The Wizard's Secret Journey

Chapter 102: Drifting Away and Golden Thorn (11)

Without much hesitation, Lin En came to the witchcraft investigation area.

Thanks to the education in the school, the attack, defense, and binding magic he chose at the beginning, namely the explosive fireball, Lamp defense field, and green vine magic, are all universal magic.

Now that he has successfully been promoted to a first-class wizard apprentice, his own power has also been raised to the upper level of 0 rings and there is no need to be eliminated.

Only the other types of witchcraft are still at the medium power level of level 0 and need to be updated.

He had a lucky talent for concealment, leaving him with only a weakness in reconnaissance.

'Should I look for a universal spell that can be used even at the first-level wizard stage, or a spell like the Golden Mist Shadow that has a subsequent first-level part...'

Lin En was thinking in his mind, but he soon remembered what the library manager had said before.

A first-class wizard apprentice is already the backbone of the school. He needs to face many dangers and spend more energy on witchcraft...

This view is completely different from the compulsory education received when being promoted to a second-class apprentice.

At that time, Chris on the podium emphasized that one should spend as little time as possible on witchcraft, try to learn simple, preferably universal witchcraft, and just ensure that one's own combat power reaches the average level.

Lynn pondered in his heart.

There is actually no conflict between what Chris and the library management wizard say. The reason they are different is that they target different stages.

'If everything goes well, I will go to Silver Ring Academy in two months... It is impossible to advance to the first-level wizard in such a short time.

'It seems that I need to work hard on witchcraft during this period of time.

'After all, his original trump card - the White Crow Swordsmanship that could barely reach the 0-ring superior power, has not improved much in power after being promoted to a first-class wizard apprentice.

'This knowledge has not kept up with my level.

"Other spells like Exploding Fireball are powerful, but they are far from being trump cards."

The effect of general witchcraft is usually slightly inferior to or equal to that of ordinary quality witchcraft of the same level when it reaches the upper limit of its power.

For example, the exploding fireball is a universal magic that can be learned by even a second-class wizard apprentice.

At the second-class wizard apprentice stage, its power is quite good and its quality can be rated as excellent.

At the first-class wizard apprentice stage, although its power can still reach the level of 0-ring superior, it is only equivalent to ordinary 0-ring superior witchcraft.

The fundamental reason behind this is that the structure of witchcraft used by wizards at low levels is relatively simple.

The relatively simple structure also means that the effect is relatively single and weak.

There are limits to the kind of wizardry structures that are both simple and efficient.

Only a very small number of universal witchcraft can maintain excellent results at every stage.

Of course, there is a kind of witchcraft that is between the two, which not only ensures excellent results but also reduces the burden of learning.

Golden Mist Shadow Technique is one of them, and the logic behind it is somewhat similar to meditation.

During the first-level wizard apprentice stage, the basic structure of witchcraft is established, and then during the first-level wizard stage, more complex structures are added to it.

This not only increases the power but also reduces the time for relearning.

'The power system of wizard civilization is actually somewhat similar to the science of the previous life. Both are rigorous and objective... It is difficult to have both.

"If you want a comprehensive, powerful, and low-energy effect, the magic structure behind it must be complex and efficient."

'It is almost impossible for an ordinary wild wizard apprentice to fight against a first-level wizard by relying on a so-called secret method.

"What's more likely to happen is that the Wild Wizard Apprentice simply cannot understand the secrets, such as the Black Moon Spirit Body that I haven't mastered yet..."

Lin En was thinking about it, and suddenly saw an interesting detection witchcraft——

"Snake sense technique".

Its description reads: Simulates the sensory abilities of snakes, including thermal perception, vibration perception, and olfactory perception.

Just as many technologies in previous lives came from animal research.

The same is true of much of the wizarding world's witchcraft.

'This detection magic called Snake Sense contains three effects, from vision, smell, to touch, covering almost half of the types of detection magic.

