I tilt my head, narrowly avoiding a brown furry arm jabbing at my face, then spin around another kangaroo charging at me. I'm now behind it, out of the encirclement of this family of 4.
The patriarch, a 3 meter tall muscular kangaroo with blazing purple eyes, exudes a foul odor and snarls as it steps forth. Cautiously, given the number of lacerations my swords have already inflicted upon its family. Its mate and their slightly shorter male children shadow the father's steps. Suddenly, it pounces, and its family rushes around to flank and trap me once more.
A searing ball of light halts everyone's advance; they paw at their eyes and yowl as their retinas burn. I waste no time slashing my sword across the leader's purple eyes, blinding it for good. Its reflexes take over and it lashes out aimlessly, so I turn my attention to its family as it wastes its energy thrashing around. A Greater Soldier's death throes are nothing to scoff at, but its family's combative awareness is much poorer. 3 quick slashes are enough to decapitate all three of the temporarily blinded kangaroos, and now only one remains.
A leg as thick and dense as a tree branch swipes through the air with no target in mind, leaving an opening in its wake. I rush forward, ducking under an aimless punch, and plunge a sword into its lower right abdomen where its heart is located. I then scamper back; it's just a waiting game now. Its movements dull as its heart pumps the blood right out of its body, and it collapses after a few moments.
A grin slowly grows on my face as I watch a hand-sized glowing white circle approach Nyx and disappear after touching its black surface. I laugh aloud in pure elation.
[Finally, another Soul Essence!]
…
…
The new school year has begun; it's been 2 months since Zhan Kong promised to investigate the madness-inducing substance. Unfortunately, when he brought a troop of Battlemages to the pond, it had completely dried up. Even the rocks where the pond used to be were devoid of any dampness. We agreed that a hidden entity was exerting its influence, but in the face of no other clues, there was nothing he could do but wait.
In the meantime, I've put the new swords to excellent use and began incorporating Illuminate: Blindness into my fighting style for grouped monsters which are dependent on sight. Every time I want to focus on one of them, I quickly blind them all for a few seconds; dodging their panicked, stray blows is far easier, and I can easily cripple my target. In solo fights, it provides invaluable support against Advancing Soldiers, especially ones with dangerous AOE's like the Spirit Wolf, since the dazzling light is highly likely to either interrupt the creature's channeling of such attacks or throw off its aim. I simply didn't notice the warning signs that the wolf was planning to create a sandstorm, so I hadn't been able to cancel that one in time.
I've been polishing my control and meditation as well. Although my cast speed has increased from 5 seconds to around 3 to align the 7 stars, it hasn't really mattered because I can channel the Light spell while weaving in and out of attacks. My Stardust, on the other hand, is growing brighter. I estimate it'll have truly peaked by the end of the school year. I can't wait to become an Intermediate Mage! Not only will I have access to stronger spells, I'll also be able to awaken a second Element, one that'll be more useful in combat: I have to struggle to find appropriate opportunities for casting Illuminate.
On a more positive note, my net worth has risen to 5.4 million yuan. After slaughtering 800 creatures, I've found another 2 Soul Essences, including the one I just obtained. I previously tried feeding one to Nyx, but it seemed my black pendant required more than that to level up to a Soul-grade Stardust Magic Tool. Therefore, I decided to sell off the other one for a hefty 4.1 million yuan and put it on a single card, which I subsequently had to shove into Uncle Mo's hands repeatedly before he begrudgingly accepted it.
…
…
During homeroom, Xue Musheng announces something that piques my interest.
"Every year, Tian Lan Magic High's best students face off against the Mu Family's core disciples. Such an event is planned to occur at the end of this school year, when you all are about to graduate! The most outstanding young Mage will be given the opportunity to cultivate in the Underground Holy Spring, the city's greatest treasure."
Murmurs fill the room. I boldly raise a question: "Can it help peak Basic Mages advance to the Intermediate level?"
He narrows his eyes, doubtless wondering whether I'm referring to myself. "From what I've heard, yes. It isn't unusual for peak Basic Mages to guard its location for a year simply to attain an opportunity to cultivate within."
[It seems I have the entirety of next year planned out, then.]
