This Teacher of Mine, Is He Qualified?

Tylen smoothly received his reward from Steampunk—a silver ring engraved with dark red spiral patterns.

He rubbed the ring's cold surface and read the instruction manual.

"Input 2 points of Mental Power to instantly unleash a high-pressure fireball with a 0.5-meter diameter. Cooldown: 10 minutes."

"Though it's a one-time burst tool with a long cooldown, it's a solid supplement for someone like me who lacks long-range high-damage options right now."

Tylen casually slipped it onto his left index finger. The fit was perfect.

Meanwhile, Locke and Kathy nearby paid no attention to the ring.

Their focus was entirely on the Skeleton Dog crouching at Tylen's feet.

"What exquisite craftsmanship!"

Locke crouched down and couldn't help reaching out to touch the rune-covered spine of the Skeleton Dog.

"This joint connection method, and the folding storage design... Magnus, you're a genius."

Kathy adjusted her glasses and nodded seriously in agreement:

"Right! This is far more refined than those clunky skeletons I've seen in books."

"But... carving something this complex and tuning the magic circuit balance must take a long time, right?"

Hearing this, Tylen gave a wry smile:

"Yeah, it was slow at first. I failed many times."

"Once I got the hang of it, it only took about a week to make one."

"A week..."

The two exchanged a glance and sighed in unison.

For noble apprentices like them, busy daily with meditation, classes, and socializing, this was an extremely inefficient and unworthy pursuit.

"Come on, let's head back to the Wizard Tower together."

Locke stood up and said with a smile:

"Don't bother collecting the corpse today. We need to spread this good news quickly!"

Kathy waved her little fist excitedly:

"Yes! The Blazing Sun Wizard Tower has been too arrogant lately. You're our tower's hero now!"

Tylen bowed slightly and said humbly:

"I was just lucky. You two are too kind."

Nearby, Ike and the other low-tier apprentices watched Tylen chatting and laughing with two high-ranking nobles, their eyes full of envy and longing.

Especially Ike.

His expression was comical, but a certain resolve had clearly taken root in his eyes.

He quickly walked over to Tylen's cart and took the reins without being asked.

On the way back, Ike acted like a dutiful groom, leading the old cart loaded with corpses at the very back.

Meanwhile, Tylen walked shoulder to shoulder with Locke and Kathy at the front.

The good news had apparently grown wings and reached the Wizard Tower faster than their footsteps.

As the group stepped through the tower's heavy doors—

Whoosh!

In the wide fountain square, led by Makley, a large crowd quickly surrounded them.

The recent decline of their tower and the Blazing Sun Tower's relentless pressure had left everyone with a pent-up frustration.

Now, finally winning—and with an overwhelming victory—lifted everyone's spirits.

Not only had many low-tier apprentices gathered, but numerous noble apprentices had also rushed over.

"Well done, Sara!"

"Miss Hoffman, I heard the Bone Flute idea was yours? Amazing!"

People cheered and congratulated warmly.

But all their attention was focused entirely on Locke and Kathy at the front.

Even Makley, acting as a mentor, subtly steered the narrative to credit Kathy and Locke as the core contributors.

As for Tylen, he only gave a brief "good execution" and brushed past it.

Tylen wasn't surprised by this. In fact, he felt a slight relief.

Amid the noise and excitement, he moved like an irrelevant shadow, took the reins from Ike, and led the cart back to the morgue.

"This overwhelming fortune—I can't hold onto it with my current background and status."

"Rather than being eyed like a presumptuous stray dog by those noble brats, it's better to stay hidden and keep cultivating."

The mortuary still held that familiar, reassuring scent of preservatives.

After expertly stuffing the headless body of the burly man into a storage slot, he walked to the sink and wiped the bloodstains clean from the Ritual Sword.

The silver-gray blade reflected a cold gleam under the dim light.

"This kind of low-grade magic tool doesn't have any concept of soul binding."

"As long as you have mana, anyone can use it."

Tylen pulled a scalpel from his waist and, without hesitation, sliced open his left index finger.

Drip.

Crimson blood fell onto the blade's grooves, instantly absorbed greedily.

Tylen took a deep breath, mustering the last remnants of his Mental Power, and abruptly channeled it in.

Hum!

In that instant, Tylen sensed an immensely vast shadow flicker across his mental plane.

Immediately after, a violent surge of heat flowed back into his body through the sword's hilt.

