The Central Tower Hall is resplendent, with portraits of great pioneers in wizard history hanging on the surrounding walls.
The ceiling features a beautifully drawn star map, with twinkling stars that seem identical to the real night sky.
This is the most solemn place in the Black Mist School, rarely open to ordinary apprentices.
Today, it will host the quarterly evaluation meeting for the candidate wizard sequence.
On this day, as Ron was conducting an alchemy experiment in the workshop, a large grey-black parrot flapped its wings and flew through the window.
"Ron Apprentice... Ron Apprentice..."
The parrot landed on the windowsill, repeatedly calling out sharply:
"Master Griffith asks you to immediately go to the Central Tower meeting room."
Ron put down the alchemy tools in his hands.
"The evaluation meeting for the candidate wizard sequence... is about to begin... You, as the evaluated subject... need to be present..."
The parrot mechanically repeated the instructions given to it.
This must be the letter he received a week ago, notifying him of the sequence ranking evaluation meeting.
As a member who has made significant progress recently, he would naturally be a key subject for discussion as a possible promotion candidate.
"I will go immediately." Ron nodded, quickly organizing his attire to ensure he appeared formal and proper.
Half an hour later, Ron arrived outside the meeting room on the twelfth floor of the Central Tower.
At the door stood two personnel in dark gray uniforms, watching the hallway vigilantly.
"Ron Ralph, candidate wizard sequence member, responding to Master Griffith’s summons." Ron politely introduced himself.
The personnel checked the list and nodded, indicating for him to enter.
The meeting room was spacious and bright, with a huge round oak table occupying the central position.
Sitting around the table were several individuals in robes of various colors, and Ron immediately recognized Soron and Yuni, among other masters he had seen before.
Among them was Corina, who seemed like a ghost from a snow field, exuding icy cold from head to toe.
She still wore her exquisite white mask, nodded at him upon noticing his gaze, and Ron could only bow slightly in response.
On one side of the room stood some young candidate wizard sequence members.
They appeared to be summoned for assessment too, and among them, Ron saw several familiar faces, including Trish.
"Ron, you’re here, just wait over there for now."
Soron noticed his arrival and nodded slightly, indicating for him to stand in the candidate area.
Ron bowed respectfully to all the masters present, then quietly walked to the designated position.
Trish gave him a smile, her eyes carrying a hint of kind encouragement.
But her expression still maintained that unique indifference, as if deliberately controlling herself not to show too much emotion in public.
After waiting for a while, the appointed time arrived, and everyone stood solemnly.
"Now that everyone is here..."
Vice Dean Hayek, an older gentleman wearing a deep purple robe with complex badges on his chest, opened:
"Let’s begin this quarter’s candidate wizard sequence evaluation meeting."
His gaze was sharp and authoritative, sweeping over each young apprentice present:
"According to tradition, we will adjust the sequence ranking based on everyone’s recent performance, potential, and master evaluation."
Ron looked around; a huge round table was placed in the center of the hall, surrounded by the school’s high-level members and other candidate wizard sequence members.
Following the seating arrangement notice, he found his position—seventeenth seat, corresponding to his current ranking in the sequence.
Looking around, Ron recognized many familiar faces.
Trish was seated at the twelfth seat today, unlike her usual casual self, wearing a formal dark gown.
Her hair was neatly tied and adorned with a jeweled hairpiece, making her appear especially dignified.
Holt still occupied the first seat, his expression calm.
As the absolute leader in the sequence, his strength and talent were top-notch in the entire school.
The fourth to tenth seats were occupied by advanced apprentices Ron had seen in various occasions but wasn’t very familiar with.
To Ron’s slight surprise, Oliver was at the fifth seat, having dropped two ranks from his previous position.
Furthermore, Cynthia, who should have been sitting at the ninth seat, was nowhere to be seen, leaving her chair empty, sparking some low murmurs.
"Quiet."
Vice Dean Hayek’s authoritative voice sounded, and the hall immediately quieted down.
"Welcome everyone to this quarter’s candidate wizard sequence evaluation meeting."
He scanned the crowd, his voice calm and powerful:
"As usual, we will first announce this quarter’s ranking changes and then discuss important matters."
With a wave of his hand, a giant transparent leaderboard appeared in the air in the center of the hall, clearly displaying the names and rankings of all candidate wizards.
"First, congratulations to Holt Elvin for maintaining the top position in the sequence, marking his sixth consecutive quarter holding this position."
Holt stood up, slightly bowing with gratitude, a modest smile on his face.
"Secondly, Herbert Levin and Caitlin Gardner remain in the second and third positions respectively."
The vice dean continued to announce, with the rankings of the top three remaining stable.
"There have been significant changes from the fifth to the tenth positions. Trish Lind has risen from twelfth to tenth position, performing excellently; Oliver West has dropped from fifth to sixth position, needing to put in more effort."
