Since Chongyang had mentioned the importance of family interests, Zhuoyang couldn't refuse him and reluctantly accepted. The two brothers decided that in the time leading up to the duel, Zhuoyang would rent a dedicated magic training room in the city to prepare himself for the best possible condition. Meanwhile, Chongyang would be responsible for preparing the scrolls and potions that would assist during the duel.
Dueling is an essential component of this magical world, with varying rules across different regions.
In the imperial capital, having not experienced war for a long time, the atmosphere was relatively peaceful and the customs were gentle. The wizards there emphasized civility, so the rules of dueling simply required knocking down the opponent to win, with fatalities being rare. However, in places where the customs were more aggressive, dueling often meant a fight to the death.
Having spent many years in the capital, Chongyang was well aware of the rules governing dueling there. Generally, within the level range, both duelists could carry scrolls or potions that were two levels below their own magic level, in addition to their wands. This meant that a level seven wizard could bring three level five scrolls or lower, as well as two potions of fifth grade or below.
Chongyang planned to purchase fifth-grade potions in the market. With his deep understanding of potions, obtaining practical duel potions would not be difficult. What he intended to invest more effort in were the three magical scrolls.
Duel aids have always been a popular way to "cheat" in duels. A wizard with a wealthy background can access magic scrolls and potions that are vastly superior compared to those available to a wizard with little background, even if their levels are the same.
For instance, a level five scroll of the same rank, such as the low-level "Touch of Lightning" versus the high-level "Lightning Break," are not even in the same league when it comes to attack power and range. Moreover, acquiring the latter is extremely difficult for wizards without certain connections.
One of the most brazen displays of power in a duel could occur when one side immediately unleashes instant-cast magic scrolls, deploying three in quick succession, leaving their opponent unable to retaliate before collapsing.
In Zhuoyang's case, this was a love rival situation, which made such blatant displays less likely, as the actual stakes at hand—the affections of a beautiful lady—lay outside the battlefield. If the acts of bullying were too overt, it could significantly reduce the affection of the lady being pursued… although this varied from person to person. From what Zhuoyang understood of Miss Fuli's personality, she was not a woman who favored using connections to assert dominance.
Chongyang believed in his brother's strength, but he did not trust the character of the opponent, Daons. Therefore, what he needed to do was prepare magical scrolls that could help Zhuoyang reverse the situation if things went awry.
Late at night, with the moon bright and stars sparse, soft moonlight streamed through the window, casting shadows on the young man hunched over his writing desk, illuminated by the flickering firelight.
Chongyang stroked his chin thoughtfully with one hand while the other struggled to draw intricate lines on the scroll's parchment. Through the complicated designs that would make ordinary wizards dizzy, he envisioned a grand magical array, akin to a magnificent palace only half-constructed.
Scattered across the desk were no fewer than twenty to thirty reference books, some piled up, some laid out haphazardly. These books were sourced from his own shelves and the library, all detailing various intricate aspects of first-level scroll creation.
"Failed again… this pattern won't work." Chongyang furrowed his brow, murmuring to himself as he crumpled the half-drawn parchment and tossed it toward the wastebasket at the edge of the table. The basket was already full, and the crumpled paper bounced off, joining countless other discarded papers on the floor.
With a sigh, he leaned back in his chair, rubbing his sore, tired arms.
He had successfully achieved the instantaneous casting of the new magic, "Explosive Gas," four days ago. This meant his understanding of this first-level new magic had reached an exceptional level. However, he had yet to succeed in creating a single magical scroll.
"The complexity of the magic is too high… How can I reduce the number of 'nodes' in the scroll?" Chongyang pondered.
If constructing the magic array for the scroll was likened to building a palace, then the 'nodes' in the array would be the load-bearing pillars of that palace. The more magnificent and towering the palace, the more supporting pillars it would require. Similarly, the more complicated the magic array, the more nodes it would have.
Ordinary first-level scrolls typically have around seven to twenty nodes, while ordinary third-level scrolls can have anywhere from fifty to three hundred… In contrast, the nodes for this first-level super-tier "Explosive Gas" scroll exceeded one thousand!
From magic construction to incantations and seals, all these elements must be reflected in the core magic array, making it incredibly challenging, almost to a terrifying degree.
The key bottleneck was not Chongyang's lack of ability, but rather the terrifying nature of constructing such a scroll itself. For Chongyang, whose mental strength was beyond comprehension, even a thousand nodes primarily added to the time required for creation. This was because his foundational skills and writing technique were solid and reliable.
The problem lay not with Chongyang as the creator, but with the sheer magnitude of the scroll, which exceeded the highest limit that the parchment itself could bear! To use another analogy, if the magic array represented a palace, then the parchment was the foundation supporting that palace. Now, due to the palace being too grand, it could only be built halfway before the foundation crumbled under the weight, rendering completion impossible.
Switching to higher-grade scroll paper? That won't work either. If the paper is of a higher grade, the amount of magical energy input must increase significantly, resulting in only a slight increase in the number of nodes it can bear.
Chongyang had calculated that to increase the bearing limit by switching to higher-grade paper, he would need to use paper suitable for sixth-level scrolls at the very least. However, he did not possess sixth-level magic, and the resulting scroll would be a sixth-level scroll! This would exceed the requirement of "below fifth level" for the duel.
Theoretically, a first-level magic corresponds to a first-level scroll, but this new magic, "Explosive Gas," had already surpassed the boundaries of traditional theory. Thus, Chongyang was quite troubled.
