Academy Life

Ernst Institute, first-year classroom of the Earth Element Magic Class.

At the front of the classroom, a middle-aged mage was explaining the incantation and elemental arrangement of the first-level Earth Element spell, Earth Spike Spear. Lin Qin sat by the window, listening attentively. His magic notes lay open before him, filled with neat handwriting and simple diagrams of elemental structures.

His elemental affinity was excellent. He wasn't especially fast at absorbing magical elements, but his superior spiritual force gave him an advantage. He could sense the presence of magical elements more clearly and control their arrangement with greater precision.

"...So, the key to Earth Spike Spear is its explosive force. You need to compress the earth elements in an extremely short time, shape them, and then thrust them sharply up from the ground..." the instructor explained.

After class, most of the students left in groups, discussing lunch or their afternoon plans. Lin Qin headed straight for the woods behind the academy, which he had chosen as his training ground.

He found a clearing and set down his bag, then began with physical training. Push-ups, squats, weighted jumps... By the time he finished the routine, sweat had soaked through his training clothes. After a short rest, he drew the greatsword from his back.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The familiar sound of the blade cutting through the air rang out again. Compared with his time in Wushan Town, his movements were more economical and his strikes more efficient. The Battle Qi of a Level 3 Warrior flowed through his body. With each swing, it was naturally tempered, growing slowly but steadily.

After completing a thousand basic swings, he didn't stop. He began practicing the Earth Spike Spear Technique.

He murmured the incantation, guiding the surrounding earth elements with his spiritual force. At his first attempt, a crooked earth spike, less than half a meter tall, rose from the ground, its magical energy scattered and unfocused.

He wasn't discouraged. He dispelled the spell and started again.

On his second attempt, the spike came out a little straighter.

On his third, it reached nearly the proper height.

By his tenth attempt, he could make the Earth Spike Spear thrust out instantly and reliably, reaching almost a meter high.

By his fiftieth attempt, he felt that the spell used a little less magical energy, and he could cast it just a bit faster.

By his hundredth attempt, he no longer needed to chant the full incantation. A few key syllables were enough to guide the elements into shape.

He immersed himself in the repetition. When his spiritual force ran out, he meditated where he stood to recover. When his magic was exhausted, he practiced Battle Qi. He cycled through the exercises again and again, tireless.

At dusk, he finished training and returned to his dormitory. It was a standard room shared by four, and his three roommates were all commoners with ordinary talents. They had grown used to seeing Lin Qin come back drenched in sweat and exhausted from training.

"Lin Qin, did you go to the woods behind the academy again?" one roommate asked.

"Yeah." Lin Qin nodded and picked up a washbasin to go clean up.

"You're really going all out. We got tired after practicing the material from today's magic class just a few times. You must've practiced it hundreds of times, right?"

"More or less." Lin Qin didn't say anything else.

His roommates glanced at one another and shrugged. They admired Lin Qin's perseverance, but thought this way of training was too tedious and exhausting. They preferred to attend classes, finish their assignments, and relax now and then.

After washing up, Lin Qin sat at his desk and reopened his magic notes by the light of the magic lamp. He reviewed the instructor's lesson from that day, adding new notes based on what he had learned during his afternoon practice.

"Earth Spike Spear. Instant burst... compression... shaping..." he murmured, unconsciously tracing patterns on the desk with his finger to mimic the arrangement of the elements.

He knew his talent wasn't enough, so he could only make up for it with time and sweat. If others practiced ten times, he would practice a hundred or a thousand. With that relentless repetition, any technique could become second nature, and any understanding could deepen.

The next day, during magic practice class, the instructor asked the students to cast Earth Spike Spear one by one to test their mastery.

Most of the students cast Earth Spike Spear adequately, meeting the standard for a first-level spell. When it was Lin Qin's turn, he stepped forward. Unlike the others, he didn't assume a solemn stance. He simply raised his hand and moved his lips.

"Pfft!"

A sharp, solid, almost stone-like Earth Spike Spear shot out of the ground at the spot he had chosen. It was astonishingly fast: the spell was complete almost as soon as the thought crossed his mind.

A flash of surprise crossed the instructor's eyes. The spell was exceptionally well executed, especially its casting speed, which far exceeded that of an ordinary first-level mage and was almost instantaneous. He could also sense how concentrated the magical energy within the Earth Spike Spear was. Its power was likely a few degrees above the standard version.

"Very good, Lin Qin. Your casting speed is excellent, and the spell is very well executed. How did you practice?" the instructor asked.

"Reporting to you, Instructor, I practiced a few extra times after class," Lin Qin replied calmly.

A few extra times? Looking at Lin Qin's calm, unreadable expression and the maturity beyond his years, the instructor wasn't entirely convinced. Still, he didn't press the matter. He merely nodded. "Not bad. Keep it up."

The students around them looked surprised and somewhat envious. Lin Qin's expression didn't change as he returned to the line.

He didn't care what other people thought. His goals weren't in the classroom or in comparisons with his peers. His gaze was always fixed on something higher and farther away: the mysteries of the nature of power hidden behind countless sword swings and spell casts.

That afternoon, he went to the Warrior Division's training ground. As a student of the Magic Department, he was also allowed to use the basic warrior training equipment.

He didn't choose any flashy combat techniques. He stuck to the basics: weighted exercises, running, and sword swings. With the specialized weighted equipment, he could train even harder.

Sweat dripped onto the training ground and quickly evaporated. His breathing was long and steady, and the greatsword's whooshing strikes carried a unique rhythm.

Other students were training their Battle Qi on the grounds. They watched the boy who had come over from the Magic Department, yet trained harder than most students in the Warrior Division, with mixed expressions. Some were confused, some scornful, and some faintly impressed.

Lin Qin ignored every stare. His world held nothing but the ache in his muscles, the flow of Battle Qi, and the thrill of pushing past his limits again and again.

This was Lin Qin's daily life at the Ernst Institute: simple and monotonous, yet incredibly fulfilling. Like a sponge, he frantically absorbed all the knowledge and challenges that could help him grow, then used diligence as a chisel to hone himself ever sharper.