Chapter 31: Transition

Three days had passed since the end of the event at Riox Academy. Professor Hod was quite “disappointed” to have found no excuse to deduct points from Jiang Zhe’s annual evaluation. Yet as he turned away, a hint of laughter lingered in his eyes—a smile that Jiang Zhe would never see…

Overall, the event was a great success. Many lower-grade students performed outstandingly, earning the respect of the professors. A significant number of students discovered magical items hidden in the forest, such as wands, staves, gems, and rings. Even those who got nothing gained valuable practical experience, which could greatly benefit their future magical journey.

After the event, the academy announced that all students would have two days off before resuming classes as usual. The older students found this decision puzzling, as such favorable treatment had never happened before. After some thought, they attributed it to the academy’s concern for younger students. But Jiang Zhe and his friends learned the truth from Professor Hod: a group of second-year students had gone missing, last seen near the dense forest…

Upon learning this, the academy immediately sent three teams of professors to search the forest, with Professor Hod being one of them.

“What do you think’s in that forest?”

Wearing only his pajamas, Jiang Zhe sat back in a chair, leaning on the desk by the window. Yawning occasionally, he idly fiddled with a gem that emitted a red glow—a precious firestone, favored by magicians specializing in fire magic.

“Who knows!” Behind Jiang Zhe, Allen held a large knight’s sword horizontally with one hand, breathing deeply. It was his daily morning exercise.

Can you imagine? As a student at Riox Magic Academy, Allen’s morning routine wasn’t meditation but physical training. One hoped the emblem on his magic robe, symbolizing him as a magic apprentice, wouldn’t weep over this waste of talent.

It would be a shame if he didn’t go to the Royal Knights Academy!

Glancing back at Allen, Jiang Zhe saw the seemingly heavy knight’s sword remain motionless in his hands. Such strength… Jiang Zhe’s eye twitched.

“Maybe there’s a very evil wizard living in the dense forest, or some extremely fierce magical beast… Huhu…” Allen said with glee, waving the knight’s sword in the relatively small room. “Although I heard the forest belongs to the academy, it’s been abandoned for a long time, so it’s not surprising what’s in there… You think a dragon might appear, buddy?”
Was this really what someone who admired the spirit of chivalry should say? Jiang Zhe rolled his eyes helplessly and snapped, “Weren’t you always advocating the eight virtues of chivalry? Logically, you should be worried about them…”
“Of course,” Allen chuckled and winked. “But sadly, the three missing people are all men. My chivalry is only meant for young and beautiful ladies…”
Great!
Jiang Zhe yawned helplessly and turned to watch Allen waving his knight’s sword frantically.
“Buddy, let me try again!” As he spoke, Allen held the sword in both hands in front of his chest, looking at Jiang Zhe solemnly.
“…” Again? Jiang Zhe shook his head silently. Glancing at Allen, who was waiting eagerly, he moved his chair slightly to face him at an angle and pointed at him with his right hand. “Is it okay now?”
Allen nodded.
After getting his signal, a few strands of fire elements gradually gathered on Jiang Zhe’s right index finger, and in the blink of an eye, a fireball the size of an egg appeared. At the same time, Allen gripped his sword tightly.
“Whoosh!”
A fireball was indeed a fast-attack spell. Though its power was rather weak, its speed was far beyond that of a fireball. Even Allen couldn’t keep up with its speed, staring gloomily as the ‘small fireball’ zipped back and forth beside him.
Suddenly, Allen saw Jiang Zhe yawn and glance at the fireball beside him. He swung his knight’s sword wildly…
“It’s useless, Allen. You’re within my detection range…” Jiang Zhe said while yawning.
Sure enough, Allen’s bulky knight’s sword failed to catch up with the agile fireball, barely missing the long table in the room.
“So close…”
“Can you be any dumber?” Just as Allen was patting his chest in relief, a familiar mocking voice came from behind him. Then, Jiang Zhe saw Scott walking out with a tray holding three cups of steaming red tea.

“Mm-hmm, having a cup of black tea in the morning—this is… uh, how did that old guy put it?” Allen leaned his knight’s sword against the long table and pretended to savor his drink.

With a light snort, Scott walked over to Jiang Zhe, placed one of the cups in front of him, then took a sip from his own and said, “When I returned books at the library yesterday, I heard that the professors have already found those three second-year students… They just fainted outside the dense forest and weren’t hurt at all…”

“Isn’t that great?” Jiang Zhe took a sip from his cup and smiled. “It’s delicious. Thanks!”

“Heh,” Scott smiled faintly, pushed up his glasses, and stared at the rubies on the table. “I heard the academy only prepared a dozen rubies this time. Good luck—we’ve got a pretty good one here. If it’s just used for fun, that would be a shame…”

“Oh, really? Let me take a look,” Allen said, walking over, picking up the ruby from the table, and shining it against the window. “It seems pretty nice. But it might be a bit small for a wand. How about making a magic staff first?” With that, he tossed the ruby to Jiang Zhe.