…
…
Time flies by, and it's already June 21, the night before the competition. My swords are stained with blood from the day's kills: 5 Average Soldier-class Laser-Eyed Rats and one Advancing Soldier-class Acromantula.
[I really need to work on that bad habit of not immediately cleaning them.]
As I quietly meditate in bed, I gaze into my Spiritual World. The yellow stars within the cloud of dust seem to be shifting restlessly, as they have been for the past few weeks. It's a clear sign that all I require to step into the Intermediate level is a strong source of energy.
Someone knocks on my door. I rise and open it, greeted with a pale face framed by brilliant silver hair.
"Wha- Ningxue?" I blurt out, having expected Uncle Mo. "What are you doing here?"
She quietly fixes her blue eyes on my face. Not a knit in her white brows, nor a lash out of place when she blinks. Momentarily, her eyes flick to the swords on my chair, then back to me. She then turns around and starts walking away.
She pauses when she feels my palm grab her shoulder. As I recall her standoffish attitude at the annual examination, a current of frustration runs through me, and I heatedly state, "Ningxue, are you still capable of human conversation? Or did the Mu Clan lobotomize you?"
She allows my hand to swivel her around to face me. "Yes, and no."
Her disinterest in expounding on anything going on makes me want to yank my hair out. "Can you explain why you're here, and why you're leaving all of a sudden?"
"I came to warn you about the competition. About Yu Ang. But you don't need any warning, so I'm leaving now."
"Who the hell is Yu Ang?"
"Someone that Uncle Mu He adopted into the Mu Family, and my father assisted him with cultivation since then. He listens to my father's every direction. Anyone who harms my father, even if it is just cursing at him, he will harbor grudges, and he will not stop until you die."
The scene of me slashing a sword at Uncle Mu's neck flashes through my mind. "What, so he's hung up over an incident that Uncle Mu and I are well past? This was not worth a visit by you, Ningxue. I'll destroy him if he faces me in tomorrow's competition," I snort.
"Do as you wish," she curtly states, already walking away.
An uncomfortable hollow sensation suffuses my body as I watch her bright silver hair ebb and sway while she leaves.
…
…
I'm currently on the field of a huge, elliptical dueling arena 1000 meters long and 600 meters. I'm patiently waiting on one of the long ends, along with Zhang Xiaohou, Xu Zhaoting, Zhou Min, Mu Bai (what is he doing here?), and the other elites of Tian Lan Magic High. On the opposite end of the ellipse stand our opponents from the Mu Family, among whom I spot a pale, scrawny man I identify as Yu Ang.
Hordes of people crowd the stands. In the VIP box, I spot Mu Zhuoyun and elders of the Mu Family, Zhan Kong and his subordinates, the principal of Tian Lan Magic High and its best teachers (including Tang Yue), as well as other authoritative figures I don't recognize.
The leaders of each power offer their requisite speeches about young Magicians being the future, etc etc etc. Seriously, why must every major event be preceded by a powerful spell that hypnotizes half the audience into falling asleep?
They start to jab each other awake, though, as they realize the announcers have called two names to the center of the field: Zhou Min and Mu Yan, two blossoming young women. They commence battle, and Zhou Min immediately tosses a Fire Burst at her, but it lands right in front of Mu Yan's feet, appearing to fizzle out. She smirks and begins to channel Ice magic, but suddenly the waning embers vigorously expand into a 3 meter wide fireball, and she barely summons a piece of defensive Magic Equipment to protect her life! That's all it does, though, and once the flames disappear, her blackened figure crumples to the ground. Zhou Min casted the 3rd-tier Fire Burst: Rupture!
The onlookers mirror the execution of the fireball: they're speechless for a few moments, and then erupt into cheers. The Mu Family elders give each other ugly looks, while the rest of the high-ranking individuals are pleased by the unexpected display of strength.
