Pei Ze gazed dispassionately at Qishan's wretched state.
'If you dare use me as a scapegoat, you should be prepared for payback.'
As if sensing Pei Ze's thoughts, Qishan's eyes shot wide open. He gasped hoarsely a few times, then his head lolled to the side, and he breathed no more.
Pei Ze shook his head and turned to walk toward the two Wizards.
As he got closer, their conversation reached his ears.
"...The demonic aura isn't very strong. He probably took the potion less than a month ago."
"They actually dared to meddle with the academy. It seems those guys need to be dealt with."
Seeing Pei Ze approach, Mo Weng and the short, stout Wizard stopped their conversation and turned to look at him.
"Lord, the magic model has been transferred." Pei Ze presented the Memory Crystal Ball with both hands.
Mo Weng nodded slightly. With a flick of his finger, the Memory Crystal Ball floated into his sleeve and disappeared.
"Teacher."
A familiar voice suddenly rang out.
Pei Ze followed the voice and saw Yin Xue rushing over. She first looked at the horned monster's corpse with a solemn expression, then respectfully said to Mo Weng, "Teacher, I have already notified the Law Enforcement Team to handle it."
She then bowed slightly to the short, stout Wizard and said with a smile, "Lord Gu Yi, it's been a while. I heard from my teacher—congratulations on your promotion to Level 3 Wizard!"
The short, stout Wizard laughed heartily and waved his hand. "I'm still far behind your teacher."
'Teacher?'
Pei Ze blinked, a little surprised.
In the academy, Wizard Apprentices generally addressed Official Wizards as "Lord" or "Teacher [Name]." Only Direct Disciples had the right to address them simply as "Teacher."
'Yin Xue actually has an Official Wizard as her teacher!'
'This was an incredible honor in the academy!'
Official Wizards were known to be profit-oriented, highly pragmatic beings. They rarely wasted time guiding apprentices for free, let alone taking on disciples.
—unless they encountered a Wizard Apprentice of exceptionally outstanding talent!
Therefore, every apprentice in the academy taken on as a Direct Disciple by an Official Wizard was, without exception, a prodigious talent, a budding Wizard of immense potential.
Barring any accidents, their advancement to Wizard was practically guaranteed.
Pei Ze hadn't expected that Senior Yin Xue, who seemed so gentle and mild-tempered, was actually a top-tier genius.
'Wait!'
Pei Ze suddenly remembered that the owner of Medicine Garden No. 8 was apparently named Mo Weng.
'In that case, Senior Yin Xue's teacher isn't just an Official Wizard, but also an Alchemist.'
Pei Ze couldn't help but marvel.
'The disciple of a Wizard who is also an Alchemist... Senior Yin Xue must be a prominent figure among the third-years.'
Mo Weng and Gu Yi didn't stay long. After giving Yin Xue a few instructions, they turned and left.
After watching them leave, Yin Xue turned to Pei Ze and looked him up and down, as if seeing him for the first time.
"Junior, you really surprised me. I never thought you'd be able to deal with a Demonized on your own!"
Yin Xue's gaze was filled with unconcealed surprise and admiration as she looked at Pei Ze.
Even a newly transformed Demonized possessed a physique and strength comparable to a Middle Knight.
A First-level Wizard Apprentice killing a Demonized in a direct confrontation—Yin Xue would never have believed it possible before.
"It was just a fluke," Pei Ze said modestly.
'If the Demonized hadn't already been injured by a Burning Hand, I really might not have been able to finish it off.'
However, Yin Xue didn't see it that way.
Regardless, being able to kill a Demonized was proof enough of Pei Ze's strength.
She hadn't been wrong about him. This junior was truly outstanding, not much inferior to the top geniuses of the first year like Pei Shaoqi, Yin Guang, and Gu Lin.
"By dealing with the Demonized this time, you've helped the academy and prevented more casualties. The academy should reward you with contribution points afterward," Yin Xue said with a smile.
Pei Ze's face lit up at her words.
'Looks like I've got another windfall!'
But he quickly composed himself, suppressing his joy, and asked Yin Xue, "Senior, what exactly is a Demonized?"
At this question, Yin Xue's expression turned slightly grave. "Have you heard of the heretical cults?"
Pei Ze nodded.
In the Wizards' campaigns to conquer other planes, they had encountered many powerful adversaries.
Among these adversaries were the Gods Plane, where Divine Spirits reigned from their thrones, shepherding billions of followers, and the Demon Abyss Plane, a place of wailing souls and rampant demons.
During the long wars, these hostile Alien Gods and Demon Monarchs gradually extended their tentacles into the Wizard World, using power as bait to lure many people into becoming their believers and minions.
The organizations these people established in the shadows came to be known as the heretical cults.
In their quest for greater power from the Alien Gods or Demon Monarchs they worshiped, these heretics would periodically orchestrate vicious events like blood sacrifices, becoming an endless nuisance for the Wizards.
In any Wizard City, the heretical cults were universally despised and hunted.
"Recently, a mysterious potion has begun circulating in the Outer City's black market. Taking it can greatly enhance one's physique and Spiritual Power. The sellers call it 'God's Gift Potion,'" Yin Xue explained, her expression turning somber.
"However, according to our investigation, this potion is actually a serum extracted from the blood of some kind of High-Tier Demon. While long-term use can improve one's physique and Spiritual Power, it easily leads to mutation, causing one to devolve into an irrational monster that craves flesh and blood."
"Wizards call this potion the Demonization Potion!"
Pei Ze looked at the Demonized—or rather, Xu Yunfeng's corpse.
He suddenly recalled what Yuan Wanjun had said that day: Xu Yunfeng, whose Meditation progress had been lagging far behind, had managed to make a breakthrough in just half a month, constructing a Will Rune and advancing to Wizard Apprentice all at once.
'Thinking back now, it must have all been thanks to the "merits" of the Demonization Potion!'
"The Demonization Potion comes from the Hand of Deep Resentment," Yin Xue said. "By targeting the academy's Wizard Apprentices this time, those heretics will inevitably infuriate the academy's upper echelons. I expect the academy will soon retaliate against the Hand of Deep Resentment."
Yin Xue looked at Pei Ze and said softly, "Junior, the heretics have been growing more and more rampant lately. You should be careful, too."
"I will," Pei Ze said, nodding gravely.
A short while later, the Law Enforcement Team arrived and began to secure the scene.
Seeing this, Yin Xue and Pei Ze didn't linger and returned to Medicine Garden No. 8 together.
After completing his routine task of tending to the plants, Pei Ze returned to his apartment.
On the way, he couldn't help but fall into deep thought as he recalled the day's events.
He had heard plenty about the heretical cults before, but it had never felt real to him.
It wasn't until he had personally faced a Demonized today that he truly realized danger was lurking right beside him.
Unlike the mine riots and slave rebellions—things that were just headlines in the papers, distant from his own life—heretics could be hiding in any corner, ready to jump out and stab you in the back at any moment.
'This world isn't as safe as I thought.'
'Without enough strength, I could lose my life at any time.'
'Just like today. If I hadn't mastered that modified magic, I would have ended up a cold corpse, just like Qishan.'
Pei Ze subconsciously touched the Spiritual Spring Potion in his pocket and quickened his pace home without realizing it.
Never before had he craved strength as much as he did in this moment!