A mage's journey begins with a battle mage.

Chapter 50 Possessing a Sharp Blade

Jiang Shuzhou's practice of the Silver Flame Meditation Method was very successful; the only drawback was that it was too successful.

Just like increasing magic power, every aspect of a mage's life is inseparable from the elements, much like a fish cannot live without water.

A large amount of elements are absorbed by the silver flames to be used as fuel, and with each element absorbed, the silver flames grow stronger.

This is the practice method of Silver Flame Meditation: Imagine the soul as a flame, use the soul to burn away the elements, burn away impurities and leave the essence, absorb and strengthen the soul.

The process is slow, and the amount of elements each person can burn each day depends on their talent.

Jiang Shuzhou cultivated for an entire night, yet he still did not feel his soul was satisfied, which meant that he truly possessed talent far beyond that of ordinary people.

This is the true value of having four talents! It wasn't that I chose the mage, but that the mage chose me!

Jiang Shuzhou was putting on an act now. The so-called genius is three parts destiny, seven parts hard work, and the remaining ninety parts talent.

Name: Navis Lebo

Class: Mage

Rank: First Rank

"Magic Power: 110/110"

"Soul: 10"

"Spirit: 11"

"Willpower: 11"

Strength: 8

Endurance: 8

Agility: 9

"Spells: Hand of the Mage, Spark, Water Condensation, Magical Tricks, Fireball, Language Proficiency, Appraisal, Mage Armor, Gale, Heal Minor Wounds, Freeze, Detect Faith, Detect Lies."

"Health Points: 190 (80+110)"

Spell Power: 110

One training session enhanced Jiang Shuzhou's mental and willpower attributes.

However, Jiang Shuzhou was not surprised by this, as the first cultivation session was always stronger than the others.

Stepping out of the room again, Jiang Shuzhou felt as if he had been in another world, as if a long time had passed.

"It hasn't been that long, has it?"

Looking at the time displayed on the system, which was only one night in, Jiang Shuzhou shook his head. This might be what the book called a time perception disorder.

This happens occasionally, mainly because practicing meditation for too long leads to a distorted sense of time.

After all, Jiang Shuzhou had been cultivating all night, but he only felt that a dozen minutes had passed, which was dozens of times less than the actual time that had passed.

The solution offered in the book is: just cultivate good habits.

There is no other solution unless you can resist practicing for only a short while each day.

Who could possibly tolerate this?

For monks, practicing meditation is like sleeping. You can practice less, practice later, or even skip it occasionally, but you can't skip it every day.

Even the laziest mage will set aside one day each week to practice meditation.

So, as I always say, practice more, and you'll get used to it.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

three days later.

"Is it 10 hours this time?"

Upon waking from meditation, Jiang Shuzhou opened the system to check the time. Sure enough, ten hours had passed since he began practicing meditation and woke up. Now he could roughly estimate how long he had been cultivating.

"That's so true to me!"

Seeing that the time was almost exactly as he had estimated, Jiang Shuzhou was excited. This meant that he could control his cultivation time on his own and would no longer have to worry about being late because of meditation.

In these three days, Jiang Shuzhou was late twice because he was practicing meditation. Fortunately, as a leader, he didn't need to personally take charge, so being a few hours late didn't matter. Otherwise, with this kind of work attitude, he would probably have been criticized long ago.

After leaving the Mage Guild, Jiang Shuzhou casually flagged down a carriage. He was heading to "Big Beard Blacksmith's Shop." The time had come, and Jiang Shuzhou's weapon should have been forged by now.

"Guest, I've been waiting for you for a long time. Take a look at the weapons Old Bick has forged!"

As always, old Bick is still as enthusiastic as ever.

Jiang Shuzhou picked up the Miao sword and dagger that had been forged in front of him. The weapons, which should have been available in ten days, were successfully forged six days ahead of schedule thanks to the power of money.

"This is the final payment."

