Chapter 24: The Clash Between True Magi (Part 2)

That’s right! When true magi confront each other, they detect the fluctuations in their opponent’s magic energy, the proportion and density of various elements around them, as well as the arrangement of those elements, to predict the spells the opponent will use, and then formulate countermeasures by choosing appropriate spells in turn.
If they are very familiar with the characteristics of their opponent’s spells, they can even opt to use fast-attack spells to interrupt critical moments during the opponent’s incantation or mental recitation.
This is what a true clash between magi is all about!
In the eyes of experienced magi, it’s not true that the more powerful a spell is, the better—it means more elements need to be gathered and more time is required. A true duel between magi isn’t about exchanging high-level spells or even forbidden spells, as laypeople might think.
In fact, in a real duel between magi, one won’t see many high-level spells, because experienced magi will use fast-attack spells to disrupt their opponent’s spellcasting, creating opportunities for their own high-level spells. One spell capable of defeating the enemy is enough!
Among all levels of magic, levels three and above are dangerous, with level four potentially fatal. Even great magi cannot withstand several spells of levels five or six if unprepared. As for levels six and above… those are practically in the realm of forbidden spells, so there’s no need to say more.
Therefore, if a magician reaches the level of casting spells instantly, even just a simple fireball spell, they will be respected by their peers. Forbidden spells are akin to nuclear bombs in Jiang Zhe’s past life—most of their effect is merely deterrent.
Of course, it’s not impossible to use forbidden spells to cause massive destruction, such as during the “Year of War” between the Empire and Salonia over a decade ago—a tragic event that neither country wishes to recall.
Thus, in the field of magic, it’s not true that the more destructive a spell is, the more highly it is regarded. Nor is it the case that those fast-attack spells with little power are favored by most magi. In short, every spell has its purpose, and choosing the right spell at the critical moment is the true test for magi!
※※※
Can he… comprehend it?
This child named Thos?
Watching the child close his eyes and meditate about ten yards away, Professor Hodd couldn’t help but feel anxious.
“The Clash Between True Magi” is a topic that is only introduced to students in the fifth grade. Is it a bit too early for this first-year child?

Magic fluctuations… aren’t something that can be understood so easily!
But if he can’t grasp them, he won’t be able to progress to the next stage of training… Sigh!
I hope this clever child is also exceptional in understanding them… I really hope so!
Professor Hodde sighed quietly, standing still. After all, such a mysterious concept as magic fluctuations couldn’t be taught through words.
Inhale…
Exhale…
Silence…
While Professor Hodde was anxious, Jiang Zhe closed his eyes and tried to regulate his breathing.
But he achieved nothing…
It must be said that Jiang Zhe was very quick-witted; he immediately understood the meaning behind Professor Hodde’s words and recalled what he knew about magic fluctuations. Yet, he had no idea how to perceive them.
A drop of sweat slowly slid down his forehead, and the slight itching made his already restless mood even more agitated…
His breathing grew heavier and faster…
“Hmm?”
Professor Hodde immediately sensed that something was wrong with Jiang Zhe.
Like everyone else, he also “saw” the pale blue aura representing magic around Jiang Zhe. Outside that pale blue aura was a strong fiery red aura—these were the fire elements attached to him. The stronger the affinity, the denser the corresponding element.
But now, the magic aura around the boy was experiencing abnormal fluctuations, and the fire element aura beside him was growing increasingly violent. Worse still, the magic aura had a hint of blackish mist in it, carrying a sense of restlessness and anxiety…
Was this…
Magic backlash?
How could this happen?
Professor Hodde was shocked. At that moment, he heard Jiang Zhe’s deep, rapid breathing. He quickly opened his eyes wide and shouted, “Sos, focus your attention! Calm down and look carefully!”
Professor Hodde’s shout startled Jiang Zhe. At the same time, a warm current seemed to flow slowly through his left hand, dispelling the chill in his body and instantly calming his restlessness…
In Professor Hodde’s eyes, the blackish mist around Jiang Zhe vanished completely, leaving only pure magic aura. The violent fire elements also gradually calmed down…
Silence…
Focus…
Inhale…
Exhale…
Suddenly, Jiang Zhe could no longer hear any sounds…
For a brief moment, then he felt a multitude of soft sounds around him—the chirping of insects, the singing of birds, the sound of flowing water, even the breeze…
Inhale…
Exhale…
This feeling… is wonderful…

