’Is the legend of the Hundred Flowers God real?’

Li Wei sat in his room, pondering.

’Who was it that sent me the Crystal Flower?’

’Was it the missing former City Lord of Flying Flower City?’

Li Wei didn’t know.

This afternoon, just as Evelyn had said, Li Wei didn’t do anything special. He just went and sat at Pumpkin Manor for a while.

He didn’t know what good it would do.

Hearing Rota’s story and learning about his past made the trip worthwhile.

Before he left, Lainer even gave Li Wei a Scroll.

He said it was something the Set Clan had preserved from long ago.

Even in the Set Clan’s most dire moments, he hadn’t sold it for money. Now, he had given it to Li Wei.

Li Wei took out the Scroll and unrolled it to have a look.

A look of astonishment appeared on his face.

"Fire Element Mage Advancement Ceremony—the Fire Spirit Ceremony!"

’This is far too valuable!’

But on second thought, it wasn’t as straightforward as that.

It was valuable in one sense, but not in another.

The advancement ceremony was recorded on the Scroll in writing.

In terms of the medium alone, it was less impressive than a Magic Book inscribed with Tier Zero Magic.

After all, a Magic Book was a genuine Magic Item.

To a Mage who already knew of this advancement ceremony, it was worthless.

But to a Mage who lacked an advancement ceremony, this gift was priceless.

Lainer probably hadn’t sold it because he couldn’t find a suitable buyer.

Knowledge is only valuable to those who need it.

And as it happened, Li Wei desperately needed this knowledge.

He devoured the information on the Scroll, memorizing the steps and procedures of the Fire Spirit Ceremony’s advancement ritual.

For now, he had no use for it.

He would be able to use the advancement ceremony when it was time for him to break through to Tier Two.

The Maple City Mage Tower also had advancement ceremonies.

However, those were generic advancement ceremonies for the Mage class.

The Fire Spirit Ceremony was an advancement ceremony exclusive to Fire Element Mages.

For Li Wei, its effects would undoubtedly be better than a generic one.

That night, in the dreamscape.

[Invisible Armor Skill (Tier One Great Success)] 0/10000

Li Wei cast the Invisibility Armor Spell.

The Great Success Level Invisible Armor became even more solid, its Defense Power stronger.

The stacking limit reached twelve layers.

Li Wei looked down at the Invisible Armor covering his body, a faint idea forming in his mind.

He had gained some inspiration after attending the Mage exchange meet.

’Perhaps the Invisible Armor can be fused with the Fire Element to become Sunfire Armor.’

’It would deal continuous burning damage to surrounding enemies.’

’It could also be fused with other Elements, like the Wind Element, to make the Invisible Armor even lighter.’

It was still a bit too early to realize this, however.

Li Wei couldn’t do it yet.

Perhaps he would have the chance to do so in the future.

’Since Invisible Armor can be fused with the Fire Element, can the Object Control Skill be fused as well?’

The thought sparked something in Li Wei’s mind.

All sorts of wild ideas appeared in his head.

After a moment, Li Wei reined in his thoughts.

’I can’t do it now. Once my strength increases, maybe I can give it a try.’

Li Wei refocused his attention on his Cultivation.

For the second half of the night, Li Wei dedicated himself completely to cultivating his Fireball Skill and comprehending the Fire Element.

He was seeking an opportunity to fuse the Fire Element with his other Magic.

「The next morning.」

Li Wei rose early, put on his gear, and got fully armed.

Today was the fourth day of the Mage exchange meet, and the first day of the Young Mage exchange competition.

Li Wei stepped outside and saw Gu Ze already waiting by the door.

Rota was there as well.

The two of them seemed even more invested in this than Li Wei was.

"Let’s go, don’t be late," Gu Ze said hurriedly.

Li Wei nodded. "Okay."

The three of them hurried toward the Magic Hall.

The Magic Hall had been active for three days and would continue to be until the Mage exchange meet ended.

Who knew how many Magic Stones would be consumed during this period.

Li Wei walked into the Magic Hall, glanced at Gu Ze and Rota, and said, "Teacher, I’m going to the restroom."

"Alright. Be quick, don’t miss the opening ceremony," Gu Ze said.

Li Wei pretended to go to the restroom.

When he came out, he had transformed into a strange-looking Mage, wearing Armor under his Mage Robe.

Li Wei found a staff member from the Mage Association’s competition committee.

"Hello, I’m an anonymous contestant," Li Wei said.

The staff member was slightly taken aback by his appearance.

He picked up a list, glanced at it, and asked, "Are you the Mage from Maple City?"

Hearing this, Li Wei knew it was Torresta’s arrangement.

He nodded and said, "Yes."

The staff member picked up a pen and said, "Then please register your name for the competition."

"Armor. As in, a suit of armor," Li Wei said.

Hearing this, the staff member wrote down the name. It certainly fit his appearance.

There were all sorts of strange nicknames, so he wasn’t too surprised.

"Alright, here is your contestant number. Please enter the competition area within three minutes after your number is called."

The staff member handed Li Wei a Magic Card.

The number 128 was written on the Magic Card.

’Are there really this many contestants?’

Li Wei was a little surprised.

The staff member said, "There are more this year than in previous years. It’s probably because the champion’s prize is more appealing."

Li Wei nodded. It was indeed appealing; he was also here for the Elf Spring Water.

Gu Ze sat in his seat, glancing left and right.

"Why isn’t Li Wei back yet?"

The words had barely left his mouth when he saw Li Wei approaching.

"Teacher, I had an upset stomach. It took a little while," Li Wei explained.

"It’s fine. The opening ceremony hasn’t started yet anyway," Gu Ze said.

Today, the main hall of the Magic Hall had been transformed into a Beast Fighting Arena.

The crowd sat surrounding the enormous arena, with tables and chairs placed on massive, circular tiers of steps.

They could enjoy fine wine and food while watching the Young Mage exchange competition.

RUMBLE!

The lights suddenly dimmed, leaving only a single beam illuminating the center of the Beast Fighting Arena.

A white-haired Elder Mage stood on a platform floating high in the air, positioned in the middle of the arena.

He scanned the crowd and announced loudly, "The twenty-eighth Young Mage exchange competition is now open!"

"The first round of this exchange competition will be an elimination round. Out of one hundred and thirty contestants, only thirty will advance to the second round."

Gu Ze exclaimed in surprise, "The elimination rate is way too high this time!"

"Going from one hundred and thirty down to thirty... the competition will be incredibly fierce."

"You have to understand, nearly all the young, talented Mages from the entire Northern Territory are gathered here. To fight your way into the top thirty out of over a hundred geniuses is extremely difficult."

The crowd in the stands also broke into a flurry of discussion.

The Elder Mage paid no mind to the crowd’s chatter and announced loudly, "First, let us look at the chosen venue for this competition."

Suddenly, the empty arena floor beneath him transformed into an island.

The massive and detailed projection left the audience in awe.

The Elder Mage waved his Magic Staff, pointed at the island below, and said, "This is the venue for this competition: the Island Secret Realm."

"Contestants will be dropped into the ocean at the edge of the Secret Realm. The first thirty Mages to reach the island will advance to the second round."

The rules were simple and brutal.

Li Wei was also very surprised. He had expected one-on-one arena matches, not something on such a grand scale.

The Magic Association had actually created a Secret Realm to serve as the competition grounds.

"In the first round, contestants are forbidden from using any Magic Equipment."