Chapter 4: The Small Competition

Yunluo Li, Year 9992, March 15.

Outside the classroom for the first-year Fire Element students at Ernst Institute, a crowd had gathered to watch the spectacle.

"I heard today is the finals of the small competition?"

"Yes, the first-year Fire Element division. I heard there's someone named Aikesi Yan who crushed his way to the top."

"Crushed? What can a first-year crush? At most, he probably knows the Fireball Technique." This book is first published on Tian Tian Kan Xiao Shuo. Find good books at ttks. tw, super convenient, providing you with error-free chapters and non-disordered reading experiences.

"What do you know? In his last match, he directly blasted his opponent's defensive magic to pieces!"

I stood in the center of the classroom, listening to the murmurs from outside, my expressionless.

"Aikesi Yan."

The referee teacher called my name.

I stepped forward. Standing opposite me was a red-haired youth, none other than last year's top student of the grade—Lande.

Lande looked at me, a hint of arrogance in his eyes: "I know you've been making quite a stir lately, but the top student of the first year is still me."

I smiled: "Then let's try."

At the referee's signal, Lande immediately began chanting a spell. His speed was fast; no wonder he was last year's number one—in less than two seconds, a fireball the size of a human head condensed in his palm and hurtled toward me.

I didn't move.

The flame suddenly stopped one meter away from me, and then... vanished.

Lande was stunned.

"What happened?"

"What did he do?"

The surrounding audience began to murmur in confusion.

Only I knew this was merely the simplest application of the Fallen Heart Flame—assimilation. Lande's fireball was condensed from the Fire Element, while the Fallen Heart Flame was naturally capable of commanding all flames. Before it, Lande's fireball was like a subject meeting a monarch, lacking even the courage to approach.

"You—" Lande's face changed. "What evil technique did you use?"

"Evil technique?" I shook my head. "It was just flame against flame."

Having said that, I began to chant.

Not the first-level Fireball Technique, but—

"Fire Snake Technique!"

A second-level Fire Element magic.

A fire snake, as thick as an arm, shot out from my palm. Its body was orange-red, but upon closer inspection, the edges of the flames shimmered with a hint of milky white. Lande hastily raised a defense; the fire snake crashed into it with a "Boom!" explosion, and his defensive shield instantly cracked.

"How is this possible!" Lande stepped back two paces, his face filled with disbelief. "You've only been enrolled for a little over a month; how can you know second-level magic?"

I didn't answer, simply watching him silently.

The referee stepped forward, looked at Lande's cracked defensive shield, then looked at me, and announced: "Aikesi Yan wins."

A chorus of gasps erupted in the classroom.

"Second-level magic! How old is he?"

"Nine years old and already knows second-level magic? This isn't a genius; this is a freak!"

"When did the Fire Element produce such a monster?"

I retracted my hand, turned, and prepared to leave.

"Wait."

Lande called out to stop me.

I turned back to look at him.

Lande's expression was complex; after holding back for a long time, he finally said one sentence: "You are very strong."

I nodded, then walked out of the classroom.

Outside the door, Yelu rushed up first, throwing an arm around me: "Third Brother! You were too awesome! Second-level magic! When did you learn it!"

"Just yesterday," I said.

This was the truth.

After the Fallen Heart Flame evolved, my cultivation speed increased by another notch. During yesterday's meditation, I suddenly touched the threshold of second-level magic; after trying a few times, I succeeded.

"Yesterday..." Reynolds' mouth hung open. "You call this 'just learned yesterday'?"

Qiaozhi shook his head with a smile: "Third Brother's talent was always high; you all should know that."

Linlei stood aside, saying nothing, but there was a hint of deeper meaning in the way he looked at me.

I smiled at him and offered no explanation.

In the evening, the five of us celebrated at Huadeli Hotel.

Yelu ordered a table full of dishes and also requested several bottles of fruit wine. Reynolds, his face flushed red from drinking, hugged my arm and shouted, "Third Brother is mighty!" while Qiaozhi helplessly shook his head beside them.

"Fourth Brother, have some too." Yelu poured wine for Linlei.

Linlei shook his head: "I don't drink alcohol."

"If you don't drink, what kind of man are you!" Yelu forcibly shoved the wine glass into his hand. "Today Third Brother won the championship; it's unreasonable for you not to have a drink!"

Linlei hesitated for a moment, lifted the wine glass, took a sip, and then his brows knitted together into a knot.

"Hahahaha!" Reynolds laughed so hard he slapped the table. "Fourth Brother, what kind of expression is that!"

I watched them make a scene with a smile, but in my heart, I recalled the plot from the original novel. Linlei almost never drank alcohol in his life; the only time he got drunk was after Ailisi betrayed him.

"Third Brother, what are you thinking about?" Yelu leaned over.

