Chapter 142 - 22 - 28

Meditation Technique

"I am willing!" Leylin hurriedly answered.

"That's good! Since these are the arrangements made by the school, I'll accept you as my disciple!" The middle-aged man stroked his beard.

"Although the environment here is quite ordinary, it's enough to let you undergo the initiation!" Kroft swept his eyes over the examination room. "At least it's very quiet here and we won't be disturbed!"

"What initiation?" Leylin had some doubts.

"The initiation of a Magus!" Kroft replied.

"Now tell me, Leylin, what is a Magus to you?"

"A mysterious person with the ability to call forth thunder and storms, manipulate flames and other forces of nature!" Leylin said the definition he knew of in Chernobyl Islands.

"En! However, it's a little off!" Kroft commented.

"A Magus is actually the title we give to people with power in ancient times. These Magi all learn the principles and how to control and manipulate the energy within. They are never ending in their pursuit of knowledge and truth!"

Kroft explained the definition of Magi to Leylin.

"So it is to say, the title of Magus is actually not limited to only humans!" Leylin had a better understanding now.

"Indeed! Other kinds of demi-humans, and even other intelligent beings have Magi existing among their kind, for example, a Magus of the sea tribes, or even a Dragon Magus!"

Kroft said, "Alright! Now let us begin the rites! Don't be afraid, it's very simple!"

*Clap!* The floor around Kroft softened, and transformed into a spell formation of sorts, and a strange energy came spreading from within.

The surroundings turned dark, with only the flame lit in the centre of the formation.

"Right now, give your hand to me!" Leylin stretched his hand out and a larger palm firmly clasped it.

"Abiding by the rites of ancient times, I will now guide you, Leylin Farlier, onto the path of a Magus!"

"Recite after me!"

"I swear! I will forever be in pursuit of the truth!" Kroft used an unfamiliar language, but Leylin understood it completely, and his mouth could not help but produce the same sounds.

"I swear! I will forever be in pursuit of the truth!" As it was a voice of a thirteen or fourteen-year-old youth, there was still a little immaturity in the voice.

"Without the permission of my mentor, I swear that I will not reveal any of the information my mentor passes on to me..."

Kroft continued to recite and Leylin followed suit, the two voices very soon eerily turned into one.

In the hearts of the formation, the flame suddenly grew brighter and blazed strongly….

"Congratulations on formally becoming an acolyte!"

After the rites, Kroft congratulated Leylin.

Leylin looked down at both of his hands. After the mysterious rites, it seemed like he saw the world in a different light, yet at the same time, he couldn't pinpoint the difference.

[An anomaly has been discovered in the brainwaves of the Host!] The A.I. Chip's voice sounded.

"It seems like there is a change in spiritual force, but I don't have any further information regarding this field, so I can only supplement it in the future!" Leylin said helplessly.

"The meditation technique in the crystal ball has already been given to you, right? Take a look at it when you go back, you can already absorb the information in it now!"

"Tomorrow, come here at six in the morning!"

"You can leave now, but remember! Don't wander around!" Kroft warned.

"I'll do as you bid! Mentor!" Leylin bowed, and then walked out of the experimental lab.

"Luckily I passed them earlier; otherwise, I wouldn't even know where the dormitories are located!" When he was following the shadow slave earlier, Leylin had already let the A.I. Chip start mapping the area. Now, there was a small part that was completed, and he knew the places that he had walked past before.

The areas with Magi are rather dangerous, and Leylin did not wish to suffer from any collateral damage from them.

After reaching the dorms, Leylin took the key out from the sack issued by the old man.

It was a heavy, black copper key, and it was labelled '783'. Right now, it was rather cold and vacant in the dorms. Leylin walked through the empty corridors, and his hair stood on end as he listened to the echo of his footsteps.

Following the room numbers, he found his room, "It's here!"

Leylin placed the key into the keyhole, and the heavy metal produced a click.

As the large door opened, the dark room automatically produced a flame, "They actually use the principles of Magi to invent a similar sound activation system?"

Leylin placed his belongings down and inspected the place in which he was going to live for some years.

The dormitory was a little small and was divided into three partitions, a bedroom, living room and washroom. They were actually self-contained living quarters, and there was even a new blanket placed on the bed, it looked prim and proper.

"The environment isn't bad!" Leylin sat on the bed and took out the things that were given by the academy.

"A set of acolyte robes. The A.I. Chip has detected that there are several spells cast on it, and the defense is even comparable to some of the leather armour around great stuff!" Leylin efficiently changed into the robes and pinned the acolyte badge to his chest.

This look was exactly the same as the grey-robed acolytes he had seen earlier today.

What Leylin did next was to pack his things, and do a cleaning of the room.

When he went out, the doors of the dorm beside him opened, and a brown haired acolyte walked out, "Hello! Are you a new acolyte? I am Bill!"

"Hello! I am Leylin, and I have just arrived today!" Leylin answered, and he just happened to have some questions, "Excuse me, how do I get to the dining hall?"

Hearing Leylin's voice, Bill's expression appeared as if he had expected it, "Right now it's pretty late, and I'm about to go there too. Let's go together?"

"I couldn't ask for more!" Leylin smiled gently, and closed his door.

"The dining hall is on level 3, underground, and everything there is free. Of course, you can fork out money and let them make a dish that you want to eat!"

Bill led the way as he explained.

"I am from the Poolfield Kingdom, and you?"

"Chernobyl Islands!"

"Heavens! So far! You have definitely suffered along the way, huh?" Bill was obviously a chatterbox, and Leylin managed to probe some information out from him.

Bill was the same as him, a new acolyte, and only arrived five days earlier than Leylin did. As for the whole of Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, the professors numbered close to a hundred, while the acolytes numbered over a thousand.

"Oh right! Who is your mentor?" Bill asked.

"Kroft, an alchemy professor!" Leylin replied.

"Alchemy? You're good!" Bill was seemingly startled.

"Is it difficult to learn alchemy?" Leylin was a little worried now.

"Not only is it difficult, the study of alchemy requires a huge amount of resources and ingredients. People who don't come from a good family background will rarely choose this! However, alchemists tend to make a lot of money after they have been certified!" Bill gave Leylin a regretful look.

"You must have been randomly assigned a mentor during the selection, and then duped by that python Spotty!"

"Oh really?" Leylin rubbed his nose.

"Alright! We're here at the dining hall now, take whatever you want to eat!"

The dining hall was extremely extravagant, and the food was more delicious than what he had on the dirigible. Everyone who sat here was also an acolyte, and there were no signs of a Magus.

After dinner, Leylin bid farewell to Bill and then returned to his room. He sat on his bed, with the crystal ball clasped in his hands.

"I can finally start practising as a Magus!"

Leylin stroked the crystal ball, his eyes gradually turned hazy, and his nostrils flared.

[A data interface has been discovered, start transmitting or not?] The A.I. Chip's voice sounded.

"Begin!" At Leylin's command, an acute pain entered his brain, as if someone filled it with lead.

"This is... " Leylin grabbed his head, and discovered that many images and words appeared in his brain along with the pain, and the first line was: "Elementary Meditation Technique!"

This information appeared out of nowhere and was firmly imprinted in Leylin's mind.

After some time, Leylin finally recovered from the pain, but he was still feeling groggy.

"A.I. Chip, defragment the data for the elementary meditation technique!"

[Beep! Task established, beginning defragmentation!]

A blue interface started to flicker in front of Leylin's eyes.

[Beep! The data has been defragmented. 21.3% of miscellaneous information has been removed, begin to transmit?"

"Transmit!" Leylin ordered.

With the continuous transmission from the A.I. Chip, Leylin began to gain an understanding of the elementary meditation technique for acolytes.

Elementary meditation techniques are, as their name implies, special meditation techniques given to acolytes, and are the most basic of techniques. After many years of modification, they have already reached a nearly perfect stage, and the content of the elementary meditation techniques from the various academies did not differ by much.

To be specific, they are similar to the visualisation techniques from his previous world. An acolyte draws mind runes inside their mind to increase their spiritual force, and as they draw more mind runes, their spiritual force grows stronger.

Every Magi liked to record all the precise details and processes down.

In regards to acolytes, they have divided the practice into three levels: level 1 acolyte, level 2 acolyte, and level 3 acolyte.

As for the division between levels, it is seen through the progression of the elementary meditation technique.

When one has the ability to meditate with 8 runes, they have passed the criteria for a level 1 acolyte. Being able to meditate with 24 runes is the sign of a level 2 acolyte. As for level 3 acolytes, there seemed to be other conditions needed.

