"What's this?"
Horton looked at Ian.
"Blackstone Wizard's legacy!"
Ian handed Horton the Wizard book, leaving out the final message.
Horton took the book and leafed through it.
"I see. You've got some luck, kid."
He closed the book and teased him with a smile.
A legacy containing a formal spell was precious, even to a wandering Wizard.
Ian nodded, then asked, "Teacher, the legacy mentioned the Silver Moon Tier. Is that a level of talent above First-class Talent?"
"Yes." Horton nodded. "What the Academy now calls First-grade Star and Second-grade Star is sometimes shortened to first and second grade. But both belong to a broader category: the Mortal Star Tier.
"Above the Mortal Star Tier is the Silver Moon Tier. That's another level altogether. They're true geniuses."
"How big is the gap?"
"As big as the gap between a mortal star and a silver moon. Their talent and everything else are worlds apart. If you were Silver Moon Tier, an academy like Green Corridor Wizard Academy would even waive its entrance exam!" Horton looked at Ian.
"What about Elemental Mysteries?"
Ian was a little surprised.
"Elemental Mysteries wouldn't waive it, but I've hardly heard of anyone at Silver Moon Tier failing the exam."
A hint of emotion entered his eyes. "Those are true geniuses. Even after becoming Official Wizards, they're beyond what ordinary Wizards can match. Differences in talent create enormous gaps while Wizards are still apprentices, and those gaps become foundations that carry over into their later years."
Horton spoke matter-of-factly.
Yet Ian could almost feel the gulf between them.
It was a gap that resources could scarcely bridge.
An ordinary Wizard facing an opponent with that kind of talent would probably despair.
But Ian wasn't an ordinary Wizard!
He could raise his talent without limit. He only