Chongyang stood before the alchemy table, extending his hands to sense the reaction of the thick potion in the cauldron. From the surface of the liquid, he could see a soft piece of parchment suspended and swaying within the purple-red, semi-transparent potion, with a faint crimson halo flickering on its surface.
"Drought grass, stone vine, calabash bitter fruit, firemouth beast crystal…" Chongyang murmured softly. One by one, the herbs reacted to the boiling heat, mixing into the potion, which gradually seeped into the parchment, reforming its composition and creating a new type of scroll paper based on the original.
"Almost done…" Chongyang suddenly opened his eyes, stepping back a few paces while raising his wand. "Ten… nine… eight…"
Boom! As magic power surged in, a column of red steam shot up from the cauldron, spreading all the way to the ceiling, and took a full half-minute to gradually settle.
The entire pot of potion evaporated, leaving only a damp piece of parchment at the bottom. Chongyang extinguished the fire and carefully extracted the parchment with tongs, bringing it close to the torch to slowly dry it. In the end, the paper glimmered with a purplish-red hue, giving off a cool texture.
"Perfect." Chongyang smiled with satisfaction, returning to the table with the parchment, taking up his pen, and dipping it in ink to begin writing.
The night grew deeper. Chongyang's writing speed increased from slow to rapid, the tip of his pen gliding smoothly over the parchment, producing a soft scratching sound. At times it curved like a crescent moon, at others it spiraled like a maze, and occasionally it took sharp, jagged lines like a spear…
Finally, he slowly drew a large oval that closed off the entire sharp perimeter of the magical array, sealing it.
Buzz… The entire surface of the parchment glowed brightly, and a circular pattern with numerous sharp spikes flashed and vanished.
"Ha… the mark of the Atmospheric Explosion Scroll, it looks just like the big sun drawn in kindergarten from my previous life— a circle surrounded by straight, sharp lines…" Chongyang gently set down his pen, stretching his sore arms.
The second-level new magic Atmospheric Explosion Scroll, compared to the first-level Explosive Gas, had a wider range and greater power. Chongyang hadn't expected that he could manufacture a second-level new spell, still in the process of being practiced for instant casting, into a scroll.
This was due to the excellent properties of the new scroll paper and the fact that the principles of Atmospheric Explosion and Explosive Gas were not fundamentally different. Having gotten used to writing Explosive Gas, Chongyang found the process very smooth.
Two Explosive Gas scrolls and one Atmospheric Explosion scroll were the results of Chongyang's current efforts. If he handed over this scroll, which appeared to be first and second level but had actual power reaching the sixth or even seventh level, to Zhuoyang, it would surely serve as a surprise tactic!
However, after careful consideration, Chongyang decided to remove one of the Explosive Gas scrolls and replace it with a fifth-level scroll for defensive magic. After all, in addition to offense, defense was also crucial.
One wind shield magic scroll, one Explosive Gas scroll, and one Atmospheric Explosion scroll.
"I've done my best; now it's up to you, Zhuoyang…"
On the day of the duel.
Chongyang accompanied Zhuoyang to the Magic Association in the capital city. In the center of the Magic Association complex stood a towering wizard's tower, with four large buildings and various outdoor spaces surrounding it, providing a range of services for both members and non-members of the Magic Association.
There were libraries, research rooms, laboratories, exchange halls, task posting areas… and even duel arenas, all available. Calling the Magic Association a city within a city for wizards wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"It's even bigger than our lord's estate. It would be pretty nice to have a place here," Zhuoyang remarked as he looked around.
The atmosphere was quiet, with the wizards passing by and those working quietly, each person mostly silent, and when they did speak, it was in hushed tones, demonstrating the genteel demeanor expected of wizards.
"It's just too quiet. It feels a bit oppressive…" Zhuoyang observed, noting the pretentious expressions on everyone's faces and feeling a bit bored.
Chongyang smirked, "Feels like a place for sissies?"
Zhuoyang was taken aback for a moment, then broke into a grin, "Exactly! Well put!"
The two brothers, who hailed from the frigid north, exchanged smiles. Compared to the warriors of the Scorchsun Army, who had all experienced bloody battles, the refined wizards here, who lived in luxury, were like the difference between soldiers and scholars. Even if the scholarly wizards had higher magic levels, the imposing aura of the northern warrior-wizards was something that mere homebodies could not possess.
That said, Chongyang himself was also a standard homebody. However, having spent his childhood in the north, he possessed a depth of character far beyond his peers and ordinary wizards, appearing very mature and composed without any signs of the weakness associated with excessive refinement.