Zhang Xiaohou is up next, facing a diminutive boy Mu Rui. Before Zhang Xiaohou even makes a move, Mu Rui already summons two pieces of defensive equipment, evidently nervous that Mu Yan's fate would befall him as well. This proves to be his undoing, as Zhang Xiaohou nimbly evades all the Ice Spreads aimed at him over the course of a minute and a half via Wind Trail. Mu Rui starts panting, nearly out of energy, and Zhang Xiahou simply stands still, waiting. After another few minutes, Mu Rui starts panicking as his defensive equipment times out and disappears, and Zhang Xiaohou immediately casts Wind Trail, blurring past him and leaving a shallow cut on his neck with a dagger.
The organizers announce Zhang Xiaohou's victory, much to the continued dismay of the Mu Family elders. They then call Mu Bai and Mu Feng to the center of field, provoking murmurs to spread around the stands.
[Why did Mu Bai side with us instead of the Mu Family?]
My momentary confusion fades as I grow interested in the third duel. It's a mirror match: Ice vs Ice. However, Mu Bai's excellent cast time allows him to land a 3rd-tier Ice Spread: Blizzard directly on top of Mu Feng before he finishes his 2nd-tier Ice Spread: Solidify, quickly covering him with a layer of ice that cuts off his movement and threatens to kill him within minutes via hypothermia. It's our third victory in a row!
This time, the Mu Family elders appear truly incensed: doubtlessly upset at Mu Bai's decision to support Tian Lan Magic High and his subsequent victory.
Unfortunately, we lose the next two battles, calming the elders down somewhat. Afterwards, however, Xu Zhaoting becomes the third person to seckill his opponent with a rapidly constructed 3rd-tier Lightning Strike: Wrath Shock that punches straight through the girl's Magic Armor, showing off the penetrative nature of the Lightning Element.
We win one more and lose the next three. Finally, as Mu Ningxue predicted, Yu Ang and I are the last pair of opponents to duel. Even 400 meters away, I can see him sneer.
[Confidence? Or arrogance?]
The match begins!
Each duel starts with the participants around 400 meters apart. A Basic Mage in peak physical condition like myself can run at a maximum speed of about 15 m/s, so it'd take me 27 seconds to close the distance.
Unfortunately, he has unlocked the AOE 3rd-tier Ice Spread: Blizzard, and despite my best efforts to mix in diagonal, horizontal, and the occasional backwards movements to throw off his aim, he manages to land it 6 meters away from me. The spell has a 10 meter range with the temperature decreasing as one approaches its center, so I'm not in dangerous territory quite yet.
I continue chaotically approaching him. However, he lands yet another lucky hit: I'm 3 meters away from the spell's center! Thankfully, Blizzard was on cooldown, so the Ice Spread wasn't too strong. Nevertheless, I feel my body growing sluggish in the freezing temperature, and that allows him to aim 2 more successive Ice Spreads at me; I barely avoid getting directly hit, but at this rate my body's going to freeze to death. Even if I had defensive equipment, it would not be of any help when faced with the Ice Spreads, since they damage me over time instead of releasing a burst of power.
I can tell at a glance my Light spells won't be useful: he's wearing a Sunshield Magic Tool over his eyes.
[How much money did the Mu Family blow on him? That tool is only useful for countering Illuminate: Blindness and nothing else, yet it costs over 6 million yuan!]
Wait, how can he see me if he's always wearing those light-blocking glasses? I thought its general use case was to anticipate an Illuminate: Blindness and put it on for a few seconds at a time, not constantly. I suppose he's afraid I can hide the concentration of Light magic that indicates its casting, and he's right, but that places him at a severe handicap of not being able to see much of anything.
Ah, I guess he's realized that not having sight and getting hit with Illuminate: Blindness are two completely different experiences. The latter overloads your retinas, causing you to reel over in debilitating pain for a few moments while you recover. He doesn't want any unexpected happenings, so he chose to keep those sunglasses on, protecting him from that vulnerable window of opportunity.
[Then how is he hitting his spells so accurately while not being able to see well?]
My eyes shine with enlightenment. No matter how much the Mu elders dislike me, they won't spend more than 20 million on this duel, and any Magic Tools or Magic Equipment that add a seeking effect to spells would be worth far, far more.
The answer is simple: he can still see. Not via light, but rather heat. There's probably some sort of expensive heat sensor based on Fire magic stones worked into those glasses that highlights my hot figure in the cold blizzards around me. Something like that sounds like military equipment, which the Mu Family is certainly capable of getting its hands on.
