As Shao Hong finished speaking, the others also turned to look at Pei Ze with curiosity.
Within the Star Spirit Society, Pei Ze was arguably the most mysterious and intriguing person.
His aptitude had previously been considered mediocre at best. Yet, ever since his promotion to First-level Wizard Apprentice, his power had advanced by leaps and bounds. He had even surpassed Shao Hong, who was ranked second in their class, constructing his third Will Rune faster than him.
Now that more than half a month had passed, just how much stronger had he become?
Had he constructed his fifth Will Rune? Or perhaps his sixth?
Pei Ze smiled and was about to speak when a sudden voice interrupted him.
"Pei Ze!"
More than ten meters away, a male apprentice was walking menacingly toward them.
Shao Hong frowned. "It's Qi Meng."
"You know him?" Pei Ze turned to look at Shao Hong.
"Qi Meng is from Class Eight. He and Qishan from our class are twin brothers. The two of them usually trail behind Pei Shaoqi."
A trace of confusion appeared in Shao Hong's eyes.
Anyone could see that Qi Meng was looking for trouble. What puzzled him, however, was what sort of dealings Qi Meng could possibly have with Pei Ze.
Hearing the name Pei Shaoqi, Pei Ze raised an eyebrow slightly.
In his memories, he and this individual had quite a bit of 'history'.
'As for Qi Meng,' he thought, 'he's undoubtedly here because of Qishan.'
Sure enough, as soon as Qi Meng was close, he blurted out:
"Pei Ze, you owe me an explanation for what happened to my brother!"
Pei Ze was completely unfazed. "Oh?" he said coolly. "And what explanation do I owe you?"
Qi Meng glared at him, seething through gritted teeth, "You got my brother killed, and you think you can just brush it aside?"
At these words, Shao Hong, Yuan Wanjun, and the others all gasped in astonishment.
'Pei Ze killed Qishan?'
'What happened?'
"Qishan tried to use me as a scapegoat to escape. I fought back, and he ended up being killed by the Demonized. He brought it entirely upon himself!"
Pei Ze sneered, his gaze as sharp as a sword.
"The Law Enforcement Team has already made this crystal clear!"
"What, are you dissatisfied with the Law Enforcement Team's findings? Why don't you go demand an explanation from them?"
"You..."
Qi Meng instinctively averted his gaze from Pei Ze's piercing stare. When he realized what he'd done, he flew into a rage and glared viciously at Pei Ze, looking as if he wanted to eat him alive.
By this point, Shao Hong and the others finally understood what had happened. They all turned to look at Pei Ze with utter shock.
News of the Demonized incident had long since spread throughout the entire academy.
They had, of course, heard about it and knew that two unlucky apprentices had died at the hands of the Demonized. They just never imagined one of them was Qishan.
What they expected even less, however, was that the First-level Wizard Apprentice rumored to have slain the Demonized was none other than Pei Ze, standing right before them!
That was a Demonized!
At minimum, they had the strength of a Middle Knight!
'For Pei Ze to be able to kill a Demonized head-on, just how powerful must he be?'
For a moment, Shao Hong's mind went blank.
To think he had just been wondering if he could catch up to Pei Ze. The very idea was a joke now.
To be able to kill a Demonized, Pei Ze must have already constructed six Will Runes, reaching the peak of a First-level Wizard Apprentice.
He had been left far, far behind.
Just as the standoff reached a stalemate, a person walked out of the logistics department building.
It was the slim apprentice who had retrieved the Demon Pet Contract Scroll for Pei Ze earlier.
His eyes swept over the crowd, and he frowned. "What are you all doing gathered here? Don't you know making a commotion is forbidden? Clear out!"
Qi Meng glanced at the slim apprentice, saw he was just a Wizard Apprentice, and paid him no mind. He pointed a finger at Pei Ze's nose and said coldly, "Pei Ze, do you dare fight me in the Dueling Arena?!"
Shao Hong, who had snapped out of his daze, was startled by this. He quickly leaned in and whispered to Pei Ze, "Don't fall for his taunt. Qi Meng has several powerful Magic spells. They're said to be weakened One-Ring Spells created by the Qi Family's Wizards specifically for their family's apprentices. They're much stronger than ordinary Zero-Circle Magic. Plus, he himself is a peak First-level Wizard Apprentice. He's very strong!"
Pei Ze's eyes narrowed slightly.
'Weakened One-Ring Spells?'
'I wonder how they compare to my modified Magic?'
