“Before we start the lesson, I have a question for you,” Lu Ming said.

“How many transcendent stages are there for mages?”

“I know, I know!” Jin Yan jumped up in the meeting room, raising her hand.

“Tiers 1 to 3 are collectively called Apprentice, Tier 4 is Junior Mage, Tier 5 is Mage, Tier 6 is Archmage, Tier 7 is Magister, Tier 8 is Grand Magister, and Tier 9 is Saint Domain Magister.”

“Perfect answer. Please sit,” Lu Ming said, gesturing for Jin Yan to sit.

She then wrote the transcendent stages on the meeting room’s whiteboard.

Flash, sitting to Jin Yan’s right, thought, This kid seems a bit dim, but she’s full of energy. At least she can answer basic questions.

“The same applies to magical girls. As a unique variant of mages, their transcendent stages align roughly with traditional mages,” Lu Ming continued.

She wrote on the whiteboard, aligning each mage stage with its magical girl equivalent: Tier 3 Seed, Tier 4 Sprout, Tier 5 Bud, Tier 6 Bloom, Tier 7 Crystal, Tier 8 Crest, Tier 9 Sublime.

“As for why magical girls start at Tier 3, it’s because their unique mage talent grants them Tier 3 upon awakening.”

“Even if they’ve never trained as a mage before, they’ll be Tier 3 upon awakening. In rare cases, certain prodigies awaken with a higher tier, automatically gaining the corresponding magical girl rank.”

“This is why magical girls must undergo mage training.”

“Now, about combat—what do you know about vile beasts?” Lu Ming wrote “Vile Beasts” on the whiteboard, circling it and tapping it firmly.

“Transcendent creatures?” Polaris raised her hand.

“Correct, but not entirely,” Lu Ming said, sighing and leaning on the table.

“More precisely, they’re warped transcendent creatures.”

“Why do they warp?” Polaris asked.

School textbooks always described vile beasts as special magical beasts but never explained what made them special.

“No one knows,” Lu Ming said, shaking her head.

“But cutting-edge researchers believe their formation may be linked to spatial rifts that appear with them.”

“The reason we train magical girls’ combat skills is that their magic has a specific advantage against vile beasts.”

“Like their origins, we don’t know why magical girls are effective against them. At least, limbs shattered by magical girls show no signs of regenerating.”

“Thus, as the most common transcendent talent in our country, magical girls are a priority.”

“The Magical Girl Association, under the Magic Committee, spares no effort in training every active magical girl.”

“But ‘service’ for magical girls isn’t like the military. They’re a special security force under the Bureau of Magical Affairs, tasked with preventing sudden vile beast attacks.”

“Of course, local Bureaus aren’t defenseless,” Lu Ming added, pausing.

“They’ve set up spatial rift alarm systems across cities, enabling magical girls to deploy the moment a vile beast appears.”

“Today, these alarm systems are linked nationwide, achieving full coverage.”

“Speaking of the Bureau, do you know its main functions?”

“Anything magic-related is under the Bureau. I know that,” Jin Yan said, raising her right hand.

“That’s only partially correct,” Lu Ming said, motioning for her to lower her hand.

“Remember, the Bureau’s primary functions are managing the registration and certification of transcendent professions, including mages and magical girls, as well as defending against and eliminating vile and magical beasts.”

“Back to the topic of magical girl service.”

“Standards vary by era. Nowadays, some cities face vile beast attacks once or twice a year, or none for years. In such cases, the Bureau’s stationed mages can handle it.”

“So, after four years of service, magical girls can choose to retire or continue. To clarify, while active magical girl squads are under the Bureau, their direct authority is the Magical Girl Association, which handles their assignments.”

“In emergencies, like after the Descent Day thirty years ago, magical girls serve until new recruits take over. In extreme cases, they don’t retire.”

“That’s all for magical girl basics.”

“Now, let’s move to today’s main topic: mana cultivation and control.”

Lu Ming turned off the whiteboard. “Let’s head to the underground training field.”

“It’s spacious enough for you to go all out.”

After a grueling day of training, Lu Yue trudged home, exhausted.

It was just past 7 p.m.

Though the sky wasn’t fully dark, a full moon hung silently overhead.

Carrying two freshly packed pan-fried lamb ribs from the cafeteria, Lu Yue thought about letting her parents try them.

She fished her keys from her pocket, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

The house was silent and pitch-black.

“Why aren’t Mom and Dad home?” Lu Yue wondered.

Turning on the living room light, she noticed a stack of cash and a note under her dad’s usual teacup.

The note read: Xiao Yue, Mom and Dad decided to go on a trip for a few days. Take care of yourself and remember to sleep and wake early.

“Oh, they’re off on a honeymoon,” Lu Yue said, setting the note down and collapsing onto the sofa.

So tired. I don’t want to move.

Teacher Lu Ming’s mana cultivation method was brutally direct.

She had the three of them cast spells nonstop until their mana was depleted, then practice precise control when only a sliver recovered.

She called it: Easier to control with less mana.

That woman is so annoying, Lu Yue thought, stomping her foot.

No breathing room, not a hint of gentleness—nothing like Mom!

Where did she get that relentless drive?

She was even more intense training them than teaching at school.

Annoying! Annoying! Annoying!

Flash, though, breezed through the day’s training without breaking a sweat.

Her strength must be far above mine.

No wonder Lu Ming didn’t focus on her.

But why was all the attention on me?

Not a moment’s rest, and she barely paid attention to Jin Yan.

Okay, Jin Yan was pretty diligent too.

Every time she collapsed, she used the downtime to practice precise mana control, never resting.

Truly, idiots have the most grit.

Ugh, I’m so sweaty. Time for a shower.

Lu Yue dragged herself up, went to her room, and opened her wardrobe to find clean clothes.

“Let’s see, clothes for going out tomorrow.”

“And pajamas.”

“And underwear—huh?” Lu Yue paused, rummaging through her wardrobe.

“Why isn’t there a single wearable pair?” she muttered, puzzled.

Oh, right!

A few pairs got dirty when she dropped them on the floor yesterday.

The weather hadn’t been great, so they were still drying outside.

No time to buy new ones and wash them.

Better call Mom to check if there are any spares at home.