His heart began to race, his blood felt as if it had been ignited, and a vast surge of power filled every limb and joint.

"Mm..."

Tylen grunted, clenching his fist.

This feeling...

It was like back in his past life, preparing for a night with twin car models after taking an overdose of Viagra.

Euphoric, feverish, brimming with strength, even carrying a hint of urge to destroy everything.

He looked at the status panel; his Constitution had changed from 2 to 3.

Feeling the power surging through his muscles, Tylen's lips curled slightly upward:

"This feeling of being strong really isn't bad."

Five minutes later.

As the ritual's effect faded, the feverish sensation quickly receded, replaced by a wave of fatigue.

Tylen leaned against the dissection table, his clothes soaked through with sweat.

"Aside from some weakness, there are no other obvious side effects."

"It's a decent means of enhancement."

In the time that followed, Tylen didn't rest.

As usual, he carried out monotonous physical training and rune engraving practice in the mortuary.

Time quickly reached 7 PM.

The sound of wings flapping rang out.

A pitch-black crow passed through the ventilation window, then black mist churned, coalescing into Makley's figure clad in a black robe.

Tylen immediately stopped what he was doing and bowed respectfully:

"Teacher."

Makley nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over Tylen's tired but still resolute face, and said flatly:

"You performed quite well today."

"Whether in technique, adaptability, or your final handling of the situation, it all met my expectations."

Tylen lowered his head, showing a hint of timely joy:

"Thank you for the praise, Teacher. It's all thanks to your guidance."

Makley didn't linger on the topic and shifted gears:

"As a reward for you, after this exam is over, I'll assign you outside the city."

"Join the hunting team there, responsible for collecting and appraising Magic Beast corpses for the Wizard Tower."

At this point, Makley's voice turned serious:

"This is a rather dangerous and arduous task. You'll face wild Magic Beasts and have to deal with those crude mercenaries."

"Are you willing?"

Hearing this, Tylen's heart stirred slightly.

An outside assignment? A hunting team?

This seemed like exile, but in reality, it was gaining real power and a path to wealth.

Without a moment's hesitation, his expression respectful and firm, he said:

"I am willing to follow Teacher's orders."

"Your needs are my mission."

Makley let out a satisfied "Mm."

He casually pulled a silver badge from his sleeve and placed it on the bloodstained dissection table.

"Take it."

"In the wild, this represents your identity and status."

"I hope your performance won't disappoint me."

Tylen picked up the cold badge with both hands respectfully.

"Thank you, Teacher."

"Then, Teacher... when can I return to the Wizard Tower?"

Makley looked at Tylen, a meaningful smile curling at the corner of his mouth:

"The hunting team outside the city is also a promising job."

"Though it's a bit dangerous and tiring, you can earn a lot of money—more promising than staying here."

"As for when you can come back..."

"That depends on your performance."

"At the shortest, a month; at the longest... half a year."

Hearing this, Tylen's black eyes showed a hint of disappointment and loneliness, just the right amount.

But he quickly concealed it, nodding respectfully again:

"Yes, student understands."

Though his face showed some disappointment, Tylen was laughing inside.

"Seems my teacher's temperament and methods are passable."

"Faced with my flawless performance, he still kept his cool, didn't go all-in and grant me core disciple status, but chose further testing."

Tylen was well aware of his current standing in Makley's eyes.

From deliberately snubbing him in the square that morning to suddenly deciding to send him out now—

This combo could fool naive youths into thinking they'd been abandoned by their mentor.

But it couldn't fool an old hand like him, who'd weathered the grind of the workplace.

Because if exile were the goal, he wouldn't be given such a lucrative position with heavy cash flow.

"These tactics feel very familiar."

Tylen toyed with the badge in his hand, his gaze deep.

"Zhuangzi: Lie Yukou says:"

"'Send him far to observe his loyalty.'"

"Sending me outside the city, away from the center of power, to interact with people from various factions—testing my loyalty when the teacher isn't watching."

"'Assign him troublesome tasks to observe his ability.'"

"Giving me the tedious and laborious job of handling Magic Beast corpses—testing my patience and skill."

"'Entrust him with wealth to observe his integrity.'"

"Magic Beast corpses are generally expensive, so I'll handle a lot of cash flow. This tests whether I can stay clear-headed when holding financial power."

Tylen tucked the badge into his chest and let out a soft laugh:

"Nine Tests of Judging People, and you used three at once."

"Makley, not bad."