110. Never Underestimate the Poor Middle-Aged - Respect for the Dead!
Magic Application Academy, First-Year Division, Classroom Four.
"We divide the application eras of magic into three phases: primitive magic, ancient magic, and modern magic. Up until the modern era—after the Crystal Tower Civilization's fourth magical industrial revolution—arcane technology began to be widely used, making significant contributions to our cosmic exploration technology (known in ancient texts as 'Astral Development'). The workshop system was established at that time."
Professor Ercole Evans, the lecturer for "Comprehensive History of Magic", was a small-eyed, bald-headed man of the Tower tribe. He often spoke in convoluted magical terms. Naturally, for the talented students present, this wasn't an issue, but as Li Aozi listened throughout the class, he just felt sleepy.
It wasn't that his [Intelligence] attribute wasn't high enough; Li Aozi could understand every word the professor said, but when put together, he simply couldn't learn this knowledge.
This was exactly the negative effect of being a [Echoe].
The literal description of the [Class Talent: Resonance]: Since the [Gravity] authority is stored within his mind, he cannot learn new extraordinary knowledge but can still understand the underlying theory.
The description was very misleading. What does it mean to "not learn but understand the theory"? If you already understand the theory, why can't it be considered learning?
As a player, this effect wasn't particularly noticeable, at most preventing him from leveling up by learning new skills.
But as a living person, Li Aozi now truly felt its impact.
Knowledge barely lingered in his mind. He could recite it, but he simply couldn't grasp the meaning—like trying endlessly to teach someone why "one plus one equals two" but never succeeding.
His logical path of understanding had been completely severed.
[I originally thought that not being able to learn meant it wouldn't display in the system, that I couldn't level up by spending experience, but I could still understand it myself. Now it seems, that wasn't it at all.]
Li Aozi's colonized head was entirely ornamental, without actual cognitive capabilities. This was a price he had paid for the early colonization—his entire body was made of thinking cells, with no such thing as a weak point.
In the past, this advantage made his Blood Demon flow more resilient than others, but when it came to academic production, it turned into a disadvantage.
Li Aozi glanced around.
The classmates around him listened attentively; some nodded continuously, their eyes revealing deep contemplation.
Damn, weren't they supposed to be wealthy second-generation heirs, corrupt bureaucrats with no ambition? Why are all these people working so hard?!
Spinning his pen, Li Aozi started zoning out.
He looked at his companions beside him: Hobbs occasionally jotted down key points, and Lucite, the armored species who looked more like a [Warrior] than a mage, had extremely organized notes with neat, legible handwriting.
[Damn it, is everyone here a top student except me, the real vocational school dropout...?]
Professor Ercole picked up his water cup, adjusted his tone, switched the holographic projection, and continued his lecture:
"...Ferapova once said: 'Weave a net with your hands, filter it in the sea of magic, and what you pull out is magic itself'—such was the framework of ancient magic. Now that we have a basic understanding of the history of ancient magic, a natural question arises: why were the ancients so foolish, relying on external forces rather than forging their own paths?"
Snap.
[Ah, the pen dropped.]
Li Aozi bent down to pick up the pen.
As soon as the professor's words landed, a question popped up on the whiteboards used by students, giving them only 15 seconds to answer. Hobbs and Lucite, who sat next to Li Aozi, immediately lowered their heads, wrote quickly, and submitted their correct answers.
"Very well, among the 266 students present, 265 submissions were received for this pop quiz. Only student ID number 027 did not submit."
Professor Ercole glanced at the magic projection, then raised his hand without hesitation, pointing straight at Li Aozi, who had just sat up straight:
"You there, tell us your name."
What was going on?
Li Aozi was confused—he had just bent down to pick up his pen.
Hobbs and Lucite tugged urgently at his sleeve, whispering:
'Hey, the professor's calling you.'
'What's he asking?'
'Your name, he's asking for your name!'
"Number 027!" the professor demanded loudly.
With everyone's eyes on him, Li Aozi, with his colonized head still wearing a confident smile, subconsciously stood up and replied:
"Reporting, sir. My name is Leoz."
"Good, Leoz. A very ordinary name."
Professor Ercole nodded, then turned to address the rest of the class:
"Let this be a warning, do not be as mediocre as student Leoz here. You are receiving the finest resources our civilization has to offer, and you should become the pillars of the nation and elites of the civilization."
Most of the students were courteous enough, and only a few sparse chuckles echoed through the room.
Li Aozi, utterly confused, sat back down. Lucite sighed:
"Well, this sucks. Poor classroom performance, credits -1. Not the best start."
"What did I do? I lose a credit just like that?"
"Because you picked up a pen." Hobbs patted Li Aozi's shoulder: "All classes here have random tests. If you answer correctly, you get a reward. If you get it wrong or space out, there's a penalty."
"Seriously, attending this school feels like being in prison."
Li Aozi muttered.
In his previous life, as a citizen of Yanxia, the education process was optional; robot tutors ensured everyone learned whatever they needed. If he ever wanted specialized technical skills, a simple information link would suffice. There were no unnecessary formalities like this.
And in games—who actually took classes seriously?
Wasn't everyone busy alt-tabbing to watch live streams or short videos?
Some students nearby overheard Li Aozi's grumbling. A student in the back row immediately burst out laughing, and Li Aozi heard someone whisper:
"Look at him—a complete hillbilly. Doesn't even know the basic rules."
"Probably just a small-town Tanas test-taker. Getting into this school must've been his peak."
"Couldn't even answer a freebie question. He should hurry up and find a workshop to charge some magic energy—that's all he's worth, an enchanter worker."
"Hey, you jerks—"
Seeing his friend being mocked, Lucite clenched his fist, his eyes, already reddish, turning completely red. He was ready to stand up when Hobbs quickly held him down:
"Shh! Class, class! Credits are important! Calm down, Lucite."
"But they insulted Leoz!"
"Ignore the cawing crows. Focus on our own stuff."
Li Aozi couldn't be bothered with the group. After calming Lucite down, he noticed many eyes on him.
[They're really treating me like a noob...]
His eyes scanned the classroom, quickly locking onto Diaran sitting in the front row—the girl was easily identifiable. The aura of "keep your distance" radiated from her, causing other students to avoid the four or five seats around her, forming a fan-shaped void like she was some sort of radiation source.
But even so, Li Aozi noticed some people casting malicious glances at the Dragon Titan, as if scheming something.
Being too strong or too weak made one a target.
However, none of this concerned Li Aozi. His issue was only temporary, and he had to be careful not to draw too much attention.
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