New Course

Wizard Stone gave a slight nod in response, his gaze settling on Luo Lin with a scrutinizing look.

"You're the apprentice who hunted the Crystallized Scorpion Lion chief alone? Luo Lin?"

"Yes, sir. I was fortunate," Luo Lin replied.

"Luck alone cannot kill a magical creature with strength approaching that of an Official Wizard."

Wizard Stone's tone was calm.

"I read the mission report. You used an acid-based spell?"

"And it seems you employed some unique techniques."

Luo Lin's heart stirred slightly. He did not know why this wizard from the Elemental Academy cared about it.

"Yes. I made some attempts at compressing [Acid Spray]."

A flicker of interest passed through Wizard Stone's eyes.

"Acid spells are a niche branch among elemental spells, but when used properly, their power cannot be underestimated."

"The fact that you independently developed compression techniques as an apprentice shows that you have some talent for controlling energy particles."

Wizard Stone paused before continuing.

"Next month, the Elemental Academy will offer a short elective course on the microscopic control of energy particles. I will be teaching it, and it is primarily intended for promising Third-Rank Apprentices."

"Are you interested in attending?"

Luo Lin froze for a moment, then delight surged through him.

A course taught by an Official Wizard and focused on energy particle control was undoubtedly an exceptionally valuable learning opportunity!

It would be enormously helpful for understanding the essence of spells and optimizing his own spell models.

He immediately looked at Wizard Eric.

Wizard Eric showed little expression and merely said flatly, "Wizard Stone has deep attainments in the field of energy particles. His course should be helpful to you."

"Whether you go or not is your own decision."

Luo Lin understood that Wizard Eric did not object. He might even welcome it.

Luo Lin then turned and bowed to Wizard Stone. "Thank you, sir, for giving me this opportunity. I am willing to attend."

Wizard Stone nodded and handed Luo Lin a silver badge.

"This is your attendance credential."

"The badge contains the specific time and location of the course."

"Remember, my course has strict requirements. If you cannot keep up, you will not be qualified next time."

With that, he gestured to Wizard Eric and turned to leave.

Only after Wizard Stone had left did Wizard Eric look at Luo Lin. "Stone has a sharp eye, that fellow."

"He must have noticed your sensitivity to energy particles and your potential for controlling them."

"It will do you good to attend. Exposure to the ideas of different schools will not harm you."

"However, do not forget your foundation."

Luo Lin answered solemnly, "I understand."

He knew Wizard Eric was reminding him not to stray from the path he had built for himself—one more inclined toward knowledge and research—because of his contact with the elemental school.

With an unexpected stroke of good fortune, Luo Lin left the laboratory.

Not only had he obtained the qualification to use the [Elemental Well], but he had also gained the opportunity to attend an Official Wizard's course.

He felt that his path as a wizard was quietly broadening through these seemingly ordinary, accumulated days.

He glanced at the silver badge in his hand, then touched the warm jade token for the [Elemental Well] tucked into his robes.

In the days ahead, he would need to work even harder.

Both meditation at the [Elemental Well] and Wizard Stone's course were rare opportunities. He had to seize them firmly.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the day he could use his [Elemental Well] qualification finally arrived.

Luo Lin chose the middle day of the access period. After adjusting himself to peak condition, he followed the guidance within the jade token to an entrance in the academy's rear mountains, guarded by a tightly woven magic formation.

After he presented his credential, the attendant guarding the entrance opened the passage. A dense, lively aura of energy rushed toward him, mixed with the sharpness and agility unique to powerful wind elements.

The Gale Element Well was not a well in the literal sense, but a vast naturally formed cavern that extended deep underground.

At the center of the cavern was a spring that continuously spewed pale cyan currents of air.

That was highly condensed wind elemental energy.

Several stone platforms floated around the spring, each separated by a transparent energy membrane. These were meditation stations.

Luo Lin stepped onto his designated platform, and the energy membrane closed, isolating him from the outside world.