In Qi Meng's eyes, Pei Ze's contemplation was a sign of fear. He sneered contemptuously, "If you're scared, then obediently admit your mistake and offer compensation. Maybe then I'll consider forgiving you!"
As soon as he said this, the way the crowd looked at Qi Meng changed, their expressions filled with undisguised contempt.
They had thought he was here to seek justice for his brother, but it turned out he was just here to extort someone!
But on second thought, it made sense. The Law Enforcement Team had already ruled on Qishan's death, which meant he had indeed brought it upon himself. Even the Qi Family couldn't trouble Pei Ze over this—at least not openly!
Qi Meng must have known this.
The only reason he would still come after Pei Ze was likely because he thought him an easy target, a chance to squeeze out some resources.
"Qi Meng, stop causing trouble!" Shao Hong said with a frown. "The Law Enforcement Team has already closed the case. If you have a problem with it, take it up with them. Don't harass Pei Ze here!"
Qi Meng shot Shao Hong a sideways glance and snorted. "Shao Hong, I suggest you mind your own business. Or what, you want to take Pei Ze's place and fight me in the Dueling Arena?"
Shao Hong's expression faltered.
Qi Meng was notoriously strong among the first-years. Besides the few Second-level Wizard Apprentices, no one could guarantee a win against him.
Just then, a scoff came from the side.
The slim apprentice, annoyed at being ignored by Qi Meng, eyed him scornfully. "How amusing. This is the first time I've ever seen a First-level Wizard Apprentice challenge a Second-level Wizard Apprentice to a duel. I can't tell if you're bold or just stupid!"
Qi Meng froze.
The members of the Star Spirit Society also stood stunned.
It took a long moment for Shao Hong to process the meaning of those words. He whipped his head around to face Pei Ze and stammered, "Y-You... you've been promoted to Second-level Wizard Apprentice?"
"Just got promoted yesterday," Pei Ze admitted calmly.
Hearing this, Shao Hong's eyes went wide with astonishment.
Yuan Wanjun, Guan Ling, and the others were also dumbfounded, their mouths hanging open, unable to speak.
They had guessed Pei Ze's progress over the last half-month must have been significant, but they never imagined he would actually be promoted to Second-level Wizard Apprentice!
Meanwhile, Qi Meng was equally dumbfounded, his eyes filled with disbelief.
'How is that possible?'
'Just two days ago, he was still a First-level Wizard Apprentice. How could he suddenly become a Second-level Wizard Apprentice?'
As he stood there dazed, he saw Pei Ze looking over at him with a half-smile.
"Weren't you the one who wanted a duel? Fine. I accept."
Qi Meng's face instantly flushed a deep, purplish red.
The gap between a First-level and a Second-level Wizard Apprentice was enormous.
Based on the ability to manipulate Energy Particles alone, a First-level Wizard Apprentice stood no chance against a Second-level one.
No matter how confident he was, he wasn't arrogant enough to think he could defeat a Second-level Wizard Apprentice.
If he really dueled Pei Ze, he would undoubtedly be crushed and utterly humiliated.
The confident words he had spoken just moments ago now felt like a harsh slap to his own face. The irony was palpable.
The others now all wore incredibly strange expressions.
Guan Ling pressed her lips together tightly, trying to hold it in, but finally let out a snort of laughter.
Qi Meng's expression instantly turned ugly. Unable to bear it any longer, he turned and scurried away in disgrace.
Only after he was a good distance away did the crowd finally stop holding back and burst into laughter.
"What a clown," the slim apprentice muttered with a disdainful curl of his lip. His expression then shifted as he gave Pei Ze a gentle nod before leaving.
He wouldn't dare be disrespectful to a genius who was held in high regard by even the director.
Once the slim apprentice left, the members of the Star Spirit Society immediately swarmed around Pei Ze, their faces a mixture of envy and admiration.
"Pei Ze, when were you promoted?"
"That's way too fast! I only just finished constructing my third rune not long ago!"
"That's incredible!"
Currently, there were only eight known people in the entire first year who had been promoted to Second-level Wizard Apprentice. And now, Pei Ze had been added to that list.
For someone to become a Second-level Wizard Apprentice at this stage, promotion to a full-fledged Wizard in the future was practically a certainty, barring any accidents.
How could anyone not be exceptionally envious?
Watching Pei Ze being surrounded like the moon amidst the stars, Shao Hong sighed inwardly with a complicated expression.
If before he had harbored any thoughts of competing with Pei Ze, he now had none at all.
A gap of a single Will Rune was something he still had the confidence to chase.
But the gap of an entire level was enough to make one despair.
It was simply impossible to catch up!