Benefits

"What?! Are you sure?" Professor Li, who had been slumped in his chair, abruptly sat upright upon hearing this.

"I can't be sure, but there really were magical fluctuations from spellcasting behind me at the time. That feeling couldn't have been wrong. Whenever we cast spells, we conceal those magical fluctuations. The only time they can be sensed so clearly is when apprentice mages have just mastered a spell, isn't it?"

Glasses muttered softly.

Hearing that, Professor Li began recalling the situation from that day. He had indeed sensed spellcasting fluctuations downstairs while he was on the second floor.

But he had not given it much thought at the time. His disciple, Glasses, had been casting a spell as well, so he had simply assumed Glasses was too nervous to conceal the fluctuations.

The more Professor Li thought about it, the more something felt off. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Huo Ling might truly have learned a spell.

If that was true, it would be incredible!

Receiving the Spirit Realm's Blessing during Awakening was uncommon, but there had been quite a few such cases.

Second-grade spellcaster aptitude was certainly good, but it was not genius-level. Among this year's students, there were quite a few with first-grade spellcaster aptitude.

But successfully meditating within seven days and mastering at least one zero-tier spell—that was extraordinary.

Professor Li rose from his chair and paced back and forth across the room.

"Come on. Let's check with Huo Ling's school and find out where he lives."

"Why?!" Glasses asked in surprise.

"We'll go to his home and ask whether he has really mastered a spell."

Professor Li turned to look at Glasses.

"There are still more than a dozen students we haven't called yet." Glasses pointed at the form in his hand.

"We'll call them when we get back..."

In his room, Huo Ling was checking his status panel.

After the wraith in the testing room had been killed, a point of light had fallen onto him.

Name: Huo Ling

Mental Power: 2.7/2.7

Magic Power: 27/27

Skills: Dark Breath Meditation Method Zero-tier Spells: White Bone Fangs, Ashen Mist, Touch of Fatigue

Potential Points: 9

That silver-rank wraith had provided Huo Ling with ten Potential Points.

It had been a tremendous windfall. Back at the testing base, Huo Ling had never had the chance to meditate. Only in the past two days had he found an opportunity to begin.

But once he began meditating, he discovered a problem. Blue Star's spiritual energy was far too scarce, and the results of meditation were abysmal.

Unwilling to accept it, Huo Ling used one Potential Point to accelerate his meditation. The result was obvious—there was no improvement whatsoever.

Back in the Spirit Realm, a single Potential Point could increase magic power by one point and mental power by 0.1.

This test on Blue Star had directly wasted that one Potential Point.

So afterward, Huo Ling no longer used Potential Points to speed up his meditation.

After this test, his original dream of advancing to a Black Iron-rank mage within roughly a year had become much harder to realize.

Unless he spent the entire year meditating in the Spirit Realm, relying on Blue Star's thin spiritual energy to accumulate enough mental power for a breakthrough into Black Iron would be a long road with heavy burdens.

Just then, he heard someone knocking at the door.

Huo Ling instinctively used his mental power to investigate. With that scan, he discovered that Professor Li and the bespectacled tester were standing outside.

At that moment, Professor Li and Glasses at the door could not help exchanging a glance.

They silently thought, Just as expected!

Huo Ling had mental power. He truly had already begun and entered the path of meditation.

A trace of astonishment flashed through Professor Li's and Glasses's eyes.

"Professor Li, and this teacher as well—what brings the two of you here?"

Huo Ling opened the door and asked happily, as though he had only just noticed them.

"Huo, I'm a teacher from Southern Heaven University. As for him, he is a teaching assistant at our university and also your senior, Guan Borong. Just call him Senior Guan." Professor Li pointed at Glasses beside him as he introduced him.

"Hello, Senior Guan."

"We came this time to invite you to join Southern Heaven University." Professor Li sat on the sofa and spoke first.

"Professor Li, a phone call would have been enough. Why did you make the trip here personally?"

Huo Ling brought tea for the two of them and said with a smile.

"If we didn't come in person, how could we show how determined we are to get you?" Professor Li said with a laugh.

"Professor Li, you're praising me too highly. How could I possibly deserve that?" Huo Ling said seriously.

"You deserve it. Let me ask you this—have you successfully meditated using the meditation method from the Spirit Realm's Blessing? And have you even mastered spells?"

Professor Li set down his teacup and looked at Huo Ling sitting across from him.

Huo Ling was somewhat surprised, but he did not think too much about it. After all, they had even been able to detect that he had received the Spirit Realm's Blessing.

Thinking of that, he simply nodded and said, "Professor Li, your insight is truly sharp!"

"Student Huo, you're very impressive. In such a short time, you not only succeeded in meditation, but even mastered spells. You truly are Stone Creek's genius!" Professor Li praised.

"Student Huo, we now formally invite you to join Southern Heaven University!"

As he spoke, Senior Guan, the bespectacled man beside him, held out his hand.

"Senior Guan, Professor Li, may I ask what benefits I would receive if I joined Southern Heaven University?"

As he spoke, Huo Ling pretended to be somewhat embarrassed and pointed to the furnishings in his home. "As you can both see, my family's circumstances are very poor. Ever since I was young, my mother taught me that the children of poor families grow up early."

"To be honest with you both, Sea Prosperity University, Martial Peace University, and Five Prefectures University have all called to invite me to apply. They all offered some benefits."

Huo Ling's face reddened slightly. "My family's circumstances are poor, and they cannot offer me much help on the path of studying the supernatural. So I want to rely on these benefits to help me quickly set foot on the road to becoming a professional."

"I understand. We all came through it that way." Professor Li nodded.

"What terms did those universities offer you?" Glasses asked from the side.

"Five Prefectures University offered the most: one hundred credits, along with a residence in the city." Huo Ling glanced at the two of them, calmly making it up without his face reddening in the slightest.

He could tell that these two Southern Heaven University teachers were probably extremely interested in him. They had even come straight to his home.

This was precisely the time to open his mouth like a lion.

Professor Li and Glasses exchanged glances and smiled. Then Professor Li said, "Then you should choose Southern Heaven University all the more."

"As long as you apply to Southern Heaven University, your enrollment benefits will first include one hundred credits, along with free exchange rights for five first-tier spells."