The black-haired apprentice had a silver chain coiled around his waist, and blue sparks of electricity crackled between his hands from time to time.
"Haha... Jiamen, I told you before that one day you'd fall into my hands!"
The black-haired apprentice laughed wildly, flicked his hand, and a bolt of blue lightning tore straight through the void, slamming into Jiamen's green vine armor.
Sizzle!!
Jiamen was sent flying backward as if struck head-on by a locomotive, smashing into the ground and cratering the earth.
"How's that? Where did all that arrogance go from when you stole my Lightning Heart?"
The black-haired apprentice taunted, and another spell burst forth, tearing a gaping hole in Jiamen's body.
A chunk of the green vines was blasted away, revealing Jiamen's own skin beneath — a large patch of it charred black. Leilin could even faintly smell the scent of roasted meat.
"Don't think a damaged Magical Item can save you!"
The black-haired apprentice's face was filled with the ecstasy of long-awaited revenge — it was clear his grudge against Jiamen ran deep.
"Chip! Scan Jiamen!"
Leilin didn't dare scan the black-haired apprentice directly, so he targeted the heavily wounded Jiamen instead.
"Ding! Jiamen — Strength: 1.9, Agility: 2.7, Constitution: 2.1 (3.5), Spirit: 3 (10.8). Status: Moderate injuries! Paralysis!"
No matter how the opponent sneered and mocked, Jiamen remained utterly silent, fixing the enemy with nothing but a cold, unwavering stare.
"Not good! Jiamen has also advanced to Third-rank Apprentice, and he has a Magical Item, yet he still can't beat the opponent!"
Leilin's thoughts raced.
He had been drawn here by Jiamen's name out of pure curiosity — he had no intention of risking his life for him.
Truthfully, if Jiamen's opponent hadn't been so strong, Leilin would certainly have stepped in to save him, considering how Jiamen had tipped him off in the past. But now, the enemy's strength was clearly overwhelming, and Leilin hesitated.
"Chip! Scan the opponent's data, simulate combat, predict win rate!"
Leilin issued the command in his mind.
"Ding!!! Task established, initiating combat simulation..."
The Chip calculated rapidly, then delivered its conclusion: "Subject's win rate: 77%. Projected outcome: opponent eliminated, subject sustains minor injuries!"
"The odds are a bit low!" Leilin frowned.
"Look! There really is someone over there!"
Just as Leilin was wavering, a woman's voice rang out — one he knew all too well. In fact, he had heard this voice's owner making far more seductive sounds not long ago.
On the other side of the battlefield, Biji and a female apprentice had arrived.
"It's Biji! What's she doing here?"
Leilin let out a deep sigh, feeling that things were about to get very complicated.
"Someone's fighting — oh! It's Senior Jiamen!!!"
The girl with Biji clearly knew Jiamen and harbored other feelings for him. The moment she saw him injured, she rushed over.
"A woman? Your friend?"
The black-haired apprentice furrowed his brow, then suddenly clapped his hands together. "The humiliation you brought me by stealing my things — today I'll pay you back double. For instance, taking this woman right in front of you..."
The black-haired apprentice burst into laughter, his hands dancing like butterflies.
Crack-crack-crack!
Blue electricity surged continuously from his hands, electric serpents writhing and forming chains that pierced straight through the fireball the female apprentice had hastily launched, knocking her to the ground.
"Jasmine!" Biji's face was panic-stricken as she ran straight toward them.
"What an idiot!!!"
Leilin shook his head helplessly and rose to his feet.
He still harbored some feelings for Biji, and he was willing to take a small risk for her — provided it didn't endanger his own life.
Of course, his greatest assurance was still the win rate calculated by the Chip!!!
If the Chip determined that Leilin had absolutely no chance of defeating his opponent, he would likely choose to leave and return to avenge Biji after advancing to first-level
Also, even if Leilin could defeat the opponent but the cost would be severe injuries or even death, he was completely unwilling!!!
But if the cost was only minor injuries, then in Leilin's heart, Biji was still worth taking that risk for.
"I suppose, deep down, I'm still an extremely rational person — cold and detached to the core!"
Leilin mocked himself as his figure blurred, crossing over a dozen meters in an instant to grab Biji's arm.
"Don't go over there!"
"Who... are you?" Biji stared at the man before her, confusion flickering in her beautiful eyes.
Leilin's Mimicry Spell hadn't been dispelled, and he had even altered his voice with a potion — Biji had no idea who he was.
"Someone here to save you!" Leilin's voice was hoarse as he locked eyes with the black-haired apprentice in the long coat.
"Well, well — a curious little insect. So you've been hiding nearby this whole time?"
The black-haired apprentice clenched his fist, blue electricity coiling around it and sparking furiously.
