Starting with Proficiency Panel

"Li Qing, do you want to go see a movie this weekend? I found a really good horror film called Zhenzi vs. Gourd Kids. I've heard it's been getting great reviews lately! I really want to watch it, but I'm too scared to go alone. Would you accompany me? Please?"

"Sorry, I have to play Luke this weekend, so I can't go."

Li Qing, with a face full of gloom, looked at the 'smile' emoji sent by the woman he had marked with a red heart on his phone.

He couldn't figure out where he went wrong, and why she replied with a 'smile' emoji that seemed like a death sentence, when he was clearly handling important business, working hard to save for a down payment.

He actually really liked this woman, even though she was three years older than him... But as the saying goes, a woman three years older is like holding a gold brick.

"Sigh!"

He sighed deeply, then silently opened his phone's browser, skillfully accessing a certain website, and picked up a tissue from nearby...

to wipe the oil stain from the corner of his mouth.

He looked at the blood-pumping video clips on the small platform on his phone, sighed a long breath of qi silently once more.

Today was his thirtieth birthday, and people always say life begins at thirty, but when he looked at himself today, it was just thirty.

The somewhat messy rental room had a table next to it with leftovers from takeout, old posters stuck to the walls, clothes scattered about, and a computer monitor still glowing, playing a livestream from some platform.

This was the typical house of a single man, messy but with a certain order in the chaos, and Li Qing knew every item by heart.

He glanced back at the live content on the computer and touched his face.

"I don't look too bad; why can't I find a girlfriend even now? It's really..."

It's truly been tough; from a young age, Li Qing's entire being only conveyed two words.

Mediocrity!

Despite having a fair and delicate appearance, looking somewhat bookish, which should have been a bonus, and although many friends introduced him to prospects, any initial goodwill would vanish as soon as they started talking.

Not a shred left.

Li Qing was troubled by this. He had asked many female friends for advice, inquired, and even simulated scenarios.

The final unanimous conclusion was that Li Qing's way of speaking was wrong. In other words, he was tougher than steel, comparable to the latest super-hard alloy.

His words could kill invisibly, with the damage to women reaching a max level.

So much so that those helpful female friends refrained from talking to Li Qing for three days after simulating conversation scenes with him.

Thinking about this made Li Qing very troubled. He wanted to take some practical steps, but he was an utter mess in execution, full of random disasters.

As he thought of this, just as he was getting up to again deal with a few bites of the takeout, his phone suddenly vibrated.

Li Qing paused his actions, looked at the incoming call display with some suspicion. Who would call this late at night? Could someone have remembered his birthday?

No, no, that couldn't be it. His parents had gone missing when he was fourteen, never to be heard from again, leaving him to always live on his own. To make his life in this mega-metropolis a bit more spacious, he rented out his own place and then rented a single room for himself.

Apart from that, no one should know that today was his thirtieth birthday.

Maybe it's work-related stuff.

With a tinge of helplessness, he answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Zzz..."

Hearing the electrical noise on the other end of the phone, Li Qing frowned slightly and was about to hang up when a male voice suddenly came through.

"Hello, hello, is this Mr. Li Qing?"

Hearing the playful yet large chuckle in the other party's voice, Li Qing guessed it was probably someone's prank.

Li Qing responded calmly, "Yes, it's me, who are you?"

"Oh, well congratulations! You are truly the luckiest person in the world, you know... Oh, oh, first let me wish you a happy thirtieth birthday, and also happy thirtieth anniversary of being single, hahaha..."

At this stage, the male voice couldn't help but laugh, sounding a bit like he was breaking character.

This put Li Qing in a bad mood: "You think my thirty years of being single is something worth laughing at?"

"No, no, no, I was just thinking of something happy."

"What thing?"

"My wife had a baby..."

Li Qing couldn't hold back: "Do you think I haven't watched any movies? Please don't bring these stale jokes into your speech. People shouldn't be so excessive. I advise you to mind your own business!"

Just as he was about to hang up, the other party quickly said, "Wait... I haven't finished. This is a call that will change your life. Won't you take the time to listen?"

Li Qing hesitated for a moment, eventually suppressing his irritation and said, "Go on."

The other party cleared his throat twice, introduced himself, "My name is Zhuang Xu, I am an admissions tutor from Gray Magic Academy. Congratulations on qualifying and being successfully admitted to our school... Um, I believe the admission notice will soon be sent to your address..."

"... What the hell, Magic Academy?"

Li Qing was a bit confused, even pranking should have some normal things, right? What kind of nonsense is this for heaven's sake.

Upon hearing this, Li Qing actually became interested; this was his first time getting a scam call like this.

"Why don't you tell me on what basis I qualified to enter this Magic School?"

Zhuang Xu's voice suddenly became deep and profound: "Have you ever heard a legend, that if a man can remain pure until the age of thirty, he can become a mage and use magic?"

Li Qing was stunned: "Wha... What the hell?"

"It's true, if a man reaches thirty and is still single, he can transition to a mage and learn various magics. Trust me, this is your life's turning point, don't waste it..."

Click!

Li Qing hung up the phone expressionlessly. This lunatic, who knows where he got his number, to specifically call and amuse himself on this day.

Tap tap tap!

Li Qing was slightly startled, turned his head towards the window, shuddered, and saw a shadow standing on the window ledge, a pair of glowing green eyes eerily staring at him.

The head bobbing, making a 'tap tap tap' sound.

An eerie and frightening atmosphere suddenly settled in his heart, making his scalp tingle all over, his legs weak and almost unable to stand.

Gulp!

Li Qing swallowed hard, stood there stiffly for about thirty seconds, saw that thing make no movements, only then forced himself to muster the courage to move step by step towards it.

When he got closer and took a look, Li Qing finally let out a breath and cursed: "Scared me to death!"

It was an owl, but this owl was covered in pitch-black feathers, without a trace of variegation, and the pair of eyes were extremely human-like, like two black gems with a contemptuous gaze piercingly staring at him.