After the final exams, Prislant Academy became much quieter. Most students either returned home or went on adventures, leaving only a few behind.
This morning, in the vast magical training grounds of the academy, only one person was practicing magic.
Prislant's magic training field was paved with thick, deep-yellow stone slabs, surrounded by cyan stone walls. In front of the walls, every ten meters, there was a magic target resembling a sponge.
These targets, made from the fiber of algae parasites found deep within the inner sea combined with auxiliary materials, possessed immense toughness and resistance, capable of withstanding even the highest-tier magic without being damaged. The extent of deformation from an attack was the basic criterion used to assess the power of a spell.
Chongyang stood ten meters before Target No. 045, holding his staff. He casually performed a few intricate movements, warming up for several minutes. Then, he slightly closed his eyes, focused his mind, and began chanting a spell. Finally, his staff thrust forward, slicing three consecutive, fluid seals into the air.
The new fire-based magic—Air Ignition Spell!
With a dull explosion, the target was instantly engulfed in roaring flames.
But unlike the red flames of the standard low-tier Fire Spell, Ignition, the flames of this new spell were green. This was because the fuel being burned was not magic energy itself but gases ignited by the magic.
The green flames scorched the target for a full minute before Chongyang lowered his staff and let out a light breath.
At the same time, a green floating screen appeared before him, displaying: "Number of Attacks: Continuous. Cumulative Score: 425 points."
The score feedback from the target corresponded to basic magic levels, with Level 1–7 spells being rated from 100 to 200 points, 200 to 300 points, and so on.
Although this scoring system seemed linear, the actual power difference between magic levels wasn't a simple arithmetic progression. In other words, a point within the 100–200 range had a very different weight compared to a point between 200–300 or 300–400.
If the score was displayed as an absolute number, with a Level 1 spell at 100 points, then a Level 7 spell could reach over 10 million points in power. For domain-level spells, the numbers would be even more frightening. To make scoring more practical, the targets used relative numbers.
A score exceeding 400 indicated that this new spell, Air Ignition, although classified as a Level 1 spell like Ignition, had continuous burning damage comparable to the Level 4 spell, Hellfire!
"The burning temperature is much higher than conventional magic," Chongyang noted to himself.
Using magic as a catalyst to trigger reactions between gases to create flames, the consumption of magic energy is kept at a low level, but the energy released from the gas reactions is incredibly high.
According to the traditional classification system, this new magic requires only the magic level of a basic Level 1 spell. When cast by a Level 3 mage, the power exceeds 400 points, placing it in the category of high-level Fire Magic.
It took Chongyang more than half a month of effort—practicing magical constructs, reciting incantations, and perfecting spell seals—before he could finally grasp the very basics of this new Fire Magic, Air Ignition. Although this continuous-burning spell doesn't have much practical use in combat, the most important thing is that it proves that Blaze's theory is indeed feasible.
After resting for a bit, Chongyang resumed his practice.
After repeating Air Ignition six times and feeling the flow of magical constructs becoming smoother, he decided to challenge the next spell in this new magic series.
Air Burst!
Building upon Air Ignition, this spell triggers a massive reaction in the surrounding air, causing a violent explosion—similar to the traditional low-level spell Fireball.
This was the first spell in the new series to possess high practical value in combat!
"Triggering a massive, instant gas reaction requires a much larger magical construct, with more complex incantations and seals," Chongyang understood that this spell, with its greater value than Air Ignition, was also much harder to master.
Since learning Air Ignition, he had been trying to challenge this spell for over a week, but had yet to succeed in casting Air Burst even once.
Chongyang swung his staff, repeatedly practicing the seals and reciting the incantations for Air Burst a hundred times. He then paused briefly to calm his mind, focus his will, and furrow his brow slightly.
Magical construct!
In the mental image of the black background, millions of white particles swirled and stacked like a tidal wave, combining and forming countless five-pointed stars that interlocked to create a three-dimensional design—building the magic capable of triggering gas reactions.
Then, using the incantation and seals, he manipulated the magic along his staff, launching it toward the target in a predetermined pattern!
