Kael patiently listened to the silence on the other end of the line, refraining from pressuring his mother.

  Moments later, his mother's quivering voice emerged, “Son... what did you just say?”

  “Mom, I've broken through to the Black Iron rank as a mage!” Kael enunciated clearly, repeating his momentous news.

  “You... you're not pulling my leg?!” Her tone was laced with profound disbelief.

  “Absolutely not!” Kael affirmed resolutely with a single, decisive word.

  “Ah!~”

  A jubilant scream escaped his mother's lips, the resounding sound reverberating through the phone.

  She sprang to her feet, her elation palpable and ineffable.

  Once the call ended, her fellow workers swarmed around, eager to inquire.

  “What on earth happened to make you this ecstatic?”

  A middle - aged woman seated beside Bai Xiaolan leaned in and probed.

  “Our Kael has become a Black Iron rank mage!!!” Bai Xiaolan exclaimed, her voice brimming with pride.

  “What!”

  “This is incredible!”

  “I always knew your Kael was an exceptionally bright kid! Sister Bai, you're in for a life of comfort from now on!”

  The workers gathered around, chattering animatedly and offering their warm congratulations.

  ...

  “What!!! You've broken through to the Black Iron rank?” Teacher Xia's startled cry echoed from the other end of the phone, his voice cracking with astonishment.

  “Yes, teacher. I was fortunate enough to achieve this breakthrough.”

  Upon his return to Blue Star, Kael promptly conveyed the news of his breakthrough to his teacher, Xia Yang.

  He was set to exchange for first - rank spells soon, as there was no way to conceal this achievement.

  To his surprise, scarcely had he sent the message when Teacher Xia's call came through.

  “Come to my office.”

  Subsequently, Kael made his way to Xia Yang's office.

  Xia Yang's gaze fixed on the young man before him.

  He had never anticipated that Kael would be the first in the class to ascend to the rank of a Black Iron mage.

  As for Dantai Yishuang, her case was different; she had already broken through prior to enrolling in the school.

  “Remarkable, truly remarkable!”

  Xia Yang repeated his praise several times in succession.

  “Come, let's take care of the registration first.”

  Xia Yang hadn't forgotten the crucial task at hand.

  On Blue Star, all professionals who attained the Black Iron rank were required to be registered.

  “I never expected you to be the first in the class to break through quietly.” After completing the registration process, Xia Yang remarked with a disbelieving smile.

  “I owe it all to your excellent teaching, teacher.” Kael responded with a smile.

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  “Now that you've advanced to a Black Iron mage, which type of spells do you plan to specialize in?”

  Xia Yang gestured for Kael to sit, brewed a cup of tea, and posed the question.

  “I intend to specialize in necromancy spells.” Kael accepted the proffered cup of tea.

  The realm of spellcaster spells was vast and complex.

  There were numerous major categories, such as Abjuration, Evocation, Divination, Enchantment, Transmutation, Illusion, Necromancy, and Conjuration.

  Essentially, the spells at a mage's disposal encapsulated the capabilities of all other professional classes.

  However, within these numerous spell factions, each was further subdivided into several sub - factions.

  Each sub - faction, in turn, encompassed a variety of spells, specializations, and metamagic techniques.

  Mastering all these demanded an inordinate amount of time and effort from spellcasters.

  In all likelihood, a spellcaster might spend their entire life delving deeply into the spells of just one particular faction, while merely attaining a basic understanding of the spells from other factions.

  Given the finite nature of a person's energy, specializing in the spells of a specific faction was, without a doubt, the optimal strategy for maximizing the benefits within the constraints of limited study resources.

  Kael's meditation technique was the “The Breath of Darkness Meditation Method”.

  The secret technique he employed to break through to the Black Iron rank was also of the necromancy variety.

  Consequently, continuing along the necromancy path was the most fitting choice for him.

  At best, he could utilize potential points to master some highly effective spells from other factions.

