Starting with Proficiency Panel

"Thank you." Li Qing slightly bowed, "Mentor Zhuang Xu, I'll take my leave now."

"Mm."

Li Qing turned around to leave, and as he pushed open the library door, Zhuang Xu's ethereal voice reached him.

"One more thing, please return the borrowed books before the second class, otherwise you'll be watched~"

Li Qing's heart tightened, "I understand, thank you for the reminder."

After swiftly leaving the library and returning safely to the safe house, Li Qing finally let out a long sigh.

It was really too oppressive.

Although from his demeanor, Zhuang Xu seemed to be exuding great goodwill, only Li Qing, facing Zhuang Xu in person, knew what kind of pressure he was enduring at that moment.

The implication in the other party's gaze was entirely viewing him as an interesting toy.

A very intriguing look; at least in Li Qing's thirty years of life, he had never been gazed at in such a way.

As Li Qing calmed down, he understood it was because he lacked the strength, having just arrived, there was no other way but to adapt.

No amount of caution in such a bizarre place is too much.

As for why he wasn't qualified to just wander around inside the library, Li Qing wasn't curious. To him, all curiosity was based on strength; to venture without it could only result in trouble.

Buried in studying the "Level 0 Magic Encyclopaedia" in the safe house until the time with Gray was at its current limit, he reluctantly returned to the safe house with the magic books.

For several consecutive days, Li Qing immersed himself in studying the "Level 0 Magic Encyclopaedia," especially interested in the readable magic reading and the healing "Repairing Minor Injuries."

Even more pleasantly surprising was that "Repairing Minor Injuries" had a visible restorative effect on the body, healing small cuts visible to the naked eye.

Quite magical!

However, when it came to reading magic, a level 0 spell, Li Qing found it a bit difficult, as constructing its nodes required over a hundred steps, a complexity that surpassed many Second-Ring Magic spells.

It was really frustrating!

As Li Qing pondered, suddenly there was a 'bang' from outside the window, startling him. He turned his head to look outside and saw brilliant fireworks bursting open slowly in the sky.

What day is it today?

Li Qing instinctively checked the calendar – today was the twenty-ninth, and recently, Shu Capital had issued a policy reinstating the lifting of the fireworks ban for New Year's celebrations.

"It's almost New Year..."

BANG! POP!! POP POP!

Li Qing came to the window, watching the continuous ascent of fireworks, then exploding mid-air.

His expression was somewhat dark or perhaps already calm and serene, having spent more than a decade alone, he was used to this life.

Sometimes there was a feeling of sadness and loneliness, but more often, he enjoyed the solitude.

Dingdong!

His phone vibrated slightly. Li Qing took it out, and upon seeing the message content, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Chen Chencheng: Happy New Year!!

Li Qing: Happy New Year!

Chen Chencheng: Where are you planning to spend the New Year?

Li Qing absentmindedly swiped the screen and slowly replied: Planning to go to the supermarket to buy some New Year's goods.

After a while, a message came from Chen Chencheng: Alone?

Li Qing: Yes.

After waiting for a minute or two and confirming that Chen Chencheng didn't reply, Li Qing placed the phone aside, glanced at the "Level 0 Magic Encyclopaedia," hesitated for a moment, and decided to relax a bit, preparing to play a game he hadn't touched for several months.

He still chose his signature champion, the Blind Monk, but during an attempt at a flash-kick combo, he misdirected the enemy, which prompted complaints from his teammates.

Ren'ai Hospital's Attending Physician Shen: Blind Monk, are you blind? Even a chicken pecking at random on a keyboard would play better than you!

Li Qing furrowed his brow and replied without hesitation.

"My little mouth is coated with honey."

"Whoa! I love you!"

"I wish your family good health, Ollie give!"

"Your mom is very beautiful."

"I'm the plumber that works for your family."

"Your hands are as nimble as dancing butterflies!"

"I offer you my Ollie give to munch on..."

In the end, Li Qing stood in the fountain, releasing all his recent pressure in one go, until the game resulted in defeat.

After brushing off the friend request from the opponent with a delightful spirit, Li Qing prepared to lie down and continue practicing Meditation.

Meditation practiced daily and diligently allowed Li Qing to feel his Spiritual Power growth, which in turn boosted his Magic Power, gradually increasing the number of times he could cast magic daily.

At least, the "Mage's Hand," a Level 0 Magic, could now be maintained for eight hours before his Magic Power was depleted.

It was a nice improvement, but Li Qing felt his body seemed too frail.

He looked down at his two rib cages and felt a little dissatisfied.

He used to be neither too thin nor too fat, but the concentration of Magic Power had consumed a lot of his bodily energy.

He needed to find a place to exercise, preferably to learn some fighting skills, as the apprentice assessment two months later seemed quite dangerous. Otherwise, Rosenberg wouldn't have that look of expecting them all to meet their ends soon.

"Steel pot, tears shyly passing by..."

Li Qing glanced at his phone. It was a call from Chen Chencheng, and he answered it.

"Look out the window!" were Chen Chencheng's opening words.

Li Qing was taken aback, got up, and walked to the window, and saw Chen Chencheng waving at him.

"Wait for me a moment."

"Hurry up! I've never waited for a guy like this before!"

After hanging up the phone, Li Qing quickly got dressed and dashed down the stairs to stand in front of Chen Chencheng, somewhat surprised and slightly touched.

"What brings you here, in the middle of the night?"

At the same time, Li Qing noticed that this time, Chen Chencheng was dressed quite plainly, without a watch or necklace, just carrying a cute-looking small backpack.

Chen Chencheng raised her phone, showing some cracks on the screen.

"My phone broke, and since you're not too far away, I thought you could accompany me to buy a new one."

Seeing the hesitation on Li Qing's face, Chen Chencheng exclaimed, "You're not seriously considering rejecting a girl who actively seeks you out, are you?!"

"Not really, it's just that it's already eight in the evening, so close to the New Year, I'm afraid no phone stores will be open."

Li Qing was a bit helpless. He genuinely wanted to spend some time meditating; these days, he frequently chatted with Chen Chencheng on WeChat and got quite familiar over time.

Many times, even with panda eyes, Li Qing would receive messages from Chen Chencheng in the middle of the night, only recovering during breaks.

In the past few months, he had practically replaced sleep with Meditation, and after four hours of Meditation each time, not only was his spirit refreshed, but his mind felt increasingly agile.

"No way, Wanda Plaza nearby is bustling!"

"Uh, really?"

"Going or not?"

Li Qing cast a sidelong glance at Chen Chencheng, "Given your nature, you'd never act without a purpose unless there's a benefit. I'm very suspicious of your motives right now."