Early the next morning.

  Pierce arrived at Herb Garden No. 8 before the sun had fully risen. As soon as he entered the ivy-covered archway, he saw Yuna standing in front of a patch of blooming Starleaf, looking at him with a gentle smile.

  The girl's neck was fair and slender, elegant as a swan. Her long snow-white hair seemed to glow with a unique, ethereal luster under the morning sun. That bright and pure beauty could lift one's spirits with just a glance.

  "Senior Sister," Pierce greeted politely.

  Yuna narrowed her eyes slightly, looking him up and down as if getting to know this familiar junior brother anew.

  "Pierce, you have truly given me a massive fright this time."

  Her voice was soft, yet it carried an unconcealable note of wonder. "I did not expect that even Gwendolyn and Ingram would fall at your hands."

  When she heard about what happened from Ingram yesterday, she almost thought her usually stern cousin was joking. She never imagined that the junior brother, who usually quietly weeded the garden and kept a low profile, was already a top-tier powerhouse at Rank 3.

  If Ingram's description wasn't exaggerated, then Pierce's combat capability... likely surpassed that of most senior third-year apprentices.

  Yuna sighed inwardly.

  Giving him basic books and potion recipes back then was merely a moment of kindness and whim. She hadn't expected this unintentional act to grow into a towering tree.

  The return on this investment was simply frighteningly high.

  "Just luck. Under the pressure of the trial, I was fortunate enough to break through that bottleneck." Pierce smiled humbly, changing the subject without a trace. "Did you ask me to come today for a specific task, Senior?"

  Yuna gathered her thoughts, the corners of her mouth curling into a mysterious smile. "It is not I who seeks you. The Mentor wants to see you."

  Pierce was slightly stunned.

  Morven?

  What does that famous, eccentric Alchemist of Aurora City want with him?

  Pierce's mind raced, trying to find clues from past interactions, but found nothing. He could only cast a questioning look at Yuna.

  Yuna pursed her lips in a smile and shook her head. "Do not look at me; I do not know either. You will know when you see the Mentor. Follow me."

  With that, she turned and walked toward the wooden house shrouded in a magical barrier deep within the herb garden.

  Although full of doubts, Pierce could only quicken his pace to follow.

  The two walked through the lush medicinal fields. On the way, Yuna suddenly slowed down and asked seemingly casually:

  "Pierce, you should have heard of Sorcerers, correct?"

  Pierce glanced at her, not understanding why the topic suddenly jumped here, but nodded nonetheless.

  "I have heard a little."

  "It is said that some casters extract the bloodlines of certain ancient, powerful creatures to replace their own mortal blood. Then, through secret arcane modifications, they evolve a unique system of supernatural power. Such casters are usually called Sorcerers or Bloodline Wizards."

  Yuna nodded slightly, accepting his explanation.

  "Exactly. The power of a bloodline can be passed down to descendants through reproduction. Over time, this formed the Bloodline Families that now entrench themselves in major city-states."

  She stopped, turning back to look at Pierce, her silver-gray eyes holding a rare seriousness.

  "The family behind Silas is one of the oldest and most powerful Bloodline Families in Aurora City."

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  Pierce's eyes flashed; he vaguely guessed the message Yuna wanted to convey.

  "Senior, then those who do not inherit the bloodline... are they what are called the 'Bloodless'?"

  "Precisely."

  Yuna nodded, her voice lowering slightly. "The core meditation techniques, secret spells, and all top-tier resources of Bloodline Families are prepared for clansmen who have awakened the 'Ancestral Mark.' Under a complete cultivation system, the strength of the awakened often improves by leaps and bounds."

  "Especially after advancing to an Official Wizard and completing the 'First Bloodline Awakening,' their strength will skyrocket in a short time, far surpassing peers of the same rank."

  "In contrast, the cultivation speed of the Bloodless relies solely on their own talent. Because they are excluded from the family's core system, they are often marginalized, disregarded, and even viewed as burdens to the family."

  Hearing this, Pierce understood everything clearly.

  The original owner of this body happened to be such a marginalized Bloodless.

  Precisely because he was disregarded, when his parents passed away and their inheritance was seized by clansmen, not a single elder was willing to speak up for him. In the end, to make room for a collateral relative who had awakened the bloodline, he was ruthlessly expelled from the family.

