Li Wei and Little John stood in a corner, chatting.
A few people walked over. Seeing them, Little John quickly made the introductions. "Li Wei, this is Land. His father is Baron Kuler."
"This is Neil. His father is the chairman of the Treasure Basin Commerce Association."
"And this is Delis. Her mother is the sister of the City Lord."
In truth, all three were Li Wei's classmates, but Little John figured he probably didn't know any of them.
So he went ahead and introduced them all to avoid the same awkwardness as last time.
Mentioning their family background during introductions was an unwritten rule of noble society.
Without a background, no one would bother talking to you.
Land was a bit curious but remained cautious and didn't ask any questions.
Neil, having traveled widely with his father, made an educated guess and had a general idea of what was going on.
Delis looked at Li Wei and asked curiously, "I heard you can already cast Magic. Is that true?"
Li Wei gave a small smile. "Just luck."
Delis said, "That's still amazing! Can you teach me?"
"It's all because the teacher taught well. I only have a partial understanding myself, so I'm afraid I can't teach you," Li Wei politely declined.
Delis smiled and said, "It's okay. We can just exchange Cultivation experiences and help each other."
Land glanced at Li Wei with a bit of envy. It was the first time he had ever seen Delis be so forward with a male.
Li Wei didn't respond, changing the subject instead. "Are you all hungry?"
Seeing his chance, Little John quickly chimed in, "My father spent a long time preparing for this banquet. The food was all meticulously prepared by the best chefs in Maple City. Everyone, please have some."
He led the way toward the dining table.
The banquet had been going on for a while, and people were gradually starting to pick up and taste the delicacies on the table.
Most people were there to network and wanted to project a noble demeanor, so they were all quite reserved.
They only picked at the food.
Except for one distinctive figure.
Reina stood before the table, taking large bites of meat.
Her noble upbringing made her eat very elegantly, which was in stark contrast to the speed at which she ate.
She looked so elegant, yet she was surprisingly unrestrained.
She would finish a large piece of roasted meat in two or three bites, without getting a single drop of grease on the corners of her mouth.
It truly made one wonder how she managed it.
"Li Wei, try this! This is Silverfish caught from the Ice Lake hundreds of kilometers away. It's delicious!"
Little John picked up a plate of Silverfish sashimi and handed it to Li Wei, enthusiastically recommending it.
Li Wei took a bite. It was tasteless; he wasn't used to eating raw fish.
He reached out and picked up a plate of roasted meat.
Suddenly, a slender yet strong hand also grabbed the plate.
Li Wei's gaze followed the well-defined arm up to see Reina, in her evening gown, standing before him.
Reina looked at him and asked, "You're the genius Mage my little brother was talking about?"
Little John, knowing Reina's personality, quickly said, "Reina, Li Wei is an important guest I invited..."
Reina waved her hand without even glancing at him. "Move aside. I'm not talking to you."
She let go of the plate, crossed her arms, and stared at Li Wei. "I want to fight you."
Li Wei was taken aback. Once he processed it, he shook his head and refused.
"I don't know how to fight."
Reina said, "You're a Mage. I've never fought a Mage before."
'That's your reason for wanting to fight me? That's ridiculous.'
He explained, "I'm not a Mage, not even an Apprentice Mage. I'm just an Apprentice."
Reina said, "That doesn't matter. As long as you can cast Magic, it's fine. I'll stand still and let you hit me with Magic. It's that simple."
Li Wei said, "If you have a death wish, you can jump off a high place. There's no need to involve me."
'It's no joke. The Small Fireball Technique is powerful enough to shatter rock.'
'If I blew Reina to bits, the Golden Shield Clan would definitely come after me for revenge.'
Reina said, "I'm a Tier One Knight. The Extraordinary Trait I awakened is Absolute Defense. You can't kill me!"
'Extraordinary Traits? Absolute Defense?'
Having read books like *Mage Legend*, *Dragon Slayer Warrior Legend*, and *Knight's Legend*, Li Wei already understood the difference between an Extraordinary Professional and an Apprentice Professional.
The gap between the two lay in their Extraordinary Traits.
For an Apprentice Mage to become a Mage, besides mastering Tier One Magic and achieving Perfect Mana, the most important step was awakening an Extraordinary Trait.
Different Extraordinary Traits would grant a Professional a massive boost in different areas.
Reina had awakened the "Absolute Defense" Extraordinary Trait.
Her defensive capabilities were greatly enhanced, far surpassing other Professionals of the same tier.
The Knight was an Extraordinary Profession that already focused on enhancing constitution and defense.
This strength upon strength made Reina's Defense Power even more astonishing.
Although he had read descriptions of Extraordinary Traits in books, he had never truly witnessed one.
Li Wei couldn't help but feel a flicker of curiosity.
Seeing that Li Wei wouldn't agree, Reina played her trump card.
She said, "My master once obtained a Magic Book that records a very special type of Magic. Mage Aier from the Mage Tower has asked my master for that Magic Book many times, but he never agreed."
Li Wei's interest was piqued. He asked, "If I agree to fight you, you'll give me that Magic Book?"
Reina said, "How could that be possible! I definitely can't give you the Magic Book, but I can sneak it out and let you have a look."
Feeling that this might not be attractive enough of an offer, she added, "To this day, even Mage Aier has never seen that Magic Book."
Li Wei spread his hands. "What's the use of a single glance? Any Magic Model needs to be read repeatedly to be memorized."
He glanced at Little John, giving him a look.
Little John immediately nodded in agreement. "Yes, you need to read it at least five times to memorize it completely."
'I don't know how many times other people need to read it, but I only need to see it once to memorize it,' Li Wei chuckled internally.
'But to not seem too conspicuous, this had to be said out loud.'
Reina hesitated for a moment, then said, "Then I'll figure out a way to let you look at it a few more times. That should be fine, right?"
Hearing this, Li Wei was tempted.
'A free Magic Model! That would save a huge amount of money!'
Learning a Tier Zero Magic Model from the Mage Tower once costs about 20 Contribution.
1 Contribution is worth 1 Gold Coin, so one time costs 20 Gold Coins.
An ordinary person would need to prepare at least 100 Gold Coins to learn a Tier Zero Magic Model.
'You really can't be a Mage without money!'
Magic Models burn through money, and so does daily Cultivation.
Calming Incense, Ice Crystal Stones, Magic Potions... Li Wei had only just begun his Cultivation and hadn't even used a Magic Potion yet.
In the month of December alone, he had consumed over 7 Gold Coins' worth of Cultivation resources.
Over twenty sticks of Calming Incense and eleven Ice Crystal Stones.
If you don't burn money, you can only burn time. You either make it, or you die trying.
Li Wei accepted Reina's challenge.
The two went to an open space in the courtyard. Little John, Delis, and the others all followed to watch the spectacle.
It wasn't every day you could see a Mage fight a Knight.
Li Wei glanced at Reina in her evening gown and asked, "Aren't you going to put on any gear?"
Reina shook her head. "No need. Absolute Defense is sturdier than any Armor."
"Wait a moment."
Li Wei spent two minutes Casting. A fireball from his Small Fireball Technique flew over ten meters and smashed into the lawn.
BOOM!
A large crater, a meter in diameter, was blasted into the lawn.
Li Wei turned his head to Reina and asked again, "Are you sure you don't want to put on any gear?"