Chapter Summaries

After his soul fused with that of Ron Ralph, an ordinary student who had died on Earth, Ron discovered a character panel that tracked his skills and meditation progress. He also unlocked Fengling Yueying and found he had unlimited career slots, giving him a new path to survive the Black Mist Forest’s apprenticeship deadline.

• Ron recalled how a White-Robed Wizard had judged his spiritual aptitude barely sufficient and taken him to the Black Mist Forest as a seed.
• Ron saw his character panel and learned that Dual Soul increased his comprehension and might eventually allow Dual Casting.
• Ron meditated until he formed the basic will rune, gaining one point of Basic Meditation experience before reaching his daily training limit.
• Ron inspected the Potion Apprentice career requirements and saw that it could improve his spiritual power growth and magic affinity.
• Ron activated Fengling Yueying and discovered that his career slots were unlimited.

Ron advanced Basic Potionology to Proficient after a week of intense study and gained the High-Speed Memory trait. Andre visited him, doubted that Potions would suit him, and revealed that Trish had become an Intermediate Apprentice.

• Ron spent a week studying Potions, raising Basic Potionology from Beginner to Proficient and gaining High-Speed Memory.
• Andre visited Ron after he had been absent from the common area and found his densely detailed study notes.
• Ron explained that he had found Potions interesting and had written extensive notes as his understanding grew.
• Andre recalled giving Ron the potionology book because he had planned to study Enchanting instead and admitted he had not expected Ron to choose Potions.
• Ron asked about Trish, and Andre said she had completed her advancement Ritual the previous month and become an Intermediate Apprentice.

Ron offered Andre fifty Magic Stone Fragments for the Farouk Royal Family’s Corona Breathing Technique, arguing that his poor mental aptitude left him little chance of surviving the wizard training. Andre considered the offer and began laying out how he would teach the technique.

• Ron recalled that Trish had Third-Rank Star mental aptitude, while he had Sixth-Rank and Andre Fifth-Rank.
• Ron served Andre tea brewed with scarce Black Nettle Leaf, and Andre questioned his unusual generosity.
• Ron asked to buy the Corona Breathing Technique and offered Andre Magic Stone Fragments, raising the price from thirty to fifty.
• Ron explained that he needed the technique to avoid dying without dignity and promised not to share it with anyone else.
• Ron noted that Andre needed resources for his studies of wizarding arts, persuading him to consider the deal.
• Andre agreed to teach Ron the Corona Breathing Technique and said he would begin with the basics.

Ron accepted Andre’s guidance and notes for learning the dangerous Corona Breathing Technique, then went with him to buy ingredients for its first-stage body-tempering oil. They entered the apprentices’ market, where Ron encountered its strange inhabitants.

• Andre warned Ron that the Corona Breathing Technique required expert guidance and carefully prepared medicines, and Ron insisted he would learn it despite the risks.
• Andre gave Ron his handwritten cultivation notes and agreed to oversee the preparation of Scorching Essential Oil.
• Andre led Ron along the hazardous path to the apprentices’ market, where he described its dangerous plants and Ron recognized the Nightmare Umbrellas.
• A Gray Robe Apprentice stumbled from the bushes with his hand transformed into twisted vines, and Andre said such incidents happened regularly.
• Ron entered the market with Andre and saw magical creatures, including a tentacled Kraken trader whose corrosive saliva Andre warned him about.

Ron and Andre gathered ingredients for Scorching Essential Oil, and Ron decided to apply to the harsh Herb Shop owner for a potion assistant position. After Ron demonstrated unexpected skill preparing the oil, a prompt appeared offering him advancement to Potion Apprentice.

• Andre explained that Formal Wizard Fernandez mentored promising apprentices and guided Ron through the marketplace.
• Andre bought the ingredients for Scorching Essential Oil, but he pulled Ron away when the Herb Shop owner offered to recruit assistants.
• Ron decided to apply for the assistant position the next day and asked Andre to accompany him.
• Andre taught Ron to prepare Scorching Essential Oil, and Ron successfully made the first batch under his guidance.
• Ron prepared the second batch on his own with remarkable precision, triggering a prompt that he could advance to Potion Apprentice.

