Finally, they couldn't sit still anymore.
Since Jiang Lin, the riddler, wouldn't give them an answer, they directly pulled a student over to ask:
"Classmate, what time do you usually go home?"
When the student heard such a question, a look of confusion immediately crossed his face.
"Go home? You’re already here, so why would you need to go home?"
The four of them looked at each other in bewilderment. Could it be that these people really slept directly at the school?
"Then where do you sleep at school?"
Hearing this, the person looked at the four of them as if they were fools.
"Sleep? Are you joking? Did you come to school just to sleep?! If you want to sleep, go home and do it."
The four were momentarily stunned.
Did this mean that the students of the Radiant Junior Magic Academy didn't sleep at night at all?
Recalling the 【Mental Invigoration Potion】 and 【Mental Concentration Potion】 sold in the classroom, the four felt they were close to the answer.
At this moment, Jiang Lin opened his eyes and looked at the four with a gentle smile.
"That’s right. None of us here sleep. After all, for us adventurers, although not sleeping causes drowsiness, it isn't life-threatening. So theoretically, as long as we can withstand the sleepiness and maintain focus, we can stay awake indefinitely.
"Originally, we slept an average of eight hours a day, which took up too much time. By not sleeping, we effectively have fifty percent more time every day than those who do! By using this time to improve ourselves, we can do better than everyone else in the same amount of time!"
Seeing the four remain silent, Jiang Lin continued:
"After all, the spots for the Middle Magic Academy are right there. If you don't take one, there are plenty of others who will. If you don't work hard, there are plenty of others who will. You... understand what I mean?"
Lina took a deep breath, clearly provoked by his words.
"But Lord Jiang Lin, why are you telling us all this?"
Jiang Lin smiled slightly.
"You’ve seen our school, haven't you? There is no longer any night here. I have made it so the sun never sets in this academy.
"But after this joint exam, I found the students of your schools to be far too vulnerable. So, I decided to let the sun's radiance shine upon your academies as well!
"Without worthy opponents, we cannot be inspired to keep forging ahead. I am helping you, but I am also helping ourselves."
As Jiang Lin spoke, he seemed to emit a convincing aura that made it hard to argue. Combined with the traits of his paladin class, he gave off a shimmering feeling, as if he himself were the sun that would never set in the night.
"I have learned much."
Lina nodded.
She looked at the other three and found that they all seemed moved.
"I'll go home first to let my family know."
"I'll be right back as well."
"There's no one at my house, so I won't bother going back."
Subsequently, as if they had made a firm resolution, the four began to practice alongside Jiang Lin. Each of them reflected on the recent assessment and focused on specific areas for improvement.
In fact, Jiang Lin's logic was very simple. If only his school stayed up all night, parents would complain. But if every school stayed up all night together, wouldn't the parents have nothing left to say?
Not satisfied? If you aren't satisfied, go live in another city!
If you don't pull all-nighters, plenty of others will!
Tonight laid the most important foundation for Boulder City's future reputation as a powerhouse of education for centuries to come. As for the Radiant Magic Academy, where the all-nighter culture first became popular and ran the deepest, it would become a legend a hundred years later.
The sun of Boulder City shall never set!
...
After handling the minor matter entrusted by Director Wills, Jiang Lin felt his mental state had mostly recovered, so he continued to distribute the system rewards.
He started with the low-tier skills.
【Low-level Strengthening (limit-breakable 0/2)】
Jiang Lin converted two 【Random Skill Upgrades】 into one 【Designated Skill Upgrade】.
Including the one remaining from before, he had exactly two.
When he applied the first designated skill upgrade, there was no reaction other than the "0/2" changing to "1/2," which allowed Jiang Lin’s tense mind to relax.
Jiang Lin took a deep breath and clicked the second upgrade point.
A flood of memories rushed in.
This was the first magic spell Jiang Lin had attempted to limit-break.
He still had no clue.
So, he began to practice as usual.
However, his previous practice had already made him intimately familiar with every application of 【Low-level Strengthening】.
Enhancing different body parts, controlling the intensity of the strengthening, and the speed of constructing the magic formula—he had already reached the limit of what he could do, which was also the limit of the 【Low-level Strengthening】 spell.
Therefore, even though Jiang Lin continued to practice repeatedly, there was still not a hint of progress.
This gave him a massive headache.
