When the last golem fell, Zhang Ye’s body finally went limp, and he leaned against a tree behind him.
A hundred golems working together was truly no joke.
They could activate joint magic circles to attack or defend in unison, or even trap Zhang Ye in place.
If Zhang Ye hadn't copied Leona’s Tier Ten magic and frequently used Blink, he likely would have been defeated by the golems' joint formations long ago.
And then there was Nan...
Just thinking about him made Zhang Ye’s teeth itch.
After fighting for so long, Zhang Ye only had three wounds on his body, and all three had been caused by Nan!
Every time the golems managed to trap Zhang Ye and he used Blink to escape, Nan would predict his landing point and immediately unleash a finishing move.
If not for Zhang Ye’s quick reflexes, he would have been seriously injured several times.
Furthermore, Leona had specifically instructed Zhang Ye not to use Gujiu, forcing him to rely solely on his own strength to fight.
As a result, by the end of the battle, Zhang Ye was completely exhausted.
Fortunately, Leona’s training was indeed effective. Zhang Ye’s application of magic had become much more proficient, and his use of Blink had improved significantly.
The more he mastered it, the more Zhang Ye felt that Lina’s innate magic was incredibly powerful.
With Blink, he had evaded countless spells and attacks.
Zhang Ye believed that if Lina could master powerful offensive means to go along with Blink and Retrograde, she would become a terrifying existence on the battlefield!
Just imagine: blinking directly behind someone from kilometers away, hitting them with a full combo, and then using Retrograde.
Taking the enemy’s head without a scratch!
How overpowered is that?
“Big Nana, these broken golems... I don’t have to pay for them, do I?” Zhang Ye asked, looking at the battered constructs.
Leona smiled. “No need. These are the academy’s training Combat Golems. Forget a hundred; even if you broke ten thousand, it wouldn’t be much of a loss. They can be fixed up and used again once we get back.”
Hearing this, Zhang Ye felt relieved.
After resting for a while, Zhang Ye trotted over eagerly to Leona and said, “Big Nana, look, it’s getting late. Isn’t it time to grab some grub?”
Leona laughed and nodded. “Alright.”
With a wave of her hand, BBQ meat and seasonings appeared before them.
Zhang Ye cheered and pulled Nan down to sit, waiting for Leona to feed them.
Next, Leona showcased her culinary skills. The BBQ smelled absolutely heavenly—even Nan was slightly moved as he ate.
“It’s too delicious...” Zhang Ye said with teary eyes.
He hadn’t eaten Leona’s BBQ for several days, and now that he was having it again, he felt his life was complete.
“A-Nan, how is it? Good, right?” Zhang Ye said with a grin. “I learned my cooking skills from Big Nana!”
Nan nodded slightly, confirming the deliciousness of the BBQ.
“That’s it for today. We’ll continue the practical combat tomorrow,” Leona said.
Zhang Ye nodded, but then asked, “Big Nana, I think practical combat is important, but theory needs to keep up too.”
Leona nodded. “That makes sense. However, I don’t like teaching theory... I’ll authorize you to teach it instead.”
“Eh? Me?” Zhang Ye was stunned. “Aren’t there other mentors?”
Leona smiled. “There are, but I’d rather see you teach. Besides, aren’t you already an Intermediate Researcher?”
“You know about that?”
“Yes, Mentor Ke Lan told me.” Leona nodded, then rubbed Zhang Ye’s head. “You’re quite something, kid. You just started school and already managed to become an Intermediate Researcher.”
“The benefits for an Intermediate Researcher are much better than those for us mentors.”
“Really?”
“I’m joking. I’m a Saint Instructor; your benefits aren't as good as mine.”
“Aww...”
“Once you’re full, class is dismissed.”
“Um... right, Big Nana, I want to participate in the Freshman Welcome Party!”
“Oh?” Leona looked at Zhang Ye with interest. “What do you want to perform?”
“Singing!”
“Sure,” Leona nodded. “Get back to me with a list of all the students who want to participate.”
“Got it!”
With that, class ended. The afternoon was for students to gather knowledge in the library or cultivate.
On the way back, Zhang Ye asked Nan, “A-Nan, do you want to join?”
“No,” Nan replied succinctly.