I know what I have to do. I stand still for a few seconds, and he fires another Ice Spread: Blizzard. This time, I ensure I'm one meter away from the center, and ice quickly freezes around me. I constantly break the ice forming on my back with my swords and allow the ice on my front to condense into a solid block. Then, fighting my screaming, cold muscles, I get away from the blizzard and hold the condensed sculpture a foot in front of me, having sheathed my swords already. I run as quickly as I can, moving at a snail's pace of 8 m/s. He's already looking around in confusion, searching for a hot anomaly, but I'm almost within striking range. I toss aside the ice, revealing myself, but before he can cast another spell, I unsheathe and stab my sword directly through the armor underneath his clothes, right through his gut.
[I bet the elders didn't expect me to have such a sharp sword.]
My fingers are blue; I can barely even wiggle them. But I've won the duel, as the organizers are quick to announce. Medics hastily drag us away as I lose consciousness.
…
…
I groggily open my eyes, a concerned Tang Yue standing on my right along with the rest of my teammates. I make out rows of clean gray lockers and benches; apparently, we're in the locker room assigned to the Tian Lan Magic High students. Hold on, my left arm feels heavy. I glance down to see Xinxia's head resting on my left forearm. She and I are seated on the floor, leaning against a wall while we both slept.
I gently shift my arm, and she slowly raises her head. I wrap her in a hug.
"Sorry for worrying you…" I whisper.
After a few seconds, Tang Yue interrupts our embrace. "Glad to see you in good condition. Why did you take things so far? You could have surrendered at any moment, but your fingers nearly froze from holding the ice after you fell unconscious."
"But they didn't. I know my limits; of course I would've thrown in the towel if I knew I would die or suffer permanent injury if I didn't stop. Plus, it's not every day you get a chance to win a guaranteed ticket to the Intermediate level, and I'm sure my exhilarating performance secured it."
"Your 'performance' barely did; the Mu Family elders tried their best to have it given to Xu Zhaoting and not you, since it wasn't going to Yu Ang anyway because you beat him."
"I'm sure you put in a good word for me; thank you Ms. Tang Yue!"
She glowers at me, then storms off in a huff.
"I wanted to be mad at you too," Xinxia pouts. "But I couldn't find the anger. I'm just glad you're okay!"
"All thanks to you." It's obvious that she's the Healer who's responsible for my recovery.
Grinning, I glance at the others, exchanging nods with Xu Zhaoting and Zhang Xiaohou. I rise up, lift Xinxia into her wheelchair, and start wheeling her away, intent on walking out. As the 5 of us exit the locker room, I focus on Mu Bai.
"Mu Bai, why did you join our team and not the Mu Family's team?"
He grimaces and hesitates before slowly stating, "There's some internal matters that I don't appreciate."
When he doesn't expound, I shrug in response. But Zhang Xiaohou isn't satisfied. "C'mon, dude. You can tell us! Our lips will be sealed."
Xu Zhaoting zips his lips shut in a deadpan manner.
"Now isn't the right time," Mu Bai shakes his head while staring off into the distance. "Eventually, I promise. Not now."
The mood dampens a bit, but it's rescued by Zhan Kong's booming voice.
"I heard you're awake, boy! Come with me, we've no time to spare. A second spent dallying is a second no one is using the Underground Holy Spring, which is utterly wasteful."
I glare at him. "At least let me take Xinxia home first!"
He waves his hand in dismissal. "I'll let one of my subordinates drive her to your house. Now, let's go!"
Relieved, I wave goodbye to Xinxia and my friends and allow him to drag me away.
…
…
I stare in disbelief at the glimmering Silver Commerce Tower, a giant pentagonal pagoda stretching 200 meters into the sky, one of the largest buildings in the city.
[This is where the Underground Holy Spring is?]
Evidently, the answer is yes. Zhan Kong and I enter an elevator. He pushes floors 19, 14, 16, 8, 3, 5, and 11 in that order. The buttons all begin flashing, and then cease flickering as the elevator moves down, even though we're on the ground floor with no buttons indicating any subterranean levels.
