Victor

The most unique aspect of the Refining Essence into Qi system was that it treated "essence," "qi," and "spirit" as a unified whole.

The rapid increase in Benjamin's spiritual power—his spirit—greatly drove the growth of the "essence" in his body—his physical constitution—and his "qi"—his True Essence.

At the same time, the overall improvement of his Cultivation could in turn nourish his Spirit Sea and strengthen his soul, thereby advancing his wizard Meditation Method.

Thus, with one foot stepping on the other, the two systems secretly promoted each other, forming a rapid advancement model that was nearly an infinite circulation.

If Benjamin had not searched the Great Dao Library and found several methods for suppressing his cultivation to stabilize his foundation, he would probably have long since advanced beyond the first level of Qi Refining.

Even so, having reached the peak of the first level of Qi Refining, he could already feel that he was having trouble suppressing his power.

The True Essence within him was like a flood about to burst through a dam, ready at any moment to break its restraints and advance to the second level of Qi Refining.

But if he rashly broke through in the dormitory, the powerful fluctuations erupting from his body in an instant would very likely be detected by the Academy's ubiquitous monitoring rune arrays. A passing wizard might even directly notice something unusual. That would be an enormous problem!

He could only choose to break through in a safe, isolated environment—for example, a laboratory with a good isolation array.

However... Benjamin's venture had died halfway through before it was even finished, and his pockets were emptier than his face.

This was also an important reason why he was so desperately searching for tasks to earn points. Benjamin had never imagined that, in a world devoid of spiritual energy, he would still have to worry about being unable to suppress an imminent breakthrough.

Damn points!

He looked at the deep night beyond the window, then sensed the surging True Essence within his body. He knew he did not have much time left.

Before breaking through, he had to earn enough points to rent a laboratory.

With a sigh, Benjamin left the dormitory and ran toward the task hall in a nearby teaching building.

The task of cleaning the distillation tower was settled per completion, and there were still ten days until the next task opened. He needed to find a new task to make up for his shortage of points.

There were always quite a few apprentices gathered before the task board.

They stared at the constantly refreshing task listings, their eyes filled with desire.

Benjamin was now one of them as well.

After all, he needed points—immediately, right now!

Just as he scanned the task list, a somewhat hurried voice came from beside him.

"Move aside. Look carefully before choosing! Don't block the way!"

A tall, thin young apprentice with shrewd light flashing in his eyes squeezed over. His finger slid swiftly across the task board, and his gaze moved even faster than the Magic Network Terminal refreshed.

Benjamin recognized him. This apprentice was named Victor, the last of the three apprentices in this year's Alchemy Studies cohort.

Victor did not look at Benjamin at all. He stared intently at the task listings and rapidly muttered, "Cleaning tasks... highly repetitive, stable points... sorting... time-consuming and labor-intensive... This one! 'Prepare Basic Stabilizing Potion.' It looks complicated, but the process is fixed, the Academy provides the materials, and the finished product only needs to pass inspection... This one gives a lot of points!"

Before he had even finished speaking, Victor tapped with his fingertip. The task listing for "Prepare Basic Stabilizing Potion" instantly vanished from the task board. He had snatched it.

Benjamin watched everything unfold.

Victor was clearly descended from wizards. Although he had not cultivated before entering the Academy, he certainly had not lacked training in all sorts of related knowledge. As a result, he had far more options than ordinary apprentices when choosing tasks.

After securing the task, Victor smiled in satisfaction. Only then did he notice Benjamin beside him.

His gaze swept over the alchemy crucible badge on Benjamin's chest, then shifted to his empty task slot. There was a trace of barely perceptible superiority in his eyes.

"Hey, Benjamin, still looking?" Victor's tone was casual, but it carried a hint of undisguised boasting. "When picking tasks, you have to be quick. Good tasks don't wait around. As long as you're capable enough, there are plenty of tasks to choose from!"

On the surface, his words sounded like "advice," but in reality, he was showing off his judgment and ability while belittling apprentices who could only take ordinary tasks.

Benjamin showed no reaction. He merely nodded calmly. "Thanks for the reminder. I'm still considering things. I want to find something suitable for myself."

Victor shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

He did not say anything more. Turning around, he headed toward the other side of the Workshop, presumably to the materials storage to collect the ingredients needed to prepare the potion.

Although they were both apprentices of Alchemy Studies, they had not interacted much during this time. After all, Victor's social circle was completely different from Benjamin's.

Amy, on the other hand, was fairly familiar with Victor thanks to her exceptional social skills. Before this, most of Benjamin's impressions of him had come from Amy.

Benjamin watched Victor's retreating figure, and his assessment of the man became a little clearer.

Smart, calculating, efficient, yet also possessed of an obvious utilitarianism and sense of superiority. He did not hide his pursuit of profit, and was even proud of it.

He would "kindly" remind you in public, but that reminder was often accompanied by a display and boast of his own advantages.

He would not be your enemy, provided you did not stand in his way of making money or gaining benefits. But he would definitely not be the sort of person who sincerely helped you.

It could be said that Victor was a typical high-efficiency egoist cultivated under the rational rules of the Wizard World.

"He's completely a typical wizard," Benjamin thought. "That's not necessarily a bad thing for me."

People with this sort of personality had obvious strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, they were generally smart and would not develop hostility simply out of reasons like "jealousy" or "dislike."

If one could offer them benefits, they could instead become one's help.

Of course, if danger arose, one should not expect this guy to lend a hand.

"But... in my current state, I don't seem qualified to look down on him."

Thinking back to his pitiful points balance, Benjamin shook his head and stopped thinking about Victor. Instead, he continued studying the task board carefully.

Fortunately, Benjamin's luck was not bad. Before long, he found a relatively suitable task.

"Sort common ores in Warehouse No. 5. Weight: ten tons. Points: 2." Benjamin's eyes immediately lit up when he saw the task.

This kind of task offered few points, involved a large workload, and came with harsh conditions, so few people competed for it.

The advantage was that it was purely physical labor and did not require much knowledge. The task provider even supplied an ore guide, allowing him to gain additional knowledge as well.

More importantly... like the distillation tower task, this kind of task was settled per completion rather than monthly, making it perfectly suited to Benjamin's current situation.

He tapped the task and confirmed it.