"And I also have the Wind Hearing Technique and Eagle Eye Technique, which can just make up for its shortcomings... This detection magic is obviously very suitable for me!"

Lin En was not in a hurry. He continued to look through all the witchcraft of ordinary quality. After confirming that there was no witchcraft more suitable than the Snake Sense Technique, he immediately exchanged for this witchcraft!

'The reconnaissance magic should be enough. The main arrangement for the next period of time is to earn contribution points and exchange the most important flying magic in the first-class wizard apprentice stage, which is the golden mist shadow magic.

'After that, we will see if we can obtain more excellent witchcraft for attack or defense.

'At the same time, there is the Black Moon Spirit Body...Now the spirit has been promoted to a first-class wizard apprentice, but the level of the physical body has reached the upper limit because of the White Crow Sword Technique, but it still remains at the second-class level.

'If you cannot learn this secret technique during the apprenticeship period, unless you continue to cultivate your body afterwards, the difficulty of learning it will increase as the gap between the spirit and the body becomes larger and larger.

"And cultivating the body at the same time would also consume a lot of energy and is not practical."

……

……

"Congratulations, Lin En... I remember that you just talked to me about being promoted to a first-class wizard apprentice some time ago. I didn't expect that you have successfully advanced so soon."

Lynn Residence, front yard.

Lucas handed the gift he brought to Adeline and congratulated her with emotion.
"With your talent, you're probably ranked among the best in the entire Huosens School!"

Lin En thanked him and looked behind him and asked:

"Where's Senior Martin? Didn't he come with Senior Lucas?"

"He seems to be still busy with work. The Urban Management Office has a lot of chores." Lucas answered and asked again,
"You have now successfully advanced. The next step is probably to take the Golden Thorn Apprentice Assessment... How is it? Are you confident that you can pass it?"

Lin En smiled and pointed to the badge on his chest that belonged to the Golden Thorn apprentice:
“Senior Lucas may not know that the school later added some detailed rules to the apprenticeship system.

"Because it took me less time to be promoted from the third rank to the first rank, I was exempted from the assessment. Now I have obtained the qualification of Golden Thorn Apprentice."

Lucas was stunned for a moment. Only then did he notice the badge on Lynn's chest that belonged to the Golden Thorn apprentice.

This badge, although the same gold color as the first-class silver thorn badge on his chest, represents the realm of a first-class wizard apprentice.

But compared to the Silver Thorn Badge, each edge of the inverted triangle Gold Thorn Badge has an additional coiled thorn, and the overall workmanship is much more refined.

"…Congratulations, Lynn."

Lucas paused and said, with envy in his eyes.

Who doesn’t want to be Golden Thorn’s apprentice? If only he could become Golden Thorn’s apprentice.

The resources, status, and even the probability of becoming a first-level wizard are far higher than those of a Silverthorn apprentice!
Unfortunately, he was too old and had lost the qualifications to become Golden Thorn's apprentice.

Sighing in his heart, Lucas continued:
"After all, I took too many detours and it's impossible for me to become Goldthorn's apprentice.

“But I still want to fight for the title of Silver Thorn.

"I have applied to the school for a long-term job at Cuiying Avenue. The conditions there are tough and there are many magical beasts, but it is just right for actual combat training.

"At the same time, after the Green Shadow Avenue is officially completed, the magic energy supply enjoyed by the outpost will be slightly higher than that of the school."

Lucas' tone was firm, and the envy in his eyes quietly disappeared.

There will always be someone better and luckier than you, but that doesn’t matter, what matters is focusing on yourself.

He is not yet 40 years old this year, and he still has 60 years before his health starts to decline at 20.

Theoretically, there is still a chance of being promoted to a first-level wizard.

Lucas wanted to give it another try.

Lynn noticed the change in Lucas's expression, smiled, and said:

"I wish you all the best in advance."

The reason why he could maintain a long-term relationship with Lucas was not just because of the friendship they had in the Golden Shadow Society.

