Flames surged.
The fire in Chen Yu's palm completely overturned the understanding of Sona and the demon girl Barbara.
After all, neither of them were novices in the underground world. They had once held positions that commanded attention, earning reverence and affection.
Their knowledge of the underground world surpassed that of ninety-nine point nine nine nine percent of its inhabitants.
However—
At this moment, both of them were stunned.
The incantation had been altered.
Yet, the fire spell had been cast.
"How can this be?" the demon girl couldn't help but exclaim, staring at the blazing inferno before her with utter disbelief.
She wasn't mistaken; the flames released by Chen Yu were far beyond the scale of a basic spell.
Furthermore, Chen Yu had not recited any magical incantation.
"How did you do it?" The demon girl frowned, then a look of understanding dawned on her face. "I see now. Did you perhaps recite the incantation silently in your mind, and deliberately shout something else to fool us?"
"Huh?!"
Chen Yu was slightly taken aback.
"Do you think I would do something so pointless?"
"Others might not, but you certainly might," the demon girl scoffed, crossing her arms. "With your kind of peculiar taste for mischief, I wouldn't be surprised by anything you do."
Little did she know, the demon girl had forgotten a crucial point.
Instantaneous spellcasting.
That was a skill mastered only by advanced mages. Even if Chen Yu had recited the incantation silently, for a beginner who had been learning magic for less than half an hour, this was still incredibly unfathomable.
But—
The demon girl wasn't focused on this at the moment. What mattered to her was how Chen Yu could alter the magical incantation.
"I'm truly sorry to disappoint you, but I really didn't do that." Chen Yu shrugged helplessly. Noticing Chen Yu's expression, the demon girl suddenly lost some of her previous confidence.
She had a feeling Chen Yu wasn't lying.
That shouldn't be possible.
Reciting incantations to cast spells, to build a bridge between the caster and the elements, was an unchangeable truth that had persisted for tens of thousands of years in the underground world.
Even Archmages couldn't alter it at will.
At most, they could shorten a few words.
But Chen Yu had completely changed the incantation.
"Can this really be done?" The demon girl, her heart filled with doubt, gently extinguished the flame in her palm. Then, mimicking Chen Yu, she let out a soft cry, "Fire, come."
There was no effect.
Not only did no flame condense in her palm, but she couldn't even sense the presence of fire elements.
"Fire, come!"
The demon girl, refusing to believe, tried again, imitating Chen Yu's tone.
Alas, there was still no effect.
"This is too unbelievable, isn't it?" Looking at her palm, the demon girl looked up at Sona in the distance as if questioning her entire life.
At that moment, Sona was also quietly opening her palm.
Her rosy lips moved slightly.
"Fire, come."
"Fire, come."
"Fire, come!"
No matter how she murmured, she couldn't conjure flames. Instead, when she tried to mentally recite the incantation, flames instantly ignited in her palm.
"How strange."
Sona, her face filled with confusion, also couldn't help but furrow her brow and whisper.
She had immersed herself in the magical arts for many years and knew many Saint-level mages, yet none of them, like Chen Yu, could conjure flames with just two words.
And with such great power.
"Well, are there any problems?" Chen Yu, with flames condensed in his palm, raised an eyebrow slightly.
Strangely enough, he felt no trace of heat from the flames burning in his palm. Even while burning on his palm, it felt only normally warm.
Without any discomfort.
"This is truly interesting."
Chen Yu couldn't help but whisper to himself.
These elements seemed to recognize him. It was as if they had formed a team, and like teammates in a game who wouldn't friendly fire, they could unleash powerful energy impacts on others.
Chen Yu, the novice in magic, was still marveling at the mystique of the flames.
Unbeknownst to him, the demon girl and Sona, both learned and knowledgeable of ancient and modern lore, were left speechless.
The incantation had indeed been altered.
It was just that the altered incantation seemed to be usable only by Chen Yu.
"Chen Yu, how exactly did you do it?" the demon girl asked, her face blank with confusion. "Why can't I conjure flames when I say your incantation? Forget conjuring flames, I can't even sense fire elements."
"Then I wouldn't know."
Chen Yu spread his hands.
He was still a beginner in magic and didn't understand the intricacies very well. Asking him for an explanation wouldn't just be asking too much; it would be a complete waste of time.
"You can cast magic without needing a magical incantation," the demon girl exclaimed, unable to contain her surprise. "And your flames..."
"Fireball spell."
Chen Yu deliberately emphasized it again.
"I see it," Sona nodded slightly.
She had arrived too suddenly. Fearing for Chen Yu's safety upon seeing the flames in his palm, she had rushed forward to sever the elemental connection.
Only when she could get close enough to witness it with her own eyes did she realize.
It seemed the flames before her were indeed the color of a fireball spell.
"This is actually a fireball spell," the demon girl gasped. "If it were a Great Fireball, the flame color should be deeper."
A basic spell.
Yet, its effect and appearance were akin to an intermediate spell.
Incredible!
"Chen Yu, who exactly are you?" the demon girl couldn't help but exclaim. Chen Yu smiled wryly at her question, "You should know very well who I am. A survivor from the outside world, the Di Kui region. We've known each other since my first day in the underground world, haven't we?"
"Then how could you..."
Just as the demon girl was about to press him, Sona placed her jade hand on Chen Yu's shoulder.
"It seems Chen Yu is a born mage," Sona said with a smile in her eyes. "To be able to cast spells instantaneously as a beginner, and without needing an incantation, or even the latter, the former alone is enough for many people to spend their entire lives striving for."
"A genius?"
The demon girl instinctively wanted to scoff, but thinking of Chen Yu's actions, she found herself unable to utter the mocking words.
"Huh?!" Chen Yu's eyes were filled with disbelief. "I, a magic genius, really? I have talent in this area?"
"A basic fireball spell, able to produce the effects of an intermediate spell."
Sona crossed her arms, shaking her head and sighing, "Casting magic without the traditional incantations, any one of these points is enough to prove your mastery in magic. In the future, if you are willing to invest your energy in the path of magic, becoming an Archmage should not be difficult."
Gulp.
Although he didn't fully understand, it felt like it was incredibly impressive, and most importantly, the person being praised was Chen Yu himself.
Chen Yu tilted his head slightly, a smile on his face.
I, Chen Yu, a magic genius!