Following the staff member's lead, the two quickly passed through the building and arrived at a spacious outdoor magical duel arena.
Because most high-level magical attacks have a large range, if the battle area is not sufficiently large, one might even accidentally injure themselves. Therefore, to allow high-level magic to be more effectively utilized, magical duel arenas are set in very spacious areas.
"With your potion enhancements in such a wide space, unless he uses medium-range magic or higher, it's unlikely he'll hit me," Zhuoyang said confidently.
"Just don't let your guard down," Chongyang nodded in agreement.
The two sides met at the edge of the duel arena. The young man in a green wind-element magic robe, tall and slender with a sharp chin and a pair of stylish little mustaches beneath his nose, was Daons.
Objectively speaking, Daons was somewhat handsome, with fair skin and a well-groomed appearance. However, he had a rather soft look to him, with a strong scent of cosmetics, making it clear to anyone with discerning eyes that he was a man who indulged in the pleasures of the flesh.
In comparison, Zhuoyang, who habitually stood tall with a straight back, had a stern brow and sharp features, exuding more than ten times the masculine aura.
Upon seeing the beauty, Felilian, and her gaze directed at Zhuoyang, Chongyang suddenly understood why this enchanting lady from the Magic Association, with her mysterious background, would look down on a handsome young man like Daons and be infatuated with Zhuoyang instead.
It seemed that this petite, delicate beauty had grown weary of the soft, scholarly types prevalent in the Magic Association. Suddenly encountering a rugged man from the cold northern regions, one who drank strong liquor, fought against beasts, and led troops, must have been a tremendous shock to her.
If Zhuoyang demonstrated the strong demeanor typical of northern men in this battle, Chongyang felt the likelihood of winning Felilian's heart would be quite high.
Apart from the main characters, only Zhuoyang accompanied Zhuoyang, while Daons, being on home turf at the Magic Association, had quite a few spectators cheering him on.
"Daons, take him down in a minute!"
"Kick that northerner back to his hometown!"
Before the duel, the crowd was fervently boosting Daons' momentum while disparaging Zhuoyang's side. Daons merely made a symbolic gesture to stop the jeers, then basked in the praise of the spectators, a flicker of disdain flashing in his eyes as he looked at Zhuoyang.
The referee for the duel was an old man with thick brown eyebrows that nearly formed a single line and slightly cloudy eyes that bore a hint of deep wisdom.
He was a wind-element magic user, but his robe bore no insignia indicating his magic rank. As he recited the rules regarding fairness in the duel and the prevention of injuries, Chongyang suddenly heard the voice of the Flame Demon in his ear: "Another one hiding his strength, a Holy Spirit-level."
Why do all the high-ranking old folks enjoy doing the dirty work?
Chongyang discreetly took a few more glances at the old man with the thick eyebrows. He didn't notice anything unusual, but he did see the beauty Felilian, apart from looking at Zhuoyang, occasionally cast her gaze toward the old man, her expression somewhat nuanced.
"Ah, I see…" Chongyang thought to himself. Is this the grandfather who's bored and came to see the potential son-in-law?
He couldn't voice a reminder to Zhuoyang; he just hoped that Zhuoyang absolutely could not lose this match.
A Holy Spirit-level magic user? Such a rank would definitely indicate an elder status within the Magic Association! The fact that he personally came here might mean he was simply bored or perhaps concerned for his granddaughter. Regardless of the reason, if Zhuoyang could earn his favor… as the saying goes, a son-in-law is half a son, and the entire Zhuoyang family would benefit.
Before the duel began, both sides were first required to check their status and equipment for any violations. Both Daons and Zhuoyang displayed their staves and meticulously prepared auxiliary items for the referee to inspect.
As expected, Daons had high-quality level-five magical scrolls on his side. His two potions included one for recovering magic and one for enhancing wind magic.
The old man checked slowly, first sensing the magical fluctuations of the scrolls. Then, he took a drop of each potion and tasted them, nodding to indicate that everything was in order.
Chongyang watched intently, seeing a glimmer of sharpness in Daons' eyes. He felt an acute sense of vigilance, fully observing the three scrolls and two potions…
"Wait a minute!" As the old man finished checking and was handing the scrolls and potions back to Daons, Chongyang suddenly exclaimed.
All eyes turned to him.
"Those two potions are problematic," he declared, pointing at the two vials in the old man's hand with conviction.
"What!?" Both the audience and the referee looked stunned.