Several threads of electricity, thin as hair, shot out and struck the ground, blasting small holes. Fragments of stone and dirt flew toward Leilin but were deflected by his Apprentice Grey Robe, clattering to the ground.
"An apprentice with lightning affinity — and it looks like a highly compatible one at that!"
Leilin slowly drew the Cross Sword from his waist. "A brutal fight — this is going to be the hardest battle I've ever faced!"
To prevent Biji from recognizing him, he couldn't use any of the common techniques an Apothecary would employ. He could only rely on methods he had acquired after leaving the Academy.
"But this is also the perfect opportunity to test my real strength! At Polar Night City, Meierfeile and the others were all retired figures — their combat ability was absolute rubbish! And the apprentices at the market, I couldn't fight them at full force, or I'd make mortal enemies!"
"This apprentice, on the other hand, is clearly a top-tier fighter from his own Academy!"
Leilin licked his lips and suddenly felt a surge of fierce battle intent flow from his chest into his limbs. In his ears, he could even hear the rapid rush of his own blood, making his eyes turn slightly red.
This was a man's hot blood and his desire to fight!!!
"Haha... what am I seeing here? A mere First-rank Apprentice dares to draw his sword against me?"
The black-haired apprentice across from him sneered, his facial lines cold and resolute. "Kid! I'll give you one last chance — kneel right now, acknowledge your offenses before the great Lord Torresas, and beg for my mercy! Seeing as I'm in a good mood today, I might just pardon your sins..."
Swoosh!!!
In the blink of an eye, a silver arc of light blazed to life, crossing a dozen meters in an instant and arriving before the black-haired Torresas.
The silver arc was shaped like a cross, its surface gleaming with a murderous luster and radiating a sharp, cutting aura. The grass on one side was pressed flat by a full layer.
The black-haired Dulu's face was frozen in shock. The deerskin boots on his feet suddenly displayed several azure runes, electricity forming symbols that clung to Torresas's thighs.
As if stimulated by something, Torresas leaped several meters back, narrowly dodging the attack.
Boom!!! The Cross Sword strike landed, carving a cross-shaped fissure into the ground.
A gray shadow flickered, and Leilin's figure appeared where the black-haired apprentice had stood moments before. He held the hilt of the Cross Sword, a look of regret on his face.
Torresas touched his face with lingering fear — a thin wound hung there, several centimeters long.
Though Leilin's attack hadn't struck him head-on, the battle qi of the Cross Sword had cut through the void and opened a gash on Dulu's face.
"So fast! If not for the Lightning Acceleration Rune my mentor gave me, I'd be a corpse right now!"
The look of fear on the black-haired Torresas's face quickly faded, replaced by a twisted expression of rage.
"You... you dare wound the great Lord Torresas?! I'll kill you!!!!"
But fury clearly hadn't stripped Torresas of his reason. Though his face screamed that he wanted to kill Leilin immediately, he quickly pulled a scroll from his belt pouch and held it ready.
"I'll admit your speed is impressive — your body must be at least Knight-level, right? But so what? A Knight's body may seem incredibly sturdy to ordinary people, unfazed by iron swords and great axes, but against a wizard's spells, it's all meaningless!"
Riiiip!!! Torresas tore the scroll in his hands open, and a powerful, frigid wave of magic spread across the entire arena.
Countless wisps of white steam materialized from thin air and crystallized into ice, spreading in every direction.
The surrounding temperature plummeted by several dozen degrees. Off to the side, Biji dragged her fallen friend behind Leilin, her body shivering uncontrollably. She stared at Leilin's back, gratitude and confusion clearly written on her face.
This person held no place in her memory, yet Biji had a gut feeling — she definitely knew this powerful figure who had suddenly appeared to save her!!!
"Who... exactly are you?" Biji gazed at Leilin's back, her expression conflicted.
At this moment, the wizard scroll in Torresas's hands finished activating. Centered on him, the surrounding area of several hundred meters was transformed into a frozen wasteland. Tree branches and grass were coated in white frost and icicles, as though winter's coldest season had descended in an instant.
"Ding!!! Subject affected by freezing — estimated speed reduced by 43%." The Chip's voice rang out, devoid of emotion.
"No matter how fast a Knight is, once you strip away his speed, he's just a quail on the cutting board — nothing but a meal waiting to be served!"
Across the field, Torresas looked at Leilin's figure — hair and eyebrows frosted white with ice — and sneered. "I can manipulate this spell somewhat. The cold you're experiencing is definitely far more intense than what those two girls felt. How does it feel?"
"What a shame!"
Leilin felt a twinge of regret. Just from the magical formations on this apprentice's boots and the scroll he had used, it was clear he had remarkable expertise in magical formations — or his mentor was a specialist in the field, capable of crafting custom equipment and scrolls for him.
Leilin truly wished he could sit down and exchange intelligence on alchemy and runes with this person. Unfortunately, that was nothing but a pipe dream.