Starting with Proficiency Panel-Chapter 598: Change after 20 minutes,

"And when you have practiced the Basic Meditation Technique to the entry level, and the Light Ball emits a splendor filling your mind's sea, it marks the beginning of your spirit's gradual transformation, making it possible for you to perform magic."

Li Qing was listening intently, and a student in black next to him raised his hand.

Rosenberg didn't mind and replied cheerfully, "Taras, do you have a question?"

Taras stood up and asked in a slightly naive voice, "Instructor, in my hometown, we can perform magic as soon as we gather spiritual power. Why do we need to add the step of gathering magic power?"

"Because sometimes you might encounter environments that are devoid of magic or have a magic ban, and when you can't tap into external energy, the magic power formed within you becomes an important way to use Extraordinary Power."

Li Qing suddenly became enlightened, no wonder when he researched that Level 0 Spell 'Mage's Hand', he found out why it only uses spiritual power for operation yet activates the magic nodes cycle, even though the magic power within him participated in the cycle.

Hmm, Li Qing couldn't help but feel a slight shock inwardly. Compared to the air elemental energy in the Gray Magic Academy, elemental energy in the real world is pitifully scarce.

The four-hour course passed by in the blink of an eye. As class was about to end, Rosenberg said, "Magic relies more on self-study, and in the future, there will be one concentrated Q&A session every month, so courses like this will be rare. If there are course arrangements, you will be notified through your school badge."

Does that mean there will only be one class a month?

Li Qing snapped back to reality, just as Rosenberg continued, "So, fellow students, cherish this peaceful time of yours now. Of course, if you have any questions about magic in the meantime, you can activate your school badge and go to the instructor's residence for inquiries. Just a friendly reminder: do not knock on the door casually, just stand at the entrance."

As the words fell, the person already vanished directly.

The entire classroom fell into silence. The rows of students in black robes looked at each other somewhat speechlessly.

But upon closer thought, it made a lot of sense. Magic still largely depends on one's self-study capabilities, with one concentrated Q&A session every month.

It's quite a good method, but only Li Qing heard the trace of regret in Rosenberg's words, clearly wishing for daily classes so that someone could be late... and he could eat them...

What a devil!

Back at the safe house, Li Qing hadn't yet warmed his seat when the badge on his wrist lit up slightly, and then a stream of information quickly entered his mind.

Li Qing raised his eyebrows, was this the game's progress reaching a certain point, with the second lecture covering why to gather magic power casually, followed by everyone's free-range learning, and then activating the library.

The library...

Li Qing hesitated for a bit, but eventually dispelled the thought of going right away. None of the Level 0 Spells listed in 'Magic Theory' had been learned yet, so best not to aim too high or seek out other things.

At least finish these basic magic books before anything else. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

As for interacting with those fellow students, Li Qing had no intention at all. Those guys were all deeply guarded, clearly aware of what the Gray Magic Academy really was, and just he, a little newbie, would be putting himself in danger by actively asking questions.

For the next week, Li Qing spent his workdays idling to solve math problems and conduct public derivations, while his evenings off work were solely dedicated to researching the Level 0 Spell 'Mage's Hand', a magic that almost all mages must learn.

A whole month passed, only going to the Gray Magic Academy three times for the monthly routine Q&A session; otherwise, he was either at the safe house or in his rental room researching.

Luckily, time is frozen at the safe house in the Gray Magic Academy, so he had twice the time to study.

One month's time felt like over three months to him.

On Saturday, Li Qing squatted like a street loafer at the entrance of Taigu Outer Street, looking at the bustling crowd, tightening his cotton coat a bit.

Honestly, in this cold weather, Li Qing was very impressed by those young ladies still wearing rather minimal clothing.

There's merit in the saying that ham needs refrigeration.

The most bustling street in Shu Capital was already draped with brocade lanterns, filled everywhere with a festive atmosphere.

Various street photography remained as fervent as ever, with glamorous young ladies strolling along the street edge, showing surprise when they noticed someone photographing them, then covering their mouth, flicking their hair, while they ran away with a teasing glance back, or pretend couples showing off when noticed and the girl performed playful while the boy confidently pulled her along like a domineering CEO.

Beside them, a group of men and women dressed in ancient traditional Hanfu were posing in various positions.

Life is so busy.

As for Li Qing, he was just like most men with nothing to do on a weekend, sitting with a cup of milk tea on a public bench, his eyes turning incessantly.

His gaze constantly drilled towards those refrigerated hams or extremely short skirts, involuntarily exclaiming 'Wuhu' when observing the movements of those bright and beautiful ladies become slightly revealing.

He took a deep breath, calming down, then slowly formed the technique according to the magic power circulation nodes of 'Mage's Hand'.

The magic power flow nodes of Mage's Hand were quite simple, just over a dozen nodes, initially just facilitating mages to retrieve objects remotely.

He settled down to slowly use magic power according to the flow nodes. If careless, once a node made an error and the magic power went chaotic disrupting his spiritual power, he could blow his own head off.

This is not without examples.

After about a minute or so, Li Qing continuously activated the magic nodes and maintained operation.

It's done!

Li Qing forced down his inner excitement, sensing a transparent palm beside him, appearing ready to scatter with the wind, floating beside him.

Although it was still unstable, this was the first step to becoming a mage!!!

"Buddy, are you just trembling at the sight, are you feeling weak?"

A nearby man approached, filled with smiles, looking at Li Qing.

Li Qing instinctively looked down at himself, honestly, due to efforts in magic power gathering recently, his body had been excessively consumed, thus now emaciated like a skeleton, looking all the more like he could fly away with the wind...

He needed to exercise, 'Magic Theory' had some beneficial magic to strengthen oneself, worth researching.

Li Qing, unwilling to concede, retorted, "What do you mean weak, don't just look at me being thin, I've got meat growing on my bones, you should know that it's the fat that shrinks internally, thinness highlights one's advantages!!"