Chongyang thrust his staff sharply forward, a faint red glow flickered from the staff's magic crystal and shot out toward the target. As it reached the target, it suddenly expanded, and then… BOOM!!!
A low, muffled explosion reverberated through Chongyang's eardrums. The sound of the green fireburst wasn't particularly loud, but it was deep enough to make his ears ache, like a heavy metallic bass.
"I did it!" A faint smile of joy appeared on Chongyang's face. From the magic construct to the incantation and seals, everything had come together perfectly, allowing him to successfully cast Air Burst for the first time.
"I wonder how powerful it is…" he thought, eagerly awaiting the test results. A moment later, the floating display appeared in front of him.
"Attack: one. Total score: 675." The final result left Chongyang in stunned disbelief.
675 points? That's the level of a mid-tier Level 6 spell!?
Chongyang stood there in shock for a while before instinctively swallowing and slowly regaining his composure.
A spell classified as Level 1, cast by a Level 3 fire mage, had reached the power level of a mid-tier Level 6 spell… This wasn't just a "high-level" spell by any standard.
"This is a transcendent-tier spell!" Chongyang's mind reeled with shock.
The power of a spell within the same level is typically evaluated based on its performance when cast by a mage of that level. For example, an average Level 3 mage casting a Level 3 spell might score between 300 and 350 for a low-tier spell, 350 to 400 for a mid-tier spell, and anything above 500 for a high-tier spell.
As a top-tier Level 3 mage, Chongyang's full-powered cast of the traditional high-level fire spell, Grand Flame Burst, could reach a score of around 570 to 580 points. That was the peak performance for a Level 3 mage. Unless his magic level increased, or he used external aids, it was impossible to break the 600-point barrier.
However, the score from Air Burst shattered this general understanding!
This spell, from the Level 1 category, had allowed a Level 3 mage like Chongyang to step into the power range of a Level 6 spell on his first successful cast.
From the mage's level perspective, this was like leaping three tiers, and from the magic's level perspective, it was a five-level jump! This kind of power could only be described as a transcendent-tier spell.
What is a transcendent-tier spell? It's a legendary skill that every mage on the continent dreams of mastering! To put it in terms Chongyang might compare to his previous life, it was like mastering the "Six Meridian Sword" or the "Dragon Subduing Palm"—mythical abilities.
What's even more extraordinary is that the lower the magic level, the rarer transcendent-tier spells become. To Chongyang's knowledge, there had never been a transcendent-tier spell classified as Level 1. The lowest known transcendent-tier spell was the domain-level water spell, Frostbite.
The second most powerful on the continent!? No… it should be second, not first.
Even so, it was already enough to shock him.
Chongyang was immersed in joy and a great sense of achievement. The thrill of growing stronger filled his chest, like taking a shot of fiery liquor in the midst of an icy landscape—intensely satisfying!
"I need to keep practicing until I can cast this 'Gas Explosion Spell' instantly," Chongyang's eyes shone with determination.
With a mere level-one mana consumption but a power level reaching mid-sixth tier, what would it be like once he could cast it instantly?
The flame inside Chongyang, which had been suppressed for so long, now blazed brightly, fueling his drive to practice and grow stronger, over and over again.
The Flame Demon, who had been silently observing, felt deep satisfaction with Chongyang's progress. He could see the seed he had planted was beginning to take root and flourish within the young mage.
…
…
As dusk settled, signaling the end of another day of magic practice, Chongyang dragged his exhausted body toward his room. On his way, he passed the herb garden and encountered an elderly man in worn cloth robes, with long white hair and a beard.
"Uncle Hua? You're back. Are you feeling better?" Chongyang's face lit up with a genuine smile, different from his usual feigned one, as he approached the old man who was tending to the young herbs.
"Hmm… Chongyang." Uncle Hua nodded slightly. His eyes, shaded by a straw hat, remained focused on the herbs in front of him. He didn't even glance at the student beside him, speaking in a flat tone, "You have a letter… I left it at your door."
"Thank you, Uncle Hua."
Passing by the elderly man, Chongyang returned to his room. Opening the door, he immediately noticed a thick envelope lying on the ground.