Under the dim light, he spent another sleepless night repeatedly flipping through the books at hand, yet inspiration eluded him.
"Flame Demon, as the creator of this new theory, can't you give me any advice?" Chongyang set down the thick book in his hand and spoke to the empty air.
"Kekekeke—I've never bothered about the creation of first-level scrolls. Moreover, this is a personal matter for you; I have no obligation to guide you," the Flame Demon's playful laughter echoed in his ears.
"What a useless mentor," Chongyang scoffed.
"Kekek—Actually, you're quite close to the solution. Even without relying on me, you will figure it out sooner or later," the Flame Demon replied with a laugh. "I may be an incompetent mentor, but I am a master who emphasizes cultivating the independence of my disciples."
Chongyang rolled his eyes. In truth, you're just a mischievous elemental sprite who enjoys playing tricks on your disciple out of boredom.
"Think about it some more. If you really can't figure it out in the end, then… stand on your head and shout three times, 'I am a foolish disciple.' I'll give you a hint."
"Who would do that!" Chongyang slammed the table.
"Good spirit! Then I won't bother you… And remember, practicing 'Explosive Gas' is not something you can pause. No matter how far you get tonight, I will make sure to wake you up for practice tomorrow. If you sleep in, I'll burn your butt."
"You bastard."
The next day, after finishing the practice of the upgraded new technique "Explosive Gas," which was based on the original spell, Chongyang took a break and set out from the academy in the evening to purchase fifth-grade potions at the Apothecary Association's specialized high-grade potion shop.
While the commonly visited Heruxiao Trading Post also sold fifth-grade potions, when it came to aspects like quality and details, the reputation of the Apothecary Association's potion shop was superior.
To put it plainly, it was a matter of brand difference. Most of the items at the trading post were average goods, while the association's potions had the guarantee of a high-end brand. In critical duels, when money was not an issue, it was natural to choose better products.
Upon arriving at the store, Chongyang selected two bottles of fifth-grade potions. The first was "Magic Enhancement Potion." Unlike the commonly used Mana Recovery Potion, this one did not increase the speed at which a mage regained mana but rather improved the fluidity of their spellcasting.
In the minds of many mages, the most important potion for combat was undoubtedly the Mana Recovery Potion. However, Chongyang believed that in a duel, especially in a one-on-one situation with spatial limitations, the fluidity of spellcasting was more critical than the consumption of mana.
His conclusion was based on his investigation of the records in the academy library, where he found that duel records from the capital typically indicated that the outcome could be determined in as little as ten seconds, and rarely extended beyond ten minutes. In such short battles, mana consumption should not be the primary concern.
The second potion he chose was the "Body Enhancement Potion." This was another relatively niche combat potion. Generally, if a mage could only carry two potions, they would opt for a mana recovery potion and either a magic amplification or magic resistance potion. "Body Enhancement"? Mages were not lowly warrior servants; why would they need that?
Chongyang had his own considerations. He envisioned that his second brother, having spent many years fighting in the border cities, had considerable practical experience and a strong physique, which provided a significant advantage over mages whose bodies were relatively weaker and grew up in peaceful cities.
Indeed, mages were not warriors, but during magical combat, physical reactions, movement speed, and stamina were also important. If one could evade a magical attack through high-speed movement, it equated to having one additional opportunity over the opponent, which was highly significant.
Given that Zhuoyang possessed such an advantage, adding a bottle of enhancement potion to amplify that advantage further would mean that, if used properly, the opponent would find it difficult to even lock onto him while casting spells, thereby widening the gap in combat effectiveness. Moreover, Zhuoyang's rich experience in dealing with beastmen would be the foundation for fully leveraging this advantage.
As he paid for the two potions, the young lady mage at the counter looked at Chongyang with a slightly strange expression. This was because Chongyang had mentioned that the potions he wanted were for dueling and had to be of the highest caliber… Yet, he was choosing such niche potions for a duel?
Chongyang paid no mind to the salesgirl's expression. He was not pursuing uniqueness; he had calmly calculated his decision.
As he left the fragrant shop with his newly purchased potions, an idea suddenly sparked in Chongyang's mind regarding the challenges of scroll creation, and a look of joy slowly spread across his face.
"Carriage, over here!" Chongyang shouted as he ran to the street, signaling for a hired carriage.
"Sir, where to?"
"Pruslan Academy. Get me there as fast as you can; the quicker, the better, and I'll give you a reward."
"Got it!" The driver was more than happy to cater to such a generous customer and immediately cracked the whip.
...
Once back in his room at the academy, Chongyang shut the door and called out, "Old ghost, I understand what you meant by me being close to the answer! It's a hint in itself!"
"Kekek—what hint?" replied the voice of the Flame Demon.
"If ordinary scroll paper can't handle the new magic, then I just need to create a new type of paper that can! So what I need is…" Chongyang's gaze shifted to the potion experiment table, "Alchemy! By adding new materials into the existing scroll paper, I can enhance its capacity to bear the nodes."
The creation of scroll paper, while categorized under scroll studies, actually involves practical operations related to alchemy and magical item studies. The core principle revolves around alchemy, but the end product is paper rather than potions.
"How could I have been so foolish not to think of this? If I don't have the new paper, I can just make it! Hey, old ghost! Now that I've figured out your hint, you should give me further guidance. No refusing! Otherwise, I might have to pause my practice of the Air Burst technique," Chongyang said fiercely, pulling reference books from the shelf and hurriedly starting to organize the potion experiment table.
"Alright, no choice then. Such a willful disciple…" the Flame Demon materialized, his voice raspy with resignation.