Over the next two days, the Monthly Test proceeded smoothly.
Every student showcased their full potential on the dueling platform. They had clearly made remarkable progress compared to when they first enrolled. Although there were occasional bumps and minor injuries, everything remained within acceptable limits.
Many students developed a mutual respect through their matches. For example, Copico faced off against a wood-attribute mage girl from Rainbow Class Two. Even though his attribute was at a disadvantage, Copico refused to be outdone, going back and forth with her in a fierce battle. Ultimately, Copico claimed victory, and as the girl stepped off the platform, she even invited him to duel again whenever he had time.
Judging by the smiles on their faces, everyone could smell the faint blossom of romance in the air.
On the third day came the finals.
Once again, it was a showdown between Zhang Ye and Nan.
Unsurprisingly, Zhang Ye won in the end, though the process was anything but easy.
Although Nan was weaker than Zhang Ye, he fought with extraordinary ferocity against him.
Dual-blade style? No, no, no—it was a Four-Blade Style!
During their earlier research on lightning magic, Zhang Ye had developed 【Magnetic Link】. Nan had quickly mastered it and applied it directly in combat.
Connecting the blades with magic chains created via Magnetic Link, Nan wielded two swords in his hands while two more flew through the air, taking his sheer aggression to a whole new level!
And that was just his preliminary mastery. Once he became more proficient, controlling more than two extra blades wouldn't be an issue—a thousand-blade style wouldn't just be a dream!
As a result, during the match, Zhang Ye was hacked into flying all over the place, howling in dismay.
In the end, Nan unleashed a ferocious 【Triple Thunder Prison Kill】, anticipating where Zhang Ye would land after using Blink. The burst was so terrifyingly fast that Zhang Ye had to rely on Retrograde to dodge it.
It was undeniably thrilling.
In the final rankings, Zhang Ye took first place, Nan second, Lina third, and Shana fourth.
Shana's Explosion Magic was formidable, far more powerful than standard fire magic. Taking a Bursting Flame directly to the face was not something an average mage could endure.
Looking at the title next to his name on the rankings, Zhang Ye sighed repeatedly.
【Romantic... Platform】
It was so utterly ridiculous that Zhang Ye was left utterly speechless, suffering in silence.
Meanwhile, Xi Ya's matches concluded quickly as well. As expected, she secured first place once again, earning a promotion to the Yellow Class!
To celebrate, Zhang Ye hosted another victory banquet and prepared a sumptuous lunch.
That afternoon, Zhang Ye went to Leona and said, “Big Nana, I'd like to ask for some time off.”
“What for?” Leona asked.
“I need to make a trip to Claude Canyon,” Zhang Ye replied.
“To find the Water Spirit?” Leona raised an eyebrow.
Zhang Ye scratched his head with an embarrassed chuckle. “Yeah, I want to visit her.”
Leona considered it for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. I'll grant you five days of leave. You must be back in five days.”
“Awesome!” Zhang Ye beamed brightly. “Thanks, Big Nana!”
“Off you go,” Leona said with a smile.
Zhang Ye happily trotted off to make preparations for his journey.
Leona had complete peace of mind when it came to Zhang Ye.
That same day, after bidding everyone farewell, Zhang Ye set off, flying toward Claude Canyon. Along the way, he was in high spirits, humming tunes and singing songs. However, as he drew closer to his destination, an ominous foreboding began to swell in his heart...
...
Claude Canyon, Water Spirit Lake.
Hainowei curled inside an orb of water, releasing subtle mana ripples.
Suddenly, she opened her eyes, her brow furrowing tightly.
She sensed something rapidly approaching.
That presence... the Holy See?!
A flash of hesitation passed through Hainowei's eyes.
She knew the Holy See's purpose for coming here.
They were here for her.
And her Origin.
But if she left, would she ever see Zhang Ye again?
This was the only place where Zhang Ye could find her...
As she wavered in indecision, those presences drew rapidly nearer.
Finally, she realized she couldn't wait any longer.
She immediately dispersed the water orb and poured her mana into the altar stone pillar nearby—the magic circle Zhang Ye had constructed for her.
Radiance swirled as the magic circle was activated, and the Origin hidden at the bottom of the lake simultaneously materialized beside her.
Absorbing the Origin into her body, Hainowei cast one final glance toward the distance—the direction in which Zhang Ye had once departed.
“You'll find me, won't you?”
Before her voice fully faded, the agents of the Holy See appeared in the sky directly above the lake.