Ron became a Potion Apprentice, gaining new abilities and a sharp improvement in meditation. He planned to conceal his progress while preparing to begin combat training and apply for a Herb Shop assistant position.

• Ron changed class to Potion Apprentice, gaining attributes, potion-related skills, and heightened senses for magical materials.
• Andre noticed Ron's changed aura, and Ron attributed it to training with extraordinary materials.
• Ron meditated and found that forming consciousness runes was faster and more stable, though his daily training limit soon arrived.
• Ron reviewed his improved attributes and discovered that using the Scorching Essential Oil would unlock the Knight Squire class change.
• Ron put away his notes and potion, planning to learn the Corona Breathing Technique and apply for work at the Herb Shop the next day.

Andre led Ron to an abandoned wizard experiment site to begin his first body tempering with Scorching Essential Oil. Ron’s panel revealed that the process would advance him to Knight Squire and might trigger Class Synergy, and the chapter ended as Andre prepared to apply the oil.

• Andre woke Ron and explained that an accident during his Enchanting studies had damaged the neighboring wall.
• Andre took Ron to a relatively safe abandoned wizard experiment site before sunrise for body tempering.
• Andre instructed Ron to remove his clothes and explained that the Scorching Essential Oil had to be applied to specific areas in the correct order.
• Ron’s panel announced the Knight Squire advancement, its attributes and skills, and the possibility of Class Synergy with his Potion Apprentice class.
• Andre warned Ron not to move during the painful process, then poured Scorching Essential Oil into his palm.

Ron completed his first Body Tempering under Andre’s guidance and unlocked the Knight Squire class. The Sun-Day Meridians appeared on his back, revealing an incomplete Blessing of the Sun, and Andre warned him to avoid drawing attention before asking about his Herb Shop assistant application.

• Andre guided Ron through the Corona Breathing Technique while Scorching Essential Oil reconstructed his meridians.
• Ron’s Potion Apprentice class improved his meridian transformation and energy absorption as his first Body Tempering reached its critical stage.
• Ron completed the first Body Tempering with an Excellent evaluation and unlocked the one-star Knight Squire class and its skills.
• Ron and Andre discovered golden Sun-Day Meridians on Ron’s back, unlocking the incomplete Blessing of the Sun.
• Andre warned Ron that his constitution could attract wizards seeking experimental materials, then asked about his application for an assistant position at the Herb Shop.

Ron and Andre visited Mrs. Allen’s Herb Shop, where she recognized their backgrounds and tested Ron’s potion-making ability. Ron brewed a Calming Potion to her satisfaction, but Mrs. Allen hinted that she had another concern.

• Ron and Andre returned to the Herb Shop and entered after its wind chime rang and Mrs. Allen called to them.
• Mrs. Allen identified Ron’s incomplete Blessing of the Sun and recognized Andre as a member of the Farouk family.
• Mrs. Allen asked Ron to demonstrate his ability by brewing a Calming Potion.
• Ron used his Herb Identification skill to prepare the ingredients and brew the potion.
• Mrs. Allen judged Ron’s technique and potion to be up to standard, then sharpened her gaze and began, “However...”

Ron passed Mrs. Allen’s assessment and agreed to work as her assistant at the Herb Shop, where he would earn two Magic Stone Fragments a day and learn potion-making under strict confidentiality rules. He arrived early for his first shift and began sorting herbs according to their medicinal properties.

• Ron identified Thorn Vine fibers as the flaw in a potion, convincing Mrs. Allen that he had talent for potion-making.
• Mrs. Allen offered Ron an assistant contract with generous pay, free access to brewing equipment, and a share of profits from qualified potions.
• Ron drank Truth Serum and agreed to keep the shop’s formulas and unusual guests confidential.
• After Andre warned him about Mrs. Allen’s intolerance for lateness, Ron arrived at the shop half an hour early the next morning.
• Mrs. Allen assigned Ron to sort a pile of herbs and bottles by their medicinal properties without letting them affect one another.

Ron gained practical experience identifying and handling herbs while assisting Mrs. Allen, then caught the attention of High-level Apprentice Holt by preserving a Star Grass’s vitality. The chapter ended with Mrs. Allen interrupting Holt before Ron could give his name, emphasizing that he was only a Candidate Apprentice.

