In the afternoon, Elemental Studies class ended.
The students left the classroom in twos and threes.
"Pei Ze, want to go grab a drink?" Ye Bin suggested. "I heard the Shining Restaurant has a new drink called Cyan Apricot Juice. They say it tastes great and can even enhance one's Spiritual Power."
Pei Ze was tempted, but after feeling the wallet in his pocket, he gave up on the idea.
"No thanks, I have to go back and train."
"Why work so hard?" Ye Bin pouted. "Anyway, I've already come to terms with it. I just don't have the talent to become a Wizard. When the academy reassigns us in half a month, I'm going to apply for a transfer to the Knight Academy. If I can't be a Wizard, becoming a Knight isn't a bad alternative."
A so-called Knight was a warrior who had condensed a Life Seed, possessed physical attributes far beyond the limits of an ordinary person, and had mastered powerful combat techniques.
Although a Knight's status was lower than a Wizard's, they were still a privileged class above common people. The vast majority of students with no hope of advancing to Wizard Apprentice would ultimately choose to become a Knight.
Just as Pei Ze was about to speak, he heard a commotion up ahead.
"It's Shao Hong and his group!" someone whispered.
Following the crowd's gaze, Pei Ze saw a group of young men and women in gray Apprentice Robes walking by several dozen meters away, their every move radiating confidence.
The gazes of the surrounding people were filled with undisguised envy.
Including Ye Bin, who had just been clamoring about transferring to the Knight track.
They were all from Class Three, yet while they were still struggling to become Wizard Apprentices, Shao Hong's group had already begun to learn real Magic. How could that not inspire envy and jealousy?
Pei Ze watched for a moment, then calmly retracted his gaze. He said goodbye to Ye Bin and turned to leave.
By the time he left the academy, the sky had already begun to darken.
The Ash Stone Lamps on both sides of the street had all lit up.
The yellowish light spilled onto the ground, looking like large splotches of yellow. When the occasional pedestrian passed by, they would cast a long shadow across them.
Pei Ze squinted at the lamps, his mind racing.
Ash Stone Lamps, as the name suggested, were lighting fixtures powered by ash stone. Ash stone was a special ore containing a small amount of energy, a byproduct of Magic Stones, and was therefore also known as a Sub-Magic Stone.
Magic Stones were expensive; only Wizards could afford to use them.
Thus, Sub-Magic Stones were more widely used among the common folk and had essentially become the universal energy source for civilized society, their status equivalent to petroleum in Pei Ze's previous life.
Whether it was the street lamps or the machines running in factories, they all used ash stone as their power source.
It was worth mentioning that this world was somewhat similar to Europe during the Industrial Revolution, though many aspects were different.
For example, there were no cars or airplanes.
The most common modes of transportation here were horse-drawn carriages or various Riding Beasts.
There were no weapons of mass destruction.
Although firearms existed, they were still at the level of muskets.
After all, this world had no room or foundation for the development of firearms. Both a Wizard's Magic and a Knight's battle aura could crush ordinary guns and cannons.
A pistol bullet that could pierce a three-millimeter-thick steel plate at 100 meters couldn't penetrate a Knight's protective battle aura, let alone a Wizard's defensive field.
In other words, in this world, Wizards themselves were the most powerful weapons of mass destruction.
Pei Ze had once seen a scene of a High-tier Wizard casting a spell on a recording crystal. A single Nine-Ring Spell, Meteor Burst, had flattened everything within a five-kilometer radius, its power comparable to the concentrated bombardment of more than a dozen Tomahawk missiles.
A person who could withstand that spell could, in his previous life, have tanked a saturation attack from air-to-ground missiles.
It was that very scene that solidified Pei Ze's resolve to become a Wizard.
The fact that he had transmigrated was unchangeable, and complaining was useless. That being the case, he might as well accept reality, train hard to reach the pinnacle of this world, and see more of its spectacular sights!
'With the Eye of Omniscience, I'm sure I can achieve my goal sooner or later!'
Putting that aside, even if it wasn't for reaching the pinnacle, he had to become a Wizard just to live a better life!
Pei Ze looked up into the distance. Through the undulating rooftops, he could vaguely see a towering, majestic white wall in the distance, soaring into the clouds.
That was the Ring of Truth!
A colossal, ring-shaped wall that divided Chenxi City into two major areas: the Inner and Outer Cities.
Though separated by only a single wall, the living conditions and level of prosperity were worlds apart.
In the Inner City, even the street lamps were powered by precious Magic Stones.
In the eyes of many, the Inner City was a paradise on earth. Countless people dreamed of being able to live there.
However, very few could ever realize this dream.
Only three types of people could live in the Inner City.
The first were the Wizards, who were said to have mastered the truth.
The second were the relatives, retainers, and servants of Wizards.
The third were those who provided services to the first two groups.
"No matter the world or the era, social classes always exist."
Pei Ze muttered to himself.
Once upon a time, his predecessor had also been a resident of the Inner City.
But two years ago, his parents died unexpectedly, and his inheritance was stolen by scheming relatives. He lost his right to live in the Inner City and was driven out to the Outer City.
Even after two years, Pei Ze could still clearly feel the intense indignation and unwillingness of his predecessor from the memories left in his mind.
'Since I've taken over your body, I'll bear your karma. One day, I will make those people pay the price,' he vowed silently in his heart.
「A little over ten minutes later.」
Pei Ze returned to his residence.
The first thing he saw was a dilapidated building.
The facade was covered in white rectangular tiles, many of which were cracked. The building was so decrepit it practically begged to be demolished.
Pushing the door open, Pei Ze fumbled in the dark for the switch and turned on the only Ash Stone Lamp in the house.
Dim, yellow light instantly illuminated the entire apartment.
One bedroom, one living room, one bathroom, and one kitchen, with a total area of no more than forty square meters. It was cramped and narrow.
However, to Pei Ze, who had experience renting as a corporate drone in his past life, this environment was already quite good.
At least the living room and bedroom were separate, and the kitchen and bathroom were clearly distinct.
He tossed a piece of honeycomb briquette into the furnace and lit it. Pei Ze then quickly boiled some noodles, hastily finished his dinner, and sat down in the living room.
'Omniscience.'
he chanted silently in his mind.
A screen of light unfolded like flowing water.
[Spirit 2.45]
[Constitution 1.45]
[Task: Will Rune No. 1 analysis in progress. Estimated time remaining: 4 minutes]
Pei Ze suppressed his anticipation and waited patiently.
Four minutes passed quickly, and a prompt finally sounded in his mind.
[Will Rune No. 1 analysis complete!]
In an instant, a massive tide of information flooded Pei Ze's mind, making his head feel like it was about to burst. His temples throbbed.
It took a good while for Pei Ze to digest the information. When he opened his eyes, they shone with a divine light.
[Spirit 3.45]
[Constitution 1.75]
The successful construction of each Will Rune would significantly increase one's Spiritual Power.
And this time, his Spirit had increased by a full point!
In the past, it would have taken at least seven or eight days of Meditation to achieve such a result.
In addition, his Constitution also increased by 0.3.
The spirit influences the material. A Wizard's Meditation Technique also had the effect of refining the body, but its efficiency was far less than its effect on the spirit.
Coming back to his senses, the corners of Pei Ze's mouth curled up in a delighted smile.
According to the Wizard World's classification of apprentice levels, the standard for a First-level Wizard Apprentice was to successfully construct the first Will Rune and have a Spirit of 3.
In other words, he was now a genuine First-level Wizard Apprentice!