Chapter 71: Chapter 71

She was a bit nervous—after all, even drawing an identical pattern would take practice, let alone carving it with mysterious magic.

But when she picked up the wand wood and channeled her magic, it went incredibly smoothly. All she had to do was picture the leaf, and it formed on its own.

It didn’t feel quite real to Mu Ying. Even druid spells had their own logic and principles, but carving a personal sigil was all about following your heart.

As if you just had to think of your sigil and channel your magic.

The three of them were nervous for a long time, worried that making a wand could really be this simple.

They all breathed a sigh of relief. Next up was the flying broom.

Their broom grass had all matured two days ago.

When it matured, all the leaves fell off, leaving just the stems.

Besides the main stem, which was about as thick as a wrist and two meters long, the fine, dense branches became incredibly tough—just the right balance of firm and flexible.

To make a flying broom, you first had to craft a proper broom—the kind you could actually sweep with.

Under Melani’s guidance, they separated the main stem and branches.

When broom grass matures, the main stem secretes a thin layer of oil. Once it dries, it’s as smooth as if it’s been polished—perfect for a broom handle.

Then, you just smooth out the fine branches and tie them onto the handle.

“All right, that’s it for today’s lesson. After class, take your broom into the woods and sweep up ten baskets of fallen leaves. Then you can carve your personal sigil anywhere on the handle.

But if you want to try flying early, make sure you have a senior witch watching you—or fly over the lake.”

This free-range teaching style for witches was hard to get used to. Did no one really fall to their death every year?"

"After class, without even stopping for lunch, Muying and her friends grabbed their newly made brooms and dashed toward the back mountain like fledgling swallows returning to their nest.

There, the ground was thickly carpeted with fallen leaves.

What they thought would be an easy task turned out to have its own challenges.

With just a few sweeps, Lilian’s broom was the first to lose a twig—and then it completely fell apart.

Windsor’s broom followed suit.

Muying’s held up a bit better—she’d tied it extra tight, so it didn’t fall apart, but the whole thing shrank upward, leaving the broomstick poking awkwardly at the ground.

The three girls looked at each other in embarrassment, then burst out laughing.

“Good thing we held back and didn’t try flying right away—these brooms would’ve fallen apart the moment we took off!”

“We need to borrow a broom and see how they’re actually supposed to be tied together.”

“Or maybe we should just ask the upperclassmen for help. I can’t wait to fly!”

Right on cue, Senior Margarita’s boisterous laughter rang out overhead.

“Haha, fell apart, didn’t they!”

Muying and the others looked up—and saw the seniors all riding their brooms! So jealous.

“Tone it down, will you? We weren’t any better when we started,” Senior Leni cut in.

Senior Rosie landed and took the basket off her broom. “Let’s eat first, then we’ll show you how to tie a proper broom.”

Lilian glanced at Senior Margarita, then at Senior Rosie, and decisively abandoned her own mentor—other people’s mentors really are the best.

Muying and her friends wolfed down their food, while Senior Lucia whipped up a gust of wind to blow their broken brooms aside.

After lunch, under the gentle guidance of Seniors Rosie and Leni—and the merciless teasing of Senior Margarita—they finally managed to make brooms that passed muster.

They swept up ten baskets of leaves, and the brooms were still sturdy.

Once they’d calmed down, they carved their own magical runes into the broom handles. Holding their very first flying brooms, they were all a little emotional.

“Every broom has its own personality. Before you start flying, say hello to yours!” Senior Rosie said.

Muying could really feel it—the broom seemed even more spirited than her wand.

The broom in her hand looked pretty ordinary, but she could sense a kindred connection, as if they shared the same origin.

She stroked the broom handle lovingly, and it seemed to sense her mood, nuzzling against her palm.

“All right, let’s try our first flight!”

Seniors Rosie and Leni took charge of teaching, while the ever-troublesome Senior Margarita was firmly kept in check by Senior Lucia.

“First, send the command to your broom to take off—have it hover at a comfortable height.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Lilian’s broom shot up into the air, as eager as its owner.

Windsor’s broom, much like its owner, was calm and steady, hovering quietly by her side.

Muying’s broom was a bit clingy—it nuzzled her calf before settling in place.

They all swung a leg over, and an invisible cushion supported them as they sat.

“Think of your broom as an extension of your body. With it, flying will become as instinctive as using magic. For now, try flying in a straight line at low altitude—don’t go too fast…”

They followed the seniors, keeping a neat formation as they floated about two meters above the ground, flying slowly…

But that didn’t last long. Once they got the hang of it, Lilian quickly grew bored with the slow pace. As soon as they were allowed to practice freely, she couldn’t help but go faster and faster, pulling off all sorts of wild maneuvers—her excited screams echoed throughout the school.

Margarita soon joined in, racing her broom alongside Lilian.

Windsor was more cautious—she didn’t dare go fast at all, and whenever she tried, her broom seemed to “cry” right along with her.

Muying often felt like she was the most normal person at the school. She practiced in an orderly way, going from slow to fast, low to high, and only after that did she let her broom hover over the lake to enjoy the breeze and the beautiful view.

Thinking of the seniors who had been watching over them, Muying suddenly flew over to Senior Rosie.

“Senior, now that I have a wand, I want to practice cooking magic. Could you teach me? I want to make something delicious for everyone tonight!”

Cooking magic was a kind of everyday magic. There was a basic version in the Book of Witches, but it only taught you how to turn flour into edible bread.

Rosie was surprised that Muying had already gotten over the excitement of her first flight, but she agreed.

Cooking magic was essentially turning the cooking process in your mind into reality through magic.

The process required a witch’s imagination and determination.