Chapter 583

Inside the laboratory, Jie Ming holds his hands out, and a pale golden light is slowly condensing in his palms.

The final step.

His spiritual power is like a precise carving knife, carving the last rune inside that ball of light.

That is the core of solidifying the soul and body, the finishing touch of the entire Longevity Pill.

The moment the rune takes shape, the light shrinks violently.

A pill the size of a dragon's eye precipitates from the light and falls into Jie Ming's palm.

The whole body is pale gold, with faint light patterns flowing on the surface.

Jie Ming stares at it for a few seconds and then puts it directly into his mouth.

The elixir melts upon entering the throat, and a warm feeling spreads throughout his body.

Those warm breaths are like living things, automatically searching for every corner of the body.

Muscles, bones, blood, internal organs...

In the end, it even breaks through the boundary between matter and soul, reaching the edge of the soul.

Then these molecularized substances begin to operate along the rune structure arranged during manufacturing.

Those aging cells are reactivated, the loosening soul structures are re-strengthened, and the state of the entire body and soul is fixed at its peak period.

Jie Ming closes his eyes, feeling that subtle change.

As a wizarding tool that can coexist with the human body, the Longevity Pill's effect is not explosive, but slow and silent like rain moistening things.

It won't make you suddenly stronger, but it will keep you in your "strongest" state.

A moment later, Jie Ming opens his eyes and nods with satisfaction.

"Done."

From his actual experience, the effect has fully reached the level of a standard Longevity Pill.

The Magic Net terminal suddenly vibrates.

Jie Ming looks down and is stunned for a moment.

Today is the day to go to Nolen Academy No. 147.

He actually forgot about this.

Jie Ming walks out of the laboratory quickly, tidies up a bit, and steps onto the teleportation array.

Spatial energy surges around him, and a few seconds later, the scene before his eyes changes completely.

Nolen Academy No. 147.

Jie Ming walks out of the teleportation array, stands on the central square of the academy, and takes a deep breath.

Things here have changed quite a bit since he last came.

More buildings, more perfect magic arrays, and denser crowds.

After all, the school has been built for nearly a thousand years, so it's normal for the facilities to become more and more perfect.

He walks forward along the central avenue, preparing to report to the instructor's office first.

But after walking a few steps, his brows furrow slightly.

Today... there are a lot of wizards on the road.

This is normal, it's an academy, it's normal for there to be many wizards.

But what's not normal is the level.

Jie Ming's gaze sweeps over the passing wizards.

Those wearing apprentice robes are apprentices, and there's no big problem with these wizard apprentices.

But those wearing formal wizard robes...

Tier 3.

Tier 4.

Tier 5.

Another Tier 5.

Another Tier 5.

Jie Ming stops, his brows furrowing even deeper.

Nolen Academy No. 147 has been built for less than a thousand years, which is considered very young compared to other academies with earlier serial numbers.

Under normal circumstances, considering the advancement speed of wizards and the fact that this plane hasn't been developed for long, the average aptitude of the students produced shouldn't be too high. So the instructors here should mainly be Tier 2 and Tier 3 formal wizards.

But the formal wizards he sees now are generally Tier 3, Tier 4, and even Tier 5 is not uncommon.

Jie Ming looks at a Tier 5 wizard walking by in a hurry in the distance and senses the other party's aura.

Confirmed.

Although that aura reaches the Tier 5 standard, the "sense of threat" it gives him is far less than a normal Tier 5 wizard.

It's like a knife that has been sharpened but has a soft texture; it looks scary, but it won't last long in a real fight.

"Looks like they were forcibly promoted..." Jie Ming rubs his chin and falls into thought.

Under what circumstances would a wizard be forcibly promoted? Besides accidents, it is naturally more tragic wars.

And the first thing Jie Ming thinks of is a wizard war that took place hundreds of years ago between the Nolen Workshop, the Chaos Secret Sect, and the Tower of Extinction.

That war was tragic, and many elite wizards had to forcibly break through to Tier 5 to save their lives.

Those people should be the ones in front of him.

In other words, these people are the batches of elite wizards who completed the elite combat unit screening when Nolen Academy No. 147 was just established... or even before it was established, and were eventually gathered into this academy.

Counting it up, Jie Ming can also be considered one of the earliest batches of elite wizards.

But the problem is... why are they all here?

Jie Ming continues to walk forward, his gaze scanning constantly.

More and more Tier 5 wizards enter his field of vision.

It is understandable for one or two elite combat unit wizards to come occasionally to take on teaching tasks.

But with so many of them here, it's too suspicious.

Wizards in elite combat units don't need to take on teaching tasks at all.

Although the wizards in front of him belong to Nolen Academy No. 147, they shouldn't be seen under normal circumstances.

Most of the time, the ones who should really be taking on teaching tasks are the batch of new wizards cultivated after Nolen Academy No. 147 got on the right track. "Where are the young instructors originally cultivated?"

A doubt arises in Jie Ming's heart.

He has also been following the news of the Nolen Workshop, and there hasn't been any large-scale war recently.

