Uninterested in the test of the girl who was the center of everyone's attention, Chongyang returned to the activity he had begun earlier—napping in the corner to recover from the fatigue of his daily training.
Gradually, in a half-dream, half-awake state, he felt as though he was reliving the two lifetimes he had experienced, from his previous life to the present.
In his past life, he lived on a world called Earth, where one day he encountered a bank robbery and was unfortunately struck by a stray bullet. When he awoke, he found himself not in a hospital or the underworld, but in a strange world filled with magic.
Raised as the youngest son of a rural nobleman, he gradually came to understand this vast and mysterious magical world.
The continent was known as the Euro Continent, where magic was the most marvelous and noble phenomenon, and magicians were the elite of human society, wielding control over this phenomenon.
Due to the development of magical civilization, the immense power that had long been exclusive to a few nobles gradually transcended class boundaries and spread throughout society, becoming an indispensable part of daily life.
Although magic became more common, it did not diminish its mystery or nobility. Just as scientific progress on Earth revealed humanity's ignorance, magicians remained the most respected profession. Within the magical community, the expansion of the profession naturally led to numerous branches and varying ranks.
Regardless of the type of magician, their level of nobility was proportional to their strength, which could generally be assessed from three aspects.
First, there was the magician's magical power level, also directly referred to as their level. Levels ranged from one to seven for general ranks, with anything above level seven qualifying as a domain magician. Beyond that came the realms of essence, sacred spirit, legendary, and finally, divine level.
Second, the magician's meditation techniques.
The accumulation of magical power comes from meditation, and different meditation methods yield different effects. Naturally, there are distinctions in their quality. Low-level meditation techniques can be easily purchased at any bookstore in a slightly larger city, but their effectiveness pales in comparison to the advanced techniques passed down through various powers such as academies, armies, and noble families.
Third, there are magical spells.
There are countless magical spells in the world, constantly emerging and ever-changing, each with unique characteristics and functions, as well as varying levels of effectiveness, though not in an absolute sense. For example, in a specific environment, a seemingly harmless level-one swamp spell might prove more effective than a highly destructive level-five thunder hammer spell.
Of course, such opportunities are rare, and generally speaking, the ranking of magical spells is based on their destructive power.
From these three fundamental aspects determining strength, it is evident that various forces on the continent—such as academies, sects, families, and national armies—hold advantages by monopolizing advanced meditation techniques and spell knowledge. Ordinary individuals without a foundation have little choice but to join these powers if they wish to learn such techniques or spells.
Stumbling upon a rare opportunity to discover meditation techniques or spells left behind by predecessors is another way to gain access to high-level resources, akin to the classic trope in martial arts novels where one gains true teachings by jumping off a cliff. However, such chances are elusive and hard to come by.
The Euro Continent is vast, with humanity's eternal foes—the Beastmen—occupying the northern regions. The eastern part of the continent is mostly dominated by powerful magical beasts, and it is said that beyond the territory of these beasts, in the far east, lies another branch of powerful magical civilization. To the west, there are mysterious and unpredictable dark races.
In summary, this is a world that has yet to be mapped with the precision of Earth. Everything is still open for development and exploration; it is a magical continent, a time for creating legends.
In such a world and era, Chongyang naturally harbored great ambitions. The only benefit that his crossing had brought him was a mature depth of thought since infancy, allowing him to develop far beyond the typical child and gain a head start. Eventually, he was selected by the recruitment officer of Prislane to study at the Empire's premier Magic Academy.
However, by the fourth year in the academy, a nightmare fell upon him.
No matter how hard Chongyang tried, his accumulation of magical power progressed at an excruciatingly slow pace, feeling as if he were already full, unable to take in any more.
After trying various methods, he could only look up at the sky in despair, realizing that he was not the extraordinary talent meant to enter Prislane, but rather a mere mortal destined to reach only level three as a magician, unable to advance further.
He became the first repeat student in Prislane's history.
For a millennium, the Empire's premier Magic Academy had never had a repeat student before him. Anyone entering Prislane typically graduated by smoothly advancing to at least level seven. Chongyang shattered Prislane's glory and naturally bore the shocked, confused, disdainful, and mocking gazes of others… The ridicule and insults had not ceased since that moment.
As Prislane had no provisions for handling repeat students, and since Chongyang had no intention of leaving, the academy had no choice but to allow him to stay. This stay lasted a full six years.
…
Finally, the final exam had concluded, and Chongyang, who had been dozing off, awoke just in time, wearing his usual silly grin. Amidst the cold stares of his peers, he left the hall with them and stepped out into the corridor, then quietly drifted away from the group.
It was noon, the sun shining brightly yet not harshly, illuminating the potion herb fields outside the corridor, making them shimmer. A light breeze swept in through the corridor window, carrying with it the faint herbal aroma of the tender green leaves, refreshing and uplifting.
As Chongyang emerged from the dim corridor into the sunlit fields, the contrast between the darkness and light made him squint slightly.
Crossing the fields, at the end of another corridor on the opposite side, there was a storage room that had long been forgotten. Five years ago, Chongyang had used some means to gain permission to transform this neglected corner into a room of his own.
He tapped the magical mechanism on the door with his staff, and the thick lock clicked open. Chongyang pushed the door open, and a rich scent of medicinal herbs wafted out to greet him.
