Ron felt slightly surprised.
Uphemia’s progress speed was indeed impressive, though he wasn’t sure how much Nari contributed to it.
He was aware that she had a "Blood Bride," but the last time they parted, her Control was still quite shaky.
"So her rank hasn’t dropped much, just from third to fourth place."
Eve continued:
"In contrast, Chloe’s improvement surprised everyone."
As she spoke, the young lady’s tone carried obvious admiration:
"Her paper ’The Quantitative Relationship Between Time Perception and Prophecy Precision’ published in Astrology Journal was rated as the best research of the year. This paper is not only theoretically groundbreaking but also of high practical value."
"More importantly, her Spiritual Power has made great strides in recent months, now reaching a scale of 5.1. Considering she’s still under twenty years old..."
Eve shook her head, her eyes revealing a complex expression:
"She directly leapfrogged from over twenty ranks to the tenth seat. This magnitude of improvement is extremely rare in the New Star Plan’s history."
Ron was not surprised by this.
Chloe possessed a natural talent for prophecy, complemented by the Historian skills.
The combination of these dual advantages indeed created a qualitative leap.
"What about the others?" he continued to ask.
"Oscar Adelaide from the previous fourth seat has also had a significant breakthrough recently, rising to the second seat."
Eve adjusted her position, making Ron more comfortable:
"He successfully created the third composite element — ’Deathly Silence Flame.’ This element possesses both the destructive power of fire and the Abyss’s Erosion, with extraordinarily impressive power."
"Eugene Leonardo in the third seat made new progress in mechanical fusion. He recently completed the full mechanical transformation of his left leg, now more than half of his body is precision mechanical structure."
As she spoke, Eve’s voice carried a hint of discomfort:
"It’s said that he now hardly qualifies as human, more akin to some kind of highly evolved construct."
Ron silently recorded this information in his mind.
Everyone pursued greater power in their own way, with varying costs.
"And the seventh seat Draco, heir to the Bloodstained Clan."
Eve continued:
"His Dragon Blood Fusion technique is quite mature, but side effects still exist. Recently he breached the Elemental Garden’s material vault once more, claiming to ’collect all items exuding Dragon Race’s aura.’
The young lady chuckled softly:
"Though later explained as a bloodline impulse, this behavior surely raises doubts about his sanity."
"What about Zola in the eighth seat?"
Ron recalled Eliot mentioning the Female Witch from the Dark House.
"Her shadow substitute technique is becoming increasingly uncontrollable."
Eve’s tone carried a certain sympathy:
"Last week, her shadow duplicate supposedly ran into the male mage’s living quarters, creating quite an awkward scene, and Zola herself almost fainted from embarrassment."
Upon hearing these antics, Ron’s lips curved into a slight smile.
"By the way, Master, how much do you know about the other Seven Major Schools?"
Eve suddenly asked, her hands pausing slightly:
"Aside from the Crystal Tower, Elemental Garden, Tower of Vibrations, and Dark House, there are three core schools I’m not well-familiar with previously."
This was indeed a topic worth exploring.
Eve collected her thoughts before slowly speaking:
"One of them is the ’Hall of Stars,’ the highest hall of astrology, from which the Western Astrology Association where Chloe belongs separated."
The young lady continued to explain:
"The Hall of Stars holds the ancient astrology knowledge, and their Great Wizards can even predict epoch-level historical shifts. Yet, due to this ability, they often appear overly detached and seldom engage in real-world political struggles."
"The second is the ’Tree of Life’ school, specializing in biological modification and life extension technologies."
She recalled related information:
"They consider death the greatest flaw of life, dedicated to achieving true immortality through various means. But such pursuits often lead to some... ethical controversies."
Ron nodded, adding about the last one.
"The final one is the ’Institute of Giants,’ the most mysterious school."
His tone became more solemn:
"They specialize in dimensional research, reportedly mastering technology to connect other quadrants. But due to the research’s dangerous nature, they rarely contact the outside world."
"In this light, the Seven Major Schools each have unique traits, yet all represent some form of ultimate pursuit."
Eve commented thoughtfully:
"The Crystal Tower’s comprehensive development, Elemental Garden’s Elemental Control, Tower of Vibrations’ sound study, Dark House’s secret technique..."
"The Hall of Stars’ fate prediction, Tree of Life’s immortality quest, Institute of Giants’ spatial exploration."
She concluded: "Each is enough to make ordinary mages look up with admiration for a lifetime."
"Overall, while others are progressing, they pose a limited threat to you in the short term."
Eve resumed her massage, her tone carrying a certain confidence:
"The paper you published in Deconstruction will continue to have an impact for a long time. At least for a year, no one can challenge your chief position."
"However..." she paused, her eyes showing a thoughtful look:
"Now that you’re a Moonlight Level Mage, you can start considering the associate professor evaluation. But that doesn’t just require academic ability; it also requires accumulated experience."