In the afternoon of the Black Mist Forest, thick clouds loomed overhead. Sunlight barely pierced the dense canopy, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow on the ground.
Robb walked along the stone path toward the high tower at the central area of the academy.
Today marked his first session in the Advanced Elemental Studies course.
Compared to Mental Control and Alchemy, Elemental Studies had always been one of his weaker subjects, even though he possessed a natural affinity for light and fire elements.
"Hopefully this course will make up for that shortcoming…"
Robb thought silently.
Since the activation of his bloodline, his sensitivity to elemental energy had indeed improved.
But compared to other apprentices who specialized in elemental control, his foundations still felt thin.
Passing through a gray-white archway, Robb arrived at the seventh floor of the high tower, where the Elemental Studies classroom was located.
This room was starkly different from the basic course classrooms. Colored crystals were embedded in the walls, and the ceiling was painted with intricate diagrams of elemental cycles.
In the center of the room stood a massive crystal orb, inside which swirled multi-colored elemental energies, like a miniature elemental vortex.
Several students were already present. Robb noticed they all wore the sapphire badge of Intermediate Apprentices, and most appeared noticeably older than him.
He recognized a few faces, students well-known in the academy for their talent in elemental manipulation. Some were even already advanced apprentices.
Robb chose a seat in the back and silently observed his surroundings.
Within the academy, he had long developed a habit of keeping a low profile, especially when entering a new environment.
As the students whispered among themselves, the classroom door opened again. An elderly woman in a long robe edged with purple walked in slowly.
Her silver-white hair was neatly coiled behind her head. Wrinkles lined her face like deliberate carvings, but her eyes were extraordinarily bright, glowing with a rare violet hue.
"Lady Seraphine…" one student whispered in surprise. The room immediately fell silent.
Robb sat up straighter.
He was familiar with Seraphine's name. She was one of the academy's official witches specializing in elemental studies, renowned for her unique research on elemental combination and transformation.
It was said she had even helped design the massive elemental pool in the academy's central hall.
"Welcome to Advanced Elemental Studies."
Seraphine's voice was unexpectedly crisp and clear, not at all like that of an elderly woman:
"I am Lady Seraphine. I'm taking over from my student Lyra, and I'll be your instructor for the next three months."
She walked to the center of the room and raised her hand slightly. The energy inside the crystal orb immediately formed more intricate vortex patterns.
"You've all mastered the basics of elemental perception and control. Now, it's time to go deeper."
Her gaze swept across every corner of the classroom: "The core of advanced elemental studies is understanding the nature of elements and their relationships, not just manipulating one or two of them."
Robb took careful notes, paying special attention to each of her words.
Unlike Solon's reserved and profound teaching style, Seraphine's explanations were vivid and intuitive. She used specific examples and live demonstrations to convey complex theories.
"Remember this,"
Seraphine emphasized as her hands formed a complex symbol above the crystal orb. The elements inside split apart and reformed:
"Elements are not fixed entities. They're different manifestations of primal energy. Under specific conditions, one element can transform into another. That's the essence of the Law of Elemental Transmutation."
With a wave of her hand, a cluster of water element inside the orb gradually heated up and eventually turned into fire element.
Though it looked simple, Robb knew the energy control precision required was extremely high.
"Today's first exercise," Seraphine announced, "is to perceive the elemental fluctuations in this room and sketch them onto this special paper. This tests not only your sensory ability, but also your precision in mental control."
Elemental assistants handed out a special kind of paper that glimmered faintly with silver light.
Robb took his sheet and immediately sensed a subtle energy ripple. This was clearly no ordinary paper, it was a special medium that could record impressions made by mental energy.
Robb closed his eyes and focused his mental strength.
As his awareness expanded, he could sense various elemental energies flowing throughout the room.
Fire danced like flames, water flowed gently like a stream, earth felt solid and steady, and air flitted about lightly like a breeze...
What surprised him most was sensing even more elusive elements, like light, shadow, and lightning, each vibrating in distinct rhythms throughout the space.
[Elemental Perception EXP +1]
He slowly opened his eyes and began to sketch the elemental distribution on the paper.
His hand glided across the sheet as mental energy flowed into it, forming a complex elemental mapping diagram.
An hour later, Seraphine began collecting the students' work.
When she reached Robb, her brow lifted slightly, clearly surprised by what she saw.
"Robb Reyne…" she murmured his name, eyes flicking between the paper and his face.
"Your elemental perception range is quite broad, you even picked up on some of the rarer elements. Your depiction of light element, in particular, is impressively precise."
Robb responded humbly: "Thank you, Lady Seraphine. I do have a natural affinity for light and fire elements."
"It's not just about affinity," Seraphine said thoughtfully. "Your mental control precision is also quite high, and that's crucial for elemental manipulation. Keep it up, young lad."
The second half of the class was dedicated to practice.
Seraphine guided the students through simple elemental transformations, turning water into steam, or compressing air into a visible form.