• Mrs. Allen taught Ron that herbs could change over time and tested his ability to identify contaminated Moon Dew Flower powder.
• Ron sorted herbs and noticed patterns in their auras, then found an old bottle of Stardust Liquid and discussed his upcoming apprentice examination with Mrs. Allen.
• Apprentice Holt arrived to buy Evening Primrose, and Mrs. Allen quietly warned Ron not to ask questions or speak.
• Holt noticed the vitality of Ron’s Star Grass and deduced that Ron understood its rhythm, then asked Ron for his name.
• Mrs. Allen interrupted and told Holt that Ron was only a Candidate Apprentice.

Ron received a gift of Artificial Star Dew from Holt, learned more about sensing herbs and gained a chance to study potion-making with Mrs. Allen. He also learned that Count Ralph was sending him ten Magic Stone Fragments each month, but messenger Mr. Hawkins was stealing some before delivery; Ron returned to the dormitory ahead of his Second Body Tempering.

• Holt gave Ron Artificial Star Dew, but Mrs. Allen kept it safe until Ron passed the apprentice assessment.
• Ron explained how he used mental-strength-like rhythms to activate Star Grass, and Mrs. Allen asked him to sort Evening Primrose by picking time.
• Mrs. Allen told Ron that a cloaked messenger named Mr. Hawkins traveled between the mortal kingdoms and the Black Mist Forest.
• Count Ralph sent ten Magic Stone Fragments for Ron, but Mr. Hawkins showed greed when he collected the pouch.
• Mrs. Allen rewarded Ron with ordinary alertness-restoring herbs and invited him to learn simple potion-making the next day.
• Ron told Andre about his first day at the Herb Shop, and Andre warned him to be careful before the Second Body Tempering.

Ron and Andre returned to the abandoned testing ground for Ron’s second body tempering, where Ron learned to guide the Scorching Essential Oil’s energy by matching the Corona Breathing Technique’s rhythm. The tempering reached its final, hottest surge, and Andre urged Ron to guide it rather than resist.

• Ron told Andre that Lord Holt’s interest in him might stem from his ability to sense the rhythm in magical materials, and Andre connected the Scorching Essential Oil to the sun’s rhythm.
• Ron and Andre went to the abandoned testing ground, where Ron noticed that traces of energy on the ground faded in sunlight and Andre explained that a failed wizard experiment had damaged the site’s runes.
• Andre explained that Ron would have to guide the energy himself during the second body tempering, and Ron confirmed the procedure through his system prompt.
• Ron matched his breathing to the Scorching Essential Oil’s energy, guided it through his meridians, and gained increased energy-flow efficiency as his tempering passed 67%.
• The final, hotter wave of essential oil surged through Ron, and Andre told him to guide the energy instead of resisting it.

After Ron’s second body tempering, he discovered the Sun Wheel Rhythm within the Corona Breathing Technique and wondered whether other powers had their own rhythms. On the way back, he learned that Emily had become Marcus’s servant and considered the hidden cost of Apprentice Holt’s gift.

• Ron guided the violent energy of his second body tempering with the Corona Breathing Technique, increased his Constitution, and perceived the Sun Wheel pattern and its underlying law.
• Andre said Ron had reached an understanding of the technique’s essence that Andre had only gained at the second cultivation stage.
• Ron told Andre he suspected extraordinary powers, including spiritual power, followed specific rhythms that might improve their use.
• Ron and Andre saw Emily hurry away, and Andre explained that she had gone to Marcus as a servant despite reports that Marcus’s cursed experiments had harmed one of his servants.
• Andre suggested Apprentice Holt had given Ron the Artificial Star Dew because he valued Ron’s talent and might expect repayment if Ron advanced.

Ron discovered that matching his meditation pace to the flow of spiritual power improved his training, then witnessed Locke suffer horrific mutations after using a forbidden drug. Andre warned Ron not to concern himself with the symptoms, leaving him unsettled about the potion and its consequences.

• Ron realized the Basic Meditation rune imitated the natural flow of spiritual power, and his meditation experience increased.
• Ron and Andre went to the testing hall, where Locke demonstrated that he had reached the Primary Apprentice standard.
• Andre noticed signs that Locke's spiritual power was unstable, and Locke soon lost control.
• A White-Robed Wizard identified Locke's condition as Nystagmus Syndrome and Flesh Hyperplasia Syndrome after he had taken an excessive dose of Mental Catalyst, then used him to test a new formula.
• Andre pulled Ron away from the scene, and later warned him not to investigate Locke's symptoms.

