Chapter Four: The First Star, First Tier Flame Technique

Collecting and recommending is the greatest support you can give Little Black’s new book.

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“All-pervading spirits of fire, please hear the plea of your faithful companion and grant me the power of flame… Fireball!”

In the cramped room, as a slightly childish incantation was recited, the temperature gradually rose. A faint red glow gathered from all directions into Xu Wen’s palm. With a soft pop, a real flame sprang to life just three centimeters above his hand!

It was real fire, radiating heat and destructive power. Though far less than the ‘Grand Fireball’ that Ding Yushan had summoned in the practice field, it was at last free from the vexation of being a harmless flicker.

However…

With Xu Wen’s final shouted words, the flame—over thirty centimeters tall—was suddenly pulled downward by an invisible force. It twisted and compressed into a single spot, forming an awkward, unsightly fireball that utterly lacked any aesthetic appeal.

Barely lasting five seconds, the ‘counterfeit fireball’—unworthy of the name—vanished from his palm.

Phew!

Exhausted, Xu Wen collapsed onto the floor, sweat dripping from his brow. After more than a dozen attempts at summoning the fireball, each resulting in failure, he had drained the last trace of magic and spirit from his body. He now understood, more clearly than ever, how arduous the path of fire magic would be.

This was only a low-level, one-star spell, yet it had tormented him for over an hour. Even now, he had not managed to produce a single ‘qualified product’. It was truly disheartening—only by successfully casting Fireball three times in a row could he officially be considered a first-rank, one-star fire mage.

“Brother Xu, keep trying! You’ve made great progress!” Wan’er encouraged him cheerfully from behind.

Xu Wen smiled, sat cross-legged, and retrieved a porcelain vial from his robes. He pulled out the wooden stopper and poured out a round, green pill—the two-star Elixir of Refreshment.

After Senior Li, battered by failure, had left the room, Xu Wen and Wan’er had secretly rushed to make a batch of these advanced elixirs. When consumed, they could hasten the recovery of spiritual energy during meditation.

For novice magic apprentices, mana would quickly become depleted during practice, requiring over ten minutes to recover. The Elixir of Refreshment, being a two-star pill, greatly accelerated this process, sharply reducing recovery time.

Soon, Xu Wen was back on his feet. He emptied his reserves once more, and while the elixir’s effects lingered, continued to meditate.

After several cycles of this, the first true spell he had learned in this world—Fireball—finally appeared, properly formed, before the two of them.

“Ha!”

“You did it! Amazing!” Little Wan’er’s cheeks were flushed, her tiny fists clenched in excitement, as if she herself had just stepped into the ranks of fire mages.

“This smell…”

Xu Wen let out a sigh of relief. Just as he released the fireball, a faintly scorched medicinal scent drifted to his nose.

Wait—?

“Medicine!” Xu Wen realized what had happened too late. Wan’er cried out, recalling that she had forgotten to add an ingredient to the Elixir of Refreshment. In a fluster to shut off the alchemy stove, she found that the contents were already beyond saving.

Watching the pitch-black dregs slide from the furnace, Wan’er turned to Xu Wen, her face full of sorrow.

“Brother Xu… that was our last Elixir of Refreshment…”

“Oh, I see. It’s alright, we can always gather more herbs. If need be, we’ll just make another trip to the Herb Peak tomorrow. But remember, you mustn’t get distracted during refining again.”

Xu Wen replied cheerfully, playing with the newly summoned fireball, his mood much lighter.

Wan’er nodded earnestly and came closer, her bright eyes shining with anticipation as she gazed at the deep, dark red fireball hovering above Xu Wen’s palm.

Seeing the innocent look in the little girl’s eyes, Xu Wen couldn’t help but laugh, ruffling her hair lightly. “If you want to do it, just try. We still have a few vials of Elixir of Refreshment left—enough for us to practice all night, silly girl.”

