On New Year's Day, Little John didn't come to class.
He had already given up on his studies at the Mage Tower to go back and inherit his family's estate.
The Golden Shield Clan had risen to prominence through its Knights, and its descendants possessed a unique Knight Talent.
From a young age, Reina had displayed an astonishing Knight Talent.
Unable to match his sister on the Path of the Knight, Little John had no choice but to find another way.
That was why he had chosen to study at the Mage Tower.
Unfortunately, he failed and had no choice but to return and inherit the Golden Shield Clan's Knightly legacy.
According to Gu Ze, Little John's talent for being a Mage was actually quite good.
Based on the cultivation progress of a typical Mage, he had a high chance of becoming an Official Mage in the future.
Li Wei's arrival completely extinguished any wishful thinking Little John had.
He saw a shadow of his sister in Li Wei.
Since he was going to be outclassed by sheer talent either way, he might as well choose a path better suited for him.
When class ended at noon, Li Wei saw Jimmy waiting outside.
Seeing him, Jimmy hurried over. "Mr. Li Wei, I've come to deliver last month's royalties."
He presented a money pouch with both hands. "Last month's royalties totaled 52,314 copper. Here are 5 Gold Coins and 24 Silver Coins. Please take them."
"Last month's heavy snows blocked the roads, so we couldn't deliver the individual copies of 'Dragon Knight' that various towns had ordered for the Winter Festival. That's why the payment is a little lower."
Li Wei accepted the pouch and nodded. "Thank you. I appreciate it."
Jimmy smiled. "You're welcome. It's my job."
After seeing him off from the Mage Tower, Li Wei headed toward the Treasure Basin Commerce Association.
He only had two sticks of Calming Incense left, and he had already used up all his Ice Crystal Stones.
Without Ice Crystal Stones, the rate at which his Mana increased would slow down significantly.
On his way to the Treasure Basin Commerce Association, Li Wei took stock of his funds.
In total, he had 7 Gold Coins, 54 Silver Coins, and 36 copper.
As his Spiritual Power grew, the duration of each Cultivation session also steadily increased.
Now, each Cultivation session lasted nearly three hours.
One stick of Calming Incense could be used twice at most.
Each month, his regular consumption of Calming Incense alone amounted to thirty sticks, which cost three Gold Coins.
As his power increased, the effects of the Calming Incense were also gradually diminishing.
Even without Calming Incense, Li Wei could enter a meditative state within three minutes.
Using it allowed him to enter a meditative state within one minute, so the difference wasn't that significant anymore.
The incense's effect on increasing the speed of his Mana growth had also dropped from a twenty or thirty percent boost to a mere ten percent.
However, Li Wei had heard that Official Mages kept Calming Incense burning in their rooms year-round.
This suggested that he wouldn't have to worry about the Calming Incense losing its effectiveness, at least not until he became an Official Mage.
After setting aside funds for his regular Calming Incense purchases, he had about four Gold Coins and fifty Silver Coins left to spend.
Inside the Treasure Basin Commerce Association, the owner himself came to greet him.
"Mage Li Wei, what else can I get for you?" the owner asked warmly.
Just a moment ago, Li Wei had bought thirty sticks of Calming Incense in one go.
It was a great first sale on New Year's Day, so the owner was naturally delighted.
Li Wei asked, "Do you have any more Ice Crystal Stones?"
The owner shook his head. "None left. Last month, all the Ice Crystal Stones were bought up by the Master Mages from the Mage Tower."
Li Wei was somewhat disappointed.
Seeing his expression, the owner quickly added, "We're out of Ice Crystal Stones, but we do have a batch of Wind Crystal Stones from last year's stock. Would you be interested, Mage Li Wei?"
"Bring them out, let me have a look," Li Wei said.
A moment later, the owner returned to the room carrying a box of Wind Crystal Stones.
Li Wei opened the box. Inside, ten pale cyan Wind Crystal Stones were arranged neatly.
The owner explained, "These Wind Crystal Stones are from the Stormy Sand Land. Storms are constant there, and a good number of Wind Crystal Stones and Wind Elemental Crystal Cores are produced every year."