As for the meditation progress, it is closely related to a Magus' aptitude.

"In regards to meditation practice, the superiority of a fifth-grade acolyte is extremely obvious; they can become a level 1 acolyte in only five to six days. No wonder Jayden, who was a regular human before boarding the dirigible, was able to use a magic artifact in just half a month's time."

As for a fourth-grade acolyte, the time needed to become a level 1 acolyte is approximately fifteen to twenty days. Third-grade acolytes will need a month's time; second-grade acolytes will need half a year, and first-grade acolytes will need several years!"

"This difficulty in progressing will only increase when ascending to level 2 acolyte and level 3 acolyte, hence is it understandable for professors to favour acolytes with high aptitudes. After all, maybe one can receive the remuneration of a proper Magus in a dozen years, with just a little more effort put in now!"

[An independent file has been created for the meditation technique data, analyse or not?] The A.I. Chip prompted with a window.

"Begin analysing!"

[In the process of analysing! Progress: 0.11%] The A.I. Chip showed the current state.

"This crystal ball seems to input the information directly into the acolytes' brains, but the method is a little too crude and it does not care if you remember it completely or not. But the A.I. Chip is able to defragment and store it directly in the memory bank, and is even able to aid by analysing the process!"

Leylin indifferently compared the differences between the two.

Within The Academy Compounds

"Tick Tock! Tick Tock!"

The hands of the bronze clock in the room swivelled around once more, as another hour passed.

[The first mind rune has been analysed, start transmitting or not?] The A.I. Chip prompted.

"Has it finally been analysed? Begin transmission!"

In this period of time, Leylin had also been studying the blueprints of the meditation technique, but it was to no avail.

The mind rune appeared as a 3D image and the patterns inside were extremely complicated, with no room for errors.

To display this image in book form, not only would the author need to have outstanding training in the fine arts, but the reader's comprehension skills would also be put to the test.

Leylin estimated that regular acolytes would need to spend a good number of days to even begin to understand a single mind rune, before starting to construct them in their brains. However, with the A.I. Chip, it was done in a matter of hours.

"This pace may very well be comparable to a fourth or fifth-grade acolyte!" Leylin estimated.

After the A.I. Chip's transmission, Leylin had already completely comprehended the structure of the first mind rune. It was in the shape of an 'A', without the horizontal line in the middle, and was filled with patterns and helixes, making one dizzy the more they looked at it.

"To begin the meditation, I must first have peace of mind and imagine a serene lake..."

Leylin slowly closed his eyes.

In the dimly lit room, the youth sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, as if he was in a slumber.

After an unknown period of time, there were a few spots of lights flickering in the youth's surroundings. They entered the body of the youth, and very soon they disappeared.

Leylin's eyelids fluttered, and he opened his eyes.

"So tiring! It seems like the meditation technique and a Knight's breathing technique is the same, there is a time limit! A.I. Chip! Check my body's status!"

[Beep! Scanning the Host's body!] [The Host's brain cells have been stimulated, and all of the cells in the body have increased in activity as a whole!] [Beep! The Host's vitality has increased by 0.05!] [Oh... Meditation techniques, there's no doubt that they are cultivation techniques for Magi. I can feel that the key purpose of this meditation technique is to increase the spiritual force, and the increase in vitality is only an added benefit."

"The spiritual force affects my stats! After practicing the meditation technique, my vitality has actually started to exceed my previous limit!" Leylin's expression was complex, and there was an indescribable joy in his heart.

"According to the introduction in the data, sleeping right after meditation will provide the most optimal effects!"

Leylin stripped his outer robes, laid on the bed, and then entered into a deep sleep.

[Beep Beep! The alarm is ringing!] The A.I. Chip's voice rang and brought Leylin out from his sleep.

"It is already the time that I set my alarm for, time really passes quickly!" Leylin stretched lazily and saw that the clock showed the time as 5:30.

"I'd better hurry up and tidy up! I still need to see mentor Kroft!" Leylin washed up quickly, went to the dining hall and gobbled down a bread for his breakfast, and then rushed to the experiment lab from yesterday.

"Good morning Sir!" Leylin greeted.

He noticed a female acolyte beside the white haired Kroft. She had fine curves and looked beautiful, and seemed to be another apprentice of the professor.

"Hm? You attempted the meditation technique?" Kroft furrowed his brows, "How did it feel?"

"My head ached, and I felt a little dizzy!"

"This is a common aftereffect of the transmission from the memory crystal ball; you just need to get more rest during this period!" Kroft said.

"Come, let me introduce you! This is Bicky, my other apprentice. This is Leylin, the new acolyte from yesterday!"

"Hi!" Bicky bowed, giving a virtuous greeting.

"Hello!" Leylin placed his right arm on his chest and displayed the elegance of a noble.

"Bicky is your senior, besides her, you also have another senior called Merlin. His Potioneering skills are excellent!" Kroft said to Leylin.

"Merlin has been called a once-in-a-century genius of Potioneering, and is regarded as the most likely successor of our mentor!" Bicky added.

"Haha! Indeed! Merlin has shown outstanding talent in Potioneering! If there is anything you don't understand, you may seek his help!" Once he mentioned Merlin, Kroft's face revealed a smile, and he seemed extremely satisfied with that student of his.

"So Leylin, are you familiar with my rules?"

"I have seen them when going through the professor requirements during the selection of mentors!" Leylin nodded.

"Okay! From now on, you have to come here every day and help with the cleaning up, but you may go listen to the free lessons during breaks! As for the benefit of being under me, which is receiving information on a topic, you can choose and ask me after learning the basics!"

Kroft said.

"Thank you, Sir!" Leylin hurriedly bowed. Right now, he had no inkling whatsoever about the Magus world, so even if Kroft wanted him to choose, he would not know which was best. It was only right to choose at a later time when he could reap the most benefits.

"Right now, I will give both of you half a day's break. Let Bicky accompany and show you around the academy. Bicky, tell him about the few restrictions!"

"Yes!" Leylin and Bicky nodded their heads and left the laboratory.

"This is the residence of the professors, acolytes usually aren't allowed to enter...This is the trading post, where acolytes can make transactions with others. And here, we have the mission area. The different missions and levels will be written on this stone wall. acolytes can complete these missions and obtain contribution points and magic crystals!"

Bicky's voice was extremely pleasing to the ears, and she was beautiful too. Her personality was also lively. Leylin's mood improved a lot by spending time with her.

The two of them strolled through the academy. It was mostly Bicky leading Leylin around, as she spoke of a few places and restrictions along the way.

Unknowingly, the two of them walked into a garden.

"Fayle, well done!" "Good, once more!"

The sound of voices caught Leylin's attention. In the middle of the garden, a group of acolytes were standing around a large, sturdily-built youth and chatting continuously.

In the centre of the crowd was a youth with a bright silver hair, with dark green eyes, and he seemed to have some sort of strange charisma.

"That is senior Fayle. He's a genius; he became a level 2 acolyte just half a year after entering the academy!" Bicky's eyes were widened, and her face shone radiantly as she muttered.

"This expression? It seems like Bicky has a good impression of this Fayle!" Leylin rubbed his nose.

"Bicky! Bicky!"

"Ah...What is it?" Only after Leylin called out to her several times did Bicky avert her gaze. At this moment, her face was a little flushed.

"Oh! I wanted to ask, why are there so many plants here underground!"

Leylin sniffed a red flower; the flower had a strong fragrance.

"There are huge patches of sunlight moss on the roof of the gardens, and these mosses can emit a light similar to sunrays, hence plants can also grow underground in here."

Bicky explained.

"Oh!" Leylin nodded his head and wondered if he should come here more often in the future to bask in the sunlight since being exposed to more sunlight was not bad for a person after all.

Seeing Bicky's reluctance to leave, Leylin purposely pretended to have a strong interest in the garden, until Fayle and the others left.

Only, Bicky would only glance at Fayle secretly, although she did not muster any courage to walk up to greet him even after such a long while. This made Leylin roll his eyes, as Bicky's attitude towards romance can be considered rare in this academy.

"The academic area will often post the following day's class schedule, and there are many free and public lessons to choose from. As a newbie, you cannot afford to miss these!"

After leaving the garden, Bicky brought Leylin to the academic area, and pointed to a large wooden board. In front of it were many other acolytes who were taking down notes.

"Free public lessons? That means there are lessons which one must pay for?" Leylin asked.