A Three-star Saint-tier stood at the lead, accompanied by twelve subordinates—all of whom were One-star or Two-star Saint-tiers!
And this was merely one small squad sent by the Holy See to capture the Water Spirit; even more powerful teams had been dispatched to hunt down her more formidable clones.
Looking at their distinctive golden armor, Hainowei let out a soft sigh. In the next instant, the magic circle burst with dazzling light, enveloping her figure.
Seeing this, the Three-star Saint-tier gasped in shock. “It's a teleportation magic circle! Intercept her, quickly!”
However, before they could move, Hainowei's figure had already vanished, and the magic circle self-destructed immediately after triggering.
The squad leader cursed under his breath, then ordered, “Lock onto her presence! Pursue!”
With that, they burst forth with terrifying speed, shooting straight into the distance.
The moment they had arrived, they had locked onto Hainowei's aura, tracking her using a specialized Treasure that could detect her presence even thousands of miles away.
The pursuit team advanced with immense speed and soon arrived at the location where Hainowei's aura re-emerged. There, they found only a spent, destroyed magic circle.
“Damn it!” the leader cursed in a low voice. “Pool your strength into me! We cannot let her escape!”
“Understood!” the twelve One-star and Two-star Saint-tiers called out together, channeling their mana. Instantly, waves of powerful energy poured into the leader, causing him to burst with blazing radiance.
Though he remained a Three-star Saint-tier, his power now rivaled that of a Four-star Saint-tier!
Exploding with maximum speed, he hurtled off in Hainowei's direction, leaving the others behind.
By transferring their energy to their leader, they granted him boosted strength and speed for a short duration to facilitate the capture, though it left them in a weakened state.
On the other side, Hainowei continually relocated through one teleportation magic circle after another. Soon, she reached the junction where magic circles in three different directions awaited her choice.
Without hesitation, Hainowei chose the middle route—the escape path leading to the Qiongde Snow Mountains!
That was the path Zhang Ye had recommended to her. She clearly remembered every single word and piece of advice he had given her.
To escape, to see Zhang Ye once again, she had to give it her all!
The magic circle flashed. Behind her, the squad leader continued to accelerate, his speed far exceeding several times the speed of sound, his overflowing mana leaving a visible trail in the sky.
This was a direct order from the Pope. Even if it cost him his life, he had to fulfill it!
Pursue! Pursue! Pursue!
Hainowei arrived at the Qiongde Snow Mountains, where the temperature plummeted to eighty degrees below zero.
Yet such freezing cold posed no issue for Hainowei. Ice was merely another form of water, and she could control ice just as well, even if her mastery over cold lacked the sheer power of an Ice Elemental Spirit.
Just as she was preparing for her next teleportation, a burst of intense golden light erupted in the sky behind her, accompanied by the sudden arrival of a terrifyingly dangerous aura.
Reacting almost instantaneously, Hainowei elementized her body to flee into the distance. Almost at the exact same moment, a beam of golden light rained down from above, striking the location of the teleportation magic circle.
The squad leader had arrived.
Yet the target of his attack had not been Hainowei herself—he needed to capture her alive. His goal was the teleportation magic circle before it could fully activate!
He knew that once the magic circle was destroyed, Hainowei would have nowhere left to run!
A violent explosion erupted, sending tremors through the snow-covered ground as a massive crater several thousand meters wide shattered the snowy landscape.
A wave of terrifying force swept outward. Even though Hainowei's body was elementized, she suffered a heavy shock and was forced out of her elemental state.
While elementization could nullify most damage, receiving an overwhelming shock would cause her form to disperse, drastically weakening her strength or even shattering her clone entirely.
Re-forming into her physical body, Hainowei looked pale, staring grimly at the Three-star Saint-tier.
At this point, his borrowed energy had waned somewhat, dropping from the power of a Four-star Saint-tier back down to the peak of Three-star Saint-tier. Yet even so, that level of force was far beyond what Hainowei could withstand.
Hainowei's cultivation was currently barely at One-star Saint-tier, and that was only because Zhang Ye's magic circle had accelerated her recovery; otherwise, she would still be a pseudo-Saint-tier.
She was no match for him...
Sensing the magic fluctuations emanating from him, Hainowei immediately arrived at this realization.
Furthermore, he was a light-attribute Warrior whose speed was blindingly fast. Escape was impossible.
Therefore... her only choice was to fight!
Rate on N.U.