“Hooray!” Wan’er had just been hesitating about returning, since it was already deep into the night and she would normally be asleep by now. But seeing that Xu Wen had officially acquired the strength of a first-rank, one-star fire mage, she was unwilling to simply go back to bed. Moreover, Xu Wen’s progress with the elixirs was incredibly fast. According to the introductory texts on magic she’d read, for an ordinary person to reach the threshold of a first-tier one-star mage would take at least a full day and night of uninterrupted practice. Even Senior Li, an exceptionally gifted inner disciple, had needed most of a day.

Yet Xu Wen had accomplished it in just two hours!

How could the young girl possibly sleep after that? She agreed at once, without hesitation!

Partly, she was eager to become a respected mage like Xu Wen, and partly, a hint of competitive spirit stirred within her—she feared that if she slept, she would be left too far behind by her diligent senior and would no longer be able to study and train together.

And so…

Low chanting, the dull thud of spells striking, and the soft, hopeful cries of the little girl echoed from the far end of the cottage, blending into the night.

From the depths of night until the first faint light touched the horizon, they did not stop.

At dawn, registered disciples emerged from their rooms, ready to stretch their legs in the practice yard after a night’s cultivation.

The boy living next door to Xu Wen, rubbing his exaggerated panda eyes, dragged himself toward the field, sighing with each step, grumbling inwardly about whether he should complain to Senior Sister Michelle about the pair of maniacs next door.

But as soon as he reached the field, the now-familiar chant and the sound of fireballs striking stone targets assaulted his nerves once more.

“Seriously, at this hour…”

He broke off mid-sentence, noticing a dozen or so youths hurling fireballs at the targets, while another twenty plus disciples meditated nearby. The ‘panda-eyed’ boy quickly dropped his aggrieved expression and rubbed his eyes hard. Watching the sweat trickle down the faces of his peers and the determined look in their eyes, he suddenly felt a weight settle on his shoulders.

“Hey, morning, Lin.” Someone clapped him on the shoulder from behind.

The panda-eyed boy turned, and the other was startled.

“What happened to your eyes…?”

“N-nothing.” The boy’s face was pale. The complaints he’d meant to spill vanished. Shaking his head, he glanced around, and under the puzzled gaze of his companion, strode resolutely towards an empty target.

“This year’s batch of registered disciples is quite impressive,” Michelle remarked as she and her companions arrived at the practice field, watching the fervent training.

“Indeed,” Senior Sister Wang agreed. “The Seventh Herb Peak normally has only five spots for inner disciples, but this time there are two two-star fire mages, plus the clan leader’s gifted girl and the boy brought by Master himself… The branch families must sense the urgency, which is why everyone is working so hard.”

Michelle nodded, recalling something, ignoring the two intent gazes fixed on her.

“Senior Li, you spent a long time at Xu Wen’s yesterday. Do you think those two stand a chance of becoming inner disciples of the Seventh Herb Peak?”

“Ahem, well, Xu Wen seems to have a kind of… how should I put it… natural instinct for alchemy. Even though it was his first attempt, his actions were composed and practiced. He didn’t fail once the entire night. If Master hadn’t thoroughly checked his background and confirmed he had no prior magic foundation, I’d suspect he’d studied before.”

“Not even once?” Michelle frowned slightly.

Seeing Senior Li nod with certainty, Michelle and Senior Sister Wang exchanged looks of shock and disbelief.

“What about Wan’er?”

“She’s also quite talented, and learns fast. But according to her, she owes it all to Xu Wen. She says… he’s a good teacher.” His tone turned playful and casual at the end.

In his view, it was one thing for a child to be gifted and learn quickly, but teaching well required more than just talent—it demanded time and experience.

Xu Wen, after all, was just a fourteen-year-old boy.

Michelle and Senior Sister Wang did not dwell on this point. After all, Wan’er’s background was special—regardless of whether she would remain at the Seventh Herb Peak, she was already set to become an inner disciple. The three exchanged updates on other disciples until they were interrupted by several students approaching with questions.

Thus, the second day of the three months of training began.