The bronze dawn bell of the Nine-Cauldron Guild tolled across the misty rooftops of Red-River City.
Its deep, vibrating note rolled down the narrow brick alleys like distant thunder, shaking the cold autumn dew from the weeping willows along the canal. Across the prefecture, fifty merchant gates swung wide as fifty apprentice alchemists adjusted their silk collars, gripped their fire-bead amulets, and set off toward the Grand Cauldron Plaza for the final trial.
Inside the quiet sitting room of Stone-Willow Lane, Kaelen opened his eyes.
A soft, golden chime rang in the center of his forehead, crystal clear and untroubled by the morning chill.
[The Fallow Slate: Stage 2 Tri-Track] [Track 1 (Cultivation Vessel): 280h 00m / 720h (281x Multiplier Active)] [Track 2 (Martial Combat): 20h 00m / 720h (21x Multiplier Active)] [Track 3 (Alchemy & Comprehension): 100h 00m / 720h (101x Multiplier Active)]
One hundred hours.
The triple-digit milestone on his third track was officially unlocked. The multiplier jumped to a clean one hundred and one times. The sheer density of theoretical knowledge resting behind his temples felt like a library of ancient bamboo scrolls, every character etched in polished jade.
His perception of heat and herbal essence expanded outward in silent rings.