“Good heavens, this child is truly a genius!” Professor Hodd murmured in disbelief at what he saw.
However, one thing concerned him a bit…
The magical energy around that child suddenly doubled, then vanished abruptly. What could have caused that?
Also, there was a high concentration of fire elements around the child, but why was the energy near his left hand significantly weaker? It seemed as though some fire elements couldn’t enter that area…
Strange…
Speaking of which, the child often kept his left hand, covered by a white glove, in his pocket. He rarely used his left hand, usually relying on his right. Could that be the reason? Was the left hand less compatible with fire elements?
That can’t be right—such a level of fire energy shouldn’t be possible…
“Professor!” Just as Professor Hodd was puzzled, Jiang Zhe slowly opened his eyes, a smug smile on his lips. That smile made Professor Hodd’s eyes light up.
“What? Did you give up?” Professor Hodd set aside his doubts and said deliberately.
“How could that be!” Jiang Zhe smiled faintly, his eyes unusually bright, as if covered by a thin layer of light blue mist.
“I saw it, Professor!”
Jiang Zhe smiled, but was deeply shocked inside. Was that really Professor Hodd?
That powerful magical energy…
Jiang Zhe swallowed hard. He clearly saw Professor Hodd enveloped in dense blue energy, which resembled liquid flames spreading beneath his feet. Outside those blue energies was an overwhelming abundance of fire elements—far more than his own.
“Judging by your expression, it seems you succeeded!” Professor Hodd clapped his hands in approval before saying seriously, “Be proud of yourself, Thos. You’ve opened the first door to magic!”
“The first door?”
“Mm!” Professor Hodd nodded and looked up at the sky. “A magician who can’t sense magical energy, no matter how strong, can never grasp the true essence of magic…”
“The true essence?” Jiang Zhe was stunned and asked, “Professor, what is the true essence of magic?”
“The true essence of magic…” Professor Hodd paused, then smiled at Jiang Zhe. “It’s too early for you to understand. When the time comes, you’ll realize it even without my explanation!”
Fine! Jiang Zhe pursed his lips inwardly and asked, “Then, Professor, if the first door is sensing magical energy, what about the second?”
“Heh! You want to know?” Professor Hodd gave a peculiar smile.

At the same time, Jiang Zhe suddenly noticed that the strong light blue aura surrounding Professor Hodde had completely disappeared. If magical energy fluctuations were a hallmark of a magician, then Professor Hodde before him seemed like an ordinary person who didn’t know magic at all.
“Do you understand now?”
Jiang Zhe stared for a while with wide eyes before nodding. “I understand…” It seemed Professor Hodde was likely also a professor with the strength of a great magician.
“Since you understand, let’s continue!” With that, Professor Hodde released the constraints on his magical aura again, pointed at the eight fireballs floating around him, and winked at Jiang Zhe with a calm expression.
I’ve been underestimated! Jiang Zhe smiled bitterly.
If that calm aura was the manifestation of magical energy, then when magic was cast, the aura would fluctuate…
It moved!
Jiang Zhe’s gaze sharpened. He clearly saw the light blue aura in front of Professor Hodde shifting slightly… Ahead!
Hey!
“Boom!”
A fireball struck behind Professor Hodde. With a loud explosion, black-gray smoke instantly enveloped the professor.
But…
“Haha, caught off guard, right?” Professor Hodde’s hearty laughter came through the smoke.
The smoke gradually dissipated…
“How is that possible!” Jiang Zhe was stunned.
Waving his finger at Jiang Zhe, Professor Hodde said with a smile, “In the second lesson, don’t stare fixedly at your opponent’s magical aura—it’s useless. How can sight compare to perception? Can you see my magical aura behind me? I knew you’d fall for it! Hahaha, so interesting…”
“Tch!” Jiang Zhe pursed his lips in dissatisfaction.
“Alright, alright,” perhaps seeing Jiang Zhe’s expression, Professor Hodde raised his hands in surrender and said cheerfully, “It’s a bit early for you… Well, overall, I’m quite satisfied. Now, let’s start your third lesson!” With that, he winked, but the moment his finger moved, Jiang Zhe’s fireball shot toward him filled with resentment.
“Hey, you little brat!” Professor Hodde pretended to be panicked, then his expression changed as he waved his right hand, blocking Jiang Zhe’s fireball when it was half a yard away…
Huh?
Watching the fireball twist strangely, as if drawn into a black hole, it vanished in the blink of an eye…
What’s going on? Jiang Zhe’s mouth hung open in surprise.
This time, Professor Hodde was truly disappointed, but at the same time, he found it amusing.

