The Class Tournament

Yulan Calendar 9992, March 15.

The area outside the first-year fire magic classroom at Ernst Institute was packed with people hoping to catch the excitement.

"I heard the final round of the class tournament is today?"

"Yeah, for the first-year fire students. Apparently, there's a guy named Aikesi Yan who's crushed his way through the competition."

"Crushed them? What could a first-year student crush? He probably knows Fireball at most."

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"You don't know what you're talking about. Last round, he blasted his opponent's defensive magic to pieces!"

I stood in the middle of the classroom, listening to the chatter outside without changing my expression.

"Aikesi Yan."

The teacher acting as referee called my name.

I stepped forward. A red-haired boy stood opposite me: Land, last year's top student.

Land looked at me, a hint of arrogance in his eyes. "I know you've been getting a lot of attention lately, but I'm still the first-year champion."

I smiled. "We'll see."

At the referee's signal, Land immediately began chanting. He was fast—no surprise, given that he'd been last year's top student. In less than two seconds, a head-sized fireball formed in his palm and hurtled toward me.

I didn't move.

The flames stopped a meter away from me, then... vanished.

Land froze.

"What happened?"

"What did he do?"

The spectators broke into chatter.

Only I knew this was just the simplest way to use the Fallen Heart Flame: assimilation. Land's fireball was formed from fire elements, while the Fallen Heart Flame was born to command flames. Before it, Land's fireball was like a subject before a king, too afraid even to approach.

"You—" Land's expression changed. "What kind of sorcery did you use?"

"Sorcery?" I shook my head. "It's just fire against fire."

Then I began to chant.

Not the first-level Fireball spell, but—

"Fire Snake Technique!"

A second-level fire magic spell.

A thick, arm-length snake of fire burst from my palm, glowing orange-red. But on closer inspection, its edges carried a faint milky-white tint. Land hurriedly raised a defensive barrier. The fire snake slammed into it and exploded with a boom, instantly fracturing the barrier.

"How is that possible?" Land staggered back two steps, disbelief written all over his face. "You've only been here a little over a month. How can you cast second-level magic?"

I didn't answer. I just watched him quietly.

The referee stepped forward, looked at Land's fractured barrier, then at me, and announced, "Aikesi Yan wins."

The classroom erupted in astonished cries.

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

"He can cast second-level magic at nine? That's not a genius—that's a monster!"

"When did the fire department get a freak like him?"

I lowered my hand and turned to leave.

"Wait."

Land called after me.

I looked back.

His expression was complicated. After a long pause, he finally said, "You're strong."

I nodded and walked out of the classroom.

Outside, Yale was the first to rush over. He threw an arm around me. "Third Bro! That was incredible! Second-level magic! When did you learn that?"

"Just yesterday," I said.

It was the truth.

After the Fallen Heart Flame evolved, my cultivation speed had increased again. Yesterday, during meditation, I'd suddenly reached the threshold of second-level magic. After a few tries, I'd managed it.

"Yesterday..." Reynolds gaped. "You call that 'just learned it yesterday'?"

George shook his head with a smile. "Third Bro's always been gifted. You guys know that."

Linley stood off to the side without saying anything, but there was a new hint of meaning in his gaze.

I smiled at him without explaining.

That evening, the five of us celebrated at the Wald Hotel.

Yale ordered a table full of food and several bottles of fruit wine. Reynolds drank until his face was bright red, clung to my arm, and shouted, "Third Bro is mighty!" George shook his head helplessly beside him.

"Fourth Bro, have some too." Yale poured Linley a drink.

Linley shook his head. "I don't drink."

"What kind of man doesn't drink?" Yale insisted, pushing the glass on him. "Third Bro won the championship today. You can't get away without a toast!"

Linley hesitated, picked up the glass, and took a sip. His brow immediately furrowed.

"Hahahaha!" Reynolds laughed, slapping the table. "Fourth Bro, what's that face?"

I laughed along with them, but my thoughts drifted to the events of the original story. Linley hardly drank at all in this life. The only time he ever got drunk was after Alice betrayed him.

"Third Bro, what are you thinking about?" Yale leaned closer.

"Nothing." I raised my glass. "Come on, let's have a drink."

"Cheers!"

The five glasses clinked together with a crisp ring.