Robb threw himself into the exercises and was surprised to find that the theories of elemental transformation were strikingly similar to energy conversion principles he'd learned in alchemy.
This cross-disciplinary connection deepened his understanding of elements.
[Elemental Perception EXP +1]
After class, most students quickly packed up and bowed to Seraphine before leaving.
Robb noticed Seraphine didn't leave immediately. She stayed behind, seemingly organizing some materials.
Remembering how much he had benefited from Solon's special guidance, Robb decided to try again.
He packed his notes and waited until only the two of them remained in the room, then walked forward slowly.
"Lady Seraphine?" he asked politely, "I have some questions about elemental transformation. Would you mind if I asked?"
Seraphine looked up. Her violet eyes sparkled with approval: "Of course, Apprentice Robb. In fact, I was hoping you'd ask something."
Robb was surprised: "You… were hoping I'd ask?"
"Solon and I are old friends," Seraphine said with a slight smile. "He's told me about you, said you're a very inquisitive student. And old Elena recommended you to me as well."
Hearing Elena's name, Robb's heart stirred: "You know Lady Elena?"
"Of course. We were in the same cohort back at the Crystal Spire. Most of us old-timers in the Order know each other well."
A glimmer of nostalgia passed through Seraphine's eyes: "Elena has a special gift for potion-brewing, just like I'm obsessed with elemental studies. Even though she chose to retire to a herb shop, her scholarly abilities rival, or even surpass, Magnus."
She gestured for Robb to sit across from her:
"Now then, what would you like to ask?"
Robb organized his thoughts and brought up his question from class:
"I noticed that in elemental transformations, controlling energy loss is a critical issue. When water transforms into steam, for example, some energy is always lost as heat. Is there any way to retain more of it?"
Seraphine's eyes lit up:
"You're very perceptive! That's one of the core challenges in elemental transformation."
She pulled out a small crystal from inside her robe and placed it on the table:
"Take a look, this is a special alchemical item called an Energy Anchor Crystal. It captures and recycles part of the energy that would otherwise be lost during transformation."
The crystal shimmered strangely under the light. Robb could sense the complex energy structure within.
"Most apprentices only focus on the transformation itself, neglecting the importance of energy conservation."
Seraphine explained as she guided a thin stream of energy over the crystal:
"A truly skilled elementalist can retain up to 95% of the energy during a transformation. Beginners usually manage only around 50%."
She pushed the crystal toward Robb:
"Take it. Since you're Elena's student, consider this a little gift from your instructor. The Energy Anchor Crystal will help you sense and capture energy flows during transformation. It's very useful for improving efficiency."
Robb stared at the precious gift in surprise: "This… is too valuable, Lady Seraphine."
"To me, it's just an old tool collecting dust. Knowledge and tools should go where they'll be best used."
She waved her hand, urging him to accept it:
"I can see you have great talent, and more importantly, dedication. That crystal will be far more useful in your hands than in my drawer."
"Thank you, Lady Seraphine," Robb said sincerely, carefully placing the crystal into his pocket.
For the next half hour, Seraphine explained advanced theories of elemental transformation and the interrelation of elements in great detail.
The knowledge she shared far surpassed the course material in both depth and breadth. Robb eagerly absorbed every word.
"The world of elements is far more complex than most people realize," Seraphine said, her eyes glowing with passion:
"There's something I call 'resonance' between base elements. When you understand this resonance, you can guide elements to transform and combine with minimal effort."
She described a complex meditation technique said to help spellcasters more intuitively feel elemental resonance.
Robb meticulously recorded every detail, already planning how to integrate it into his training.
"By the way, about your connection to Lady Elena…"
As Robb was about to leave, Seraphine looked at him meaningfully:
"That woman is famously stingy. Even among us old friends, it's hard to get anything out of her. She rarely gives so freely, but with you…"
Robb replied modestly: "Lady Elena has given me a lot of guidance. I'm very grateful for her help."
"Good. Keep that humility."
Seraphine smiled: "After next week's class, if you have more questions, feel free to stay behind again."
As he left the tower, Robb felt particularly lighthearted.
Back in his workshop, Robb immediately began practicing the elemental meditation technique Seraphine had taught.
He sat cross-legged in the second-floor training room, carefully placing the gifted Energy Anchor Crystal before him.
Thanks to his Extraordinary Appraisal trait, he confirmed that the crystal bore no hidden traps, just a genuine gift from a mentor.
The crystal glowed softly under the dim light, like a tiny star.
"Focus first… feel the surrounding elemental fluctuations…"
Following Seraphine's instructions, Robb closed his eyes and steadied his breathing.
As his mental energy extended outward, his perception pierced the surface of matter and touched deeper energy structures.
Gradually, he sensed the various elemental energies throughout the workshop:
The herbs on the racks emitted faint life energy; residual warmth from the furnace held traces of fire; water in a bucket quietly flowed in the corner...
And most striking of all was the special energy pulse from the crystal before him.
It was like a miniature elemental vortex, gently drawing in and releasing surrounding energy, forming a unique rhythm.