Chapter 218 - 8: A Level 1 Wizard’s Gift and the Phantom Carving’s Transformation

Chapter 218: Chapter 8: A Level 1 Wizard’s Gift and the Phantom Carving’s Transformation

It was merely a performance of Tricks, yet a newcomer had performed it at a level that would put even Second Level Apprentices to shame.

Vincent remarked with deep admiration, "This kid is a true genius."

Rock couldn’t agree more. "Tell me about it."

The two Apprentices weren’t too surprised by the Thunder Tree; they had long heard that Mo Ning had used Thunder Magic during the newcomer assessment.

They just felt that his control must be incredible to use Thunder Magic with such flair.

「In the Chief Wizard’s office.」

Budi gazed at the now-peaceful night sky and nodded slightly.

Although it was a childish display, it had far exceeded his expectations.

Among the many dull nights at this Taming Center, this had been a rather interesting evening.

Budi glanced at Balute and keenly sensed that the Stone Soul Beast’s mental state had improved considerably.

He whispered, "It seems that novel external stimuli can aid in the temporary recovery of one’s spiritual condition."

But it was only "temporary"; it couldn’t solve the root of the problem.

But for a newcomer, to have accomplished this much was more than enough to earn his approval.

The moment the performance ended, Mo Ning used his Spiritual Power to activate the "folding" function of the Magic Pattern Core.

"CLICK—CLACK—!"

The metal feathers rapidly retracted, the cockpit folded, and the frame drew in. In the blink of an eye, it had reverted to the original silver-white backpack.

At the same time, he cast the Trick [Floating], his body descending slowly like a feather.

This meticulously choreographed aerial "light show" was far from a simple display of skill. It served several purposes.

First, it was, of course, to alleviate the Stone Soul Beast’s depression. It was also a chance to study the link between its psychological changes and external stimuli, offering a preliminary glimpse into the mysteries of its soul.

’This could be a rather interesting research topic,’ Mo Ning thought.

Using the extraordinary observational power of his [Insightful Secret Eye], he clearly saw Balute’s stone eyes go wide.

He had known Balute for so long, and this was the first time he had seen its eyes open so wide.

The system also recorded the Stone Soul Beast’s facial expressions in detail and came to a conclusion—Balute’s spirit had indeed become more active.

Second, the academic paper he’d written on Magic Parallel Stream was about to be published in the next issue of *Shine*.

According to Nasha, a Third Level Apprentice, the paper had caused quite a stir within the *Shine* of Light Society.

It was only by applying his newly created theory of Magic Parallel Stream that the firework Trick in his performance had achieved such a jaw-dropping scale and precision in its Casting.

Even the Lightning Tree he had formed from Soul Witchcraft at the end of the show had been based on the same theory.

This was also the first time he had put his theory into practice, and he couldn’t have been more satisfied with the results.

At that moment, as Mo Ning gazed down at the ground, an inexplicable feeling suddenly washed over him—as if a wondrous change had occurred within his Spiritual World.

He paused for a moment, then immediately immersed his consciousness in his Spiritual World.

He quickly found the source of the anomaly: on his Phantom Carved Divine Statue, one of the illusory feathers had strangely turned light blue.

Tiny filaments of electricity coiled around the surface of the light-blue feather, flickering in and out of existence.

What’s more, due to the intricate connection between the Soul Witchcraft Model and the statue, the model itself had also changed.

In a way he couldn’t comprehend, a feather formed of pure electricity emerged from the model’s faint glow.

"THUMP—"

Mo Ning’s feet touched down lightly, but he was completely stunned.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind before he finally locked onto a reasonable explanation:

’Maybe it’s the accumulation from all my Meditation, or maybe it was the stimulus of casting the Lightning Tree just now. Or maybe it was both. The Phantom Carving is undergoing a new transformation.’

Regardless of the reason, it was undoubtedly a wonderful surprise.

He couldn’t help but think to himself, ’The Spiritual World... it’s just so mysterious!’

He immediately made the Electric Feather next to the model his next priority: he would analyze it completely, then use the findings to specifically improve his Soul Witchcraft.

His [Thunderbolt Spear] had been able to kill a Hard-skinned Monkey Lord in a single strike during the wilderness survival assessment; he was very excited to see how powerful his Soul Witchcraft would be after this improvement.

Mo Ning reined in his joy, walked quickly to the area beneath the leopard’s head, and said with a grin, "Balute, I have to get back to my studies."

Instead of closing its eyes as usual, Balute twitched its stone ears, its pupils fixed squarely on him.

Mo Ning smiled, waved at the leopard head, and strode toward the passage at the end of the stone path.

「Five minutes later.」

He walked out of the Secluded Path and stepped into the dormitory area.

From the small plaza, he could see another, newer plaza next to it, surrounded by rows of unfamiliar dorms.

This was clearly the No. 75 dormitory area, where the previous intake of newcomers was located.

Connecting the two small plazas was a gravel path about two meters wide.

A fence had been erected in the very center of the path, and piles of junk next to it blocked the way completely.

This wasn’t the academy’s doing. It was a signal from the last batch of newcomers: *Stay out of our territory.*

Mo Ning scoffed, strode to the door of dorm 804, and pushed it open, stepping inside.

The moment the door closed, a familiar coolness emanated from his Guiding Ring.

An unexpected stream of information surged into his mind:

[Reward Notification: Serial Number 7-118-256, Mo Ning.]

[Your diligent work at the No. 35 Biological Taming Center has yielded excellent results, and you have made a significant contribution to the academy’s research into creature taming. In recognition of your contribution, you are hereby awarded the Witchcraft Item: Thunder Shadow Leopard Fang Pendant.]