My health recovery is incredibly fast.

【Spirit Gauge】21.5/100 (Note ①)

[Elemental Traits] Each of the 16 elemental traits has one minor element.

[Spell Power]

【Elemental Power】Each of the four elements has 4 points of power, for a total of 16 points.

【Non-attribute power】4 points.

[Mage Guild Points] 1780 points

..

四系威能以1：1：1：1的比例进行组合，才能产生1点无属性威能。

Therefore, with 16 elements, a maximum of 4 points of neutral power can be generated.

All the items needed to advance to the rank of official mage have been redeemed. Xia Zuo plans to keep some of the remaining 1780 points for Audrey and the others, and exchange the rest for supplies to take to the Eastern Continent.

Curse spells are quite different from the evocation spells we learned before, such as Wind Bolt and Fireball.

..

[Spell Name] Interference Curse

[Spell Type] Curse, Control, Brand

[Spell Grade] Formal Spell

[Related Signs] Curse Sign

[Spell Power] Currently, the maximum non-elemental power is 4 points.

[Spell Description] The effect of this spell will be affected by the target's will and the lower of the four elemental resistances.

[Spell Effect]

When this spell is cast, it will place a corresponding curse mark on the target, giving the target a 4% chance of failing to cast the spell.

The curse mark will persist until the caster stops channeling energy or it is removed by a blessing spell.

..

One characteristic of branding spells is that they are multi-target and can be stacked.

Curse spells can be applied to multiple targets simultaneously, and can be maintained indefinitely as long as the energy expenditure is manageable.

Moreover, curse spells have no projectile trajectory; they appear directly on the target.

Each point of non-attribute power generates one curse mark with a power of 1.

Xia Zuo raised his hand and swept it across the four targets in front of him. Whether they were stationary or moving, every target that his gaze swept over was branded with a dark mark.

The brand looks like a mark that exudes a black aura, randomly stamped on any part of the target.

Five black threads emerged from Xia Zuo's right hand, connecting with the brand on the target's body. His energy was continuously channeled through these threads to the brand, maintaining the curse's effectiveness.

Thirty minutes later, I felt a slight twitching sensation in my head.

Xia Zuo flicked his finger, retracting the black thread, and the brand on the target disappeared.

"Successfully released Interference Curse x4, average power 1 point, duration 30 minutes, reward 6 experience points, and some Perception, Willpower, and Spirit attribute values. Due to resistance reaching 12%, no resistance reward was obtained. (Note ②)"

Xia Zuo rested for a few seconds, then aimed at the same target in front of him and cast the Interference Curse four times in a row.

Four branding marks appear on the target, with a 4% chance of spell failure. The spell's effect is the same as casting a disruption curse with a power of 4.

The same curse can be stacked on the same target.

Different curses can also be stacked on the same target.

There are many strategies for casting spells, and the choice can be made based on the specific circumstances.

Once the mental attribute value reaches 25 points, the level of energy is now significantly higher than before.

Maintaining four curse spells with a power of 1 point each for 30 minutes will be a little strenuous, but you can continue casting curses after a short rest. Maintaining this state for a total of five or six hours each day is not a problem.

But if life force is used as a medium for casting spells…

Tsk tsk tsk, he can maintain the curse mark until the end of time.

Xia Zuo trains his curses in a corner of the training ground, and can gain about 24 experience points in about 2 hours at night.

He really wants to find a secluded place to use [Blood Sacrifice Spell] to apply a curse mark to his target. It grants 12 experience points per hour, and if he takes into account the necessary sleep time, he can level up once every two months. The leveling speed is absolutely explosive.

Xia Zuo also understood why blood magic had once been the preferred school of magic for every mage.

Those mages who merge themselves with powerful creatures possess almost endless lifespans and vitality, and can use magic without restraint.

How could such a powerful school of magic be defeated?

Blood mages use life force to cast spells...provided they have enough life force.

That means there is a spell that can prevent the recovery of life force and cause flesh and blood to lose their vitality!

Xia Zuo raised an eyebrow, feeling that he had found the answer, and planned to find an opportunity to ask his mentor.

Just then, a sound came from the silver dome behind them, and the dome collapsed into silver sand, which drifted back to Beatrice and disappeared.

Anru looked at her new mentor with adoration, her eyes sparkling like little stars. "Professor, the magic tricks you teach are so interesting..."

Beatrice waved to a figure in the corner of the training field, and after Xia Zuo walked over, she pointed at him and said:

“Take him as your target and try out the magic trick you learned tonight.”

