78: Chapter 78 Good News and Bad News

Half a month later, just as Ross was optimizing the potion refinement technique in the laboratory,

Professor Pulang, dressed in a black robe, handed him a copy of the eelius wizard journal featuring Ross's paper.

"Not bad, Ross. Your article has been rated A-. A very good result."

Professor Pulang's voice was as relaxed as if he had drunk an entire bottle of white wine.

If it were Professor Pulang's own article, naturally he wouldn't be so nervous, but as his Disciple, for Ross to achieve an A- rating on his very first published paper was already extremely good.

Just as he had learned previously from the half-elf scholar, if papers could be graded into S, A, B, C, and D levels,

generally a Wizard Apprentice's standard would not exceed A-grade, since the minimum requirement for an S-grade article was the level of an Official Wizard.

S-grade was the complete Domain of an Official Wizard, and no matter how outstanding Ross was, he could not reach S-grade.

Even A-grade was not so easy to obtain, just as there were strengths and weaknesses within the same grade.

A-grade was also categorized into "A+", "A", and "A-". For Ross to receive the unanimous recognition of three "Doctors of General Studies" and obtain an "A-" evaluation was already quite remarkable.

"A good result. The academy's evaluation of this paper is 'exceeding the standard of a Wizard Apprentice', 'a unique research perspective on Magical Botany symbiosis', and your paper has earned 45 academy points."

S-grade papers could generally obtain 100 academy points. Of course, this basically required an Official Wizard to conduct research in a certain aspect for a period of time to achieve, and Wizard Apprentices could basically forget about it.

A-grade papers were generally around 50 academy points. Just like Ross obtaining the "A-" grade this time, he received 45 academy points.

B-grade dropped to around 20 academy points; C-grade was 10 academy points; as for D-grade, it was basically used to make up numbers, and travelogues or insights written by some wizards only had a reward of 1 academy point.

Generally speaking, if a Wizard Apprentice submitted their own "Knight Breathing Technique" to the Wizard Academy, they could obtain a D-grade reward.

This also showed from another perspective the decline of knightly power and how its heights could not compare to wizards.

The "Gale Knight Breathing Technique" in Ross's hands could be submitted after all, which could at least exchange for 1 academy point, worth 20 magic stones.

But Ross's biggest harvest this time naturally went beyond these.

On the basis of the 45 academy points, the academy additionally rewarded 20 academy points as a reward for Ross's paper being rated as a "Cover Paper".

"Thank you for your support, Professor Pulang. All of this is inseparable from your guidance and help."

At this moment, Ross was also a bit dizzy from the surprise brought by these 65 academy points.

After recovering his wits, he also expressed gratitude to his mentor, Professor Pulang.

After all, for his own research to be rated "A-" and a "Cover Paper" was probably inseparable from the help of this senior Official Wizard.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have been stuck at the "A-" grade, a position that happened to be a critical threshold where it could be adjusted to B-grade or A-grade.

If not for Professor Pulang's recommendation letter and his communication with the dean, his research might have just stopped at the "A-" grade, but the honor and reward of the cover paper would probably have been very difficult to obtain.

"You're welcome, Ross. This is also for my evaluation. I haven't nurtured an outstanding Disciple in many years. If I don't step up my efforts, I'm afraid I won't be able to keep my position."

At this moment, looking at Ross's grateful figure, Professor Pulang responded quite honestly.

This finally resolved Ross's long-standing inner confusion: he was merely a Wizard Apprentice, and although his talent was good, why would an Official Wizard go so far out of their way for him?

Although in Professor Pulang's view he had only exerted some effort in publishing research, in Ross's view, whether it was these, the Advanced Plantation, or the use of various instruments in the laboratory,

and even the free use of some routine Materials, all of this was simply too blissful for a Wizard Apprentice.

Even though the overall atmosphere of the Elius Wizard Academy was still relatively peaceful, and while competition still existed, it wouldn't go so far as to make an Official Wizard do this.

Now everything became clear.

As it turned out, for Official Wizards, although the academy was not as strict as managing Wizard Apprentices, nor did it control elimination rates or set related evaluations,

the evaluations of Official Wizards themselves did not come solely from the academy.

Or rather, as a member of the 'Wizard World Civilization Council', the Official Wizards inside the Elius Wizard Academy also had different treatments and benefits.

If they were newly promoted Official Wizards, having just advanced to a First-Ring Wizard, they did not yet have sufficient seniority and standards to conduct in-depth research in their Domain.

The academy would not hand over important positions to them either. Wizard Ian, as Ross's responsible grade mentor, was just like a university counselor from the original world.

And Professor Pulang, as an official professor of the "Magical Botany" course, not only held a teaching position, but could also apply for a 2,000-mu Advanced Plantation as needed for research.

Of course, the academy only provided the site, and the maintenance of the related magical fields and so on was mainly paid for by the professor himself.

The construction of the laboratory and those alchemical cultivation utensils could basically apply for project funding from the academy.

But after obtaining convenience, Official Wizards also bore obligations.

Not to mention anything else, at least in cultivating outstanding Wizard Apprentices, there were quota requirements.

How could an Official Wizard fail to find outstanding students? For Professor Pulang, it shouldn't be a difficult matter.

"Alas, isn't it because as people get old they become useless? In recent years, the 'Wizard World Civilization Council' has been tightening positions within various factions. Even wizards who have already been rated as official professors must undergo evaluations based on seniority."

Amidst Professor Pulang's bitter complaints, Ross also learned the specific reason. This was inseparable from the rules formulated by the top-tier wizard powerhouses.

Originally, becoming an official professor of an Official Wizard faction like the Elius Wizard Academy was basically nearing the top of the title hierarchy.

According to past requirements, for Official Wizards, it wasn't much of a difficult matter.

But this change by the upper echelons caught many Official Wizards off guard.

In fact, let alone the evaluation standards in remote places like the Elius Wizard Academy.

In some Wizard Academies in the core area of the Wizard World, many official professors were forced to be demoted.

People with insufficient strength were even forced to leave the academy system they had operated locally for many years.

It is said to be a decision made jointly by the supreme powerhouses of the Wizard World to "discard the dross and select the essential" and "separate the wheat from the chaff".