Chapter 119 Accepting Guidance

After Mage Roland left, Shaoke was for a moment at a loss about what to do. After limbering up with the other mages, he exchanged a few polite words with them before returning to his room to delve deeper into the spells he had already learned. He wanted to fully understand the structure of those spells, especially the few second-level spells, and then try to experiment with some simple techniques using the two-handed hand-sealing skill. Instead of merely outlining the spell structure, as that would easily reduce his control over the spell when facing enemy interference, leading to casting failure or deviation from the target.

He focused his mind and repeatedly drew the structures of those second-level spells on the military's unique parchment. However, after several attempts, he gained nothing but turbulence in his meditation space from his failed attempts. He felt that every time he completed the final strokes, the mana and mental energy injected into the line structures would uncontrollably leak out, leading to drawing failure. Fortunately, the silver light in his meditation space promptly calmed these disturbances each time, preventing any harm to his meditation space.

Shaoke tirelessly repeated the process: restoring his expended energy, then drawing the spell structure. As time passed, although failures persisted, he gradually began to understand some meanings behind these spell structures. This made him believe that after some time practicing spells, his casting speed could improve even further.

Though it was just speculation, encouraged, Shaoke quickly recovered from the repeated failures. He finally chose the "Blazing Ray" spell to draw. After each failure, he carefully outlined the first-level spell "Scorching Ray" in his mind's eye, hoping to find similarities between the two spells to aid his progress.

After a simple lunch, Shaoke continued his busy work, but he was soon interrupted by an unfamiliar visitor.

The visitor, a mage of the same rank as Shaoke, offered a simple greeting and asked uncertainly, "Mage Xueye?" Seeing Shaoke nod in confirmation, he added with some surprise, "Sorry, I didn't expect you not to be wearing your cloak. You know, I've never seen you before. I am here to deliver a message."

Shaoke smiled. "It's fine. Can you tell me the message? I appreciate your diligence. We should all be like this."

"Thank you!" The mage smiled gratefully at Shaoke. "The military requires your presence now. There are some matters to discuss with you." Seeing Shaoke hesitate, the mage added, "Right now. I also need to notify other mages." After nodding to Shaoke, he left.

After hearing the mage's message and subtle explanation, Shaoke relaxed a little. Though he didn't know why the military was summoning him at this time, learning that other mages were also involved vaguely made him wonder if it was about returning to the battlefield.

After quickly gathering his things, Shaoke picked up his staff and headed toward the military headquarters' compound.

With the battle on the walls halted and many new mages arriving, the roads were crowded with mages. Shaoke politely nodded to those he recognized, occasionally exchanging a few words with those he was more familiar with.

It was still the same large room. Only a few of the ink-crystal lamps on the walls were lit, but most of the lighting came from candles on the tables. At the long table in the center sat the same seventh-tier mage. Only a few mages sat at the long table, while the rest were scattered in areas dimly lit by the lamps, creating a desolate atmosphere.

After paying his respects to the seventh-tier mage, Shaoke found a dimly lit spot to sit down. Following the example of the other mages, he closed his eyes and waited quietly.

Mages continued to arrive sporadically. Finally, after what felt like a long time with no new arrivals, Shaoke snapped out of his mental focus on deconstructing spell structures. He knew the meeting was about to begin.

"Young mages, I rejoice in your strength and fortune," the seventh-tier mage said, scanning the mages as before and suddenly speaking these words. "You are all second-tier mages who have returned from this mission in the canyon. The military has decided not to punish you for now, but in a few days, you will still need to go to the battlefield. I hope everyone will follow the military's orders." The mage briefly explained the reason for summoning them.

"To enhance your strength, the military has ordered me to spend the next few days here, fully answering your questions and resolving your difficulties in spell cultivation. Moreover, the military has provided you with some other privileges." The seventh-tier mage paused briefly, a rare smile appearing on his face. "For example, you can request all casting techniques for the spells you know, special types of spells, and spellbooks from the military. As long as your requests are normal and reasonable, I believe the military will provide them to you according to your demands."

