My health recovery is incredibly fast.

The other three poisons are similar in that they have a very short duration of action but are extremely potent.

Eye-piercing poison causes a stinging pain in the eyes, like being punched hard; ear-splitting poison rings a deafening bell in the ears; and bone-splitting poison causes excruciating pain in the spine, like being cut with a knife.

These four poisons will cause significant health loss, and both the preparation of the poisons themselves and the refining of the accompanying powders are much more difficult than those for apprentice-level products.

Xia Zuo simply tried them one by one to see what the rewards were, and then stopped considering using them to level up.

Black Eye Poison can also increase resistance to all four elements, so why not just use it to farm rewards?

His current practice of refining entry-level poisons is merely to thoroughly grasp the essentials, reduce the time spent refining, and prepare for the inspection of the Mage Temple.

It was nearing noon.

Two vials of freshly made entry-level poison appeared on the central table of the alchemy station.

Xia Zuo dragged over a stool, sat down next to the storage table, and opened his notebook to record his insights on poison refining that day.

As he wrote, he once again fell into contemplation of the characteristics of elements.

He wrote, crossed out, and corrected in his notebook. Countless underlines covered each phrase.

He racked his brains over the last trait of the earth element, always feeling that he was just a little bit short, but he could never break through.

What exactly is this last trait?

Xia Zuo frowned, gripped his pen, and tapped the cover of the notebook, producing a dull thud.

Different timbres of impact sounds are caused by different materials.

He subconsciously thought of this and tapped the smooth surface of the table again, this time producing a different sound.

A flash of inspiration struck me.

Xia Zuo suddenly opened his notebook and wrote in the blank space in the corner:

feedback.

No, no

He crossed out the word and wrote down a new one: resistance.

He circled those two words, feeling that he was pretty close to the truth. This was the fourth characteristic of the earth element, but he still needed to think about it further.

The clock hands were pointing towards 5 p.m.

Xia Zuo tidied up the alchemy room and then hurriedly left.

...

The third cohort of freshmen will arrive in about ten days, half a month later than the previous two cohorts.

This is because the existing student pool in each city has been largely depleted, and the enrollment progress at each testing station varies.

In order to allow all new students to enroll at the same time, the university has chosen to postpone the start of the semester temporarily. Once all the new students are in place, they will be transported to the university together.

Once the student body's patterns are fully understood, the academy will set a specific enrollment date that will not be easily changed in the future, and the training process for the Acquaintance Mage will also be on track.

These were things that Kulov and two of his students brought up on their own initiative.

Every morning, he now guides Yolanda, helping her familiarize herself with the basic formula and answering questions that had accumulated the previous day. The rest of the time, he lies on the soft sofa and meditates.

Xia Zuo, however, did not need him to worry.

This student, who was extremely self-disciplined, was practically flawless. He spent all his time in the advanced alchemy lab, obsessively concocting and testing poisons.

The days of drug-making went by in repetition, until finally, after two months, things changed.

That morning, Xia Zuo put on his neatest starry night robe, stood in the castle hall, and looked up at the large ball of light floating overhead, trying to calm his inner tension.

Today was the day the Mage Temple's inspection team was to test him. He had no idea how the team had arrived in Starry Night City; there had been no announcement, no welcoming ceremony, or anything like that.

Mentor Kulov emerged from the doorway of the poison alchemy area, greeted the students waiting there, and stepped into another corridor.

The two wandered through the intricate corridors, climbed the spiral staircase, and arrived at the castle tower.

Kulov stopped on a terrace.

"Once we get to the room, don't look around curiously."

Kulov stroked his beard and looked at the student in front of him with a slight smile.

He finally noticed a small flaw in the other person—his head and neck had been constantly turning left and right, and his eyes were looking around the whole way.

"Yes, Professor." Xia Zuo scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

Releasing the Detection spell incurs no cost and costs nothing. In addition, with many famous paintings hanging in the corridor, he couldn't help but absorb the information about the paintings into his mind.

There were also sculptures at the corners of the corridors, original ancient books displayed in glass cases... Dozens of artworks along the way left him somewhat overwhelmed.

"The inspection team from the Temple of Mages consists of five important members. Let me introduce them to you first, and when we meet later, be sure to greet them with the correct titles."

Kulov took a manual out of his pocket and handed it over, saying:

"The first one is Master Colas's student, you can call him Professor Allen."

Xia Zuo opened the manual to the first page, where a portrait was displayed.

The man in the picture has short brown hair, a straight nose, and wears black-rimmed glasses. He appears mature and steady, around 30 years old, but his actual age is unknown.

The mentor mentioned Master Kolas, who had appeared multiple times in several books introducing famous figures from the Eastern Continent.

He is a master alchemist in the field of magical objects, and a renowned mage. He currently resides in the Mage's Sanctuary.

"Lady Starry Night has sent an envoy; you can call her Lady Sylvia."

Sylvia appears quite easygoing, with long, flowing hair and a faint smile in the portrait.

"The third one is Rexor, the master of weapons and signs of the Witcher school. Well, you can just call him Master Rexor."

