Chapter 378 Could he become a major antagonist?
After setting up the fence, William went straight to school.
He used his psychic sense to check his bedroom and found that Alice had reached the point of neglecting sleep and food, seriously studying the alchemy book he had written.
This was a gratifying development.
He decided not to disturb Alice and let her continue her studies at home.
Upon arriving at school, William noticed real changes.
Many teachers had resigned, and a lot of students had dropped out.
Previously, teachers worked for their salaries, and students attended classes to get a diploma and a good transcript, then find a decent job.
But now, the whole world had changed.
How much money could a job earn?
Since there was a way to acquire supernatural abilities, did it mean one could fly, turn stones into gold, or even achieve immortality?
In this era, there were many fantasy novels online, as well as numerous films and TV shows about supernatural powers, along with various legends.
Becoming a Soulmancer meant changing an ordinary life and becoming a superhuman, reaching the pinnacle of life.
Thus, all kinds of fantasy novels and books about astrology and alchemy were extremely popular.
Ordinary people were trying to find ways to become Soulmancers through these books.
When William entered the dorm, Wyatt and the others, who were reading, all suddenly stood up and stared at him.
"What are you looking at me for?" William could guess what they wanted, but he let them speak for themselves.
"William, tell us, are you a Soulmancer?" Wyatt asked excitedly. They had initially thought of calling William.
But they reconsidered, thinking if William didn't want to return to the dorm, he probably didn't want to teach them. Asking over the phone seemed insincere.
Besides, when William first came to their dorm, they had wanted to drive him away!
Later, William had helped them a lot.
So, they collectively decided that if William returned, they would first ask him about it. Whether William would teach them would depend on his mood.
William raised an eyebrow and smiled, "What, you want to become Soulmancers?"
"This..." Wyatt chuckled nervously, rubbing his hands. "Of course we want to become Soulmancers! But can anyone learn to be one?"
William thought for a moment and then replied with a smile, "In theory, as long as you're not too dull, anyone can learn. However, how far you can go depends on your own abilities."
Everyone has a primal life force, and theoretically, using this life force to guide soul energy means that anyone can enhance their abilities.
But that's just theory.
Many people spend their whole lives unable to sense their primal life force or soul energy, and thus can't harness natural energies or refine energy.
This is why Soulmancer organizations looking for apprentices require individuals who can sense energy.
Also, the younger the age, the more abundant the primal life force tends to be, so there are age restrictions for apprenticeships.
For Wyatt and his peers, sensing primal life force at their age is already quite a feat.William only intends to give them one opportunity and doesn't plan to impart to them the kind of secret techniques he teaches Alice.
"Can you teach us then?" Paul asked more directly. "If you become a Soulmancer, does it help with weight loss?"
William looked at Paul meaningfully and said with a smile, "I can teach you, but I don't know about weight loss effects."
Wyatt glared at Paul: "Fatso, your thought process is quite unique, huh? You want to become a Soulmancer just to lose weight?"
Paul opened a bottle of cola and drained it in one gulp, saying, "If becoming a Soulmancer doesn't help with weight loss, then what's the point of becoming one?"
The room fell silent.
Finally, William could only pat his shoulder and sigh, "I think you have a point! I really can't find a reason to argue. I hope your weight loss is successful."
"Let's go! To the bookstore," William said. When he came to the school, he had already prepared a piece of parchment with techniques for sensing and obtaining energy, written in a very orderly manner.
Under normal circumstances, he generally prefers a more freehand style of writing, but he was concerned that these three might not be able to recognize it, and he would end up having to translate it for them.
The bookstore had been closed for several days, and only now did William open the door.
"Come here," William said as he pulled out a copy of "The Grapes of Wrath" from the bookshelf and threw it on the table.
Wyatt's jaw dropped in astonishment, exclaiming, "My goodness?!"
Daniel was equally surprised, "No way! Does this book also contain the method to become a Soulmancer?"
Paul wondered aloud, "Is there some kind of code in it?"
Wyatt followed up, "Could it be hiding some kind of spell?"
Paul nodded, "Maybe reading the spell aloud will unleash a corresponding magic?"
Daniel agreed, "No wonder I never understood John Steinbeck's books before; he must have been a Soulmancer, revealing essences in his books that ordinary people can't see."
William looked at them as if they were absurd, "What are you talking about?"
He opened the book and pulled out the sheepskin tome hidden inside.
"This is what I want you to learn!" William felt their imagination was incredibly rich, fantasizing about casting magic when they hadn't even started learning.
"Ah, I see..." Wyatt scratched his head sheepishly upon seeing the sheepskin tome, "I thought you wanted us to read 'The Grapes of Wrath', I've read that before!"
William chuckled, "If you want, you can read it. It won't hurt!"
"Forget that, let's focus on learning how to become Soulmancers!" Wyatt said, and the three of them quickly sat down in a row to start studying the methods of sensing?energy written by William.
"Look at it yourselves, and don't ask me questions. It's all about personal comprehension. If you get it, you get it. If you don't, asking won't help."
William had no intention of taking on more apprentices. Providing a tome on sensing and harnessing energy was already generous of him, so he wasn't going to explain anything further.
"William, you're generous enough to share such a secret tome with everyone. If there's ever anything we can help you with in the future, just say the word," Wyatt said earnestly, while Daniel and Paul nodded in agreement.
Paul, not as articulate, chimed in, "I feel the same way!"
William smiled and waved his hand, "Focus on your practice. In three days, various Guilds will start recruiting apprentices. If you can't sense energy by then, they're unlikely to accept you."
The news about Guilds recruiting apprentices wasn't widely advertised, so many people were still unaware. William was essentially leaking insider information.
However...
As William slowly closed the door of the bookstore, he pondered that Wyatt, despite his rebellious nature, often talked a good game but lacked sincerity. Wyatt's mental state had been very unusual lately, and yet William didn't sense that strong, dark, mysterious power around him. He wondered what Wyatt might do in the future.
Could he become a major antagonist?
William's mouth curled up slightly, thinking it unlikely.
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