But having experienced multiple limit-breaks, Jiang Lin knew that blind hard work wouldn't necessarily fulfill the conditions for a limit-break.
So, he began to try other methods one by one.
'First, let's break down the principles of this magic formula.'
Although Jiang Lin could use 【Low-level Strengthening】 proficiently, he wasn't very clear on the principles of the magic essence circuits that composed it.
Even though 【Low-level Strengthening】 was only a low-tier spell, it contained hundreds of magic essence circuits, each with different variations and functions. It also involved a vast amount of complex calculations between the various lines.
Previously, Jiang Lin had simply memorized these magic essence circuits by force and then practiced using them until he reached the peak of proficiency.
To use a simple analogy:
It was like derivative formulas. Many people know the common formulas and can use them proficiently, but not everyone understands or remembers the derivation of each formula.
Jiang Lin was in that exact situation—he could use the magic formula proficiently but couldn't fully understand it or dismantle and apply it from its essence.
Jiang Lin's understanding of magic was much shallower than his understanding of combat techniques.
In the past three years, he had only learned two spells: 【Low-level Strengthening】 and 【Low-level Healing】.
While part of the reason was that they spent a long time learning basic knowledge, he had to admit that his talent in magic was truly mediocre.
However, this didn't affect the Jiang Lin inside the system space.
After all, he had plenty of time.
Deriving the principles of a magic formula was not easy, especially for a melee-class fighter like Jiang Lin.
Time passed quickly.
For magic essence circuits with unclear functions, Jiang Lin had to dismantle them bit by bit, performing trials and experiments until he thoroughly understood the role of that specific part.
Decades passed, and Jiang Lin finally clarified the functions and principles of all the circuits contained within 【Low-level Strengthening】.
Next was the composition effects of these circuits and the calculations between them.
Although this step was also difficult, it didn't take as much time. In less than a year, Jiang Lin had completely grasped the structural principles of this magic formula.
After thoroughly understanding the construction of the spell, Jiang Lin also realized there were certain areas that could be adjusted.
Because spells like 【Low-level Strengthening】 were designed to maintain stability and be easy to use and spread, they included some useless magic essence circuits for stabilization, making it easier for beginners to pick up. However, these didn't actually affect the result when the spell was cast.
Now, Jiang Lin could eliminate these circuits to make himself condense the formula faster.
Furthermore, Jiang Lin could specifically increase the amount of magic essence in certain circuits to achieve even stronger specific strengthening effects.
【Low-level Strengthening (superlative) → (limit-broken)】
【Accumulation of low-tier magic knowledge increased】
Using less than a single lifetime, Jiang Lin had elevated 【Low-level Strengthening】 to the limit-broken level.
Jiang Lin's eyes lit up.
'It limit-broke that easily?!'
'Could it be that I’m actually a magic genius?'
However, it seemed the requirements for limit-breaking magic were different from those of combat techniques.
At the very least, limit-breaking a no-rank combat technique required possessing the corresponding 'intent,' and once successful, the related talent would be enhanced. Meanwhile, limit-breaking magic required a sufficient understanding of the foundational magic itself.
This was again different from breathing techniques, which seemed to require a corresponding talent as a prerequisite to reach the limit-broken level.
For example, the 【Paladin Breathing Technique】 required the talent 【Pure Heart (Pseudo)】 as a prerequisite for its limit-break.
As for whether all breathing techniques were like this, he would probably need more samples for comparison.
Pushing those thoughts aside for now, Jiang Lin took out the two skill books the Temple Master had given him.
Those complex and profound magic runes and explanations once again entered Jiang Lin's sight.
'Hmm~ I can barely understand a little bit now!!'
Although there was a difference between low-tier and mid-tier magic, they were ultimately within the same system.
But for the specifics, he would let Little Black teach him when it returned.
Jiang Lin glanced at the windowsill where Little Black usually lay, but it was empty; the cat still hadn't come back.
'Could something have happened to it?'
Jiang Lin pondered, but felt it was unlikely.
Forget it. If it wasn't back by tomorrow morning, he would go look for it.
Then, Jiang Lin began to circulate his breathing technique.
Two days had passed since he broke through to level 4. With the breathing technique running constantly, and the fact that magic essence accumulation was faster when he actively used it, he estimated he could break through again in another three days.
The next day, the morning sun rose, illuminating the Radiant Junior Magic Academy.
