In the apartment living room.
Pei Ze sat cross-legged on the floor, intently examining the potion in his hands.
Inside the transparent glass tube was a crystalline, emerald liquid, like a liquid gemstone. It shimmered with a mesmerizing luster under the light.
The Spiritual Spring Potion!
A wondrous potion worth 200 contribution points, capable of increasing a First-level Wizard Apprentice's Spiritual Power by 1 point!
A single bottle of this potion would take Pei Ze nearly a month of tending the garden to earn.
Just yesterday, he had been lamenting his inability to afford a Spiritual Spring Potion, yet now he held a full three bottles in his hands!
'I can't believe improved magic is so valuable!'
Pei Ze stroked his chin and began to consider selling a few more improved spells.
'I can always claim I read about them in a book. As long as I don't sell too many, it probably won't arouse suspicion.'
'Worth considering.'
Composing himself, Pei Ze turned his attention back to the Spiritual Spring Potions.
He pulled out the wooden stopper, tilted his head back, and downed the emerald liquid in one gulp.
As the potion's effects spread, Pei Ze's mind was instantly filled with clarity.
An unprecedented feeling of sublimation suddenly swept through his entire body.
In that moment, the clamor of voices from the street outside, the CLIPPITY-CLOP of hooves on the ground, and the cool breeze blowing in through the window, gently brushing against his skin—everything around him seemed to come alive, making him feel his own existence with incredible intensity.
The feeling came as quickly as it went.
After just a few seconds, Pei Ze's senses returned to normal.
After a moment of daze, he hurriedly checked his status.
[Spirit 17.23]
[Physique 6.02]
Just as expected, his Spirit had increased by 1 point.
His Physique had also increased by 0.32 as a result.
'A potion worth 200 contribution points, indeed! The effect is really potent!'
A joyful smile spread across Pei Ze's face, and he unhesitatingly downed the second Spiritual Spring Potion.
The familiar feeling of sublimation surged through him again, but this time it lasted for a noticeably shorter duration than the first.
His Spirit attribute only increased by 0.7 points.
'Drug resistance?'
Pei Ze frowned slightly, but his expression soon relaxed.
It was normal for this type of potion to produce resistance with repeated use.
Fortunately, he still had one Spiritual Spring Potion left, which was enough for him to advance to a Second-level Wizard Apprentice.
Taking a deep breath, Pei Ze uncorked the last bottle and drank it all down.
Perhaps because it triggered his breakthrough, the sensation this time was exceptionally intense and tumultuous, overwhelming his consciousness like a tidal wave.
An unknown amount of time passed before Pei Ze slowly regained his senses. His mind felt exceptionally clear, and his whole body was brimming with vigor.
[Spirit 18.29]
[Physique 8.37]
'My Spirit increased by 0.35, and my Physique increased by... 2.12!'
A genuinely joyful smile appeared on Pei Ze's face.
From this moment on, he was a Second-level Wizard Apprentice!
Among all the first-years, this progress definitely ranked in the top ten!
Pei Ze took a deep breath to calm the excitement surging within him and began to study the improvements brought by this promotion.
The first and most obvious change was his increased casting speed.
Previously, casting Mage's Hand took about three seconds; now, it only took two.
The casting preparation time had been reduced by a full third!
A simple increase of 2 points in Spiritual Power was clearly not enough to produce such an effect.
It was because his Spiritual Power, upon breaking past 18 points, had crossed some kind of threshold, causing a qualitative change from a quantitative one. This was what led to such a significant reduction in casting time.
This could also be seen from the growth of his Physique attribute.
Previously, his Physique had only grown at about thirty percent of the rate of his Spirit. This time, however, it had increased even more than his Spirit attribute.
In addition to that, the power of his magic had also increased considerably.
This change was mainly due to the substantial increase in his Spiritual Power.
It was like a small hammer wielded by a strongman versus an ordinary person—the power they could generate would be vastly different.
'And then there's control over Energy Particles.'
With a mere thought from Pei Ze, a layer of cyan light suddenly appeared around him, completely enveloping his body like a layer of cotton.
The minor wounds he had sustained in yesterday's battle healed rapidly under the treatment of the cyan light, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
A Second-level Wizard Apprentice could already begin to control Energy Particles, using their properties to achieve effects nearly identical to magic.
For example, using plant-type Energy Particles to heal simple wounds.
Or using water-type and Fire Energy Particles to clean one's body.
SNAP!
Pei Ze snapped his fingers, and a faint blue halo suddenly lit up around his body.
A layer of water vapor materialized out of thin air, drenching him from head to toe.
Then, a fiery red halo appeared, and wisps of white steam rose as the moisture was evaporated in an instant, leaving him feeling completely refreshed.
'Applying Energy Particles to daily life is certainly very convenient.'
Pei Ze smiled faintly.
Besides that, Energy Particles could also be used in combat.
For instance, imbuing a weapon with Fire Energy Particles could enhance its lethality.
Imbuing one's body with wind-type Energy Particles could make it lighter and increase speed.
The applications were numerous.
This was also why a Second-level Wizard Apprentice's combat power increased so drastically after their promotion.
A Second-level Wizard Apprentice already possessed a physique comparable to a junior Knight. With the aid of Energy Particles and the use of magic, they could even put up a fight against a Grand Knight.
What's more, Second-level Wizard Apprentices could already form contracts with Magic Pets and use Magic Items.
If a Second-level Wizard Apprentice possessed a powerful Magic Pet and Magic Items, crushing a Grand Knight was not just a daydream.
'Magic Items, huh...'
Pei Ze mused to himself.
Magic Items were extremely precious. Even the lowest-grade Sub-Magical Items were worth no less than one thousand contribution points.
Higher-grade Magic Items could only be exchanged for contribution points or Magic Stone Coins; Gold Coins were not accepted at all.
Magic Stone Coins, as the name implied, were a standard currency made from Magic Stones. They were the common currency among Wizards, but he currently had no way of obtaining them.
And even Sub-Magical Items were beyond what he could afford to exchange for at the moment.
The thought of trading more improved spells resurfaced in Pei Ze's mind.
'And Magic Pets!'
Magic Pets were a type of Magic Beast. They originated as ordinary animals and only transformed into Magic Pets after forming a contract with a Wizard and gaining special abilities.
A Magic Pet could provide support in daily life and also assist in combat.
A few powerful Magic Pets could even become a Wizard's trump card for defeating enemies. Their role was not to be underestimated.
Forming a contract with a Magic Pet required a Demon Pet Contract Scroll.
This item was sold in the logistics department for 50 Gold Coins or 50 contribution points.
Pei Ze happened to have exactly 50 contribution points on hand and could purchase one at any time.
'The question is, what should I choose for a Magic Pet?' A contemplative look flashed in Pei Ze's eyes.
Only normal, unchanged, ordinary animals could be contracted as Magic Pets, and there were restrictions on the species. They were usually small or tiny animals. Common Wizard Magic Pets included bats, cats, lizards, owls, snakes, toads, and so on.
As for the powerful, mutated beasts of the wilderness, it wasn't that no Wizards had ever tried to form contracts with them before, but they had all failed without exception.
Some Wizards even suffered a backlash and lost their lives as a result.
To this day, only a few stubborn Wizards were still researching how to turn those beasts into Magic Pets. The vast majority of Wizards simply contracted an ordinary animal during their apprentice stage and then carefully nurtured and strengthened it over time.