"Honorable Mage, is this compensation provided by the military?" A mage stood up and asked stiffly after the seventh-tier mage finished speaking.

"It is not compensation from the military," the seventh-tier mage replied, though displeased by the interruption. He explained to the mage and, by extension, all the others, "It is merely the military's reward for the survivors. This is what you earned by staying alive in that battle. We are only giving it to you according to regulations."

The seventh-tier mage paused before continuing, "Of course, the military will only provide magic materials below the fifth tier. Spells beyond your rank will not be provided. However, once you advance to the third rank, you will enjoy greater privileges than other mages of the same rank serving in the military."

No one interrupted the mage's speech again after he finished. Shaoke carefully memorized the various benefits mentioned by the mage, feeling an inexplicable excitement. This was just like when assassins in his past life received payment after a mission, though the mages' battles were more akin to survival games.

As Shaoke was lost in thought, the same voice that had interrupted the seventh-tier mage earlier spoke up again in the room, this time disrupting Shaoke's train of thought.

"Honorable Mage, do only we survivors receive these rewards? Are the fallen mages left to die without explanation?" The mage waited until the seventh-tier mage had finished speaking before asking his question. He supported his confrontation with the seventh-tier mage with the idea of defending the due interests of his fallen comrades.

"The military has already made arrangements for them. Their families will be taken care of by the military. You need not worry about that," the seventh-tier mage replied, softening his tone slightly after locking eyes with the mage for a moment, recalling his own experiences in such battles.

After Shaoke and the other mages raised a few more scattered questions, the mage began explaining in detail the things they should pay attention to in their cultivation.

The mages took turns asking questions, diligently memorizing or quickly jotting down the seventh-tier mage's answers on paper.

Soon, it was Shaoke's turn to ask a question. Gripping his staff tighter, he explained his thoughts and methods for understanding spell structures to the mage, then waited quietly for the response.

"Your idea is correct, but your method is wrong," the mage said after a brief thought, giving Shaoke a straightforward explanation. "Repeatedly drawing spell structures on paper can increase your understanding of the spell structure, but it still falls short of the insights gained from repeatedly casting the spell. However, when you focus on drawing spell structures, you can improve your mental and mana control skills more effectively. As for casting spells..." The mage detailed the advantages and disadvantages of both methods, concluding, "When drawing the structure of a second-level spell, you must adjust your mental and mana fluctuations to match those of the spell. Only then can you succeed."

After thanking the mage, Shaoke quickly memorized the explanation just provided, then quietly listened to the other mages' questions, hoping to gain insights from other aspects.

Finally, after an unknown amount of time—Shaoke only knew they had eaten twice during this period—the seventh-tier mage concluded his explanations.

After dinner, Shaoke asked the mage a few cultivation questions that even Mage Roman hadn't been able to answer. After receiving detailed explanations, Shaoke felt that his casting and meditation speeds would definitely improve further, and his advancement time would be shortened.

The seventh-tier mage drank a little plain water and signaled to Shaoke and the others that today's questioning session had ended. "In a moment, go to the entrance to collect your respective casting techniques. The military has already prepared them for you," the mage said, glancing at Shaoke and the others with a teasing look. "If you didn't fill out your information clearly when you first joined the military and accidentally omitted a spell, please write down the name of that spell now. I don't think it will take long for the military to deliver the new detailed techniques to you."

The mage couldn't help but laugh. He knew that most of these mages had concealed some of the spells they knew when filling out their information upon joining the military. Little did they expect that their earlier concealment would now delay their receipt of the precious casting techniques for a few days.

As many mages hurriedly wrote down the spells they had omitted, only Shaoke and a few other mages left early, smoothly collecting their respective scrolls recording various casting techniques at the entrance before returning.