41 Magic Painting

Back at the academy, aside from attending classes at Azure Cloud Tower every day without fail, Xia Ming spent most of his time buried in the academy library and training grounds. This nearly frenzied regimen of training and reading benefited him immensely.

Xia Ming was with Tang Ge. Whenever he had nothing better to do, the fellow would come wait outside Xia Ming's classroom, claiming it was only natural for good brothers to go to and from class together. In truth, he merely wanted another glimpse of Freya.

Freya had already left. Tang Ge gazed reluctantly after her lovely silhouette for quite a while, the lingering yearning in his eyes leaving Xia Ming speechless.

It took Tang Ge a good while to snap out of it. Clapping Xia Ming on the shoulder, he said, "Oh, right—I got some news. That potion conference the old bastard Soros mentioned last time officially starts at our academy tomorrow! I heard quite a few teachers from our academy will be participating, and even Headmaster Rogge will be there to watch!"

The potion conference backed by Hughes was actually this grand, and it was even being held within Azure Flame Academy. The news truly caught Xia Ming by surprise.

As for Headmaster Rogge, he was a renowned powerhouse across the continent, one of its legendary magicians, and the helmsman of Azure Flame Academy—a legendary figure crowned with countless honors. Yet according to Anthony, Headmaster Rogge was a close personal friend of his, and had even told Xia Ming to go straight to Rogge if he ever ran into trouble.

"Looks like Hughes really went all out this time. Even Headmaster Rogge has been drawn in—what a grand display." Tang Ge sighed, then grinned. "Little brother, it won't be easy for you to make a name for yourself at this potion conference!"

Xia Ming smiled. The Book of Eternity contained all knowledge of magical potions below the seventh level, so he naturally had some confidence.

"Enough. The competition doesn't start until tomorrow anyway, so let those troublesome matters go to hell. Little brother, I'll take you somewhere good. There's going to be a huge banquet tonight!" Tang Ge flashed an ambiguous smile and said mysteriously, "Those fellows from the student union finally did something worthwhile. They've organized nearly all the beauties in our academy to attend the banquet today. Let's go join the fun!"

"Come on, no more talking. Let's go take a look!"

Without giving Xia Ming a chance to object, Tang Ge dragged him outside. They passed through the academy's streets and alleys and headed straight to a tavern.

The moment they entered, it truly felt like another world.

The place was brilliantly lit, and the hall was spacious. At least a hundred students had gathered inside, with fine wine and delicious dishes spread everywhere. And just as Tang Ge had said—there were plenty of beauties.

Most of those attending the banquet were upperclassmen. Xia Ming spotted several familiar faces: senior female students he had seen before at Azure Cloud Tower.

"Well? Not bad here, right?" Tang Ge grinned smugly. "Look, that fire-element magician beauty in the blazing robes—she's dressed so scantily..."

Tang Ge made no effort to lower his voice, and the fire-element magician beauty heard him. She turned around, revealing a delicate face and sapphire-blue eyes. She really was quite the little beauty. She glared fiercely at Tang Ge and Xia Ming, but rather than feeling ashamed, Tang Ge puffed out his chest in pride and whistled. So angry that she stamped her foot, the fire-element magician ran off at once.

Xia Ming tugged at the overexcited Tang Ge. This fellow simply could not shake that bad habit. Pointing at the large crowd gathered ahead, Xia Ming asked, "What are they doing over there?"

The place Xia Ming pointed to was surrounded by layer upon layer of people, so packed that no one could squeeze in. Cheers and cries of praise rang out every so often. It was the most eye-catching spot in the entire banquet.

"Oh, that's a special feature of our academy's banquets—magic painting!" Seeing Xia Ming's curious expression, Tang Ge explained, "Think about it. A banquet needs entertainment to liven things up, but it's still a banquet. Sparring is too violent, so naturally they can only play at something elegant and artistic!"

"Magic painting is just that. Heh, to put it plainly, it means using magic to paint on special Dragonblood Paper. It demands an extremely high degree of control over a magician's magic power and spiritual power. The better the painting, the more skillfully you control your magic power and spiritual power—and naturally, the stronger you are!"

Xia Ming's eyes lit up.

This contest was certainly novel. To use magic to create a moving picture on a small sheet of Dragonblood Paper was naturally exceedingly difficult. If one painted upon the ground or a hard object, one only needed to shape it with magic; even an ordinary magic apprentice could manage that. But on a thin sheet of paper, a single slip could ruin it. The demands on one's command of magic were extraordinarily high.

To put it bluntly, it actually had nothing to do with painting. After all, any magician could use magic to conjure a flawless image. What it truly tested was the degree of control over one's magic power.

So-called Dragonblood Paper was paper soaked in dragon blood. It could store magic power and was generally used to make magic scrolls. Of course, Dragonblood Paper was not soaked in the blood of true dragons. It was usually made with the blood of drakes, and drakes with thin dragon bloodlines at that.

"So, Xia Ming, are you interested in giving it a try?"

"Come on, let's go have a look!"

Xia Ming's interest was piqued. After much effort, the two finally squeezed into the crowd. A burst of startled cries and uproar rose around them. Looking closely, Xia Ming saw a tall young man holding up a painting he had just completed. By coincidence, the young man had painted the scenery of Clearwater Lake.

The lake in the painting shimmered with rippling light, its scenery exquisite, its vegetation, mountains, and waters brimming with life. The pale-blue lake surface glittered, and one could even vaguely see reflections in its waters. Even Xia Ming had to admit that it was an excellent work.

This did not, of course, mean the painter possessed extraordinary artistic skill. Rather, it showed that the young man's control over his magic power and spiritual power had reached an astonishing level.

Sure enough, the painting was showered with praise the instant it was completed.

"As expected of Luo Jia. This painting is practically perfect!"

"Yes. Judging by the quality of this painting, Senior Luo Jia has improved again over the past year. He's truly impressive..."

"Senior Luo Jia placed eleventh in last year's Magic Martial Tournament. This year, he'll probably make the top ten, right?"

Praise was endless, but Xia Ming's heart stirred. This Luo Jia, the one who had created the painting, had actually placed eleventh in the previous Magic Martial Tournament!

He had come to Azure Flame Academy carrying a mission from the Sacred Council, his purpose being to claim one of the top three places in the Magic Martial Tournament. Yet Luo Jia before him had ranked eleventh in the last tournament.

Tang Ge quietly reminded Xia Ming from the side, "Luo Jia is a second-year student at our academy, a water-element magician. I hear his cultivation is quite good. He's very famous in your magic department..."

Xia Ming nodded in understanding. Looking at the remaining Dragonblood Paper in the center of the room, his eyes gleamed with eagerness to try.

Luo Jia smiled politely and humbly as he thanked everyone one by one. Then he patted the head of the pet on his shoulder. It was a first-level Magic Beast, a Thunderhawk—a rare lightning-element Magic Beast.

Xia Ming rubbed his nose. Luo Jia might be a worthwhile opponent.

At that moment, another commotion arose from the center of the hall. Following the source of the disturbance, Xia Ming unexpectedly spotted someone he knew.

Su Weiwei!

He had not seen her since they parted in Green Caterpillar Forest, yet even while practicing magic at Azure Cloud Tower, Xia Ming still often heard her name from others.

"It's actually Miss Weiwei..."

"She came too."

The men and women in the hall reacted completely differently. The boys were like wild cats that had caught the scent of fish, while the girls all looked as though they faced a formidable enemy.

Even at a banquet like this, Su Weiwei still wore that same suit of silver armor. Her clear, spirited eyes remained as cold and crystalline as ever, and her frosty aura eclipsed every other girl present.