Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was early October.
Pei Ze had been at the High Tower Academy for a little over a month now.
Since accepting the task for Garden No. 8, he spent his days either in Meditation, at the library, or tending to the bizarre and wondrous plants in the garden.
His days were a bit hectic, but incredibly fulfilling.
More importantly, his power was steadily increasing.
[Spirit 14.24]
[Physique 5.10]
[Task 1: Improve Mage's Hand. Estimated time remaining: 22 days, 15 hours, 23 minutes.]
[Task 2: Improve Plant Spirit Light. Estimated time remaining: 20 days, 13 hours, 34 minutes.]
In the living room, Pei Ze looked at the data displayed by the Eye of Omniscience and let out a long sigh of relief.
For some time now, the moment his Spiritual Power fully recovered each day, he would immediately use 'accelerate' to speed up the analysis process of the Will Runes.
On average, he successfully constructed one Will Rune every three to four days.
And just now, the Eye of Omniscience had finally finished analyzing the 6th Will Rune.
With that, Pei Ze had now met half the requirements for becoming a Second-level Wizard Apprentice.
"Next, I just need my Spiritual Power to reach 18 points, and I can advance to a Second-level Wizard Apprentice."
A smile appeared on Pei Ze's face.
Just yesterday, he had met with the members of the Star Spirit Society and learned that Shao Hong had only recently constructed his fourth Will Rune.
As for people like Guan Ling and Yuan Wanjun, they had just constructed their third Will Rune.
It was safe to say he had left the other members of his society far behind.
Even among the entire first year, his current progress would definitely place him in the upper ranks.
'It's a shame I can't construct the 7th rune now, or else raising my Spirit to 18 points would be a piece of cake.'
Pei Ze felt a slight sense of regret.
Compared to the first six Will Runes, the 7th Will Rune had a much more complex structure. Without a certain level of Spiritual Power, it was impossible to construct successfully.
And that "certain level" was 18 points of Spiritual Power.
In other words, he couldn't even think about constructing a new Will Rune until he advanced to a Second-level Wizard Apprentice.
In fact, the ranking system for Wizard Apprentices was based on this very principle.
'My daily Meditation increases my Spiritual Power by 0.18 points at most. I should be able to raise my Spirit to 18 points by the end of October.'
Pei Ze nodded to himself.
'Not bad. That's not too long to wait.'
In truth, when most Wizard Apprentices successfully constructed their six Will Runes, even if their Spiritual Power hadn't reached 18 points, it was usually not far off.
Only someone like Pei Ze, who constructed his Will Runes so quickly, would have his Spirit growth fail to keep pace.
Such cases were extremely rare.
But Pei Ze didn't mind.
The end of October was fine. He could still analyze the 7th Will Rune during this time anyway. He would just construct it directly after his Spirit broke through the threshold.
Besides, he could use his Spiritual Power to accelerate the analysis and improvement of Magic models during this period, so he didn't have to worry about it going to waste.
'Omniscience, analyze the 7th Will Rune,' Pei Ze immediately recited in his mind.
[Task created. Beginning analysis of the 7th Will Rune. Estimated time required: 23 days.]
'Use Spiritual Power to accelerate the improvement of Plant Spirit Light.'
Pei Ze was already used to the feeling of being instantly drained. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and forced himself to check on the acceleration's progress.
[Task 2: Improve Plant Spirit Light. Estimated time remaining: 14 days, 15 hours, 34 minutes.]
Pei Ze did a quick mental calculation. After accelerating it two more times, the improvement to Plant Spirit Light should be complete.
He had chosen to accelerate Plant Spirit Light first because he had to cast it five or six times a day to catalyze the plants in the garden.
Improving Plant Spirit Light sooner to reduce its casting cost would free up more Spiritual Power for acceleration.
Of course, that was only one reason.
The other, more important reason was the effect of the improved Plant Spirit Light, as outlined by the Eye of Omniscience.
Besides reducing the casting cost, it would also allow for fine control over the plants' growth direction. Paired with specific vine-type seeds, it could be used to unexpectedly bind enemies in combat.
Simply put, it would instantly transform from a production-type form of Magic into a combat support-type form of Magic!
