Grinding EXP From Fireball Skill : Chapter 12: Banquet Invitation

Chapter 12: The Banquet Invitation

December 3rd, night.

Li Wei sat cross-legged on his bed, eyes closed in deep meditation.

Suddenly, his perception underwent a radical transformation.

Before, he could only sense the scattered traces of fire elements drifting through the air.

Now, the empty void of the world burst into a kaleidoscope of colors.

Flames, wind, water, earth, light, ice—

the radiant essence of every element shimmered into view.

Only then did Li Wei realize how many invisible, free-floating elements existed all around!

Most of their glimmers remained hazy—he could barely perceive them, let alone absorb them.

Only fire, light, lightning, and ice elements appeared slightly clearer, just distinct enough for his spiritual force to grasp and convert into magical energy.

Among these, fire was most abundant, followed by ice; light and lightning were sparse.

With more options now available, Li Wei’s absorption rate increased significantly.

When his spiritual force finally depleted and meditation ended, he opened his eyes.

Two lines of text floated before him:

[Basic Meditation Method (Minor Mastery)] 8/2000

[Minor Fireball Spell (Zero-tier Initiate)] 508/1000

“Hah!” Li Wei exhaled deeply, murmuring with emotion, “Finally, the Basic Meditation Method has advanced.”

The upgrade brought numerous benefits.

First, cultivation speed improved—the retention rate of absorbed magical elements rose from twenty percent to forty.

Second, and more importantly, came multi-element perception.

This ability was crucial—it greatly reduced environmental interference during cultivation.

In winter, ice element concentration rose while others declined.

A mage who drew power from ice would find their training efficiency enhanced.

Beyond seasonal tides, regional differences also affected elemental density.

On snow-covered plateaus, ice elements surged while fire elements nearly vanished.

A fire-specialized mage venturing there would struggle to restore magical energy at all.

In short, the broader one’s range of perceivable and absorbable elements, the better.

That light and lightning elements resonated strongly with him made sense—they were, after all, mutations of fire.

But why did ice, so diametrically opposed to fire, also feel so compatible?

Li Wei glanced down at the ice crystal in his hand. “Could it be because of this?”

He suspected it might be true.

“Can elemental crystals enhance a mage’s affinity?”

Recalling how fiercely apprentice mages in the Tower coveted ice crystals, he felt his hypothesis gain weight.

He remembered Gu Ze releasing three ice arrows at once.

Normally, Zero-tier Ice Arrow could only produce one arrow per cast.

Gu Ze’s spell was stronger—perhaps due precisely to higher ice affinity.

The greater the affinity, the more potent the corresponding elemental magic.

At this thought, Li Wei smiled.

“Well, that’s not bad at all.”

“It seems I should start collecting elemental crystals—expand my perceptual range.”

The next morning, Li Wei stood in the courtyard, drawing water to wash his face.

Suddenly, an impulse stirred within him—to cast a spell.

It had been days since he’d practiced Minor Fireball, and his fingers itched with anticipation.

He focused, constructing the spell model in his mind.

Less than a minute passed before it was complete—so fast it startled even him.

Previously, his best time had been nearly two minutes.

Today, the flow of magical energy felt unusually obedient, almost eager.

“Is this another benefit from the upgraded meditation method?”

Free-floating fire elements in the air flowed naturally into the completed model.

Five seconds later, a small fireball hovered before him.

Again, he was stunned.

Before, filling the model took about ten seconds.

Now, half that time sufficed.

Li Wei grew increasingly certain—this was the fruit of his progress.

“The quality of my magical energy has improved. Casting is faster, steadier.”

He raised his hand, launching the fireball skyward.

Whoosh!

It soared thirty or forty meters before exploding with a sharp *pop*.

“The range has increased too.”

He checked the remaining magic within—enough for at least five more casts.

A pleased smile spread across his face.

“Truly excellent.”

In the following days, Li Wei returned his focus to spell practice.

Mornings were for meditation and cultivating magic; evenings, for meticulous study and repetition.

His progress advanced steadily, like a quiet river carving stone.

Before long, December neared its end.

After class, as Li Wei prepared to leave, a boy dressed in noble attire called out to him.

“Li Wei, wait a moment.”

Li Wei paused, turning with mild surprise.

"What is it?"

Though they were both apprentice students in the same classroom, they weren't close.

Nobles had their own circles; noble disciples only associated and played with other noble disciples.

For over two years, the two of them had barely interacted.

He looked at Li Wei expectantly and said, "My family is holding a banquet tomorrow evening—will you come?"

Li Wei was surprised, hesitant. He didn’t particularly enjoy noisy gatherings.

Seeing his hesitation, the boy quickly added, "Master Guze and the other teachers will be there too, along with many of our classmates."

Hearing that Master Guze would attend, Li Wei paused for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, I’ll come."

The boy’s face lit up. "That's wonderful!"

Slightly awkward, Li Wei asked, "By the way, what’s your name?"

The boy’s joy faltered. "Little John Bieber."

After parting with Little John, Li Wei met Master Guze on his way back to the dormitory.

They walked together, chatting, and eventually spoke of the invitation. It was then that Li Wei learned the truth from Guze’s lips.

It turned out that Little John, feeling his talent inadequate and progress too slow, had decided to abandon further studies at the mage tower and switch to another path of the extraordinary.

Guze smiled faintly. "This matter actually has quite a bit to do with you."

Li Wei frowned in confusion. "What does it have to do with me?"

"Little John heard about your accomplishments," Guze explained, "and that’s why he chose to give up magic."

"He isn’t untalented. He’s already cultivated magical energy. In three or five years, he could become an apprentice mage. Within ten, perhaps even a true mage."

Hearing this, Li Wei suddenly understood why Little John had given up.

Ten years—just a chance to become a mage?

In other extraordinary paths, ten years might make one a renowned figure.

But in the path of mages, ten years was merely the beginning.

Apprentice mages in their thirties or forties were common enough.

Too grueling!

And worse—having someone like Li Wei, a prodigy, standing right beside him…

No wonder those ten years felt unbearable.

Comparison breeds despair.

Little John’s spirit broke.

He changed course.

That night.