"Nothing." I lifted my wine glass. "Come, let's drink to it."

"Drink!"

The five wine glasses clinked together, producing a crisp sound.

At night, I returned to the dormitory and sat alone in the courtyard.

Moonlight, like water, spilled onto the stone-paved ground. Beibei, I didn't know when, had run out and was lying in the corner of the wall, its dark, round eyes staring at me.

"Little one, sneaking a peek again?" I waved at it.

Beibei hesitated for a moment, yet actually walked over and lay down by my feet.

I was somewhat surprised. This little thing, which usually ignored everyone except Linlei, why had it changed its nature today?

【Ding—Detected that the host has established initial favor with an original important character (Beibei).】

【Hidden condition triggered? Sign in?】

The system voice sounded.

I silently thought in my heart: Sign in.

【Sign in successful.】

【Reward obtained: Azeroth Mana Gem—Can store half of one's own Magic, replenishing consumption at critical moments. Current storage: 0/100%.】

A pale blue gem appeared out of thin air in my palm, emitting a soft glow. I examined it carefully—about the size of a thumb, with a warm, smooth texture, and within it, flowing light seemed to rotate slowly.

"A good thing." I praised silently in my heart.

The Mana Gem can store Magic, equivalent to having an extra Magic pool. If Magic is exhausted during combat, one can draw directly from the gem, equaling an extra half of endurance capability.

Beibei tilted its head to look at the gem, seeming somewhat curious.

"Want it?" I held the gem out to it.

Beibei sniffed it, then turned its head away, wearing an expression of "I don't care."

I smiled and put the gem away.

The next day, news of the Fire-element first-year small competition spread throughout the entire academy.

"Did you hear? There's someone named Aikesi Yan, only nine years old, who already knows second-level magic!"

"Nine years old? Isn't that even more powerful than Dixie?"

"You can't compare like that. Dixie is dual-element, he is single-element, but his talent is absolutely first-class."

"Ernst's three geniuses? Linlei, Dixie, and now another Aikesi?"

At noon, while eating in the dining hall, people kept looking at our table.

"Third brother, you're famous now." Yelu said proudly, "Even our Dormitory is benefiting from it."

Reynolds puffed out his chest: "Of course, how could my third brother not be famous?"

"Your third brother?" Qiaozhi looked at him sideways, "Yesterday you were calling him 'third brother', today it's 'third brother'?"

"Yesterday was yesterday, today is today!" Reynolds said with righteous confidence.

I smiled and shook my head, continuing to eat.

Linlei sat beside me, suddenly speaking in a low voice: "Last night Beibei approached you voluntarily?"

"Mm." I nodded, "What about it?"

Linlei was silent for a while, then said: "Usually, besides me, it ignores everyone."

I was stunned for a moment, looking at Beibei lying on his shoulder. The little one was dozing with its eyes closed, looking as if it had nothing to do with the matter.

"Maybe..." I thought for a moment, "It sensed I had no ill intentions?"

Linlei looked at me once and asked no more.

There were no classes in the afternoon; as usual, I went to Hou Shan to cultivate.

Finding a secluded spot, I sat cross-legged and began to study the newly acquired Mana Gem.

With a thought, the Magic within my body slowly flowed toward the gem. The pale blue light grew brighter and brighter; after about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the interior of the gem was filled with flowing blue light—Storage: 100%.

"Done." I nodded, satisfied.

With this gem, my sustained combat capability increases by at least half. If I encounter a ring competition like today's again, I can definitely cast second-level magic five or six times in a row, crushing my opponents.

Putting the gem away, I began to meditate.

The Falling Heart Flame pulsed slowly within my body; with each pulse, a wisp of warm energy flowed into my four limbs and hundred bones. I could clearly perceive that my Magic was growing at a stable rate—nearly double the speed compared to when I first transmigrated.

"At this rate, reaching level three within a year is no problem." I calculated in my heart.

When the sun set behind the western mountains, I opened my eyes.

Not far away, Linlei was sitting cross-legged on a rock, also meditating. Beibei lay by his feet, alertly scanning the surroundings.

I did not disturb them, quietly stood up, and left.

On the way back to the dormitory, I met Dixie.

This youth, known as the "Number One Genius of the Century," still wore that cold expression, looking at everyone as if they owed him money. But when he saw me, his steps paused for a moment.

"Aikesi Yan." He spoke.

"Dixie." I nodded.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds; neither said a word.

Finally, Dixie said one sentence: "Your flame is extraordinary." Then he turned and left.

I stood in place, watching his back, lost in thought.

Dixie is indeed a genius; his intuition is very sharp.

"Also a smart person." I thought silently in my heart.

Returning to the dormitory, Yelu and the others had already come back. The five of them made a ruckus until midnight, only going to sleep individually after the lights were turned off.