The doors silently open to a peculiar sight: a squadron of Battlemages captained by an Intermediate Mage! They appear to be guarding the huge cube-shaped black block behind me.
"You are to enter for a week. Walk up the altar, sit down, and practice meditation and control. No need to touch or do anything else. Actually, scratch that. Do not touch or do anything else. Food in the form of condensed pills of nutrients is in the corner along with plenty of bottled water. If you need to excrete your wastes, there's a conspicuous discolored tile on the floor: please open it and aim your wastes at the hole underneath. Enjoy your stay."
With that, he hurries off. The guards unlock the door. As I enter, they close it behind me. Shrugging, I glance at the altar in the center of the 6 m by 6 m by 6 m room. It's essentially 4 successively smaller square prisms stacked on each other to form a crude pyramid. Atop the highest square is a leather mat, which I ease myself onto. Suddenly, I feel Nyx buzzing with all its might, and some clear water starts rising to enter it.
[No. No, no, no, no! Bad mysterious pendant! You can't absorb the Spring; it's the treasure of the city!]
What'll I do when they barge in to let me out and they find no more Underground Holy Spring?!
Thankfully, Nyx seems to grudgingly see reason, and the water flows back into the altar to continue circulating. I let out a relieved sigh and begin meditating.
A surge of energy begins to flow into my Spiritual World, brightening the Stardust beyond its maximum capacity and stirring it restlessly. A hazy canopy appears, encapsulating the turbulent Stardust and preventing it from expanding. I realize what I have to do.
I breathe in deeply, gathering all my resolve and condensing the overflowing energy within my Stardust, forcing it to obey my will. As I exhale sharply, I crash the condensed wave of power against the hazy barrier, which visibly distends.
I repeat the process, but I focus even harder, refining the energy into a sledgehammer with a supercondensed head. I breathe in, pulling the hammer back, and force the air out of my lungs, sending the hammer thundering toward the barrier. It finally cracks, sending waves of incredibly sharp pain through my cranium. I grit my teeth, ignoring them; I'm no stranger to pain. I continue breathing in, pulling the hammer back, breathing out, slamming it against the barrier to add to the agony surrounding my head. Again. Again.
I pull it back and swing a final time to demolish the barrier, nearly blacking out from the subsequent pain. Nearly. I gaze at the Stardust, no, the Nebula expanding, becoming an order of magnitude larger and brighter. 42 additional stars appear as the 7 original stars begin dancing with joy at their larger play area and new playmates.
Particles of light dance around my clenched fist; I feel as if I can cast unlimited Basic Spells. Still, I remain seated, not wanting to waste any time in this room. It's only been 5 hours since I got here; I have almost a week to go. I decide to allocate half my time to meditating and half to control; the Spring soothes my mental strain, so I can cultivate control constantly!
…
…
Hours later, I'm in disbelief. I used to spend weeks coaxing stars to enter the vertices of the Star Path heptagon. I've now aligned 3 stars in the past 4 hours. At this rate, I'll be able to cast the Light Intermediate spell in less than 3 days if I forgo meditation, since the rich energy provided by the Spring renders sleep unnecessary. I decide to do just that: getting all 49 stars under my control, and then spending the rest of the time meditating while ensuring that control doesn't slip.
…
…
70 hours fly by. Excitement bubbles within me as I wrest the final star into place, finishing the construction of a beautiful Star Pattern!
"Light Blessing: Holy Shield!" A huge circular shield of light appears. I can sense it'll follow wherever my will directs it to move within a certain radius. I finally have a strong defensive spell. If that Spirit Wolf casted its sandstorm attack at me again, all I'd need to do is place this circle of light directly in front of me, and my clothing wouldn't even be ruffled. I'm tempted to try again, but I feel that that would directly deplete all the energy in my Nebula, so I refrain from doing so. Instead, I begin meditating.
…
…
Another 78 hours pass, and I've got a bit less than 13 hours left. At first, the Spring quickly enhanced the size and brightness of my Light Nebula, but the rate kept slowing down as my body grew accustomed to the novel energy. I estimate my cultivation to be close to unlocking the 2nd-tier Light Intermediate spell, but I doubt the remaining time will get me over that threshold. Still, I plan to meditate until the very last minute.