However, amidst the crowd's rising, piercing boos, Zhuoyang stood firmly beside Zhuoyang and stated resolutely, "I protest and demand a re-examination of the opponent's potions!"
In that instant, Zhuoyang clearly saw a flicker of panic in Daons' eyes.
"You're protesting, are you sure?" The old man, displeased that Zhuoyang and Zhuoyang did not trust him, frowned. "If the re-examination shows no issues, you will be penalized by not being allowed to bring your duel potions into the arena."
"I'm sure. Since my brother said so, those two potions must have problems!" Zhuoyang replied, casting a glance at Zhuoyang, whose eyes were filled with unwavering trust.
The crowd shifted their gaze to Zhuoyang, looking down upon the young level-three magic user, some people even urging for an immediate re-examination and confiscation of Zhuoyang's potions.
"Little brother, you must be mistaken. These two potions were purchased from a master at the Magic Association; how could there be a problem?" Daons stepped forward a couple of steps, his demeanor friendly. "You must be an apprentice in potion-making, right? Perhaps you haven't seen too many of these high-grade potions, so you misjudged. I won't hold it against you; there's no need for a re-examination. If your brother's potions get confiscated, that wouldn't make for a fair fight."
"Who's your brother?" Zhuoyang furrowed his brows. "Whether or not I'm a potion-making apprentice or how many high-grade potions I've seen is none of your concern. I only know that there is a special ingredient in potion-making called 'White Bird Ounce Powder,' which has a very strong anti-magic effect and is rarely used in ordinary potions. However, aside from being a component in a few special potions, this ingredient can also mask the magical fluctuations of high-grade potions."
Daons' expression stiffened for a moment.
"For example, with a sixth or even seventh-grade potion, if the right amount of this ingredient is added, it could potentially suppress the magical fluctuations contained within the potion to below fifth grade, leading to a misjudgment of the potion's grade. However, White Bird Ounce Powder is not only rare in its production but also difficult to obtain due to its limited usage, and the manufacturing process is quite complicated…"
Chongyang's implication was clear: Daons, relying on his family background, managed to obtain this precious and rare ingredient and had a high-level potion master assist in processing it, resulting in a potion that appeared to be fifth grade but was actually sixth or even seventh grade.
"Nonsense… what evidence do you have?!" Daons retorted angrily, though his tone had a hint of nervousness. "That's just your wild speculation! You have no legitimate reason to protest! You're just causing trouble!"
Chongyang couldn't help but chuckle coldly in his heart at Daons' obstinacy.
The audience, who had been cheering for Daons, fell silent. Not many were fools; from Chongyang's previous statement, they could tell that this level-three magic user was not ordinary. White Bird Ounce Powder? Many had never even heard of this ingredient, while this black-haired youth knew it like the back of his hand.
This was all because Chongyang had devoted an unimaginable amount of effort to reduce the side effects of his heart-nourishing potions, researching and experimenting with nearly every possible ingredient that could mitigate the adverse effects. He had even managed to acquire rare materials like White Bird Ounce Powder and thoroughly investigated them.
The old man, who had shown displeasure, was slightly moved upon hearing these words. His thick brows furrowed, and he couldn't help but glance more than once at this low-level young mage. How did this person know about White Bird Ounce Powder, a material that even most fifth and sixth-grade potion masters wouldn't understand?
However, Daons was right; this testimony ultimately came from a young mage's words alone. To truly convince those present, they needed something more…
"Evidence, of course, I have," Chongyang said calmly.
"Just hold those two vials up to the sunlight and look at them from the other side. I guarantee you will see a fine white line mixed in with the original color of the potion, positioned at the bottom or middle of the vial. With the right tools and methods, you could extract this line, which is finer than a hair. That's the impurity that precipitates when White Bird Ounce Powder is added to the potion and allowed to cool. It's harmless to the human body, but it's the clearest indicator that this ingredient is present in the potion."
"This…" Daons' face turned pale at once. He never expected that the Northern bumpkin he looked down on, Zhuoyang, would have such an impressive potion-making brother.
These two potions were ones he had invested significant effort into acquiring by leveraging his connections, persuading a seventh-grade potion master from the Magic Association to create them for him! At that time, the potion master had confidently told him that there were no more than ten people in the entire imperial capital who could see through this trick!
No more than ten people? Nonsense! There was one right here, a mere level-three potion-making apprentice, who knew about this potion as if he had made it himself! Daons felt a surge of hatred. He vowed to settle accounts with that potion master in the future!