Pei Ze immediately decided he had to master this form of Magic as soon as possible.
Among the Zero-Circle Magic currently offered by the academy, the only one that could be considered a direct-attack type was Acid Splash.
Mage's Hand counted as half of one.
The rest—Dizziness Technique, Sleep Spell, Touch of Fatigue, and Flash Skill—were, without exception, all combat support-type forms of Magic.
As for things like Detect Poison, Repair Skill, and Lock-picking Skill, they were purely support-type forms of Magic with almost no use in combat.
Before advancing to a Third-level Wizard Apprentice and earning the right to learn One-Ring Spells, Pei Ze's available combat options were extremely limited.
Therefore, gaining an additional combat support-type form of Magic was undoubtedly a good thing for him.
'Plant Spirit Light, Mage's Hand, and Dizziness Technique all need to be improved, and I still have to keep learning new forms of Magic... It's a long and arduous road!'
Pei Ze suddenly realized he still had a lot to do.
After a moment of reflection, he stood up and headed out, preparing to make a trip to the logistics department.
He had already received his payment for the first seven-day cycle of tending the herb garden on the first day of October. Combined with his income from tutoring, Pei Ze's wallet had swelled considerably.
However, his expenses were just as astonishing.
A single Spirit Storage Grass Leaf each day was a hefty expense on its own.
As a result, he now only had a little over 40 contribution points and about ten Gold Coins left, enough to buy two Magic models at most.
'The next payment from the herb garden won't come for another three days, and I still have to set aside money to buy three days' worth of Spirit Storage Grass. I'm short on cash.'
Pei Ze sighed softly. He resolved that after advancing to a Second-level Wizard Apprentice, he absolutely had to find a way to learn a side profession.
Be it potion brewing or Scroll transcription, as long as he mastered one, it would greatly alleviate his tight financial situation.
About half an hour later, Pei Ze arrived at the logistics department.
The office was as deserted as ever, with only the Elder with White Hair there, his head buried in a pile of documents.
The Elder with White Hair had always been indifferent toward the Wizard Apprentices who came to the logistics department to exchange for resources, acting strictly by the book and barely saying more than a few words.
However, given his status as an Official Wizard, all the Wizard Apprentices were deferential and respectful toward him, not daring to complain in the slightest.
But what Pei Ze couldn't figure out was why a dignified Official Wizard would be working here.
This kind of position could easily be handled by a Wizard Apprentice.
"Lord Chief Steward, I would like to exchange for the Magic models of Acid Splash and Touch of Fatigue," Pei Ze said respectfully as he approached the desk.
The Elder with White Hair glanced up at him and said flatly, "40 Gold Coins."
"I'll use contribution points," Pei Ze said, holding out his Apprentice Badge.
The Elder with White Hair didn't waste words. With a point of his finger, a stream of white light motes drifted out of the Apprentice Badge and quickly disappeared into his palm.
Not one more, not one less—exactly forty.
After that, the Elder with White Hair flicked a finger, and two books floated off a shelf and drifted toward Pei Ze.
Pei Ze reached out and caught them, feeling a pang of envy.
'Silent casting!'
The technique of casting Magic without a sound.
A Wizard who had mastered silent casting could often launch surprise attacks on their opponents in battle.
However, silent casting was a profound, high-level technique with strict requirements for a Wizard's magical proficiency and Spiritual Power. Basically, only Official Wizards could master it.
Pei Ze figured that if he used the Eye of Omniscience to analyze it, he could probably master silent casting ahead of schedule.
But the time required would certainly not be short. It would be better to wait until after he advanced to a Third-level Wizard Apprentice to analyze it.
Holding the books, Pei Ze turned and left the logistics department.
As he passed through the doorway, a group of five or six people walked toward him.
The two parties brushed past each other.
Pei Ze was completely preoccupied with his future plans and paid no attention to what the group looked like.
But after he had taken a few steps, the leader of the group—a tall, slender male apprentice with a slightly pale complexion—suddenly stopped, turned to look back at Pei Ze, and narrowed his eyes.
Seeing him stop, a companion beside him looked at him in confusion. "Shaoqi, what's wrong?"