In an instant, Luo Lin felt as though he stood at the heart of a storm. Endless howling cyan currents surrounded him, and pure, immense wind elemental particles seeped into his body and spiritual sea almost without needing any guidance.

Seeing this, he immediately calmed his mind and activated the [Basic Meditation Method].

Meditating here was far more efficient than meditating outside.

His spiritual power became active at an unprecedented speed, like parched earth greedily drinking sweet rain.

Those mystical nodes that had previously been somewhat obstructed became extraordinarily smooth in such a dense energy environment.

Luo Lin kept Wizard Eric's reminder firmly in mind. Rather than blindly pursuing rapid growth in spiritual power, he focused most of his attention on refining his spiritual sea.

He guided the incoming energy, meticulously organizing the structure of his spiritual power, removing the minute impurities within it, and sensing the process of his spiritual power becoming denser under the high-pressure energy environment.

At the same time, Luo Lin devoted part of his attention to comprehending the active wind elemental particles around him.

Within the special environment of the [Elemental Well], he could more clearly "see" the movement paths of these particles and the faint force fields created by their interactions.

This transformed his understanding of energy particles from descriptions in books into a more direct experience.

The six hours of meditation passed in an instant.

When the energy membrane around the platform opened again, Luo Lin slowly opened his eyes and sensed the changes within himself.

His spiritual sea had clearly grown larger and denser, and his mana limit had also increased.

More importantly, his control over spiritual power and his perception of wind elemental particles had both improved significantly.

The bottleneck of the [Basic Meditation Method] still remained, but he felt that the barrier had thinned somewhat, and his connection to his spiritual sea had become closer as well.

This experience at the [Elemental Well] had added considerably to his foundation.

After leaving the Elemental Well, Luo Lin did not rest. Following a brief recovery, he threw himself into processing and consolidating the gains from his meditation.

He attempted to incorporate some of the principles he had grasped regarding energy particle movement into his ideas for optimizing [Acid-Erosion Ray], considering how to guide and compress energy more efficiently.

A few days later, Wizard Stone's course on "Microscopic Control of Energy Particles" began as scheduled.

The course was held in a tiered classroom at the Elemental Academy. More than twenty Third-Rank Apprentices attended, including Kyle Silverglow.

When Kane saw Luo Lin, a clear flash of surprise and a barely noticeable gloom passed through his eyes.

Luo Lin did not care in the slightest. In his mind, he and Kyle belonged to two different worlds.

Though both were walking the path of wizards, there were ultimately still differences between them.

For now, their starting points merely happened to run parallel. Once they became Official Wizards, the two of them would definitely never cross paths again.

Soon, Wizard Stone entered the classroom and began the lesson.

Wizard Stone's teaching style matched his personality: rigorous and direct, without a word of unnecessary nonsense.

He did not teach them any specific spell. Instead, he began with the most basic classifications, properties, and interaction forces of energy particles.

He explained in simple terms the roles played by particles of different attributes in constructing spell models and the rules they followed.

He placed particular emphasis on the importance of perception and guidance.

"Most of you cast spells by mechanically filling a model."

"But true control lies in understanding every portion of energy you guide and being able to foresee the changes that will occur once they combine."

As Wizard Stone spoke, he casually traced patterns through the air. Several energy particles of different colors danced at his fingertips like obedient spirits, forming simple geometric shapes before instantly dispersing.

"For your after-class exercise, try using your mind to guide one fire elemental particle and one water elemental particle at the same time, keeping them balanced and coexisting in front of you."

"Maintain it for at least ten minutes. I will check it next class."

Wizard Stone assigned the first homework.

This assignment made most of the apprentices look troubled.

Fire and water elements were naturally opposed. Making them coexist peacefully required extraordinarily delicate control and a deep understanding of particle properties.

Luo Lin, however, was very interested in this exercise.

It perfectly aligned with his recent research into energy particle interactions.