"The use of the Flash Skill is not bad, Third-Class Apprentice."
The approaching figure was tall, wearing a gray robe, and pinned on his chest was a golden triangle badge of the Lap School. He was lifting his hood while casually praising Colin.
After he lifted his hood, what appeared before Colin was a red-haired man with somewhat untidy hair and a circle of beard around his chin, exuding a somewhat weather-beaten look, probably in his thirties or forties.
"Thank you, Instructor," Colin quickly bowed in thanks.
The Third-Class Apprentice was another name for the Basic Level Wizard Apprentice, and the golden badge on the red-haired man's chest indicated that he was an Advanced Wizard Apprentice from the School, that is, a First-Class Wizard Apprentice.
Usually, the basic wizarding courses for people like Colin within the School were taught in turns by First-Class Apprentices like the red-haired man.
So, they were commonly referred to as Instructors by Basic Level Apprentices like Colin.
Moreover, apart from teaching knowledge, each First-Class Apprentice had different responsibilities, and the red-haired man seemed to be from the Guard Team.
The red-haired instructor nodded indisputably, then waved his right hand.
An orange-yellow fireball abruptly appeared, enveloped in heat waves, and whizzed to strike the incomplete corpse of the green-glowing man.
Colin kept a serene expression on his face, but his heart skipped a beat.
The flames blazed up, and the scent of meat in the air grew increasingly rich.
Subconsciously, Colin took two steps to the side, positioning himself upwind.
"Don't be nervous, this is a necessary treatment for a Polluter—"
The red-haired man had already walked up to Colin and explained calmly, then abruptly changed the subject,
"As for you, you also need to be tested."
"Tested?" Colin asked subconsciously.
The red-haired man didn't answer, just stared at him with a neutral expression and said lightly, "Relax, don't resist."
He then moved his lips slightly, beginning the spell casting.
The light from the burning corpse cast Colin's face in an unsettled interplay of shadow and light. He clutched the sting needle in his hand, the wrapped leather handle felt fine and delicate.
He did not know if the Golden Paper would be detected, nor did he know if the ritual the original owner had conducted would leave any traces on him.
But he had no other choice.
Colin stood quietly, trying to relax his entire body.
Seconds later, a White Light emitted from the red-haired man's hand, scanning Colin from head to toe.
Wherever the White Light passed, it felt like being immersed in a warm spring, although it wasn't uncomfortable, Colin still felt very uneasy.
"That's enough, Third-Class Apprentice, you may go," the red-haired man said after confirming the result.
"Okay, Instructor."
Colin bowed his head, relieved inside and yet filled with countless thoughts.
'I'm still not strong enough...' he sighed inwardly.
"Oh yes, there's one more thing—" the red-haired man called out to him.
Colin stopped and turned back, perplexed.
"That magic that looks a bit like the Ignition Technique... the second spell you cast just now, what was that? I've never seen it before. Did you improve it yourself?"
"...No, Instructor."
"It is a spell I purchased at the market, nameless. The seller called it Ignition Technique... The effect is similar to Ignition Technique, only it can ignite things from a distance, without physical contact. The range is about half a meter from oneself."
Colin pondered for a moment and answered discreetly.
The so-called Ignition Technique, and the Flash Skill that the red-haired instructor had previously mistaken, were actually just the Ignition Technique and the Light Brightness Skill after breaking their limits once.
During this period, not only was he learning new witchcraft—Steel Armor, but he had also broken the limits of all the witchcraft he had mastered at least once.
As he expected, the might of tricks like the Light Brightness Skill and Ignition Technique hadn't significantly increased after breaking their limits.
However, sometimes, like today, with a bit of clever thinking and tactical usage, they could achieve surprisingly effective results.
"Third Class Apprentice, I am very interested in this witchcraft and am willing to exchange for it with knowledge of equal value or a Magic Stone. Is that acceptable?" the red-haired instructor continued.
"...It would be my honor, instructor," Colin was startled and hastily responded.
"Then would you prefer a Magic Stone, or knowledge of equal value?" the red-haired instructor nodded satisfactorily and added, "If it's knowledge you want, I have several spells of equal value for you to choose from."
"I choose knowledge," Colin replied without hesitation.
"Wise decision," the instructor praised, then turned his gaze toward the end of the street, "After dealing with this matter, we'll find an appropriate place to exchange."
Colin followed his gaze.
At the end of the street, five people were running toward them. The one leading was wearing a Wizard Robe, sporting the silver badge of the Lap School, while the four behind him were clad in fine steel plate armor, carrying large swords.
"My lord," the Wizard Apprentice leading the group greeted the red-haired instructor respectfully.
The red-haired instructor nodded, then said, "The Polluter has been taken care of; I'm leaving now. Come find me if you need anything."
He then signaled for Colin to follow him.
Turning around, he seemed to remember something, pausing in stride, and looked back at the Intermediate Apprentice with a reminder, "Remember to cleanse the ashes later."
"Yes, my lord," the Intermediate Apprentice replied respectfully.
The red-haired instructor nodded and continued to walk forward.
Colin quickly strode to keep up, but took one last look at the body still burning beside them.
By then, the body had mostly burned away, and the newly arrived Second Class Apprentice, perhaps feeling that the fire wasn't lively enough, stood aside, directing the four knights in plate armor to pour oil onto it.
Colin also keenly noticed that within the churning flames, there seemed to be a sinister green light flickering, casting an uneasy feeling.
As the thick oil was poured from the skin bags, the flames soared up to half a person's height.
Colin didn't look any longer, turning to catch up with the silhouette of the red-haired instructor.
The exchange of witchcraft wasn't simple; it couldn't be completed in a short period of time.
Behind each spell lay a range of complex knowledge, sometimes involving dozens or even hundreds to understand.
Take, for instance, a single breaking of limits for the Ignition Technique. To transcribe it completely on paper would take at least half an hour.
Therefore, exchanging witchcraft usually required finding a suitable place and having tools like paper and ink at hand.
Moreover, when wizards exchanged knowledge, there were generally two forms.
One was to directly exchange manuscripts, transcribing the complete Magic Model and principles on paper.
And the other, based on exchanging manuscripts, came with explanations, primarily elucidating the underlying principles and so forth.
The second form was evidently the better way for both parties involved in the exchange.
It not only reduced the time needed to start understanding new witchcraft but also verified the authenticity of the manuscripts.
However, when there was a significant knowledge gap between the two parties,
The one with the higher knowledge would generally prefer to exchange only documents.
For the one with greater knowledge, unless the witchcraft being exchanged was in a field completely different from their expertise,
They wouldn't need explanations; a glance at the manuscript would suffice to understand the principles. Their exchange was merely about acquiring a fresh perspective through lateral thinking.