Chapter 1079-1083

Chapter 1079 – The Fat Manager's Attention

As soon as the middle-aged man heard the fat manager, he also couldn't help but sigh, "Manager, this is because your heart is just too soft. If you let our members get eliminated, then the Bone Symbol Camp wouldn't decline."

The middle-aged man knew the fat manager's temperament fully well. One shouldn’t look at the manager's ugly and ferocious face. Contrary to what he looks like, the fat manager was actually a tenderhearted person. Moreover, he was friendly to all of his subordinates. It was also because of this that the middle-aged man dared to talk like this to the manager.

The fat manager looked at the middle-aged man's eyes and sighed, "Tao Wang, you don't understand. Our Ashley family is one of the top forces in the Church Alliance, this also means that the pressure on us is huge.There are a lot of talents and we aren't really sure who and what abilities they have. Because of this, there are some talents in the family that wouldn't be able to play to their own strength. If they did, then they would provide huge help for the family."

"At this point, the family only looks for people who can fight. No matter who it is, as long as they are taken in, they would be sent to the outer hall in order to undergo a smelting trial inside the camps. A lot of people die during this time because they aren't good at fighting. Talented people dying an undeserved death is truly a waste."

"This is especially true for the lower realm ascenders. All of them are surely geniuses of their generation. And when they arrive in the Machine Field, they are treated with great importance. The ones most attracted to this attention are the young men. They ascended from the lower realms at a young age, so each one of them are arrogant. But there would only be a few of them who would integrate with the Machine Field and fully mature. And as for those older ascendants, they aren't looked at with the same level of importance. Nobody wanted them. But they are also from the lower realms, so their talents are pretty good as well. Additionally, they have practiced for a long time, so they are experienced when it comes to fights. If we give them enough time, then their achievements would be higher than those young ascenders. It is just a pity that nobody sees this point right now."

"This method of elimination might truly unearth talents, but the yields are too low. I remember someone mentioning this saying before, 'a silly servant is useful, but a good servant is rare.' But not many people remember this saying. All of them are just anxious in looking for benefits. They aren't thinking far into the future!"

Despite his looks, the fat manager considers this matter differently compared to the other people. His word indicated how tenderhearted he was. He was much better compared to those who just look at weak people as prey.

Tao Wang looked at the fat manager and said, "Manager, so what do we do about Zhao Hai now?"

The fat manager thought about it for a moment before he said, "We won't monitor him too much. Look for an opportunity to remove his robot's internal surveillance system. We should get on good terms with a person like that. In order to avoid any mishaps in the future, we'll stop spying on him. Let's just observe his character from now on."

Tao Wang nodded, "Alright, Manager can rest assured. I know what to do."

The fat manager nodded, "Go, make sure to observe Zhao Hai's actions. If there are other people who come in contact with Zhao Hai, don't be polite to them. Make sure that they don't get control over our ascendants."

Tao Wang nodded. Then he said, "Manager, what if Zhao Hai is challenged inside the school? There are those who've almost done one year. Those guys have entered other camps. I'm afraid they would be instigated to challenge Zhao Hai."

The fat manager sighed, "Looking at his actions, I reckon Zhao Hai isn't a simple character. If he is unable to survive a challenge like that, then he wouldn't be a huge help even if he enters our camp. And don't forget that challenges in the academy only goes through if the challenged party accepts. We can see Zhao Hai's character from this point. Right, also look for opportunities to recruit those old mages from the advanced classes."

Tao Wang nodded before he turned around and leaving. The fat manager opened the video once more, after looking at Zhao Hai for some time, he muttered, "He's really a talented person. I hope that he'll become a blessing to my Bone Symbol Camp."

Even if the other forces were aware of Zhao Hai, they couldn't do anything. After all, this was the Ashley Family's domain. The Ashely family wasn't a group that could be underestimated. Although they weren't a top force in the Machine Field, the power they held wasn't small. Just for a single ascender, offending a force like the Ashley Family wasn't worth it at all. Additionally, each influence had their own training academies. They had no shortage of geniuses like Zhao Hai.

However, the other camps of the Ashley family don't have the same mindset. The Bone Symbol Camp might be powerful in the past, but now it was in decline. And now that there was a talent appearing in the Bone Symbol Camp's area, how could these people let him off? These people would certainly make a move.

Although Zhao Hai knew that he would be getting attention, he was unaware of how big the focus on him was. In his mind, he was just an ordinary ascendant. How could he cause waves in the Machine Field?

But how could Zhao Hai know that he was already attracting attention the moment he entered room 2046? The matters he did from them on were brought into the attention of many powers.

After eating his meal with the Old Mages, Zhao Hai returned to his room. Then he entered the study and had Tinkle teach him how to use the computer.

The computer here was much more advanced than the ones on Earth. Although the computer itself was also placed on top of the table. But when it was used, it would retract into the table, allowing the use of the entire table as a workspace. One could directly use their hand in order to explore the computer. There were voice commands as well.

Naturally, this computer was better than the one Zhao Hai used before. And in order to improve the user experience, the table can also be moved up, allowing the user to stand up. It was manufactured in order to provide convenience to its users.

Zhao Hai didn't feel strange as he used the computer. Although there were a lot of changes on it, the core principle was still the same. It didn't take long before Zhao Hai was confident in using it.

Before long, Zhao Hai was using the computer. After that, he entered a few websites and read news from there.

There was no need to say whether Zhao Hai was able to understand the interface of these news sites. Zhao Hai absorbed news about the Machine Field nonstop. It was only until late at night that he began to sleep. But with his current level, there simply was no need for him to sleep. He just rested because of habit. It didn't take long before Tinkle woke him up.

