"What’s happening..."
Ron murmured softly, feeling as if his brain was being squeezed by an invisible giant hand, making his thoughts slow and chaotic.
This sensation was completely different from ordinary fatigue, more like some sort of overload originating deep within the spirit.
When he tried to continue reading, the words before his eyes seemed to start twisting, transforming into incomprehensible symbols, then reassembling into terrifying visions.
"It seems the mental overload is too severe." Ron gritted his teeth, barely managing to close the book.
Even with his Advanced Apprentice level 4.0 Spiritual Power, delving deeply for hours into this sort of forbidden book involving abyssal knowledge was still a massive challenge.
He couldn’t help but recall the old guard’s warning—when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.
"If I were still at the Intermediate Apprentice stage, I probably couldn’t even read a few pages before this would happen."
He thought self-deprecatingly, rubbing his temples.
He then took a deep breath, gradually steadying his own breathing.
He began practicing Basic Meditation, slowly circulating his Spiritual Power, alleviating the sharp pain like needles.
"Bite off more than you can chew, the content of this tome is far more profound and dangerous than I imagined."
He rationally decided: "Pause for a while before looking at the remaining parts, giving the mind enough time to relax."
Ron carefully placed "Abyssal Creatures Atlas" into a specially crafted lock box, setting up several Protective Arrays to ensure no energy fluctuations would leak out.
These abyssal knowledge pieces were like a double-edged sword, capable of bringing power, yet they could also become a source of destruction.
As Ron rose from the lab bench, his gaze landed on another corner’s storage cabinet—where he had stored the tissue samples he bought not long ago from a Scorpion carcass.
"Such precious abyssal creature samples, perfect for testing the effect of my newly acquired ’Insight’ trait."
Ron smiled slightly, his thoughts shifting in another direction.
He recalled the insights gained in dissection class and the clear understanding of extraordinary creatures’ structures, with Extraordinary Biology finally reaching a "proficient" level.
"This means I’ve met all the conditions to advance to ’Bloodline Modifier.’"
Ron thought to himself, a sense of anticipation gradually rising.
Since he performed outstandingly in the Bloody Gladiatorial Games and was promoted to an Advanced Apprentice, he now met all the qualifications to apply for the Bloodline Modifier certification.
And now, even without official external certification, he could assume this new profession through the professional panel.
Ron stepped to the center of the laboratory, held his breath, and summoned his professional panel.
A transparent information interface unfolded before his eyes, detailing his current states and selectable advancement paths.
[Bloodline Modifier (Two Stars) advancement conditions met:
1. Basic Magic Potion Theory mastery √
2. Extraordinary Biology proficiency √
3. Bloodline Modulation proficiency √
4. Successfully perform at least three different types of Bloodline Modulations √]
[Immediately switch to the—Bloodline Modifier (Two Stars)?]
"All conditions have been met." Ron took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Bloodline Modifier, a profession even rarer than Alchemist, specialized in understanding and modifying the bloodlines of extraordinary creatures.
For most Apprentices, this was an almost unattainable dream.
It requires not just a profound foundation in Magic Potion Making but also a fundamental understanding of extraordinary creatures.
More importantly, it requires that sort of intuitive insight into the essence of life, a level most people couldn’t reach even in a lifetime.
But for Ron, equipped with the dual traits of "Tracing" and "Insight," he already possessed a far beyond his rank’s level of bloodline perception ability.
"Let’s begin."
Ron focused his mind, internally confirming: "Switch to Modulator."
A warm energy surged from deep within his body, rapidly spreading to every part of him.
Similar to previous profession transitions, yet distinctly different.
This time, the energy was more vibrant and lively, as if countless tiny lives were flowing within him.
Every cell, every meridian, every piece of tissue was being awakened, activated, and reshaped.
Ron could feel a peculiar transformation taking place—his perception of life was undergoing a qualitative shift.
In the past, even with the assistance of the "Tracing" and "Insight" traits, his understanding of biological entities was confined to "seeing" and "analyzing."
But now, this perception became more direct and instinctual, as if the entities themselves were actively revealing their mysteries to him.
Life fluctuations that previously required focused attention to notice could now be clearly captured with just slight attention;
Bloodline structures that he could only vaguely perceive before were now intuitively understood as if he were reading an open book.
If he placed an ordinary little insect in his palm, he could even perceive every tiny energy node and bloodline feature within it.
It was as if he suddenly mastered a completely new language, capable of directly conversing with life itself.
[Transfer successful!]
[New Profession Acquired: Modulator (Two Stars)]
[Basic Attributes Enhanced:
Spirit: 4.0→4.2 (+0.2)
Magic Power: 2.55→2.75 (+0.2)
Constitution: 2.75→2.85 (+0.1)]
Ron could feel the surge of new energy within, especially amazed at the noticeable enhancement of his Constitution.
Unlike Alchemists and Potion Makers who mainly increase Spirit and Magic Power, advancing to Modulator also seemed to have a strengthening effect on the physical body itself.