What a pair of geniuses

"Ryan, can you cast Fireball instantly now?" Before Ryan even stepped into the cave, Alice rushed over like a gust of wind, clinging to his arm with a sense of urgency, her face painted with concern.

"No, no," Ryan was a bit confused by Alice's reaction, but he answered honestly.

Alice didn't let go of his arm, and her face turned red as she continued, "I saw it in the bath bucket! Don't deny it!"

"Oh, that wasn't instant casting, it's just silent casting. Originally it would take two seconds to chant, but now I can do it silently in just half a second, so it looks like instant casting." Ryan glanced at Alice's flushed cheeks, feeling a mischievous urge to bite them. He decided to turn away and explain as he walked, setting down the things in his hands.

"Silent casting? That's incredible! Even our tutors can't do that!" Alice replied, now in awe, her previous worry completely gone.

Ryan now realized that Alice had a faint magical presence about her, though it was very weak. He hadn't expected her to have a mentor, and he decided to ask her about it. However, before he could speak, Niu Niu, the little creature on Ryan's shoulder, spoke up, "Your tutor is in his thirties and still only level three? How embarrassing."

"A magical pet? Ryan, you already have a magical pet? It's so beautiful!" Alice looked up and finally noticed Niu Niu on Ryan's shoulder. After a moment of surprise, her eyes sparkled with the typical expression of a girl seeing something beautiful, and she almost reached out to pet Niu Niu.

Ryan's mind raced, and with a sly smile, he replied, "A few months ago, I met a book seller when I came down from the mountain. I spent a silver coin and bought Niu Niu, along with two magic books. One of the books contained several scrolls, including a Wisdom Enlightenment Scroll, a Contract Scroll, and a level two Fire Magic Scroll—Fireball. I didn't know what it was at the time, but I accidentally opened the Wisdom Enlightenment Scroll, and that's how I learned to read. Later, I used the Contract Scroll to hatch Niu Niu, and surprisingly, she turned out to be a mutated Grass Sprite. But the Contract Scroll was a Soul Contract Scroll, and to this day, the Fireball Scroll is still somewhere around here."

"A mutated magical pet? A Grass Sprite? A Soul Contract?" Alice's mouth opened and closed in astonishment. Mutated magical pets were extremely rare, and Grass Sprites were considered the weakest among magical creatures. Signing a Soul Contract with a Grass Sprite was almost laughable. Grass Sprites were typically owned by apprentice mages to help with small tasks, or by alchemists since their intelligence was on par with mid-tier magical beasts. They could be useful for simple magical experiments and could keep secrets, but they were typically bound by a master-servant contract, not a Soul Contract. But seeing Niu Niu's appearance, Alice was intrigued.

"Don't underestimate Niu Niu! She's the best! You should see the thing outside—that's Niu Niu's lackey. Niu Niu has an amazing memory, and she's my little housekeeper!" Ryan felt a sharp pain in his shoulder as Niu Niu nipped at him, so he immediately started flattering her. After spending so much time with Niu Niu, Ryan knew her well. He never truly considered her a pet.

Seeing Ryan's sincere expression, Alice let go of his arm and, still curious, walked outside. She couldn't help but wonder, "A magical pet with a lackey? Could it be some kind of small creature?"

Ryan didn't pay much attention to Alice and just smiled to himself. He entered the cave and saw Darlis washing dishes. As he watched her curvaceous figure illuminated by candlelight, Ryan couldn't help but swallow nervously, thinking to himself, "No wonder those guys rush to the tavern when they have money. With a beauty like that inside, who wouldn't want to come?"

"No need to trouble yourself. We've prepared these things for you," Ryan said, placing the large bundle he carried down. He was puzzled—how had Niu Niu managed to purchase such a large package? But Ryan didn't plan to ask; after spending so much time with Niu Niu, he understood her personality—she acted like a little girl, but pretended to be mature, which always amused Ryan.

"Ah!" Just as Ryan placed the bundle down, a figure flashed, and someone jumped into his arms with a surprised cry. He looked down and realized it was Alice, whose body was trembling. He'd thought she would scream, but instead, she came running back, calling to him.

"So, how is it? Niu Niu's lackey is quite impressive, isn't it?" Ryan teased Alice, not intending to show off, but figuring the two women would find out soon enough, so why not tell them now?

"Mm." Alice now looked at Niu Niu with the same fascination as if seeing a rare treasure. Niu Niu had surpassed all the magical knowledge Alice had learned in four years. Alice not only studied the theory behind low-level magic but also every aspect of magic, including magical beasts, which were crucial. Most mages had a magical pet, a companion for battle and life. In the world of magical beasts, there was a strict hierarchy. How could a high-level magical beast be a lackey to a low-level one? This idea completely overturned Alice's understanding, leaving her even more intrigued by Niu Niu.

"I'll go feed Little Qing," Niu Niu, feeling uneasy under Alice's gaze, quickly darted away.

