A Mage in the Martial Arts World - Chapter 005

Time passed minute by minute. Before long, five minutes had gone by, and sweat began to form on his forehead.

After eating and taking a short rest earlier, much of his fatigue had faded, and his mana had recovered a little. Even so, maintaining his current state was still quite taxing.

He didn’t stop. Instead, he continued to channel his mana—pushing it harder, making it spin faster.

After about two minutes, something finally changed. Something faint began to gather in his palm.

It was hard to see with the naked eye, but he could feel it.

As time went on, more and more of it condensed in his palm, its presence growing stronger—like rippling water glimmering faintly with light. It was vitality, the most essential energy of the Barbarian Continent.

Using mana to attract and gather energy from heaven and earth was one of the most basic skills a mage should master, and it was supposed to be easy. But since he had only just become a mage, it was still difficult for him.

“Hah…” Li Wei exhaled softly in relief, but he didn’t relax. He knew this was only the beginning—there were still many steps left to go.

After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the vitality he had gathered was roughly the size of an egg. Estimating that it was enough, he began to slow the flow of his mana.

As the mana circle’s rotation slowed, its pull on the vitality weakened. Soon, no more vitality gathered—and the mass he’d already formed began to scatter.

Li Wei didn’t panic. He had expected this and was ready.

Under his control, his mana spread out like a thin gauze, wrapping around the mass of vitality and keeping it from dispersing.

He nodded. Another hurdle cleared.

Without stopping, he moved on to the next step. He let his mana seep into the vitality and blend with it.

To his surprise, it was easier than he’d imagined—like sugar dissolving in water. The fusion went smoothly, and the vitality didn’t resist his mana at all; it even felt welcoming.

Once the two had fully merged, Li Wei could feel a clear connection. He could manipulate the vitality freely, as if kneading a ball of clay.

At that point, he finally allowed himself to relax a little.

After a short rest, he pulled off a portion of the vitality and wrapped it around the small balls made from bun skins, guiding it to seep inside them.

It went smoothly—like water soaking into soil—merging quickly with the small balls. As this happened, the balls began to change.

“Crystal soup dumplings” were only called that because their skins were slightly translucent, not truly transparent. But after Li Wei had reworked the dough, the skin’s clarity had decreased even further.

Now, as the fused vitality and mana permeated them, their transparency increased rapidly. Though not yet at the level of true high-grade crystals, they were close.

A strange fragrance began to waft from them—a scent Li Wei, and even the body’s original owner, had never smelled before. It carried a mysterious, potent energy.

Though he’d just eaten his fill, he still felt a strong urge to pop one into his mouth.

Before long, he realized the aroma wasn’t just tempting to him.

Tiny insects began to crackle against the paper-covered window, and the crickets in their jars stirred restlessly—even those that were nearly dead.

Li Wei smiled in satisfaction and used his mana to form a barrier around the small balls, containing the scent.

When the balls could no longer absorb more vitality and mana, he stopped.

By then, they were almost completely transparent, gleaming faintly like gemstones.

He reached for a cricket jar, peering through the small hole in the lid. Inside was a nearly dead cricket.

Pinching one of the small balls between his fingers, he noted its strange elasticity—like animal tendon.

He dropped it through the hole, and it landed on the damp soil at the bottom.

What happened next astonished him.

The dying cricket suddenly sprang up and lunged at the ball. It moved faster and more fiercely than even healthy ones, biting frantically as if starving.

In an instant, the ball was gone. Then the cricket began to leap and slam against the jar walls with frantic energy, making sharp, rapid sounds.

Li Wei frowned slightly, disappointed. He thought he’d failed.

Even on the Barbarian Continent, where crickets were tougher, such impacts would injure them—and after so many hits, it would surely die or become useless.

But then—Bang!

With one powerful strike, the clay pot jumped two inches off the table.

The cricket fell back inside. It hadn’t escaped, but now he could see it clearly.

Its body was uninjured. Instead, its carapace gleamed faintly, reflecting light like metal.

Li Wei’s eyes lit up. Could it be that after eating the ball infused with vitality and mana, it had transformed?

Just as he thought that, the lid was pushed up again—this time almost half a foot high—before falling to the ground and shattering. But Li Wei didn’t even glance at it. His eyes stayed fixed on the creature perched on the jar’s rim.

The cricket that had been near death minutes ago now looked completely revitalized. Its body shone like dark iron, its teeth glinted cyan, and he could feel its power and sharpness.

Anyone who knew crickets would immediately try to claim it. Even a novice could tell—it was exceptional.

Li Wei’s eyes gleamed with surprise. He hadn’t expected one experiment to bring such dramatic change.

With the memories of the body’s original owner, he was no longer ignorant about crickets. Judging by his knowledge, even the general’s prized cricket wouldn’t stand a chance against this one.

It seemed his idea had worked. Li Wei felt a wave of relief.

If the other vitality-infused bun balls had the same effect, then at tomorrow’s God of Fighting Conference, his chances of victory would be nearly certain.

For now, though, he had a new problem—how to catch the cricket without hurting it.

He used to be skilled in martial arts, but after not practicing for a day, his reflexes and speed had dulled.

The cricket suddenly chirped—a clear, ringing sound that was powerful yet refined, meeting every standard of a top-tier fighting cricket. Li Wei couldn’t help but want to keep it for himself.

After listening for a while, he smiled. He could hear emotion in its cry—it was trying to please him.

The original owner wouldn’t have sensed this, but Li Wei understood: his mana had formed a subtle bond between them.

Testing his intuition, he smiled and said softly, “Jump into my palm, and I’ll give you something tasty.”

Before he even finished, the cricket leapt up—a streak of black—and landed neatly in his hand.

Its eyes looked at him, its long antennae twitching in excitement. He could clearly feel its affection and trust.

“Good little one,” Li Wei said with a grin. He wanted to reward it but hesitated.

Was it safe? What if it broke from overeating? Yet he couldn’t ignore it either—it was his champion for tomorrow’s God of War Conference.

After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Little one, can you still eat? I’m not worried about the food—I just don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

Anyone watching him would’ve laughed, but he saw nothing strange about it.

Through the bridge of mana, he could sense its responses clearly. It was no longer an ordinary cricket. He could even tell—it understood him.

When he asked, it chirped and nodded, as if to say it could still eat.

Li Wei chuckled, delighted by the smooth communication. “Really now? You’re sure?”

After getting another affirmative response, he guided a small bun ball toward it with his mana.

Before it even landed, the cricket leapt up, snatched it, and devoured it greedily. By the time it settled back in his palm, most of it was already gone.

Li Wei laughed. “Greedy little thing.”

He extended his thumb and gently stroked its head.

The cricket rubbed its head against his finger, radiating warmth and devotion—like a child showing affection to a parent.

It made Li Wei’s heart soften.