Chapter Sixty-Two: Seeking Trouble

Just after crossing the first street, four people appeared in front of Xu Wen.

He paused for a moment, but quickly regained his composure. These were probably the so-called failed candidates mentioned by the six-star wind magic instructor. Their abilities were indeed unremarkable—one was a level-two, three-star swordsman, another a level-two, three-star mage, and the other two… well, they seemed a little stronger, perhaps around level-five, three-star.

Had it not been for the desire to avoid unnecessary trouble, Xu Wen would have been tempted to spar with these opponents of similar strength, to test the effectiveness of his “Chaotic Sea of Consciousness” and “Earth Emperor” grade magic in real combat.

“You’re probably mistaken. I’m not a student of Azure Cloud Academy,” Xu Wen stopped a dozen meters away, eyeing the four before him as he spoke.

“We haven’t even asked yet, and you already know we’re looking for Azure Cloud Academy students?” The level-two, three-star mage smiled faintly, taking two steps forward. “That meddlesome teacher must have told you, right?”

At these words, Xu Wen’s heart sank slightly.

The young mage advanced a few more paces, his smile undiminished as he continued, “Did he also tell you that as long as you say you’re not a student of Azure Cloud Academy, we won’t give you any trouble?”

Xu Wen sighed inwardly, his face showing a hint of helplessness. He glanced at the playful expressions on the young men’s faces and thought to himself that a fight seemed unavoidable.

To save time, he decided not to waste words, “Who’s first?”

Xu Wen quickly checked the fire-phosphorus powder in his wrist guard and pulled out a dagger from his ring, asking bluntly.

This sudden shift to decisiveness caught the young mage, who had been firmly in control, off guard, and the other three were equally taken aback. They had even discussed what to do if Xu Wen tried to run away…

Yet now, this boy’s ready-for-action attitude was completely unexpected.

Exchanging glances, the level-five, three-star mage nodded slightly. The three immediately spread out, making room for a battlefield, and highlighted “Ader,” the one who had spoken.

“Kid, don’t say I didn’t give you a chance… We… ah!!”

Ader certainly didn’t intend to blatantly bully a two-star mage with his three-star status; at the very least, he wanted to lay out the “rules.” But before he could say anything, Xu Wen had already summoned his magic.

A brilliant ring of blazing fire formed instantly, needing no incantation, encircling Xu Wen in swirling ribbons of flame that danced around him.

Xu Wen fixed his gaze on the flustered Ader, who was retreating and shouting for a halt, suppressing his amusement. “What’s wrong? Not fighting after all?”

“Who says I’m not fighting?”

Ader’s face flushed crimson and his breathing grew ragged as he shouted, “You started before I even explained the rules! That’s a sneak attack!”

“But I haven’t even made a move yet…” Xu Wen broke into a cold sweat, replying helplessly, “Fine, I’ll wait for you.” After all, the flaming ring was both offensive and defensive—he wouldn’t necessarily be at a disadvantage even against a four-star mage.

“Screw it, I’m not playing anymore!” Ader’s expression changed rapidly and he quickly backed out. He wasn’t stupid; judging by his opponent’s speed at summoning magic, he could tell that Xu Wen’s strength was extraordinary. What kind of rookie two-star mage could summon a three-star spell so quickly? What a joke! Even his boss couldn’t summon the ring of fire so crisply.

The “Earth Emperor” grade “Blazing Flame” spell was far more powerful than the ordinary version—more compact, more oppressive, and with a much smoother casting speed.

“Ader, I’ll take this one,” said the “boss,” stepping forward. To Ader, these words were like rain in a drought; he didn’t even have time to express his thanks before scurrying back.

The boss fixed his eyes on Xu Wen, his tone low. “I thought so. How could Azure Cloud Academy send a mere two-star, level-five rookie to lose face for them?”

Xu Wen’s pupils narrowed slightly as he stared back at the advancing mage.

His opponent had not let go of his wand, clearly treating Xu Wen as a formidable adversary, intending to fight him wand to wand.

That was fine!

Level-five, three-star—perfect to test the combat prowess of his offensive and defensive flaming ring.

Xu Wen slowly retreated, widening the distance, allowing the other to summon a massive gray, arched elemental shield over two meters long in front of himself.

Three-star intermediate spell—Elemental Shield. It responded to one’s will, flexibly guarding any 180-degree arc around the caster, with a defensive power at least ten times that of a Flame Shield.

…

The mage had expected Xu Wen to attack immediately after he finished his defensive spell, but unexpectedly, his opponent stood motionless, letting him proceed to summon a second spell.

The onlookers tensed, unease growing in their hearts…

No one believed Xu Wen was merely a two-star anymore; to behave with such confidence, he must at least be a high-level three-star. Damn it, looks like they’d run into a brick wall this time!

They cursed inwardly, but their gazes never left the two in the arena, not daring to relax for a moment.

The flaming ring hovered around Xu Wen like a living serpent, weaving up and down, vibrant and agile.

The opposing mage was clearly wind-aligned; after casting his defensive spell, he channeled his mana, and the air tore with a sharp, rapid screech—lightning shot forth.

Suddenly, the three flaming rings around Xu Wen’s body spread like a serpent king, springing out and fusing together half a foot ahead of him. The three overlapped, rapidly spinning into a crimson shield that encircled Xu Wen in a nearly two-meter-high pillar of flame. A faint sound brushed past the fiery pillar and slashed into the ground behind Xu Wen.

The spell had been deflected.

The four onlookers’ faces changed as they watched the flaming rings quickly return to their original, roaming state around Xu Wen. Shocked, they wondered: when did the flaming ring become a defensive spell?

That Gale Slash had a power approaching level-six, three-star, yet it was so easily repelled?

Buzz!

Having failed with his first strike, the young mage realized something. He stared intently at the flaming rings around Xu Wen, took a deep breath, and instead of summoning another spell, rapidly expanded his elemental shield by another ninety degrees, forming a two-hundred-seventy-degree arc that defended most of his front. He poured all his mana into it, making the shield spin wildly around him like the wall of an iron barrel.

The three outside the ring tensed up. To shift into total defense after a single exchange—was this kid really that strong?

Xu Wen couldn’t help but quietly admire his opponent’s move. This defensive posture was indeed impressive; the high-speed, two-hundred-seventy-degree rotating defense was common and very effective among those of equal strength.

Though the elemental shield consumed a lot of mana, it could withstand multiple attacks of the same level in a short time. Its rapid rotation made it nearly a perfect defense, leaving almost no vulnerability.

Unfortunately…

They were up against Xu Wen.

With a glance at the resolute look in the mage’s eyes, Xu Wen’s flaming ribbons instantly condensed into three crescent-shaped rings, striking in a triangular formation.

Trailing faint afterimages, the three flaming rings easily shattered the elemental shield, brushing past the stunned mage and gouging three deep black marks into the ground behind him.

Three-star “Earth Emperor” grade magic—its attack power rivaled that of a four-star intermediate spell. Breaking through a weakened three-star defense was like cutting tofu.

As the rings swept past the mage, he called out in disbelief behind him, “Three-star Earth Emperor magic—you, how old are you, really?”

Xu Wen gave no reply and simply walked away. If he remembered correctly, ten days ago had been his birthday—the birthday of this body.