by Zhuang Bifan
Lin Li gave a start. "What does it mean?"
"It means that if you don't take it seriously and get thrashed too badly by me, you'll be the laughing stock of the whole guild."
"What's wrong with you…" Lin Li was amused yet annoyed. The old fellow's brain was indeed wired differently from others. He was using a strength nearing that of a legendary-mage to bully a trial apprentice, and he was actually relishing it, having the cheek to broadcast such a low-down thing…
"It's for your own good. Don't you know 'to know the things of shame is to be near fortitude'?" Macklin was especially smug. "But, don't worry. I am a person of status, after all. I will not bully you with pure strength. In order to be fair, I will only use a level-15 strength."
"You sure?"
"Duh, do I not know what you're capable of? It's more than enough to deal with you with a level-15 strength!"
"Then, you can try…" Since Macklin was so confident, Lin Li couldn't say anything more. He took his Winter Staff out from the Ring of Endless Storm and challenged him. "Come on!"
Two powerful magical waves emanated from both men at the same time.
Mason and Orrin took a few steps back subconsciously and looked at them with some apprehension. They knew that they were very, very strong all along. One was at the peak of the Archmage realm, and the other young mage was a monster that could not be measured by common sense.
But it was only at that moment that they really felt how strong they were.
Just the magical waves that emanated from them had forced the two of them back a few steps. As they took in the incomparably strong power, both of them measured themselves up in their hearts—what would be their end if they were to replace them to fight? The result disappointed both of them…
If they were to replace either of them, perhaps they wouldn't even be able to release a spell before being turned into ashes by the other party. It would be a complete suppression of strength, without even slightest room for them to resist.
"Hey…" Mason poked Orrin, and asked in a very low voice, "Don't you feel that kid, Felic, has gotten even stronger than before…?"
"Duh."
While the two were talking, Macklin suddenly moved. There was only a rushed recitation, and a flash of lightning tore open the air. Winding arcs, like golden snakes, surrounded Lin Li in an instant.
"F*ck, that old fellow's ruthless…" Mason watched, his mouth agape. He'd never imagined that the old fellow would release a Cloud Storm, which was a level-14 spell, on the first move. With Felic's current strength, it would be a little problematic for him to cope with it.
Lin Li was not fl.u.s.tered at all despite being under the Cloud Storm. He had seen the Cloud Storm back in Jarrosus, and knew the elemental structure of this spell well. He watched Macklin summon the lightning in the sky, but there was no panic in his expression. He merely erected an Elemental Shield and began a hurried recitation. When the golden snakes fell from the sky, a Lightning Shield Field had surrounded him.
"Good job, Felic!" After breaking through the realm of a Magic Shooter, Mason's vision had improved drastically. At this time, he could see some subtle things, just like the Lightning Shield Field that was released by Lin Li at present.
The Lightning Shield Field was a level-10 magic spell. It was not a difficult spell to cast; it was especially not a big deal for Felic, who possessed a level-13 strength. But just at that moment, the Lightning Shield Field and the Elemental Shield were lit up almost at the same time.
This also meant that his teammate had unleashed two magic spells concurrently.
The gap between releasing one spell and two spells was not as simple as one plus one equalling two.
Not to mention Mason, even Macklin was slightly surprised.
As soon as the Lightning Shield Field was lit, Macklin knew that his attack had missed its target. Even three Cloud Storms wouldn't break the Elemental Shield and the Lightning Shield Field.
"Not bad!" Macklin nodded his head, and there was a little approval in his eyes. Meanwhile, a raging flame was rising above his thin right hand.
Chapter 207 - Advantage
"You flatter me…" Lin Li faked modesty, but his recitation did not stop. While using the protection of the Lightning Shield Field to withstand the heavy bombardment of the thunderstorm, he released a sinister Wall of Fire at Macklin's foot. The old fellow had to halt his recitation and retreat several steps in a row. In this time, Lin Li's Mana Retroaction had been completed…
"…" Macklin was halfway through his recitation of the spell and was interrupted by Lin Li, which almost made him vomit blood in anger. He had ended up in the ditch. He had misjudged the kid's strength from the start, which led to all the wrong steps he'd taken now. Ever since the kid had resisted his Cloud Storm with the Lightning Shield Field, he had slid into a passive situation that was hard to reverse.
This was the case in the battle between mages. A single mistake might change the outcome of a battle.
Macklin might not be so upset if it was under ordinary circ.u.mstances. After all, he was a character close to the Legendary Realm. Even if there were minor mistakes occasionally, he could make up for them by means of his powerful strength. But he had no chance at present. His power had been suppressed at level-15; he could not even release a level-16 Flame Shield. Besides a deeper understanding of the rules and a more sophisticated use of power, Macklin was no better than a Magic Shooter who had just broken through level-15.
Macklin could not help but frown because of the intense pain caused by the bite of mana, and was ultimately shocked by the power his opponent displayed. He could already sense that this was not a power a Magic Shooter should have. Even if this kid had talent, he could never have such power at the rank of a Magic Shooter.
