"Pei Ze, I feel like you've changed a lot."
After the guidance session ended, Guan Ling suddenly remarked to Pei Ze.
The others in the room let their gazes linger on Pei Ze for a moment, then subconsciously nodded in agreement.
They had also noticed some kind of change in Pei Ze, but they couldn't quite put their finger on what it was.
Shao Hong looked Pei Ze up and down. He had a suspicion, but he couldn't be certain.
"I must have gotten more handsome," Pei Ze said with a laugh.
As expected, his words drew laughter and teasing from the group, and the topic soon shifted to other things.
Pei Ze smiled faintly. Of course, he knew exactly what was going on.
In less than ten days, his Spiritual Power had increased by more than fourfold. It was only natural for his aura to change so noticeably that others would sense something was different.
After putting away their books, the members of the Star Spirit Society walked out of the classroom, talking and laughing.
On the way, they started talking about their recent progress with Meditation.
Yuan Wanjun turned his head and asked, "Shao Hong, you've constructed three Will Runes by now, right?"
"Mhm, I just constructed the third rune yesterday."
Shao Hong smiled and nodded, a hint of pride in his expression.
After all, at this point, there were no more than a hundred first-year students who had constructed three Will Runes, and every one of them could be called an elite.
Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Guan Ling and the others looked at him with undisguised envy.
The fastest among them in Meditation progress had only just constructed their second Will Rune, a far cry from Shao Hong's achievement.
With such a large gap this early on, it was foreseeable that the distance between them and Shao Hong would only continue to grow.
Just then, Shao Hong suddenly looked at Pei Ze and asked, "Pei Ze, how many Will Runes have you constructed?"
Before Pei Ze could answer, Guan Ling suddenly looked in a certain direction and let out a soft cry.
"Teacher Zhou!"
The group followed her gaze and saw Zhou Han walking over with a male student.
"Teacher." The members of the Star Spirit Society stopped their cheerful banter and greeted him respectfully.
After becoming Wizard Apprentices, they had come to understand the power of Wizards more and more, and in turn, their reverence for Official Wizards grew increasingly heartfelt.
Zhou Han nodded. His gaze landed on Pei Ze and suddenly froze, his expression turning to one of surprise.
"You've constructed your third Will Rune?"
The group was stunned. Then, they heard Pei Ze nod and say, "Yes, Teacher."
Hearing his confirmation, Shao Hong and the others stared with wide eyes, their faces filled with shock.
The male student trailing behind Zhou Han shot him a look of both envy and jealousy.
"Very good. Keep up the hard work."
A flash of appreciation appeared in Zhou Han's eyes.
He was surprised by the speed of Pei Ze's progress in Meditation, but it wasn't unheard of for students to start slow, accumulate their potential, and then advance by leaps and bounds after becoming a Wizard Apprentice. Perhaps Pei Ze was just such a person.
Once Zhou Han and the student were a good distance away, the members of the Star Spirit Society swarmed around Pei Ze all at once.
"You've been hiding your true strength, Pei Ze! To think you constructed your third Will Rune without a peep!"
"Awesome! When did you construct it?"
"I became a Wizard Apprentice before you, but I never thought you'd surpass me now."
Shao Hong stood at the edge of the crowd, watching the society members circle Pei Ze like stars around the moon, his gaze exceptionally complicated.
Just a moment ago, he had vaguely suspected that Pei Ze might have already constructed his third Will Rune, but he'd dismissed it as unlikely. He never expected his guess to be true.
Although they had both constructed three Will Runes, Shao Hong knew perfectly well that he had only achieved this feat thanks to the many potions his family had purchased to nurture his Spirit and enhance his Meditation.
Pei Ze, on the other hand, came from a far less affluent family and had reached this stage entirely on his own, one step at a time.
In comparison, Pei Ze's talent was undoubtedly far superior to his.
This left him, who had always been proud, with a swirl of mixed emotions.
Overwhelmed by everyone talking at once, Pei Ze had no choice but to change the subject. "By the way, who was that with Teacher Zhou earlier?"
Guan Ling thought for a moment and said, "I think he's in our class. I seem to remember his name is Xu Yunfeng."
Yuan Wanjun chimed in, "That's Xu Yunfeng, all right. But I remember that half a month ago, he couldn't even construct a fifth of the first Will Rune. He was about to give up and transfer to the Knight Academy. How did he suddenly become a Wizard Apprentice?"
Only Wizard Apprentices were allowed in the Wizard District.
"Maybe he's also the type to bloom late," Shao Hong said, glancing at Pei Ze. After all, there was a perfect example right here.
"Xu Yunfeng, a late bloomer?"
Yuan Wanjun shook his head, clearly unconvinced by Shao Hong's words, but said nothing more.
A short while later, the group left the academic district and went their separate ways.
Pei Ze headed straight for the mission district.
Just yesterday, the Eye of Omniscience had finished analyzing the spell models for Plant Spirit Light and the Dizziness Skill, allowing him to successfully master two new spells.
In addition, he had also made a trip to the library and learned the course material for Basic Potions and Rare Botany.
He now met all the requirements for the task of tending to Medicine Garden No. 8. It was time to accept the mission.
Arriving at the mission district, Pei Ze went straight to the wooden board where the missions were posted.
Fortunately, Mission No. 877 was still there; no one had taken it.
Pei Ze turned and headed for the adjacent building. A short time later, he completed the registration and officially accepted the task of tending to Medicine Garden No. 8.
'Medicine Garden No. 8… judging by the number, it should be in the northern part of the Garden District.'
Following the signs, Pei Ze eventually found his way to a two-story building with a courtyard.
'This is Garden No. 8?'
Pei Ze stared at the small building in front of him, confused.
If it weren't for the sign next to it that read "Medicine Garden No. 8," he would have thought he was in the wrong place.
No matter how he looked at it, the elegant little building before him didn't resemble a medicine garden.
Other than two small trees that were clearly ordinary plants, there were no other medicinal herbs planted in the courtyard.
After a moment of thought, Pei Ze stood at the gate and shouted, "Is anyone here?"
One of the survival rules at the Wizard Academy: Never enter a stranger's private territory without the owner's permission!
Otherwise, there was no telling if you'd be greeted by various Magic Traps or powerful puppet guards!
Not long after Pei Ze's voice faded, the door to the small building opened with a CREAK, and a tall, slender young woman walked out.
The young woman had long, snow-white hair that shimmered beautifully in the warm sunlight. Even more startling, she had a pair of silver, Gemstone-like eyes.
"And you are?"
The young woman sized up Pei Ze curiously. Her gaze shifted down to the Apprentice Badge on his chest, and a look of understanding dawned on her lovely face.
"You're the student who accepted Mission No. 877, I assume?"
"Yes," Pei Ze nodded.
"Then come in," the young woman said, beckoning him over.
Pei Ze did as he was told and walked into the courtyard. As he got closer, he noticed that the young woman also wore an Apprentice Badge on her chest, only hers was a third-year's badge.
'A third-year student… that means she's at least a Third-level Wizard Apprentice!' Pei Ze thought to himself.
He had learned a lot of information from spending time with the members of the Star Spirit Society these past few days.
For example, the academy held various trials and assessments every year to weed out the Wizard Apprentices whose strength couldn't keep up with the main cohort.
Under this system of fierce competition and elimination, any student who successfully made it to the third year was, at a minimum, a Third-level Wizard Apprentice.
When Pei Ze drew near, the young woman spoke again, her voice gentle and pleasant.
"My name is Yin Xue. I'm a third-year."