Zhao Hai arranged for Tinkle to wake him up every 7 o'clock in the morning. After he woke up, Zhao Hai would clean himself before sitting in the study and drinking two cups of tea. Then after reading for a while, he would proceed to the cafeteria to have a meal. After his breakfast, he would then go towards the classroom.

Zhao Hai already asked Tinkle and knew that there was no time limit in the cafeteria. You can eat whenever you want. Even if you ate at ten, the robots would still serve the same meal to you.

He was already done with scouring the net for news. So after he washed up, Zhao Hai sat in the study room and drank tea while reading a book. There were a lot of books inside the study. Some of these books were introductions about the six powers, some were history books, and there were also books about ascending to the Machine Field. Understanding these things was very important for Zhao Hai.

At about 8 o'clock, Zhao Hai put his book down and then went to the first classroom floor cafeteria alongside Tinkle. The Old Mages were also eating inside. Ever since meeting Zhao Hai yesterday, the Old Mages began to look into their own situations. In addition to their advantage in age compared to the young ones, they were also aware of their advantage in wisdom. At the same time, they also recognized that they too were peak experts in their own generations. They were demoralized in the past because they had just arrived at a strange place that wasn't in their expectations. Now that they looked into themselves, they began to feel better. Their relationship with each other had improved as well.

In the past, when they woke up in the morning, they would just hole up in their rooms reading. Then they would go to the cafeteria to silently eat their meals before heading to class. Most of the time, they wouldn't talk to one another.

But today was different. The cafeteria had become a small meeting place. These old people were now chatting as they ate their food. Even those who finished eating stayed around as they drank tea.

This tea was also one of the academy's free services. Everyone in the room had their pipes, releasing smoke from their nose as they took sips from their teacup. It was just a pity that there was no liquor.

After seeing Zhao Hai arrive, the old men immediately offered him a seat. Zhao Hai returned their greetings before sitting down. Tinkle would get his meal from the kitchen so there was no need to worry about that.

After Zhao Hai sat down, Dins looked at him and said, "Little Hai, have you used the computer yet?"

Zhao Hai smiled and said, "I've used it. That thing is really convenient. It's more convenient than books. If you want to look something up, you can do it immediately."

Dins laughed and said, "It's indeed good. Right, how was your first night?"

Zhao Hai replied, "I forgot the time, so I rested very late."

The other Old Mages laughed. They knew what Zhao Hai was talking about, they experienced it themselves. One of the Old Mages named Barlett looked at Zhao Hai and said, "Little Hai, you need to control yourself. Otherwise, you would easily get addicted."

Zhao Hai smiled and said, "Rest assured, I know. I can control myself."

Berlett nodded, then he added, "Since it's your first day, you will have someone provide you with independent counselling. You only have the entire morning as class, you can rest in the afternoon. Since that is the case, how about everyone exchange for some machine coins so that we can go to the restaurant? It's been a while since I've drank some liquor."

Chapter 1080 – Rune Study

Although Barlett was old, his character was very straightforward. His stature was tall and strong. If he didn't have his Mage Robe, then people might think that he was a Warrior.

The other Mages agreed with Barlett's proposal. When they were in the lower realms, they were figures at the top of countless people. And ever since they ascended, they were very depressed. Now that the negative feeling has been eliminated, its time for them to go out and explore the other luxuries of the academy.

Zhao Hai smiled and said, "Good, I also want to go outside and take a look. But I think there's no need for everybody to take your gold coins out since I have a lot more than you. How about I treat you all ?"

When the old Mages heard Zhao Hai, they couldn't help but stare. Dins turned to Zhao Hai and said, "Little Hai, it looks like you aren't bluffing. Just how much gold coins did you bring? Don't you use bank cards or something like that?"

These old Mages were naturally rich people back in the lower realm. But they use bank cards, causing them to only bring a small amount of gold coins. Most of their wealth were in bank cards or things that were similar.

Zhao Hai smiled and said, "Of course we also have banks. But I'm used to carrying a lot of gold coins with me. Naturally, this also includes silver and copper coins. I'm not only a Mage, I'm also a Merchant."

Upon hearing Zhao Hai, the Old Mages laughed. Then Dins said, "I didn't expect this youngster to be rich and powerful. Good, good. Then today is your treat. When the time comes, you better not ask us to contribute for the bill."

Zhao Hai laughed as well as he said, "Rest assured, I'll take care of it. I'll go to the classroom first. After class, we'll share a meal together."

Dins and the others nodded. Then the group stood up and proceeded to their own classrooms. Since it was Zhao Hai's first day, he would be going to a special room where an instructor would personally meet him.

Zhao Hai had Tinkle guide him to his classroom. There was no need to take care of their eating utensils, the cafeteria's robots would deal with them.

Unlike its title, Zhao Hai's classroom wasn't anything special. It only had an electronic sign saying Room 2. But Zhao Hai didn't care. In any case, with Tinkle with him, he would not worry about which classroom to go every day.

Upon entering Room 2, Zhao Hai saw that the inside was very spacious. Too spacious in fact that there wasn't anything inside, even furniture.

Zhao Hai gawked. He saw the other classrooms yesterday, and all of them had furniture inside.

At this time, Tinkle suddenly said, "One set of furniture!" Just as his voice fell, a set of furniture emerged from the floor.

Zhao Hai stared, he didn't expect it to be like this. He smiled faintly and said, "Alright, that's convenient." Then he proceeded to sit on the chair.

Not long after Zhao Hai took a seat, footsteps were heard from outside. Before long, the classroom's door opened as a female Mage entered.

The female Mage looked young and had blonde hair. Although she looked old-fashioned, her black Mage robe was unable to hide her slender body.

Zhao Hai stared at the woman. He didn't expect the teacher to be a beautiful woman, moreover she was a Dark Mage!

Zhao Hai hastily stood up. The beautiful woman sized Zhao Hai up before saying, "You are Zhao Hai?"