Jiang Zhe caught it with a snap and examined the gem carefully before leaning back in his chair and saying lazily, “Let’s not do that… Isn’t it said that mages shouldn’t rely too much on magical items? After all, that’s not true strength…”

“Very good point,” Scott said, raising his cup in approval before adding with a laugh, “But I think there’s probably another reason, right?”

Jiang Zhe gave a wry smile. “Why must it be said so directly… The second reason is that whether it’s a wand or a magic staff, carrying them around is too troublesome…”

“Haha,” Allen laughed, and even Scott couldn’t suppress a smile. Shaking his head, he said, “Facing a ruby that can enhance the power of fire magic, what are you planning to do? Keep it in your palm and play with it like an ordinary stone?” He wore a strange expression and added awkwardly, “You’re not planning to sell it, are you?”

“I hadn’t thought of that, but it’s actually a good idea… I’m still short by about two hundred gold coins. I should be able to gather enough though.”

Glancing at Jiang Zhe, Allen joked, “Hey! If you really want to sell it, you can secretly sell it to first-year students—they’ll pay more. Haha, shall I sell it for you? It might be more than two hundred gold coins!”

“You really care about this kind of thing, huh?” Scott frowned and glared at Allen, then said to Jiang Zhe, “By the way, Thors, didn’t Professor Hord have a class this morning?”
“Oh right!” Jiang Zhe suddenly remembered he still had a class on Blue Fire Magic. He quickly stood up and put on a brand new apprentice’s robe. He had gotten it after the event; the old one was no longer wearable. He remembered Ms. Tilda from the dormitory department staring at him for a long time when he picked it up.
Watching Jiang Zhe rush around, Allen said maliciously, “Hurry up, buddy. If you’re late, Professor Hord might deduct points from your year-end evaluation, haha! By the way, it’s a bit cold in the room. Thors, light the fireplace before we leave. Hehe, Scott and I don’t have classes in the morning… It’s great to have a companion who specializes in Blue Fire Magic!”
“Hmph,” Jiang Zhe rolled his eyes irritably. After changing into his clothes and picking up his robe, he was about to head to the fireplace when Scott raised his hand and pointed at Jiang Zhe, saying, “Thors, just do it there.”
“Hm?” Jiang Zhe was stunned for a moment before understanding. He hesitantly stopped and slowly raised his right hand to point at the fireplace.
Scott put down his delicate teacup, took out a pocket watch from his pocket, and said in his usual slightly mocking tone, “Don’t blow up the fireplace, Thors.”
Heh!
Jiang Zhe smiled, then slowly closed his eyes. The magical energy around him spread outward in waves, like water currents.
Concentrating fire elements from a distance… forming a fireball… Hmm, just forming flames directly…
Tch, isn’t it possible?
The arrangement of fire elements in flames is looser than that in a fireball. Without first forming a fireball… it’s impossible… At least not yet…
“Wow, seems like it failed?” Allen said cheerfully, leaning back in his chair and watching Jiang Zhe.
“Shut up!” Scott frowned and glared at Allen, then said to Jiang Zhe, “Try again, Thors. Just like the other two days. If it worked then, it should work now too… Oh, and if you blow up the fireplace, it’ll be troublesome. So, skip the step of compressing elements…”
“Got it!” Jiang Zhe smiled bitterly and then obediently used the same method from the previous two days—first forming a fireball, then transforming it into flames.
A moment of silence…
Then, a slight crackling sound came from the fireplace. Soon after, with a “whoosh,” a large amount of flame erupted from the chimney, almost setting the leather rug on the floor on fire. Allen quickly pulled his chair back in shock.
“Hey!”