Hell… an Archmage. An Archmage under the age of 20… Macklin almost lost his mind on the spot. What was the concept of an Archmage below 20? Even in the Dark Ages, the race that considered itself the most perfect under the stars had never had such a genius.
On the contrary, there had been a genius like this in the human race less gifted in magic than the High Elves. His name was Geresco, the God of Mages who defeated the whole Magic Legion by himself. In the legends of any clans, he existed as a God—even the human mages had to admit that people like Geresco shouldn't appear in Anril. His power was comparable only to that of a true God.
Fortunately, there was only one Geresco…
Macklin's hands were trembling with excitement as he tried desperately to support the Elemental Shield. He himself was a mage close to the legendary-level. How could he not know what the power displayed by Lin Li meant? Furthermore, this power was not innate; it was built up step by step. Macklin remembered very clearly that, just a month ago, this kid only possessed the strength of a level-12 Magic Shooter—Macklin even witnessed his breakthrough from level-12 to level-13.
Merely a month later, the young mage possessed the strength of an Archmage…
Macklin's hands trembled slightly. He had already felt it in his heart—perhaps today's battle would herald the birth of another God of Mages…
In the meantime, Lin Li's attacks were becoming sharper. Except for the Flaming Storm having its duration of recitation compressed to the limit, almost all of his attacks were instantaneous spells. These instantaneous spells that Macklin usually did not even bother to look at were extremely frightening at this time. Almost every strike would weaken the Elemental Shield by one point. The innumerable instantaneous spells formed a huge elemental net in the hall, like a boulder that was pressed on Macklin, rendering him breathless.
The difficulty of this battle had exceeded Macklin's expectations.
He had never been so suffocated as he was presently. The feeling of powerlessness almost drove him crazy.
He had an overwhelming advantage, whether in terms of strength or skills, while in terms of experience, that young boy was far from able to catch up with him.
However, because of a moment's mistake,
he had fallen into passivity for the whole battle.
… It was to the degree that a level-18 Archmage had to struggle for a little respite in front of a young kid…
At a side, Mason and Orrin were totally stupefied.
They couldn't believe what they saw. They rubbed their eyes hard almost concurrently, trying to see the scene before them more clearly.
"I'm not mistaken, right…? Is that really Felic?" Mason was dumbstruck, his eyes glazed. He watched the two men in the battle like they were a mouse f*cking an elephant…
"Yes." Orrin's face turned a little pale. He had never thought that his teammate would be this strong.
How strong was Macklin? He was a legendary figure. In the whole Alanna Guild of Magic, only President Aldwin was slightly stronger than him. In the eyes of trial mages like Orrin and Mason, Macklin's strength was at an unimaginable level. Even a finger of his could easily crush them to death.
As for challenging Macklin, they did not even think about it…
But, at present, Macklin was not only challenged, but also seemed to be in leeward.
In the eyes of Mason and Orrin, it was as if a dream…
Although at the beginning of the battle, Macklin had said that he would suppress his power at level-15…
… But even a level-15 strength was not what young mages like Mason and Orrin could imagine. It was the power of an Archmage, and this power was held in the hands of Macklin. With his skills and combat experience, how could any ordinary Archmage rival him?
"I must be still asleep…"
"…"
Just as Orrin and Mason were appalled by the scene before them, the entire Guild of Magic was in a complete state of tumult.
Through the 12 Warlock's Eyes at the top of the arena, every detail of the battle between the two men was transmitted and clearly reflected on each mage's crystal ball.
Macklin was second only to Aldwin in the Alanna Guild of Magic. No one could remember when this grand old man had had his last battle. When the party of four entered the arena, at least half of the mages in the Alanna Guild of Magic were speculating about the identities of those young mages and the reason why Macklin had personally brought them into the arena.
Some of the well-informed ones had pulled themselves together, for they knew that these young people were Macklin's apprentices for the trial. They were sure that Macklin had brought them into the arena to show them the ways of magic.
Such opportunities were not always available.
Even the president of the guild, Aldwin, sat in front of the crystal ball with a smile on his face; sitting opposite him was Archmage Darian, who had a complex look on his face. Macklin had not been in action for a long time. His strength had long been an unknown secret within the Guild of Magic. Even President Aldwin would like to see how strong the most powerful Archmage was currently.
When the Cloud Storm was released, almost everyone cursed subconsciously, That old fellow, Macklin, is really mean…
He was merely coaching a young apprentice—did he have to dramatize? He had actually released the Cloud Storm on the first move; wasn't it clear that he wanted to end this battle in an instant?
However, what happened next almost had their eyes popping out of the sockets.
That was because they suddenly saw the so-called young apprentice releasing an Elemental Shield and supporting a Lightning Shield Field at the same time. With the protection of these two spells, the powerful Cloud Storm could not affect his spell recitation at all.
