111: The path of a wizard is as difficult as ascending to heaven

Looking at Green's pained and wronged expression,

Mentor Jordan had known Green for over a decade and knew he was an honest person.

So he didn't dwell on it further.

“Then I’ll give you a lesson. Everything I’m about to discuss is top-secret information of the Academy. Do not disclose it to ordinary apprentices, especially those in the 20-year welfare period. You understand the confidentiality rules, right?”

“Understood, I understand…”

“Absolutely do not speak of secrets that should not be spoken;”

“Absolutely do not ask about secrets that should not be asked;”

“Absolutely do not look at secrets that should not be looked at;”

“Absolutely do not record secrets that should not be recorded…”

“Alright, good that you know.”

Mentor Jordan directly interrupted Green and continued his lecture:

“According to the Academy’s data from the past century…”

“Over the past hundred years, our Academy has recruited nearly 6,000 Wizard Apprentices through various channels. 42% have fifth-grade wizard aptitude, 41% have fourth-grade wizard aptitude, 17% have third-grade wizard aptitude, and only three have second-grade wizard aptitude. There haven't been any with first-grade aptitude.”

“Among them, 99.8% of students were able to advance to Low-level Wizard Apprentice, with only a few unlucky ones failing.”

“However, only 31.45% broke through the bottleneck from Low-level Wizard Apprentice to Intermediate Wizard Apprentice, totaling nearly 2,000 individuals.”

“From Intermediate Wizard Apprentice, those who broke through the bottleneck to become Advanced Wizard Apprentice, including you, number only 88, a probability of less than 5%.”

“Calculating the overall probability, 88 / 6000 = 1.47%. This means that for every hundred Wizard Apprentices, only one Advanced Wizard Apprentice emerges.”

“Consider this probability, Green. How incredibly difficult it is to break through to Advanced Wizard Apprentice.”

…“This isn’t just difficult; it’s as hard as ascending to the heavens.”

Hearing such detailed big data analysis, Green couldn't help but exclaim:

“If even becoming an Advanced Wizard Apprentice is this hard, how are people supposed to live?”

“Oh, right, Mentor Jordan.”

Green compared himself to the Black Wizard predecessors who transmigrated. They effortlessly obtained all sorts of resources, had Formal Wizards to guide them, and achieved Formal Wizard status in one or two decades.

Meanwhile, Green had been in the Wizard World of the Scales of Truth for 14 years and had only just become an Advanced Wizard Apprentice. The disparity was immense.

He hastily asked:

“I wanted to ask, since breaking through to Advanced Wizard Apprentice is so difficult, is it because our Academy’s teaching standards are relatively low?”

“Or perhaps our teaching methods aren’t very effective?”

“Or is it that our Wizard Academy lacks sufficient resources?”

…“Thump…”

“Thump…”

“Thump…”

Mentor Jordan raised a fist larger than a clay pot used for stewing pork ribs and delivered three resounding thumps to Green’s head, making his brain ring.

“Green, Green…”

“Sometimes, I really want to pry open your head and see how it’s put together!”

“Look at what you’re saying!”

“Our teaching standards aren’t enough?”

“Our teaching methods are wrong?”

“The resources we provide aren’t enough?”

“Have all these years of our painstaking efforts to cultivate you gone to the dogs?”

“The Academy has spent over a hundred thousand magic stones worth of resources on you. Did it all go to waste?”

…“Ah… Ah… Ah…”

“Teacher, please spare me! That’s not what I meant!”

Green dared not dodge and could only silently endure, letting Mentor Jordan vent his anger.

“Teacher, you’ve misunderstood. I wasn’t talking about myself.”

“I was talking about the Academy’s other apprentices.”

“My original intention was to find out where our Wizard Academy’s teaching standards rank within the entire Mist Coast.”

“I absolutely did not mean what you think, Teacher!”

“Hmph…”

Mentor Jordan understood Green’s explanation but was still seething.

“Green, from now on, if you can’t speak properly, speak less.”

“Or, just directly ask for the essence of the problem, without all the flowery language.”

“I’m afraid you’ll get beaten to death for saying the wrong thing someday.”

“Yes, yes, yes…”

“Teacher’s scolding is right. I won’t dare to do it again.”

“From now on, I will definitely learn my lesson, speak properly, and act properly.”

…“Green…”

“It’s not me boasting.”

“Our Wizard Academy’s teaching standards can rank among the top three of the dozens of large and small forces across the entire Mist Coast.”

“The breakthrough rate for Advanced Wizard Apprentices has been ranked second in the Seven Towers Alliance for twenty consecutive years.”

“You must know that our Wizard Academy has only a little over 130 years of history, making it the Wizard Academy with the shortest history and shallowest foundation in the entire Seven Towers Alliance.”

“The one ranked first is the Radiant Fire Wizard Academy, which possesses an independent small resource secret realm and boasts over a thousand years of heritage.”

“The one ranked second is the Blood Bone Forest Black Wizard Pirate Group, the longest-existing and most brutal among the Black Wizard pirates. They have mastered a blood sacrifice secret art that allows them to sacrifice others to achieve their own goals.”

“And third is us. Our Wizard Academy follows the orthodox Elemental Wizard path and is the Wizard Academy with the best teaching quality and atmosphere. Over 80% of the Academy’s annual income is invested into the teaching and cultivation of apprentices.”

“This proportion of resource investment is the highest in the entire Mist Coast Wizarding World.”

…“For geniuses, we provide even greater support.”

“Just like you, Green.”

“You are on the path of a combat genius. The moment you became a Bio-armor Experimenter, you were already placed on the Academy’s top genius cultivation list.”

“Over these past three years, the Academy has poured all its resources into helping you grow.”

“Let me break down the costs for you.”

“A top-tier Bio-armor logistics support team alone must cost over 1,000 magic stones per month in salaries, right?”

“Plus, Bio-armor damage repair, major overhauls, and maintenance—each time costs hundreds or even thousands of magic stones. Think about it, over these three years, your armor must have been repaired countless times, big and small, no less than a hundred times.”

“A top-tier combat squad—the Devil Squad—plus me, and your spell combat system construction mentor—Mentor Elfast. So many people helping you perfect your combat system and acting as sparring partners.”

“The labor costs and material consumption involved are immense.”

“Take this Maze Swamp trial, for example. The expenses just for constructing the spell traps and capturing the two Black Wizards on the Black List bounty already amounted to tens of thousands of magic stones.”

“Green, use your thick head and think carefully.”

“Are these magic stones, these resources, enough?”

“Are they, e—n—o—u—g—h—?”

“Thump…”

“Thump…”

“Thump…”