"Black Bone Forest Academy really does have a twisted sense of humor — actually building the academy in the middle of a graveyard!"
Lei Lin shook his head, but immediately afterward he felt surprisingly comfortable, as though every pore on his body was opening up, breathing in the air of this place.
"Chip! What's going on?"
"Ding! Task established! Environmental sample collection, analysis in progress!"
"A particular type of Negative Energy Particle in the surrounding environment has significantly increased, producing a mild resonance with the host's Spiritual Power. Hypothesis: these are dark-attribute Negative Energy Particles!" The Chip's voice came through.
"So that's how it is! The increased Negative Energy in the environment is clearly beneficial for dark-attribute Wizards. It's just like in the novels from my previous world — cultivation sects all had to occupy places rich in spiritual energy. Same principle!"
Lei Lin now understood the academy's reasoning.
"Password!"
By this time,
Flanking the tomb entrance were two enormous stone statues.
On the left was a giant hound with two heads, its body covered in barbed spines.
On the right was a colossal winged lizard, its razor-sharp teeth bared, exuding an aura of raw savagery.
Both statues were remarkably lifelike, their eyes fashioned from black gemstones that made them look almost alive.
The moment Duolote approached the statues, the lizard on the right spoke up, its voice dry and rasping. With each movement of its jaws, chips of stone dust flaked away.
"Alright, alright, Jiumoluo! Don't you recognize me?"
Duolote wore an impatient expression.
No sooner had Duolote finished speaking than both the lizard and the hound burst into thunderous laughter. The sound whipped up a tremendous gust of wind, flipping the collars of the apprentices standing behind.
"Duolote! We may be very familiar with you! But rules are rules!"
The two statues now seemed completely alive. The hound licked its front paw and spoke in a woman's voice.
"What, still? You want to play with us?" The lizard extended one front claw and crooked its finger like a human. "Come on! I've been feeling a bit itchy!"
"Fine! Fine! Let me think!" Duolote rolled his eye sockets upward.
"Ugh! Damn it! I really should have ripped the heads off those swine who designed the defensive wizard arrays and shoved them up their own arses!"
Duolote suddenly roared.
"Spit it out! What's the password?" The giant hound roared, sparks already beginning to fly from its mouth.
"The password is—I hate stinking bones!" Duolote muttered in a low voice.
Lei Lin's mouth twitched, and it took considerable effort to suppress his laughter. Although Duolote was just a skeleton, Lei Lin could tell his mood was absolutely terrible.
"Ha ha! Password correct!" The lizard and the giant hound laughed loudly and stepped aside to clear the path.
"I'd bet anything! The Observers inside the Academy must be watching through their crystal balls, laughing themselves unconscious!" The hound snickered as it returned to its original stone pedestal, transforming back into its previous statue form.
"Pfft!" One of the apprentices finally couldn't hold it in and let out a sound.
"Hmph!" The green flames in Duolote's eye sockets suddenly surged outward. "It seems I need to show the new apprentices what it means to respect their mentors!"
Snap! Duolote snapped his fingers.
"Ahhhh!!! What is that thing—stay away, stay away!!!" The apprentice who had made the sound stumbled back several steps, collapsed to the ground, and began screaming in terror.
"Luoxi! What's wrong!" Another apprentice rushed forward.
"D-Don't come over!" Luoxi shrieked, his face beginning to twist and distort in a faint, unsettling way.
Watching this scene, a chill crept up from the depths of every surrounding apprentice's heart.
"Wizards are equals, and they can joke around with each other, but apprentices must always remain humble!"
Lei Lin suddenly understood the survival rules of the wizard world—only equal strength could serve as the prerequisite for dialogue.
Jiamen and
"Pick him up! We're going inside!" Duolote pointed at the still-screaming Luoxi.
His two attendants stepped forward, lifting Luoxi between them, one on each side.
"At least Great Knights!" A sharp gleam flickered in Lei Lin's eyes as he watched the two attendants subdue Luoxi with ease.
After opening the tomb door, a circular flight of stone steps descending downward appeared before the group.
The steps wound in a spiral, stretching ever downward until they were swallowed by a bottomless darkness.
Duolote rapped his wand against a brick on the ground. Thud!
One by one, blue flames sprang to life at regular intervals, illuminating the ground.
"If not for the color, this would be just like a medieval castle!" Lei Lin exclaimed, stepping onto the staircase of Black Bone Forest Academy.
Under the glow of the blue flames, Lei Lin lost track of how long they walked, but it was certainly more than twenty minutes.
"It's enormous! The area of this underground structure far exceeds the cemetery above — several times over, no less. It's like an underground kingdom."
