The next morning, at eight o'clock.
At Kamar-Taj, many apprentices had already begun training.
Their perfectly synchronized shouts rang out.
Theodore was also leading the apprentices through their practice, and everyone was drenched in sweat.
Some apprentices had already mastered Magic Light Line, gaining an initial grasp of magic, but they were still a long way from mastering Magic Shield.
Theodore was delighted by the sight.
Although these apprentices could not compare to Wang Yang, their talent was still quite good.
Once they could absorb cosmic energy and convert it into runes, that would mark their formal mastery of magic.
In the past, Theodore would have been thrilled.
Now, although he was teaching earnestly, he was somewhat distracted.
"I wonder how Wang Yang's studies with Kamar-Taj are going!"
After a while, an old man approached.
When the apprentices saw the old man, they all stopped and turned to look at him.
They could all tell that there was something different about him. Even his clothes made him look more like a Master of the Mystic Arts than Theodore.
Theodore spotted the old man and hurried over to greet him.
"Master Kamar-Taj, what brings you here?"
Theodore approached him and spoke respectfully.
"I came to..."
Kamar-Taj looked over this year's apprentices and spotted the relatively talented Belar.
But Wang Yang was nowhere to be seen.
"Has Wang Yang not arrived yet?"
Kamar-Taj had thought Wang Yang would already be there, but apparently he had yet to arrive.
"No. I thought Wang Yang had already gone to see you, Master Kamar-Taj!"
Theodore frowned and continued, "How lazy of him. Yesterday, I thought he was a fairly diligent apprentice, but after just one day, he's already..."
Theodore was deeply disappointed. He knew Wang Yang was talented, but even someone with talent needed to work hard. Otherwise, that talent would simply go to waste.
Yesterday, Belar had thought she might not be able to match Wang Yang. Yet today, he was already slacking off. He must have let his talent go to his head and decided to take it easy.
That gave her a chance to show him through her own hard work: You may be talented, but if you don't work hard, I'll surpass you.
"He hasn't arrived?"
Kamar-Taj actually breathed a sigh of relief. With Wang Yang's talent, taking a break was probably a good thing. If he kept working so hard, few people would be able to match him.
He might even reach a point where Kamar-Taj no longer knew what to teach him.
Taking it easy for a while was fine.
"Master Kamar-Taj, I'll go fetch him right away!"
Assuming that Master Kamar-Taj had come to hurry Wang Yang along, Theodore spoke with a frown.
"No need!" Kamar-Taj waved a hand to indicate that it was fine.
Theodore was frustrated by Wang Yang's failure to live up to his potential. He had such a wonderful opportunity, yet instead of seizing it, he had actually made Master Kamar-Taj come looking for him.
Belar felt even more confident. She was the apprentice who was both dedicated and reasonably talented.
"Senior Theodore, Wang Yang is here!"
Just then, Belar looked toward the dormitories and saw Wang Yang approaching.
Everyone turned to look. Wang Yang was still yawning, looking as though he had stayed up all night.
The apprentices were all waiting to see Wang Yang make a fool of himself.
After all, a master had come looking for him, and he was still late. What kind of apprentice behaved like that?
Theodore frowned as well. "Wang Yang, what's going on? Why are you so late for morning practice? Do you still want to learn magic properly?"
Although Kamar-Taj did not mind Wang Yang arriving late, he was also curious about why he had come so late.
"Sorry, Senior Theodore. I was studying the fundamentals of runes last night, so..."
The basic structure of runes?
Theodore froze, then felt a surge of shock. Everyone else is still working on Magic Light Line, and you've already started studying the basic structure of magic runes?
Hearing this, Kamar-Taj was taken aback. No wonder he was so late. The most frightening thing about a talented magic apprentice was that he was this hardworking, too.
"Nonsense! You've only been practicing for a few days. How could the basic structure of runes be something you can master?"
Theodore frowned, speaking in disbelief.
Although Wang Yang's Magic Shield had indeed exceeded his expectations, surely he could not be so far ahead of the other apprentices in his group. Even an apprentice who had practiced for a year might not be ready to begin studying the basic structure of magic runes.
Let alone an apprentice who had only just begun practicing.
"To think our fellow apprentice has already started boasting after just one day!"
Belar spoke with a smile.
The others could not help laughing, too.
"Silence!"
Theodore's brow furrowed, and the laughter abruptly stopped. Then he turned to Wang Yang.
"Since you say you've been practicing the basic structure of magic runes, demonstrate it for us!"
A demonstration would reveal whether it was true.
If Wang Yang had actually succeeded after practicing all night, they really had no right to accuse him of not working hard.
"Yes, Senior Theodore!"
Wang Yang answered respectfully.
Then, with a calm expression, he took his stance.
At that moment, the apprentices all watched him curiously.
Many of them were simply there to enjoy the spectacle, not believing for a moment that Wang Yang had already begun practicing the basic structure of magic.
But Wang Yang paid them no mind.
He extended one hand and swept it around in front of him.
Shing!
The air seemed to ignite, bursting with countless sparks. At the same time, those golden sparks began to shift under his control.
A golden Magic Shield appeared before everyone.
Countless runes covered it, their addition making the shield stronger and more substantial.
The shield also underwent numerous transformations.
At that moment, Theodore's eyes widened as he watched the scene in disbelief.
"Combining Magic Shield with the basic structure of magic runes, altering the shield's structure, reshaping it, transforming it... Is he really just an apprentice?"
If someone had told him Wang Yang was a sorcerer who had studied magic for years, he would have believed it.
If even Theodore reacted this way, the magic apprentices were all the more stunned.
At best, they had only learned Magic Light Line. Something this profound was far beyond them.
"He's put what he learned into practice, and applied it to Magic Shield, all in a single night!"
Kamar-Taj could not help marveling inwardly. This was a genius, a true prodigy. More importantly, this prodigy worked so hard that he stayed up all night practicing.
Kamar-Taj no longer knew what to say.
"Senior Theodore, I'm really sorry. I reshaped Magic Shield according to the structure of magic runes. If I haven't done it well, please be sure to guide me!"
Wang Yang spoke with great humility.
After all, he did not know much about magic. In front of these two masters, he certainly could not be arrogant.
Hearing Wang Yang's words, the corner of Theodore's eye twitched. I've never reshaped one myself. How am I supposed to guide you...?
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