  Having clarified this cause and effect, Pierce felt no grief or indignation, but rather found it somewhat laughable.

  Although his understanding of the bloodline system wasn't deep, he knew that the world of truth followed the principle of equivalent exchange.

  There is no free lunch in the world.

  If bloodlines were truly so perfect, the world would be full of Bloodline Families; where would there be room for traditional Arcanists?

  Sure enough, Yuna continued:

  "However, power comes with a price."

  "The bloodline is the source of power, but also an unbreakable shackle."

  "Once one fuses with an alien bloodline, the nature of the soul shifts. For their entire life, it becomes difficult for them to surpass the creature that was the source of that bloodline and reach a higher realm."

  "Moreover, with generation-to-generation inheritance, the power of the bloodline inevitably dilutes. This leads to the descendants of Bloodline Families becoming weaker with each generation."

  "Unless the descendants can find a legendary creature possessing the same primordial blood and perform the extremely dangerous Blood Purification, the bloodline will wither after 10 generations at most, and the family will decline with it."

  "It is precisely because of this that Wizards who truly aspire to climb to the peak of the Path of Truth often do not choose the shortcut of fusing bloodlines."

  Pierce nodded in understanding.

  So that is it. Trading future possibilities for present power—this indeed fits the quick-success style of those nobles.

  At this moment, Yuna suddenly changed the subject, her voice dropping a few decibels.

  "Silas's father—Patton—is a senior Rank 1 Official Wizard. Moreover, he is known in the family for being fiercely protective of his own and seeking vengeance for the smallest grievance."

  "You must... be careful of him in the future."

  Although this remark came out of nowhere, Pierce immediately understood her subtext.

  How did Silas die? Although Pierce handled it cleanly, anyone who scrutinized the timeline and combat strength comparison could easily guess the answer.

  And as Ingram's cousin, Yuna had obviously pieced together the truth from Ingram.

  An Official Wizard...

  Pierce's eyes flickered slightly, a trace of alarm rising in his heart.

  In Aurora City, Official Wizards held lofty status and privileges. If such an existence wanted to move against an apprentice, even without showing his face, just revealing a hint of intent would cause countless apprentices to scramble to trouble Pierce to curry favor.

  The malice of an Official Wizard was, for an apprentice, like the Sword of Damocles hanging over their head.

  That said, Pierce did not regret it.

  Given another chance, he would still kill Silas without hesitation. It was a hunt that would not end until death; mercy would only turn him into a corpse.

  This was The Spire.

  Even an Official Wizard could not ignore the rules here. As long as he still wore the academy's black robe, Patton wouldn't dare to act brazenly.

  And by the time he graduated... Pierce believed that the self at that time might no longer need to look up to so-called Official Wizards.

  The two tacitly skipped this heavy topic and continued toward the depths of the herb garden.

  Suddenly, Pierce remembered something and asked:

  "Senior, what exactly is the Realm of Truth?"

  Mentioning this, a light of yearning flashed in Yuna's eyes, and she explained softly:

  "The Realm of Truth... is rumored to be a demi-plane created by a Grand Wizard based on their understanding of the world's rules. It solidifies that great being's fragmented insights into truth and laws."

  "Contacting these insights in the secret realm can not only improve the soul's aptitude from its very essence but also grant different Gifts of Truth."

  "Some have had an epiphany of a lost ancient spell in the secret realm; some have gained vast alchemical knowledge; and others directly mastered certain Metamagic techniques, such as Silent Casting."

  "However, opening the secret realm consumes enormous energy, and the quotas are extremely limited. Therefore, each year, only the first place in the freshman trial, and apprentices who have made imperishable contributions to the academy, are allowed to enter."

  Pierce's eyes lit up.

  Improving aptitude?

  Just this one point was enough to make countless apprentices with mediocre talent go crazy for it. In comparison, contribution points and magical items were indeed just trimmings.

  The quota for the Realm of Truth was the true crown of this trial.

  "Have you entered the Realm of Truth, Senior?" Pierce asked curiously.

  Yuna stopped and turned to look at him. The corners of her lips curled up slightly, revealing a rare, slightly playful smugness on her face.

  "Do not look down on me, Junior Brother."

  She held up a slender finger, waving it in the sunlight.

  "Three years ago, I was also the first place in the trial of that batch."