Alice and Darlis exchanged a glance, with Darlis's eyes filled with curiosity. Alice didn't respond, simply following Niu Niu quietly. Darlis glanced at Ryan, who shrugged and then returned to his task of familiarizing himself with and continuing to etch the magic circle. This was something he needed to practice every day; Ryan knew that if you neglect something, laziness sets in, and now that Alice and Darlis were following Niu Niu, there would be no distractions.

Ryan practiced the magic circle for about two hours. Next, it was time to focus on magic. Ryan set down the luminous stone in his hand and stepped outside, heading to the spot where he often practiced Fireball. On the way there, he didn't see Niu Niu or the two women, nor the magic wolf that exuded intense magical energy. Ryan wasn't concerned.

"Boom!""Boom!"...

One Fireball after another slammed into the hard stone walls, each making a dull thudding sound. Ryan remained focused, casting his magic and fully immersing himself in the process of channeling his magic power into a spell. He realized something very interesting: while his magic power served as a catalyst to guide and trigger the spell, the true power of the magic came from the abundant magical elements in the surroundings. Ryan could feel that whenever his magic power surged out, the fire magic elements around him immediately responded, just like celebrities attracting attention when they step out. Ryan keenly observed the magical transformation process, feeling the synergy between his magic and the surrounding elements.

Meanwhile, Alice and Darlis had effortlessly caught up with Niu Niu. Both of them were flattering Niu Niu in subtle ways. Before long, the magic wolf was subdued under their hands, much to Alice's excitement. However, when she saw Ryan practicing his magic, she felt compelled to meditate as well and strive to reach the level of a magician. Watching Ryan continuously cast Fireballs, Alice felt his magic casting speed surpassed even her mentor's. Her gaze grew increasingly dazed as she observed Ryan casting spell after spell. After an hour of relentless casting, Alice began to feel Ryan's body growing more imposing. He was no longer a humble slave, but rather a magician more powerful than her own mentor. Alice had only seen her mentor cast spells once, but she thought her mentor had not yet cast as many spells as Ryan had. In magical duels, a second, or even half a second, could decide life or death.

Darlis, on the other hand, didn't understand these complexities but was simply enchanted by the soft fur of the giant wolf. She was busy befriending Niu Niu, who seemed to be living a carefree life. However, when Darlis saw Ryan, Niu Niu had to admit that Ryan's talent and bravery were impressive. After all, mastering all elements was something only powerful beings from the highest planes could achieve, and Ryan had only taken one bold step to possess such power. Niu Niu thought this was a good thing and, seeing that Ryan didn't act arrogantly but continued to practice the Fireball spell he had already mastered, she began to see him as similar to her father—someone who always kept cultivation close to their heart.

Ryan was absorbed in his world, thinking of magic as the water flowing through pipes, his spirit as electricity, and the incantation as the motor that powered the magic. He believed that as long as he coordinated everything well, he could achieve instant Fireball casting. However, after several trials, Ryan found that there was always a slight pause after the incantation. He was trying to figure out the cause of this delay. If he could eliminate it, the power of his magic would increase exponentially. For example, if someone could cast a spell in three seconds, he could cast ten spells in the same time. In terms of warfare, firepower was key. Ryan could not change the range of the spells, but he could increase the density—the number of spells released within the same period of time. Even if he was only a level 3 magician, he could still win.

Ryan continued to analyze the relationship between his magic power, spiritual power, and incantations. As he focused more, he realized that the key was coordination. If he could synchronize these three elements into one, the magic would be seamless. With this in mind, Ryan concentrated and repeatedly cast the Fireball spell, adjusting his focus.

The magic power was guided out by the incantation, again and again. Suddenly, Ryan had a flash of insight: since the incantation was necessary to trigger the magic, the delay was unavoidable. But what if he used his spiritual power to trigger it directly?

Ryan decided to try this new approach. As soon as his spiritual power made contact with the magic, the power surged out uncontrollably. Ryan quickly realized that the key to instant casting was spiritual power. Most level 1 magicians lacked sufficient spiritual energy, but Ryan's soul was that of an adult, and his spiritual power was already very strong. The moment his spiritual power connected with the magic, it flowed out like a faucet. This allowed Ryan to rapidly form Fireballs one after another, shooting them towards the stone wall at high speed. From a distance, it looked as though he was creating a line of pearls.

Ryan opened his eyes, thrilled by the results. The Fireballs kept coming one after another, and he was ecstatic to finally understand that the key to being a magician lay in balancing magical power and spiritual energy. Both were essential. He was overjoyed, thinking to himself, "This is like a rapid-fire gun!"

Alice, who had been watching from a distance, was stunned. "Is this... the Chain Fireball spell?" she gasped. The Chain Fireball was a level 4 magic, but soon Alice realized that the Fireballs Ryan was casting were smaller than normal. The power couldn't be that great, and the Fireballs didn't cause the stone wall to collapse as the Chain Fireball would. Still, seeing Ryan's rapid spell casting, Alice couldn't help but think, "What a pair of geniuses."