Zhao Hai bowed his head and said, "I am, are you my instructor?"

The female Mage nodded and said, "My name is Margaret, a Dark Mage. I will be your instructor for the rest of the year. You can look for me at any time."

Zhao Hai stared, then he said, "Instructor Margaret, didn't they say that the instructor would only be available for one month?"

Margaret looked at Zhao Hai and said, "No, I'm your instructor for the entire year. However, I will only teach you personally the first month. After that, robots will take over. But I'm still your instructor. If you have any difficulties, you can ask me directly."

Zhao Hai nodded, "So that's how it is. I'm sorry for troubling you."

Margaret shook her head and said, "There's no need to be polite. What I'm going to teach you aren't things like the differences between the lower realm and the machine field. Those things can be found by asking the robots or using the computer. You can learn those at your leisure, so there's no need to waste time on it. What I'll be teaching you is the magic of the machine field. Our magic isn't the same as the lower realms. Although the magic of the lower realms is formidable, they still fall short compared to the magic we use here. In the machine field, our magic is built upon the research of our seniors. After years of study, our magic formations, summoning magic, alchemy, and other disciplines have been fused together in order to form a new system of magic. If you want to survive here, then you need to learn our magic."

Zhao Hai nodded, "Alright." Zhao Hai thought that he would be guided about how to live life in the machine field. Who would've thought that he would be instructed in magic?

What Zhao Hai didn't know was the fact that Margaret wasn't a common instructor. Moreover, Dins and the others didn't have an instructor as special as her. It was only because Zhao Hai had potential that the academy specifically assigned a good instructor to train him.

In fact, in the academy, most instructors work part-time. There were only a few instructors present here due to the academy having very few students.

Margaret was one of these part-time instructors. However, she wasn't just any other part-timer. She was from the Ashley Clan, sent by the Bone Symbol Camp in order to examine Zhao Hai ahead of time. And in addition, she was also here in order to tell people that the Bone Symbol Camp already had Zhao Hai in their sights. If anyone wanted to get in touch with Zhao Hai, then they would have to go through the camp.

Dins and the others didn't have the same treatment. Their teachers were common part-timers. After teaching them for one month, these instructors would leave and would no longer manage them. And if other powers contact them, the Bone Symbol Camp wouldn't get in the way.

The Bone Symbol Camp controlling an ascension point didn't mean that they would recruit every ascender. This just meant that the Bone Symbol Camp had priority in choosing the ascenders they want. After they get their pick, the others would be free to choose their own.

Naturally, their pick could also be poached. If the other party was influential, then they could rob the ascender. After poaching a candidate, these people would then have their picking rights revoked.

Margaret looked at Zhao Hai, then she nodded and continued, "Lower realm magic generally involves incantations and hand gestures in order to cast the spell. If they want to make their spells more powerful, then Mages might use wands or staffs to do so. But this type of magic is limited. This is because they largely depend on the user's spiritual force. How much spiritual qi can you use by only replying on your spiritual force? Only a small amount. Because of this, the might of the spells is small. This situation might be great in the lower realms since the energy present there is small."

"However, this wouldn't do well in the Machine Field. The density of spiritual qi here is at least a hundred times more than the lower realms. If you use the same method here, then that would be like using a small bowl in order to take water from a river. You're wasting time as well as your source of water."

"Because of this, seniors from the Machine Field studied through the years in order to invent the present magic system of the Machine Field, Magic Theory. It's a system that unites magic and magic formations. Its might is very formidable.'

Margaret looked at Zhao Hai and saw that his expression was quite pensive. She couldn't help but stare for a moment. Most people would be confused upon hearing such a theory. However, Zhao Hai seems to understand. This gave Margaret a surprise.

Margaret said, "Can you understand what I just said?"

Zhao Hai nodded and said, "I can understand some of it. Back in the Atlanta Plane, learning magic is basically cultivating spiritual force. Then we would use incantations and gestures in order to concentrate our spiritual force and communicate with the world's energy. Then we use this energy in order to cast our spells. However, I've always thought that this method isn't very convenient. A person's mental strength is limited while there is a lot of energy available for use. Using your own spiritual force to come in contact with this vast amount of energy is very inefficient. I thought that maybe we can use magic formations in order to strengthen our spiritual force so that we can control more energy. It's just that I haven’t grasped how to do it yet."

Margaret's eyes shone as he heard Zhao Hai. Then she said, "Correct, very good. The method you are thinking about is very hard to grasp. Because of this, our seniors studied for several hundred years. Their research slowly lead us to the creation of Magic Theory. It uses magic formations and spiritual force in order to communicate with spiritual qi, allowing our spells to gain more power."

Zhao Hai gave a nod. Then Margaret added, "In order to study Magic Theory, you need to first learn about magic formations. Zhao Hai, have you studied magic formations before?"

Zhao Ha nodded, "I've dabbled in it. However, I didn't give it priority. Because of that, I'm only able to learn simple formations."

Margaret nodded, "After many years of development, the Machine Field already formed sets of theories regarding magic formations. It might look difficult at first, but it's actually very simple. If you want to learn magic formations, then you would need to learn its basic framework as well as the runes. As long as you become familiar with these two, you can learn magic formations in a short time."

Zhao Hai gawked for a moment before his eyes shone as he said, "Instructor, so you mean that you already broke down magic formations into frameworks and runes? Do you know what each rune signify?"

Margaret nodded, "Right. After years of study, the Machine Field managed to slowly break down every rune that can be used. In fact, the uses of these runes are fixed. The only thing that differentiates them are in where they are used. Putting it in an analogy, if a rune is a stroke, then magic formations are characters composed of these strokes. Although the strokes are fixed, using them in different characters meant that they had different meanings. This is the core of magic formation study."

Zhao Hai's eyes remained sparkling. He wasn't able to think about this point. Magic formations play a huge role inside the Space.

