The Calm Before the Storm

"Dear Father and Mother, by the time you see this message, I might already be strapped to an operating table as an experiment. Of course, don't be sad. After all, since we're family, there's a good chance you'll be dragged in as experimental subjects too. I'm sure we'll be reunited soon..."

Honestly, after hearing the devastating "news" Amy had brought and confirming that person was himself, Benjamin's first instinct had been exactly that.

After that, his life had felt as though he were sitting on a guillotine, waiting every moment for the blade to fall.

After all, he had become that "mysterious apprentice who had alarmed the Academy"!

Benjamin had assumed the Academy's Wizards would immediately come looking for him, asking where his materials had come from and interrogating him about his Alchemy lineage.

Or worse still: they might directly discover the problem with his Power System and seize him on the spot for research.

As for running away, that was out of the question. Based on what he had learned over the past two months, Benjamin had a rough idea of just how terrifying Noren Academy's combat strength was.

As the supreme authority guarding Noren Plane 13 and dozens of surrounding small planes, Noren Academy's Dean was a Level 7 Wizard.

The mentors of its various schools were basically all Level 4 Wizards or above. As for the Level 1 and Level 2 Wizards staying within the Academy for short-term rest and consolidation, their numbers were countless.

And he, Benjamin, holder of the Great Dao Library, had already reached the second level of Qi Refinement.

So after this incident, Benjamin had completely given up on resisting or fleeing. Instead, he began organizing his words in his mind, intending to confess everything at the first opportunity once they came knocking and discovered the problem, then seek "protection."

I only hope whoever comes to arrest me gives me a chance to explain.

All kinds of possibilities flashed through Benjamin's mind, leaving him constantly on edge as he waited for the judgment that was bound to arrive.

Yet half a month passed, and all remained calm.

The Workshop was still the same dull and busy Workshop, Mentor Clark was still the same expressionless mentor, Amy still chattered away as she shared the latest gossip, and Victor still carefully calculated his tasks.

No Wizards, not even senior apprentices, showed any special interest in him.

That left Benjamin somewhat puzzled.

Could it be... that occasionally inventing a special material isn't enough to attract the Academy's attention? Benjamin could not help trying to convince himself.

It was not impossible.

After all, not only in his previous life—even in the Wizard World—research into materials was like a bottomless "sinkhole."

Aside from discovering those naturally formed strange materials on other planes, trying to rely purely on existing materials to recombine, purify, and synthesize them into a new material with extraordinarily special properties was unimaginably difficult.

Seven parts of it depended on profound knowledge and theoretical foundations, three parts on relentless effort and repeated experimentation... and the remaining most important ninety parts depended on destiny.

So, a Wizard Apprentice, relying on talent or sheer luck, accidentally tinkering up an incredibly awesome material... theoretically speaking, that was not completely impossible, right?

Benjamin kept hypnotizing himself with such words, but his actions did not relax in the slightest.

The Inner Circulation system within his body ran without pause, completely sealing off his aura and preventing even a trace of a Cultivator's fluctuations from leaking out.

To guard against the possible mental control or soul infiltration methods of those Wizards, he had even cautiously used Alchemy to coat the surface of his body with the last tiny bit of Adamantine, forming a protective film almost impossible to distinguish with the naked eye.

Benjamin actually knew that these measures were merely psychological comfort.

If the Academy's high-ranking Wizards truly became suspicious of him and wanted to dig to the bottom of things, they had more than enough methods and power to pierce every one of his disguises.

He was like a small boat on the eve of a storm—calm on the surface, while within, waves churned and crashed, always prepared to face the raging billows that might descend at any moment.

Amid his daily life of constant dread, the "storm" did not arrive. Instead, an accident suddenly erupted.

That afternoon, during a public class, Benjamin was in the Alchemy Workshop carrying out a basic exercise, grinding composite material into a standard shape.

To increase the difficulty, several apprentices nearby were using an old "Element Dust Separator"—a device used to separate specific elemental particles from air or materials—to enchant the composite materials used for practice.

Suddenly, a piercing alarm rang out!

Beep... Beep... Beep...

Benjamin's heart jolted. This was a warning that the equipment was overloaded or malfunctioning!

Instinctively extending his spiritual power toward the machine, he caught a surge of energy within the core runes of the old separator instantly spinning out of control, forming an energy blockage and turbulent currents.

At the same time, gray dust with intense corrosive properties, scattered by the chaotic energy currents, spread outward like a tide!

"Watch out!" Benjamin shouted almost instinctively, his body reacting before his mind did.

He abruptly retreated, leaping with the agility of a cheetah behind the nearest thick load-bearing pillar.

As he pulled back, he caught sight of Amy in the corner of his eye. She was not far from the separator, staring blankly at the equipment as though she had yet to react.

His right hand shot out like lightning on instinct, grabbing Amy by the arm and yanking her back with him using irresistible force.

Amy let out a cry of alarm. Benjamin's pull threw her off balance, and she was practically dragged behind the load-bearing pillar.

Immediately afterward, a visible gray mist spread outward from the separator!

"Ah!!"

"My hand! It hurts so much!"

"What the hell is this?!"

The apprentices who had not managed to retreat in time let out agonized screams.

Though the corrosive dust did not cover a wide area, its effects were horrifying. The moment it touched skin, it began eating away at flesh, sending up wisps of green smoke with sizzling sounds!

Some apprentices were even struck by the chaotic energy currents as they dodged, their bodies twitching as they collapsed to the floor.

For a moment, the scene was filled with chaos and panic.

Benjamin hid behind the pillar, avoiding one wave of energy erosion. Seeing the gray mist spreading through the entire room, he could not help frowning.

The separator was still blaring its alarm, and its energy fluctuations were becoming increasingly violent.

The knowledge he had accumulated during this time allowed him to quickly understand the structure of the equipment's core runes, as well as the trajectory of that out-of-control energy flow.

He saw several crucial energy blockage nodes and knew that if no one acted quickly, they would soon face either the equipment's complete explosion or a wider-scale leak!

"Damn it!"