Rexol's bald head was gleaming, and a cold smile played on his face.

The portrait only shows his head and shoulders, but from the shape of his thick neck and the prominent shoulder muscles, one can sense that he is a strong and muscular man.

"The fourth one is the master of poison alchemy - Adanavardos. He was my mentor at the expert level. You can call him Professor Adanavardos."

Kulov stroked his beard, briefly recalling his student days, then looked at his students and said:

"You may have noticed that Master Adanavardos's naming style is quite rare these days."

"He is a figure from a thousand years ago, born in a country that has disappeared into the annals of history. This country produced many great mages, and you will be able to meet them when you go to the Temple of Mages."

Xia Zuo nodded, staring at the portrait of the long-bearded old man on the fourth page.

"The fifth one is about your age, only four or five years older. She is a secret apprentice who grew up in the Mage Temple. Her name is Nina. You can call her Senior Nina."

Xia Zuo, who was about the same age, blinked as he looked at the young woman in the portrait.

That's true. Nina is the youngest of the five people, and the age difference between the two is only a single digit, so they are indeed about the same.

"Teacher, is Senior Nina a mage?" Xia Zuo asked suspiciously, pointing to the silver-white soft armor and clothing on the portrait.

"Yes, that's right. Not all mages are like us alchemists, wearing robes and spending our days in towers with books."

"A mage is someone who has mastered and utilized the methods of the elements."

"As long as one's spiritual ocean is developed to a level sufficient to accommodate elements, anyone can try to become a mage."

Kulov flipped through a few pages of the manual and pointed to the portrait of the bald man at the top:

"Many members of the Demon Hunter school can also be called mages. However, they have some differences with our alchemy school, so they often refer to themselves as demon hunters, monster hunters, and other combat-oriented titles."

He turned back to Nina's page:

“Nina’s situation is similar to that of the castle manager, Dim. She first practiced breathing techniques, then meditation, and her individual combat strength is outstanding. She serves as a guard in this expedition. Of course, she only symbolically protects the members; she is more responsible for handling miscellaneous tasks.”

“The Demon Hunter School, the Warrior Guild, the Alchemy School…” Xia Zuo muttered to himself, scratching his head.

He recalled that the abbot had once said in a class that there were four paths to becoming a Dharma Master:

"Professor, what is another way to become a mage?"

"The Tower Scholar, the oldest path."

They call themselves polymaths.

"Focus on developing your own spiritual ocean, because only in this way can you tame more powerful unruly elements and unleash spells with greater power."

"In the eyes of the scholars of the Tower, the Ocean of Spirits is the only thing worth devoting time and energy to. There is no trace of them in the Starry Night Kingdom, but there are quite a few in the major libraries of the Eastern Continent."

Kulov pointed to himself, then to his students:

"Our alchemy school does not focus on combat, but rather on the study of alchemy. However, if it is necessary to use force, we are also capable of doing so."

"The scholars of the Tower are incredibly knowledgeable, versed in all things, and focused on the study of magic. They spend their days buried in books like disheveled old men. When you study magic in the future, you will often come into contact with the scrolls they create."

"The Demon Hunter School and the Warrior Guild focus on combat. One specializes in fighting monsters, while the other primarily fights mortals. The Demon Hunter School is more sophisticated and demands extremely high levels of willpower. The Warrior Guild has a much lower entry barrier; even ordinary civilians can join."

The Tower Scholars sound like extreme psychic mages.

Members of the alchemy school, while prioritizing mental attributes, also consider perception.

The Demon Hunter school focuses on enhancing willpower after achieving the required spiritual level.

The Warriors' Guild prioritizes improving physical attributes before focusing on mental ones.

Every path eventually leads to an element, and anyone who can master the method of controlling the element can be called a mage.

As the two were talking, a letter flew down the corridor and landed in Kulov's hands.

"Let's go, the head of the academy and the inspection team are ready. Don't be nervous. Think before you speak. Just perform normally during the test."

Kulov gave a few instructions and led the students toward the half-closed door.

Xia Zuo followed his mentor into a spacious and bright alchemy room.

In the center of the alchemy room stood a high-level alchemy table. Poison vials were already placed on the shelves in the four corners. A stack of books lay on the central table.

Looking beyond the alchemy table into the depths of the alchemy chamber, there were six single sofas placed side by side.

The academy's director, Beatrice, and the experts from the research team took their seats. The sofa to Beatrice's right was empty; it must have been Kulov's seat.

Nina, dressed in silver-white soft armor, stood beside the sofa. Her long golden hair was tied into a ponytail and hung down her back. Her facial features were somewhat sharp, and she exuded a heroic aura.

Her soft armor used very few metal plates. Her arms were wrapped in a silk-like fabric. There were no shoulder or leg armor. Her lower body was covered by a long skirt that reached her calves. This was a set of ceremonial armor that was also aesthetically pleasing.

At this moment, Nina was looking at Xia Zuo, who looked very young, with a curious gaze.

Xia Zuo calmly approached the inspection team and greeted each master in order of age, from oldest to youngest. He also made sure to greet the soft-armored girl standing to the side.