Margaret looked at Zhao Hai and said, "Making magic formations using runes is only a fundamental skill in our magic system. Later on, you would need to make sets of magic formations in order to form a huge formation net. This net will produce more powerful results than individual magic formations. If magic formations are characters, then formation nets are words. As for what these words mean, then it would depend on the characters used to make them."

Zhao Hai kept nodding. Looking at Zhao Hai's reaction, Margaret couldn't help but give a gentle nod. Then she knocked on the wall opposite Zhao Hai. The wall quickly turned into a screen. The screen was all white with nothing else on it.

Margaret's hand swiped at the wall, making a row of runes appeared. Zhao Hai wasn't ignorant about these symbols. This was because he saw them in magic formations. They were the most common symbols he had seen.

Margaret turned back to Zhao Hai and said, "One of the most difficult parts of magic formation study are runes. Currently, there have been as many as a hundred thousand symbols found. Moreover, as studies go further, more and more symbols would emerge. It would be impossible for a single person to remember more than 100 thousand runes. Because of this, most Mages would specialize on which department they would study runes in."

Zhao Hai interjected, "Runes are also divided into different departments?"

Margaret nodded, then she said, "Correct. They are divided into nine types, metal, wood, water, fire, earth, light, dark, wind, and space. These nine departments comprised runes in our current system."

Zhao Hai stared, he didn't expect runes to be divided into nine departments. Moreover, the first departments refer to the five elements. Are runes somewhat related to the five elements?[1]

As he thought about this, Zhao Hai couldn't help but frown as he said, "Instructor, is there metal element magic here? Why does the metal element have runes?"

1. The five elements refer to the Wu Xing(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Xing)

Chapter 1081 – Shops

Zhao Hai had a metal element divergent ability. However, he had no way to integrate this kind of ability into his own attacking system. He can use both martial arts and magic, but he can't use his metal element in them. So as soon as he heard Margaret saying that runes were divided into nine major departments, of which the five elements were part of, Zhao Hai couldn't help but ask.

Margaret looked at Zhao Hai. She also knew that the lower realms generally had no metal element magic. Because of this, she knew how to answer Zhao Hai's question, "Correct,there is metal element magic here. Unlike the lack of metal element magic in the lower realms, the Machine Field was able to develop metal element magic by studying the Cultivation Realm's five element energy."

Zhao Hai nodded, it seems like the Machine Realm's Magic Theory had absorbed some aspects of the cultivation realm's spells. Then they slowly evolved their methods in order to arrive at their current state.

Actually, it can be said that in the World of Cultivation, most cultivation methods have aspects that tie them back to the Cultivation Realm. Take the Machine Field, for example, their two strongest means of attack were through battleships and magical mechas.

It was needless to say that battleships came up through studying the Cultivation Realm's crafting techniques. After being baptized with magic formations, it became a weapon. But even if its might was formidable, it needed to be mentioned that it still fell short compared to the Cultivation Realm's magic artifacts.

As for magical mechas, to put it bluntly, they were enlarged version of the Cultivation Realm's golem techniques. And naturally, it wasn't as good as the Cultivation Realm's golem techniques. Golem techniques allow control over multiple golems. Moreover, when a golem was destroyed, the damage to the controller was limited. As for magical mechas, they are a combination between golem techniques as well as the Cultivation Realm's armor refining techniques. Although its might wasn't small, each pilot can only control one mecha. And when a mecha gets destroyed, the pilot would certainly die.

The machine field's Magic Theory was also conceived with the same principle. It was partly based on the Cultivation Realm's five elements. As for how they managed to extract that aspect, nobody knows.

Although Zhao Hai managed to figure these out, he didn't say anything. Instead he just nodded. Margaret saw Zhao Hai's understanding and then asked, "I heard that you're an all-element Mage. Which rune department do you want to study?"

There was no need for Zhao Hai to think as he immediately answered, "Instructor, I want to study runes of the dark element. It would be best if they are related to summons."

Upon hearing Zhao Hai, Margaret's eyes couldn't help but shine. She was someone from the Ashley family, a heritage of Dark Mages. Naturally, she hoped that Zhao Hai would study dark element runes.

However, Zhao Hai has to decide which department he would study in. Even if Zhao Hai wanted to learn runes from other elements, the Ashley family would still take him in. The Ashely Family were a group of Dark Mages, but they would still recruit Mages from other departments. Otherwise, it would be impossible for the family to grow. It was only because the core members of the family were Dark Mages that they were titled as a Dark Mage family.

Margaret took a deep breath in order to calm her mood. Then she said, "Actually, if you want to progress with Magic Theory, you would need to learn all runes. It's just unfortunate that there are too many runes in existence. Only a few could achieve such an endeavor. Magic formations with one element aren't too strong. But if you fuse runes from two departments, their might would increase a lot. It's not just a simple matter of adding one and one."

Zhao Hai gave a nod. Then Margaret continued, "You certainly are familiar with dark element summoning magic. But in the Machine Field, in order to display its biggest strength, you would need to study dark element runes as well as space element runes. I'll teach you dark element runes first. Then after a few days, we'll tackle runes of the space element. Dark element summoning magic focuses mainly on dark element runes while space runes act as auxiliary." Zhao Hao nodded once more. Margaret began to draw a symbol on the wall. Each stroke of the rune were clearly stated. The interpretation of the rune was also well detailed.

Although Zhao Hai just looked like he was listening, he was actually informing Cai'er to record everything. Not a single character should be missed. This was very important for their future.

Although he had Cai'er record the runes, this didn't mean that Zhao Hai couldn't understand them. Each rune might look simple, but a single change would have an impact on the rune. It was clear that the Machine Field's understanding of these runes was beyond his imagination. The emergence of these runes was truly priceless in the use of magic formations.