"The Treasure Basin Commerce Association brought these back from the Stormy Sand Land last summer. The Wind Elemental Crystal Cores from the same batch were already bought by the Master Mages. All that's left are these lower-quality Wind Crystal Stones, which the Master Mages weren't interested in."
Li Wei picked up a Wind Crystal Stone, sensing it with his Spiritual Power.
He put the stone down and shook his head. "The quality of these Wind Crystal Stones is far inferior to the Ice Crystal Stones. They've also been sitting for too long; much of the Wind Element within them has already dissipated."
Seeing this, the owner steeled himself and said, "I'll take a loss on this batch—thirty Silver Coins a piece!"
He quickly explained, "Our cost to acquire these in the Stormy Sand Land was thirty-two Silver Coins a piece, and that doesn't even include travel expenses. We're truly selling them at a loss."
Hearing this, Li Wei considered for a moment, then nodded. He closed the box, pulled it toward him, and slapped three Gold Coins onto the table.
"I'll take them."
The owner broke into a smile. "Thank you for your business!"
Li Wei packed up his things and said, "If you get any more Elemental Crystal Stones in the future, please contact me."
The owner walked him to the door and nodded in agreement. "I will."
Back at the Mage Tower that evening, Li Wei took out the Wind Crystal Stones to cultivate his Mana.
Three hours later, his Cultivation session ended.
When he opened his eyes, the Wind Crystal Stone in his hand had shrunk by half.
'One Wind Crystal Stone is only good for two Cultivation sessions. If I use these ten sparingly, they should be enough for this month. I just don't know if I'll be able to find more suitable Elemental Crystal Stones next month.'
After absorbing the Wind Element from the Wind Crystal Stone, Li Wei's affinity for the Wind Element had slightly increased.
It wouldn't be long before he could absorb the free-roaming Wind Element in the air.
Wind, Fire, Water, and Earth were the four most fundamental Elements in the world.
If he could sense and absorb these four Elements, he wouldn't have to worry about being unable to recover his Mana due to environmental limitations, no matter where he went.
Li Wei was also trying to figure out how to gain the ability to perceive all four Elements.
For now, he still lacked the affinity for the Water Element and Earth Element.
He had already asked the Treasure Basin Commerce Association to keep an eye out for these two types of Elemental Crystal Stones, hoping to complete his set.
「Half a month passed quickly.」
Li Wei still hadn't heard from Reina.
Nor had he actively sought her out.
'After all, I've already learned the Invisibility Armor Spell.'
'If Reina let me watch a few more times, it would certainly be good to have a better cover. But if not, it doesn't really matter.'
'As long as no one knows I can cast it, I'll be fine.'
Conveniently, the Invisibility Armor Spell itself was inherently stealthy.
As long as Li Wei didn't say anything, no one would notice, even if he cast the spell.
Unless he was attacked.
But he spent all day inside the Mage Tower. How could he possibly be attacked?
WHOOSH!
A small Fireball shot toward a wooden dummy in the clearing.
BOOM!
The Fireball hit the wooden dummy, triggering a violent explosion.
Flames engulfed the wooden dummy.
A moment later, the wind blew the flames away, revealing the wooden dummy, completely unscathed, before Li Wei.
A Magic Radiance flickered over the wooden dummy's surface.
A layer of Invisible Armor covered the wooden dummy.
Seeing this, Li Wei hurried over to inspect the Invisible Armor.
After taking a hit from the Small Fireball Technique, the Invisible Armor was on the verge of collapsing, but it had still protected the wooden dummy perfectly.
He let out a sigh of relief and smiled.
'It can finally block an attack from the Small Fireball Technique!'
After half a month of diligent practice, the Defense Power of his Invisibility Armor Spell had increased significantly.
It had gone from shattering at the slightest touch to being able to completely withstand the force of a Small Fireball Technique.
He waved his hand, dispelling the Invisibility Armor Spell from the wooden dummy.
He looked at the ground, where the dirt had formed into words.