"Leilin, you also wish to receive the gift of the Wisdom Ancient Tree?"
Sly gazed at what was perhaps the most outstanding student Black Bone Forest Academy had ever produced, his expression deeply conflicted.
On one hand, Leilin's talent as a
Sly firmly believed that if Leilin could maintain this pace of progress, he would become a Third-rank Wizard before the age of a hundred, ascending to the highest tier of combat power on the South Coast! And if Leilin were still at Black Bone Forest, the entire Academy would surely enter a golden age of development.
But on the other hand, Leilin had already defected from the Academy. Moreover, due to his fierce retaliation, Marb — the Grand Elder of the Lilisite Family, one of the three great families of Black Bone Forest Academy — had been killed along with a number of First-rank Wizards, causing the Lilisite Family's strength to decline drastically, nearly being erased from the Wizard world entirely!
Thus, Sly harbored deeply conflicted feelings toward Leilin's accomplishments.
"Yes! Master Dean!"
Since he had already dispelled the Mimicry Spell, Leilin no longer needed to conceal himself.
"The essence of the Wisdom Ancient Tree and the secret treasure obtained by Arist are things I must have. I hope you will not interfere." Leilin gave a slight bow.
To be fair, apart from the Lilisite Family, Black Bone Forest Academy had treated him reasonably well — at the very least, it had upheld the basic principle of equivalent exchange, granting Leilin the Wizard's Enlightenment and setting him upon the path to power.
Therefore, aside from exceptional circumstances, he truly had no desire to fight Sly.
"Arrogant! A newly promoted Second-rank dares to speak so..."
Sly had not yet reacted, but the Dark Wizard who had accompanied him was already seething with rage.
In his view, no matter how talented Leilin might be, he was merely a newly promoted Second-rank. Even with the terrifying feat of having killed two Second-rank Wizards, who knew whether he had simply exploited the situation when the two were already battered and weakened?
He found Leilin's attitude utterly intolerable.
"Boy! Let me, your elder, teach you how to conduct yourself in the Second-rank Wizard circle..."
The Second-rank Wizard raised both hands. Two orbs of black light emanated from his palms, gradually coalescing into the shape of a skull.
"Pointless lecturing! How... irritating!"
Leilin lowered his head and murmured, the crimson in his eyes deepening, while on his wrist, a transparent crystal began emitting a faint red glow.
"What did you say?" The Second-rank Wizard who had just spoken froze.
"I said, you'd better fix your habit of lecturing people. Otherwise, you won't live to see tomorrow's sunrise!"
Leilin suddenly looked up with a brilliant smile.
Ssss!
Copious white smoke began emanating from the massive skeleton soldiers. Then, the nearest skeleton soldier suddenly collapsed entirely, its body disintegrating into a pile of broken bones that tumbled to the ground. The shattered bones then weathered and corroded further, turning into a heap of black powder.
On the ground, a ring of withered yellow and charred black spread outward from Leilin's position, expanding rapidly in all directions. The grass corroded instantly, dissolving into something resembling a swamp of rotting muck.
Numerous insects fell from the air. A mole burrowed out from the soil, went rigid, and collapsed on the spot, its body immediately beginning to decompose.
As if
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The massive skeleton soldiers toppled one after another, disintegrating into bone powder in an instant.
"You've used a large-area poison attack!" Arist had already been gravely wounded, and under the omnidirectional assault of Leilin's Venom Gall, the corrosion began spreading from his right arm.
Arist's face was grim. He gritted his teeth, produced a potion vial, and poured its contents over the wound on his right arm.
Boom! A burst of flames instantly engulfed everything below his right shoulder. The smell of burning flesh filled the air.
Arist's face contorted in agony. After the flames subsided, the stump of his shoulder had been completely cauterized, and the previous corrosion had vanished without a trace.
"You go first! I'll stay and give him a proper lesson!"
The Dark Wizard who had spoken earlier — his voice turning cold, carrying a trace of killing intent.
"Be careful of the White Wizards! I suspect they've already reached some agreement with the
Arist answered quickly. A magnificent carpet flew from his body, hovering in midair, and he moved to mount it.
Suddenly, his vision blurred, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious!
Thud! Arist's body hit the ground. From his face, one could see eerie black qi forming the pattern of a small serpent, writhing and coiling continuously.
Even the flame potion from earlier had been unable to counteract this toxin!
"Such a potent spiritual toxin — it lay dormant before fully activating! This is bad!!!"
The Dark Wizard who had taken issue with Leilin immediately paled.
Then, a ring of ink-black qi spread across his own body in an instant.
