From Wizard Apprentice to Conqueror of Myriad Worlds

Junior Reviewer Roy clearly saw several lines of Secret Spirit Text:

"Dear Roy, I have carefully reviewed the thesis you recommended, ’A New Method for Interpreting Divination: A Preliminary Study on the Effects of Moonlight Potion on Marginal Layer Spiritual Flow Transformation.’

"The paper’s method for processing Spiritual Flow Transformation data is quite groundbreaking.

"Many Wizards’ research projects involve processing massive amounts of data. The method proposed in this paper can be widely applied in these situations, greatly reducing workload and improving the precision of data processing.

"In light of this, I will write a letter of recommendation for the thesis and place it within the top ten pages of the first section in the next issue of the Shining Light of the Black Tower.

"Your work is diligent and effective. I look forward to you contributing more to the growth of our society."

Roy could hardly believe his eyes.

The discarded thesis he had accidentally left in Lord Terry’s office had actually been praised by the Lord himself as "quite groundbreaking."

My God!

It was "groundbreaking"!

Whether it was a research paper or a journal article, "innovation" was an essential element. Otherwise, the paper had no reason to exist.

Although "groundbreaking" also fell under the category of "innovative," the former was a whole level higher.

In the minds of Wizards, any thesis deemed "groundbreaking" had to have pioneered an entirely new field of research.

Perhaps the field wasn’t large, but it had to be something never seen before—uncharted territory.

In contrast, "innovative" often just meant making minor improvements within an existing field.

For example, slightly improving an old method or explaining a known phenomenon more clearly—these were innovations, but they couldn’t be called "groundbreaking."

Normally, such high praise as "groundbreaking" was a privilege reserved exclusively for Official Wizards.

Given an Apprentice’s breadth and depth of knowledge, as well as their level of skill in Divination, the probability of receiving a "groundbreaking" evaluation was close to zero.

Yet, a paper by a mere First Level Apprentice—who was submitting to Shine for the first time and didn’t even dare use their real name—had actually received this extraordinary praise!

It took Roy a long moment to reluctantly accept this shocking fact.

He gazed at the handwriting on the note and muttered in a very low voice, "Praise be to the merciful Lord Terry!"

He meant it from the bottom of his heart.

He understood, of course, that his lordship had kindly concealed his serious oversight, saving his face.

Otherwise, if word got out that he had discarded a "groundbreaking" thesis, he would surely become the laughingstock of the entire academy.

Even if the society didn’t fire him, how could he possibly have the nerve to stay?

His only way out would be to apply to the academy for a garrison assignment, spend a decade or even longer in some remote region, and wait until everyone had forgotten about it.

Roy reflected deeply for a moment, thinking to himself, ’Arrogance blinded me and almost made me commit a fatal error.’

He also made a secret resolution: in the future, no matter whose thesis it was, no matter how ridiculous the pseudonym—he had to read it carefully from beginning to end.

Roy carefully placed the note in a drawer, deeply engraving the pseudonym "The River Flows Eastward" into his memory.

A First Level Apprentice capable of publishing a groundbreaking thesis... this person’s future must be limitless.

Perhaps in a few decades, the suffix "First Level Wizard" would be appended to this name.

Roy suddenly lost the heart to continue studying his Divination problems.

He neatly folded Lord Terry’s manuscript, stood up, and pushed open the door to his workstation.

Next door was the workstation of his colleague, Lily.

He knocked on the door and entered without waiting for a response.

Lily was also a Second Level Apprentice.

She had a head of brilliant golden hair, as if sunlight were condensed in every strand.

She also had lake-blue eyes. Her beautiful face and rather voluptuous figure made her quite popular among the society’s Apprentice circle.

Roy usually liked to talk to Lily, or rather—to hit on her.

After all, Miss Lily had always been single. His workstation was right next to hers, so it was impossible for him not to have any ideas.

This time, however, he really wasn’t trying to flirt. He simply wanted to find the answer to a question.

Lily’s gaze shifted from the thesis she was reading, and she blinked her beautiful eyes, looking a bit dazed.

She looked up, a hint of confusion in her lake-blue eyes. "Roy? Is something wrong?"

Roy asked directly, "Lily, I want to ask you something."

"What is it?"

Lily put down her pen and leaned back slightly against her chair.

Roy stared into her eyes. "If a thesis is deemed groundbreaking by the Reviewing Editor-in-Chief, how much is the society’s payment?"

Lily paused for a moment before answering, "From what I recall, groundbreaking theses are always the masterpieces of a Lord Wizard. The payment would be at least 500 Black Tower Points."

After she answered, her gaze returned to the thesis on her desk. Her brow furrowed slightly, as if she had encountered a difficult problem.