"That's right! There are lessons which have fees, and many advanced topics charge 1 magic crystal for 10 lessons. Although they are much better than public lessons, they are still somewhat inferior to the knowledge given by our own mentors!"

Bicky smiled a little bitterly, "I'm afraid the only advantage is them being less expensive!"

Leylin nodded. On one side, there was a professor teaching dozens of students, while the other was an individual lesson, the advantages between the two are definitely different.

However, he had the A.I. Chip, so his learning capability was outstanding. He was confident that he would do well even in a large class.

"With this method, I can definitely save some magic crystals!" Leylin stroked his chin.

He only had two magic crystals left. Earlier, when he was in the mission area, he saw that the missions that awarded magic crystals generally had more troublesome tasks and required one to be a level 1 acolyte at least. Right now, Leylin did not meet the requirements.

"As for the cleaning tasks, they are all done by those spell slaves, and the rest are all snatched by others. There is simply no place for me!"

Leylin was a little frustrated. magic crystals were the currency among Magi and were also the most common way to obtain greater knowledge in the academy. Without magic crystals, his studies would be hindered.

"Hm... I had better attend those public classes first and advance to a level 1 acolyte. After that, I'll consider taking up missions to earn some magic crystals!"

Leylin sighed.

"A.I. Chip, how is the mapping of the academy?"

[Beep! 66.7% has been mapped]

The A.I. Chip replied. In front of Leylin was a blue image, each layer of the buildings was displayed and divided into multiple parts, and it looked like a beehive.

Some areas even had names attached, with Bicky's explanation for them on the side.

The areas that could be entered freely were marked in green, while the dangerous areas were in yellow. As for the areas that even Bicky did not dare enter, the A.I. Chip indicated them in red, representing extreme danger.

For those red coloured danger zones, Leylin decided to walk around them. He even decided not to ask about them before becoming a level 3 acolyte.

"The mapping has been recorded!" Leylin nodded his head and said farewell to Bicky, "Bicky, thank you for accompanying me for a day, I remember most of the important areas of the academy now!"

"That's great!" Bicky played with the little white flower in her hands, "If there are any things that you don't understand, you can ask me!"

"Of course!" Leylin gave a small smile.

After bidding farewell to Bicky, Leylin ate his dinner and went back into his room. He began to practice the meditation technique.

A Magus's meditation is a continuous journey, only with daily devotion and perseverance, can one achieve enough spiritual force to become a being that can control mysterious powers.

"The A.I. Chip is only useful for analysing the meditation technique. As for the creation of the mind runes, it was completely dependent on my own spiritual force, and it also relied a little on my comprehension and aptitude. In these areas, the A.I. Chip was not much help!"

After meditating, Leylin felt his spiritual force increase by another tiny sliver, and then he entered into a deep slumber.

Level 1 Acolyte

"A level 1 acolyte is actually someone with a stronger spiritual force than an average person's. At the same time, he is able to move energy particles and store them inside their body and is a newbie at conceptualising the creation of magic power. Only a level 2 acolyte will be able to access a magic spell's formula and cast the spell in its complete form.

But once their body creates magic power, their stats can be strengthened through constant radiation as their body resists the poisoning from the external radiation.

Leylin made his judgment on the levels separating the acolytes based on the data on the meditation technique.

"A.I. Chip! Retrieve all the data I have gathered today, and begin analysing!"

This is what Leylin had been doing all this time. He would do his best to collect data from other people without drawing their attention, and store the data in folders.

He created a folder with the data regarding spiritual force and how to transform them, a lesson which Leylin learnt yesterday. The information required was too much, and the process may be measured in years.

[Beep! Analysis completed. Result: The entire surroundings of Abyssal Bone Forest Academy is contaminated with traces of radiation. The biggest sources of contamination are Magi, and a few experimental setups and materials. The Host is suggested to stay away from these sources, or to increase the resistance of the body!]

"As I expected! There are no regular human beings in the whole of this academy because of the environmental effects that the Magi and acolytes bring about. As for these effects, only a Magus can resist against it. A regular human would most likely have a lifespan of a few years in this environment!"

Leylin's face darkened, and conjured up the images of a few people, including Bicky and Kroft.

"According to the readings of the radiation emitted by them, a Magus is actually a moving source of radiation. Each one of them is like a minuscule nuclear reactor, or, could they have made use of the radiation to advance??"

Leylin furrowed his brows.

"No matter what, I must hurry up and become a level 1 acolyte. The longer I take, the greater the damage my body will receive.

Leylin was resolved.

In the next two weeks, Leylin would report to where Kroft was every day, assist in the cleaning of the experiment lab, and sort out a few insignificant experiment resources.

In this period, he had seen Kroft's genius apprentice Merlin, who was also his senior. Merlin was extremely tall and had a very taciturn personality. He constantly poured over his experiments. Besides Kroft, his interactions with Bicky and Leylin were minimal. This could be one factor attributing to his success in Potioneering.

In the remaining time, he spent them in the free public lessons.

The free lessons in Abyssal Bone Forest Academy were not many, and they only consisted of the history of Magi, the basics of the ancient Byron language, the principles of Magi spells, basic Potioneering, anatomy, and basic magic spell theory.

The professors of the public lessons always had dark expressions, and they hurriedly left right after the period ended. Not only did they not answer the acolytes' questions, it seemed like everyone owed them magic crystals.

"It was a public lesson, after all, being able to listen is already not too bad!" Leylin comforted himself. He had the A.I. Chip and could record the lessons completely. In the future, he could always take them out for reference when he revises. As for the other acolytes, they were in a worse state. If they did not understand, there was always a price to pay to obtain information from the professors or other acolytes. Leylin was even prepared to earn some magic crystals by giving away information from these public lessons.

"Today's topic was really difficult! The image of that Barren Lizard's anatomy was only shown for a few seconds. I did not even have time to look at it clearly!" Bill complained.

"There's no choice! The study of anatomy is a very broad topic, and the images are aplenty, classes will not end if they're not taught fast enough!" Leylin replied by his side. He was neighbours with Bill, and both of them were fresh acolytes, so they often attended classes together. Their friendship considered pretty well.

As for Kaliweir and the others, because they were designated to various mentors and lived rather far away, they barely maintained their relationships.

"Professor Marlene's anatomy classes are prerequisites for more advanced topics, so we have to learn it!" Bill was a little frustrated.

"Leylin, did you remember everything from earlier?"

"To memorise everything is impossible, but I have taken notes on most of the diagrams and the images depicting the vital body parts!" Leylin concealed his trump card.

"So awesome! Could you tutor me after classes? I will fork out one magic crystal!" Bill made up his mind,

"I want to major in Transfiguration, so I must excel in anatomy!"

"No problem!" Leylin smiled and nodded his head.

The information of the few paid lessons in the academy was not allowed to be traded in private. But as for the public lessons, there were no such restrictions.

Leylin had asked around, and it seemed that the higher level acolytes did not think much of these measly wages, while the lower level acolytes did not have much confidence to teach and failed to meet the requirements. Hence, this benefitted him greatly.

"However, you know that I have to undergo meditation at night, so let's schedule the lessons right after dinner. 1-hour lessons for a week. How is it?"

Leylin asked.

"No problem!" Bill answered. This amount of time was similar to that of the paid public lessons, but the tutoring was done one-on-one, so it was a fair price.

After dinner, Leylin went to Bill's room and tutored him on the topic of anatomy. After an hour, he returned to his dorm.

Playing with the magic crystal in his hand, Leylin nodded his head, "Bill knows how to conduct himself, and he has already paid the fees upfront!"

Placing the black crystallised object onto the bed, Leylin took out the black sack hanging from his waist and poured the contents out on the bed.

A total of four black magic crystals were dropped onto the bed, bouncing slightly.

"I am a new acolyte and have only studied for half a month. Apart from Bill and some others, no one believes in my abilities. I have only earned 2 magic crystals so far!"

"Ai! It's hard to earn money through tutoring, and it takes up a lot of time. Senior Merlin can brew a random potion and earn ten times faster than me by selling it!"

Potioneering Masters are rather rare amongst Magi, and a huge investment is needed to become one. However, after succeeding, one can make money at a terrifying pace.

"Almost there! I have a feeling that I will become a level 1 acolyte tonight!" After reaching level 1 acolyte, I will be able to move the energy particles in the air. Not only will I be able to resist the radiation from the academy's buildings, I will also be able to attempt to experiment with basic potion brewing!"

Leylin's eyes flashed with excitement, but very soon he recovered the magic crystals on the bed properly, exercising restraint. He then sat cross-legged on the bed and began the meditation for the day.

