Starting with Proficiency Panel-Chapter 662: See the truth tomorrow morning (new book content)

Li Qing stood still, his hands tightly clenched under his robe, watching Zhuang Xu, who seemed to be constantly sniffing the air, just a step away.

After a while, Zhuang Xu sat down again.

"Interesting... You've brought me quite the amusement; it adds a new twist to my otherwise dull days." Zhuang Xu lowered his hands, showing interest as he asked, "So, as a mere human with a limited lifespan, what talents did you awaken after becoming a mage at the age of thirty?"

Without waiting for Li Qing to reply, he shrugged and said, "Well, let's not talk about that. What are you looking for in the library?"

Slightly more relaxed, Li Qing answered, "Master Rosen said my progress was good and that I could come to the library to borrow the Level 0 Magic Encyclopaedia."

Zhuang Xu's expression was ambiguous, seemingly mocking as he said, "That guy who should be in the Wailing Hell would actually say that... Well, maybe you are a human."

He raised his sharp, dark-tinged finger, and a book slowly floated down from the top of a very high bookshelf to Zhuang Xu's side.

Zhuang Xu reached out and grabbed the magic book and asked, "How are your rune studies going?"

"There are generally no problems anymore."

"Not bad."

Zhuang Xu's tone was indifferent, making it unclear whether he was being genuine or not.

He handed the book to Li Qing, "Here you go."

Looking at the sharp, dark hand holding the book, Li Qing instinctively swallowed and then took it with both hands.

"Thank you!"

Zhuang Xu's laughter was harsh, like the clashing of two gloomy metal rods, grating and rasping.

"When you advance to a First-Ring Mage, you can come to the library to have a look. It's not the time yet, but maybe when you advance, you'll get a surprise. After all, it's rare for humans to qualify as mages by the age of thirty."

"Thank you." Li Qing bowed slightly, "Teacher Zhuang Xu, I'll take my leave."

"Mm." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Li Qing turned and left. As he pushed open the library door, Zhuang Xu's ethereal voice followed.

"One more thing, please return the borrowed book before the second class, or you will be watched~"

Li Qing felt a tightening in his heart, "I understand, thank you for the reminder."

Quickly exiting the library and returning safely to his safe house, only then did Li Qing let out a long breath.

It was truly suffocating.

Although from his demeanor, Zhuang Xu seemed to be showing a lot of goodwill, only Li Qing, who faced him directly, knew what kind of pressure he was under at that time.

The meaning in his gaze was entirely as if viewing him as an amusing toy.

An interesting gaze, but never in Li Qing's thirty years of life had he been subjected to such scrutiny.

Calming down, Li Qing realized it was because of his inadequate strength. Being new here, he had no choice but to submit.

In such an enigmatic place, no amount of caution was excessive.

As for why he wasn't yet qualified to wander around the library, Li Qing wasn't curious. For him, all curiosity was based on strength. Without strength, investigating further would only lead to death.

He immersed himself in the Level 0 Magic Encyclopaedia in the safe house until his time at Gray's reached its current limit, then reluctantly returned to the safe house with the magic book.

For several consecutive days, Li Qing buried himself in studying the Level 0 Magic Encyclopaedia, particularly interested in the magic reading and healing skills of reading understanding and repairing minor injuries.

Even more surprising was the healing efficiency of repairing minor injuries, visibly restoring small knife cuts.

How miraculous!

But Li Qing found the magic reading, a Level 0 spell, quite challenging, with its intricate structure of over a hundred nodes reaching a difficulty level exceeding many Second-Ring Magics.

What a drag!

As Li Qing pondered, he suddenly heard a 'bang' outside the window, startling him to turn and look outside. In the sky, splendid fireworks blossomed slowly.

What day is it today?

Li Qing instinctively checked the calendar; today was the twenty-ninth. Shu Capital had recently lifted the restrictions, allowing fireworks for the New Year again.

"It's almost New Year..."

Bang! Pop! Pop, pop!

Li Qing went to the window, watching the fireworks continuously soar into the sky and burst open in mid-air.

His expression was somewhat unclear, perhaps calm and impassive. Spending so many years alone had made him accustomed to such life.

Sometimes he felt sad and lonely, but often he enjoyed being alone.

Ding dong!

The phone gently vibrated. Li Qing took it out and raised an eyebrow when he saw the message.

Chen Chencheng: Happy New Year!!

Li Qing: Happy New Year!

Chen Chencheng: Where are you planning to spend the New Year?

Unconsciously scrolling through the screen, Li Qing slowly replied: Planning to buy some New Year's goods at the supermarket.

After a while, Chen Chencheng responded: Alone?

Li Qing: Yes.

After one or two minutes, confirming that Chen Chencheng didn't send another message, Li Qing set the phone aside, glanced at the Level 0 Magic Encyclopaedia, hesitated, and finally decided to relax a bit by launching a game he hadn't played in months.

He chose his favorite hero, the Blind Monk, but during one play, he botched an R flash kick, causing his teammates to express dissatisfaction.

Ren'ai Hospital Attending Doctor Shen: Blind Monk, are you blind or what? I could toss a handful of rice at the keyboard, and a random chicken would play better than you!

Li Qing furrowed his brow and unhesitatingly replied.

"My lips are honeyed."

"Whoa?! I love you!"

"I wish your family good health, olee gee!"

"Your mother is very beautiful."

"I'm the plumber going to your house."

"Your hands are as nimble as butterflies dancing through flowers!"

"Here's my olee gee for you to eat..."

In the end, Li Qing simply stood at the fountain, venting all his recent stress until the game was lost.

Feeling refreshed, Li Qing dismissed the friend request from the opposing team and prepared to go to bed to resume meditation.

The daily persistence of meditation and refining magic allowed Li Qing to feel his spiritual power growing, driving the increase of magic power within, gradually increasing the number of spells he could cast each day.

At least the Mage's Hand, a Level 0 spell, could now be maintained for eight hours before exhausting his magic power.

That's quite impressive progress, though Li Qing felt his body was becoming too frail.

He looked down at his own ribs, feeling dissatisfied.

He used to be neither fat nor thin, but the concentration of magic power had consumed a lot of his body's energy.

He needed to find a place to exercise and learn some combat skills, too. After all, the apprentice assessment in two months might be dangerous; otherwise, Rosenberg wouldn't have looked so eager for their demise.