The people inside Zhao Hai's Space were also researching magic formations. However, compared to the Machine Field, they were still too far off. The people from the Machine Field researched for who knows how many years before coming up with Magic Theory. But in order to be an expert in this system, one needed to cross a certain threshold, studying magic runes. The reason why there were a lot of runes was because people would create new runes. Because of this, the number of runes wasn't fixed. One could also study magic formations itself. However, it would be better if you created your own formation that suited your style. And in the process, creating a new rune was much easier than creating your own magic formation.

As he listened to Margaret's lecture, Zhao Hai nodded. Creating new runes was just like inventing something new, nothing very special. However, creating a new magic formation was different. It was just like the difference between creating a new word and creating a new sentence.

What made Zhao Hai happy were Margaret's words telling him that the runes could be found on the computer. This was absolutely good news for Zhao Hai.

Others might not remember all of the runes, but he can. He has the Space to do it for him. This was equal to Zhao Hai having the computing power of a computer.

Average people might remember all of the runes, however they would find it hard to use the most appropriate ones when necessary. It was just like how a person who knows how to write might not know how to write an article.

Although Zhao hai had learned a lot of runes, the time he spent doing so was actually a lot. It took about two hours for Margaret to introduce the runes. Margaret concluded the class at around 11 o'clock.

Zhao Hai expressed his gratitude before walking out of the classroom and heading towards the cafeteria. All this time, runes had occupied his head. He was itching to obtain those runes.

However, he also knew that he shouldn't be too anxious about this matter. After waiting in the cafeteria for some time, Dins and the others arrived. Zhao Hai stood up as he was warmly greeted by the Old Mages.

Although Zhao Hai was young, these Old Mages were experienced in human interactions, so they didn't dare to underestimate Zhao Hai. If not for Zhao Hai, they might still be depressed.

Zhao Hai hastily returned their greeting. After exchanging courtesies, Zhao Hai looked at Dins and the others and said, "Everyone. Why are you still on this floor? Couldn't you request a transfer?"

Upon hearing Zhao Hai, Dins and the others couldn't help but turn red. Each one of them had been dejected until recently. Because of this, they didn't have the motivation to transfer floors. Moreover, they ascended earlier than Zhao Hai, so they shouldn't be present on the first floor. When they heard Zhao Hai, they couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

Zhao Hao looked at their reactions and knew what they were thinking. He didn't laugh at them. They were in a poor condition, so laughing at their state was useless. Zhao Hai just gave a friendly chuckle as he said, "Tinkle, lead us to the store to have a look. Right, let's look for a bank first."

Tinkle replied, "Yes, Young Master. The shops and the bank are on the first floor of the academy. Please follow me." Zhao Hai nodded and then turned to Dins and the others, "Today's my treat. We'll explore the shops to look. I'll buy you anything you want. Sigh, it's a pity I wasn't able to go shopping with beautiful women. Instead, what I get is a group of old men. It's unfair!" As soon as they heard Zhao Hai, Dins and the others felt their hearts warm up. But after a moment of staring, the group began to burst into laughter.

Dins looked at Zhao Hai and said, "You smelly brat. It's your fortune to have us accompany you. What are you being sad about. Let's go!" Zhao Hai chuckled before shaking his head. Then along with the smiling old men, Zhao Hai walked out of the cafeteria.

While the group was chatting, they quickly arrived at the elevator. This time, they rode one of the bigger elevators as they headed to the first floor.

When the elevators opened up, Zhao Hai saw two beautiful women in professional attire standing in the front. They were smiling as they said to the group, "Welcome, everyone!"

Zhao Hao nodded before inspecting the scenery ahead. Before him was a very large market with a lot of people inside. A large part of these people were staff. The staff weren't wearing mage robes. Those who were wearing mage robes were ascenders who were buying stuff with their robots.

Zhao Hai didn't bother the two women for long as he led the old men towards the market. This was also the first time for the old men, all of them couldn't help but be absorbed by the atmosphere.

As the group were walking along, Zhao Ha inspected the shops. All of the things that Mages generally used were here. Some of the items offered were even beyond what Zhao Hai expected.

Chapter 1082 – Crazy Dog

Magic in the lower realms and the Machine Field were completely different. Things in the lower realms weren't necessarily useful in the Machine Field. Because of this, upon seeing all of these Mage equipment, Zhao Hai couldn't help but frown.

The place was full of Mage equipment, from staffs, robes, potions, and even mage manuals. However, these things weren't in line with what Zhao Hai learned about Magic Theory.

Magic Theory was very mystical, but its power stemmed from magic formations. Using the lower realm's magic staff was definitely the wrong thing to do.

Because he knew about this, Zhao Hai couldn't help but feel strange. Why would these shops display items that lower realm Mages use?

However, Zhao Hai was quick to understand why. When the old Mages saw these items, they were immediately excited. They quickly went to the shops and looked through the items displayed.

Looking at the expressions of these Old Mages, Zhao Hai understood that they had yet to understand the essence of Magic Theory. Because of this, they were still willing to buy these lower realm items in order to increase their strength.

In the lower realms, these people were the peak characters of their generation. Potions and staffs were useless to them. With their strength, nobody in the lower realms would dare fight them. Because of this, they didn't have suitable items when they ascended.

But in the Machine Field, the importance of potions and magic staffs became apparent to them. Therefore, they wanted to buy some potions or a staff in order to increase their strength.

On the other hand, Zhao Hai was certain that these items would be useless. Magic Theory and ordinary magic were different. Later on when they learn more useful cultivation methods, they would find that these lower realm items that they thought to be useful were in fact very weak.

Zhao Hai arrived by Dins' side as he smiled faintly and said, "You want to buy these things?"

