Chapter 113: Chapter 86: Substitute Spirit and the Selection Trial 2
Pei Ze was suddenly hit by a wave of disappointment.
Even Mo Weng had said as much. One could only imagine how revered a Puppet Master capable of creating a Substitute Spirit must be.
It was obvious such a prominent figure wouldn’t easily agree to craft a puppet for a mere Wizard Apprentice.
And even if they did, he likely couldn’t afford the compensation.
Seeing the disappointment on Pei Ze’s face, Yin Xue comforted him in a soft voice, "Junior, you don’t necessarily need a Substitute Spirit. A Calm Potion is a decent substitute. Although the effect is weaker, if you pair it with two standard portions of Li Xin Water, your success rate for condensing a Spirit Crystal will be at least seventy percent."
Pei Ze glanced at Yin Xue, understanding dawning on him.
She must have successfully condensed her Spirit Crystal using that exact combination of a Calm Potion and two standard portions of Li Xin Water.
But she didn’t know that Pei Ze had constructed not twenty-four, but thirty-two Will Runes.
The same support plan that worked for her wouldn’t work for him.
His final success rate would likely not even reach fifty percent.
Outwardly, however, Pei Ze just nodded helplessly, feigning an expression of resignation. Inwardly, he decided, ’I’ll just go back and use the Eye of Omniscience to figure out another way.’
Just then, Mo Weng suddenly spoke up.
"Actually, there might be a way."
Pei Ze and Yin Xue were both startled.
But both were quick-witted and reacted swiftly.
"Teacher, are you referring to... the competition with Red Lotus City?" Pei Ze said pensively.
Mo Weng nodded lightly. "As long as you represent Chenxi City and win that competition, getting one Substitute Spirit will be easy. Getting two wouldn’t be a problem at all."
Pei Ze asked curiously, "Teacher, what is the format of the competition?"
"For the sake of fairness, an arbiter has been specially invited from the Star Realm Alliance for this competition. The format will also be set by the arbiter. Before the competition begins, neither we nor Red Lotus City will know the specific details."
"But no matter the format, it always comes down to who has the bigger fist."
Pei Ze nodded in understanding. That made sense.
"Teacher, how does the Dawn Council plan to choose the participants for the competition?"
Hearing this, Mo Weng knew Pei Ze had already made his decision. "In half a month, the Dawn Council will hold a trial. The three Wizard Apprentices who pass it will represent Chenxi City in the competition."
"Are there any restrictions on who can participate in the trial?"
"Any Third-level Wizard Apprentice can participate."
Mo Weng glanced at Pei Ze, his expression turning slightly solemn.
"To win the competition, the Dawn Council will surely spare no expense and will provide immense support to the three participating Wizard Apprentices."
"For that reason alone, there will be no shortage of Wizard Apprentices participating in the trial."
"Not just those from the four great academies, but many veteran Wizard Apprentices serving in the military and from the major Wizard Clans will likely participate as well."
"Their aptitude may not match yours, but after so many years of experience, who knows how many trump cards and hidden techniques they’ve accumulated. When you face them, you must not let your guard down."
"Yes, Teacher," Pei Ze nodded grimly.
Mo Weng nodded, then suddenly tossed something to Pei Ze.
Pei Ze instinctively reached out and caught it. Looking down, he saw a thumb-sized vial filled with a silver liquid.
"This is Li Xin Water, one standard portion. Consider it a gift."
"But this is as far as my help goes. If you need more resources, you’ll have to fight to pass the trial and become one of the three participants. At that point, you can make your requests to the Dawn Council. Even if you ask for three to five bottles of Li Xin Water, they will grant it."
"Yes, Teacher."
Pei Ze bowed, his face full of gratitude.
Whatever Mo Weng’s purpose was for suddenly taking him as a disciple, the help he had provided during this time was real and substantial.
He would not forget this kindness.
Mo Weng waved his hand with a calm expression, signaling that the two of them could leave.
Back at the entrance to the plantation, Yin Xue smiled radiantly. "Junior, this is a great opportunity for you. If you can represent Chenxi City and win the competition, you won’t have to worry about the resources needed to advance to Wizard."
For any Wizard Apprentice, gathering the resources needed to advance to Wizard was a monumental task.
Whether it was auxiliary potions to replenish life force or strange artifacts to lessen the soul’s pain, they were all incredibly valuable and not easy to collect.
