"Hahaha!"
Stardust laughed heartily. After all, this was entirely achieved through his own sheer cultivation, without a single shred of resource support from Dean Fu or Dean Xiao.
The two deans would have preferred for him to calm down and properly consolidate his foundation first, rather than rushing things, while taking the time to master all sorts of magical knowledge. After all, how could someone not attend magic high school and yet turn out to be a magic slacker?
Me, Stardust, a genius!
It had absolutely nothing to do with any cheat codes!
At the mere thought of this, the corner of Stardust's mouth twitched involuntarily. A whole year had passed, and aside from his age increasing by one, he had somehow naturally accumulated a full four gold coins from parts unknown.
Well, at least he could buy a little iron sword now.
Other than that, the only change was in his level, which had gone from the original Level 1 to a Level 4 powerhouse!
"Well, well, well, characters get their ultimate moves at level four in games, so I become an Intermediate Mage at level four, is that it?"
As for his experience bar, it had naturally reset to zero once again. Entering the Intermediate Level for the first time was just too difficult.
"I finally get it. This thing probably still works just like a game, with a maximum level of fifteen. Exactly three levels for Initial Level, three for Intermediate Level, three for Advanced Level, and three for Super Level—that makes twelve minor tiers right there. Add another three levels for the Forbidden Curse, and boom! Exactly fifteen levels!" Stardust felt that his deduction was completely spot-on.
Only, reaching level fifteen this time around was going to be far too much harder than in a video game; it was something that would take a lifetime to grind out.
"Little Dust, what are you laughing at?"
Ding Yumian's figure peeked out from the stairwell. Wearing thick oven mitts, she was busy making some pastries, and a sweet, fragrant aroma drifted through the air, making Stardust's mouth water instantly.
"It's my favorite sponge cake!" Stardust dashed over swiftly, wearing a goofy grin, and reached out to grab one.
Ding Yumian shot him a sideways glance and said, "Aren't they hot? Go wash your hands first."
Stardust had no choice but to obey obediently.
As he ate the pastries carefully crafted by his childhood sweetheart, Stardust grew even more determined in his resolve to protect this girl. That was why he was going to have a showdown with Dean Xiao; if he stayed any longer in the academy, goodness knows how many years it would take him to break through to the Advanced and Super levels, let alone become a Forbidden Curse Mage!
"So, what were you laughing at just now?" Ding Yumian asked, resting her chin on her hand.
Stardust chuckled, stood up, put his hands on his hips, and declared, "I've broken through! I'm an Intermediate Mage now."
Ding Yumian's beautiful eyes shifted slightly, a faint smile still lingering on her face, though a trace of hesitation flickered deep within her eyes.
Little Dust's dream was to become a revered, great mage, but she had never practiced magic herself. Even with that so-called talent of hers, could someone like her really stay by his side forever?
Ding Yumian knew that Stardust was different from her. She was a Calamity Bearer; she couldn't even control that mental-manipulation talent of hers, which brought misfortune to everyone around her—something that would have been regarded as a demonic curse in ancient times.
But Stardust was different. His abilities had not a single harmful aspect. If they both lived in ancient times, the two of them would be complete opposites: one a moving disaster, and the other a blessing to the world!
"Yumian, what's wrong?" Stardust keenly perceived Ding Yumian's unusual behavior.
"No, nothing. Are they good? Have another piece, then." Ding Yumian smiled. She was unwilling to burden Stardust with her negative emotions.
"Of course they're delicious when Yumian makes them herself! I just wonder which guy will end up lucky enough to win such a virtuous and pretty girl in the future?" Stardust raised an eyebrow and teased, never expecting that this remark would instead stir up some complicated emotions in Ding Yumian.
"So Little Dust... doesn't like me?" Ding Yumian's face instantly turned pale, her eyes losing focus for a moment, and the half-eaten pastry in her mouth lost all its flavor.
An overwhelming wave of deep sorrow erupted. Stardust's Power of Purification was triggered passively, and his vital energy drained away in torrents, like an opened floodgate.
It had only been a year, and Ding Yumian's spiritual power was already starting to rival that of a Super Mage!
Frightened out of his wits, Stardust rushed forward and tightly embraced the girl's slender, petite figure, nearly planting a kiss right on her lips.
"I was just joking! How could I possibly not like Yumian?!" Stardust held Ding Yumian in his arms, resting his hand gently upon her back to stroke it soothingly.
"So... was that sentence a joke, too?" Ding Yumian buried her face in Stardust's chest, tears streaming down.
"Hiss~"
Stardust instantly drew a sharp breath. *My precious, you can think of it that way too?*
This was getting life-threatening!
That being the case, he had no choice but to deploy his ultimate move!
"Clack!"
Stardust cupped Ding Yumian's delicate face with one hand and planted a seal right on her cheek, causing the girl to instantly widen those beautiful eyes of hers.
"We're going to be together forever!" Stardust forcefully declared.
"Then... you're not allowed to ever say things like that again!" Ding Yumian raised her head, a trace of lingering tears still glistening in her eyes.
The girl was extremely lacking in a sense of security; if Stardust were to leave her, she would undoubtedly break down completely!
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Stardust could only offer profuse apologies. Her emotions had been so stable over the past six months that he had almost forgotten she couldn't handle any sort of emotional stimulation.
This wasn't because he was being careless; rather, treating Ding Yumian like a normal person was the greatest comfort he could offer her. If Stardust walked on eggshells around her constantly, she wouldn't be very happy either, because that would exhaust him.
"You said you broke through to become an Intermediate Mage?" Ding Yumian suddenly asked, her tone carrying a hint of oddity.
"Yeah, how—"
Before Stardust could finish his sentence, he saw the girl in his arms stand on tiptoe, lean her soft lips close to his ear, and whisper softly, "I think I broke through, too?"
"Huh?!" Stardust blinked, his mind wandering in a daze.
"I'm not entirely sure either. Just now, when I got angry, my Stardust suddenly burst open. The Star Seeds suddenly multiplied sevenfold—that must be the Intermediate Nebula, right?" Ding Yumian whispered.
Stardust: "..."
"As expected of my Yumian, you're truly amazing!" Stardust laughed through his tears.
Comparing oneself to others was enough to drive a person mad! This damn magic was getting impossible to cultivate the normal way; he needed to turn on his cheat codes immediately and figure out the exact usage of the Ark Core, otherwise there was no telling who would be protecting whom in the future.
Seeing his somewhat comical expression, Ding Yumian couldn't help but laugh through her tears, her expression turning rather peculiar.
She had guessed what Stardust was thinking.
With a wry, defeated expression on his face, Stardust looked at Ding Yumian and suddenly felt that his childhood sweetheart's expression was a bit off...
What kind of look was that, hey? Yumian, you mustn't go awakening any strange attributes!
The mere thought that she might still harbor several different soul personalities inside her—representing completely different temperaments: gentle and kind, dark and eerie, cold and ruthless, passionate and wild—*hiss*, he mustn't think about it, he mustn't! One more thought of this and it would end with Yumian whipping him with a little leather crop.
"Idiot, what on earth are you thinking about?"
Ding Yumian stomped her foot in annoyance, her cheeks blushing scarlet. Did he really think she couldn't sense what that big blockhead was thinking in his mind?