From Wizard Apprentice to Conqueror of Myriad Worlds

Mo Ning mentally reviewed the manuscript, recalling the information about the society’s membership ranks.

The two major journal societies within the academy used an identical membership ranking system.

The entire system was divided into four levels, from bottom to top.

First Level—Regular Member.

Anyone who had a single paper successfully published in the journal would automatically gain this status.

Second Level—Copper Pen Member.

Starting from this level, the path to promotion became steep.

An Apprentice had to publish at least ten papers, and they couldn’t all be low-quality filler pieces.

Among them, at least five had to be published in the second section, meaning papers of higher value, for the society to grant the title of Copper Pen Member.

Ninety-nine percent of Second Level Apprentices would struggle to achieve this in their entire lifetimes.

Third Level—Silver Pen Member.

This level was no longer a numbers game. There was only one requirement: to be nominated by a Reviewing Editor-in-Chief—an Official Wizard—and then be approved by a vote of all the editors-in-chief.

Each society typically had twelve editors-in-chief, and only by receiving a two-thirds majority—the approval of eight Official Wizards—could one become a Silver Pen Member.

For an Apprentice to win the favor of a single Official Wizard—how incredibly difficult was that?

Even Third Level Apprentices wouldn’t dare to dream of such an honor.

As for the next level up, "Golden Pen Member," that was a domain exclusive to Official Wizards.

Therefore, Mo Ning genuinely hadn’t expected that the paper he had finished in a mere ten minutes could earn him the title of "Silver Pen Member"—an honor that even Third Level Apprentices could only dream of.

’Unbelievable!’

As for the special benefits of being a Silver Pen Member, the intention behind them was perfectly clear.

To put it bluntly, it was a way to "tie him down."

This was because the two journal societies had an agreement: for contributors at the rank of Copper Pen Member or higher, the other society was not allowed to grant them membership.

There was only one exception—the contributor voluntarily gave up their membership.

Since they could earn more for their articles, Silver Pen Members would naturally be inclined to submit to Shine.

And from the society’s perspective, spending a little extra money to secure an excellent contributor was a very worthwhile deal.

It was a win-win!

Mo Ning immediately responded with his thoughts, "I am willing to become a Silver Pen Member!"

A message immediately arrived from the Guiding Ring:

[The Shining Light of the Black Tower society sincerely welcomes you and looks forward to you raising the torch of wisdom to illuminate the society’s path forward!]

[According to the society’s regulations, Silver Pen Members will receive an additional bonus of 10 Black Tower Points for each published paper.]

[The associated bonus has been transferred to your Guiding Ring account. Current Balance: 1407 Black Tower Points.]

[The Silver Pen Member Badge will be delivered to your residence in approximately five minutes. Please be ready to receive it.]

Mo Ning nodded in satisfaction.

’The number 250 Black Tower Points had an unpleasant ring to it, but 260 sounded much nicer.’

Only two minutes later, the Guiding Ring sent another notification:

[Please be advised, the Silver Pen Member Badge has been placed in the secure locker.]

Mo Ning reached out and opened the locker door, his gaze locking onto an exquisite gift box—it had a deep blue velvet surface, its edges inlaid with fine silver threads, and looked quite beautiful.

He gently lifted the lid, and a small badge gleaming with a faint silver light immediately came into view.

The badge was circular, its edge encircled by fine, wave-like patterns. In the center, a slightly open book page was carved in bas-relief.

A silver pen hovered above the book page, its tip moving without pause, as if it were writing something.

The badge looked magical, but it wasn’t a true Witchcraft Item. At most, it was a trinket imbued with a trace amount of Witchcraft power.

But its symbolic value far outweighed its practical function.

Mo Ning picked up the badge and, following the instructions he’d read in a manuscript, placed it against the left breast of his blue robe.

CLICK—

The badge suddenly made a soft sound.

Two small clasps suddenly popped out from its back, which had been perfectly smooth and seamless a moment before.

The clasps precisely gripped the fabric, fastening the badge firmly to his chest.

The manuscript also mentioned that the society’s gates were protected by the power of Witchcraft, and only those wearing a member badge could enter.

Mo Ning glanced down at the badge on his chest and couldn’t help but smile. ’I guess I’m a person of status now, huh?’

In the academy’s Apprentice circles, wearing this badge earned you the respect of other Apprentices, no matter where you went.

If an Official Wizard’s laboratory was recruiting assistants, simply writing "Recipient of the Silver Pen Member Badge" on the application would increase one’s chances of being hired many times over.

Direct acceptance was unlikely, of course, as one still had to pass the Wizard’s interview.

In short—the Silver Pen Badge might seem useless, but its value was not the least bit low.

BUZZ—

A sudden vibration from the [Secret Technique Whisper] gently pulled Mo Ning from his state of excitement.

He reached out and brushed the surface of the ring, and a message quietly entered his mind:

[Sir Rent’s Phantom Carved Statue has arrived at the academy. I’m bringing it to you now.]

It was a message from Anya.

A look of pure delight instantly bloomed in Mo Ning’s eyes.

’It’s finally here.’

’For a moment, he really felt like kissing the beautiful Noble Lady.’

Only a few seconds passed.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

There was a soft knock on his apartment door.

