"Crack!"
Leilin took a direct bite out of the fruit that had been cultivated through witchcraft.
As for poisons and the like? Having awakened the ancient Comoin Giant Serpent's poison talent, Leilin's constitution was now immune to the vast majority of toxins in the world. It was likely that only those equally ancient and terrifying poisons could still have any effect on him.
As the fruit entered his mouth, an extremely sweet juice began to circulate between his teeth.
"Not bad at all! And it seems to be a spiritual power potion of sorts! Even for a proper
Leilin looked at Xiling with some surprise.
"This Sicily Fruit only has an effect on proper Wizards the first time they eat it. Once a Wizard's level is too high, or if they eat it multiple times, it can only satisfy one's appetite…" Xiling said with a bitter smile, pointing out several of the fruit's flaws.
"Even so, it's still remarkable!" Leilin shook his head. The effect of this fruit was essentially equivalent to a vial of spiritual power potion. If it were placed on the South Coast, it would be enough to cause a frenzy among numerous proper Wizards. And here, even some small faction could produce one freely, giving Leilin an even clearer understanding of how rich the underground resources were.
After revealing his strength, Leilin became unhurried, enjoying the top-tier delicacies and fine wines that Xiling served along with other comforts, occasionally exchanging a few words with her.
Shortly after, Xiling took the initiative to bring up the trade Leilin had previously mentioned.
"Regarding my earlier proposal, my lord, will you not reconsider?" Xiling gazed at Leilin with a pitiful look.
"I have no intention of joining a faction and being constrained!" Leilin bluntly refused on this point.
"Please rest assured about that.
"Moreover, once you join, our Nature's Alliance's advanced meditation methods, as well as some of our inherited secret witchcraft materials, will all be opened to you!" Xiling kept raising the stakes.
After all, a lone wanderer with the strength of a Peak Tier One Wizard was extremely rare in the Twilight Zone — one might even say such a person appeared once in a century.
To go further on the path of witchcraft, substantial resources and knowledge were indispensable, and these were typically only available from large factions.
Therefore, wanderers generally had rather low strength. Semi-elementalized was already considered expert-level, and Peak Tier One? That was basically impossible to reach.
On the rare occasions that one or two did stumble upon such power, they would immediately be courted by major witchcraft factions and would never continue wandering.
Now, Xiling felt a tremendous opportunity was laid right before her!
If she could recruit Leilin, Nature's Alliance would instantly rival a mid-tier academy in terms of peak combat strength.
Therefore, even knowing the odds were slim, Xiling wanted to give it her all! In the past, she had used her beauty to entice some Wizards, but most were ordinary types who only wanted to possess her — utterly disgusting. Yet for the academy's survival, she had to suppress her revulsion and deal with them.
If a Peak Tier One Wizard stood as their pillar, so many things would be different!
"I'm sorry…" Leilin began, and Xiling's face immediately darkened.
"But there's still room for negotiation!" Leilin's next words, however, made her eyes light up again.
"I can join Nature's Alliance in name, gain access to the Ice Cavern, and receive everything you previously promised. I can even help you expand Nature's Alliance's territory to a certain extent. In exchange, at some point in the future, you and all of Nature's Alliance must not refuse any of my demands. Remember — any demand!!"
Leilin slightly modified the conditions, plunging Xiling into deep thought.
"Deal!" After pondering for a moment, this clever woman immediately nodded in agreement.
The chance to recruit a Peak Tier One Wizard didn't come often. Moreover, although Leilin said it was only nominal, as long as her side did everything right, when Nature's Alliance encountered difficulties in the future, would he really stand by and do nothing?
"Perhaps… I could also…" Xiling raised her eyes to glance at Leilin's handsome face, then lowered her head with a slight blush.
But she had been around long enough and quickly composed herself.
"I'll deliver the advanced meditation methods and witchcraft materials to you as soon as possible. When would you like to enter the Ice Cavern? I can make the arrangements…"
Xiling automatically assumed a very deferential posture.
This attitude actually surprised Leilin somewhat: "There's no need to sign a contract? I recall that when ordinary academies take in new blood, they even require a fragment of one's soul origin…"
"I trust you, Lord Leilin!" Xiling's voice was very firm, leaving Leilin a bit stunned.