Ron learned about a black-market merchant dealing in forbidden potions and began training in Corona Swordsmanship with the Corona Breathing Technique. Andre then revealed that Locke had taken the risk after receiving some information, leaving Ron waiting to hear what it was.

• Ron checked his status and reflected that he could rely on his abilities rather than take forbidden drugs.
• Ron overheard servants discussing Locke's purchase of forbidden potions from a black-market merchant.
• Ron practiced Corona Swordsmanship, using the Corona Breathing Technique to guide his strikes and improve his skill.
• Andre visited Ron and said Locke had taken the risk because he had received some information.

Andre warned Ron that merchants were luring Candidate Apprentices into taking dangerous Mental Catalysts for wizard experiments. After witnessing Emily’s horrific mutation and the White-Robed Wizard take her away as a test subject, Ron returned to studying medicinal ingredients to prepare for Mrs. Allen’s instruction and strengthen himself.

• Andre told Ron that merchants were targeting desperate Candidate Apprentices with Mental Catalysts backed by wizards seeking test subjects, and warned him to avoid unknown substances.
• Ron showed Andre his detailed notes on medicinal ingredients and said he had reviewed simple potions in preparation for Mrs. Allen’s instruction.
• Ron and Andre followed a commotion into the corridor and found Emily horribly mutated after taking a Mental Catalyst.
• A White-Robed Wizard restrained Emily and claimed her as a test subject for a transformation formula while the watching apprentices stood by.
• Andre led Ron away as Emily screamed, and Ron returned to his dormitory determined to grow stronger and continued studying his notes.

Ron learned to brew a Refreshing Potion under Mrs. Allen’s guidance and discovered how his Dual Soul helped him perceive the rhythms behind supernatural forces. He left with a batch of subpar potion and a clearer understanding of his talent, though his potential for Dual Casting had not yet awakened.

• Ron arrived early at the Herb Shop, and Mrs. Allen praised his preparation after reviewing his detailed notes on Refreshing Potions.
• Mrs. Allen led Ron to the brewing room and taught him that potion-making depended on sensing the materials’ rhythms and their Resonance.
• Ron used the rhythm of his mental force to guide the ingredients, producing an amber potion that Mrs. Allen judged subpar but usable.
• Mrs. Allen left Ron to bottle the batch and organize the shelves while she went to serve a customer.
• Ron realized that his Dual Soul let him connect his Earth soul’s understanding of music with his native soul’s sensitivity to supernatural forces, helping him perceive shared patterns across different disciplines.

Ron used a Refreshing Potion to improve his meditation and discovered that understanding mental-power rhythm also helped him cast Slime Splash more efficiently. He heard hurried footsteps and quiet sobbing in the corridor, leaving him wary of what might be happening.

• Ron took a sip of Refreshing Potion and found that its clarity helped him sense the flow and rhythm of his mental power.
• Ron meditated with the potion's effects, and his meditation experience increased faster than usual.
• After hearing Darund struggle with the Sonic Tremor Spell Model, Ron decided to study the zero-ring spell Slime Splash.
• Ron shaped his mental power into a more stable droplet and cast Slime Splash while using less mental power.
• Ron heard hurried footsteps and quiet sobbing in the corridor and listened warily.

Ron noticed servants spreading carefully crafted rumors about black-market methods for rapid breakthroughs, using Locke’s apparent success while concealing his grim fate. As desperate apprentices began to consider the dangerous offers, Ron resolved to grow stronger before time ran out.

• Ron saw Andy rushing to the library with a pile of books as the assessment deadline approached.
• After cultivating with a Refreshing Potion, Ron overheard servants discussing rapid breakthroughs and rare materials in the corridor.
• Ron recognized the servants’ conversation as a deliberate effort to lure desperate candidate apprentices toward black-market merchants.
• Ron realized the supposed three-day breakthrough was Locke’s, and that the servants had hidden his miserable ending.
• Ron heard Darund pacing next door and felt the growing urgency to strengthen himself.