Dins turned to Zhao Hai and forced a smile as he replied, "I was shortsighted before coming here in the Machine Field. I thought that unparalleled existences like me didn't need any means to preserve my life."

Zhao Hai shook his head and said, "Believe me, you don't want to buy them. These things won't help you progress in Magic Theory. The magic we studied and Magic Theory are completely different. At our current state, these things are useless. We should go to other shops and see if we can find special tools used by Mages in the Machine Field."

Zhao Hai didn't lower his voice not because he wasn't afraid of offending people, he just didn't see any staff around. On the other hand, the staff standing close by couldn't help but look at him with shock.

Just like Zhao Hai said, the items sold here were useless for Machine Field Mages. The only reason these items were sold here was because ascenders had yet to have deep understanding about Magic Theory. If they did, then not only wouldn't they buy these items, they would buy life preserving items instead.

Although this was the first time that the staff has seen Zhao Hai, she was actually very clear about people of the Bone Symbol Camp. This was Zhao Hai's first day attending class. Having this deep understanding of Magic Theory on his first day was simply too astonishing.

Just before the staff could say anything, a cold snort was suddenly heard nearby. Then an arrogant sounding voice said, "If you couldn't afford it, just say you couldn't afford it. Do you really think that you have a deep understanding of Magic Theory?"

Zhao Hai and the others stared before all of them turned their heads to look at a young Mage standing close by. This young Mage seems to be between 20 to 30 years old. On his side was a robot butler. This butler was more advanced compared to Tinkle. Although this robot looked the same, one couldn't hear any sound when it walked around. Moreover, it was more pleasing to look at than Tinkle as it resembled a person a little bit more.

The young Mage's figure was symmetrical. He had a very white face, blonde hair, and a magnificent mage robe. Compared to the charming young man, Zhao Hai looked like a commoner. The arrogance on the young Mage's face was akin to an emperor looking at a beggar.

Zhao Hai looked at the young man and frowned before asking, "Does Mister know us?"

The young man coldly snorted as he turned his head to Dins and the others and said, "Useless old bastards. Even if you managed to ascend, what can you really do? Right, why aren't you hiding inside your rooms like you used to?"

Zhao Hai turned his head and looked at Dins and the others. The expression on the old men's faces weren't looking good. Zhao Hai turned his head back to the young man and said, "Mister, if you like these things, then why don't you buy more? Or can it be that you lack money as well? Do you want me to buy you something too?"

As soon as they heard Zhao Hai, Dins and the others couldn't help but gawk. And then each one of them laughed. They knew that it was impossible for Zhao Hai to treat this person. He was just teasing him.

When he heard Zhao Hai, the young man's face paled, he retorted, "It's useless to save your face. If you can't afford it, then don't talk nonsense. Do you really think that I would receive any charity from you?"

Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "Useless thing. Putting my good gesture to waste." Then he turned to the old Mages and said, "Let's go, I don't want to fight a crazy dog."

The young man's eyes couldn’t help but blaze in anger when he heard Zhao Hai. However, Zhao Hai had the numerical advantage and the young Mage hadn't ascended for long either. Additionally, the school forbade any unregistered fights, so he cannot make a move.

After that short intermission, Tinkle brought Zhao Hai to the bank. Upon entering, a robot immediately walked towards Zhao Hai and bowed, "Mister, welcome. What kind of transaction would you like to do?"

Zhao Hai looked at the robot and saw that it was just like those Robot Mages back then. It's quite an advanced robot.

Zhao Hai immediately replied, "I want to exchange some gold coins for machine coins. Can you lead me there?"

The robot quickly said, "Mister, please follow me." Then he brought Zhao Hai to a room nearby. There weren't a lot of people inside the hall, but the ones present were doing basic transactions. Exchanging for machine coins wasn't done inside the hall.

A person was waiting inside the room, this one was human and not a robot. He quickly stood up and greeted Zhao Hai, "Mister, welcome. I'm glad to be of service."

Zhao Hai nodded, then he turned his hand to retrieve a bag of gold coins with 1000 coins inside. He handed it to the person and said, "This is 1000 gold coins. Please exchange it for machine coins."

Upon receiving the bag of gold coins, the man said, "Mister, please wait for a moment. Since the gold content of the lower realms' coins aren't the same, we need to test the coins first before we determine the exchange rate."

Zhao Hai waved his hand. The man took the coins with him and left. Before long, the man came back as he bowed to Zhao Hai and said, "Mister, the gold content of your coins is very high. Each coin can be exchanged for 20 machine coins. Does Mister still want to go through with the transaction?"

Zhao Hai nodded, then he took his ID card out and said, "Please deposit the money." Then he handed the card over to the man.

When he came out of the bank, Zhao Hai was now a rich young man with 30 thousand machine coins. Zhao Hai didn't immediately go and buy items. Instead, he headed to the elevator and went to the restaurant along with Dins and the others.

There was no need to mention that the food of the Machine Field were very good. After eating, Zhao Hai and the others returned to the shops. But this time, they didn't stay for a long time. They just bought some daily necessities before leaving.

Zhao Hai wasn't in a hurry to buy items. Thing he needed to buy weren't available on the first floor shops. The academy's shops were also divided into floors. Those who have ascended for less than a month could only go to the first floor shops, they were still forbidden to head to the other floors.

Meanwhile, Dins and the others were very happy. The past several days, they had been holed up inside their rooms and had been dejected. Moreover, they failed to prepare items before they ascended, most of their possessions were left behind for their descendants or disciples. In their opinion, those things would have no use after they ascended. Also, if they failed their ascension, then their family members wouldn't be able to use their items. Therefore, they didn't bring anything. Unlike Zhao Hai, they were truly poor ascendants.

Zhao Hao returned to his own room. After placing the things he bought in a convenient place, he proceeded to wash himself before going back to the study. He began to read basic runes and their comprehensive explanations. Zhao Hai's understanding of Machine Theory grew deeper. Even if he didn't go to class, he could still manage with self-study.

