Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 157 Advancement and Limits

Even as he smiled, the gaunt old man sitting on the rock still gave off a fierce feeling. He turned his eyes back and forth between Luger and Green. Although his gray robe was worn and his face looked quite old, there was not a trace of senility in his brown old eyes. They were even brighter than the few guys who had picked up pebbles that they had met before.

“You have long since met the standards for becoming a formal wizard, so why don’t you try to advance and instead travel around?” The tall, thin old man looked at Green. “The life force you’re showing tells me that you haven’t experienced a failed advancement yet.”

Luger also looked at Green beside him.

This seemingly gentle fellow is actually a very proactive person. Even a wizard apprentice whose mental strength has reached its limit would find it hard to resist the temptation of advancement. After all, it's not pleasant to suddenly stop the slow progress that has been building up over the years, leaving one with nowhere to go. And an even greater temptation is right in front of you. If this were a wizard apprentice with average talent, then age would be another urging voice.

Although this guy's words and actions don't seem like those of a young man, Ruger thought that he probably wasn't that old.

“It would have been fine five years ago, but I’m waiting. I want to accumulate more merits in the Temple of Knowledge and become a true seeker of the law so that I can exchange them for a long-awaited ascension ceremony,” Green said, glancing at Ruger. “Besides, as you said, my spiritual power is not as solid as my friend’s. I think I can continue meditating for a few more years to improve the quality of my spiritual power.”

The gaunt old man stared at him with bright eyes, like two round stone lamps, and then let out a soft laugh from deep in his throat.

"Hehehe, everyone has their own limits. Continuous meditation is certainly useful, but it only gets you infinitely close to that limit. Do you know why some limit apprentices always fail to advance?" The old man looked at the two with a cold smile in his eyes.

“Everyone’s upper limit is different. The general test divides an apprentice’s mental strength into ten points according to a standard score. Theoretically, reaching ten points is considered the limit of an apprentice. But in reality, if we divide it into a more detailed score of one hundred, you will find that some people’s limit is ninety-five, while others’ limit is one hundred and five. They can both make the ten points on the testing device light up, but those who reach ninety-five can only pray for good luck and try to break through that limit by using a sublimation ritual or even sacrificing their life force. And most of them still fail,” the old man said.

After the tall, thin old man finished speaking, he stared intently at Green again.

“If you break through to the first-ring wizard, you will be more useful to me,” the old man said, exuding a sense of pressure. “I have an ascension ritual that I got my hands on back then, and the materials are all complete. If you want to try it here, I can give it to you. I can replace some of the materials with higher-grade substitutes, things that wizard apprentices can’t get their hands on.”

Luger's eyes lit up as he listened, but unfortunately, the fourth demonic mark had not yet been formed, let alone the limit of his mental strength. No matter how high his talent or how excellent his meditation method was, the time he had spent on the path to transcendence was still too short.

The spacious cave fell silent for a moment.

Green remained silent after the old man finished speaking, seemingly deep in thought, though it was unclear what he was thinking about.

The tall, thin old man spoke again: "In life, making the right choice at the right time is often a kind of wisdom. Recognizing reality and recognizing yourself is also a kind of courage. Although you are not very old and can be considered a genius, the hairy guy next to you is at most twenty years old..."

The old man's words were quite clear: there are many people in this world with a certain talent.

Upon hearing this, Green, who had been silent, looked up again at Luger, who was watching the commotion from the side.

Ruger just pursed his lips. Judging from the way Green looked at him, he could tell that this guy was probably much older than him.

Age doesn't tell the whole story. Even if these guys are only thirty-something-year-old Limit Wizard Apprentices, they've probably been practicing meditation for twenty years, since they generally entered the transcendent realm around the age of ten. Ruger, on the other hand, has only been practicing meditation for less than a year. Even if it takes some time to reach Level 5 Wizard Apprentice and another time to reach the limit of mental strength, he'll probably reach the so-called Limit Apprentice level in his twenties.

Green's surprise might not stem from feeling underestimated; after all, he had reached the limit of his mental strength five years ago, and had been calmly traveling around ever since. He was probably surprised that the dog-faced Ruger was more capable than he had imagined. But the old man's words seemed to have touched Green, causing him to rethink himself, and his unchanging expression softened slightly.

Ruger was also looking forward to Green's answer, for no other reason than to witness the birth of a wizard up close.

“Thank you for your kindness, sir,” Green looked up at the old man, his face regaining its usual calm smile, and said slowly, “I still want to stick to my own path.”

Green finished speaking while maintaining his smile, calmly meeting the gaze of the thin, bony old man before him.

Ruger looked at the two of them with some nervousness.

"Hmph!" the old man snorted coldly.

The worst-case scenario he had imagined did not occur, which made Ruger secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

Two old books flew over, spinning around.

Luger and his companion quickly raised their hands to catch it.

“I’m using my mental power to inscribe and write this, so it will be very difficult for you to read,” the old man said, looking at Ruger. “You can improve your mental power here first, and then try to master this spell.”

Two more small bottles were thrown over.

Ruger and Green each caught a bottle.

“This is a potion I made using the rubble here. Drink some when you feel your mental energy is depleted and you’re about to die,” the old man thought for a moment, then tossed a bottle to Ruger separately. “This potion can also increase your meditation efficiency.”

“I hope you won’t disappoint me,” the old man said. “Go find a place over there, lest I get so engrossed in my reading that I forget you’re here and accidentally kill you. I’d be heartbroken. These guys here are all useless; they spend so much time meditating every day and are no help to me at all.”

The two deeply agreed with the old man's words.

Luger and his companion bowed politely.

The two of them took the items, looked around, and recalled what the old vampires had said, as well as the scene of flying rubble.

Finally, outside the wizard's spacious and bright cave, in a slightly concealed protrusion, the two settled down. They sat down to catch their breath and then peeked out. The old wizard had already begun reading a book, still sitting on the same stone, in the same posture, completely absorbed in his work.

(End of this chapter)