Grinding EXP From Fireball Skill-Chapter 45: Blue Fireball

A problem now lay before Li Wei.

The solution was simple enough.

All he had to do was stop using the Great Dream Traveling Skill, and he wouldn’t suffer any more severe memory erosion.

’Opportunity and danger always coexist!’

The next morning, Li Wei ran into Gu Ze at breakfast.

Gu Ze looked to be in exceptionally high spirits.

Li Wei asked curiously, "Teacher Gu Ze, has something good happened? You seem especially happy today."

Gu Ze smiled. "Something that’s been troubling me for a long time has finally been resolved."

Li Wei smiled. "Good things happen to good people. Maybe your luck has finally turned, Teacher Gu Ze."

"I hope you’re right!" Gu Ze said happily. "When I was practicing my cultivation this morning, I felt signs of a breakthrough. Perhaps I’ll be able to become an Official Mage soon."

"Then let me be the first to congratulate you, Teacher Gu Ze," Li Wei said happily.

He remembered something and asked, "Teacher, did Master Rota come looking for you yesterday?"

Gu Ze nodded. "Master Rota and I spoke all afternoon. I learned a great deal."

Li Wei glanced around. Breakfast was almost over, but he hadn’t seen Rota at all.

He scratched his forehead, deciding to pay Rota a visit himself.

After eating, Li Wei brought a plate of breakfast to Rota’s room.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"Master Rota, it’s Li Wei."

The door creaked open. Rota appeared before Li Wei, sporting two dark circles under his eyes. He looked as if he hadn’t slept all night.

Li Wei handed him the breakfast. "Sorry to disturb you, Master Rota."

Rota accepted the breakfast. "Come on in. It’s no bother. What can I do for you?"

Li Wei stepped into the room and saw that it was a mess. Scraps of paper and the residue of various Magic Materials were scattered everywhere.

Rota looked embarrassed. "Sorry, I was running some experiments last night and forgot to clean up."

He raised his hand and cast a spell, summoning a Magic Servant to clean up the mess.

He led Li Wei into the study, which was comparatively tidy.

"So, what did you need?" Rota asked.

Li Wei said, "I’ve been practicing the Ice Arrow Skill recently, but I’ve found that my Ice Arrows are much weaker than they should be. Why is that?"

Rota said between bites of breakfast, "It’s most likely because your Elemental Affinity for the Ice Element is too low."

Li Wei asked, "Is there a way to fix it?"

Rota held up three fingers. "First, stop practicing the Ice Arrow Skill and switch to a type of magic that’s better suited for you."

"There are thousands of spells in the world. No Mage can master them all. You have to know when to cut your losses."

"Second, use Magic Materials to assist your casting."

"The Magic Elements in the world are influenced by one’s Elemental Affinity, so the amount each person can command differs. However, the Magic Elements contained within Magic Materials are relatively stable and far easier to control than the free-floating ones."

"Third, Pure Mana Casting."

"Mana is a product of the fusion between Magic Elements and Spiritual Power. In essence, Mana *is* Magic Elements!"

"After constructing a Magic Model, you can actively fill it with your own Mana instead of drawing on external Magic Elements to activate it. This allows you to bypass your Elemental Affinity and unleash the full power of any spell. The downside is that it consumes far more Mana than normal casting."

"Pure Mana Casting is typically used for non-elemental spells, such as Mage’s Hand, Magic Servant, or Magic Shield."

"Strictly speaking, Magic Servant and Magic Shield aren’t cast with pure Mana. They’re just classified as such because the ratio of Mana to external Magic Elements used to cast them exceeds thirty percent."

It was a sudden revelation for Li Wei. He thanked Rota sincerely, "Thank you for your guidance, Master Rota!"

Rota smiled. "Don’t mention it. Thanks to your reminder yesterday, I was able to find a new breakthrough myself."

"Exchanging experiences between Mages is truly important, after all."