The air in the room quietened down, and only the faint sounds of Leylin's breathing could be heard.

Leylin's chest moved with an undulating pattern and his expression was serene, with only some restless movements beneath his eyelids.

After about an hour, several black spots of light radiated from Leylin's forehead, just like fireflies.

These light spots hovered around Leylin and finally entered his orifices. It looked a little eerie.

"Hu..."

After the black coloured spots of light entered Leylin's body, he felt his whole body shudder. The muscles on his face twitched, and large beads of sweat rolled down. Very soon, he returned back to having a peaceful state.

After some time, Leylin opened his eyes.

"I have finally advanced to a level 1 acolyte! This speed of half of a month is slightly inferior to a regular fourth-grade acolyte's."

"Originally, I could have advanced five days ago, but I stopped to stabilise my spiritual force. There were few difficulties in advancing this time, which may be attributed to that!"

The one reason for prolonging the date of advancement was to stable the spiritual force, and another was to keep a low profile.

A regular third-grade acolyte must take around a month's time to turn into a level 1 acolyte after receiving the meditation technique.

As for half a month's time, that was the measure of a fourth-grade acolyte. Leylin did not want to undergo any tests caused by suspicions of him having the wrong aptitude. If the A.I. Chip was discovered in the end, not only would it be lost, his life might also be in danger!

After all, the A.I. Chip now has undergone changes after transcending dimensions. It has already fused together with his soul and cannot be separated at all.

"According to the estimations of the A.I. Chip, a level 1 acolyte's spiritual force is roughly double that of an average adult. Moreover, spiritual force seems to have a life of its own, strongly attracting the energy particles in the air towards it!"

Leylin stretched his hands, and a layer of black coloured light wrapped around his arm, like a layer of cotton candy. It also felt a little cooling.

"I have the highest elemental affinity with the Dark element, and will choose to cultivate on the path of the Dark element. This was the plan that I set for myself since long ago. As for the energy particles of Fire and the other elements, I shall just keep a few of them to use it to my advantage in future!"

"Pa!!"

Leylin snapped his fingers several times, and a layer of faint blue light lit up on his body.

What followed next was a layer of steam, which made Leylin's clothes wet.

"This is similar to taking a shower!" Leylin smiled, and then a layer of red light shone.

As Leylin's body was enveloped by the red light, water vapour emitted from his body. Very soon the water was all evaporated, and the room seemed to be a little humid.

"After becoming an acolyte, I am able to use these energy particles for simple daily activities, this is really convenient!"

Leylin exclaimed again, and asked, "A.I. Chip, have you recorded the processes earlier?"

[Beep! Recording done, please provide a name!]

"Simple usage of Water element and Fire elemental energy particles!] [Beep! The renaming is done, storing in data bank]

With the help of the A.I. Chip, Leylin had one of the best comprehension abilities for the usage of energy particles amongst the level 1 acolyte.

Leylin smiled, but as he was about to stand, he suddenly felt giddy.

"I overspent my spiritual force earlier!" Leylin realised the reason and smiled bitterly, "The spiritual force of a level 1 acolyte is still too minuscule. To properly use the energy particles on a daily basis, I must only do it when I am a level 3 acolyte at least.

Leylin rubbed his temples, "I already meditated earlier, so now I can only sleep to replenish my spiritual force!'

He hurriedly straightened out the room and entered into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Leylin was filled with vigour as he got off the bed and headed to Mentor Kroft's experiment lab.

"Oh? This energy movement?"

The white haired Kroft was startled, and immediately looked at Leylin who had walked in, "Leylin, you have broken through!"

"Yes!" Leylin humbly lowered his head.

"It has only been twenty odd days since you started meditating, it seems like your aptitude amongst the third-grade acolytes is outstanding, and it almost reaches that of the fourth-grade acolytes!"

Kroft smiled with gratification.

Elementary Potioneering

"Professor! I have already become a level 1 acolyte and have understood the basics from the public lessons..."

Leylin said softly.

"I know, you wish to choose the subject for the knowledge I am providing!" Kroft interrupted Leylin's speech.

"I heard that you have already been teaching other acolytes information from the public lessons that you've attended to earn magic crystals. It seems like your learning and memorising abilities are rather outstanding. From what I see now, you have the capability to learn an information of a higher tier!"

"Thank you!" Leylin bowed deeply.

Leylin had some understanding towards the paid lessons in the academy. Although professors have information on a higher level, it was only their own findings.

As for the other cutting-edge research, including the results of various personal experiments, information was only traded at the professors' level.

This information was deemed the best, and can even be transferred directly into an acolyte's memory so they will never forget it.

However, the fees were also the most expensive, each subject required at least ten magic crystals and Leylin simply could not afford it right now.

The only thing he could hope for was the one free subject that Kroft promised at the start.

Kroft nodded his head and moved the apparatus on his table aside. He then retrieved some strange items from god-knows-where and placed them on the table.

There was a huge book with a yellow cover, a crystal ball, and a test tube filled with yellowish liquid.

"These three items represent my 3 areas of specialisation: The book on the left represents the Neutralisation of Energy, the crystal ball represents Herbalism, and the test tube represents Potioneering. Make your choice!" Kroft said.

"I choose Potioneering!" The reason Leylin chose Kroft as his mentor was to advance in Potioneering and then rely on selling potions to earn money for his studies, so naturally he chose this.

Elementary Potioneering is an advanced course stemming from the public Potioneering Basics course. In theory, it is possible to start brewing potions after fully understanding these two lessons.

"I knew you would choose this!" The middle-aged Kroft revealed a smile.

"The art of potion brewing is extremely complex and complicated, the slightest mistake will result in a failure. All of the Potion Masters have spent a vast amount of resources to accumulate their experience. Are you ready for this?"

"Yes, Sir! I believe in this saying: You may not be rewarded for hard work, but without hard work, there will definitely be no reward!"

"Indeed! A very good mindset. One needs to have this philosophy on the road to truth!" Kroft nodded and handed the yellow test tube to Leylin.

"This is yours now!"

"This? How do I use it?" Leylin looked at the test tube in his hands.

"Just drink from it directly!"

Leylin opened the wooden plug and poured the yellowish liquid into his mouth.

An obnoxious sewer stench infiltrated his senses, and the smell lingered in his nose. Leylin's face turned red, and tears even came out.

He barely managed to swallow it as he gasped for air.

"I swear, I have never drunk such a smelly thing before!!!"

Smelly!!! An unimaginable stench constantly shocked Leylin's nerves, making him feel like fainting.

Under the stimulation of the extreme smell, the surroundings appeared blurry to Leylin, and the items in the vicinity all seemed to be distorted.

"You...It feels...Not so..."

Leylin looked at Kroft, and at this moment, the professor looked like a noodle, twisting and distorting. The professor's lips opened and closed and he spoke sporadically, which brought about a lot of noise. It sounded like the friction produced between two metals, or some broken radio with poor signal.

Leylin raised his hand, his smooth palms seemed to be filled with folds, and even melted like a candle, falling down one drop at a time.

And finally, Leylin's entire body turned into a puddle of liquid and disappeared completely into the darkness...

"How do you feel?"

Kroft's voice rang, and Leylin was startled. He touched his head, the hard sensation bringing along warmth and a little moisture.

The surroundings turned back to normal, and Kroft stood there smiling.

"I don't feel too good!" Large amounts of sweat trickled down from Leylin's head.

"Was what I saw earlier an illusion? It felt too real!"

"That is a normal occurrence, the illusionary spells of Magi seem like reality to acolytes, and some acolytes have even experienced their whole life inside the illusions and died of old age!"

Kroft's voice sounded.

"The information has already been transferred into your brain, do some more meditation after you go back!"

At this moment, Leylin discovered a block of new information inside his brain. A phrase appeared on the right side of the text, saying: "Elementary Potioneering"

"Alright! Today your task is to sweep Area 3, and also freeze all the Fire Ant Grass..."

Kroft handed out the tasks.

Leylin nodded his head and picked up the tools lying in the corner of the lab, and then headed to Area 3.

"Congratulations, Leylin!" During Leylin's break time, Bicky came before Leylin.

"I was just lucky!" Leylin smiled lightly.

Bicky had come here a year earlier than him and was also a level 1 acolyte.

"Once you are a level 2 acolyte, you will be able to use rank 0 spells! Also, the mind runes will only get increasingly difficult. I still have to persevere for at least another year of meditation before I have a chance at advancing."