After examining and observing carefully for a long time, Jiang Shuzhou had to admit that this dwarf was indeed quite capable; at least he hadn't wasted his money, and it was true that you get what you pay for.

"Given your esteemed status as a mage, I specially thickened the blade to make it easier for you to inscribe runes, and also..."

Even after receiving the final payment, Old Bick continued to ramble on about the weapon's power and his own ingenious craftsmanship.

"Excellent, very well done, truly a masterpiece!"

Without sparing any praise, since saying a few words didn't cost anything, Jiang Shuzhou casually dealt with Old Bick's boasting. At this moment, looking at the Miao knife in his hand, he couldn't suppress the urge to try it out.

The answer to how to achieve this lies within his profession.

As an arbitrator, it would be very easy for Jiang Shuzhou to decide what to cut.

Don't misunderstand, it's not like Japanese samurai randomly grabbing a commoner to test their swords on. That would be too beastly. Jiang Shuzhou doesn't consider himself to be that depraved.

As a civilized person, Jiang Shuzhou has his own methods.

Using his busy schedule as an excuse, Jiang Shuzhou left Big Beard's blacksmith shop directly, followed by Old Bick, who was still chattering away. That's the bad thing about dwarves; they often go on and on once they start talking. Jiang Shuzhou, who not only praised him but also listened for a while, was considered very polite. If it were any other mage, they would have left long ago.

Jiang Shuzhou flagged down a carriage and prepared to head to the dock area. Just yesterday, Hayes and his group had discovered some traces of believers.

However, it was too late at the time, and it wasn't a big deal. They were all just illegal immigrants and there were no clergy among them. Considering that his equipment hadn't been updated yet, Jiang Shuzhou temporarily put the matter aside.

Now that the equipment has been forged, it's time to eliminate any potential problems.

……

"My lord, please give the order!"

Hayes was thrilled when he heard that Jiang Shuzhou was finally preparing to take action; he was so eager to improve!

It's important to know that there are performance bonuses for completing these tasks each time. This money is dispensable for mages like Jiang Shuzhou, but it is extremely important for combatants like Hayes.

Whether it's supporting their families, purchasing more advanced breathing techniques, or buying various potions to aid cultivation, all of these require money. Their regular wages aren't enough. Compared to mages, these warriors' primary source of income isn't wages but performance bonuses.

"Look? You're in such a hurry."

"First, get a clear picture of the surrounding area. Have you figured out where these believers are hiding?"

Jiang Shuzhou could understand Hayes's urgency, but one only has one life. Although he still had a resurrection coin in his hand, it was best not to use something that could save one's life if possible. Besides, only he had the resurrection coin; Hayes and the others didn't have such good treatment. If they died, Jiang Shuzhou would have to write a report, which would be a waste of time.

"My lord, I was presumptuous."

Realizing he had overreacted, Hayes quickly apologized.

"It's alright. Your intention to eliminate potential threats to the alliance is good, but you're a bit anxious, which is understandable."

Jiang Shuzhou is not the kind of leader who wants to control everything. He is quite tolerant of his subordinates' words. He can't just punish someone for speaking in a slightly impatient way, can he?

Ultimately, he didn't plan to work at the arbitration bureau for the rest of his life. He would work for two months to earn some salary, and once he had the start-up capital, he would go into alchemy. Right now, he simply didn't have the time. The tasks of theoretical knowledge, practical combat, and cultivation were too heavy. There were less than ten days left until the competition, and he absolutely couldn't afford to lose sight of the bigger picture for the sake of a little money he might earn.

Upon hearing this, Hayes felt relieved. Based on his understanding of mages, it seemed they weren't going to pursue his rudeness. After all, asking someone to give orders had a coercive connotation, and if Jiang Shuzhou had investigated, it wouldn't have been impossible for him to be expelled.

Time passed slowly, and neither Jiang Shuzhou nor Hayes spoke. They were waiting for the results of the investigation.

Suddenly, a sound broke the silence.

"Sir, we've found it!"