Picking it up with a mix of anticipation, he sat at his desk, took out a small knife from the drawer, and carefully cut open the seal, pulling out the letter.
But just as he was about to read it, the Flame Demon suddenly appeared.
"Hey kid, who was that old man just now?"
"You mean Uncle Hua?" Chongyang paused for a moment, then explained, "He's a retired professor from the academy, now working as a night watchman. But honestly, he takes care of a lot of things around here—like organizing the herb store, tending the herb gardens, repairing magical targets, and even delivering students' mail within the academy."
"A night watchman? A leisurely old professor…" the Flame Demon rasped, "Is that all you know about him?"
"Uh… pretty much. Among the students, I'd say I know him better than most. Besides his usual duties, I do know he's not in great health. He suffers from an old injury from a battle in his younger days, so he has to rest every now and then…" Noticing the Flame Demon's strange reaction, Chongyang's expression became serious. "Is something wrong?"
"Ka ka ka—nothing wrong, but for a mere night watchman, his strength is unusually high." The Flame Demon chuckled.
"Strength? Uncle Hua's mage level?" Chongyang's eyes widened in surprise. "How high?"
"A legendary mage, one of the top."
Thud—
Chongang accidentally fell off his chair.
"What… what did you say?" He scrambled up from the floor, his face filled with disbelief. "Uncle Hua… is a legendary mage? Are you serious!?"
"He hides it well, and your level is so low that you couldn't possibly notice… But in front of me, even a divine mage can't conceal their power," the Flame Demon boasted proudly.
Chongyang stood there in shock for a long time, realizing the Flame Demon wasn't joking. Then, suddenly, a lightbulb went off in his mind, and he felt like everything made sense.
Why had he been held back for six years but not expelled from the academy?
This had been a long-standing mystery in Zhuoyang's mind. In theory, even if the Prestland Academy had never dealt with a student being held back before, they should have established a new policy by now to formally expel him from the academy.
"Prestland's disgrace"… Such an utterly shameful title surely wouldn't sit well with the academy's upper ranks. It would have been easy for them to subtly apply pressure, offer bribes, or outright force the long-standing student to leave. Yet, over six years, Chongyang had never encountered anything of the sort.
It was as if, to the academy's leadership, he didn't even exist.
Why was that? Chongyang had never been able to figure it out. But now, after the Flame Demon exposed Uncle Hua's true identity, everything suddenly made sense.
A legendary mage… In the entire Prestland Academy, there was only one legendary mage, and that was none other than the prestigious headmaster of Prestland Academy—Clanrad Alpha.
As Chongyang stood in shocked disbelief, his mind wandered back to that hopeless autumn many years ago.
It was during that fall when he first spoke with the old man and learned that this quiet elder, always seen handling small, trivial tasks around the academy, was named Uncle Hua. From Uncle Hua, who appeared cold on the outside but kind within, Chongyang had learned a quiet strength, a down-to-earth mentality, which helped him keep his core intact amidst the mockery from other students.
He had respected Uncle Hua deeply, not for any grand gestures, but for those small, invaluable lessons. However, while Uncle Hua had helped him in small ways, he had never seemed interested in forming a deeper relationship. Chongyang, sensing this, kept his respect silent, maintaining a polite but distant rapport with the old man, never wanting to disturb his peaceful, unassuming existence.
But now, to discover that Uncle Hua was, in fact, the venerable headmaster of Prestland Academy… It became crystal clear that his continued presence at the academy, despite being a long-term underachiever, had been due to the headmaster's quiet protection all along.
"If it weren't for the Flame Demon's ability to see through everything, I probably would have left the academy still completely unaware of the truth," Chongyang thought, deeply moved.
He looked out of the window, his thoughts swirling, and there, in the herb garden, Uncle Hua's small, hunched figure was still tending to the plants.
Who could have imagined that this elderly man, who wandered unnoticed around the academy, hardly acknowledged by the students, was actually the hidden headmaster of Prestland?
"A legendary mage… a night watchman…"
Chongyang felt an overwhelming sense of awe, a deep and lasting realization settling within him.
"Thank you, Headmaster."
Chongyang bowed deeply toward the elderly figure outside the window.