Chapter 106: Missed Opportunities

The third watch arrived as promised—recommendations welcome!

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At the Qingyun Academy, there were thirty-five branch colleges, totaling one hundred seventy-five students. Along with the teachers and a handful of branch directors, they formed a group of over two hundred people. Amid cheers from commoners and officials lining the streets both inside and outside the city, the procession grandly departed from Qingxue City.

At the very front were eight six-star demon wolves with fierce appearances, lightly pulling a luxurious carriage that sped forward like the wind. Behind them followed over two hundred great horned deer, far faster than horses, racing at astonishing speeds toward the border of the Scarlet Alliance.

“Is it really necessary to rush so much?” Xu Wenxin asked.

Gripping the reins tied around the neck of his great horned deer, half his body leaned forward on the beast. Though he managed to keep pace with the group, many mages—especially the young women—were breathing heavily, their faces pale, clearly strained by the pace. Were it not for the dozens of teachers at the rear keeping order, many would have surely fallen behind.

No one dared to voice objections, because seated in the luxurious carriage at the front were several branch directors. Leading them was Director Notting, one of the Empire of Qingyun’s esteemed magicians.

Young in spirit, none wished to lose face behind Director Notting. Even after enduring such hardship, they gritted their teeth and persevered silently.

Nonetheless, nearly half the group looked ill along the way—some vomiting and retching—but with the teachers’ assistance, they barely recovered and continued to follow the convoy.

This grueling pace lasted until dusk, when the convoy finally stopped to rest. Only then did most people catch their breath, gasping deeply as they tried to recover.

“...May I lean on your shoulder for a moment?” Xu Wenxin said as he found a large tree to half-sit against. A fragrant breeze wafted over, and his shoulder slightly sank under the weight of a pale-faced Erin.

He raised a brow slightly before relaxing again.

The great horned deer had been galloping at roughly eighty kilometers per hour for most of the day. Even a magic swordswoman like Erin was exhausted to this degree—it was clear how intense the daytime travel had been.

“Here, take this,” Xu Wenxin said, reaching into his treasure belt to pull out a small pill from a porcelain bottle, offering it to Erin without hesitation.

“What is it?” Erin asked weakly, rubbing her cramped, numb calf as she frowned at him. The other four from her branch were all senior brothers—strangers to her—but they seemed quite interested in her. She had fled to Xu Wenxin’s side, desperate for refuge.

“It promotes blood circulation and refreshes the mind, reduces fatigue. You’ll feel better after taking it.”

“No wonder you don’t seem tired at all. I was wondering how your constitution could be better than mine.” Erin said as she casually pinched the pill from his palm and popped it into her mouth.

Though unfamiliar with alchemy, Erin trusted Xu Wenxin, who was half a year her junior—perhaps due to the mysterious bond they'd formed five days earlier.

Xu Wenxin smiled faintly.

Constitution?

He was just a typical mage in terms of innate physique, but he had outwitted the journey’s hardships a bit by padding himself with the soft fur of magical beasts beneath him.

Though the ride was rough, the cushioning made it far more bearable, much easier than for others.

After discreetly sharing this trick with Erin, her eyes brightened.

“Clever! Do you happen to have more of that fur...?”

“Shh!”

The young men and women whispered conspiratorially by the tree, innocent in their intentions. Yet to onlookers, the scene resembled a pair of lovebirds.

Especially the four magic swordswoman trainees from her branch, whose gazes pierced Xu Wenxin like sharp nails, jealousy burning as if they wished to replace him.

“Who is that guy? Never seen him before. When did Erin get involved with him?”

“Maybe they knew each other before entering the academy. I heard they traveled all the way to Qingxue City together,” two magic swordsmen casually chatted as they tended the campfire.

“Looks like we need to find a chance to deal with him—warn him, Erin is mine.”

“What do you mean yours? Fair competition!”

“You two, focus on your work. Quit grumbling...” A sharp shout silenced them, forcing their heads down as they cast envious glances at the ‘lovebirds’ nearby. Why not separate them when the underclassmen weren’t all lying down?

As the campfire rose, Xu Wenxin and Erin’s spirits fully revived, fatigue vanished.

Just as Erin was called away by a branch teacher, a familiar voice came from nearby.

“Junior Brother Xu?”

Xu Wenxin turned to see He Chen approaching with a suggestive grin, followed by a familiar face—Sakqi.

“That’s your... companion just now?”

Xu Wenxin felt a pang and quickly explained.

“Senior Brother He, you jest. We’re from the same place—she’s the city lord’s daughter, and I’m just a poor child. One’s celestial, the other terrestrial.”

“Junior Brother Xu, don’t be so humble. With the endorsement of Director Halman, you’re more than a match for a duke’s daughter.” He Chen winked. “I think she’s quite nice. It’s hard to find anyone more beautiful at Qingyun Academy. If you two are interested, you’d better act fast.”