Just as he is pondering, he suddenly feels a trace of abnormality.

That is an instinctive warning from a cultivator.

His body, which has undergone countless adaptive evolutions, combined with the "Heaven-Human Unity" state that he is more proficient in after attaining enlightenment in the information plane, allows him to perceive the subtle "incoordination" in the surrounding environment.

Jie Ming locks onto the source of this feeling in an instant.

In the corridor in the distance, in the shadow under a pillar, there is something.

Someone is watching him.

Jie Ming doesn't stop, turns the corner decisively, and walks straight toward that direction.

There is a moment of silence in the shadow, and then a figure walks out on her own.

It is a woman.

Black long hair, black wizard robe, the whole person is like a walking shadow.

Her features are exquisite, but those eyes carry a strange depth, as if they can see through people's hearts.

The moment Jie Ming sees her, the corners of his mouth lift slightly.

"So it's you, it's really been a long time, Serafina."

So it's an acquaintance.

Other Tier 10 aptitude geniuses from Nolen Academy that he met when he participated in the elite trial upon graduating from Nolen Academy back then.

Proficient in dark wizardry, illusion, and stealth, skilled in mental infiltration and precision assassination.

After more than ten years, her aura is even deeper, she should also be Tier 5.

Serafina looks at him, her deep eyes full of a look like she's looking at a monster.

"Jie Ming."

Her voice is a bit dry, "The stealth technique I used to hide there just now was taught to me by the instructor himself. Even a Tier 6 wizard shouldn't have been able to discover me."

Jie Ming nods: "Oh."

"Oh?" Serafina's eye twitches, "You just say 'oh'?"

Jie Ming thinks for a moment, lifts his hands, and claps gently at her: "Then... you're great, very impressive?"

Serafina takes a deep breath, calming her mood.

"Forget it, I won't argue with you." She looks Jie Ming up and down, "Your strength... has risen by a large margin again? Why do I feel like you've become much more dangerous than before?"

Jie Ming says modestly: "It's okay, slight progress."

Serafina rolls her eyes.

Jie Ming doesn't continue this topic and asks directly: "Why are you here? And what's going on in the academy? Why are there so many Tier 5 wizards?" Serafina's expression becomes somewhat subtle.

"The reason I'm here should be the same as yours, nothing to do recently, so I came to help out." She pauses, "As for these Tier 5 wizards... I have heard some news, but I feel it shouldn't have caused the current situation."

"What news?"

Serafina: "The graduation plane used by this year's graduates was provided by one of the earliest specially hired instructors of the academy."

Jie Ming is stunned for a moment, then reacts.

After wizard apprentices complete their ten-year studies, they are forced to participate in their first plane war upon graduation.

The sources of these selected planes are diverse, but most are discovered by instructors within the academy.

Under normal circumstances, if a high-tier wizard wants to launch a plane war, they need to use their own military merits to hire a large army.

Although the consumption can be less if elite combat units are not hired, it is still an astronomical figure.

It's different when cooperating with the academy.

The military merits for hiring wizards can be saved by a large margin.

Although most of those who come are apprentices, most of these apprentices will quickly promote to formal wizards during the battle.

As long as a few extra medium-to-high-level combatants are hired, a plane can be taken at a low cost.

For high-tier wizards, this is a quite cost-effective deal.

But Nolen Academy No. 147 has been established for too short a time, the number of wizards above Tier 6 is not enough, and the planes discovered are naturally not comparable to other academies. Many times, they can only use the graduation planes of other academies.

So this time, someone providing their own plane is indeed special news for the academy.

But as Serafina said, just because of this, it shouldn't make so many Tier 5 wizards come to be instructors, right?

The current situation is that the original batch of wizard instructors in the academy don't know where they went, so they were entrusted by Dean Avery Knight to carry out teaching tasks.

Even if this graduation plane is special, there is no need for so many instructors to follow along.

Jie Ming looks at Serafina.

Serafina shrugs: "That's all I know. For what exactly is going on, go ask the Dean yourself."

Jie Ming nods and continues to walk forward: "Alright, let's talk later, I'm going to report first."

After walking a few steps, he looks back at the shadow under the pillar.

There is nothing there.

But he knows that Serafina has hidden inside again.

This woman's habit hasn't changed at all.

A few months pass in a flash.

Jie Ming's life becomes exceptionally regular: he comes to Nolen Academy No. 147 every ten days, teaches for half a day, and then goes back to continue his own research. This teaching task is just as Dean Avery Knight said at the beginning, it really doesn't take much effort.

The time point he is at now is relatively special; the old batch of students has just graduated and gone to participate in the plane war.

The new batch of students hasn't been recruited yet.

What remains in the school now are those old students who have studied for five years and are in a critical improvement period.

These people have solid foundations, clear needs, and nothing that needs special care.

Judging from Jie Ming's experience as a wizard apprentice, if it weren't to show respect for formal wizards, these students would rather study by themselves every day and wouldn't care about teaching at all.

So every time Jie Ming comes, he only needs to follow the lesson plan and lecture on some basic theories and advanced techniques of alchemy.