Of course, he would never leave a soul origin for anyone to control him, but he had been prepared to use an Eye of Judgment contract to put her mind at ease — he still had plenty of Filth Bird feather solution in his pocket.
But it seemed the other party was smarter than he had expected, and willing to gamble!
Perhaps, in the future, Nature's Alliance would truly be able to reach glory under her leadership!
Leilin looked at Xiling, who stood before him like a servant girl, and a playful smile appeared on his face…
…
Several days later, on the Wasteland Highlands, before a building that stood beside a massive fissure.
Xiling wore purple robes and seemed to have deliberately dressed up, causing the two Apprentices behind her to swallow hard.
One of these Apprentices was even female, equally mesmerized by Xiling's stunning beauty, her gaze carrying a hint of adoration.
"Lady Xiling! Is the person we're waiting for truly a Peak Tier One Wizard?"
The other male Apprentice sounded incredulous. A Peak Tier One! A Wizard of that caliber was qualified to hold a position of real authority — like an Elder — in a major academy. Why would they lower themselves to come to a small academy?
Perhaps… it's for Lady Xiling! The male Apprentice racked his brains and could only reluctantly arrive at this seemingly reasonable explanation, his fists clenching unconsciously.
The female Apprentice, meanwhile, was practically gnashing her teeth.
In her view, that Peak Tier One Wizard must have used some method to force Lady Xiling into submission, and had even deliberately joined the academy to achieve long-term possession.
"Obo, Ilya — this Wizard Leilin has a relatively gentle temperament, but you still mustn't be rude. You two are Nature's Alliance's greatest hope. If you're fortunate enough to be noticed by Lord Leilin and taken on as Apprentices, your chances of advancing to proper Wizard will increase enormously…"
Xiling, however, didn't detect the complex thoughts churning in her two Apprentices. At this moment, she was still carefully instructing them.
She had brought these two Apprentices — the most promising candidates for Wizard advancement in Nature's Alliance — for two reasons. First, to let the people within the academy know that she had recruited a Peak Tier One Wizard to serve as their pillar. And second, she hoped they might be accepted as Leilin's students, strengthening the bond between both sides.
"Hehehe! Isn't this the leader of Nature's Alliance? Who could be worthy of the beautiful and lovely Lady Xiling coming out to greet them in person?"
At that moment, the door of the building beside the fissure opened, and another group of Wizards emerged.
The one in front was a middle-aged male, bare-chested, while his lower body resembled a spider with eight slender long legs, and at his hips there was a massive silk sac.
In total, he appeared to be half human, half spider — a monster. And protruding from his lower body was a straw-like appendage, completely exposed in the open, making Obo feel sick while Ilya lowered her head.
But they didn't dare utter a word of complaint, because this creature radiated the energy fluctuations of a proper Wizard, and one that surpassed Xiling on the other side, reaching the Semi-elementalized stage.
Through spiritual perception, they could clearly see the ring of energy particles surrounding his body — this was a power that dwarfed their academy leader Xiling!
"It's been quite a while, Wizard Shigley!" Xiling wore a warm smile and stepped forward to greet him.
Wizard Shigley first glanced at Obo and Ilya, revealing a contemptuous smile, then turned to Xiling: "Lady Xiling! Why must you cling so stubbornly to Nature's Alliance? With only two or three Apprentices who barely even have potential, you're only wasting your youth and your precious life. Why not join our Eight-Legged Spider Academy instead? I can give you a position second only to my own…"
Shigley finished speaking while licking his lips, making no effort to conceal his greed toward Xiling.
"I'm sorry, Lord Shigley, I…" The smile on Xiling's face was strained. As he drew closer, she could smell the nauseating stench emanating from him, which made her face turn even paler.
On the other side, Obo and Ilya watched this scene, their eyes turning slightly red. If not for the fact that Shigley was a proper Wizard with strength surpassing Xiling's, they would have rushed forward already.
This Wizard Shigley was one of the leaders of the several small factions that jointly controlled the Ice Cavern alongside Nature's Alliance.
Long ago, when Nature's Alliance was still strong, he had been nothing more than a bootlicker who survived by begging and groveling.
But once Xiling took over Nature's Alliance and its strength began to decline, he had mercilessly begun to encroach upon what had originally been Nature's Alliance's interests, and even showed a covetous interest in Xiling herself.