Chapter Eighty-Nine: Dreamscape

Watching Avril being carried away, Qi Xiao thought to himself but didn't dwell on it, simply waiting for his next opponent.

Though he had already roughly gauged the power of the Dragonflame Staff, since he was here, he might as well finish off the ten consecutive victories in one go. Next time, he’d likely have to compete in the advanced apprentice rounds.

The following scenes were rather brutal, causing the audience to avert their eyes. The general process was—countdown, teleportation, a wave of the staff, and it was over.

Even the final round of the ten victories was just as calm, as if the scene was simply replayed. Qi Xiao now had a better grasp of controlling his strength; each opponent was rendered unconscious without serious harm, recovering swiftly after treatment.

After accepting the reward for his ten consecutive wins, Qi Xiao returned to the island in high spirits. No sooner had he landed than he saw a familiar figure he hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Senior Raymond, it’s been a while. Senior Rupert, good day.”

Qi Xiao’s visit had been swift—less than an hour in total, most of it spent matching with opponents. It was still morning, yet upon his return, he encountered Raymond, whom he hadn’t seen for some time.

“Senior, you’re back from your training? Why do you look so down?”

Rupert, holding an unsheathed longsword, stood listlessly by his side, eyes dull. Only upon hearing Qi Xiao’s voice did he glance toward the lake.

“Oh… junior, I’m fine. Just let me be alone for a while.”

“He brought it on himself…”

Rupert found Raymond’s dejected state amusing. He was about to say more, but decided to spare him further embarrassment. Instead, he changed the subject, “No need to dwell on that. As for you, the teacher just told me to take you to the Deer Hind Forest when you’re ready. Handle your affairs quickly—you’ll be gone for about a month.”

“You don’t need to bring much, just daily necessities. You do know spatial magic, don’t you?”

What must come will come… Qi Xiao nodded in resignation, signaling his understanding.

Seeing someone else suffer seemed to lift Raymond’s spirits a little; he spoke with a hint of laughter, “The Deer Hind Forest? The teacher really trusts him. What if junior can’t restrain himself…”

Raymond hadn’t finished gloating when he seemed to receive a warning. He quickly shut his mouth, lowered his head, and said nothing more.

Judging by his demeanor, Qi Xiao guessed Raymond had nearly revealed some crucial detail about the training site and was warned by their teacher. But Qi Xiao didn’t mind—since the teacher meant him no harm, he would simply investigate once he arrived.

He turned to Rupert and said softly, “I’ll go prepare, then. See you tomorrow.”

Rupert nodded. “Go ahead. The Deer Hind Forest is on the Rosen Continent, nearly at the world’s edge, far from our own Terra Continent. A normal journey would take months, but I’ll take you there through the dream.”

Qi Xiao’s heart stirred with anticipation. Though he had encountered illusionary realms akin to dreams, he knew the two were fundamentally different.

Back in his room, Qi Xiao had little to pack—just a few books and scrolls, and some basic alchemical apparatus tucked away with spatial magic.

He didn’t bring much, for the space conjured by spatial magic was far less stable than a proper storage space. Creatures from the void might wander in by accident, and he’d have to abandon the space and create a new one—a considerable loss.

Qi Xiao believed he could craft some simple space-related alchemical items, but hadn’t yet tried since such materials were always scarce. When his abilities grew, he planned to buy some from his teacher. As the most renowned spatial mage in the world, Midiel surely lacked for nothing, considering he could even auction off a Plane Core.

His alchemy shop truly operated in fits and starts… Qi Xiao could only sigh. It had just opened, and now he would have to close it temporarily. Still, he had ample stock and two days to craft more—enough to last the month. He planned to hire two alchemy apprentices upon his return, so the shop wouldn’t be unattended in his absence.

…

In the alchemy laboratory, Qi Xiao had planned to test the Dragonflame Staff, but its fire was too wild; a mere instant nearly boiled the cauldron dry. Luckily, the furnace had emergency safety features, or the batch would have been ruined.

Left with no choice, he set the staff aside, controlling the fire himself with some difficulty. More than ever, he wanted to contract a fire elemental spirit.

But those his teacher kept were too pampered—never having suffered hunger, they scoffed at his offerings. Even with culinary magic, after all this time, they merely greeted him when they saw him; forming a contract was still a distant dream.

“I need to find some wild ones—elemental spirits who never know where their next meal is coming from… With my cooking skills, they’ll be putty in my hands.”

Qi Xiao plotted mischievously to entice wild elemental spirits. Their bodies differed from humans, but that only made preparing suitable food easier—just human recipes infused with magic and the appropriate elements.

Two days later, the last batch was done. He bottled and sealed the potions with practiced hands, entrusted several crates to Butler Merck, changed clothes, and returned to the island.

The rosy glow in the sky had returned. Rupert stood silently by the lakeshore, the black-and-red dusk draping over him. The light on the lake turned the twilight strangely dim, casting faint colors upon Rupert’s face. In the seven-hued brilliance, Qi Xiao could just make out his profile: sharp-lined and stern, his unsmiling expression cold and his eyes bright as stars, handsome and noble—like a statue carved by the gods.

Qi Xiao’s breath caught, as if afraid his breathing would disturb this divine scene. But Rupert quickly noticed him, his expression softening to its usual warmth. His brows and eyes curved gently as he said in a kind voice, “Shall we go, junior?”

Qi Xiao, as if waking from a dream, wiped a cold sweat from his brow and nodded, “Yes, I’ll follow your arrangements, senior.”

Rupert smiled, placing his hand on Qi Xiao’s shoulder. Drowsiness swept over him.

He didn’t know how much time passed before he opened his eyes again, but he was no longer by the tranquil, mysterious lakeside at dusk.

His vision was suffused with gentle pink light, as if he were submerged within a dreamlike bubble.

Looking up, he saw a sky of pale pink, with neither sun, moon, nor stars, yet it shone with a soft radiance that illuminated the entire dream world.

In this realm called “Dream,” islands floated like clouds. Each was unique in shape and size, their surfaces covered in soft, varicolored vegetation. Though there was no wind, they swayed gently in the air.