Roland

Xuan Ye, lost in thought, suddenly felt the light before him dim, snapping him out of his reverie. Then, the familiar gruff voice reached his ears.

"How about it? These are all my precious treasures. I had to pester and beg the teacher to get them. Quite a few are originals too. The teacher even asked some of his old friends for a few on my behalf."

Blade, who was built like a small mountain, strode over to Xuan Ye, each step making the floor tremble, and cast his entire shadow over him as he spoke.

"Not bad at all. While there's a bit less magic-related knowledge, there's a considerable amount of auxiliary recorded knowledge. Unfortunately, aside from a physique like yours, ordinary humans can use very few Dragon Language spells. At the very least, it's not something we apprentices can touch."

Xuan Ye closed the book, held it with both hands, and returned it to its original place before nodding. At the very least, it had helped resolve a small knot in his mind.

Turning to look at this mage apprentice who was even more imposing than a berserker, Xuan Ye muttered inwardly. Perhaps it was precisely because of his robust physique that his teacher had gone out of his way to collect dragon-related literature from other friends for him. It seemed that Lord Roland valued this big guy far more than he let on.

"I'm not bragging, but while my realm can't compare to Senior Brother Jian's, and Ian is just a hair above me, if we were to hold an arena match, I'd definitely be the strongest mage apprentice in Stanrosai."

Blade said with a hint of pride. He was one of the rare few who could master Dragon Language Magic at the apprentice level. Although Dragon Language Magic had many drawbacks, its advantages couldn't be ignored. The combination of short syllables and simple spell models ensured fast, even instantaneous casting. While it lacked the finesse of many spells and wasted a lot of mana, its destructive power was astonishing—simple and violent!

But just as Blade was clearly basking in his achievements with Dragon Language Magic, Xuan Ye wore a speechless expression. This guy probably didn't even need to cast any spells. On the arena, while other apprentices were busy constructing their spell models and preparing, he could just throw a punch.

Apprentices in the Star Palace who hadn't condensed a Professional Core couldn't use core projection for automatic construction.

"Whew~ I've been here long enough. It's about time I left."

Just as Blade was about to launch into a lengthy recount of his victorious history, Xuan Ye spoke calmly.

"Huh? Leaving already? Going to Ian's place?"

Blade, stifled from showing off, scratched his head and asked.

"No, I mean I've been in Stanrosai City for quite a while now. I even broke through to Eighth-Grade Apprentice here. It's time to go back."

Xuan Ye shook his head simply, his expression tinged with a hint of emotion.

As a soul that had crossed over, his Spiritual Power's activity level far exceeded the mediocre-to-upper talent of his physical body. Even though he had condensed his Inner Mansion Core first, which negatively impacted his Star Palace cultivation, he still managed to break through to Eighth-Grade Apprentice within a month of organizing and exchanging knowledge in Stanrosai, aided by his improved meditation!

And he had even reached the peak of Eighth-Grade Apprentice!

No one knew he had just broken through to Seventh Grade before, so they weren't too surprised. But if he suddenly broke through to Ninth Grade here, it would definitely scare the pants off a bunch of people!

It hadn't even been two months since he became a Seventh-Grade Apprentice! Even though the jump from Seventh to Eighth wasn't a stage-level breakthrough and was relatively easier, this speed was still astonishing.

Of course, the reason he could advance so quickly, aside from his innate spiritual talent and improved meditation, was most importantly the environment of the past month, which was exceptionally suited for cultivating Spiritual Power.

Whether it was absorbing knowledge during the day or the occasional exchange meetings, Xuan Ye, who was still a half-baked novice, had to focus all his energy on digesting the information. When he reviewed and organized it at night, the already extraordinary effects of his improved meditation were further enhanced, allowing him to achieve this astonishing speed.

"Going back? Oh, right. With all this improvement, your mentor probably has new topics for you. Sigh, time really flies. You might be small, but you're pretty interesting. We've all benefited a lot from this time together."

Blade paused for a moment, then relaxed. All good things must come to an end. Even some of the apprentices they'd grown up with had been sent by their teacher to places more suited for their development, let alone Xuan Ye, who was just passing through.

"Heh, no rush to leave today. I'll go notify the others and throw you a farewell party. Who knows, maybe we'll meet again at a higher academy."

A simple, honest smile spread across Blade's face, and then he reached out a hand as big as a wok and clamped it down on Xuan Ye.

"Don't worry, even if you didn't stop me, I'd wait for them..."

With a helpless smile, Xuan Ye didn't resist at all. Well, after all this time together, even the most rigid and stern Jian had gotten along quite well.

Mages were actually a very simple bunch. Academic exchanges easily fostered friendship. Over the past month, Xuan Ye's mood had brightened considerably, and he had gradually moved past the shadow of Luo Luoji and the others dying before his eyes...

"Cheers!"

A group of apprentices in robes stood under the silver moonlight, surrounded by a river of stars, raising their glasses together at a long table on an open lawn.

As mages, alcoholic stimulants were usually forbidden. But tonight, the cups in their hands held fruit wine with a faint hint of alcohol, and the atmosphere was lively.

"Xuan Ye is already an Eighth-Grade Apprentice. If I don't work harder to adjust my state and perform the ritual, I might really be overtaken by you."

Jian, who usually kept a stern face, now wore a somewhat stiff smile. Over this period, Xuan Ye, with his sharp and incisive insights, had earned everyone's respect in the exchange meetings.

"Where would that be? This breakthrough was only possible because I gained so much from being with you all. I'm still far from Ninth Grade. By then, Jian will surely already be a respected formal mage."

Xuan Ye, rarely refraining from showing off or pouring cold water, unexpectedly humbled himself.

"Hehe, I wonder what the teacher would do if he caught us drinking together. Let's just say Blade brought it all out."

A lively Intermediate Apprentice girl chimed in teasingly. The wine was indeed hidden away by that big guy.

"Hey, you can't do that! I brought out my treasured collection for you all..."

Blade protested with a pitiful look.

But just then, a gentle, magnetic voice rang out.

"Oh, so your treasured collection is wine, is it?"

"Of course, I worked hard to get... Uh~"

Blade answered halfway before freezing. It wasn't just him—all the other apprentices immediately stopped their chatter, as if turned to stone.

Only Xuan Ye, shaken by the shock in his heart, was distracted!

As someone who had opened his Perception Inner Mansion, he hadn't sensed the source of the voice at all. After looking around for a while, he finally spotted a white-haired middle-aged man slowly walking over from behind Blade.

A magnificent robe that dragged all the way to the floor, an exquisite staff, and a single gold-rimmed monocle made him look like the purest scholarly gentleman.

Though he radiated no aura at all, once you laid eyes on him, you couldn't look away.

Xuan Ye's heart pounded. If he wasn't mistaken, this was likely the strongest person in Stanrosai City, the only formal mage in Stanrosai, the peak of the Professional Rank, Six-Star Mage Roland!

Thanks to Qingkong Youyou, Guhezhou, Xiaoshi Canxue Liaowuhen, unira, and Biangxing Gang for the tips. There will be another chapter after 12 o'clock.