With the A.I. Chip, Leylin was fully aware of the situation he was in.

On the other side, Merlin, who was boring over his experiments, raised his head and forced a smile that was uglier than crying.

Leylin nodded his head in acknowledgement. He knew that this senior of his had burnt the muscles of his face in an experiment and was now unable to make any facial expressions.

"Magi experiments are really treacherous!" Leylin shook his head.

Leylin was rather efficient and normally finished the task Kroft gave him by noon. If there was spare time in the afternoon, he would go listen to the public lessons.

"Goodbye!" After saying goodbye to Bicky and Merlin, Leylin did not go to the academic area but instead went to the trading post.

The trading post was huge and was located beside the Mission Area. However, it was rather chaotic; many grey-robed acolytes set up stalls, with an erect signboard stating the items and conditions that they wished to sell or trade.

Once in awhile, a few acolytes would engage in haggling, it was extremely bustling.

"It seems like only acolytes are around. As for the Magi, they should have another area to trade in!" Leylin looked on and only saw grey robes, not a single white or black robed Magus was present.

Leylin browsed through the stalls. Some of them were set up on the floor, similar to the previous world's street vendors, and looked to be a little dirty.

The floor stalls' items belonged to the miscellaneous category; most of them were bows, knives, darts and so on. There were also the fur, livers, and eyes of living organisms, and some still had traces of blood. The rest were some other items that Leylin could not identify.

As for potions, every stall with 'Potions' on its signboard had acolytes clamouring over them. The stall owners all had calm expressions and radiated strong energy waves.

According to the estimation of the A.I. Chip, most of these acolytes were level 3 acolytes!

"As expected, the rarity of potions is above my imagination, not to mention magic artifacts, not a single one is on sale!

Leylin thought of Jayden, who previously used the green coloured badge. That was a low-grade magic artifact, similar to the ring he had before.

A level 1 acolyte could not use any spells, but Jayden had previously subdued Kaliweir through the green badge magic artifact.

"Now it seems like the magic artifact was given to Jayden by Dorotte!"

Leylin could not help but be a little envious. He previously owned a magic artifact too, but unfortunately, it had been broken and was used in the transaction for applying to the academy. With these conditions now, it would be extremely difficult to obtain another one.

Leylin looked at the goods on display as he walked towards the centre of the trading post.

There were a few wooden huts here, and they seemed to have higher standards compared to the surroundings. The acolytes who occasionally walked in and out radiated strong energy waves.

Leylin casually walked into a shop selling potions.

"What do you need?" The shop owner was a fatty and wore a grey robe. He looked to be a little lazy. According to the readings of the A.I. Chip, he was also a level 3 acolyte and even carried a magic artifact.

"I need a set of equipment so that I can practice brewing potions!" Leylin said unhurriedly.

"Another one who is dreaming! And it's actually a level 1 acolyte who wants to try brewing potions! You think you're Merlin?" The fatty scolded him.

"Excuse me, Merlin is my senior and we have the same mentor!" Leylin replied.

"So it's like this! It turns out you're Kroft's apprentice, so already brewing potions at this stage is understandable, it is understandable!" The fatty's face seemed to be filled with spirit, "So you're Merlin's junior, hello, I am Woox!"

The fatty introduced himself, and there was a cunning expression on his face, "Rather than potion brewing, if you are able to get me some of Merlin's potions, I will give a good price for them. Of course, if they were made by Professor Kroft, it would be even better..."

"My apologies! Professor Kroft's potions are impossible! As for Merlin's, I'll give it a try!" Leylin rolled his eyes, but he did not reject him outrightly.

"Now, can you give me an introduction of the apparatus?"

"Oh! Of course! Of course!" The fatty rubbed his hands and placed a few sets of glass apparatus on the wooden table.

"There is all of this! They are second hand, but they are still usable. I recommend this set; it's from a level 3 acolyte that did not want it anymore!"

The fatty took out an apparatus set which included beakers, a glass rod, a petri dish, test tubes, and a set of pale yellow tools. It seemed rather complete.

Leylin examined the equipment with his hands.

According to the analysis of the A.I. Chip, the quality of this apparatus set was average, but it was enough for him to use.

"I'll take this one then! How many magic crystals?" Leylin asked.

"Two pieces!" The fatty replied.

"Wrap it well for me!" Leylin handed the two magic crystals over to the fatty. Fatty received them and packaged the set before handing it over to Leylin.

"Do you have any elementary potion formulas?" Leylin placed the bundle on his back and asked again.

"Yes! I have formulas for strength potions, hemostatic Potions, and bug removal potions, which one do you want?"

"The strength potion!" These were all elementary potion formulas, so Leylin simply picked one.

"Give me a set of ingredients as well!"

Starting Attempts

The fatty Woox took out a black coloured box from a shelf behind him and placed it on the table. He also took out a sheet of parchment from under the sales counter. It seemed to be extremely old, with the ends a little torn.

"One copy of the strength potion formula, one magic crystal!"

"One set of ingredients, enough for ten tries, one magic crystal!"

Leylin opened the black coloured box. Inside were ten crimson-coloured fruits arranged neatly, which seemed to have traces of cracks on their surface, and beside them was a root of some green plant, and a bottle of black powder.

Putting the box away and picking up the faint yellowish parchment paper, he saw a formula written in black ink, which even included the areas to note. Although the handwriting was a little faded, it was still legible as a whole.

Leylin nodded his head and tucked the parchment paper into his robes. He took out the last 2 magic crystals he had in his waist pouch and handed it to Woox, then left the hut without turning back.

He only had 4 magic crystals and had spent them all on this small amount of ingredients. This terrifying expenditure for potion brewing was not something the average acolyte could bear.

What followed next was that Leylin's daily routine had taken a similar route to how he had been in his previous world.

Every day, he was shuttling to and fro between five places: the dorm, the dining hall, the Academic Area, the experiment lab and the library.

Another month passed unknowingly.

[The gathering of data has been completed!] The A.I. Chip's notification sounded.

Sitting on one side of a long table in the library, Leylin closed the book he was holding in his hands.

Apart from attending classes and aiding his mentor with his experiments, the majority of his time was spent in the library. Almost every book that could be read for free was browsed through, and the A.I. Chip finished accumulating more data.

"Whew... I have finally understood the formulation of potions!" Leylin exhaled loudly.

Although Kroft had provided some elementary information about Potioneering, there were many things that he still did not understand. He learnt things like the terminology and vocabulary by himself in the library. If he wanted a professor's explanation he would have had to pay a fee. However, it was a pity that Leylin had turned into a peasant with 0 magic crystals.

Many acolytes who were embarrassingly short of magic crystals did the same thing, browsing through the variety of free information in the library. However, they did not have Leylin's A.I. Chip, so they usually needed a dozen days to a month to find what they wanted in the library.

As for Leylin, he had now recorded all the information that was available to him in the library already. He even made a search function for it, so the information would be at his perusal if he met with any questions in the future.

However, even Elementary Potioneering was considered higher-tiered information. Even with the constant analyses from the A.I. Chip, Leylin only knew about one-third of it, but that was already extremely useful to him.

At least now, when he looked back at the basics of Potioneering, it was like looking down at the tiles from the roof of a tall building.

As for the elementary potion brewing and the strength Potion formula, they had been fully analysed, so it was time to put them into practice.

"My accumulation of knowledge is already enough, I'll begin brewing the strength Potion today!"

Leylin placed the books back on the shelves and left the library.

A female acolyte with brunette hair raised her head and glanced at Leylin, before returning her attention to the black book in her hands.

The library had many acolytes, and yet they were all well behaved and extremely quiet. It was very suitable for reading, and one of Leylin's favourite hangouts.

"Hey! Leylin!"

When he walked out of the library, an acolyte greeted him. Leylin raised his head, "Ryan! Kaliweir!"

Kaliweir wore the grey robes of an acolyte, and his original haughtiness had lessened, "Congratulations on becoming a level 1 acolyte!"

"Thank you, congratulations to you too!" Leylin replied with a smile.

He too had sensed that Kaliweir had turned into a level 1 acolyte.

"The few of us in the clique have already turned into level 1 acolytes!" Kaliweir stressed the first few words and seemed to have automatically excluded Guricha and the others.

"We have taken up a few missions recently, do you have any interest in joining us?" Kaliweir asked.

Kaliweir seemed to be trying hard to maintain the previous group of friends.

"Do a mission now?" Leylin's brows furrowed, "From what I know, the area outside the academy has been getting dangerous lately, especially for those level 1 acolytes who do not even know any spells..."

