Chapter 261 - 21: It’s Great to be a Genius

Chapter 261: Chapter 21: It’s Great to be a Genius

But Mo Ning was drawn to it—the high Magic Power consumption wasn’t a problem, and neither was the difficulty of control.

While studying in the Cabin in the Woods, he had felt more than once that his writing speed severely limited the output of his thoughts.

In fact, he was eager to try this insane writing method, one full of a "violent aesthetic."

Mo Ning took a shallow breath and thought, ’I want to learn the Magic Pen Technique and the Jet Magic Pen Skill.’

An ordinary newcomer would never choose two Witchcrafts with similar functions, but a mere few hundred Black Tower Points were a drop in the bucket for him.

Newcomers could only be infused with one Witchcraft Model at a time, and there had to be a two-hour interval between infusions.

After advancing to First Level Apprentice, the Spirit Ring not only stabilized the Spiritual World but could also resist external impacts, so they could be infused with two models at once.

The next second, information surged forth.

[Transaction Notice: Serial Number 7-118-256, Mo Ning.]

[Confirming your study of Sub-zero Level Witchcraft "Magic Pen Technique" and "Jet Magic Pen Skill." Total cost: 245 Black Tower Points. You have received a 20% discount. 196 Black Tower Points have been deducted. Current Balance: 13,789 Black Tower Points.]

[Witchcraft Model infusion will begin shortly.]

The corners of Mo Ning’s mouth curved up slightly.

The "privilege" of being a Black Tower New Star had just saved him 49 Black Tower Points.

Two orbs of light flashed into being and touched the top of his head. Two flows of heat surged into him, and his consciousness rapidly blurred.

He remained that way until a notification roused him.

[The Mirror Image Mysteries Hall is about to close.]

The Stone Book in the statue’s hands snapped shut with a CLICK. The surrounding darkness swiftly receded, and the outline of his luxurious apartment reappeared.

Mo Ning was stunned for a moment before his consciousness fully returned to his body. He pulled open the left drawer, took out a stack of blank scale pattern paper, and a smile spread across his face.

Learning Level Zero Witchcraft for the first time, his heart was full of anticipation for the "harvest" to come.

*****

The forest outside the floor-to-ceiling windows had passed an exceptionally quiet night.

Until the morning breeze swept over the layers of treetops, raising waves of vibrant color that rolled in from the distance to shake the entire sleeping world awake.

For the first time, Mo Ning put down his Ink Tube Pen.

From noon yesterday until now, he had been studying nonstop for nearly 20 hours.

Whenever he felt hungry, he would take a sip of Physical Water, a beverage formulated with Magic Potions.

For most Apprentices, using Physical Water as a daily beverage was an extraordinary luxury.

But Mo Ning didn’t care.

Compared to eating a full meal, taking a single sip saved a tremendous amount of time.

Upon reaching the First Level Apprentice stage, one’s personal freedom increased dramatically. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

The academy scheduled no required courses; students were free to choose their own classes.

The only constraint was the assessment held every three months.

Theoretically, one could spend all day lazing about and sleeping in their apartment.

Of course, there was no problem with doing so occasionally.

If it became a long-term habit, however, misfortune would soon come knocking once the academy took notice of such deplorable behavior.

A highly difficult mission would very likely be dropped on them out of nowhere.

The academy had a clear regulation: under necessary circumstances, the academy could assign mandatory missions.

As for what constituted "necessary circumstances," the academy reserved all rights of interpretation.

"The Guide was right. The divination structure of the Magic Pen Technique is truly ingenious."

Mo Ning gazed at the thick stack of manuscripts on his desk and muttered in deep satisfaction.

Having been immersed in "fresh," new knowledge for so long, he was filled with a profound sense of pleasure.

And after twenty hours of high-intensity deconstruction and analysis, he had come to thoroughly understand this Level Zero Witchcraft.

To be honest, this was a terrifying pace.

If word of this got out, it would be enough to send shockwaves through the thousands of Apprentices in Dormitory Area 43.

But Mo Ning felt it was perfectly normal.

After "gnawing" his way through Low-Cycle Divination Introduction, the Knowledge of Divination he had accumulated already surpassed that of most Apprentices.

While studying the Magic Pen Technique, he encountered no major obstacles, only a dozen or so minor difficulties.

An ordinary Apprentice in this situation would have to stop and consult Divination Scriptures; it was perfectly normal to get stuck on a single point for ten to fifteen days.

But thanks to his powerful Divination Foundation, he deduced the solutions to all the tricky problems on his own, mastering the Magic Pen Technique in one fell swoop.

At this moment, Mo Ning had no intention of stopping.

He simply rose and paced a few times before the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing at the rosy dawn and the sea of trees that split the sky in two. After stretching his limbs a bit, he pushed open the door to the Meditation Room.

The Meditation Room wasn’t just for Meditation; it was also the most suitable environment for constructing a Witchcraft Model in one’s Spiritual World.

Mo Ning glanced at the round metal disc embedded in the center of the floor, its surface carved with hundreds of intricate Magic Patterns.

This Witchcraft Item was called the Meditation Spirit Disc.

When activated, it could form a unique Magic Field that promoted deep mental concentration and slightly increased Meditation efficiency.

This was a high-end feature unique to apartments in the Upper District; the Middle and Lower Districts had nothing of the sort.

The Spirit Disc required Magic Stones to operate, a cost that was also fully covered by the academy.

Mo Ning reached out, pressed the white Crystal in the center of the Spirit Disc, and silently channeled a stream of Spiritual Power into it.

"HUMMM—"

The Spirit Disc trembled slightly. All the Magic Patterns flared for an instant before dimming in unison.

He immediately sensed a wondrous power descend upon the Meditation Room and touch the surface of his spirit.

His mind instantly grew sharper, and all stray thoughts melted away like snow under a blazing sun.

He sat down on the soft sofa beside the Spirit Disc and closed his eyes.

The next task was to construct a temporary model of the Magic Pen Technique in his Spiritual World.

Mo Ning didn’t intend to truly master this Witchcraft; a temporary model was sufficient.

The Witchcraft required a Spiritual Strength of 1.5, while his was only 1.1.

By all conventional wisdom, this was simply impossible.

With insufficient Spiritual Strength, even if one forcibly constructed the model, the impact on the Witchcraft Model during Casting would be too strong, leading to direct failure.

But Mo Ning had a way.

His Spiritual Power formed an invisible hand, capturing the stray Demon Seeds in the surroundings with extreme efficiency.

Compared to four months ago, his capture efficiency had increased severalfold; three Demon Seed Mappings now appeared in his Spiritual World every second.

This, too, was a speed that far surpassed other newly-promoted First Level Apprentices.

Another half an hour passed.

Mo Ning opened his eyes, reached out to deactivate the Meditation Spirit Disc, and took out a sheet of blank scale pattern paper he had prepared earlier.

He activated his Apprentice’s Magic Ring and said softly, "Witch Spirit, I want to apply for the first Apprentice Witchcraft Assessment."

This was a mandatory assessment—newly promoted Apprentices had to master one Level Zero Witchcraft within six months.

If an Apprentice failed, they would be docked 50 Black Tower Points and re-assessed two months later. If they failed again, they would be expelled from the academy.

Conversely, the faster one passed the assessment, the greater the rewards.

For someone like Mo Ning, who was applying for the assessment on the second day after his promotion to Apprentice, it was an exceptionally rare occurrence.