But what Zhao Hai needed to do right now was to send all information about magic runes to the Space. These runes were important to the Space's research into magic formations. Because of this, as he sat on the computer scanning through the various runes, he also instructed Cai'er to record everything down.

Chapter 1083 – The Core of Magic Theory

When evening came, Zhao Hai had already saved all of the runes to the Space. While Cai'er went on to classify each one of them, Zhao Hai took a rest. The next day at exactly seven o'clock, he woke up, read a bit, ate his meal, and then proceeded to the classroom.

Not long after Zhao Hai entered the classroom, Margaret entered. Zhao Hai quickly stood up and gave his greetings, "Zhao Hai has seen Instructor."

Margaret nodded, then she said, "Take a seat. I heard you had a conflict with Frey yesterday?"

Zhao Hai stared, he looked at Margaret with confusion. Then he said, "Is Frey that young man from the shop?"

Margaret nodded, "Correct. Frey is a young expert that ascended from the Spirit Wind Plane. The plane is quite a good one in the lower realms. It's rich with spiritual qi, so quite a few people had ascended from there. Moreover, people from the Spirit Wind Plane are being especially cared for in the Machine Realm. Each one of them are arrogant. Since you offended Frey yesterday, people might look for you to cause trouble. There are already people from the Spirit Wind Plane that had become famous here. You should be more careful in the future."

Zhao Hai gawked, then he smiled faintly and said, "Maybe I won't be meeting any of that when I leave the academy. In any case, since I've offended him, I can't do anything. Are the people from the Spirit Wind Plane domineering?"

Margaret sighed, "This time, you really made a mistake. The people from the Spirit Wind Plane are very domineering. Their pride didn't only come from their origin, they also have a very close relationship with the Wind God Palace. Almost every ascender from the Spirit Wind Plane are Wind Element Mages and are very gifted in the wind element. Therefore, most of their ascenders gets recruited by the Wind God Palace. After you head back, make sure to read about the Wind God Palace. This way, you'll know what you're up against."

Zhao Hai nodded, he gave Margaret a salute and said, "Thank you Instructor."

Margaret looked at Zhao Hai and sighed, "Zhao Hai, you're talented. However, there are a lot of talents like you in the Machine Realm. Before becoming true experts, nobody would treat you with real respect. A dead genius is a useless genius. You need to remember to protect yourself."

Zhao Hai nodded. Margaret added, "The waters in the Machine Realm are much deeper. When you go back, make sure to read about the churches. I want you to be intelligent in your actions. After you exit the academy, you need to enter under the umbrella of a strong power. That way, you will be safer."

Upon hearing Margaret, Zhao Hai's heart couldn't help but be moved. He wasn't a fool, so he was clear about the darkness of this world. Therefore, when he heard Margaret, he immediately understood that Margaret was also from one of those strong influences.

Margaret didn't express which power she was from. She just turned to Zhao Hai and said, "I won't say anything else, you will understand them later on. Let's proceed to studying magic formation runes. Did you remember anything we went through yesterday?"

Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "Instructor, I've already studied and remembered the runes from the dark element and the space element."

Margaret couldn't help but stare. Her expression changed as she made sure, "Remember? You memorized them?"

Zhao Hai nodded, "Yes instructor, I've memorized them all."

Margaret looked at Zhao Hai and said, "Alright, since you memorized them all, I'll give you a test. As long as you pass the test, we'll begin studying Magic Theory. If you miss anything and are deceiving me, then you will be penalized."

Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "Instructor, you can rest assured."

Margaret nodded, then she went around Zhao Hai's table and said, "Dark and space element tests." As her voice fell, the table turned into a screen with test questions in them.

Zhao Hai didn't say anything as he just nodded. Then he became absorbed in answering the questions on the screen. Actually, most of these questions were being answered by Cai'er. But since Cai'er was one with his mind, this was equivalent to answering it on his own. As soon as a question appeared, he was able to effortlessly answer them.

It took about half an hour before Zhao Hai was done answering all questions about dark and space element runes. Naturally, it was impossible for all the runes to be present, only a part of the runes appeared on the test. This was just a test to see Zhao Hai's understanding about runes.

While Zhao Hai was answering the questions, Margaret was quietly watching by his side. To be honest, Zhao Hai's ability exceeded her imagination. Moreover, it seems like Zhao Hai provided the correct answers to the questions. This gave here quite a shock.

She already looked highly upon Zhao Hai before, but now it seems like she was still underestimating him. Zhao Hai wasn't just an ordinary genius, he was an extraordinary genius!

After waiting for Zhao Hai to complete the test, Margaret nodded and said, "Good, it means you can now study magic formations. Let me give you an introduction about the Machine Field's magic formations."

While she said that, Margaret went to the wall opposite Zhao Hai and turned it into a screen. Margaret turned to Zhao Hai and said, "Magic formations are actually magic runes combined together, forming a structure that can tap into the energy of the heavens and the earth. Aside from the special formations, most magic formations are circular. Materials in making magic formations have also been heavily researched. After many years of study, we found out that the runes are the main reason we can control the world's spiritual qi. The materials used to make the formation are just auxiliary."

Zhao Hai nodded. Just like Margaret said, the relationship between the magic formation's might and the material used was quite significant. However, the ones that had a major impact on the formations were the runes that the Machine Field had studied.

Margaret continued, "Magic formations is a path itself, magic is also its own path. However, by themselves, the two aren't very strong. Compared to the Machine Field's magic theory, each of those paths are weak."

When she spoke up to here, Margaret looked at Zhao Hai and said, "If you have read the introductions, then you should be aware that aside from the Machine Field, there are also other powers in the World of Cultivation. Moreover, these powers aren't peaceful with each other. In the beginning, the Machine Field has been heavily bullied by the other powers. But when Magic Theory was invented, and we began making battleships and magic mechs, we slowly gained the qualifications to be treated as equal to the other major powers."

