Do Not Despise a Poor Young Girl

Upon hearing this, a flicker of surprise crossed Eve's eyes. She carefully sized up Li Ang's rather lean frame, pondered for a moment, and said:

"Something that directly changes one's physical appearance? No, there isn't. What wizards pursue is the sublimation of spiritual power and control over magic power. The body's form is not the priority."

She paused, then continued explaining, "There are things that enhance strength, such as the Giant's Strength Potion and the Dragon's Rage Potion, but their effects are brief and their side effects considerable. They are mainly used by battle wizards when they are fighting for their lives."

As her closing remark, Eve offered her own suggestion:

"If you need inspiration, or want to find directions for improvement from existing formulas, the Faction Library may have what you need. The library is on the sixth floor. With your badge, you may borrow books."

"Thank you for your guidance, Mentor." Li Ang was delighted. Having a general direction would make things much easier.

At that moment, Li Ang remembered the novel he had brought. Somewhat nervous, he took the handwritten manuscript from his robes.

"Mentor Eve, these are some stories I wrote in my spare time. I thought perhaps you could use them to pass the time..."

Eve's gaze fell upon the stack of manuscripts, and an extremely complicated expression flashed across her face. She swiftly took the pages, set them aside without even looking at them, and deliberately hardened her tone with a mentor's authority.

"Li Ang, your talent and time should be spent on potions and meditation. Do not waste them on such... irrelevant matters."

Seeing this, Li Ang's face filled with alarm, and he hurriedly bowed.

"Yes, Mentor. I will remember your teachings. I shall take my leave first."

Only after watching Li Ang leave somewhat dejectedly and carefully close the door behind him did Eve slowly pick up the stack of manuscripts.

The expression on her stunning face shifted several times before she finally sighed and muttered softly, "It's still a thoughtful gift, at least."

She leaned back into the sofa and opened the first page.

At first, her brows were slightly furrowed, as though she were reading with scrutiny and indifference. Yet before long, her brows relaxed, and her gaze was drawn in.

When she read of the protagonist, Xiao Yilisha Yanfeng, suffering a decline in cultivation and being humiliated by her snobbish fiancé, who came to break off their engagement, a distinct flush of anger rose to Eve's fair cheeks.

She unconsciously clenched the manuscript and cursed under her breath, "Bastard."

When she saw the young girl stubbornly swear, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—do not despise a poor young girl," Eve nodded unconsciously, her eyes filled with approval...

After leaving Mentor Eve's quarters, Li Ang instantly dropped the disappointment from his face. It seemed Mentor Eve truly liked the gift—otherwise, why would she have kept the manuscript?

Next, he would take a look around the Faction Library. Hopefully, he could find something useful. Following Mentor Eve's directions, Li Ang first returned to the third floor, then took the stairs up to the sixth floor.

The entire sixth floor held only one facility: the Faction Library. Its heavy doors stood open, and the sight within made Li Ang hold his breath slightly.

The library's interior was far more spacious than it appeared from outside. Dozens of enormous bookshelves, each several people tall, stood neatly arranged within.

The shelves were packed tightly with all kinds of books, while soft light spilled from magical lamps embedded in the sides of the shelves and the ceiling.

The library was exceptionally quiet. Only the faintest sounds of pages turning and breathing came from a long table deeper inside, where several Apprentice Wizards in brown robes sat reading.

Li Ang walked to a huge crystal panel at the entrance and pressed his badge into the groove beside it.

In an instant, countless book listings appeared on the crystal panel. Li Ang quickly browsed through them according to his needs, and soon several titles caught his attention.

Comprehensive Herbal Properties

<Geological Veins and Mineral Deposits: An Analysis of Medicinal Ores and Crystal Properties>

<Medicinal Extraction and Processing of Magic Beast Materials>

"These will do for now." Li Ang memorized their section numbers, then searched for the shelves according to those numbers. Before long, he found the target shelf.

The Comprehensive Herbal Properties he needed should have been stored on the highest level of this row of shelves.

He looked up, wondering whether he needed to find a ladder, when the dark stone floor beneath his feet suddenly glowed faintly, simple rune outlines emerging across its surface.

Immediately afterward, the one-meter-square section of flooring lifted him smoothly and silently into the air, stopping right in front of the thick, brick-like Comprehensive Herbal Properties.

"That's quite convenient." Li Ang praised it inwardly as he reached out and took down the heavy book.

After returning to the ground, he placed the book on an empty cart nearby, then pushed it along as he continued searching for the other two books.

Just as he pushed the book cart through rows upon rows of towering shelves, looking up at the labels on the spines in search of Geological Veins and Mineral Deposits, a young woman's voice suddenly sounded behind him. It was crisp, but deliberately lowered, and filled with obvious displeasure and irritation.

"Hey! You're blocking my light. Move aside."

Li Ang jumped in fright. There shouldn't be anyone nearby. He hurriedly turned around, only to find no one behind him.

"Who?" he asked quietly by instinct, scanning his surroundings. The nearest people were all more than ten meters away.

Could it be some magical creature raised in the tower? Or... a ghost? But how could a Level 1 Demonic Beast like a ghost appear in the heavily guarded Wizard Tower library?

Just as Li Ang secretly gathered his spiritual power, ready to fire off a Breeze Technique at the first sign of danger, he suddenly felt a kick against his shin—not particularly hard, but more than clear enough.

"Look down, you rude human who looks like a skinny hemp stalk!"

The voice rang out again, this time carrying even more fury.

Li Ang lowered his head and finally discovered the source of the voice. A petite figure, only reaching his waist and standing around 1.2 meters tall, stood there with her hands on her hips, glaring up at him furiously.

The girl had bright pink, medium-short hair, while her emerald-green eyes seemed to spit fire.

She wore a well-fitted brown Apprentice Wizard robe, with a badge pinned to her chest depicting a cauldron surrounded by several verdant green leaves.

Li Ang had seen this badge before. It was the mark of Mentor Karin's line, and it was also the most common badge within the faction.

The girl keenly caught the direction of Li Ang's gaze as he looked at her height. She was so enraged that she nearly jumped up to hit his knee.

"What are you looking at? Never seen a dwarf before? You ignorant human."

She puffed out her small chest, trying to make herself look more imposing, and declared in a deliberately haughty tone:

"Listen well, human. I am no ordinary dwarf. My name is Shandrameya Maxwell, princess of Ironforge. Show me some respect. Now, apologize for your foolish obstruction and rude gaze, then kneel and kiss my boots. Only then will I consider forgiving you."