“What’s that expression, Thors? I’m curious how much of Professor Amix’s lessons you actually paid attention to!”
Professor Amix?
Defense against the Dark Arts?!
“It seems you’ve remembered,” Professor Hode said with a smile, then in a serious tone, “Why Defense against the Dark Arts is a required course. Now you should understand. Tell me, what was the characteristic of that magic just now?”
“Um…” Jiang Zhe thought for a moment before uncertainly saying, “Distortion!”
“Very good! Defense against the Dark Arts is a required course because of its practicality! As a dark mage exploring the mysteries of magic, to protect your own life, you had better memorize this course thoroughly! Try again!”
Jiang Zhe tilted his head, his eyes flickering as he raised his right hand—two fireballs shot toward Professor Hode’s left and right sides at the same time…
“Oho!”
Professor Hode’s lips curled upward as he spread his arms. To Jiang Zhe’s stunned gaze, he deflected one fireball into the air and the other underground.
With a loud boom, Jiang Zhe saw a shallow pit emitting green smoke on the ground.
“Oho, quite powerful,” Professor Hode said with a half-smile as he glanced at the pit, then his expression turned serious as he added, “That magic had the ‘reflection’ characteristic as a side effect! It’s very useful for spherical or arrow-shaped spells! Just like earlier, if I had used those two fireballs to counterattack you, you would have had to dodge or use magic to defend yourself. Remember, even the magic you cast may not always work in your favor! In a confrontation, always keep this in mind and be vigilant about your opponent’s every move!
The magic ‘Distortion’ requires high control, while ‘Reflection’ requires less. And unless your opponent is extremely foolish, they won’t give you a chance to counterattack… What’s that expression? It’s talking about you! Do you think just casting magic is enough? As for ‘Absorption,’ its characteristic is similar to the shield-like defensive magic in Blue Magic. Although its effect is much weaker, it also consumes very little magic power.
Why is this magic highly regarded? Because it can be cast very quickly, sustained for a long time, consumes little energy, and isn’t noticeable from the outside—when you’re in a dangerous situation, it can help you block the first wave of attacks. That’s what makes this magic valuable—not everyone has a talent like yours!”

Actually, Jiang Zhe had heard Professor Amix say all these things before, but back then he clearly just let them pass by without paying attention. It wasn’t until Professor Hodde demonstrated Black Magic Defense that he understood why Rexox made this course a requirement rather than Blue Magic.
“Huh,” Jiang Zhe felt somewhat disheartened after being reprimanded by Professor Hodde. Scratching his head, he asked, “Professor, what about next? What’s the fourth lesson?”
“There’s no fourth lesson today,” Professor Hodde shook his head with a half-smile. “I’ve said everything I needed to say…”
Looking at Professor Hodde’s smile, Jiang Zhe inexplicably felt a badpremonition. He said awkwardly, “Well… since the professor has finished, shall I go back first?”
“Go back?” Professor Hodde raised his head, conjuring a crimson fireball in his right hand. With a hehe laugh, he said, “Of course! Based on your performance, you can choose to go back by yourself or let me take you back…”
“No… please, professor…” Jiang Zhe swallowed hard as several more fireballs appeared around him.
“Oh! It seems you’ve realized your mistake!” Professor Hodde grinned mischievously and said, “Brat! What just happened was just the warm-up. Now comes the real lesson! Pay attention—or you might really die…”
“Hey! Professor, please don’t…”
Boom!
Boom boom!
※※※
As dusk fell, the lights in the ancient castle dimmed. Amidst the twinkling stars, a bright moon hung high, casting a milky glow.
Some students still remained in the fountain garden in front of the castle, but at the professors’ reminder, most of Rexox’s students returned to their dormitories, the towers in the west.
Like most people, Allen and Scott went back to their dorms after dinner. Compared to Allen, who was usually full of energy, Scott seemed much more tired, still recovering from consecutive all-nighters.
“Tioorui!”
Muttering a spell outside the door, the simple yet ancient door to the dorm room creaked open. Allen peeked inside and saw it was pitch black. Turning back in surprise, he said, “Strange… hasn’t Sos returned?”
Scott frowned and pushed the door open to enter.
“Light!”
With a soft click, the star patterns on the ceiling emitted light, illuminating every corner of the room.
“He really isn’t here…” After checking inside and outside, seeing no sign of Jiang Zhe, Scott grew puzzled.