The four students who had tried staying up all night for the first time were mentally exhausted but psychologically extremely excited.
So it turned out that the night provided so much time for oneself!
They had truly wasted too much of that nighttime by using it for sleep.
However, some of them were hesitant.
Since they knew this was a good thing, did they have to share it with others?
Not everyone was a selfless saint.
What if others surpassed them by staying up all night too?
However, Jiang Lin seemed to have anticipated this.
In the morning light, he smiled faintly.
"At this point, whether others stay up all night is no longer a question of probability, but an inevitable result.
"Even if I hadn't called you over, this culture of all-nighters would have slowly drifted to your schools.
"So, rather than letting others lead the way, it’s better for you to become the pioneers of your own schools."
Seeing the thoughtful expressions on the four, Jiang Lin continued:
"Furthermore, atmosphere is a very important thing. You see that our school has this kind of atmosphere; just by standing here, don't you feel an irrepressible urge to cultivate and learn?"
The four nodded in deep agreement.
When some of them had wanted to give up and go home to sleep halfway through, seeing that no one around them was leaving made them feel a sense of guilt—as if leaving meant they would fall behind, or that as top students, their willpower was inferior to that of ordinary students.
"So, I believe you already have a judgment in your hearts on how to choose.
"Besides, if you don't even have the confidence to maintain your first and second place ranks, are you worthy of your own talent?"
Hearing this, the four fell into deep thought.
Having finished persuading the four, Jiang Lin stood up, patted his butt, and went out to buy breakfast, while also planning to look for where that fellow Little Black had gone.
"I'm going back to school first."
"I'm going to buy some of those magic potions."
"I'll talk to my family again; I won't be going back for the next few days."
The four also stood up one after another and headed to their respective destinations.
...
Walking along the road, the time-management master Jiang Lin began to check his rewards from the joint exam.
Inside his spatial ring lay three pieces of magic gear: a spear, a longbow, and a shield.
Seeing these three items, Jiang Lin's face couldn't help but darken.
'I can't use a single one of these!'
He even felt as if the Temple had just taken some unwanted trash from their warehouse to use as rewards.
Magic gear grades could generally be divided into: common, uncommon, fine-grade, superior, rare, legendary, epic, and mythic.
As for whether there was anything higher, Jiang Lin didn't know.
Common magic gear usually cost within 10 silver coins, uncommon ones could reach about 1 gold coin, and fine-grade ones could go for over 10 gold coins.
So compared to the other rewards, magic gear really couldn't be considered high-value in this instance.
However, Jiang Lin's current weapon was primarily his 【Light Blade】, so it didn't really affect him.
If he had the chance, he could actually learn to use the spear and longbow to diversify his combat methods.
Additionally, there was the high-tier skill the grade director had given him—the high-tier light-attribute spell, 【Ring of Holy Healing】.
'This seems to be a support-type healing spell?'
Jiang Lin felt a bit of regret.
What he actually wanted right now was a defensive combat technique.
It seemed he would have to go to the Temple library to borrow one.
He also wondered what that high-tier combat technique in that old fellow Wills' house was.
He habitually crushed a few ants.
【Stamina】: 10000 → 11000
【Mental Power】: 8400 → 9400
【Random Skill Upgrade 32 → 33】
Jiang Lin began searching the places where Little Black might spawn.
"Little Black—Little Black—!"
Jiang Lin didn't shout out loud but instead released the mental waves he used to communicate with it. If it were nearby, it would be able to hear and respond.
Soon, while passing a dark alley, Jiang Lin received a response.
"Kid! Your Lord Lilith is over here!"
Jiang Lin turned his head and saw Little Black dash out from a dark corner.
Seeing that nothing was wrong with it, Jiang Lin felt relieved.
"Why didn't you come back? Your Pope has already taken first place in the three-school joint exam."
However, Little Black replied with a serious expression:
"Be careful. A group of cultists has infiltrated the vicinity of this city. I followed their scent to find them, but I was almost caught and used as a sacrificial item for a ritual!
"I barely managed to escape and scrubbed the scent from my body, so I don't dare go out as a lone cat right now!
"Don't you love reporting people? Hurry up and take me to report those evil cultists!"
Hearing this, Jiang Lin didn't immediately react.
'Isn't this fellow Little Black an evil god? Why is it so keen on helping the Temple boost its performance metrics?'
Rate on N.U.
