"Dick! You truly are a dedicated practitioner; you’re back at the training grounds again."

"Li Cong, even though you were the second place in the tournament, you still lost so badly? Getting beaten in the training grounds—how amusing!" Dick had become familiar with Li Cong after the annual martial battle. Li Cong, another scion of a viscount's family with considerable talent, had not looked down on Dick after the match but rather had grown closer to him.

"I'm not as inexperienced as you. I only train with those weaker than myself; I’ve hired a Level 2 Mage for my training."

"Li Cong, you’re impressive—able to afford a Level 2 Mage as a sparring partner. Such extravagance and indulgence!"

"Dick, enough. Are you trying to make me treat you again?"

"Brother Li Cong, you understand me well. It’s been ages since I had a magical feast. To celebrate your defeat, you’re indeed treating us."

Dick was unsure why Li Cong was so willing to befriend him, but as long as Li Cong’s intentions were pure, Dick did not mind having more friends. A magical feast was a great opportunity—equivalent to about 20% of the energy provided by a magical gold array (valued at roughly a thousand gold coins), which was still quite valuable and contributed to magical cultivation. Dick was more than willing to take advantage of such a bargain.

These magical feasts were expensive and even noble scions could not afford them frequently. Furthermore, excessive consumption could lead to the accumulation of magical impurities in one’s body. This principle applied broadly to magical cultivation resources.

"Hey! Beautiful ladies, Li Cong is treating us to a magical feast. Hurry, let’s not miss out!" Just then, Dick ran into Alina and Angel.

"Dick, you shameless scoundrel, using my money to curry favor."

The five of them gathered together, eating and drinking, which indeed fostered camaraderie. Although Angel remained cold, she was much improved compared to before.

Every group has its factions; Dick was no exception, and neither was Liu Tiesheng, the genius mage from a viscount’s family. Liu Tiesheng, with his noble background and exceptional magical talent, naturally had a wider social circle than Dick.

As luck would have it, Liu Tiesheng and his entourage were dining at the other side of the magical restaurant.

"Wait a minute, isn’t Liu Tiesheng already a Level 2 Mage? Why is he still associating with Level 1 Mages?" Dick asked curiously.

Alina looked bewildered, clearly unaware. Li Cong shook his head.

"Fatty!" Dick turned to Harvey, who was well-informed.

"Actually, I do know about this." As expected, Harvey was quite knowledgeable. Even the aloof Angel was intrigued.

"Liu Tiesheng’s magical talent is indeed impressive, but becoming a Level 2 Mage at just eleven years old—doesn’t that seem odd?"

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"Fatty, are you suggesting Liu Tiesheng might have overused potions?"

"Exactly! Liu Tiesheng was too eager to advance to Level 2 before the annual assessment, wanting to make a grand impression. It’s likely he overused magical crystals and magical gold, leading to some hidden risks that now require time to stabilize and purge. It’s said that, for at least a year or two, Liu Tiesheng won’t dare use any more cultivation resources…"

So that’s the reason. Why go through such trouble?

An unstable Level 2 Mage would inevitably face disdain from other mages of the same level. Liu Tiesheng’s attempt to integrate into the Level 2 Mage circle would be quite challenging.

"But even if Liu Tiesheng is young and impetuous, the viscount’s family must have some depth. Isn’t there anyone to guide or restrain him? Even the academy’s mentors should offer guidance," Li Cong mused, though he didn’t delve into details as Harvey did, being a scion of a viscount’s family himself.

Li Cong’s comment puzzled even Harvey, and the group fell silent, finding the situation indeed peculiar.

"What’s there to ponder?" Dick said nonchalantly.

"Really? This country bumpkin understands?" Alina, accustomed to calling Dick such names, didn’t offend Dick, who was fine with being called a bumpkin. After all, wasn’t being a bumpkin about lacking experience?

"It’s quite simple. Li Cong already mentioned it—either someone from Liu Tiesheng’s family is targeting him, or it’s the academy’s mentors… you know."

"Family?"

"Is it so strange? A viscount’s family is likely quite large. Not everyone would be thrilled about Liu Tiesheng’s rise. Aren’t there always factional struggles?"

Dick’s speculation was understandable to the young people present, despite their age.

"However, such internal family conflicts shouldn’t be too extreme. Liu Tiesheng is a direct descendant of the family and has the support of family elders. Thus, Liu Tiesheng’s overuse of potions will likely only delay his progress by a year or two. Whether this period of slow cultivation will break him depends on his own resilience."

Dick’s conjecture was reasonable, and the group continued eating and chatting.

"No wonder Liu Tiesheng was so quiet after the annual assessment battle; he must have been affected by the setbacks," Alina murmured.

"Experiencing setbacks isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Life is full of challenges, and tempering one’s character is equally important. If someone can’t endure such minor setbacks, what future do they have? Especially noble youths who have led a sheltered life. Even though commoners may progress more slowly, the truly elite mages or warriors are often fewer among the nobility."

Is that so? Ural, the only high-end warrior of the Great Yan Kingdom, is a commoner, and over half of the kingdom’s twenty or so Level 2 Mages are also commoners.

Of course, this also relates to the large base of commoner practitioners.

Dick’s words had a significant impact on the young people present. Even though Harvey was not of noble blood but came from a wealthy merchant family, he had been raised in privilege.

"Dick, are you trying to take advantage of the situation?" Li Cong looked at Dick with suspicion.

"Indeed, this bumpkin always despises nobles and seems to want to undermine our confidence," Alina said, tapping Dick on the head with her chopsticks.

"Ah! Why use magic to attack…" Dick found himself on the receiving end of an ice spell, his head encased in a layer of ice. Angel, aren’t you a cold beauty? Why the sudden aggression?

"Beat him!"

"Ah… Fatty, we’re not nobles, we’re on the same side."

"Yes, yes, brothers are the best. I’ll escort you back."

"You bastard, did you just kick me several times?"

…

Winning ten thousand gold coins had greatly alleviated Dick’s cultivation crisis and significantly reduced Uncle Taita’s psychological burden. As always, entering the Monster Mountain Range was highly dangerous, even when hunting Level 1 monsters.

In reality, Dick used resources very cautiously. Even though theoretically, using a cultivation magic array every half month was safe, Dick would use it at most once a month or even every two months. Firstly, Dick’s gold coins were limited and he was reluctant to spend them. Secondly, the high-intensity training and support from the jade pendant were even more effective than the academy’s magical arrays.

At least, using the jade pendant for training involved pain but avoided the risk of internal magical impurities. The Liu Tiesheng incident was a significant warning, not only to his noble friends but also to Dick himself.