Chenxi City.
High Tower Academy, Year One, Class Three.
Pei Ze rested his chin on one hand, listening to the teacher's lecture with an air of utter boredom.
"...In the War of Dawn, our ancestors utterly defeated the Nightmare Serpent Civilization and obtained countless resources. From that point on, the Wizard Civilization entered an era of vigorous and prosperous development. The Dark Age came to an end, heralding the beginning of the Wizard Age!"
"In the tens of thousands of years that followed, our Wizard ancestors founded the Star Realm Alliance and established a systematic and effective system of succession. This caused the number of Wizards to grow by hundreds, even thousands of times. To this day, our Wizard Civilization is one of the most preeminent civilizations in the Multi-Dimensional Plane!"
"Therefore, students, you must study hard and strive to become powerful Wizards! Do not let our ancestors' sacrifices be in vain!"
The moment the teacher finished speaking, a chorus of loud, firm affirmations rose from the students.
The students' eyes all shone, their faces filled with longing.
Which student enrolled in High Tower Academy didn't dream of becoming a Wizard?
The word "Wizard" was synonymous with power and truth.
Powerful Wizards could capture gods, conquer planes, and even reshape civilizations. They were beings revered and feared by countless civilizations across the planes!
In Chenxi City, and indeed across the entire Star Realm Alliance, Wizards represented the privileged class. They were met with respect and courtesy wherever they went.
Taking in the students' reactions, Zhou Han nodded in satisfaction. A moment later, his brow twitched as his gaze fell upon Pei Ze, who was clearly distracted.
"Pei Ze!"
Hearing his name called, Pei Ze snapped back to attention and quickly stood up.
"Teacher."
"Explain the history of the War of Dawn, from beginning to end!"
After a brief moment of surprise, Pei Ze answered with calm composure:
"The War of Dawn began in the year 3984 of the Dark Calendar. The Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes led a massive invasion but was intercepted by the Wizard United Army in the Shadow World, outside the plane's barrier. The two sides then used the Shadow World as their battlefield, sparking a long and protracted war..."
His steady, calm voice echoed through the spacious classroom, carrying a sense of unhurried strength.
It took Pei Ze a full three minutes to recount the entire history of the War of Dawn, speaking smoothly and concisely without a single hesitation.
Many students couldn't help but shoot Pei Ze admiring glances. 'So this is what a top student looks like,' they thought.
Zhou Han gave Pei Ze an appreciative look, but it was tinged with a hint of regret.
'His learning and memory skills are as exceptional as ever,' Zhou Han thought. 'It's a shame his aptitude is so poor. He still hasn't been promoted to Wizard Apprentice. His hopes of becoming a Wizard are probably slim to none.'
Shaking his head inwardly, Zhou Han said flatly, "Correct. You may sit."
Pei Ze sat down as instructed and, out of the corner of his eye, saw his deskmate, Ye Bin, give him a discreet thumbs-up.
"You're as incredible as ever! Is there any course material you don't understand?"
Pei Ze just smiled without a word, sitting up straight and pretending to listen attentively while he silently chanted in his mind:
'Omniscience!'
A screen of light slowly unfurled in his mind, and lines of text gradually appeared:
[Pei Ze, Human Male, Age 16]
[Constitution 1.45]
[Spirit 2.44]
[Task: Will Rune No. 1 analysis in progress. Estimated time remaining: 4 hours, 45 minutes.]
The 'Eye of Omniscience' was the golden finger he'd received after transmigrating to this world. It claimed to possess the ability to record, analyze, and improve all things.
Relying on the Eye of Omniscience's ability, Pei Ze had aced every one of his general education courses, making him the well-known top student of High Tower Academy's first year.
DRRRING!
The bell for the end of class rang. Zhou Han, who was mid-lecture, decisively closed his book and left the classroom without any hesitation.
The students, long used to this, got up and headed outside, chatting and laughing.
"The next class is Meditation," Ye Bin said, turning his head. "Let's head to the Meditation Room, too."
Pei Ze nodded and followed the stream of students out of the classroom.
Unlike general education courses such as Wizarding Origins, Meditation class didn't have a dedicated teacher. Instead, upper-year students took turns supervising, acting as teaching assistants.
When the students arrived at the Meditation Room, the upperclassman on duty was already waiting for them at the door.
The tall, thin young man with a somewhat gloomy air swept his gaze over the students and spoke flatly.
"Meditation is one hour. No noise, no whispering. I don't need to explain the consequences of breaking the rules, do I?"
Under the upperclassman's intense stare, the students wiped the smiles from their faces. With solemn expressions, they sat cross-legged on the wooden floor, closed their eyes, and began to meditate.
Seeing this, the tall, thin young man let out an almost imperceptible, cold snort.
According to academy regulations, the teaching areas for Wizard Apprentices and regular students were separate.
And the students here were all regular students who had not yet been promoted to Wizard Apprentice—in other words, the so-called 'poor students.'
He naturally didn't need to put on a pleasant face for these people.
As the students began their Meditation one by one, the room quickly fell silent.
The so-called Meditation was, in reality, a form of visualization. It involved constructing Will Runes in one's mind to enhance Spiritual Power.
The more Will Runes one constructed, the more efficient their Meditation, and the faster their Spiritual Power would increase.
However, constructing a Will Rune was no simple task.
The form of a Will Rune was extremely complex. Even the simplest one had thousands of lines and nodes. To construct a complete Will Rune in one's mind was a considerable test of one's Spiritual Power and willpower.
Because of this, even though it had been half a month since the first year began, many students still hadn't managed to construct even the simplest Will Rune and be promoted to Wizard Apprentice.
In the crowd, Pei Ze also closed his eyes tightly.
His vision instantly plunged into darkness. His consciousness was like a stone dropping into a lake, gradually sinking to the silent, still bottom.
An unknown amount of time passed. Points of light seemed to flash around him, entering his body and disappearing.
"Time's up!" the tall, thin young man's indifferent voice suddenly rang out.
Pei Ze's eyelids fluttered, and he snapped his eyes open.
At the same time, a piece of information flashed through his mind.
[Spirit +0.01!]
Pei Ze let out a long sigh and stretched lazily.
Urged on by the tall, thin young man, the students of Class Three filed out of the Meditation Room.
"Constructing a Will Rune is so hard. I've still only managed to build about sixty percent of it."
"Me too. At this rate, who knows when I'll ever become a Wizard Apprentice?"
"I'm so jealous of people like Shao Hong. He constructed a Will Rune less than a week after starting school. And Cheng Li is even more amazing! I heard he's already trying to construct his third Will Rune. I bet he'll be promoted to a Second-level Apprentice in two months, tops!"
"That's insane! Ugh, comparing yourself to others is just depressing!"
The group of students sighed, their expressions a mixture of jealousy and dejection.
Affected by their words, Ye Bin's mood soured. He asked blankly, "Pei Ze, do you think we can become Wizard Apprentices?"
Pei Ze glanced at him and said nonchalantly, "Who knows?"
In reality, however, Pei Ze knew the answer very well.
If there was anyone present who could guarantee they would become a Wizard Apprentice, it was him.
For an ordinary person to construct a Will Rune, they first had to thoroughly master its structure, completely understand its composition, and know it by heart.
For someone of average aptitude, this was undoubtedly an arduous process.
But Pei Ze only had to wait for the Eye of Omniscience to finish analyzing the Will Rune. Then, he would naturally be able to master and construct it.
In other words, in less than four hours, he would be promoted to Wizard Apprentice!