Lin En also admired the character of this middle-aged man.

After thinking about it, Lin En asked Lucas to help keep an eye out for news about the light-absorbing black stone.

The two light-absorbing black stones were originally discovered at the outpost of Cuiying Avenue.

Lucas will live in Cuiying Avenue in the future, and maybe he will encounter light-absorbing black stones.

It was just a small thing, and Lucas quickly agreed.

After a while, Martin and Serena arrived one after another.

Only the last Leah has not arrived yet.

However, she was not too late. Just a moment after lunch time, the girl arrived.

"Sorry, Senior Lin En, I was delayed by something." Leah said very embarrassedly.

"It's okay." Lynn smiled.

"Senior Lin En has successfully passed the assessment for the Golden Thorn apprentice?" Leah asked, looking at the badge on Lin En's chest.

"Yeah." Lin En nodded, briefly explained the reason to her, and then asked her to sit down.

Leah nodded and sat down, seeming to want to say something, but finally held it back.

"It won't be too late to tell Senior Lin En after Jin Ji's apprenticeship assessment has been passed..."

The reason why she was late today was actually because the school scheduled the assessment of the Golden Thorn apprentices this morning.

After experiencing a series of events, Leah was somewhat tired of and afraid of the intrigues.

Especially after Lynn left the police station, she suddenly realized that security patrols were not as interesting as she had imagined.

She can't change anything...

Moreover, Leah knew that she could not be as sharp and smart as Lin En, nor as cautious and reliable as him.

Many times, it is difficult to see the truth of a matter... just like the Sokol Society incident.

If it weren't for Lin En, she would probably have been kept in the dark and killed innocent people without knowing it.

Leah didn't like this and wanted to find a solution.

She also found a solution -

Just become stronger.

This is the truth I learned from Lynn.

This senior was indeed sharp and cautious, but the smartest thing about him was that he never gave up climbing.

This is also the truth that Lin En has always told her. Therefore, Leah also chose to participate in the assessment of the Golden Thorn apprentice.

……

Since Lynn only invited a few familiar friends, the atmosphere of the whole party was very good.

The Earth delicacies that Adeline reproduced under Lynn's guidance took the atmosphere of the entire party to a new level!

Only Martin, the only third-class wizard apprentice, seemed a little embarrassed.

During the whole meal, he was very quiet and just ate and drank.

There was not much joy left on Martin's face when he returned to the school a few months ago. He seemed to have returned to his previous drunken and decadent appearance, and became even more silent.

Although Lucas was a carefree person, he also sensed Martin's abnormal mood. He put his arm around Martin's shoulders and asked with a smile:
"Why are you so depressed? You must have encountered some troubles at work. Your brother is now a first-class wizard apprentice. If you ask me for help, I can consider helping you solve it."

Martin was somewhat touched. He grinned, suppressed his complicated thoughts, and cursed, "Get out!"

Lucas chuckled and didn't care about the ridicule and scolding from his good friend whom he had known for nearly 30 years. He just pretended to be angry and scolded back.

No one noticed that Martin's eyes were filled with confusion.

They were all eliminated apprentices.

But Lynn and Lucas, one was a Goldenthorn apprentice and the other was a Silverthorn apprentice, and both were successfully promoted to first-class wizard apprentices.

Before the reform, he was an outsider. After the reform, he was not even promoted to a bronze thorn apprentice. He was an outsider among outsiders...

Although he is still in the school, Martin's actual status in the increasingly large Horsens School is not much different from what it was in the Golden Shadow Society before.

"Brother Lin has at least a 50% chance of becoming a first-class wizard in the future, and Lucas also seems to have a glimmer of hope of becoming a first-class wizard..."

Martin muttered to himself in a melancholy tone, and drank a few more glasses of wine. After a long while, he said drunkenly:

"After this gathering, Junior Brother Lin En will go to the academy for further studies, and you, Lucas, will also be stationed at Cuiying Avenue for a long time... I don't know when we will meet again."