"Uh..." Xia Zuo was stunned for a moment, then stood still obediently.

Anru raised the corners of her mouth, and a faint glimmer of dawn appeared in her eyes.

She stretched out her right hand to her boyfriend, her five fingers nimbly drawing arcs in front of her. Tiny white lights flew from her fingertips, swirling and floating around Xia Zuo.

Xia Zuo knew this spell—the Dance of Light. The difference between it and the Light spell is that the light source it emits can be moved.

The ability to control five light sources at once, with the light points moving so smoothly, must be the effect of this advanced spell, Light Energy Sensing.

Xia Zuo stared into the other person's eyes. Anru'er's pupil color changed from brownish-black to a light golden yellow, which should be an external sign that the light energy sensing was working.

"Hoo~" Anruer released the spell and took a tired breath. Her light-sensing ability made it easier for her to cast light-related spells, but the energy consumed by these spells did not decrease.

"Alright, get out of class dismissed. You can all go back and rest." Beatrice led the students toward the door of the training room.

...

Anru recently received an order to make element bottles, so she will have to stay in her dormitory for a while.

Taking this opportunity, Xia Zuo focused on learning the curse-style magic and was finally able to become a formal mage today.

Accompanied by Beatrice, he swore an oath to the amber glass sphere and then obtained the official mage's emblem—made of mithril, with a silvery luster, hard texture, and the holder's identity information engraved on both sides.

The message from the cheat system came to my mind:

"Host has met the promotion requirements and has been successfully promoted to a formal mage. Character template updated."

..

[Identity] Mage of Starry Night Academy

【Status Level】Mage Servant → Mage Apprentice

Promotion requirements: Unknown

【Identity Bonus 1】: 【Classic Text Combination】

【Identity Bonus 2】: 【Spell Training】

【【New Feature: Identity Bonus 3】:】

[Curse Mastery]

You choose the Curse school as your primary spellcasting school.

After using this school of magic to kill an enemy or successfully apply a negative effect to an enemy, you will receive additional experience bonuses based on the power of the spell and the strength of the enemy.

..

The "Curse Mastery" bonus explicitly requires that the target of the spell be an "enemy" rather than a "target".

This means you cannot use props such as targets or dummies to farm rewards.

Thinking about it this way, the extra rewards provided by this identity bonus should be quite substantial.

Xia Zuo waited quietly for his mentor to put away the glass ball, and then reviewed the information in his mind.

After becoming a formal monk, one should receive a robe as a gift.

However, Xia Zuo is about to go to the Eastern Continent, and the Western Continent style robes would be quite conspicuous in the Eastern Continent.

Beatrice decided to give him a few pieces of alchemical clothing in the style of the Silvermoon Federation. They would be suitable for his work, would not hinder his spellcasting, and would also have the added benefits of being dirt-resistant and providing some resistance. She would take them out before he left.

Xia Zuo had no objection to this.

Beatrice took out a series of items that had been promised earlier from the drawer:

The text includes a spell called "Calm Mind" to aid in entering deep meditation, an introductory textbook on bioalchemy, and a detection spell called "Toxin Sense" for expert-level poison alchemists—a spell exclusive to the alchemical school.

After carefully putting away the books and exchanging them for two protective spells, Xia Zuo asked:

"Professor, I've thought about it carefully and discussed it with Anru, and we plan to choose the first position. But... I have a question. Are there any spells specifically for blood mages?"

Beatrice sat behind her desk, nodded, and said:

"Of course. Every orthodox school of magic has spells that counter blood mages. Blood mages have extremely strong regenerative abilities, so we need to solve this thorny problem first."

"The fire spells of the Evocation school pose a deadly threat to blood mages, as fire itself is the nemesis of flesh and blood."

"The curse school you chose includes a spell called the Curse of Decay."

Beatrice took a spellbook from the drawer and placed it on the table. "Since you've decided to choose the first position, you can take this spellbook. No need to pay points; it's a spell you must learn."

Xia Zuo's eyes lit up, and he picked up the book to read the introduction.

In data terms, the Curse of Decay is a curse that causes a target to continuously lose health—provided that the target has health.

One point of curse spell power corresponds to a health loss rate of 1 point per minute.

If you use basic meditation to contain the elements and fill the spirit slot, the power of the curse spell will reach 24 points, and the rate at which the Curse of Decay causes you to lose health will reach 24 points per minute.

If the [Poison Crystal] meditation method is used to contain the elements... the rate at which the Curse of Decay drains health will reach nearly 48 points per minute!