Chapter Forty-One: Why Don’t You Abstain…

Vote for me!

——

Lan Yanlie’s transformation did nothing to disrupt the strategy of the Seventh Alchemy Peak. Xie Zhan and his three companions had anticipated that no one from the Sixth Alchemy Peak would be able to withstand Xu Wen’s first wave of magic. One after another, they unleashed four blazing fireballs ten meters to Xu Wen’s left and right!

In an instant, the arena was engulfed in soaring flames!

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Xu Wen’s own fireball had only just rolled in front of Lan Yanlie’s eyes when the four other fireballs, arranged in two lines, surged toward the four disciples of the Sixth Alchemy Peak. In the blink of an eye, the fireballs merged into a cluster in the shape of a triangle, sealing off the entire stage and blocking every possible avenue of escape.

“Damn it!”

The Sixth Alchemy Peak had lost their momentum from the very start, being led by the nose by the Seventh Peak. As the fireballs swelled and swept toward them, the four realized there was nowhere to hide, cursing their luck in their hearts.

They had assumed the Seventh Peak’s people would focus their efforts on Lan Yanlie first. They had even prepared to interfere with the battle, never expecting that the usually reserved Seventh Peak would adopt such a strategy…

The nightmare they had inflicted upon other inner disciples was now being returned to them by the Seventh Peak. Truly, what goes around comes around.

“Good!”
“Well done!!”

As the four were escorted off the stage by the judges’ protective barriers, losing their qualifications beyond any doubt, a scattered cheer erupted from the stands—it was the voices of inner disciples who had once been forced off the stage by the Sixth Peak.

Seeing the four from the Sixth Peak removed, the vast majority of the audience could not help but believe that the Seventh Peak would undoubtedly claim the Azure Cloud Academy’s quota without suspense.

But those on the high platform thought otherwise…

Indeed.

If one considered overall strength, the inner disciples of the Seventh Peak were clearly superior. As long as they gave their all, there would be no dispute over the other four battlefields. However…

With Lan Yanlie, an awakened descendant of the Lan Yan clan whose strength had soared to the three-star level, everything became unpredictable.

In the face of a three-star fire mage, no number of two-star fire spells could pose a real threat; if Lan Yanlie’s boost had not been limited to destructive power, he might have been able to annihilate them all in an instant.

After all,

Among two-star fire spells, only the “Great Fireball Technique” had any real offensive capability; the others were hardly a threat.

So, as the four from the Sixth Peak were disqualified, the elders not only felt that the contest was far from over, but they even half-closed their eyes, paying even closer attention to the arena:

The battle…

was only just beginning!

Boom!

The massive fireball that had swallowed Lan Yanlie shattered against the barrier at the edge of the stage, absorbed completely.

At that moment, a flash of blue light shot out like thunder to the left.

Its speed was no less than that of a flaming arrow; before Xu Wen and the others could react, the blue-glowing fireball had already reached Xie Zhan and Xiang Nan in the blink of an eye…

Bang!

Without any warning, the blue flame ball exploded—

A searing, deadly heat surged toward the two.

“Ah!” “…”

With startled cries, two invisible membranes blocked the blue flames, carrying them off the stage.

Against a three-star attack, Xie Zhan and Xiang Nan were also disqualified!

Jin Yu and the other girl’s faces changed drastically:

“Retreat!”

But before the words left her lips, Lan Yanlie, cloaked in blue flames, had already shot out from where the fireballs had faded, unleashing a chain of fire missiles.

Five miniature blue fireballs, dazzling and far more powerful than any ordinary one-star chain fireball.

Even the usually composed Jin Yu, as she rapidly retreated and cast her flame shield, was immediately protected by the judges and sent off the stage as the fireballs screamed toward her.

A chorus of astonished cries erupted from the crowd below. Just a chain fireball spell, yet two more were disqualified.

“What is this!”

Shi Ya, just escorted to the ground, stamped her foot in frustration, her face full of unwillingness. “This is too much! We didn’t even lose! Jin Yu, your defensive spell was already up! What kind of judging is this…”

“…We did lose.”
Jin Yu’s face was somber as she dismissed her flame shield. She had no objection to the judges’ ruling—she had been close enough to the chain fireballs to feel their terrifying heat and penetration, even more so than Shi Ya. The blue fireballs still left her heart pounding.

A normal one-star intermediate spell, but in Lan Yanlie’s hands, its power was no less than a flaming arrow. Had just two of those fireballs hit her shield, it would have shattered instantly, and the remaining fireballs could have easily ended her life.

“Hmph! See? I told you to forfeit and you wouldn’t listen.”

From the sidelines, a brown-haired girl who had been eliminated early on now ran over to Xiang Nan and the others, shouting gleefully.

“Tch!” Xiang Nan snorted with disdain, but her earlier defiance was gone, her brows creased with worry.

“The Lan Yan bloodline truly lives up to its reputation!”

Jin Yu sighed, ignoring the proud brown-haired girl, and joined Shi Ya and the others in turning their attention back to the ongoing match…

Xu Wen!

He was their only hope.

Whether they could enter Azure Cloud Academy now depended on him alone.

Barely ten seconds had passed since the match began, yet already the arena had undergone two dramatic upheavals!

At the opening, the Seventh Alchemy Peak had dominated, “instantly eliminating” four opponents for an overwhelming advantage; but in the very next moment, Lan Yanlie had single-handedly expelled four in return, leaving only a one-on-one duel.

Such a situation had never before occurred in the Hortklin family’s inner disciple competitions…

On the stage, the inner disciple wreathed in blue flames drew curious glances from those unfamiliar with the Lan Yan clan, sparking a flurry of questions and discussions.

This contest between new inner disciples had already unfolded with such spectacular twists and turns that even many three-star inner disciples in the crowd found it thrilling. Lan Yanlie, in particular, was a source of wonder—forcing his way from a two-star, seventh-rank strength to the power of three stars was simply astonishing!

Just as everyone was wondering how long Xu Wen could last against Lan Yanlie, the latter suddenly slowed his pace on stage, clutching a ball of blue fire in his hands. He advanced toward Xu Wen with cold arrogance and spoke:

“I told you, you have no hope of defeating me!”

“Save that line for after you’ve knocked me off the stage.” Xu Wen’s tone was calm, his left arm already encased in a dark-red, subdued flame shield; his right hand was crimson as blood, faintly glowing with fire—just as Lan Yanlie had seen him in the Blackwater Mountains.

Though the disqualification of Xie Zhan and the others was somewhat unexpected, it was not enough to shake his confidence.

The earlier fireball barrage had already confirmed that the blue flames enveloping Lan Yanlie’s body served as a kind of elemental armor akin to a three-star fire spell, providing protection and able to withstand multiple attacks below three-star level.

Low-level magic attacks at close range would now be useless.

His only option was to try and stall for time—the power of the blue flames, borrowed through lower-level spells, could not last long.

Lan Yanlie seemed to read Xu Wen’s thoughts, sneering as he flipped his hand to produce a pale-blue porcelain vial out of thin air:

“Stalling for time is pointless. This is a secret elixir that only awakened members of the Lan Yan clan can use. Each dose extends the duration of the blue flames. You have no chance—give up now!”