Martin was talking about distance and time, but what he was really talking about was identity.

He understood that this gap in status would slowly erode all friendship over time.

Lynn and Lucas are destined to go further.

But he seemed to be left on the school hillside 19 years ago, and on the silver thorn tree of that year.

Lynn couldn't remember how she responded to Martin.

He only remembered that the evening breeze was cool, carrying the scent of approaching summer, and the full moon was hanging high in the dark sky, looking very much like the beauty in his previous life.

He drank a few more glasses of wine and fell into a deep sleep.

By the time he came to his senses, the official list of Golden Thorn apprentices had been announced.

Lin En moved again, to a residential area inside the school that was exclusively for first-class Golden Thorn apprentices.

*
*
*
In the morning, in a small stone square in the school’s residence.

All the Golden Thorn apprentices came to gather one after another.

Today, Wizard Anderson will give them their first lesson as apprentices of Goldenthorn.

In the crowd, Leia was wearing a white robe, her light blue eyes searching around.

"Liya, who are you looking for?" asked the girl Caroline next to her.

"Nothing." Leah shook her head, but at this moment, she heard a familiar greeting.

"Leah?"

She quickly turned her head and looked over, with a happy smile on her face: "Senior Lin En!"

Caroline next to her was a little surprised by Leah's performance.

She had not known Leah for long, but the girl had always behaved exceptionally calmly and maturely. This was the first time she had seen Leah look like this.

Caroline followed Leah's gaze.

The visitor was a handsome young man with medium-length black hair and light gray pupils. He had an inexplicable calmness and mystery, like the calm and vast gray sky in autumn.

As if she had thought of something, Leah looked at Lin En's puzzled expression and explained, "Originally, I wanted to tell Senior after I passed the assessment, but every time I came here, Senior was not at home. It felt a bit strange to leave a letter to tell him..."

"It's okay, Leah. Congratulations on becoming Golden Thorn's apprentice." Lynn shook his head and blessed her with a smile.

After that party, he had been busy earning contribution points to exchange for Golden Mist Shadow Technique, and was outside most of the time, so it was normal that Leah didn't run into him.

After exchanging a few brief greetings with Leah, Lin En walked to the front area belonging to the first-class Golden Thorn apprentices.

"Liya, that is..." Caroline asked curiously, looking at Lynn's back.

"A great senior." Leah replied.

"Is he as good as Samuel?" Caroline continued to ask.

Samuel is a talented wizard of the same age as them, and is the descendant of a first-level wizard from the Horsens School.

He was successfully promoted to a first-class wizard apprentice at the age of 10. Now he is 15 years old and is said to be preparing to be promoted to a first-class wizard!
Leah frowned slightly and did not answer the question.

Of course she thought Lin En was more capable, but she was not willing to compare herself with Lin En.

Caroline didn't ask any further questions.

Because Wizard Anderson has arrived.

This second-level wizard fell from the sky and landed in front of the crowd.

The originally noisy square suddenly became quiet.

Anderson glanced at the apprentices and said:

"Everyone is here, the class is officially starting now."

Anderson first explained the various matters that would happen after they became Golden Thorn apprentices, including benefits, future arrangements, and elimination assessment mechanisms.

First of all, regarding the benefits, after becoming a Golden Thorn apprentice, in addition to benefits such as magic energy supply, the biggest benefit is the opportunity to study abroad at Silver Ring College once a year.

The study abroad period is from August 8st to December 1st of each year, a total of 12 months, which will be spent in Yinhuan College. During this period, you must fully comply with and accept the system and education of Yinhuan College.

It is worth mentioning that the places for studying abroad are only limited to first-class Golden Thorn apprentices and second-class Golden Thorn apprentices, and third-class Golden Thorn apprentices will not participate in studying abroad.