  “Hmmm, I've perused your records. Based on the assessment of your body's attribute inclinations, the necromancy faction does seem particularly suitable for you.”

  After hearing Kael's response, Xia Yang nodded in agreement.

  “Are you interested in becoming my junior apprentice?” Xia Yang inquired, looking at the student before him with evident satisfaction.

  “Junior apprentice? What do you mean, Teacher Xia?” Kael was understandably perplexed.

  “My mentor is Professor He Wenhan at the school. He's a Gold rank mage with a specialization in the necromancy faction. Originally, as his disciple, I was supposed to study necromancy spells.

  “However, later on, my bloodline awakened, and it became clear that studying evocation spells would offer greater prospects for development. To prevent my talent from going to waste, my teacher advised me to switch to evocation spells.

  “You possess good talent and are eager to delve deeper into the necromancy faction. Perhaps you'd be an ideal student for my teacher, and he's been seeking to recruit a few more talented students. It seems like a perfect match.”

  Xia Yang explained with a gentle smile.

  “If Professor He is amenable, I would be overjoyed.” Kael found it impossible to decline such an offer.

  “Very well. My teacher isn't on campus at the moment; he's in the Spirit Realm. When he returns next month, I'll take you to meet him and formally become his apprentice.” Xia Yang nodded contentedly upon seeing Kael's acceptance.

  Afterward, the two engaged in further conversation before Kael took his leave.

  Following Kael's departure, Xia Yang retrieved his phone, composed a message, and shared it in the class group.

  “Congratulations to Kael from Class 13, Grade 23 for achieving the rank of a Black Iron mage!”

  No sooner had this pinned message been sent than, within moments, the other classmates in the class began flooding the group with an array of congratulatory messages and emoticons.

  This seemingly simple announcement triggered a significant commotion within Class 13, Grade 23.

  In another class subgroup devoid of teacher supervision, messages cascaded in rapid succession.

  Wen Yinglang: @Kael?

  Shi Wenxuan: @Kael?

  Fang Lingqing: @Kael?

  ... Dantai Yishuang: @Kael?

  One classmate after another tagged Kael in the group, and the continuous beeping of new messages filled the air.

  Shi Wenxuan: “Kael, you're being sneaky. Didn't you claim to be ill and take a two - day leave? Turns out you were secretly off breaking through, huh?”

  Wen Yinglang: Holy cow, Kael is amazing!

  Fang Lingqing: Treat us to a meal! It's a must!

  Shi Wenxuan: You definitely have to treat us. Otherwise, this won't be settled! How could you deceive your classmates' feelings at such a young age!

  ...

  Kael: Let's meet at our usual spot tonight.

  Wen Yinglang: Great! I'm going to make you splurge today.

  Wu Dongling: Get ready to empty your pockets!!!

  Kael: @Dantai Yishuang, will the monitor be joining us?

  Dantai Yishuang: Okay

  Since the start of the semester, the other classmates in the class had organized several gatherings. However, the monitor, Dantai Yishuang, had always maintained a somewhat aloof demeanor and had yet to participate.

  Today, Kael extended a casual invitation, and to his surprise, she agreed.

  Subsequently, Kael held his updated student ID card, snapped a photo, and shared it on a social platform along with a caption.

  “It's been a month since I joined Tiannan University. Finally, through my own hard work, I've reached the Black Iron rank as a mage. A thousand - mile journey commences with a single step. I'll strive even harder in the days to come.”

  Acquiring wealth and honor but not returning home is akin to wearing luxurious attire in the dark.

  This presented an ideal opportunity to show off.

  Failing to seize this moment to impress his friends would be a colossal waste. Even fate would frown upon such a missed chance.

  Shortly after posting, the number of likes skyrocketed, and rows upon rows of congratulatory comments scrolled down the screen.

  Beep, beep, beep

  The phone also erupted in a flurry of non - stop ringing.

  They were all congratulatory calls from relatives, friends, classmates, and school teachers.