This was true even for disciples from Wizard Clans like Yin Xue.
Wizard Clans certainly controlled vast resources, but they wouldn’t just hand them out to the clan’s disciples for free.
On one hand, the clans had many members, all of whom needed resources for their cultivation.
On the other hand, gathering the resources for advancement was, in itself, a test for the Wizard Apprentices.
They had to work hard to obtain resources, not just sit around and wait for the clan to provide for them.
Wizards cultivated with a smooth journey and readily available resources were merely flowers in a greenhouse, unable to withstand the wind and rain.
Their early stages might be smooth, but lacking the resilience and will to face difficulties, they would inevitably not go far on the path of a Wizard.
Only a Wizard who had cut through thorns and briars, overcoming all obstacles to advance, could truly shine on the great path of wizardry.
If this was the case even for clan disciples, it went without saying for ordinary Wizard Apprentices.
The difficulties they faced in gathering resources for advancement were far greater than those of their clan-affiliated peers.
The reason many Wizard Apprentices couldn’t advance to Wizard wasn’t entirely due to a lack of aptitude; a lack of sufficient resources was also a major factor.
Hearing Yin Xue’s words, Pei Ze smiled faintly. "It’s a shame you broke through so early, Senior. Otherwise, one of the three spots in the competition would have surely been yours."
"You have that much confidence in me?" Yin Xue smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.
"Of course," Pei Ze replied with a serious expression.
So far, of all the Third-level Wizard Apprentices he had met, Yin Xue was the only one who had made him feel pressured.
And now that she had advanced to a Wizard, she felt like a bottomless, dark pool to his senses—completely unfathomable.
Even when he used the Eye of Omniscience to investigate her, the feedback was simply ’Insufficient Spiritual Power. Analysis failed.’
This showed just how astonishing Yin Xue’s true power was.
As for Mo Weng, he was on another level entirely.
"Oh, you." Yin Xue affectionately tapped Pei Ze’s forehead and added in a warm voice, "Prepare well during this time. If you run into any trouble, don’t hesitate to find me. I’ll do my best to help you."
Hearing this, Pei Ze’s heart stirred, and he quickly said, "Actually, there is something I need to trouble you with, Senior."
Yin Xue chuckled lightly. "What is it?"
"I need as many Knight’s Breathing Techniques as possible, regardless of their rank. Could I trouble you to help me find some, Senior?"
Yin Xue was a little surprised, not expecting such a request.
However, she didn’t ask any further questions and simply nodded in agreement.
...
On the way back to his apartment, Pei Ze considered his next steps.
Since he had decided to compete for a spot in the competition, he had to give it his all.
Whether he could gather enough resources to advance to Wizard all depended on this.
The trial was half a month away. He needed to increase his strength as quickly as possible.
’The Lightning Rune and the Flash Magic Tattoo need to be completed as soon as possible. With these two abilities, my combat power will increase significantly. If time permits, it would be best to analyze a few more Elemental Runes.’
’I also need to figure out the metal combination formula for Silver Star quickly and try to fuse it a few times before the trial.’
Enhancing Silver Star’s offensive and defensive capabilities was secondary; Pei Ze was more concerned with reducing its Spiritual Power consumption.
Only then could Silver Star be used as more than just a trump card.
Once Silver Star could be used as a conventional weapon, his combat power would experience a meteoric rise.
’And Magic. I need to master a few more One-Ring Spells.’
Who knew what form the trial would take? Mastering a few more spells would allow him to handle unexpected situations with greater ease.
’And Wuyu. I need to continue converting Fog Crows.’
During this period, the number of Fog Crows within Wuyu had already increased to over 3,800.
Now, only the Outer City South District remained unsearched.
Pei Ze estimated that after searching the South District, the number of Fog Crows would increase to around 5,000.
But that should be the limit.
If he wanted to increase the number of Fog Crows further, he would have to go elsewhere to capture crows.
However, this matter wasn’t urgent. It could wait until after he advanced to Wizard.
’For the next few days, I’ll let the little guy hunt on its own.’
As he thought, Pei Ze realized there were many areas where he needed to improve.
Fortunately, the Realm of Truth would open in about ten days. Once he harvested a wave of the Power of Rules, his strength would increase much more quickly.