The toxin of the ancient and terrifying giant beast — the Komoin Giant Serpent — continued to erode his body and soul!
"I told you! You cannot stop me!"
A massive phantom of a great serpent materialized behind Leilin. Like Death descending, he walked straight to the unconscious Arist, took the Wisdom Ancient Tree essence from his chest, then rummaged through the pouch at his waist and produced a wooden cup with an exceedingly rough exterior.
The cup's surface was an ancient, dark yellow, bearing the distinctive grain of an old tree, and a faint fragrance of vegetation wafted from it.
Though its appearance was far from refined, Leilin sensed an aura of great age and antiquity emanating from it.
Moreover, even though it was merely an inanimate cup, it gave Leilin a feeling of living wisdom.
"This is... a wooden cup crafted from the body of the Wisdom Ancient Tree!"
Leilin stroked his chin. His certainty rested on the Chip's analysis, his own deductions, and — crucially — the fact that the Wisdom Ancient Tree essence in his hand had begun emitting a hazy green luminescence.
Pop!
Leilin released his right hand, and the green sphere of plant energy sank into the wooden cup.
Like water and milk blending together, the ancient tree's sap and the wooden cup immediately merged as one. The entire cup was instantly enveloped in a layer of green light, and within it, half a cup of transparent liquid had already formed — a liquid that continuously emanated an aura of life and wisdom.
Leilin took a brief sniff and found his mind considerably clearer. Numerous novel ideas surfaced in his thoughts, and many perplexities he had encountered in his cultivation suddenly became transparent.
"The Enlightenment of Wisdom?"
A look of delight appeared on Leilin's face. A layer of luminous film materialized in his hand, and he sealed the cup layer by layer.
"The Wisdom Ancient Tree! Truly worthy of being the crystallization of ancient wisdom! Just absorbing a trace of its aura produces such a clear effect — what would happen if I used it all?"
A look of fervent desire appeared in Leilin's eyes. A flash of silver light, and the wooden cup containing the Wisdom Ancient Tree essence vanished from his hand.
"I never imagined that my former student would now surpass me by so much!"
Black qi also coiled across Sly's face. Looking at Leilin now, a bitter smile surfaced on his features.
Under the toxin's erosion, he and his partner could barely muster seventy percent of their original strength. Even working together, they might not be able to defeat Leilin.
The Dark Wizard who had taken issue with Leilin had already retreated a considerable distance, various detoxification Wizard spells flickering across his body.
But regrettably, the black toxic gas only grew thicker, with not the slightest sign of abating.
Recalling his own earlier words, the Dark Wizard's face flushed — fortunately, his entire face was obscured by black qi, so the expression was invisible.
And when he saw Leilin take their mission item, a torrent of thoughts raced through the Dark Wizard's mind. His lips trembled, but ultimately, he said nothing.
Leilin's strength had far exceeded his estimates — he was at the elite level among Second-rank Wizards. He and Sly alone simply could not stop him, and might even draw his enmity, resulting in unnecessary casualties.
Dark Wizards were shrewd people. Even if the Wisdom Ancient Tree essence were preserved this time, it wouldn't be his to enjoy. Why would this Dark Wizard risk his life for it?
Leilin naturally knew nothing of the complex thoughts churning within them, but with his experience, he could easily guess a thing or two.
Therefore, after giving Sly a slight nod, he turned to leave.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of numerous hooves rang out, and from the nearby ridge, a squad of iron-armored knights suddenly appeared.
Though only thirteen in number, these thirteen riders charged toward Leilin and the others like a torrent of steel.
"The Iron Crown's Steel Knight Corps — the Thirteen Sages!!!"
Sly drew a sharp breath. "When did they ally with the White Wizards? Or is this simply a solo deployment?"
As he spoke, he involuntarily glanced at Leilin.
Regardless, their target now could only be Leilin, who had taken the Wisdom Ancient Tree essence.
Neigh!
Thirteen steel beasts breathing flames and sporting green-glowing eyes came to a halt before Leilin and the others, fanning out in an arc and surrounding all the Wizards within.
Click! Click! The steel helm of the leading knight automatically opened, revealing the face of the Grand Sage. "The Wisdom Ancient Tree essence — who has it?"
A look of confusion crossed his face.
Their mission target, Arist, lay collapsed on the ground, his fate uncertain. The Wisdom Ancient Tree essence could very likely have been divided among or pocketed by the Wizards present. And the newly arrived Leilin was naturally someone he did not recognize.
Most irritating of all, the Wizards present were all looking at him with the gaze one reserved for the dead.