A Wizard Apprentice must address a Wizard as Lord.

This is an unwritten rule in the Wizard World.

It has nothing to do with age or seniority; it is purely a matter of respect for the powerful.

Fan He’s current words and actions undoubtedly confirmed Pei Ze’s suspicion.

Pei Ze asked with great interest, "How did you know?"

Fan He said respectfully, "When you entered the Magic Laboratory, you rented it for three months straight. Word spread quickly through the academy, and many people guessed you were preparing to form your Spirit Crystal."

"So, the moment you came out, everyone knew you had successfully advanced to Wizard."

Pei Ze gave a noncommittal nod.

He knew Fan He wasn’t telling him the whole story.

’It was true that people had guessed he was preparing to form his Spirit Crystal. But he hadn’t emerged for over two months, far longer than the process should have taken. Plenty of people must have been maliciously speculating whether he’d failed his breakthrough and was recovering inside, or if he’d simply lost his life.’

’That’s why everyone was so shocked to see him.’

’Of course, Fan He would never say any of that to his face.’

Pei Ze didn’t call him out on it. He simply smiled, nodded at Fan He, and walked away.

Watching Pei Ze walk into the distance, Fan He sighed, his expression complex.

Once someone crossed the threshold to become a Wizard, their status and power became worlds apart from what they were before.

Before, he could still call Pei Ze his junior. Now, all he could do was look up to him in awe.

...

「Medicine Garden No. 8」

Returning to the familiar medicine garden, Pei Ze felt completely different.

With a scan of his Spirit, he could clearly sense the spatial fluctuations that permeated the garden, as well as a considerable amount of magical fluctuations.

The latter came mainly from various magical protections and Magic Traps.

Because he held a pass, Pei Ze could only faintly sense these traces of magic.

Any other outsider who dared to wander aimlessly through the garden would likely be killed by the endless Magic Traps before they got very far.

’A Wizard’s Spirit scan really is useful. For low-level Magic Traps, I can identify them completely with a Spirit scan. It’s like a weaker version of a Detect Traps spell.’

Before long, Pei Ze arrived at the door to Mo Weng’s potion room.

Just as he was about to knock, Mo Weng’s voice came from within.

As Pei Ze pushed the door open and stepped inside, Mo Weng was just finishing the final step of brewing a potion. He casually stoppered the bottle and turned to look Pei Ze up and down, a gratified smile slowly spreading across his face.

He took a step forward and suddenly appeared in front of Pei Ze, reaching out to pat his shoulder.

"Congratulations. As of today, you’re one of us."

"Thank you." Pei Ze could feel Mo Weng’s sincerity; the old man was genuinely happy for his advancement.

"I heard you were in the Magic Laboratory for over two months?" Mo Weng gestured for Pei Ze to sit.

Pei Ze found a chair and sat down before replying, "I spent some time testing the changes that came with my advancement."

This was the excuse he had prepared.

After all, the fact that it took him over two months to complete his advancement was rather astonishing.

Mo Weng didn’t seem to doubt him and moved on. He said thoughtfully, "According to academy regulations, once a student advances to Wizard, they automatically graduate and must leave the academy, unless they’re willing to sign a contract to stay on as an instructor."

"But I imagine you won’t choose that path."

Pei Ze nodded. His expression turned serious as he said in a low voice, "Master, I plan to go to the Turin Plane."

Mo Weng wasn’t surprised to hear this. "With your talent, the Plane Battlefield is indeed the most suitable place for you."

"A towering tree cannot be grown in a greenhouse. Only on a Plane Battlefield can you achieve your fastest growth."

"But before you go, you should take some time to consolidate your strength."

Pei Ze nodded. The Plane Battlefield was incredibly dangerous; of course he would make thorough preparations before heading there.

"However, there are different ways to get to the Plane Battlefield."

Mo Weng gave a slight raise of his hand, and two badges instantly appeared on the table between them.

One was a deep, blackish-red, the color of long-dried blood. It exuded an almost tangible, bloody aura. On its face were two clasped, scarlet gauntlets.

The other was pale silver, depicting an open book with a dove flying out from between its pages.

Mo Weng pointed to the blackish-red badge. "You can join the Silver Light Legion’s Witch Hunting Team and enter the Plane Battlefield as a soldier."

"Although you would have to obey military orders and give up some of your freedom, the advantage is that it’s easier to acquire resources. Any resources a Wizard City obtains from the Plane Battlefield are prioritized for the legions."

Then, Mo Weng pointed to the other badge, the silver one.

"Of course, you could also enter the Plane Battlefield as a Free Mage. You would complete various tasks issued by the legions to earn rewards. This path offers more freedom, but the resources you can get are relatively limited. After all, many rare materials are either unavailable to Free Mages or require a very high clearance level to be exchanged for."

"Which path will you choose?"

Pei Ze frowned in thought for a few seconds, then looked at Mo Weng and asked tentatively, "Master, which one do you think I should choose?"

Mo Weng seemed to have expected this question. He just smiled and said, "I suggest you choose the second option."

"Why, Master?"

Pei Ze was a little surprised.

’He thought his master would suggest the first option.’

’After all, joining the military would grant him more resources and help him increase his strength more quickly.’

Of course, Pei Ze himself was already leaning toward the second option.