"There's no choice, any high-tiered information here has to be bought, and magic crystals are the only form of currency! The magic crystals that we brought have already been spent!" Kaliweir smiled bitterly.

"If you want to be a Potions Master, the expenditure of resources will be extremely great..."

"About taking up missions, I'll consider it again when I have become a level 2 acolyte! Take care of yourselves!" Leylin eventually declined. The rewards for completing missions were extremely alluring, but one needed to risk their life to claim them.

"Alright then! I heard that you are earning magic crystals by giving tuition to others. Could you also teach us, it can be in accordance with your rates!"

After hearing that Leylin was unwilling to go, Kaliweir felt a little dejected, but he continued to ask.

"Definitely, it'll be my pleasure. I can even give you guys favourable rates!" Leylin smiled lightly, exchanging benefits was always the norm for Magi.

Both sides decided on the location and date, and then Kaliweir and his party left after that.

Seeing their departing figures, Leylin's eyes flashed, "He is still roping people in? What a pity, Kaliweir has still not understood that in the world of Magi, one's own strength holds the most importance!"

Shaking his head, he returned to his dorm.

Every acolyte in the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy had a dorm of their own, so secrecy and safety were not an issue.

Leylin locked the door and hung up a 'Do Not Disturb' sign, only then did he return to the room beside the bedroom.

A large black coloured table occupied the room, and Leylin's previously bought apparatus set had been placed on it.

"After a few attempts at practicing, I am now a little more familiar with these apparatus, and I finished analysing the formula for the strength Potion today, so it's about time to start!"

Leylin muttered to himself and took out the black box containing the ingredients. He placed it on the table and opened it.

The crimson fruit, green stem and bottle of black powder appeared before his eyes.

Leylin's fingers stroked the surfaces of these 3 items, "A.I. Chip! Measure the activity within and establish a model!"

[Establishing scan, in the midst of gathering data, beginning construction!]

"Begin the simulation of the experiment!" Seeing the A.I. Chip complete its task, Leylin gave it another command.

[Simulation of model in process... strength Potion Formula... Estimated time consumed: 2 hours 21 minutes!]

"As expected, it's possible!" Leylin smiled jubilantly.

Even for identical ingredients, the slightest deviation would result in different results when making the potion.

As for qualified Potions Masters, they must make use of their experience and put the theory into practice, then make adjustments to obtain the desired properties of the potion.

This field only relied on raw talent and the future accumulation of experience.

As for the A.I. Chip, it was able to scan and produce simulations, resulting in a success rate that was much higher than for many other acolytes.

Leylin patiently waited for some time, and then heard the A.I. Chip's voice, [The simulation of the model is completed, success rate: 23.6%]

"A success rate close to one-quarter?" Leylin was in ecstasy.

"A regular acolyte will always fail on their first attempt at brewing potions. As for me, I'll be able to have a one in four chance of success if I follow the A.I. Chip's instructions?"

"Begin transmitting the process for the experiment!"

[Beginning the transmission of data!] A few images flashed by Leylin's eyes as if he had already practiced making these potions countless of times. Various scenarios and their suitable responses, as well as the preparation of ingredients, were all presented in front of him.

"It's time to start!"

Leylin's expression turned solemn, and he picked up a crimson fruit, "This is a Blood vitality Fruit and it contains a huge amount of nourishment if it was prepared in an antidote..."

Leylin placed the Blood vitality Fruit into a white basin. He picked up a pounding tool and smashed the fruit into a pulp. The red juices flowed out, and an alcoholic scent was emitted from it.

After filtering out the mashed Blood vitality Fruit, Leylin poured the red juice into a beaker.

After the black candlestick had been lit, light blue flames continuously lapped at the bottom of the beaker. Within minutes, the red juice in the beaker started to boil, and a few flecks of black powder constantly jumped about in the bubbles.

Leylin picked up the glass rod beside him, and stirred the contents of the beaker.

"Marliwoosha!" Leylin chanted.

A thread of spiritual force travelled through the glass rod and entered the bubbling liquid, and a few wisps of black gas continued to be produced. It was the poison inside the Blood vitality Fruit.

This was why only a level 1 acolyte and above could start to practice making potions, as a few steps required the usage of energy particles.

After all of the black gaseous substance were expelled, Leylin placed the liquid, which was even more crimson than before, into a test tube.

"The first step is completed! The degree of purification isn't bad!"

"The next part should be the stem of the Silk Fruit..."

What Leylin did next was to prepare the rest of the Blood vitality Fruit and Silk Fruit together. He failed somewhere in the middle for a few times and finally succeeded after making the 8th batch of the crimson liquid and the 7th batch of the frozen green substance.

"The next step should be the final blending process!"

Leylin placed the contents of the frozen green substance onto a petri dish, took out the black powder from the glass bottle, and sprinkled it on top.

The black powder caused a strong reaction after coming into contact with the frozen green substance. The frozen green substance continued to swell and let out a humming noise.

"Ice!" Leylin muttered an incantation in the Byrn language.

White mist suddenly appeared from the petri dish, condensing into a layer of ice and solidifying the frozen green substance yet again.

"It is time!" Leylin placed the frozen lump into a beaker, where a flame blazed continuously underneath the beaker.

"The final step!" Leylin's eyes widened, and he poured the purified crimson liquid into the beaker.

A thread of his spiritual force also continuously extended into the beaker.

"Pa!" A sound suddenly came from the beaker, the frozen lump and the red liquid suddenly turned black, and a sickening stench emitted from it.

"Have I failed?" Leylin was indifferent.

"A.I. Chip, analyse the reason!"

[Beep! In the process of analysing...Conclusion: The Host's spiritual force was unstable, and the temperature of the flames caused some distortion...]

The A.I. Chip replayed Leylin's earlier actions and revealed the reason for failure.

Successful Potion Brewing

Leylin dumped the failed experiment residue into the bin and inhaled deeply.

"Again!"

The same process was repeated, and finally, the purified crimson liquid from the Blood Vitality Fruit was poured into the beaker.

This time, Leylin shifted all his concentration onto the beaker and continued to adjust the temperature of the flame below it.

The red liquid and the frozen green substance continued to merge together, turning a faint yellowish colour.

"Green life, blood red vitality. Under the interference of the willpower from the depths of the abyss, you shall fuse! Furikesha Keleyahsan..."

Leylin chanted the final phase of the incantation.

The various colours in the beaker continued to fuse together as he chanted. The substance finally turned into a faint blue colour liquid and emitted a fragrant and alluring scent.

"It's completed! I successfully brewed the strength potion!"

Leylin smiled lightly and poured the light blue liquid into a tiny test tube.

"The liquid in this finger-length test tube can provide the nourishment that a person needs for 7 days, and also ensure that the person's physical body and mental energy will be vigorous. It is a favourite for people who work on long experiments and adventurers! The normal price is 5 magic crystals!"

Leylin shook the test tube, and the potion inside glowed enchantingly under the light.

One night passed, Leylin looked at the three light blue test tubes that he held absentmindedly.

"With ten sets of ingredients, I succeeded three times and obtained three potions!

"This news definitely cannot be leaked out; otherwise, I will not be able to explain myself!" Leylin resolved, and destroyed the three test tubes containing the potions.

"What a pity!" Leylin was a little heartbroken.

"These 3 potions are worth 15 magic crystals, but the production cost is only 1 magic crystal. This potion industry has a crazy profit margin of over a dozen times its cost!!!"

"But I'm unable to sell them now! Aaarghhh!!" Leylin was rather exasperated.

"Not only can I not sell the potions, I still need to earn money to buy ingredients to continue my experiments and put on a façade of failure. I can only sell the most basic of potions after half a year!"

This estimate was based on Merlin's success rate. He did not want to stand out and attract too much attention. Hence, he had to perform a little worse than Merlin. Merlin had a huge amount of ingredients and continuously practiced brewing back then. Only after a month did he manage to brew his first potion. Leylin did not have many magic crystals, so he could only show his talent in potion brewing after half a year.

He was, after all, an apprentice of the Potion's Professor, and when he finally brewed his first potion successfully after half a year of failure, he would only be labelled as an ordinary talent as an apprentice of the Potion's Professor, which was extremely logical.

"Potions absolutely cannot be sold in large quantities within the academy grounds, unless... I am able to find a black market? But travelling outside the academy is too dangerous!"

Leylin shook his head, tidied up the experiment apparatus, and walked out of the room.

