Chapter 138: Young Mage Exchange Tournament

Chapter 138: The Young Mages' Exchange Tournament

"Is the legend of the Goddess of a Hundred Flowers true?"

Li Wei sat in his room, pondering.

"Who sent me the crystal flower?"

"Could it have been the missing former lord of Feihua City?"

He didn't know.

This afternoon had truly gone just as Evelyn said—Li Wei had done nothing but sit for a while at Pumpkin Manor.

He wasn’t sure what good it had done.

Listening to a tale, learning something of Rota’s past—perhaps that alone made the journey worthwhile.

Before parting, Laina had given Li Wei a scroll.

Something preserved from long ago by the Saite family.

Even in their darkest hours, he had never sold it for coin. Now, he gave it freely to Li Wei.

Li Wei unrolled the parchment and read.

His eyes widened.

"The Fire Mage Advancement Ritual—the Ceremony of Flame Spirits!"

"This is far too precious!"

Yet upon reflection, he realized it was both priceless and worthless all at once.

Valuable? Yes. But also, not.

The ritual was recorded in text upon the scroll—nothing more.

As a vessel, it was inferior even to a spellbook inscribed with zero-tier magic.

At least a spellbook was a genuine magical artifact.

For a mage who already knew the ritual, this scroll held no worth.

But for one lacking such knowledge, like Li Wei, it was an irreplaceable treasure.

No wonder Laina hadn’t sold it—he simply hadn’t found the right buyer.

Knowledge only holds value for those who seek it.

And Li Wei sought it desperately.

He devoured the words on the scroll, memorizing every step and detail of the Ceremony of Flame Spirits.

He couldn’t use it now.

But when the time came to break into the second tier, this ritual would be his key.

Maple City’s Mage Tower offered advancement rites too—

but they were generic, suited for mages of any discipline.

The Ceremony of Flame Spirits was forged solely for fire mages.

For Li Wei, its power would surpass any common rite.

That night, within his dreams:

[Invisible Armor Spell (First Tier, Mastery)] 0/10000

Li Wei cast the Invisible Armor spell.

At mastery, the armor grew denser, stronger—its defensive power heightened.

The stacking limit now reached twelve layers.

He looked down at the shimmering armor cloaking his body, thoughts stirring.

After attending the mages’ gathering, inspiration had struck.

Perhaps the Invisible Armor could fuse with fire essence, transforming into a Sunfire Armor—

inflicting lingering burns upon nearby foes.

Or merge with other elements—wind, for instance—making the armor lighter, swifter.

But such ideas were still premature.

He wasn’t capable yet.

Maybe, one day, he would be.

"If Invisible Armor can fuse with fire," a thought flickered in his mind, "could Telekinesis do the same?"

His imagination soared, conjuring wild, boundless possibilities.

Then, after a moment, he stilled himself.

"Not yet. When my strength grows, perhaps I can attempt it."

He turned his focus back to cultivation.

Through the late night, he devoted himself entirely to practicing Fireball, attuning to the flame element,

searching for the elusive spark where fire might weave into other spells.

Dawn arrived.

Li Wei rose early, dressed, armed—fully prepared.

Today marked the fourth day of the Mage Assembly—and the first day of the Young Mages’ Exchange Tournament.

Stepping outside, he found Guze already waiting, Rota beside him.

Both seemed even more eager than he was.

"Hurry, don’t be late," Guze urged.

Li Wei nodded. "Mm."

The three set off toward the Hall of Magic.

The Hall had been alive with activity for three days now, and would remain so until the Assembly concluded.

No one could guess how many magic stones had already been consumed.

Inside the Hall, Li Wei glanced at Guze and Rota. "Teacher, I need to use the restroom."

"Go quickly. Don’t miss the opening ceremony," Guze replied.

Li Wei pretended to head for the latrine.

But stepping out again, he emerged transformed—a strange figure clad in armor beneath a mage’s robe.

He approached a tournament official from the Mage Association.

"Greetings. I am an anonymous participant."

The staff member glanced up at his appearance and hesitated for a moment.

He picked up the list, scanned it briefly, then asked, “Are you the mage from Maple City?”

Hearing this, Li Wei realized it was Treysta’s doing.

He nodded. “Yes.”

The staff picked up his pen. “Then please register your name.”

“Kai. As in armor—*kǎi jiǎ*.” Li Wei said.

The clerk wrote it down without surprise; names as peculiar as this were common enough.

“Here is your contestant number. When your number is called, you must enter the competition zone within three minutes.”

He handed Li Wei a magical card.

On it was inscribed the number 128.

“So many participants?”

Li Wei murmured, slightly astonished.

“This year has more than ever before,” the staff replied. “Perhaps because the champion’s reward is especially tempting.”

Li Wei nodded. Indeed, it was tempting—he had come for the Sprite Spring himself.

Guzer sat in his seat, glancing left and right.

“Why hasn’t Li Wei returned yet?”

No sooner had he spoken than Li Wei appeared.

“Teacher, I was delayed by an upset stomach,” Li Wei explained.

“It doesn’t matter. The opening ceremony hasn’t begun yet,” Guzer said.

Today, the grand hall of the Magic Hall had been transformed into an arena.

The audience encircled the massive coliseum, seated on concentric tiers of stone steps lined with tables and chairs.

They sipped fine wine, savored delicacies, and waited to watch the Young Mages’ Exchange Tournament.

Rumble—rumble—!

Suddenly, the light dimmed, leaving only a single beam illuminating the center of the arena.

An old white-haired mage stood upon a floating platform suspended in midair above the coliseum.

He surveyed the crowd and boomed, “The Twenty-Eighth Young Mages’ Exchange Tournament is now open!”

“The first round will be elimination-based. One hundred and thirty contestants will compete—only thirty shall advance to the second round.”

Guzer exclaimed in disbelief, “This elimination rate is far too high!”

“One hundred and thirty down to thirty? The competition will be fierce beyond measure.”

“Bear in mind, nearly every young prodigy from the Northern Realm is gathered here. To rank among the top thirty out of so many gifted mages—that is no small feat.”

In the stands, whispers erupted like waves.

Unfazed, the elder mage raised his voice: “Now, let us reveal the venue for this tournament.”

In an instant, the empty arena below morphed into a vast island.

A colossal, intricately detailed projection drew gasps from the crowd.

The old mage swept his staff toward the island beneath him and declared, “This is the battleground—Isle of the Secret Mirage.”

“Contestants will be deployed into the ocean surrounding the secret realm. Only the first thirty mages to reach the island shall advance.”

Simple. Brutal.

Li Wei stared, stunned. He had expected one-on-one duels, but never imagined such grandeur.

The Magic Association had conjured an entire secret realm as the stage.

“For the first round,” the elder intoned, “no magical equipment may be used by any contestant.”

(End of Chapter)