Xu Wenxin was sweating inside. He hadn’t noticed He Chen’s sense of humor back in Mus City or **** Town.

“Oh, Senior Brother He, you seem quite cheerful today. I forgot to congratulate you—your father’s recent promotion is well deserved. Soon, girls seeking your hand will be lining up to the door. Don’t forget to treat your poor junior brother to a drink then.”

Seeing Xu Wenxin trying to shift the attention, He Chen pleaded for mercy, then began discussing the unusual speed of today’s march.

“Junior Brother Xu, you’ve been in seclusion training these past days, so it’s understandable you’re unaware.”

He Chen sighed and explained:

“This exchange between the two nations saw Qingyun Academy dispatch a batch of outstanding students. The Scarlet Alliance’s top magical martial academy, the Blood Mansion, sent some of their own ahead of us. They’ve already settled at the Dragon-Tiger Academy.”

“Oh?” Xu Wenxin showed surprise. He had missed this news, having secluded himself in the training room after enrollment to study the ‘Golden Serpent Frenzy,’ ignoring the outside world.

“Our relations with the Scarlet Alliance are pretty good. No conflict, right?” Xu Wenxin asked.

Before He Chen could answer, Sakqi eagerly interjected:

“Quite the opposite. A few of our academy’s strongest arrived a couple of days ago. After chatting with some Blood Mansion students, they had a small friendly duel—each side picked five representatives. It was a brief contest... and we won three out of five matches.”

“...” Xu Wenxin’s expression stiffened. This was not what he expected.

If they had indeed beaten Blood Mansion’s students, why then were they pushing mages, summoners, and beast tamers to their limits today?

“Although we won, in reality, we lost...”

He Chen’s tone grew serious, then shifted:

“You don’t know, but the five seniors we sent were the strongest third-year students at Qingyun Academy. On the day the imperial capital was attacked, they all performed admirably, their prestige rivaling yours, Junior Brother Xu... The strongest among them was Brother Ma Jiyang from the Thunder Sword branch—twenty years old, six-rank five-star strength, wielding two four-star Earth Emperor-level sword techniques. Widely recognized as the youngest and most promising sword genius of the Qingyun Empire! The other four are also among the top ten in our academy.”

Xu Wenxin’s face changed slightly.

A twenty-year-old, six-rank five-star thunder swordsman, with prospects to become a seven-star swordmaster before twenty-five—his talent was indeed exceptional. He likely participated in those matches.

“What about the Blood Mansion side?”

He Chen and Sakqi exchanged a glance; He Chen’s voice lowered.

“The Blood Mansion’s admission standards differ. They have no age limit, focusing solely on talent. The participants were all under twenty and not the strongest among the younger generation. Except for one—a mage with five-star, third-rank strength.”

“...”

Seeing Xu Wenxin frown, He Chen revealed more:

“That mage challenged Ma Jiyang—and won.”

After dropping this bombshell, they searched Xu Wenxin’s face for shock, but he only slightly raised an eyebrow.

A warrior with two Earth Emperor techniques defeated by a mage ranked three levels below him—especially one not considered the strongest in Blood Mansion—surely that warranted notice.

The two shared a puzzled look, staring at each other for half a minute in silence. Finally, Xu Wenxin asked as they hoped:

“What equipment were they using?”

“To ensure fairness, both sides switched to standard gear... Oh, and Ma Jiyang’s opponent was a wind mage, only wielding a single four-star Earth Emperor-level spell.”

He Chen eagerly recounted the duel’s details.

The deeper into the story, the more Xu Wenxin’s surprise grew.

Such a person actually existed.

Though the duel was fierce, Xu Wenxin sensed something familiar...

The opponent’s style was clearly the calculated tactic often employed by wind element mages playing against warriors in games.

He Chen had mentioned the opponent was a wind mage, which clicked for Xu Wenxin. Wind mages have exceptional mobility and defensive spells with ‘displacement’ properties. In a one-on-one duel, unless the swordsman is faster, it’s difficult to win at the same level.

Moreover, the wind mage attacked while defending, forcing Ma Jiyang to expend his fighting energy continuously, increasing his energy demands. Though it seemed the mage held no real advantage, over time, the mage’s attack pace slowed while Ma Jiyang steadily depleted his fighting energy maintaining defense.

This balance shift was exactly what the mage calculated.

This was the ultimate professional calculated playstyle!

Without extensive battle experience, it’s impossible to learn.

That a top Blood Mansion contender used this strategy to perfectly defeat Ma Jiyang showed extraordinary cunning and superb control over the duel.

His future achievements would surely surpass Ma Jiyang’s.

However...

This tactic held an edge only when both sides were unfamiliar with each other. The mage’s boldness was remarkable.