Rota recalled something. "The Mage Conference is in a few months. Are you planning on attending?"

"A Mage Conference?" Li Wei asked, puzzled.

"It’s a gathering for Mages organized by the Mage Association," Rota explained. "Even Apprentice Mages can sign up to participate. This year, it might be held in Flying Flower City."

"Many Mages from all over will be there to exchange cultivation experiences. The conference is also a place to trade for items you rarely see, like rare Magic Books and precious Magic Materials."

"Last time, a super Magic Potion even appeared at the conference—one that could directly awaken a person’s Extraordinary Traits."

"Extraordinary Traits can be awakened with Magic Potions?" Li Wei asked in surprise.

Rota chuckled. "Of course. Have you heard of the most famous one, the Dragon Blood Potion?"

Li Wei had read about it in books. He asked in astonishment, "Isn’t that something made up for stories?"

"Of course not," Rota said. "The Dragon Blood Potion is very real. Whoever drinks it can gain a portion of a Giant Dragon’s physique and Power."

"Only one Dragon Blood Potion can be made from a single Giant Dragon. That should give you an idea of how precious it is."

"Once, in order to build its Giant Dragon Knight Legion, the Human Empire hunted Giant Dragons on a massive scale to create Dragon Blood Potions. This ultimately led to a drastic decline in the Dragon Race’s population, and for a time, they vanished from the continent entirely."

"Now, Giant Dragons have become the stuff of legends. It’s rare to even see one over the span of several centuries."

"By consuming a Dragon Blood Potion, one can gain the Extraordinary Traits of a Giant Dragon."

"But I’m getting sidetracked. Anyway, I still recommend you go to the Mage Conference. It would be a good opportunity for you to broaden your horizons," Rota said.

"I’ll think about it," said Li Wei.

"Well, I’ll be on my way, then. Thank you for your time, Master Rota."

Li Wei took his leave. After returning to his room, he attempted Pure Mana Casting.

It was more difficult than he had imagined.

After failing to cast the Ice Arrow Skill several times, Li Wei tried using the Small Fireball Technique with Pure Mana Casting instead.

His proficiency with the Small Fireball Technique was higher, giving him better control.

On his first attempt, he easily succeeded in filling the Magic Model with his Mana instead of drawing on external Magic Elements.

A small, blue Fireball appeared in his palm.

A Fireball made from the Fire Element is red, while one made from Mana is blue.

Li Wei threw the Fireball and was surprised to find he could control it with incredible ease.

The Fireball flew in a circle around him.

With a mere thought, Li Wei sent the Fireball flying some distance away before it turned and returned to his side.

BOOM!

He detonated the Fireball in midair. The blue flames burst forth, all their power directed in a single direction, leaving Li Wei completely untouched.

A look of delighted surprise appeared on Li Wei’s face.

’Isn’t this the absolute control over magic I’ve been chasing?’

After sensing his remaining Mana for a moment, Li Wei’s brow furrowed slightly.

Casting the Small Fireball Technique without using the Fire Element consumed more than three times the Mana of a normal cast.

And that was just for a standard-power Small Fireball Technique.

For an enhanced version, the Mana consumption would be even more terrifying.

This was just increasing control over a spell by spending a large amount of extra Mana.

It was a shortcut.

It wasn’t the perfect control that the books said powerful Mages possessed.

Only by reaching that realm could one cast area-of-effect spells that killed enemies without harming allies.

Otherwise, casting an area-of-effect spell using only Mana would consume an amount countless times more terrifying than a single-target spell like the Small Fireball Technique.

Even a High Tier Mage would struggle to bear such a cost.

At that point, there wouldn’t be much difference between a Mage and other ordinary Extraordinary Professions.

After all, the greatest advantage Mages held over other Extraordinary Professionals was their ability to fight by mobilizing external forces from the world around them—forces that far surpassed their own Power.

They weren’t like Warriors, Assassins, or Shooters, who could only rely on their own Power.