Chapter 80 - 75: Breaking Through a Minor Realm
Deep within the Black Tower.
Inside the Observation Room.
In response to her Apprentice’s question about whether Mo Ning could solve the complex system of equations...
For the first time, a subtle change appeared in Second Level Wizard Yi Lin’s tone. "Of course! Mo Ning’s approach is excellent!"
To the Female Apprentice Nasha, those words struck like a clap of thunder on a clear day.
Excellent?!
’My mentor actually thinks Mo Ning’s approach is excellent?!’
She had followed her mentor for so many years and reviewed countless papers, but she had never heard her mentor use such a weighty word to describe anyone other than a Wizard.
Nasha whipped her head around, her gaze falling back on the sheets of scale pattern paper covered in Divination Formulas.
Only then did she realize just how impressive the dozen or so formulas Mo Ning had written down in one go truly were.
Yi Lin spoke again in her indifferent voice, "With Mo Ning’s Divination Talent, he should have a result in five days at the fastest, ten at the slowest."
Nasha was stunned.
’Such a complex system of equations, and it will take ten days at most? Is that something a newcomer can do?!’
But her mentor was a figure of incredible stature, her judgment razor-sharp; Nasha didn’t dare question it in the slightest.
The Female Apprentice stared at the highly focused figure within the sphere of light, her beautiful eyes filled with deep astonishment.
After a few seconds, her mentor, Yi Lin, suddenly turned her head and glanced at Nasha.
The blue light streaming from her mechanical eye paused for a moment, as if placing an invisible weight on the Female Apprentice. "For the second assessment, don’t let Mo Ning get injured."
The Female Apprentice froze for a second, a headache suddenly coming on.
’Not even a single injury?’
’Isn’t that demand a little too harsh?!’
She grumbled inwardly, ’The assessment will be in the middle of nowhere. The academy will even arrange for monsters to launch surprise attacks. There are too many unpredictable factors. What if Mo Ning panics and accidentally runs into a rock, or trips and hurts himself? Will I be held responsible for that too? For my mentor to be concerned about something as minor as Mo Ning’s second assessment... it seems she’s paying far more attention to him than I thought.’
Despite her silent complaints, Nasha didn’t dare refuse. "Understood."
Countless Apprentices in the academy were scrambling over each other for a chance to get into the Witchcraft Laboratory run by her mentor.
If she wasn’t willing to do her job diligently, there was a long line of Third Level Apprentices waiting to take her place.
Her mentor, Yi Lin, glanced at her again. "I will give you the Void Phase Marker. You may use it in an emergency."
A sudden joy bloomed in Nasha’s heart, and her voice carried an irrepressible excitement. "Understood!"
’Finally, a sign of affection from my mentor.’
The Void Phase Marker—it was a powerful Space Magic item that could instantly traverse hundreds of kilometers, teleporting the user to a preset coordinate.
Her mentor obviously knew this task would be difficult, which was why she was temporarily entrusting this precious item to her.
If an accident occurred during the assessment, she could arrive on the scene instantly and bring Mo Ning back to the academy in time.
’If this isn’t affection, what is?’
Some kind of defense mechanism made Nasha actively ignore one point—her mentor clearly favored Mo Ning more.
Her mentor, Yi Lin, looked at the Female Apprentice a third time.
This time, the Female Wizard’s gaze lingered on Nasha’s face a little longer, as if she were hesitating about something.
Then, Yi Lin instructed, "After the second assessment is over, have Mo Ning participate in the Level Zero Witchcraft research project."
Nasha was stunned for a moment, then quickly replied, "Understood!"
’How could she not understand? Her mentor had seen from the sphere of light that Mo Ning’s abilities were even greater than expected and had decided to start specially cultivating him now.’
’A newcomer participating in Level Zero Witchcraft research—if that wasn’t special cultivation, what was?’
Apprentices who had toiled in the academy for years had to fight tooth and nail just for the qualification to do odd jobs in a Wizard’s laboratory.
And yet Mo Ning, a newcomer who had enrolled not long ago, was already personally tapped by her mentor to "participate in research."
Such treatment was likely something only a handful of others had ever received in the entire history of the academy.
The Female Apprentice suppressed her feelings again and again, managing not to show a hint of jealousy in front of her mentor.
Nasha suddenly remembered something and quickly reported two other matters she deemed important:
"Oh, right, Mentor. Mo Ning’s Spiritual Strength has been rising very quickly. Since he enrolled, it has increased from 0.52 to 0.6.
"He also recently submitted a paper to *Shine*, which received high praise from the Reviewing Editor-in-Chief, and he was awarded the ’Shining Light of the Black Tower’ Silver Pen Member Badge."
Her mentor, Yi Lin, nodded. "Noted."
Nasha stole a glance at her mentor. ’Given her personality,’ she thought, ’she probably values the Silver Pen Badge more.’
’After all, a sudden 0.08-point jump in Spiritual Strength in such a short time is indeed surprising for an ordinary Apprentice, but in the context of the academy’s thousand-year-plus history, it’s nothing special.
’There have been dozens of geniuses whose Spiritual Strength skyrocketed by more than 0.2 points within their first month of enrollment.’
Her mentor, Yi Lin, said one last thing: "Bring me the paper Mo Ning submitted."
The last word had barely left her lips when the Rose Silver Mirror vibrated gently.
VMMMM—
Clearly, her mentor was about to leave.
Nasha hastily replied, "Understood!"
The next moment, her mentor Yi Lin’s face dissolved in the red glow, like sand scattered by the wind.
The rose quickly closed, its petals folding in layer by layer, leaving only the quiet, embossed rose on the Silver Mirror’s surface.
Nasha put the Silver Mirror away and whispered to herself, "I knew it. I knew my mentor would be interested in Mo Ning’s paper."
She couldn’t help but fantasize for a moment. ’If only I had the kind of ability to get a Silver Pen Badge with a single paper.’