Mo Ning opened the door as quickly as he could.

Anya stood gracefully at the door.

The moment she saw Mo Ning, her pretty face blossomed into a radiant smile, and it was as if the very air had softened.

Mo Ning was instantly reminded of the charming and alluring Noble Lady from the Meditation World, the one in shorts and a blouse.

His heart skipped a beat.

Anya held out a walnut-colored wooden box with both hands, a brilliant smile on her face. "I didn’t let you down!"

According to academy rules, outsiders were forbidden from entering a new student’s residence, so the Noble Lady could only stand at the doorway.

Mo Ning took the wooden box and said earnestly, "I’ll always remember your help."

Sir Rent had died unexpectedly. ’Without Anya’s help,’ he thought, ’it probably would have taken me years to find this statue.’

Now, just by holding the wooden box, he could feel the divine statue in his Spiritual World begin to pulse with a strange, faint rhythm.

He understood, of course, that this was the Spiritual Power contained within the physical statue establishing a mystical connection with the divine statue in his Spiritual World.

This small detail alone filled Mo Ning with even greater joy.

Anya’s smile grew even wider.

Her next words carried a subtle, hidden meaning. "You’re my teammate, and I’m willing to do everything I can for you."

The way the word "everything" was gently breathed from her tempting red lips was enough to set one’s imagination wandering.

Anya’s gaze shifted from his face, dropping down to lock onto the badge on Mo Ning’s chest.

The next instant, the Noble Lady’s pupils dilated slightly, her clear, lake-like eyes filling with shock.

She blurted out, "The Silver Pen Badge!"

’Auntie Nasha is a Third Level Apprentice, a Preparatory Member of the Rose Council, and is even highly regarded by a Second Level Wizard, but she hasn’t managed to get this badge.’

’And yet this young man, standing so calmly at the door, has quietly pinned the Silver Pen Badge to his chest.’

She knew, of course, that it couldn’t be a fake.

On academy grounds, no one would dare to fraudulently use a society’s name. The price for doing so would be devastating.

Anya immediately realized her lack of composure and quickly lowered her voice. "Sorry, I was too loud just now."

Mo Ning explained succinctly, "I wrote a paper today. It should be published in the first section of the next issue of Shine, so the society invited me to become a Silver Pen Member."

His calm words dealt yet another unprecedented blow to the Noble Lady’s psyche.

’Today?’

’The first section?’

’An invitation from the society?’

Each word was a powerful blow, like a giant wave crashing against her already crumbling perception of reality.

Anya suddenly felt a little dazed.

’We clearly entered the academy in the same group, yet I’m still struggling just to understand the Basic Meditation Technique.’

’But this young man before me has already obtained the Silver Pen Badge that even Third Level Apprentices yearn for.’

’Are we even living in the same world?’

Mo Ning decided to end the conversation.

It wasn’t that he was being ungrateful, but he was truly very busy and didn’t want to waste a single second.

He said apologetically, "Sorry, I have a lot of work to do."

"Oh," Anya said, smiling understandingly. "Then I won’t keep you. Go on, get to your work."

Mo Ning nodded to her again and gently closed the door.

He placed the wooden box on his desk, carefully opened the lid, and immediately saw the familiar, dark-gold statue.

At almost the same moment,

SCREE—!

a clear, illusory eagle’s cry resounded out of thin air in Mo Ning’s mind.

He closed his eyes and, through the strange perspective of his Spiritual World, saw the divine eagle statue radiating the glow of Magic Power as it spontaneously spread its wings.

A huge smile immediately spread across Mo Ning’s face.

*****

「Outside the door.」

Anya stood in the dim hallway for several seconds, a mix of complex emotions swirling within her, before returning to apartment 722.

The Noble Lady changed into a beautiful dress, sat down at her desk, and opened a thick Divination Scripture.

But she couldn’t read a single word.

Anya sighed. Suddenly, a figure came to mind, and a sly smile appeared on her pretty face.

She quickly raised her left hand, brushed the surface of her ring, and sent a message.

[My dear Auntie Nasha, Mo Ning just received the Silver Pen Member Badge from the Shine society. You must have heard, right?]

She was asking a question to which she already knew the answer.

The Noble Lady knew without asking that Auntie Nasha must have used the academy’s surveillance Witchcraft to get a clear look at the silver-gleaming badge on Mo Ning’s chest.

’Right now, Auntie must be absolutely losing her mind. A newcomer who just entered the academy has already surpassed a veteran Third Level Apprentice. Who could possibly stomach that?’

Sure enough, a full five minutes passed, and Auntie Nasha still hadn’t replied.

Anya didn’t mind.

She picked up a bottle of [Calming Oil], dabbed a little on her smooth forehead, and soon immersed herself in the ocean of knowledge.

「Much later.」

A slight vibration from the [Secret Technique Whisper] gently pulled the Noble Lady from the profound and obscure Knowledge of Divination.

Auntie Nasha’s message had finally arrived.

[My dear niece, meeting Mo Ning is probably the luckiest thing that will ever happen to you. You lucky girl!]

Anya stared at the line of text, the corners of her mouth slowly curling into a smile.

She whispered, "I think so, too."