Lei Lin silently did the math.
"Black Bone Forest Academy was founded in the year 324 of the Western Calendar — it's been over a thousand years since then... And our first headmaster was the Great
Duolote walked at the front, offering a few words of explanation from time to time.
"The entrance you just came through is the academy's main gate! Besides that, the academy has many other exits. Once you become official Wizards, you can also apply to claim an unoccupied grave in the cemetery above as your own private passage!"
Duolote added.
Lei Lin's mouth twitched uncontrollably. "We advance to Wizard just to get a grave? What twisted taste!"
But having learned from the unfortunate soul behind him, Lei Lin only dared think it — not say it aloud.
"Black Bone Forest Academy is divided into several major zones — residential, teaching, experimentation, garden, trade, mission, and more. Someone will give you a proper tour later. For now, come with me to the Academic Affairs Office for registration, then choose your mentors!"
Duolote stopped before a rather large room and pointed at the inscription on its iron door. "This is the Academic Affairs Office. I doubt you'll want to come back here again!"
Lei Lin stared at the markings on the door — part text, part decorative pattern — and finally admitted they bore no resemblance to any script the young master had seen before.
"Oh! I forgot you don't know Ancient Byronian!" Duolote smacked his own forehead. "No matter! It's the foundational language of incantations — you'll learn it in due time!"
"Duolote, is it? Come in!" A withered voice rang out, and the iron door moved on its own, extending a massive steel hand to lift the bolt, then made a welcoming gesture.
Lei Lin followed Duolote inside and found the room to be enormous. An old man with a white beard and red eyebrows sat behind a wide black desk, writing something with a quill pen. A thick stack of parchment lay beside him.
Behind him rose countless bookshelves ten-odd meters tall, crammed with haphazardly arranged parchment, crystal balls, and all manner of other things — it looked just like a library.
"You're late!" The old man set down his quill and forced a smile onto his weathered face.
"Ran into some trouble on the way — came across a wandering Storm Giant Elf. The Airship took some damage, which cost us time!" Duolote explained.
"That is most unfortunate!" the old man said.
Then his bright, piercing gaze swept over the apprentices behind them, wisdom gleaming in his eyes. His gaze passed over the group and finally came to rest on Jiamen.
"Looks like! You've made a fine haul!"
"Of course!" Duolote pointed a finger. "Jiamen! Come here!"
He pulled Jiamen forward. "I've already reached an agreement with him! He's my personal disciple now! Hurry — process the paperwork!"
Duolote handed the old man a heavy black pouch and a stack of forms.
"Mm! Fifth-tier aptitude — very impressive!" The old man produced something resembling a pair of spectacles attached to a golden chain and hung it on his nose.
"That goes without saying! That wretched woman Meiduo tried to foist this troublesome errand off on me — ha! Now she'll be furious!" Duolote let out a smug laugh.
"Then! Jiamen! Are you willing to become Duolote's student?" the old man asked.
"I am!" Jiamen glanced at Duolote and answered in a low voice.
"Good!" The old man took up a sheet of parchment and began writing, then handed a black parcel to Jiamen. "This is yours! Take it!"
"Is the paperwork all sorted? I've already taught him the Meditation Method and such. I need to get back and get on with my experiments! I finally caught some inspiration on the road, but I don't have any suitable materials on hand — can you even imagine how agonizing that is?"
Duolote let out something between a groan and a moan as he dragged Jiamen out the door at breakneck speed.
"All right! Mr. Duolote's errand is complete. Now, let me go over a few important matters with all of you!" The old man rapped the desk, drawing the apprentices' attention before speaking with satisfaction.
"Since you've all paid your tuition and fulfilled the terms of the contract, you are now officially apprentices of Black Bone Forest Academy. From this point on, you will be selecting your mentors here with me."
"There are two ways to choose a mentor. The first is to choose randomly: your names go into my crystal ball, and my precious here will pick the teachers for you! This method is free."
"Excuse me? What... what is your precious?" one apprentice asked timidly.
"Oh?" The old man chuckled, and a black python instantly appeared on the table. "This is my magical pet, Spot! He doesn't know any of you, so I think having him pick is fair and impartial! Any more questions?"
"N-no, none!" Seeing the giant python flicking its tongue, the apprentice quickly shrank back.
"The second method is for the apprentice to choose their own mentor. I have brief introductions and requirements for the teachers here, for you to select from. Of course, choosing this method requires paying the price of another Magic Stone!"
"Whichever method you choose, once your mentor is decided, it cannot be changed!"
The old man said, "Now, when I call your name, come up and tell me your choice!"