Inside the spacious room, there was a long cedar table against the right wall, covered with various glass containers, jars, stacks of parchment, remnants of herbal materials, and even the pelts and bones of magical beasts, all in disarray due to neglect.
On the left side, beneath a large window, stood a desk, with a soft armchair in front of it. The table was cluttered with various papers and documents, while a simple bookshelf nearby held no less than a hundred different books.
Chongyang closed the door behind him, sat down in the armchair, and pulled open the right drawer, revealing the lunch he had prepared that morning—a black bread and beef sandwich, along with a bottle of sheep's milk.
Compared to the delightful meals currently being served in the cafeteria, this lunch was indeed rather meager. However, Chongyang didn't mind the taste of his meal, and at that moment, he had no friends in the academy. Dining in the cafeteria held no meaning for him, so he preferred to avoid it.
Chongyang took a bite of his bread and sipped the sheep's milk, his mind drifting back to the strange scene during the test.
"What on earth was that? A magical mutation? A level-three mage's mutated spell that could scare an Archmage?"
He remembered the terrifying face that had flashed in the flames. He had seen it clearly and felt as if the eyes in that face were looking directly at him. At that moment, he felt fear, but it seemed he was not as terrified as the three instructors.
"Ah, it was just a coincidence…" Chongyang mused. If he were to be graded and promoted to level four based on this unexpected occurrence, it would indeed be amusing.
After savoring his not-so-delicious but nutritionally balanced meal, Chongyang tidied up the table. He quickly pulled out a sheet from the stack of magical parchment he had prepared, smoothing it out carefully on the tabletop. Then, he took a red feather quill from the pen holder, dipped it in the pre-mixed magical ink, and gently touched the vibrant red tip to the smooth, thick paper.
Taking a deep breath, he focused his mind, pressing the quill's tip down to glide it rhythmically across the surface, leaving behind a continuous trail of crimson ink that traced rounded arcs and straight lines, gradually forming a complex and profound pattern.
This was a level-three fire magic scroll—"Fire Refining Technique."
Chongyang concentrated deeply, his eyes gleaming with intensity as he breathed steadily. He summoned his magical power through the quill, infusing this magical energy into the paper made from the skin of a red-haired unicorn, which had been soaked in fire magic crystal water for forty-nine days.
With nimble movements of his right wrist, sometimes slow and deliberate, sometimes swift and fluid, he guided the quill. Finally, with a forceful stroke of the vibrant red tip, he deftly closed the complex hexagram pattern that was nearly complete on the paper, almost as if slicing it closed with a crescent blade!
Buzz… a low rumble resonated as crimson light erupted from the paper, and a fire emblem at the center of the magical pattern flashed and faded, quickly returning to calm.
Chongyang set down the feather quill, carefully folded the parchment, and rolled it up, securing it with a marked cloth tie. He then opened the left drawer and placed it among a neatly stacked collection of magical scrolls. Immediately, he pulled out a second sheet of parchment and dipped his quill in the ink once more…
Under the sunlight streaming through the arched window, Chongyang, focused intently on his writing, resembled a figure from an oil painting.
The level-three fire magic scroll "Fire Refining Technique" is one of the most consumed magical scrolls on the market. Typically used in noble kitchens, when paired with special utensils, it allows chefs to control the heat precisely and cook delicious dishes more efficiently.
A noble family of some standing consumes at least one Fire Refining Technique scroll each day. In the prosperous capital, noble families and wealthy merchants collectively consume an immense number of Fire Refining scrolls daily. Consequently, this level-three scroll is always in high demand.
Manufacturing and selling Fire Refining Technique scrolls is Chongyang's primary source of income. He has set himself a daily limit of producing twelve scrolls, and if he fails even once, he must make up for it with three additional scrolls, ensuring that he completes his quota by the next day if he cannot finish it that day.
Such strict self-imposed requirements would astonish any other scroll maker.
This is because scroll manufacturing is an incredibly meticulous task. Setting aside the preparation of paper and ink, if a magician makes even a slight deviation of a few millimeters during writing, or if their magical output becomes slightly chaotic, the formation of the magical pattern on the paper can collapse entirely.
Once the magical pattern collapses, it is a failed creation. Generally, an ordinary magician has less than a thirty percent success rate when creating scrolls. Only those who have specifically trained and gained experience can achieve a success rate of over fifty percent, while a success rate of seventy percent is considered elite among scroll makers.
With the magical power of a level-three magician, producing twelve scrolls in a day, even for an elite maker, is exceedingly demanding. Adding the penalty of making up for failures only makes it even more unbearable.
Yet, this eternal repeat student, since learning to create his first magical scroll, had failed no more than twenty times in total!
What would be a painstakingly precise task for an ordinary magician seemed effortless for him. This was all due to his extraordinary ability to control every drop of magical power with ease! With each stroke, he could feel precisely how that line contributed to the entire magical pattern.
Ultimately, Chongyang's remarkable talent stemmed from his ability to engage in complex adult-like thought since childhood, which led to an exceptionally powerful mental strength.
Fully focused, Chongyang meticulously crafted the Fire Refining Technique scrolls, completely unaware that, from the central window behind him, a flickering shadow of a blazing flame was looming ominously.
"Ha ha ha—smooth scroll crafting, precise magical control… such powerful mental strength is precisely what I have been searching for all along," a sinister face whispered hoarsely from within the flames.