Anderson explained this not only because the third-class Golden Thorn apprentices were generally young, but also because -

The third-class wizard apprentice is too weak and does not have enough ability to resist the possible dangers of the Silver Ring Academy.

Lynn keenly sensed the point in Anderson's words...Silver Ring Academy was not safe.

It seems that in addition to opportunities, there are also many dangers.

The arrangements for Golden Thorn apprentices were not much different from those of previous schools, mainly consisting of some compulsory courses.

For first-class wizard apprentices, there are additional monthly practical courses, usually some compulsory tasks, the purpose of which is to train comprehensive practical skills and share some work for the school.

As for the elimination mechanism, it is mainly judged through a comprehensive scoring mechanism.

The influencing factors in the scoring mechanism mainly include two aspects: on the one hand, the evaluation of the instructors of compulsory courses and practical courses, and on the other hand, the grades of each course.

The evaluation will be held every three months, and the last apprentice among the first to third grade Golden Thorn apprentices will be eliminated, and can only reapply to join the Golden Thorn apprenticeship after one year.

The assessments that need to be passed will also be different.

After saying this, Anderson came to the main point of today.

“Next, I started explaining the Golden Thorn selection rules.

“First of all, no matter how many Golden Thorn apprentices there are, there are only three Golden Thorn vacancies.

“Secondly, the Golden Thorn title is only valid for one year.

“Every year at this time, on June 6, there will be a new selection.

"As for the selection rules..." Anderson paused for a moment.

“There is only one standard, and that is actual combat.

"Please note that the actual combat I'm talking about here is not sparring, but actual combat that allows for any means, with the exception of certain external objects, to cause injury, disability, and even death!
"Of course, I will watch the battle from the sidelines and try my best to ensure everyone's safety... But please remember, I can only ensure your safety as much as possible, not absolutely."

After Anderson finished speaking, nearly 300 Golden Thorn apprentices in the square, most of whom had lived in the Horsens School since childhood, were all stunned.

There has never been such a bloody selection mechanism in the Horsens School.

In the past, when comparing the strengths of apprentices, most of them were done through certain tasks, such as hunting monsters, to indirectly compare the strengths of different apprentices.

Even if they fight each other, it is more of a brief exchange of ideas.

But now, it is a direct battle, and it is a cruel, life-and-death battle with life-threatening consequences!

Anderson looked at the apprentices who were whispering in front of him, his face silent.

Originally, he was somewhat displeased with the reform of the wizard apprentice system initiated by Mr. Horsens.

Now, the Golden Thorn selection rules formulated by Teacher Huo Sens himself made him even more confused.

Earlier today, he had even gone to personally ask Horsens about this matter.

The latter just replied calmly:

“Anderson, I founded the Horsens School. I didn’t want to cultivate a group of man-eating wolves, but I definitely didn’t want to cultivate a group of docile sheep either… We don’t have much time left.”

Anderson could barely understand the first sentence.

But he found it difficult to understand the latter sentence.

What do you mean we don't have much time left?
He asked the wizard Horsens, but the latter did not answer and just told him to do as he was told.

After gathering his thoughts, Anderson continued:

“In the next period of time, I will set up an arena in this square for Golden Thorn’s selection.

"Now, apprentices who want to compete for the title of Golden Thorn can come and sign up."

Anderson said this, looking at the 30 or so first-class Golden Thorn apprentices at the front.

There are only three Golden Thorns, although there is no limit on the level of wizards.

But the selection method has already determined the final three Golden Thorns.

It will only be selected from the more than 30 first-class Golden Thorn apprentices in front of us.

　Later updates may be brought forward to this point. Once things stabilize, Shiyuan will go back and revise some issues in the first volume.

　　After the modification is completed, the number of updates will be further increased. The current average is 6k per day, and the ultimate goal is 8k-1k per day, with one to two updates in the morning and evening. This is also a way to tell you about the plan for the ten parks.

　　The above is all. Finally, please give me a monthly ticket!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)