Before dinner, Scott and Allen had returned to the dormitory, only to find their roommate missing. They thought Jiang Zhe must have gone out to look for them. Not only did they not see him during dinner, but he was also nowhere to be found when they returned, which seemed strange to them. Their roommate wasn’t the kind of person who liked to wander around! In Scott’s opinion, if Allen’s hobby was polishing his knight’s armor, then Thors’s hobby was probably staring at the fireballs he cast—rather than socializing or hanging around, he preferred lying on the sofa sleeping or daydreaming. “It’s really strange…” Rubbing his head, Allen habitually took out the knight’s sword from under the bed and blew on its blade, prompting Scott to roll his eyes. “I heard there’s a masquerade party at the end of the year. Has that guy already started looking for a date?” Wiping the knight’s sword with a corner of his magic robe, Allen said absentmindedly. Scott didn’t respond, just rolled his eyes again before lying down by the bed with a thick book. “By the way, Scott,” as if remembering something, Allen asked while holding the knight’s sword, “the school doesn’t forbid bringing this thing to events, does it?” Glancing at the gleaming knight’s sword, Scott sneered, “Of course not—unless the knight’s sword is a necessary tool for you to cast magic, I doubt the school would say anything.” Hearing the sarcasm in Scott’s voice, Allen shook his head and sighed, “That’s too bad—what about the armor?” “…” Scott turned away, giving him his back, preferring not to see him. It had to be said that Allen was indeed an impatient guy. Even without anyone talking to him, he kept talking to himself for half an hour, driving Scott crazy. He really wished he could curse that guy. Around that time, the door creaked open, and a weak voice came through. “I’m back…” “Thors?” Scott was stunned and sat up, staring in shock as Jiang Zhe entered from the outside room, looking disheveled. “Hey, buddy,” Allen said in a strange tone while mechanically polishing an armplate, “what happened to you?” “Sigh,” Jiang Zhe let out a long sigh, took off his dusty magic robe and threw it aside, then collapsed onto his bed, saying weakly, “Don’t even ask. Professor Hod pulled me out for solo practice all afternoon. I just got back—is there anything to eat? I’m starving!”

Looking at Jiang Zhe, who seemed listless, Scott found it amusing. Pushing up his glasses, he said oddly, “Well, we thought you’d already eaten…”
“How could I have the chance?” Jiang Zhe said plaintively, eyes wide. “The professor trained me all afternoon—had me recite hundreds of incantations, cast fireballs until my hands ached. And still I couldn’t even get back… By the way, is there nothing at all?”
“Uh,” Scott hesitated for a moment before saying, “I think there are still a few pieces of cake…”
“Sorry, buddy,” Allen said with a grin, showing his white teeth. “I ate those cakes last night in the middle of the night.”
“You…”
“Come on, buddy, it was just a joke,” Allen said, holding up his armors as a shield, still grinning. “They’re right there on the long table outside. Oh, and I remember there are two jars of milk by the fireplace…”
“I hate milk!” Jiang Zhe barely got up and brought in the ‘dinner’ that was outside.
“Thors, did Professor Hodd teach you a new spell?” Scott asked in surprise.
“No,” Jiang Zhe said, struggling to swallow a piece of cake. He took a sip of water from his glass and replied listlessly, “Can you believe it? The two of them just kept exchanging fireballs all afternoon!”
“Exchanging fireballs?” Scott was stunned for a moment before realizing what he meant. Pushing up his glasses in amusement, he said, “But from your expression, it seems like you learned quite a bit, right?”
“Maybe!” Jiang Zhe smiled slightly, but the confidence in his smile surprised Scott and Allen.
A duel between true magicians…
Only by stepping through the first door can one truly touch the edge of magic…
Controlling three fireballs to hover under the ceiling with his mental power, Jiang Zhe lay on the bed with his hands behind his head.
Perhaps the professor was right—powerful magic doesn’t necessarily mean high-level spells…
Slowly extending his right hand, Jiang Zhe took a deep breath and controlled a fireball to float into his hand…
“Huh…” The fireball gradually disappeared, replaced by a wisp of crimson flame.
A flame is the simplest external manifestation of the fire element and one of the most basic spells.
Why did Professor Hodd want him to transform the fireball back into a flame?
And what was the purpose of spreading magical energy?
What is the true essence of magic?
With these heavy doubts in mind, Jiang Zhe gradually fell asleep.
And when the sun rose again the next day, it marked the beginning of the annual traditional event at Rexox Academy…