[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-above-the-mage":3,"chapter-above-the-mage-above-the-mage-chapter-67":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Above the Mage!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2257071,4404,"Chapter 67: Three Essential Spells for Wizard Survival in the Wild","above-the-mage-chapter-67",67,"\u003Cp>“Bremen hasn’t had a qi vein emerge in too long, so everyone’s let their guard down and developed a psychological blind spot—they simply never considered this possibility,” Pierre sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The formation of a qi vein takes time, and the accumulation of magic along with an increase in qi vein creatures is one of its early signs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, perhaps as most people think now, these anomalies are merely caused by high-grade magical plants attracting qi vein creatures—everything is just my overactive imagination.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pierre said seriously: “But I’m an old man now—I won’t gamble. Once the qi vein fully forms, it’ll be far too late to leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And with the city’s disappearances unresolved, no one knows when the strange events might strike them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Living in constant dread day after day isn’t sustainable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s no such thing as guarding against thieves for a thousand days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, after much thought, I’ve decided to leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You should think it over carefully too,” Pierre hesitated, then gently advised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Gao De’s mind raced, he nodded: “I will.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s not talk about that now—what brings you here today?” Pierre waved his hand and asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De tightened the bundle on his back and replied honestly: “I originally came to order another batch of magical potions from you, but given your current situation, it’s no longer appropriate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, Pierre was busy clearing out his stock—there was no reason to restock now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hah! You've only ever bought your goods here—why not take a look at my inventory today?\" Pierre smiled. \"Prices in the shop are now at cost—or even below cost. Very much worth it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After scanning the shop’s goods, Gao De shook his head apologetically: “I don’t need anything right now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pierre thought for a moment, then leaned close to Gao De and whispered: “What about spell formulas?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?!” Gao De was startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pierre had already settled comfortably into the chair behind the counter and said slowly: “Have you ever heard of the ‘Three Essential Spells for Wizard Survival in the Wild’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three Essential Spells for Wizard Survival in the Wild? What’s that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, Gao De had never heard of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lack of formal magical education means narrow horizons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It refers to the cantrips: [Create Water], [Find North], and [Purify Food].”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When I was young and adventuring, I spent years finally gathering these three spells.” As he spoke, the old man’s expression turned nostalgic, lost in memories of his youth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know, in the Bremen region, only a tiny fraction of land has been developed—most areas remain untouched primeval forests and wastelands.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whether hunting qi vein creatures or seeking rare magical plants, you must venture into these wild forests.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You hunted qi vein creatures when you were young?!” Gao De was astonished—he never imagined this lazy old man had once been so “passionate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder Pierre, an ordinary junk shop owner, knew so much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d clearly been a “hero” in his youth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course,” Pierre said matter-of-factly. “Any mage with ambition, unless born into nobility, must risk his life to earn money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know how costly mage cultivation is.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only by hunting qi vein creatures or harvesting magical plants can you earn enough resources for cultivation. Ordinary work simply can’t keep up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De nodded in deep agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Excluding the “boss” Mage Seda, his starting position was already better than many—he began with a herb garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with such a stable income source, he was still only a first-rank apprentice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, he often sighed at the difficulty of affording cultivation resources.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One could imagine how luxurious the mage profession truly was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Back then, to earn money, I’d often vanish into primeval forests for weeks at a time. Surviving that long in the wild without magic spells would be impossible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Pierre glanced outside the shop several times, confirmed no one was nearby, then opened the counter drawer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside lay three small booklets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Exactly three spell formulas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, Pierre had prepared them in advance, waiting for Gao De’s arrival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Take a look first. We’ll discuss the rest later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De quickly took the three spell formulas and began reading: [Create Water] (Evocation, 0th level):\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This spell creates two gallons (scalable with the mage’s rank) of clean, drinkable water, as pure as rainwater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You may conjure the water into any suitable container-sized area, or an area up to three times larger—the water may fall like rain or fill many smaller vessels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If undisturbed, the water vanishes after one day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Note: Each gallon (approx. 4.8 liters) weighs about eight pounds. One cubic foot holds eight gallons—roughly sixty pounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Find North] (Divination, 0th level):\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When cast, this spell instantly reveals which direction is north from your current location.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spell only reveals north at the moment of casting; without a fixed reference point, you may easily lose your sense of direction again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Purify Food] (Transmutation, 0th level):\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This spell purifies one cubic foot (scalable with the mage’s rank) of spoiled, rotten, diseased, poisoned, or otherwise contaminated food and water, rendering it safe to eat and drink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This spell does not prevent future natural decay or spoilage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Water or food tainted by evil magic loses its harmful properties after purification, but this spell has no effect on any living creature or magical potion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Putting down the spell formulas, Gao De finally understood why these three spells were called the “Three Essential Spells for Wizard Survival in the Wild.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Survival boils down to four essentials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Food, water, shelter, and travel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These three spells directly cover three: food, water, and travel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Create Water] ensures drinkable water, [Find North] prevents getting lost in complex primeval forests, and [Purify Food] ensures food safety to some degree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Strictly speaking, the third essential spell shouldn’t be [Purify Food]—it should be [Create Food].”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But [Create Food] is a third-level spell—too high a threshold—so [Purify Food] is used instead,” Pierre explained again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How much?” Gao De gripped the spell formulas tightly and asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such practical spells before him—how could he not be tempted? “Didn’t I tell you? Private trading of spell formulas is strictly forbidden by official decree, and I don’t break the law.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pierre’s answer took Gao De by surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d assumed Pierre was about to sell him the formulas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Pierre had previously refused private deals precisely because his shop was here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If reported for trading forbidden formulas, his shop would be shut down—the risk outweighed the profit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, with his shop preparing to close, shouldn’t he have no such concerns?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he’d already pulled out the formulas—he clearly waited for him—so why refuse to sell?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could he be mocking him? Before Gao De could figure it out, Pierre burst into laughter: “So, I’m giving you all three spell formulas—for free!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1121,"2026-06-19T14:28:48.629Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e298664e9101ee2f21794cc1ec6a4a9bb41cf1490a2099b2be4948bd953f92be","above-the-mage-chapter-68","above-the-mage-chapter-66",529,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fabove-the-mage-cover.jpg"]