My monster cards can evolve infinitely.

Looking at the obsidian magic card that shimmered with a dark luster, the old mage revealed a smile that was hard to decipher.

He looked Xiu Qi up and down with a keen interest, and the undisguised intensity of his gaze sent a chill down Xiu Qi's spine.

5 feet 10 inches (1.78 meters), barely passing the height requirement.

Beneath his long, black, flowing hair was a face that possessed a blend of sunshine, handsome features, honesty, and cunning—quite appealing.

The old monk clicked his tongue and pushed up his glasses, which had slipped down to the tip of his nose.

"Of course, we are a legitimate academy."

"It seems the rumors were true after all. Apprentice Xiuqi, you're much smarter than I thought..."

"If I had been as smart as you back then, I probably wouldn't be here now."

"You're right, aren't you, wise apprentice Xiuqi!"

Xiu Qi did not give a direct answer; a rare, awkward smile, seemingly both shy and embarrassed, appeared on his face.

According to his agreement with Jasley, he had to admit that he was her boyfriend.

Although they did not sign a magical contract, for Xiuqi, who had grown up under the influence of chivalry, promises made to others were something he had to keep.

Especially considering that he also acquired a large amount of money from others.

Facing his familiar elder teacher, Xiu Qi's face flushed slightly, but he still maintained his smile:

"Master Brian, please stop making fun of me."

"I really need to prepare for the final exams, and by the way... improve my spellbook."

"To enrich the spellbook?"

The old monk laughed, revealing a few sparse but strong teeth.

At this moment, his smile clearly carried a hint of amusement, and the way he looked at Xiuqi was like looking at a student who was trying his best to cover up his mistake.

"Didn't you come here to find protective spells, such as those to protect Fernand's apprentices—[Magic Missile]?"

"Ah...so you knew all along!"

Xiuqi scratched his head, revealing an awkward yet polite smile.

Unexpectedly, in less than half a day, the news spread to the point that even a librarian teacher who never left the library knew about it.

Since that's the case, there's no need to hide it. In the words of Teacher Kyle of the Knights Academy, [Magic Missile] is an unsolvable spell.

However, everyone has their own expertise, and the person who understands magic best is definitely an old mage with both experience and age.

So Xiuqi took the opportunity to ask for advice:

"Mage Brian, can magic missiles be dodged?"

"sure!"

Upon hearing the other party's immediate and prompt reply, Xiu Qi's mood instantly soared, but then plummeted to rock bottom.

"But you can't!"

The old master replied slowly, completely unaware that his words had sent the young apprentice's emotions on a rollercoaster.

"Advanced professionals can dodge using evasion or movement-type combat skills."

"Kingdom elite-level professionals or higher have agility far exceeding yours. By rapidly turning and changing direction, they can guide missiles to hit other objects first, thus achieving the purpose of evasion."

Xiu Qi felt deflated and sat blankly on the rattan chair next to him.

"Does that mean this spell is unsolvable?"

"Cough cough cough..."

Perhaps provoked by Xiu Qi's words, or perhaps due to physical discomfort, the old master coughed.

"You little idiot whose muscles are more developed than his brain, let me ask you, are you a mage or a warrior?"

"Of course, a mage's apprentice."

"Since you're a mage, why not use mage-like methods to solve the problem?"

"You're also a mage specializing in the defensive school. What defensive spells in that school can resist [Magic Missiles]?"

Xiuqi gave the answer without hesitation.

"Mage Shield"

"Since you already know, why not just copy down and learn this spell!"

"Because I can't learn it!"

"【Mage Shield】is a first-level spell, and my Intelligence is only 8 points, and my spellcasting talent is also rather average..."

Turns out he's just a nobody, which makes things a bit tricky.

The old mage couldn't help but rub his forehead, recalling how he learned [Mage Shield] back when he was only a level 2 mage.

Are there any other Zero-Ring Protection School tricks that can defend against [Magic Missiles]?

He began to ponder.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck the old mage, who remembered the long-forgotten spellbook on the Protection School's bookshelf.

"That magic trick should work..."

Incidentally, it can also recoup some of the copying fees, since this magic trick seems to have only been copied once since it was put into storage, and it hasn't even recouped the cost of the books.

The old mage adjusted the frame of his glasses, then gave Xiuqi a mysterious smile:

"Go look on the Protection School's bookshelf, it's on the third shelf, on the far right..."

"Perhaps you can find the spell you need."

Having said that, the old master said no more, and lowered his head to concentrate on studying the ancient book in his hands, which was engraved with ancient elven runes.

Xiuqi went straight to the bookshelf of the Protection School.

The bookshelves in this area have significantly fewer books than those of other schools, which confirms the relative scarcity of the Protective School of mages.

The Protection School, as the name suggests, is a school that studies protective spells. For most mages, if their arcane affinity is high enough, minoring in the Protection School is worthwhile.

There are indeed very few monks who specialize in this school of thought.

The most mainstream schools of thought at present are the three major schools of transformation, spellcasting, and energy manipulation.

Although Xiu Qi was an apprentice majoring in this school of thought, he did so out of necessity.

He also only has this one school of arcane magic with an affinity of over 60, and an extremely exaggerated 98 points of affinity talent.

Generally, for spellcasting, 50 points of arcane affinity is sufficient for normal spellcasting, while 60 points or more are required for stable spellcasting.

If there were no other choice, who would choose the defensive school as their major?

Standing atop the towering bookshelf ladder, he found the spot the old monk had described.

Several heavy ancient books were placed there:

Basic Protective Force Field: Theory and Construction

Introduction to Deflection Force Fields (Elementary)

Elemental Resistance and Absorption

Coincidentally, Xiuqi's gaze was first drawn to "Introduction to Elementary Deflection Force Field".

He took the heavy, dusty book down from the shelf.

Gently turn the first page;

【Introduction】

This textbook was compiled by Alfont Midas, an extraordinary master of the Protection School of Saint Orpheus Academy, and is one of the recommended textbooks for protective spells designated by the Holy Ye Luo Empire.

"The smartest defense is not to take every attack head-on, but to let them slip past you."

Let's begin learning together how to gracefully decline unwelcome visits!

—Alfont Midas

To every future guardian mage who opens this book:

......

Xiu Qi made up his mind and focused his gaze on the spellbook;

One second, two seconds...

......

Midas's Primary Deflection Field

Type: Protective School Trick

Duration: 1 hour

Effect: An invisible force field surrounds the recipient, which can significantly deflect and weaken the impact of physical projectiles and arcane force fields.

Note: This is an optimized version of Midas's Mastery, which improves the stability and duration of spell field, and reduces the difficulty of constructing compared to the original version.

Copying fee: 25 gold coins

Royalties per spell cast: 2 silver coins.

......

"This is it!"