Zhao Hai quietly listened to the lecture. He was already aware of these matters, therefore he wasn't startled. Margaret went on, "However, battleships and mechs have always been the weakest part of the Machine Field. Magic Theory covered for this weakness. Because of Magic Theory, it made it possible for us to use our spiritual force in order to make magic formations out of thin air. The more powerful the spiritual force, the quicker the formation is created, and the more powerful it would be!"

Boom! A thunderclap resounded inside Zhao Hai's mind.

Zhao Hai began to understand the core of Magic Theory. It uses spiritual force as a base of magic formations, this was the main pillar of Magic Theory.

Zhao Hai wasn't new to using spiritual force. However, he didn't think about using spiritual force in order to arrange magic formations.

When he thought about this, Zhao Hai couldn't help but close his eyes, digesting Margaret's words carefully. The words she said were very simple, anybody would be able to understand them. But those words couldn't be underestimated, they were essential to Zhao Hai's current enlightenment.

As she said those words, Margaret was also observing Zhao Hai's response. Upon seeing Zhao Hai's reaction, Margaret couldn't help but smile. Intuition was very important to a Mage since it could bring forth enlightenment. Margaret hasn't met anyone who became enlightened by those few words. This alone explained how uncommon Zhao Hai's talent was.

Not only was Zhao Hai digesting Margaret's words, he was also trying to use his spiritual force to arrange a magic formation. His spiritual force was much stronger compared to most Mages. He can also direct his spiritual force to perform certain functions. Just like Berry's ability to control hair-like spiritual force, Zhao Hai could also use his spiritual force as minute strands.

Not only was Zhao Hai's spiritual force formidable, he also had good control over it. But even if this was the case, he wasn't able to find an appropriate use for this characteristic. As a person, his movements were limited. It was just like tying a rope to a tree, he still wasn't able to reach the skies. Even if he was skillful, he wasn't able to make use of it.

Margaret's words opened a whole new world in front of Zhao Hai. Upon hearing about this new application, Zhao Hai was impatient to try it out.

Zhao Hai and an ordinary Mage's control over their spiritual force had a huge difference. While most Mages could control their spiritual force as one unit, Zhao Hai was able to divide it by strands. This way, Zhao Hai's attention was divided into small strands.

Dividing one's attention in order to control these strands of spiritual force might sound simple, however, it was incomparably difficult. Not to say multiple strands, controlling two strands alone would prove difficult. One might not even find one capable of doing it among 10 thousand people. Meanwhile, Zhao Hai can control countless strands. This wasn't only because he had a powerful mental strength, this was also because he had learned the Succubus Clan's methods of controlling spiritual force. And with the help of the Space, this became possible.

Zhao Hai was currently using his spiritual force as a base of a magic formation. Zhao Hai had a basic understanding about magic formations. He also knew that he cannot be ambitious and tie multiple magic formations at the same time. Because of this, he can only arrange a simple formation.

However, Zhao Hai was quick to discover that the magic formations he learned didn't allow for spiritual force to be their base. This caused Zhao Hai to be puzzled. He slowly opened his eyes and discovered that Margaret was sitting down while drinking tea.

Seeing Zhao Hai opened his eyes, Margaret smiled faintly and said, "Were you trying to arrange a magic formation? Did you fail?"

Zhao Hai nodded. Then Margaret gave another smile and said, "Most Mages will try it when they heard those words. But in the end, they failed. Do you know why?"

Zhao Hai shook his head, Margaret gave the answer, "It's because magic formations in the lower realm and the Machine Realm are different. The magic formations used to make magical mechs and battleships are also different from Magic Theory's formations."

When he heard Margaret, Zhao Hai's spirit couldn't help but shake. He finally began to understand. Machine Field's Magic Theory was much more complex than he thought. He couldn't just use it just because of a small realization.

Margaret looked at Zhao Hai and said, "Although there are also circular magic formations in the lower realms, their perimeter circle are mostly just lines. However, nobody knew that the perimeter circle was actually the most important part of the formation. If a magic formation was a building, then the perimeter circle would be the ground where the building was built on. The preparation of the ground dictates the life of the building. For magic formations, the perimeter circle is the foundation where it was built into. A magic formation's might is directly related to this."

Zhao Hai's eyes became brighter and brighter. Margaret was satisfied with Zhao Hai's expression. She now knew that Zhao Hai didn't just dabble in magic formation, he had certainly given it some time to study. Otherwise, he wouldn't have such an expression.

However, Margaret didn't comment about it as she continued, "In the lower realms, the perimeter circle are just lines. But in the Machine Field, perimeter circles are made out of magic runes!"

Zhao Hai suddenly felt refreshed. He began to believe the difference between the lower realm's magic formations and the Machine Field's Magic Theory. No wonder he was unable to use his spiritual force to create magic formations.

Margaret looked at Zhao Hai and smiled as she said, "If formations are used in ordinary magical mechs and battleships, perimeter circles could just be made with lines. At most, it would affect the might of the formation. But in Magic Theory, the perimeter circle needed to be made out of magical runes. Otherwise, even if you have a powerful spiritual force, you still won't be able to arrange magic formations."

Zhao Hao nodded, he just experienced it so he believed Margaret's words. But this time, he wouldn't easily attempt to arrange a magic formation. This was because he became clear about the complexity of Magic Theory.

Seeing Zhao Hai stop himself from trying it out, Margaret couldn't help but give a gentle nod. Zhao Hai's performance made her satisfied. She said, "When arranging magic formations from different departments, some changes needed to be made in the internal pattern. Today, I will tell you about the nine most basic patterns of magic formations."