Wizard: Starting from the Skill Tree

"I have one more question." His voice wasn’t loud, but very deep. "In your paper, you mentioned that the effect of automatic meditation can last for eight hours. But many Level 1 Mages only need to meditate for two to three hours a day. Is the growth provided by automatic meditation during the remaining hours truly meaningful? Or is it merely an impressive number with negligible practical effect?"

Duke looked into those sharp eyes, without evasive action.

"Level 1 Mages typically meditate actively for two to three hours a day; that’s the norm. But a Level 1 Mage has twenty-four hours in a day. The remaining twenty-one hours might be spent in combat, traveling, eating, resting. During these times, spiritual power is stagnant, or even depleted due to exhaustion. The role of automatic meditation is not to replace active meditation, but to fill those wasted time fragments..."

He paused, looking into the eyes of the young evaluator.

"This is the value of automatic meditation, not to make geniuses even more genius, but to give ordinary people the chance to catch up with their strides."

The young Warlock remained silent momentarily, then slowly nodded.

He did not ask further questions, just lowered his crossed hands, recording something on the alchemy board.

...

The following four hours were the longest Duke had ever experienced.

The committee members’ questions poured in like a tidal wave, in waves without interruption.

Although Aaron did not ask any questions from start to finish, the other three evaluators took turns asking questions, engaging Duke in a comprehensive inquiry from various angles, depths, and fields.

The middle-aged Witch’s questions leaned towards theoretical fundamentals. She consistently pursued the underlying logic of energy guidance techniques, questioning why this frequency and not another, why this energy structure and not another.

Duke was able to answer, but every time he finished answering one question, she would delve deeper until he reached the boundaries of his knowledge.

The middle-aged Warlock’s questions focused on practical applications. He asked various questions about variable control during the refining process—temperature, time, material quality, spiritual power fluctuations, etc. Every detail was magnified to the extreme.

Some questions Duke could answer, but some he hadn’t considered, so he could only honestly answer that he hadn’t researched this thoroughly.

The most stressful came from the young Warlock.

His questions were very erratic, often from a completely unrelated field, then suddenly reverting back to automatic meditation during Duke’s answer, testing whether his knowledge was truly integrated.

On one occasion, he suddenly jumped from the essence of Elemental Energy to the activation threshold of Magic Potion Materials, then from the activation threshold back to the universality of energy guidance techniques.

Duke managed to follow his train of thought, but fine beads of sweat were already forming on his forehead.

Throughout the review process, there were countless times Duke was questioned on completely unfamiliar fields.

The scope of knowledge involved was too broad, some of which weren’t content a Level 2 Arcanist should have mastered.

He could only honestly respond "unclear", "unfamiliar", "I have not studied this area".

Each time he said "I don’t know," his heart sank a little further.

After four hours, he felt like he had been put to the test, each question challenging his limits.

Aaron remained silent, listening quietly, occasionally taking notes on the documents.

His expression showed no sign of satisfaction or dissatisfaction.

When the last question was asked, the hall fell silent.

Aaron closed the file, raised his head, and looked at Duke.

"I have no more questions." Aaron’s voice was not loud but very clear, "The review meeting is now concluded."

Duke’s heart sank sharply.

Did it just end like this? No result announced on the spot?

He felt he hadn’t performed well; he couldn’t answer many questions, and some answers were even stammered.

Duke took a deep breath, slightly bowed, and prepared to turn and leave.

"Master Duke." Aaron’s voice came from behind.

Duke halted his steps, turned around.

Aaron looked at him, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned.

It wasn’t a smile, but something lighter and subtler, like recognition or expectation.

"Congratulations, you have passed."

Duke was momentarily stunned, but his body reacted faster than his consciousness.

He once again bowed slightly, maintaining basic etiquette.

"Thank you all."

He turned and walked off the stage, leaving the review hall.

Behind him, the staff were still busy recording, organizing, and archiving.

The hall returned to silence, only the sound of footsteps echoing under the dome.

His pace was steady, but his heart pounded like a drum in his chest.

Four hours, a complete four hours of torment, finally ended.

He passed, regardless of the process, the result was good.

At the door of the review room, a young staff member dressed in a gray magic robe came to greet him, wearing a professional smile.

"Master Duke, please follow me."

Duke followed him down the corridor, entering another hall.

This hall was much smaller than the review hall, but more delicately arranged.

Portraits of renowned Arcane Masters from ages past hung on the walls, each with their life and achievements engraved below.

In the center of the hall was a wide stone table covered with deep blue velvet. On the velvet lay a brand-new badge.

The badge’s main body was a profound sapphire color, exuding a faint blue glow under the light.

In the center was a book outlined with mithril, its pages slightly ajar as if it were being read.

Above the book, two tiny stars made of extremely fine gold threads hovered, rotating slowly with the light as if moving silently.

The entire badge had a heavy and chilly texture, gripping it would immediately reveal its extraordinary nature.

"Level 2 Arcanist badge." The staff member said softly, "Traditionally, it should be awarded by a Senior Arcanist. Lord Aaron is on his way, please wait for a moment."

Duke nodded, standing before the stone table, his gaze fixed on the badge.

The Level 1 Arcanist badge had only one star, now there are two.

Each star represents the path he has walked.

Footsteps echoed from the doorway.

Aaron walked in, still wearing his deep blue robe, the Level 5 Arcanist badge on his collar gleaming with a cold light.

Aaron approached the stone table, picked up the badge, and turned to Duke.

"Master Duke." His voice was not loud but very clear, "Congratulations on your promotion to Level 2 Arcanist. This badge represents knowledge, responsibility, and courage to explore the unknown. The book represents knowledge, the stars represent exploring the unknown—may you always hold reverence for knowledge and curiosity for the unknown."

He presented the badge to Duke.

"Thank you, Lord Aaron!"

Duke extended both hands to accept the badge.

Heavy and cold, but in his hands, it created a sense of solidity.

Aaron looked at him, the corners of his mouth subtly raised.

"From Level 1 to Level 2 is a bottleneck many Arcanists cannot overcome. Your ability to do so shows you have the strength. But Level 2 to Level 3 is even harder. I hope you won’t stop here."

Duke nodded.

"I will continue to strive."

Aaron said no more, turning to leave the hall.

The staff member approached, handing him a certificate with his name, promotion date, affiliation, and the Level 2 Arcanist designation.

Duke placed the certificate into the Space Ring, leaving the Six-Ring Tower.

Sunlight fell on him, warm and bright.

There are many things to be done in the coming days, this is just completing one step.

If Duke remembered correctly, in a few days is the publication date of next month’s Arcane Mage Monthly, when his research findings will be sent to every corner of the Wizard Plane with the Arcane Mage Daily.

It would even fly to the various planes conquered by the Wizard Plane, where the stationed and resident wizards also have subscriptions to the Arcane Mage Monthly.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!