Roy pressed on, "What if it’s an Apprentice’s thesis?"

Lily shot her head up, her back instantly straightening. The movement caused shallow ripples to form on the gray robe over her chest.

Roy couldn’t help but notice this enchanting sight.

An irrepressible thought popped into his head: ’If Miss Lily wore a form-fitting dress, she would be as seductive as a Succubus.’

Lily tilted her head and thought for a moment before replying, "An Apprentice’s thesis lacks depth, which would affect the payment to some extent.

"But it’s extremely difficult for an Apprentice to write such a paper, so the society would probably offer an additional reward for encouragement."

She paused, as if calculating a reasonable number. "I’d say at least 200 Black Tower Points."

Roy smacked his lips and let out a soft sigh. "That’s such easy money."

He personally estimated that "The River Flows Eastward" hadn’t spent more than a day writing this thesis.

He was a Second Level Apprentice. The academy gave him a monthly stipend of 20 Black Tower Points, and he received another 20 Black Tower Points from the society, for a total monthly income of 40 points.

And this Mr. Pseudonym had earned at least five months of his income in a single day.

Lily sensed something. Her lake-blue eyes narrowed slightly. "Don’t tell me the Apprentice thesis you recommended received a ’groundbreaking’ evaluation from the Reviewing Editor-in-Chief?"

Roy hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. "Yes. I got lucky."

He didn’t mention that it was the thesis he had almost thrown away, nor that he had used it as scratch paper and scribbled formulas all over it. Instead, he vaguely passed it off as "getting lucky."

He desperately needed this credential to get by in the society’s Apprentice circle, which was why he had specifically come to ask his colleague.

Lily’s face showed a hint of envy. "Your bonus this month should be quite a bit larger. Maybe even 10 Black Tower Points."

Roy smiled, feeling a little guilty.

*****

Black Tower One.

Apartment 804.

Mo Ning had just finished his routine Meditation for the day.

Ever since he had rejected Zhang Xiaoxiao in the Meditation World, the face of the class beauty that had once unsettled him had completely vanished from the high school classroom.

And due to the nature of Meditation, Mo Ning didn’t realize there was anything wrong with this.

During this Meditation session, the Meditation World staged a brand new "scene."

His high school English teacher, Xia Bamboo—the teacher in black stockings who had caused many a high school boy to wake up in the middle of the night to do laundry—had suddenly become his homeroom teacher.

The school had strict dress code regulations for teachers, so Xia Bamboo never wore short skirts.

But she was quite good-looking and possessed the charm of a mature woman. Most of all, her figure was incredible.

The lines of her black stockings, in particular, had easily stirred the passionate hearts of countless boys.

For some reason, in the Meditation World, Mo Ning had become the English class representative.

After an evening self-study session, he carried the entire class’s English quiz papers to Xia Bamboo’s office.

Mo Ning placed the stack of papers on the desk and said softly, "Teacher Xia, I’ll be heading back now."

Xia Bamboo glanced at him and nodded. "Be careful on your way."

The moment she finished speaking, a soft SNAP echoed through the room.

The office was instantly plunged into darkness.

It seemed a circuit had failed. Not just the office, but the entire faculty building was pitch-black.

Xia Bamboo shrieked, "Ah!" She leaped up from her chair and wrapped her arms tightly around him.

She was tall and wore high heels, and since Mo Ning happened to have his head lowered, her chest, by a great coincidence, pressed right into his face.

Mo Ning couldn’t describe the sensation. A thought involuntarily popped into his head: ’Isn’t this a foul for charging with the ball?’

Xia Bamboo hugged him tighter and tighter. His head felt a little dizzy, and for a moment, he couldn’t break free.

SCREEE—!

A faint cry suddenly came from outside the window.

Mo Ning immediately felt his mind clear a little, shaking off some of the thin fog that had enveloped his consciousness.

He instinctively tried to pull away from her soft embrace.

"I’m scared of the dark—"

Xia Bamboo suddenly cried out, her voice full of panic as she tightened her arms around him even more.

Mo Ning felt his head grow dizzy again.

And the sliver of clarity in his mind was snuffed out by her cry of "I’m scared of the dark."

Mo Ning’s raised hands, which had intended to push her away, now began to move slowly, as if wanting to explore a certain Mystery.

Just then, he was struck by a deep palpitation, and his scalp tingled as if a faint electric current was passing through it.

A beautiful figure appeared in Mo Ning’s mind.

Her features were exquisitely delicate, with a small vermilion mole adorning her left earlobe. Her graceful curves were breathtaking, especially a certain pair of unspeakably large apples.

’Who is this?’

Mo Ning suddenly realized.

No!

’I think I recognize this face!’