formal and theoretical level, lacking real combat verification.

"But there’s no need to rashly seek life-and-death battles outside with demons or alien races just for a breakthrough..." Ron was caught in a dilemma.

After working hard for so long, finally becoming a professional alchemist within the school, progressing steadily in all aspects, he wouldn’t foolishly seek some life-and-death thrill.

"Let’s wait and see; there will always be a turning point. I’ll ask Andre about it tomorrow."

Next morning, Ron and Andre chatted casually about their recent circumstances, then went straight to the point, asking him about the difficulty in breaking through his swordsmanship.

"Well..." Andre pondered for a while, stroking his chin,

"If we were still in the Kingdom, we could ask those Sword Masters to give you a guided battle, but obviously, that’s not possible here."