"Hold it and input a strand of spiritual power."
Duke followed the instructions.
The badge in his palm slightly heated up, followed by a very subtle, tentacle-like force probing into his spiritual sea, gently touching his soul imprint—not invading, but registering, imprinting, confirming.
After a mont, that force withdrew.
The temperature of the badge returned to normal.
Duke lowered his gaze to his palm, the silver-grey badge lay quietly, the pattern of the Six-Ring Tower slightly glowing under his fingertips, then dimming.
Binding complete.
The witch signaled for him to step aside and let the next person co forward.
Duke moved to the side, and with a thought, the Six-Ring Badge was absorbed into his body, positioned on the back of his right hand.
He sent a strand of spiritual power into the badge’s interior, and a transparent light screen unfolded before his eyes, densely packed nu options layered like a miniaturized virtual library.
[Personal Account]: Contribution Balance 100 points, Historical Accumulation 0 points.
[Course List]: Advanced ditation (40 points), Elental Mastery Basics (35 points), Magic Model Analysis (45 points), Plane Common Knowledge (30 points), Basic Alchemy Fundantals (35 points), Ancient Runes Introduction (40 points)...
A total of dozens of courses, each marked with the instructor’s na, title, remaining seats, and past student ratings.
[Task Hall]: Grey. Currently no available tasks.
[Resource Exchange]: Grey. Currently insufficient privileges.
[Personal Records]: Includes attendance, course completion, task evaluations, contribution details, etc.
In the lower right corner of the light screen, there was very small hint text:
"Basic permissions activated. More functions will unlock after completing the first assessnt task."
He raised his head, scanning the hall where other young wizards were fiddling with their badges.
So showed joyous expressions, so furrowed their brows, so gathered together whispering about sothing.
Probably like him, studying those nus and options.
Lis squeezed out from the crowd, quickly walking to his side. Her complexion still seed a bit pale, but her eyes sparkled more than before.
"Sir Duke," she lowered her voice, showing him her badge, "Look at this—the courses in the course list seem quite regular, Advanced ditation, Elental Mastery Basics..."
"But... the instructors for these are at least demigod-level mages, with many at Level 4, even Level 5 mages teaching courses..."
Duke had noticed this too, though the course nas appeared quite mundane.
Yet, it’s important to know, these courses are taught by powerful mages with profound knowledge.
Such courses are completely different from those on Black Sail Academy Island.
The group quickly finished receiving their badges, and the middle-aged witch closed the ebony box, giving the whole room a final look.
"Everyone, the badges have all been distributed. Any technical issues—badge malfunction, course conflict, account anomaly—can be addressed via the badge to contact the logistics office, or visit the office in person after class tomorrow."
She paused.
"First assessnt task in three months, specifics to be pushed through the badge at that ti. Please make good use of your 100 points in these three months, select the right courses, and grasp knowledge well."
She nodded slightly and then turned to leave.
The hall fell silent again, leaving only sporadic voices and footsteps.
The young wizards walked out in groups, so still fiddling with their silver-grey badges, fingers brushing through the void, browsing the light screen’s nu only visible to them.
Advanced ditation, Elental Mastery Basics, Magic Model Analysis, Plane Common Knowledge, Basic Alchemy Fundantals, Ancient Runes Introduction...
Each course na was plain, even sowhat dull.
Placed in Black Sail Academy Island’s course list, these nas would probably be overshadowed by similar courses, unnoticed.
But here, Duke’s gaze landed on the column behind each course na—the instructor.
Elental Mastery Basics: Instructor—Aceline the Sun-chaser, Level 4 Mage.
Advanced ditation: Instructor—Horn Stone-speaker, Level 4 Mage.
Magic Model Analysis: Instructor—Vicens Gray, Level 5 Mage.
Plane Common Knowledge: Instructor—Calder Voyager, Demigod.
...
Demigod, Level 4, Level 5.
Those nas, strong enough outside to establish a wizard organization and oversee an area, now quietly listed in the course schedule, awaiting young wizards to exchange dozens of contribution points for a lesson.
Duke withdrew his spiritual power and lifted his head.
The hall was more than half empty, most had already left.
Lis still stood beside him, clutching her badge tightly, her fingertips turning slightly white, her lips pressed tightly.
"Sir Duke," she said in a low voice, as if afraid of being overheard, "Which one... do you plan to choose first?"
Duke did not answer imdiately.
He looked again at the light screen.
One hundred points.
Forty-five points for one course, thirty-five for another, forty for another...
Each course’s price wasn’t high, but adding them up, he could choose at most two, even three cheaper ones, before having to wait until courses were completed, assessnts passed, to earn back contribution for the next choice.
He needed to choose the most useful one.
Elental Mastery Basics, thirty-five points, Aceline the Sun-chaser, Level 4 Mage.
Elental Mastery—not mastery of a single elent, but understanding of the essence of elents, insight into relationships between elents.
This was exactly what he needed.
"Choose what you truly need," he told Lis bluntly, "Not what sounds useful, but what you’re lacking now."
Lis paused, nodding firmly.
"I will."
Duke said nothing more, turning to walk towards the door.
When he returned to the residence area, dawn had fully broken.
The actual sky was no longer last night’s silver-blue but a clear light blue, a few wisps of clouds lazily hanging on the horizon, the distant snow mountains shining bright white in the sunlight.
Duke walked along the cobblestone path towards his residence, opened the wooden door.
The study remained quiet, the fire in the fireplace had died down, leaving only a pile of dark red embers.
He sat at the desk, sent out spiritual power again, and opened the badge’s light screen.
The course list still hovered before him.
His gaze slowly moved over the long list of nas.
But ultimately his gaze returned to that line, Elental Mastery Basics.
He clicked on the course details.
A brief introduction popped up on the screen:
"This course aims to help students establish a systematic understanding of the essence of elents, covering the classification of elents, the nature of elental affinity, interactions and transformations between elents, and fundantal techniques of elental mastery. Suitable for wizards of various schools, especially recomnded for elental mages and those interested in elental theory."
Followed by teaching ti, location, remaining seats—Seats remaining: 47/80.
Forty-seven people had already enrolled.
Enrolling in this course clearly wasn’t limited to elental mages; it was evidently of value to most mages.
Elents were ubiquitous, the foundation of the world.
Understanding elents aids mages in understanding the world’s essence, whether you are an elental mage or a bloodline mage, chanical wizard, etc., these are necessary fundantal knowledge.
Duke naturally wouldn’t miss it.
"Enrollnt successful, 35 contribution points deducted, 65 remaining."
"Course ti: March 5th, Third District Teaching Building, fourth floor, Room 301."
"Instructor: Aceline the Sun-chaser."
...
Three mornings later, Duke left his residence half a sandglass ahead of schedule.
Opening the wooden door of the residence, fresh air rushed over him, carrying dew from grass leaves and the cold of distant snow mountains.
Overhead, the sky was a clear light blue, a few wisps of clouds lazily hanging on the horizon, sunlight streaming through gaps in the clouds, casting large shifting shadows across the adow.
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