“Snap!” Scott closed the pocket watch in his hand and said solemnly, “Skipping the compression step… thirteen seconds! Without using any props, spells, or gestures, relying solely on mental power and control—this is the time it takes for you to gather a fireball from a distance and transform it into flame, Thors.”
“Ahaha!” Allen grinned and winked, “Thirteen seconds? In that time, I can knock you down several times, buddy!”
“Hmph,” Jiang Zhe said unhappily, “But don’t forget—if I use spells, it only takes me two and a half seconds to cast a fireball. As long as there’s more than ten yards between us, you can’t get close to me, Allen.”
“That’s true too!” Realizing that Jiang Zhe could maintain multiple fireballs for a long time, Allen scratched his chin in frustration.
After all, he still couldn’t keep up with the speed of fireballs—oh, no, he might not even be able to keep up with the speed of a single fireball, given how bulky that knight’s sword was.
“I’m leaving first!”
Waving goodbye at the door, Jiang Zhe left the room.
Watching him go, Scott put away his pocket watch and gazed out the window with his tea cup in hand.
Thirteen seconds…
Indeed, in a duel, a casting time of thirteen seconds would be almost fatal—the opponent would have countless chances to interrupt him…
But this was all without relying on any spells or props…
Thinking of this, Scott couldn’t help but recall the battle with the fifth-grade seniors two days ago…
Four fireballs, four highly compressed fireballs—the flames from their explosions nearly swept across the entire arena…
Although it had taken a lot of time to prepare…
But the power…
According to that senior, it was comparable to the energy of fourth-level magic…
I remember back then…
※※※
“Boom! Boom boom boom!”
“Hey!” Amidst Allen’s screams, a blinding red light flashed before everyone’s eyes, followed by countless flames exploding in the air. In an instant, the entire arena seemed like a sea of fire.
Due to the distance, Dia’s water-based shield only trembled slightly, creating ripples, but the seniors on the other side were engulfed by the massive flames…
“No way…” Lilia widened her eyes in shock.
“Hey, are those seniors okay? I think they’re pretty nice people…” Allen muttered.

“Idiot, look carefully!” Scott glanced at Allen and whispered, “They cast defensive magic in time; it seems they haven’t suffered any damage… But Thors, how did you do it?” With that, he turned to Jiang Zhe.
Even Dia couldn’t help but turn to Jiang Zhe, her eyes filled with astonishment. She clearly couldn’t understand how he had done it, and she was also shocked by the power of that magic.
Faced with everyone’s confusion, Jiang Zhe explained with a wry smile, “I just remembered what the professor said that day, so I thought I’d give it a try…”
By then, the flames in the arena had gradually subsided because senior Bobby had cast a fire-absorbing barrier to absorb the flames and prevent a fire, which was something senior students had to be careful about during such events.
Could this really cause no harm? Watching the three fifth-year students on the other side safely remove the barrier, not only everyone else but even Jiang Zhe himself was very surprised, as he had exerted all his strength earlier, protected by Dia’s water-based shield…
“Swish!” Another fireball appeared in the arena. Under Jiang Zhe’s mental control, the crimson flames gradually turned yellow.
“Still going?” Senior Bobby pointed with his wand, and a fire projectile was cast almost instantly, flying toward the fireball in the air and detonating it. Then he gave Jiang Zhe a deep look. Sensing the still abundant magical energy around him, he shrugged helplessly and said, “Forget it. If we keep fighting, we’ll lose even more face. We surrender!”
“Surrender? You surrender?” Jiang Zhe was stunned because he could also sense the magical energy of the senior students on the other side. Aside from Bobby’s slightly weaker magical energy, the other two still had very strong magical auras. That senior named Joe had hardly lost any magical energy at all.
“There’s nothing we can do!” Senior Sam scratched his head after looking at the large white mist left behind by the three fang-wolf monsters that had disappeared from the arena. “The academy rules state that when we encounter lower-grade students like you, we can only cast level three magic at most. That means I can’t summon higher-level magical beasts, and neither can Bobby. Level three magic simply can’t break that junior’s shield in a short time…”
Hearing the words of praise from the senior students on the other side, Dia’s pale face turned slightly red. In fact, she was already at her limit.

“…And Qiao focuses mainly on strengthening and defensive magic. The only offensive magic he knows is cursing, but even that is restricted… Although we haven’t suffered any harm, if we keep defending alone, people will laugh at us. It’s better to admit defeat early while no one is watching…”
As he spoke, Sam glanced at Jiang Zhe and said with a smile, “I remember when we were in the first grade, we could barely cast any decent magic. The magic you just used already meets the energy standard of fourth-level magic. If you were to break through the shield, we would definitely die of laughter…”
As soon as he finished speaking, Bobby, who was beside him, asked Jiang Zhe, “Is it Professor Hodder who teaches the first-grade Fire Blue Magic course now?”
“Yes!” Jiang Zhe nodded instinctively.
“No wonder,” Bobby said with a smile after putting away his wand. “Was that magic taught to you by Professor Hodder?”
“Hm?” Jiang Zhe was stunned.
By then, the three seniors had walked up to the group. Dia had already removed the shield when they ‘admitted defeat’ because she couldn’t hold it much longer.
Seeming to notice the confusion on Jiang Zhe’s face, Bobby recalled, “I remember when I was in the third grade, Professor Hodder taught us a few classes. During one extracurricular practice, to explain the Fireball spell, he cast such a magic. Of course, he did it much faster than you, but sadly, no one was able to master it because it required extremely high mental strength and control, not to mention affinity with the fire element…” He paused and asked Jiang Zhe with a puzzled look, “Do you have strong soul power?”
“Soul power?” Jiang Zhe clearly didn’t understand.
“Ah,” Bobby was momentarily stunned before laughing self-mockingly. “You’ll naturally come across it when you’re in the third grade. Come on, if people see that we can’t even handle first- and third-grade students, we’ll die of laughter!”
With that, the three seniors waved goodbye and left, leaving behind the relieved group and Jiang Zhe, who still looked confused.
Soul power…
※※※
Soul power…
Professor Hodder seemed to have mentioned it somewhere…
Never mind, I can’t remember…
Sitting in a corner of the Fire Blue Magic classroom, Jiang Zhe watched Professor Hodder at the front of the class explaining in detail the spells on the blackboard.
As he listened to Professor Hodder talk about the history of those spells and famous magicians throughout history, Jiang Zhe felt an overwhelming sense of drowsiness…

