In the end, Reina chose to bring a Small Round Shield.
The power of the Small Fireball Technique had indeed exceeded her expectations.
It was even stronger than the arrow of a Tier One Divine Shooter.
It was just a Tier Zero Magic, yet its Attack Power was greater than that of a Tier One Professional.
Reina walked into the open space. Seeing Li Wei raise his hand, preparing for the Casting, she quickly said, "Wait a second."
Li Wei looked up at her.
Reina tore the hem of her evening gown, ripping a slit up to her waist.
She stretched her legs. Feeling much less restricted, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Okay, you can start."
Li Wei glanced at her slender thighs, now partially visible. He wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure how to bring it up.
Reina urged, "Hurry up. You Mages are too slow to attack. If this were a real battle, I'd have had enough time to kill you twenty times over."
Li Wei began his Casting slowly, in no rush.
Two minutes later, a small Fireball shot toward Reina.
As the small Fireball locked onto her, Reina sensed immense danger and unhesitatingly activated "Absolute Defense."
Golden Fighting Spirit erupted from her body, forming an incredibly solid barrier that dyed her snow-white skin gold.
The Small Round Shield in her hand erupted with a golden light, its Defense Power skyrocketing.
BOOM!
The small Fireball struck the Shield in Reina's hand. The resulting explosion of fire engulfed her figure.
Little John, Delis, Land, and Neil all looked shocked, afraid something had gone wrong.
Li Wei watched Reina within the flames, knowing the Small Fireball Technique hadn't managed to harm her.
The instant the Small Fireball Technique exploded, he sensed its Power had been blocked by a wall and completely repelled.
The flames dissipated, revealing Reina, completely unharmed.
Her Fighting Spirit had already dissipated. She looked down at the round shield in her hand.
Even with the buff from her Absolute Defense, the round shield had cracked after taking a single hit from the Small Fireball Technique.
This was just an ordinary round shield; its own Defense Power wasn't high.
Reina now had a rough idea of how powerful a Magic attack she could withstand.
Without a superior Shield, she wouldn't be able to block Tier One Magic, even with her Absolute Defense Ability.
This was her limit.
Reina strode over to Li Wei and tossed aside the round shield. "Thank you. You've finally shown me how strong Mages are!"
She had always heard her master say that Mages were monstrously strong.
Only today did she truly understand what he meant.
At the same tier, with no difference in equipment, a Mage could crush any other Professional.
When facing a Mage, the only opening other Professionals have is during the Casting time.
Li Wei smiled. "Don't mention it. This was just a transaction."
"And let me correct you again—I am not a Mage."
Reina glanced at him but said nothing more.
Li Wei asked, "What is the Magic in the Magic Book you mentioned?"
Reina replied, "A Tier Zero Magic: Invisible Armor."
Li Wei was slightly disappointed to hear that.
No matter how strong a Tier Zero Magic was, its Power couldn't compare to that of High Tier Magic.
However, he remembered that even Mage Aier had been obsessed with this Tier Zero Magic.
'There must be something special about this Tier Zero Magic,' Li Wei thought.
Mage Aier could cast the Fire Snake Skill, which meant he was at least a Tier Two Mage.
A Tier Zero Magic capable of piquing the interest of a Tier Two Mage had to be unique in some way.
Reina said, "Wait for me at the entrance of the Knight Academy tomorrow at noon. I'll bring the Magic Book then."
Li Wei nodded. "Okay, I understand."
"I heard an explosion outside. What happened?"
Gu Ze asked as he walked out.
"It's nothing," Li Wei said. "Miss Reina asked me to spar with her."
Reina looked at Gu Ze and took the initiative to greet him. "Mage Gu Ze, thank you for taking care of my younger brother these past two years."
Gu Ze smiled. "It was nothing. So you're Little John's sister? I hear you've already become an Official Knight?"
Reina nodded. "I have."
Feeling a sudden draft on her thighs, she quickly said, "My apologies, but I have to go. I hope you have a wonderful evening, Mage Gu Ze."
Reina hurried back to her room to change.
Gu Ze watched Reina leave and sighed. "The Golden Shield Clan has truly produced an extraordinary genius of a Knight."
"A sixteen-year-old Official Knight! The youngest Knight in the history of Maple City!"
"Such talent is truly enviable!"
Li Wei heard this and nodded in wholehearted agreement.
"Yeah, she's really incredible."
Gu Ze glanced at him. "If you can become an Official Mage within five years, a twenty-year-old Mage is far more impressive than a sixteen-year-old Knight."
Li Wei just smiled and didn't reply.
'Based on my current Cultivation progress,' he thought, 'it shouldn't even take five years for me to become an Official Mage.'
He had never used his full power in front of Gu Ze; he didn't want to appear too shocking.
After his Basic Meditation Method broke through to the Small Success Level, his Casting time had been reduced to under a minute.
Now, his Small Fireball Technique was also on the verge of leveling up.
His fastest Casting time was 22 seconds.
Li Wei predicted that once his Small Fireball Technique reached the Master Level, he would meet the standards of an Apprentice Mage.
One hundred percent successful Casting within ten seconds.
By January of next year, he could become an Apprentice Mage.
Gu Ze led Li Wei toward the main hall. "Many of Maple City's nobles have heard about you," he said. "They all want to meet you. You should take this opportunity to get acquainted. It might make things more convenient in the future."
Gu Ze was genuinely training Li Wei as his own disciple.
Li Wei's talent was astounding, and he had a long future ahead of him.
If Li Wei achieved great things in the future, Gu Ze could proudly tell others that he had once been Li Wei's teacher.
With Gu Ze making the introductions, Li Wei met several of the noble families attending the banquet, as well as a few non-noble factions from Maple City.
When the banquet ended, the Golden Shield Clan arranged accommodations for everyone within the manor.
Any special requests were also accommodated.
Gu Ze and Li Wei were in rooms across the hall from each other. The neighboring rooms were also occupied by Mages, so it was relatively quiet at night.
This was unlike the cluster of rooms where the nobles were staying, from which bloodcurdling screams occasionally erupted.
The guest rooms at Golden Shield Manor were certainly nice, but they still couldn't compare to the simple Apprentice dormitories back at the Mage Tower.
There were no Magic Firefly Stones, only oil lamps and candles.
There was no temperature-regulating Magic Array, so it was a bit cold to sit on the bed and practice cultivation through meditation.
That night, the lamps were unlit.
Li Wei sat in the dim room, lit some Calming Incense, and began to practice his Magic.
He used Mana to construct a Magic Model, then destroyed it just before the Magic Elements could automatically fill it, recovering a portion of the Mana.
This was a new method he had developed by combining two different ways of practicing Magic.
It both trained his Mana Power Control and increased the number of times he could practice.
At the same time, it kept his Magic practice from affecting the efficiency of his meditation and Cultivation.
Its only drawback was the high demand on his Mana Power Control; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to destroy the Magic Model in time to recover the Mana.
Immersed in his Magic practice, it was easy to lose all sense of time.
「In the blink of an eye, it was already early morning.」
Li Wei's exhausted mind suddenly jolted, and his understanding of the Small Fireball Technique's Magic Model ascended to a new level.
Seven seconds. The Magic Model was constructed.
Five seconds. The Fire Element infusion was complete.
Twelve seconds. The Tier Zero Magic Casting was complete.
"A breakthrough!"