At most, he leaves a little time at the end of the class to answer a few questions from the wizard apprentices.

It's very easy.

As for the problem of the extremely large number of Tier 5 wizards in the academy, Jie Ming also asked Dean Avery Knight through the Magic Net terminal.

But the other party seems to have been busy with something, and the message sent out was like a stone sinking into the sea, with no reply at all.

Jie Ming doesn't pay much attention either.

The situation is indeed a bit strange, but it doesn't affect him personally.

Judging from conversations with other wizards, there doesn't seem to be any problem.

So these supporting wizards soon go to class when they should, and do research when they should, neither side delayed.

This day, Jie Ming has just finished a class on "Rune Optimization in Energy Conduction" and is preparing to leave the classroom.

"Lord Jie Ming!"

An instructor runs over from the other end of the corridor in a hurry, with an urgent expression on his face.

Jie Ming stops: "What's wrong?"

"Emergency meeting, please go to the conference room now."

Jie Ming raises his brows, doesn't ask more, and follows the other party toward the conference room.

The conference room is on the top floor of the main building of the academy, a hall that can accommodate hundreds of people.

When Jie Ming pushes the door and enters, there are already quite a few people sitting inside.

His gaze sweeps over, and his heart moves slightly.

Basically, everyone present is a Tier 5 wizard, roughly counting thirty or forty people.

Two Tier 6 wizards are sitting in the main seats—those are the highest combat forces of the academy besides Avery Knight.

In the absence of the Dean, this is basically the highest leadership level of the academy at the current stage.

Jie Ming sees Serafina in the crowd. The other party nods at him, Jie Ming responds, and then finds an empty seat in the Tier 5 wizard area and sits down.

After waiting for a few more minutes, several Tier 5 wizards arrive one after another.

One of the Tier 6 wizards sitting in the main seat stands up.

That is an old man with grey hair and beard, with a serious face, wearing a deep blue wizard robe.

"Most people are here, so let's begin."

The conference room becomes quiet.

The old man's gaze sweeps over everyone and speaks slowly: "The reason for gathering everyone this time is that a genius has appeared among this year's students of the academy." Jie Ming originally thought it would be some bad news, but hearing the word "genius," he becomes interested instead.

The old man continues: "That apprentice is a student of the logistics department's rune studies, and discovered a special rune structure during the research process. After preliminary verification, this structure is also quite useful for Tier 4 wizards."

A slight commotion arises in the conference room.

Jie Ming understands in his heart.

A rune structure useful even for Tier 4 wizards...

It means that this student's research results have surpassed the level of ordinary apprentices and reached a level that can truly influence formal wizards. For a wizard academy, this is actually not rare.

After all, every academy is a collection of all qualified talents in an entire plane cluster, the base is large enough, and it's normal to have a few monsters occasionally. But for Nolen Academy No. 147, this is truly the first time.

Nearly a thousand years since the school was built, finally a genius in the true sense has appeared.

"Excitement is excitement, but the necessary procedures cannot be skipped." The Tier 6 wizard's voice becomes serious, "Next, we need to conduct an in-depth audit of this student."

Jie Ming nods.

This is standard practice.

The audit is not to make things difficult for the student, but to ensure that this genius is a genuine wizard genius.

And not a spy sent by some other civilization, or a poor soul whose soul was replaced by some inexplicable outsider.

When he created refined gold back then, he was also audited like this.

"The audit is divided into several aspects." The Tier 6 wizard begins to assign tasks, "The soul-level audit needs to detect whether the other party's soul origin is pure, and whether there are traces of modification or replacement."

A Tier 5 wizard proficient in soul wizardry nods and accepts the order.

"The mental consciousness-level audit needs to detect the state of the other party's mental sea and confirm that there is no external mental imprint."

Another wizard accepts the order.

"The abnormal detection of thought fluctuations is the responsibility of several people from the illusion department."

"Compare the situation in the hometown back then, send people to verify in the plane where he was born."

Tasks are assigned one by one.

Finally, the Tier 6 wizard looks at Jie Ming.

"Lord Jie Ming, you are responsible for analyzing the public video data about this student stored in the academy. Confirm whether there is anything abnormal in the other party's daily behavior."

Jie Ming nods.

This task is very simple for him.

With the computing power provided by the Fate System, it's just analyzing tens of thousands of video clips, it won't take much time.

"Tasks assigned." The Tier 6 wizard stands up, "Everyone, act as soon as possible. After confirming that there are no errors, we will discuss the treatment of this apprentice."

Everyone stands up and leaves one after another.

Jie Ming also stands up, preparing to go back to retrieve the video data.

Serafina walks to his side at some point, lowering her voice: "Has Dean Avery Knight replied?"

Jie Ming shakes his head: "No, but I've asked the instructor, there's nothing going on at the workshop recently. Since there's nothing going on, let's wait for his reply slowly."

Serafina nods, says nothing more, and turns to disappear into the shadows of the corridor.

(Just this chapter today, mainly because I've somewhat forgotten what the outline is for the later parts.)