That night, after returning to the dorm, I sat alone in the courtyard.

Moonlight spilled across the stone paving like water. Bebe had come out at some point and was lying by the wall, its bright black eyes fixed on me.

"Little guy, spying again?" I beckoned to it.

Bebe hesitated, then actually came over and lay down beside my feet.

I was a little surprised. The little thing usually ignored everyone except Linley. What had gotten into it today?

[ Ding—The host has established an initial positive impression with an important character from the original story (Bebe). ]

[ Hidden condition triggered? Sign in? ]

The system's voice rang out.

I silently thought, Sign in.

[ Sign-in successful. ]

[ Reward: Azeroth Mana Gem—stores half of your own mana and replenishes it in critical moments. Current charge: 0/100%. ]

A pale blue gem appeared out of nowhere in my palm, glowing softly. I examined it closely. It was about the size of my thumb, smooth and warm to the touch, with what looked like a slow-moving stream of light inside.

What a great item, I thought.

The mana gem could store magic power, giving me an extra pool of mana. If I ran out during a battle, I could draw directly from the gem, effectively giving myself half again as much staying power.

Bebe tilted its head at the gem, seeming curious.

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

Bebe sniffed it, then turned away, as if to say, "I don't want it."

I smiled and put the gem away.

The next day, news of the first-year fire magic class tournament spread throughout the academy.

"Have you heard? There's a guy named Aikesi Yan who can cast second-level magic at just nine!"

"Nine? Isn't that even more impressive than Dixie?"

"You can't compare them like that. Dixie can use two elements, while he can only use one, but his talent is definitely top-tier."

"The three geniuses of Ernst Institute? Linley, Dixie, and now there's an Aikesi too?"

At lunch in the dining hall, people kept glancing over at our table.

"Third Bro, you're famous now," Yale said smugly. "Even our Dorm 1987 is getting some of the credit."

Reynolds puffed out his chest. "Of course! How could my Third Bro not be famous?"

"Your Third Bro?" George gave him a sidelong look. "Yesterday you called him Third Bro. Today he's your 'Third Brother'?"

"Yesterday was yesterday, and today is today!" Reynolds replied with perfect confidence.

I smiled and shook my head, then went back to eating.

Linley sat beside me. Suddenly, he lowered his voice and asked, "Bebe came up to you last night?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "Why?"

Linley was quiet for a moment. "He usually ignores everyone except me."

I paused and looked at Bebe, perched on his shoulder. The little guy had its eyes closed, dozing as if none of this concerned it.

"Maybe..." I thought it over. "He could tell I meant no harm?"

Linley glanced at me but didn't ask anything else.

I had no classes that afternoon, so I went to the back hills to cultivate as usual.

I found a secluded spot, sat cross-legged, and began studying the newly acquired mana gem.

With a thought, the mana in my body slowly flowed into the gem. Its pale blue glow grew brighter. After about the time it took to burn a stick of incense, the gem was filled with flowing blue light—charge: 100%.

"Done." I nodded with satisfaction.

With this gem, my stamina in a prolonged battle had increased by at least half. If I faced a tournament match like today's again, I could cast second-level magic five or six times in a row and overwhelm my opponent.

I put the gem away and began to meditate.

The Fallen Heart Flame pulsed slowly within me. With every pulse, a trace of warmth flowed through my limbs and body. I could clearly sense my mana growing at a steady pace—almost twice as fast as when I'd first arrived.

At this rate, reaching the third level within a year should be no problem, I calculated.

As the sun sank in the west, I opened my eyes.

Not far away, Linley sat cross-legged on a rock, meditating too. Bebe was lying at his feet, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings.

I didn't disturb them. I got up quietly and left.

On the way back to the dorm, I ran into Dixie.

The boy known as the "greatest genius in a hundred years" still had that same icy expression, as if everyone owed him money. But when he saw me, he paused.

"Aikesi Yan," he said.

"Dixie." I nodded.

We looked at each other for a few seconds without speaking.

At last, Dixie said, "Your flames are unusual." Then he turned and left.

I stood there, watching him go, deep in thought.

As expected of a genius, Dixie had sharp instincts.

He's a clever one too, I thought.

When I got back to the dorm, Yale and the others had already returned. The five of us carried on until midnight, then went to bed when the lights went out.