As the Daughter of the Hunter, Trish originally had no surname, and Lind is her birthplace.
Upon hearing her name, the brown-haired girl slightly bent down to express gratitude, her expression remaining reserved, with only a faint, barely noticeable trace of pride in her eyes.
Oliver, on the other hand, appeared calm, with only a fleeting shadow passing through his eyes.
Ron keenly noticed that Oliver’s fingers were tapping lightly on the table, clearly indicating that his heart was not as calm as he appeared.
Seizing the moment when everyone’s attention was focused on the vice dean’s speech, Ron cautiously activated his "Extraordinary Recognition" ability, silently scanning Oliver’s condition.
In an instant, a stream of information flooded into his senses:
[Oliver West
Spiritual Talent: Upper Sixth-class Star (Original) / Lower Fourth-class Star (Current)
Current Status: Moderate Spiritual Contamination (Continuously Accumulating)
Special Talent: Living Assimilation (Third Tier)
— Capable of absorbing and integrating parts of other beings’ abilities and memories through special rituals
— Can integrate targets up to the same power level as oneself
— Each assimilation exacerbates the accumulation of spiritual contamination]
Ron’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly averted his gaze.
A special talent of the third tier is extremely rare within the entire school.
However, this also explained why Oliver’s ranking was declining.
The intense aura of spiritual contamination on him would undoubtedly be noticed by those keen Official Wizards.
Oliver’s total magic power was indeed higher than before.
But the instability and traces of contamination carried within that magic power caused him to lose the potential for further growth.
Ron quietly observed Oliver, discovering a faint black pattern on his right wrist, like some kind of curse or contamination mark.
That contamination seemed to be slowly but steadily spreading upwards.
"He’s walking a very dangerous shortcut..." Ron thought to himself, recalling the earlier warning from Lady Allen.
Evidently, Oliver had opted for some forbidden power source in exchange for a rapid short-term boost.
But this enhancement came at the cost of long-term potential and health.
The vice dean’s next words diverted his attention back:
"... It’s noteworthy that Cynthia Novik, ranked ninth, hasn’t appeared within the school’s range for three weeks. According to the school’s regulations, her sequence qualification is temporarily frozen, pending further investigation."
This news sparked more murmurs, as Cynthia, although not particularly strong, was well-known in the sequence for her various abnormal hobbies.
Her sudden disappearance was undoubtedly a shocking revelation.
The vice dean paused for a moment, letting the murmurs naturally subside before continuing to announce the subsequent rankings.
When announcing the fourteenth position, the vice dean paused and looked at Ron:
"This ranking adjustment is based not only on your recent performance and progress but also on the recommendations and evaluations from the Masters."
He picked up several letters, each sealed with a Master’s private stamp:
"Particularly noteworthy is Apprentice Ron Ralph, who received strong recommendations from Master Soron, Master Yuni, and Master Corina. Even the semi-retired Master Magnus and Lady Allen wrote letters of recommendation for him, which is extremely rare in the school’s history."
This news caused a noticeable stir in the hall, as both Magnus and Lady Allen were highly respected within the school, rarely endorsing Candidate Apprentices personally.
"These recommendations account for nearly a third of the school’s Official Wizards..." an elderly Advanced Apprentice assistant murmured in amazement.
The vice dean raised his hand to signal silence: "Considering these factors, as the council, I cast my supporting vote, confirming the promotion of Ron Ralph’s ranking to fourteenth place."
In fact, the Black Mist School, as a subordinate branch of the Crystal Tower, did not have a formal dean.
As the vice dean, his approval was essentially decisive.
There was a clear gasp of surprise in the hall.
A three-position promotion in the Candidate Wizard sequence was considered rare.
Especially for someone who had joined the sequence for less than half a year and was continuously rising in rank, it was an almost unprecedented achievement.
Ron calmly stood up and bowed to the vice dean and the Wizards: "Thank you for the school’s recognition. I will continue to work hard."
He noticed that Corina, Yuni, and Soron all cast approving looks at him, clearly indicating that his progress was acknowledged by these senior members.
Especially Corina, whose usually cold eyes now shimmered with a rare tinge of care.
The other sequence members present reacted differently: some were surprised, some envious, some curious, and a few revealed barely discernible jealousy and exclusion.
The vice dean nodded slightly and continued announcing the remaining ranking changes.
After all the rankings were announced, he moved on to the next agenda.
"Next, we will discuss two important matters. First, the investigation into Cynthia Novik’s disappearance."
An elderly Advanced Apprentice stood up, one of the main leaders of the Law Enforcement Team, briefly reporting on the investigation:
"Based on current clues, Cynthia was last seen three weeks ago at midnight, with someone seeing her entering the Edge Forest, and then she vanished without a trace."