Master Nal smiled, "Young people with dreams are worthy of admiration, but I hope you won't regret this choice. 150 points is a considerable fortune for any level of apprentice."
Prince Wening laughed, "The teacher is right. In terms of courage and resolve, you are stronger than everyone here. This course was originally designed for crystal badge apprentices, and the four spots opened in the point system were just to cover the costs.
You dare to invest the points that would take you more than a year to earn. I have to say, your heart and vision are both quite large."
Someone chimed in, "Yes! If it were me, my first thought with those points would probably be to buy some potions, after all, potions have the best cost-performance ratio."
Charlie responded calmly, "It depends on the individual! Knowledge is the greatest wealth, and in the long run, it creates far more value than a bottle of potion."
Prince Wening looked at Charlie and supplemented with a smile, "The words are not wrong, but the prerequisite is that you must master it. From my perspective, your behavior is more like a high-stakes gamble."
The hostility was very obvious, and the reason was simple - it was probably because of the pair of bright, discerning eyes beside the two of them.
Charlie responded with a smile and did not argue with him further.
After experiencing the situation today, Charlie truly understood the implications of talent in the Arcane Circle. This turned out to be an ordinary course specifically designed for elite apprentices, and as a low-level student, to join, he had to pay a precious amount of points. It's not hard to imagine that the points paid by silver and gold badge apprentices would be much less than Charlie's.
It was an incredibly cruel rule! Only the apprentices at the bottom can deeply feel that sense of outrage and helplessness in the face of this "principle of fairness".
From this, one can also see the difference in the survival status of famous grand mages and ordinary mages in the Arcane Circle. A few simple courses can easily earn nearly a thousand points, which is not at all difficult.
Moreover, Master Nal can further expand the time benefits by adding one or two more spots at any time. Clearly, his purpose in controlling the number of students is to ensure the quality of teaching, and he has a certain degree of professional integrity.
In contrast, Instructor Anthony still has to resort to occupying the apprentices' plans to obtain points, which is a far lower level.
Soon, several pretty young girls brought in a series of crystal bottles filled with potions, one a pale blue, translucent and crystal-clear, with a few bright particles scattered within, and the other a deep red, a cloudy liquid with a swirling lava-like pattern constantly boiling and rolling.
Master Nal raised his right hand, silencing the small lecture hall.
Charlie focused his attention and activated the recording function of his chip, adjusting the processing power to the maximum. As Prince Wening said, to put it nicely, it was an investment, but to put it bluntly, it was gambling.
"Traditional meditation originates from an ancient rule that appeared thousands of years ago, accompanying the birth of the Wagram magic civilization, and has been passed down from generation to generation. Its principle is very simple - by using spiritual power to outline and depict certain special symbols in the mind's eye, one can gain the ability to sense the surrounding basic elemental particles. This is the first stage. The second stage is to use spiritual power to capture these elemental particles and build your personal magic pool. This is a very slow process that requires accumulation over time.
These symbols we call 'meditation runes', and not everyone can outline them, which is why the spiritual power of magic apprentices is required to far exceed that of ordinary people. Of course, as apprentices of the Arcane Circle, this requirement is nothing to you. Many new apprentices not only passed this hurdle, but have even accumulated for years.
Starlight Meditation is an important discovery in the Arcane Circle in recent years, a deeper understanding of the meditation rules. Its significance is very important, greatly increasing the speed of magic recovery and the expansion of one's personal magic pool. Compared to traditional meditation techniques, its current best performance is to increase efficiency by three to five times..."
The surprised exclamations of the apprentices interrupted Master Nal's statement. Even a one or two-fold increase in speed was already astounding, but a five-fold or more increase was simply unimaginable. It was hard to imagine how much difference this speed could make over time, and the age of future grand mages might become younger and younger.
Looking at it this way, this meditation technique should be a closely guarded secret! Its significance is extremely important, and it may even affect the situation on the continent. Why was it made public?!
Nal waved his hand to calm the students down and continued, "Don't be too surprised! This kind of speed increase is only an exceptional phenomenon. Generally, the rate is only two to three times, and they are not magic apprentices.
How much it can enhance magic apprentices remains to be seen, and this is one of the reasons the academy has put it into the point system."
So it was using the apprentices as guinea pigs.
"After the research of several senior grand mages, we have divided it into three parts, corresponding to different levels. What you are learning today is the introductory level of meditation..."
Okay, so it's still the incomplete version. Being sold at 250 points, Charlie was not surprised.