Yawning, Jiang Zhe was somewhat distracted, resting his head as he gazed out the window. At that moment, a soft cough came from the seat next to him.
“…” Turning his head, he looked at the girl with flame-like hair sitting a seat away, who gave him a glance before continuing to take notes. Jiang Zhe felt an indescribable sense of powerlessness.
“Arrogance is not something a magician should possess!” said the girl named Ravia in a low, calm voice.
Forcing a faint smile, Jiang Zhe said oddly, “First, I don’t understand what you’re saying. Second… shouldn’t your seat be in the front row?”
“Because I’ve always wanted to know what you can see sitting in the back row…” Ravia said this in a very serious tone.
“…” Jiang Zhe opened his mouth, looking somewhat frustrated. Clearly, Ravia’s repeated coughs were putting a lot of pressure on him.
“I’ll keep an eye on you until I truly defeat you!”
“…” Hearing those resolute words, Jiang Zhe covered his forehead and stared at Ravia speechlessly.
Meanwhile, Ravia was looking at the blackboard while rubbing her palm over her notebook. The slightly yellowed paper emitted a faint glow before gradually revealing strange symbols—identical to the spell symbols on the blackboard.
This was the most common shorthand magic used by magicians when taking notes; it was simple and could be learned in the second grade.
Perhaps misinterpreting Jiang Zhe’s expression, Ravia turned her head and explained, “For shorthand magic, you don’t need this. It’s hard to keep up with Professor Hod’s lectures. If you want to learn it, I can teach you.”
“Thank you!” said Jiang Zhe.
Normally, this phrase meant accepting someone’s kindness and expressing gratitude, but well… Ravia could clearly hear the underlying meaning in Jiang Zhe’s words. Her face immediately turned unpleasant as she huffed softly and said, “Arrogance is also not something a magician should possess!”
Huh?
Jiang Zhe was stunned, finding it somewhat amusing. He said oddly, “If you just want to defeat me, you certainly don’t need to use such methods, right?”
“No!” Ravia stopped taking notes and turned to Jiang Zhe, saying seriously, “If that were the case, it would mean nothing to me! The stronger you are, the better I can prove…” She paused here, looking somewhat disappointed.
“Prove what?” Jiang Zhe asked instinctively.

“Shut up!” Ravia glared fiercely at Jiang Zhe and sneered in a low voice, “If you’re not afraid of losing to a woman and being laughed at, go ahead… But I will remember every word the professor said, master every technique he taught. I’ll work hard and catch up to you step by step… Even if beating you then won’t give me any sense of achievement!”
Damn it!
Seeing the little girl’s angry expression, Jiang Zhe gave up.
“Fine, do as you want!”
“You!” Jiang Zhe’s casual remark made Ravia’s face turn red with anger. She glared at him fiercely, almost knocking over the ink on the table with her right hand.
How could this be?!
Normally, at least people would try a little harder after hearing that, right?
Damn you!
Could it be that he…
Seemingly thinking of something, Ravia looked at the boy beside her who was yawning with his head in his hands, bit her lip, and said softly, “Sos, do you look down on me because I’m a woman?”
“Hm?” Jiang Zhe turned his head in confusion.
“Is that it?”
Stunned by the girl’s stubborn gaze, Jiang Zhe found it hard to understand. He said inexplicably, “Does it matter to me whether you’re a woman? A woman? You’re still a bit young for that. Besides, when have I looked down on you? I gave it my all just the other day!”
Ravia stared intently into Jiang Zhe’s eyes for a long time. Then, her gaze gradually softened. After hesitating, she said softly, “That’s good. I swear I’ll work hard to catch up to you… I… I swear it in the name of a mage!”
“Okay, okay, and then what?” Jiang Zhe yawned.
“I’ll defeat you!”
“Okay, and then what?”
“You!” Clearly, Jiang Zhe’s indifferent tone made Ravia very angry. But having been raised in a noble family, she tried to calm herself down and said softly, “So anyway, please at least make my challenge worth something!”
“Hah!” Jiang Zhe couldn’t help but smile bitterly. He tapped the table with his finger and let out a long sigh.
Well! It seems there’s going to be interesting stuff to watch from now on…