"This also proves that having such a high precision A.I. Chip gives me a huge edge over others in tasks with troublesome details! What's next is to continue to focus and break through to a level 2 acolyte!"

"After I have the ability, I will abide by this cycle of selling potions, earning magic crystals, and gaining knowledge."

Leylin still needed close to a year's time to break through to a level 2 acolyte, according to the calculations from the A.I. Chip.

After all, it would get increasingly harder to construct the 24 mind runes as the runes multiplied, and he also needed to accumulate more knowledge.

"In this period, I can constantly gather data and finish compiling the information on spiritual force. This will be very useful to me in the future!"

Unknowingly, another half a year passed just like that.

A brown-haired youth lowered his head as he walked on the black tiled pavement as if he was deep in thought.

This youth looked to be only thirteen or fourteen years of age and had brown hair. His face was unusually pale if it had not seen the sun for a long time.

This youth was naturally Leylin. At this moment, his right hand was hidden inside his sleeves, holding on to a test tube, and he appeared to be making some kind of choice.

"It has already been half a year since the first time I successfully brewed a potion,!" Leylin looked at the acolytes walking past him and thought to himself.

In this half a year, many things had happened within the academy. For instance, Fayle achieved some great accomplishments, and Merlin managed to brew a new potion. The fame of these geniuses only increased.

However, Leylin was more concerned with the fact that Jayden had already advanced to a level 2 acolyte.

He recalled that when Kaliweir spoke of this news, he could not hide the fear and envy in his eyes despite trying his best to conceal it.

The aptitude, as well as advancement, of a fifth-grade acolyte, was extremely startling.

As a fellow acolyte who came from the same area as him, Leylin did not have much thoughts towards it. He buried himself with the work he had to do, and to an outsider, he was just an ordinary level 1 acolyte.

In this half year, Leylin had bought many of the strength potion ingredients and conducted many potion-brewing sessions. He also invested all of the profit he earned from giving tuition into this potion making. He also put up a front to conceal the A.I. Chip and tried to brew a potion without the A.I. Chip's help most of the time, which had a success rate of zero. So far, he had spent a dozen odd magic crystals on this.

Of course, he also he also brought forward the problems he encountered to his mentor, Kroft, at times and asked other questions about the basics and brewing techniques. This was greatly beneficial for his Potioneering.

Secretly, Leylin could already affirm that with the help of the A.I. Chip, his Potioneering skills had already surpassed Merlin, only being a little inferior to his mentor, Kroft.

Today, it would be the day he 'accidentally' succeeded in brewing a potion and let his mentor evaluate it.

This time, the successful product was controlled by him through the A.I. Chip. He purposely made some minute errors, making it seem like an inferior product that was made by an acolyte, but it would still be considered decent for a new acolyte.

Leylin's palm, which was gripping the potion, uncontrollably tightened.

"Only after today, can I start to sell a few potions in broad daylight and earn some magic crystals! Yesterday, I heard Raynor say that he already felt close to advancing. Therefore, my progress can't lag behind too much!"

Leylin hurriedly walked into Kroft's experiment lab.

"Leylin, do you have more problems with the brewing of the strength potion?" Kroft could clearly feel that his apprentice was different today.

"No, Sir!" Leylin inhaled deeply, "I have already succeeded once last night!"

"What?" The beaker in Kroft's hands trembled, "Although your talent in Potioneering has exceeded my expectations, the brewing of a strength potion is not that easy!"

After half a year, Kroft was able to sense his apprentice's frightening improvement after being questioned so much. However, he still felt that Leylin was still lacking in regards to brewing the strength potion successfully.

Hearing this, Merlin's hand shook while he was concentrating on lowering a red crystal bead into a test tube. Black smoke emitted from the test tube and Merlin sighed, turning his attention over here.

As for Bicky, she just leaned over directly.

"Did you bring the completed potion?" Kroft asked.

"It's in here!" Leylin took out a blue-coloured test tube and handed it to the professor.

Kroft unplugged the wooden stopper and took a sniff. His face revealed a startled expression.

He then poured a drop on his finger. A fine, milky-white light extended from between his brows and directly pierced the droplet, making it shake.

Kroft closed his eyes, his brows furrowed and soon relaxed.

"The purification of the Blood vitality Fruit was not bad, but too much was added at the end. There was also some problem with your usage of spiritual force, which damaged the chemical properties...All in all, there are quite a few problems, but you have succeeded as a whole! Congratulations!"

Kroft smiled jubilantly.

Hearing this, Leylin also smiled, and Bicky even cheered, giving Leylin a warm hug.

The fiery hot curves of this girl attached themselves onto Leylin's chest, which gave rise to a peculiar feeling in his heart.

"Congratulations!" Merlin walked over too.

"Compared to Senior Merlin, I still have much to learn!" Leylin let go of Bicky and hurriedly said.

"You don't have to be too humble, compared to Merlin, your resources are lacking. I guarantee that you would have been able to brew your first potion in 3 to 4 months otherwise. In Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, this talent can already be considered excellent!" Kroft exclaimed.

"Thinking back now, I am really lucky. First, I accepted Merlin, who has talent in Potioneering, as my apprentice. And now, I have you!" Kroft exclaimed.

"Sir, I will also work hard!" Bicky clenched her small fists and returned to her experiment table.

"Finish preparing the Monkey Headed Mushrooms in your hands first, before you say anything else!" Kroft's face turned stiff.

After that, he returned the strength potion to Leylin, "This time, luck played an important factor in brewing the strength potion. What you have to do next is to remember how it felt when you first succeeded, and then practice more. This test tube can also be sold and exchanged for more resources!"

Kroft seemed to be reminding him, "Leylin, you must remember. Different potions have different challenges for Potions masters. Although you are able to brew this strength potion right now, you would most likely revert back to a newbie if you were to replace it with a hemostatic potion. Therefore, do not be arrogant. From now on, focus on practicing your potion brewing!"

"I will!" Leylin pocketed the strength potion well and promised solemnly.

After he finished his tasks in the experiment lab, Leylin left together with Bicky.

"Shall we go to the second level dining hall to feast, to commemorate your first success?" Bicky ran in front and twirled around a few times as if she was a lively butterfly.

"Of course! It is my honour to invite a beautiful lady to a meal!" Leylin bowed slightly, a gentleman's propriety.

"Hehe!" Bicky covered her mouth and laughed adorably, and then her expression darkened, "If only...If only he was like you..."

"What's wrong? Your Senior Fayle is ignoring you again?"

Leylin knew a little about this matter. In this half year, Bicky gradually got closer to Fayle and finally became friends with him, but they were only normal friends.

As for Fayle, he was constantly studying and practicing, and taking risks outside the academy. He was always surrounded by beautiful girls, so he did not think much of Bicky and was a little standoffish.

"It's not that! Fayle just has a very important experiment coming up and is in the midst of collecting resources, so he's very busy..." Bicky lowered her head and kicked a pebble off the sidewalk.

For Sale

"Something's not right!" A thought suddenly occurred to Leylin.

"You... Could you have given him your family's resources? No wonder you are still a level 1 acolyte! Otherwise, with your aptitude, you should have advanced to the next level long ago!"

Bicky belonged to a small Magus family. Although small in size, they were still capable of obtaining the occasional resources and magic crystals. As for Bicky, the one whom the family placed all its hopes on, she was naturally given a fixed share each month.

Her aptitude was not bad, and she had arrived earlier than Leylin by a year. By right, she should have been promoted to a level 2 acolyte long ago. However, she was still a level 1 acolyte, and even Leylin had nearly caught up to her.

"It's...It's not like that!" Bicky hurriedly shook her head.

Seeing Bicky's expression, Leylin slowly shook his head. "Forget it! I can't really do anything for you regarding this matter… However, you must remember to be more careful!"

Leylin hinted.

"Alright! Let's go to the dining hall on the second floor!! I hear that the honey-flavoured cake there isn't bad..." Bicky smiled, and it was obvious she did not want to talk about this topic anymore.

The second level dining hall was a special place. Contrary to the third level cafeteria where the food was served for free, the service here had to be paid for in magic crystals.

It was the first time Leylin had come here. After ordering two honey-flavoured cakes, a beef steak, two fruit juices, and the flesh of a Uni-horned Lizard, the total came up to 1 magic crystal and made Leylin feel a pang in his heart.

"I've heard that if the flesh of these lizards is specially prepared, it is very beneficial for a Magus's meditation, so I must try it today!"