Someone raised their hand to interrupt Master Nal's explanation and asked, "Teacher, what price do we have to pay to get the complete version of Starlight Meditation?"
Master Nal pondered and said, "For now, the third part is not considered to be made public, and the academy has not yet determined the exchange strategy for the second part, but it has been put into the point system with a value of 300,000 points."
Wening chuckled, "If Sir Kriz, the founder of the Holy Peak Church, were to come to the Arcane Circle and strive, perhaps he could exchange it out. It's just a question of whether we'll be able to see this miracle in our lifetimes."
Kriz was said to be the supreme deity of the Holy Peak Church, with a lifespan of over a thousand years.
Someone couldn't help but laugh.
Nal did not respond to Prince Wening's teasing and continued, "Okay, the background introduction is over. Let's move on to the main topic.
Next, I will provide you with a set of 19 brand new runes. The content of the first class is to guide you in completing the meditation of these 19 new runes.
The blue potion is the Tranquil Mind Potion, which can temporarily and slightly enhance one's spiritual power, improving mental concentration and spiritual recovery rate. Of course, the dosage is only a little bit, with an effect lasting only one day.
The red potion is the Iron Will Concoction. After enduring its impact, your spiritual power and thinking speed will be significantly expanded.
I want to particularly remind you that if you feel severe discomfort during the meditation process, you must immediately stop the meditation. There have been cases where it can damage your brain, and if you forcibly continue, it may lead to unpredictable harm."
As he spoke, the young ladies standing behind the lecture hall began to distribute crystal bottles the size of a thumb to each apprentice.
The Tranquil Mind Potion was worth 280 points, and the Iron Will Concoction was worth 400 points. Although it was only a tiny amount, being able to taste them was worth the 150 points.
Prince Wening politely pushed the tray aside and smiled at the serving girl, "Thank you, I don't use trial sizes."
He then took out two exquisite gemstone potion bottles from his backpack. Not only were the bottles more beautiful, but the potions inside were also of a higher quality, with more vibrant colors and better textures than the ones the teacher had provided.
Then, at Master Nal's cue, the apprentices one by one poured the potions into their mouths.
Ah! Wow! Ouch!!
Various strange cries echoed endlessly, but as the participants, they had no time to discern who made what sound.
In that moment, Charlie felt as if a scalding pot of molten iron had been poured onto his exposed brain. The sour taste in his mouth and the spasms in his stomach became the most trivial sensations.
His vision went dark, and then a kaleidoscope of colors exploded before him. Thoughts were completely uncontrolled, and the pain that radiated from the most delicate folds of his brain was impossible to soothe or escape. Before the chip could even issue a warning, it had already declared a system crash.
The dizzying stimulation lasted for nearly half an hour, or maybe just a few minutes - in that state, one was incapable of calculating time. Charlie gradually regained his senses.
After the chip rebooted, it issued a series of warnings that had not yet been sent out:
Excessive pain signals from host! Beyond tolerance limit!!Danger! Consciousness will collapse!!...
Truly worthy of the title "Iron Will Potion" - only those with unwavering determination could withstand its impact!
After the initial drug effects subsided, Charlie now had a sense of exhilaration, as if soaring through the vast sky, with his thoughts and vision infinitely expanded, his consciousness scattered far and wide, his mind surging like the tide, his heart galloping like a spirited horse.
"Check the status of the brain domain," Charlie issued the command in his consciousness and activated the chip's self-check program.
?Undeveloped areas stimulated, with increased activity.Permanent 7% increase in neural cell activity,Slight increase in mental activity, memory, and spiritual power, with exact values unable to be estimated.
The points were really not wasted!
Then Charlie opened his eyes and found that some apprentices had collapsed on the floor, being supported by the young ladies, limp and pitiful, with tears streaming down their faces, completely unconscious.
Nal frowned slightly and instructed them to carry him out.
The rest had basically recovered from the shock. Of them all, only Prince Wening seemed the most at ease. The potions he used were not only more effective, but did not inflict such unbearable pain.
Wening glanced at Charlie and smiled, "The one who fainted is not you. That actually exceeds my expectations."
"If someone like me, a bronze badge apprentice, can't even withstand it better than you all, then what's the difference between me and a loser?"
Wening raised his hand slightly, responding with a smile.
At this point, Master Nal spoke sternly, "Alright, time is precious. Everyone, collect your thoughts, and let's learn the new runes together."