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Outside Stone Creek Town, a flying beast swooped through the sky and landed in front of the Kanda magic stone mine.
“We’ve arrived. This is the academy’s original magic stone mine, but it has long been mined out,” someone said.
Clearly, the flying beast had enlarged into a swamp ant, and three people jumped off its back one after the other. Ivan introduced the two to their destination.
“I’ve heard about it, but never been here,” Cody said, feeling a bit unsteady on his legs, he stomped his feet.
Who would have thought he was standing on such a powerful creature? He vaguely sensed its displeasure and felt he was being targeted a little, so he dared not complain.
“Cody, there is some relationship between us.”
Ivan turned his head to look at him and said solemnly, “I’ll say it one last time, this is a completely new attempt, the risks are unknown, and success may mean losing the chance to advance further. If you are worried, I’ll give you one last chance to decline, you will not be blamed.”
“Dean, I, Cody, am not hiding anything. Any chance, even the slightest, to become an official sorcerer, I am willing to fight for it, with no regrets even in the face of death,” Cody said decisively.
“Okay, I know your thoughts now. I’ll give you this one chance to risk everything. Whether you succeed or not is your choice, and no one else can be blamed,” Ivan nodded and then turned his gaze to a secluded spot ahead.
The Kanda magic stone mine was originally managed by the Enchantment Group, falling under his jurisdiction. He did not need to inform anyone when he wanted to use it.
He then took out a clear passage token and led Justine and Cody deeper into the magic stone mine to this dim cavern.
“Sorcerer Ivan, have you been here before?” Justine asked curiously while looking around.
“Once before, when I was just a 3rd Class apprentice. That time, I encountered a very interesting humanoid creature,” Ivan recounted with great emotion.
That experience was a life-and-death adventure for him and for Wolban, Heidi, and others.
It was here that he first conceived of the Black Magic Hand, which led to an uncontrollable process of perfecting it, giving rise to the Black Magic Bundle Array, Black Magic Wind Bundle Array, Black Magic Wind Array, and Black Magic Wind Fire Array.
From a certain perspective, this place could be considered his blessed land.
“I heard that it was very dangerous, and that you, the Dean, turned the tide at a critical moment, allowing everyone to escape with their lives,” Cody chimed in.
“Haha, your information is correct,” Ivan laughed and continued to look for a suitable spot with them. Enjoy exclusive chapters from empire
After the turmoil caused by the black-robed monster, the unique aura of the Kanda magic stone mine was not as rich as that of Solo, but it was sufficient for Justine and Cody, who were still at the apprentice stage.
The special aura of the magic stone mine is different from magic stones themselves. For a higher chance of successful promotion, Ivan specifically brought the two here.
“Ivan, shall I have those good-for-nothing clan members search like they did in that other place?” the Silkworm Queen had come along as well.
“No need for that, there’s no call for grand gestures this time.”
They had previously searched in the magic stone mine, so Ivan was quite familiar with the place and quickly found a suitable spot to set up a Formation.
The swamp ant stepped forward and slapped the ground, and a force radiated from it outward, softening the rock and earth all around, as if it were a piece of cloth that could be tossed around at will.
This was the effect of its ability, ‘Boulder-Marsh Control’.
In less than half a minute, a spacious and flat underground square revealed itself.
Witnessing this, Justine and Cody couldn’t help but widen their eyes; such a wondrous ability clearly exceeded the understanding of two apprentices.
“Big Black One is even learning to show off now,” the Silkworm Queen muttered sourly.
Its Plant Transformation Skill, upon further testing, proved capable of transforming not just mulberry trees but any plant it had consumed and met the requirements, though it still lacked any real offensive power.
In terms of physical strength, it was comparable to someone who had just entered the Flying Knight stage, yet it still couldn’t compare to the might of Big Black One, which made the Silkworm Queen a bit uneasy.
Seeing Ivan get busy, the Silkworm Queen hurriedly stopped its grumbling and joined the swamp ant to dig for magic stone ore not far away.
“`
Ivan refined the magic stone ore into slabs and blocks.
Soon, a small-scale Black Magic Wind Fire Array took shape.
To accommodate the two apprentices, Ivan heavily suppressed certain aspects of the Formation’s power and simplified it greatly, retaining mostly its refining capabilities.
“Cody, are you ready?”
“Dean, I have been waiting for this moment for a long time.”
“Alright, let’s begin.”
This was Cody’s third promotion, and he was very familiar with what he needed to know; there was no need for Ivan to remind him of anything.
Afterward, Cody sat cross-legged beside the array dais, on a magic stone slab some distance away, with runes carved from there to the array dais, along which the power would be transferred when the time came.
Ivan waved his hands to the left and right, signaling Justine, swamp ants, and the Silkworm Queen to leave the underground plaza, and he himself also moved farther away to avoid disrupting Cody’s advancement.
“Dean, please grant me this honor.”
Cody drank three vials of Aqua Alva in one go and, with an unstoppable momentum, entered the state of official sorcerer advancement.
In Ivan’s view, Cody’s entire body turned red, and a vast amount of sweat vapor rose from him, as if he were a shrimp in a steaming basket.
The Black Magic Wind Fire Array quickly started up, drawing the special aura of the surroundings, and after repeated refining by the Formation, it turned into extremely pure mental energy.
Threads of mental energy floated towards Cody along the runes lines.
According to Ivan’s plan, as long as Cody could successfully convert this energy into his mental power, the success rate of his promotion would be significantly increased.
“Compared to when I was an apprentice, the purity of the refined mental energy is countless times higher.”
This was Cody’s promotion, and the only thing Ivan could do was control the transmission speed of the mental energy. If this method still didn’t work, it would be a matter of fate.
Several hours passed, and the underground plaza was suddenly swept by winds and clouds, engulfing Cody’s figure within them.
After the winds and clouds changed, Cody’s figure reemerged. He staggered to his feet, took step by step towards Ivan, and knelt down on the ground directly in front of him.
“Dean, I, Cody Timotheou, swear by the Mother of Earth Core, this life hereafter is yours, please command me without reservation.” Although Cody felt unwell, his spirit was exceptionally active, and he spoke with the utmost respect.
Evidently, during his third promotion, he had become an official sorcerer.
Facing the man to whom he owed a great debt of rebirth, Cody chose to swear his loyalty, expressing his heartfelt gratitude.
“I will remember this, go and rest outside.” Ivan didn’t say much more, checked him over, and let him recover aside, as his body had been severely devastated during the promotion.
After Cody left, Justine arrived.
“Justine, are you ready?”
“I’m ready, Ivan. I won’t disappoint you.”
“Don’t disappoint yourself either; you must understand, an apprentice cannot make a good Mrs. Marichadon.”
“Yes, I will be a qualified Mrs. Marichadon.”
Seeing Justine’s expression turn exceedingly determined, Ivan gestured for her to sit on the other side of the Formation, at a spot specially reserved for her.
Not long after, in the dimly lit magic stone mine, another apprentice fulfilled her aspiration, crossed over a crucial threshold in her life, and became an official sorcerer, borrowing nearly three hundred years of life from the world.