Leylin used a knife to slice off a part of the lizard meat, picked the meat up with a fork, and placed it into his mouth. He instantly felt the fragrant flavour of the meat spread throughout his taste buds, and Leylin's eyes lit up in wonderment.

[Beep! An ingredient with a beneficial effect on the Host's body has been detected! Result: Mild increase in meditation. Hint: requires 10 continuous days of consumption for an obvious increase in effect!]

"I... " Leylin was speechless. "It's such a splendid item, but how could I have that many magic crystals? I can only eat it for its flavour!"

On the other side, Bicky was very happily eating the honey-flavoured cake.

After their meal, Leylin bade farewell to Bicky and went to the Trading Post.

Leyin had very few magic crystals to begin with, but now he planned to sell the strength potion. With Kroft's approval, he could earn magic crystals by brewing and selling more strength potions.

After walking past the chaotic stalls, Leylin arrived at Woox's stall, the stall he had bought potion ingredients from during his first visit to this place.

"Leylin! It's you again! You have spent dozens of magic crystals this half year! Haven't you given up yet?" Woox was still as fat as ever.

"Potioneering is such an enchanting skill, I cannot bear to give it up!" Leylin said, half-jokingly.

"However, today I am here not just to buy ingredients," Leylin said as he handed the strength potion over to fatty Woox, "Look at this!"

"This is..." Woox gaped, "You've succeeded?"

"Of course!" Leylin smiled lightly.

What Woox did next was to make a thorough inspection, and after ensuring that it was indeed an authentic strength potion, his eyes almost seemed to glow.

"Over a hundred times! You have only attempted it around a hundred times and yet you've succeeded in brewing a strength potion! This talent...This talent is only slightly inferior to Merlin's!"

Most of the ingredients were sold to Leylin by Woox, so he was able to deduce Leylin's talent very quickly.

"As if! This is due to Mentor Kroft's guidance!" Leylin said bashfully.

"Oh! It's Kroft again, he already has such a talented student like Merlin, why did they send yet another gifted student to him?"

The fatty slapped his forehead and let out a shrill voice, "Why don't you consider changing mentors? My mentor, Wranke, is also a professor who is adept in Potioneering...He will definitely like you!"

"My apologies! I have never considered changing at all!" Leylin hurriedly rejected the offer. Kroft treated him rather well, and he would surely incur the wrath of the Magus if he changed mentors on a whim. He simply did not want to take that risk.

"What a pity..." The fatty shook his head, he clearly knew that he had been grasping at straws.

"Alright! I will be able to give you 4 magic crystals for this strength potion, how about it?" The fatty asked.

Although the strength potion was priced at 5 magic crystals, 4 magic crystals was a reasonable price when considering the profit that was to be made by the stall.

"It's a fair deal, exchange the magic crystals for more ingredients for the strength potion!"

"Alright! If you wish to sell any more strength potions in the future, I will buy them all at the price of 4 magic crystals per potion!" Woox's eyes flashed.

An acolyte with a Potioneering talent that was slightly lower than Merlin's was akin to a magic crystal mine that had yet to be excavated.

"Definitely! To a good partnership!"

Leylin and Woox shook hands, and after collecting four black boxes, he walked out from the hut.

"Look quickly! Fresh Mountain Cat eyeballs! This is an item that will greatly benefit your meditation!'

"Exquisite cross blades, as well as military crossbows. All imported from the Deep Blue Kingdom!"

"Feathers of a flamingo! A precious ingredient for experiments, only 5 magic crystals!'

Here and there, various acolytes were promoting their wares. Leylin saw a black-robed acolyte holding up a huge 5 coloured feather and advertising continuously, which obviously attracted a huge crowd.

"A.I. Chip! Scan the feather!"

[Beep! Comparing to databank! Similarity level: Mynah's tail feathers 83%, homegrown peacock 64%, sharp-beaked crane 34%]

Leylin looked at the acolyte who was still advertising his goods and was speechless. Flamingo feathers are rare, but the 3 bird feathers that the A.I. Chip detected were so common that acolytes wouldn't bother to pick them up if they fell to the ground. Obviously, it was a scam.

This situation was rather common in such stalls. Although goods are rather good, the counterfeit goods are also aplenty. Hence, Leylin always bought from the wooden huts in the centre area.

Moreover, acolytes are sharp, and the chances of finding a cheap yet good item in the stalls and striking big are the same as finding the remnants of dead Magi.

Leylin shook his head and left the Trading Post.

Three days later, Leylin was in his dorm, looking at sixteen test tube lined up properly on his table, deep in thought.

Right now, his success rate for brewing a strength potion is almost at the same level at Kroft at 40%. However, he would be seeking trouble if he were to sell them all at once!

"Right now I am only able to put on a front and earn just a little, so at most it will be 2 test tubes! As for the rest, I will have to stow them away.

Leylin sighed and placed 2 test tube in the purse hanging around his waist, and then stowed the remaining 14 test tubes in the empty space under his bed.

"I won't be able to sell huge amounts within the academy, so I had better find some other way outside. The best scenario would be a black market; I hear prices there are higher too!"

"The outside world is dangerous; I must become a level 2 acolyte before going out!"

"What's next, I can use the magic crystals I earned from selling potions to buy higher tiered knowledge from Kroft and expedite my break through to level 2 acolyte!"

"After becoming a level 2 acolyte, I can attempt to practice magic spells, and take a mission outside to see if I can find ways to sell the potions..."

Leylin pondered, and then asked, "A.I. Chip, bring forth my current stats!"

[Beep! Leylin Farlier, level 1 acolyte. Strength: 2.1, Agility: 2.3, Vitality: 2.5, Status: Healthy]

"After such a long period of meditation, my vitality has increased the most. As for strength and Agility, they have increased a little too. As for my spiritual force?" Leylin looked at the data in front of him and his brows furrowed.

"A.I. Chip, are you able to convert my spiritual force into data and display it?"

[Data is insufficient. Information for spiritual force is being collated.] The A.I. Chip replied.

"When will it be ready?" Leylin asked.

[Estimated time: 155 Days 21 Hours]

"Half a year, huh? It is close to when I advance to level 2 acolyte." Leylin nodded his head, "I'm not planning to leave in this next half a year, so it's no big deal!"

What followed next was that Leylin entered into a state of painstaking training.

Apart from aiding Kroft in his daily experiments, he was brewing potions, exchanging them for magic crystals, and then purchasing more information.

Besides brewing strength potions, he also bought the formulas for the Hemostasis Potion and some low levelled antidotes and began to practice brewing them.

With the A.I. Chip, the success rate was not bad, but this fact was concealed by Leylin.

During this period, Leylin also heard some bad news – Kaliweir's team had met with trouble on a mission. Not only had some been injured, others had also died. The acolyte who came with him in the same Dirigible, third-grade acolyte Hank, would forever be buried in the Abyssal Bone Marsh.

Leylin was expecting a similar result, as a level 1 acolyte only has a small resistance to magic. It would be abnormal if they risked their lives and was free of injuries or loss of lives.

After this incident, Kaliweir and his team seemed to face reality and started to be content with studying in the academy, not daring to take on any other missions.

In the blink of an eye, Leylin grew a little taller and his face acquired a tinge of maturity.

"I am finally 14 too!" Seeing that his palms had grown a little larger, he felt deeply moved.

The Abyssal Bone Forest Academy seemed to have a spell formation regulating the temperature. Leylin always wore the grey robe for acolytes, but he never felt any stifling heat or frigidness.

"Sir! I want to purchase the crystal ball with the magic spell formulas!"

Leylin stood in front of Kroft.

"Oh! You want to begin learning rank 0 spells?" Kroft cusped the porcelain cup that was emitting steam and heat in his hand, and sipped from it.

"I have nearly finished constructing my mind runes, and there's only one more step needed before I advance to a level 2 acolyte. I wish to make some preparations for this beforehand!"

Leylin said warmly.

"Being able to progress in both Potioneering and also meditation, I am very gratified!" Kroft said as he stole a glance at Bicky who was nearby.

Bicky had only advanced into a level 2 acolyte two days ago, and never exhibited any extraordinary talents towards Potioneering. With her aptitude, this could be considered a slow pace.

"The academy price for the introduction to magic spell models is 30 magic crystals, I am able to give you a discount and reduce the price to 20 magic crystals!"

"Although I could also give you this information for free, I want you to know that you will only achieve results with effort!"

Kroft smiled lightly. This was the authority of the professors. They could give students favourable prices, or even give the information free of charge. It all depended on the mood of the professor. From this, it was obvious that Kroft approved of Leylin.