“Alright.” Zhang Ye had expected as much. With Nan’s cold and solitary personality, he probably wouldn't want to participate in a massive event like the Freshman Welcome Party.
“Then you go on back. I need to head to the research institute.”
“You don’t need to tell me specifically,” Nan said.
Zhang Ye smiled. “See ya.”
With that, the two parted ways. Nan watched Zhang Ye walk away, shook his head, and headed toward the dorms.
Arriving at the institute, Zhang Ye saw Ke Ling waiting for him as soon as he entered.
“Mentor.”
Zhang Ye smiled. He had just used his badge to tell Ke Ling he was coming because the concept for Lina’s custom magic device wasn’t fully perfected yet. He wanted to finalize it before the application for the precision engraver was approved.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Let’s go. Today, we’re going to perfect the Adaptive Mana Supply Magazine.”
“Okay.”
Inside the laboratory, he saw that Ke Lan was also there. She was holding the blueprints Zhang Ye had drawn previously, examining them and letting out occasional exclamations of praise.
“Academician Ke Lan,” Zhang Ye greeted her.
Ke Lan had asked him to call her 'Mentor,' but after learning more, Zhang Ye knew that Ke Lan was someone who had made great contributions and was truly worthy of the title 'Academician.'
Ke Lan smiled. “You’re here. I’ve looked over your design philosophy. It’s extremely valuable and has epoch-making significance!”
“If these formulas, magic sets, and design concepts were made public, they would trigger a revolution in the magic device industry!”
“Is it really that exaggerated?” Zhang Ye asked in surprise.
“It’s not an exaggeration. Your research on 'Compression' is extremely valuable for study. It can solve many research and development difficulties in magic devices from various angles!” A look of fanaticism gradually appeared on Ke Lan’s face. “Therefore, I would like to apply to you to provide these topics to our institute for research and development!”
“The institute will pay you sufficient compensation!”
Zhang Ye waved it off with a smile. “I told Ke Ling before: knowledge has no boundaries. If you want to study it, go ahead. However, if you publish it, just don't mention me.”
After all, while publishing would bring great fame, it would also bring a series of troubles. For instance, some criminals loved to carry out terrorist attacks against magic researchers.
Ke Lan nodded, her eyes full of approval. “Perhaps you don’t yet realize the value within, but we will still pay you. Please do not refuse!”
“Uh... alright then,” Zhang Ye agreed.
“By the way, can I participate in this development?” Ke Lan asked again. “This is the first magic device developed using your concepts. I believe it will be something that shocks the magic world, and I want to witness it!”
“Perhaps I can provide you with some technical assistance.”
“Of course you can!” Zhang Ye laughed.
Having an 'Academician' like Ke Lan wanting to participate in the development was something Zhang Ye naturally welcomed.
With her joining, the development would go even more smoothly!
For the entire afternoon, Zhang Ye stayed in the institute, working on development with Ke Lan and Ke Ling. Zhang Ye introduced more concepts like 'Adaptive' and 'Automatic Identification,' leaving the mother and daughter in awe.
The development went smoothly. After this afternoon, the design for Lina’s custom magic device was finally finalized.
Zhang Ye looked at the material list and asked, “Can these materials be exchanged for within the academy?”
“Of course,” Ke Lan nodded. “As long as you have points, all these materials can be exchanged.”
“Then how many points will it take?” Zhang Ye asked.
Ke Lan directly pulled up a magic projection, which listed the points required for a series of materials.
“Mana-gathering Iron Essence: 3,388 points per gram...”
“Sun Gem: 5,000 points per gram...”
“Halo Refined Steel: 6,888 points per jin...”
Looking at the points required for these materials, Zhang Ye sucked in a breath of cold air.
Nan’s prize for being the top freshman was only five thousand points—just enough to buy one gram of Sun Gem!
Although not many materials were needed to craft the custom magic device, when calculated, it would take at least a million points!
Furthermore, Zhang Ye saw Void Meteorite listed at 8,000 points per jin!
One academy point could be exchanged for 100 gold coins, which meant crafting a pair of custom magic devices would cost over a hundred million gold!
And that didn’t even include the four hundred and fifty million for the Void Meteorite!
By the time these materials were refined—especially refining Void Meteorite into Void Refined Meteorite—the value of the finished magic device would likely exceed a billion gold!
God help me...
Rate on N.U.
