Transfiguration Prodigy? No! I Really Wasn't!

On the way back, unlike Tom, whose face was as dark as water, Li Weide seemed very pleased.

After that round of "torture" he had put Tom through, along with the sporadic blows he had dealt Tom over the previous two weeks...

His Merit Points had finally reached 500.

Just enough to exchange for the bottle of Felix Felicis that had been locked away for more than two weeks.

Without wasting any time, Li Weide exchanged for the Felix Felicis while they were still on the road.

A small glass vial appeared in his palm.

The Felix Felicis inside the vial gave off an irresistibly alluring glow...

Li Weide carefully put the vial away. Something like Felix Felicis would surely come in handy sooner or later.

The Hog's Head now seemed like an entirely different place from before.

Everywhere was spotless and free of dust...

Even when Professor Dumbledore had come by last time, he had nearly thought he had entered the wrong place.

Naturally, all of this was thanks to House-elf Toby.

As an experienced house-elf, even the slightest bit of grime in the place where his master lived was an enormous insult to him!

If Aberforth had not strongly objected, Toby would have nearly thrown out the filthy pig's head hanging above the bar...

The moment Li Weide and Tom stepped through the door, Aberforth waved them over. His expression was somewhat unpleasant.

"My pompous brother is here. He's waiting for you in your room."

Already accustomed to the strange relationship between the two brothers, Li Weide and Tom nodded and headed up to their room on the second floor.

The moment he entered, Li Weide saw Professor Dumbledore sitting by his bed, quietly reading Oliver Twist.

Professor Hicks was there too. She sat in a chair, smiling at Li Weide and Tom by the door.

Li Weide glanced at Oliver Twist without feeling panicked, because the book's true contents were hidden.

Other than himself, who could see its real contents, everyone else could only see its disguised surface.

At that moment, Professor Dumbledore wiped his eyes and looked up, just in time to see Li Weide and Tom.

"Ah... my apologies. The contents of this novel were simply too captivating... No wonder you like it so much, Weide." Professor Dumbledore smiled as he set the book aside.

"Professor Dumbledore, Professor Hicks, long time no see."

"It has indeed been quite a while... Have you gotten used to living here?" Professor Hicks asked.

"Very much so. Mr. Aberforth has taken very good care of us."

Professor Dumbledore examined the two of them and smiled. "I can tell my brother has truly been doing his best... And it seems that your abilities have improved quite a bit during this time as well."

Tom's brows rose slightly. Professor Dumbledore could tell whether his skills had improved?

Professor Dumbledore pointed at the Spellbook spread open on Tom's desk and smiled. "This is Second Year material..."

Tom immediately relaxed. So he had only noticed the book Tom was reading. Tom had thought Professor Dumbledore could see through him at a glance...

Professor Dumbledore turned to Li Weide. "Tom is studying spells, then what about you, Weide? What have you been doing lately?"

"I've been studying Transfiguration recently," Li Weide answered truthfully.

He really had been researching Transfiguration lately. Thanks to the Complete Book of Transfiguration, he felt that his Transfiguration had improved considerably.

"Transfiguration? That's wonderful. I happen to have some knowledge of Transfiguration as well. Could you let me take a look?" Professor Dumbledore asked with great interest.

Professor Hicks smiled too. "Weide, Professor Dumbledore is an exceptionally skilled Transfiguration Master."

"Ah... you're making me blush, Eulalie." Professor Dumbledore hurriedly waved his hands.

"Then I'll give it a try..."

Li Weide did not refuse. He had indeed studied Transfiguration for some time, and he wanted to see just how far his Transfiguration had progressed.

He drew his wand, stood before Professor Dumbledore, and pointed it at his empty desk.

Whoosh!

A cream cake immediately appeared on the desk.

According to the first law of Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, while a wizard's Transfiguration could not create food out of thin air, if they knew where food was, they could summon it directly.

The Pumpkin Juice Professor Dumbledore had given Li Weide and the others at Woods Orphanage had come about this way...

Tom stared wide-eyed at the cake, unable to stop himself from looking at Li Weide.

You clearly knew how to do this... Yet whenever you wanted a midnight snack, you still woke me up and made me go to the kitchen to get food for you?

You beast! You were deliberately making things difficult for me, Tom! Li Weide then poked the cream cake with his wand again.

The next second, the cake began rapidly transforming. In the end, it became a goblet.

Professor Dumbledore looked at the finely patterned goblet, his eyes full of admiration. To make a Transfigured goblet so detailed was the level of a fifth-year student!

And Li Weide was already using Transfiguration with such proficiency at this age...

He realized that he might have underestimated Weide's talent—especially his talent for Transfiguration! Just as Professor Dumbledore was about to speak, Li Weide waved his wand again, and the goblet rapidly began to transform once more.

It transformed from an exquisite golden goblet into an incredibly adorable kitten! Dumbledore paused slightly, then could not help reaching out and picking the kitten up.

Its fur felt soft and warm... The kitten stuck out its tongue and gently licked the back of Dumbledore's hand...

When Dumbledore looked back at Li Weide, his eyes were already filled with shock.

At Hogwarts, there was no shortage of students capable of doing this.

However, they were at least outstanding fifth- or sixth-year students, and all of them were members of the Transfiguration Club.

Yet Li Weide had not even enrolled yet, and he had reached this level through self-study with only basic books!

How could Dumbledore not be astonished? This talent... was even far greater than his own had been in his youth! In truth, while Li Weide's talent was not bad, it was nowhere near as extraordinary as Dumbledore imagined.

The reason he had improved his Transfiguration to this extent in just two weeks was not only because he possessed the magical power of an adult wizard, but also because of the system-produced Complete Book of Transfiguration.

This book recorded the insights and experiences of every Transfiguration Master throughout history! Every problem Li Weide encountered while practicing Transfiguration could be answered in its pages! It was equivalent to having hundreds of highly skilled Transfiguration Masters teaching Li Weide—among them even Dumbledore himself, though he was completely unaware of it.

On top of that, Li Weide had his powerful memory to aid his studies.

It was therefore not strange at all that he had reached his current level.

At that moment, Professor Hicks also looked at Dumbledore in shock. Naturally, she knew just how difficult it was to learn Transfiguration to this extent at such an age.

Dumbledore sighed and set the kitten back onto the table. "Weide, you've given me another enormous surprise... Your Transfiguration is already far better than that of many adult wizards. And you reached this level entirely through self-study... It would not be an exaggeration at all to call you a Transfiguration genius seen only once in a century!"

"Huh?" Li Weide was a little bewildered.

In truth, Li Weide really did not know what level his Transfiguration had reached.

According to the memories from before he had transmigrated, Young Wizards seemed able to turn inanimate objects into living creatures by their third or fourth year.

So he had not thought transforming a kitten just now was particularly impressive.

After all, he had only intended to reveal a tiny bit of his talent in front of Dumbledore.

Yet now, it seemed he had overdone it?

Tch! This was troublesome! He had no intention of having Dumbledore attach too many labels to him...

A Transfiguration genius? I really wasn't!

"Is... is it really that exaggerated? Lots of people can do it, right..." Li Weide asked unwillingly.

"It is not exaggerated at all, Weide. With diligent practice, many lower-year students can turn inanimate objects into living creatures."

"But at your age, being able to use Transfiguration to transform a living creature so finely, so perfectly... Among all the Hogwarts students I have ever seen, it seems that you are the only one."

Tom stood nearby, utterly dumbfounded.

Could it be that what Li Weide had said in the forest earlier had not been entirely bragging? Was the gap between them really that vast?

So... my feeling that I could challenge him really had been nothing more than an illusion...