This detail was too critical. The battle between two mages of the same level was actually about who could recite better, faster, and more completely, and he'd be the one who would win the final victory.
There was no doubt that the young apprentice's recitation was faster and more complete.
So…
Macklin fell under the Wall of Fire without suspense.
When Macklin had to break the spell and retreat in a hurry, some of the mages who were watching through the crystal ball frowned in spite of themselves. Macklin was at a great disadvantage. The spell was interrupted before the Mana Retroaction had hit him, which meant that the other party could interrupt him again at any time if he wished to.
What was the concept of two forced interruptions in a battle? If it were a battle between mages of the same level, these two opportunities were what it would take to decide the outcome of the battle.
Fortunately, Macklin was powerful after all. Even if he was only using level-15 strength, it was more than enough to deal with a young apprentice.
So, the mages merely frowned, but none of them were worried for Macklin at all.
For them, the outcome of the battle was set in stone long ago. Even if the young apprentice had the greatest advantage, it was only a struggle and an episode of the battle. Macklin could end the battle with his strength whenever he wanted.
But very soon, they realized that they had guessed it wrong again…
The battle continued, and the young apprentice did, as everyone had guessed, gain the upper hand with a Mana Retroaction. However, Macklin failed to even up the odds with his level-15 strength, and it seemed that his disadvantage was getting worse by the time…
Gradually, the mages around the crystal ball began to understand…
The young man who was beating up Macklin was not an apprentice at all; he was a real Archmage!
"Oh, my God…" Cries of alarm rang out at the same time in the Alanna Guild of Magic.
Chapter 208 - Psionic Potion
"Archmage!?" In the president's room, Aldwin let out an exclamation. He leaned his hunched body slightly forward as if to see the crystal ball clearer. The strength of this young apprentice was beyond his expectation.
In the big Alanna Guild of Magic, if there was a person who knew best about Lin Li's strength, it would probably be Aldwin. Although they did not have much contact with each other, and only met a few times altogether, Aldwin was someone who had lived for more than 100 years. Were his experience and vision comparable to those of ordinary people? With his experience and vision, he was able to see many things that others could not.
But even with Aldwin's rich experience and sharp vision, he probably could not see that this fellow had secretly attained the strength of an Archmage…
This was certainly the last thing that Aldwin had expected.
Since the onset of the Flaming Storm, Aldwin had been staring at the scene in the crystal ball in a daze. After a long time, he sighed. "Gerian's luck is really enviable…"
With Aldwin's insight, how could he not understand what it meant to have an Archmage under the age of 20? This meant that the Jarrosus Guild of Magic would not have to worry about anything for the next 100 years, because another God of Mages was likely to be born in this remote little guild.
Aldwin looked a little envious when he said this.
However, it was just envy. At Aldwin's age, he had come to take things in stride. It could only be said that Gerian was in luck to be able to discover such a magic genius.
Compared with Aldwin's composure, Darian, who was sitting opposite him, seemed to have lost it.
"This is impossible!" When Lin Li suppressed Macklin with a large number of instantaneous spells, the look on Darian's face suddenly changed. His whole face turned ghastly white all at once, and he looked like a cat having its tail stepped on. He jumped up from his chair, waved his hands in exaggeration at the scene in the crystal ball, and screamed, "This is impossible. How could he be an Archmage? He must have cheated!"
"Darian, nothing is impossible…" Aldwin had been in charge of the Alanna Guild of Magic as early as a few decades ago. How could he not know the feud between Darian and that fat president from Jarrosus? But this was, after all, a personal grudge. Furthermore, one was the president of the Jarrosus Guild of Magic, and the other was the right-hand man he had always relied on, so Aldwin had turned a blind eye all along and pretended not to know anything.
Fortunately, Gerian had gone to
Jarrosus. There had been little contact between the two men in the past few decades, so there was no occasion for them to expand their grievances.
But since Felic's arrival to Jarrosus, the feud of that year seemed to have continued on.
Speaking of which, it was also quite a coincidence. Felic, that kid, was a born troublemaker. First, he wounded Darian's trial apprentice, and then he wounded Darian's nephew. After that, Aldwin could vaguely feel that Darian had come to possess great hostility to the young mage.
If it was just another mage, perhaps Aldwin would continue to turn a blind eye. After all, although Darian was arrogant and domineering, he would not dare to do anything out of line under his nose. At most, he would only make the other party suffer a little. This could serve as a kind of drill for young mages.
But not with Felic…
Not to mention the Alanna Guild of Magic had to rely on Felic for the bet that'd be due six months later, just due to his relationship with Andoine and Old Grimm, and the strength he had shown at this time, Aldwin would never allow anyone to lay a hand on the young mage. Are you kidding? Who will take the blame for offending Andoine and Old Grimm? Those two old guys are not easy to handle. They can do anything if they really set their minds to it.
Even if Aldwin was the only level-21 legendary-mage in the Felan Kingdom, he would never provoke these two old guys unless necessary.
Moreover, Lin Li was a genius who had reached the realm of an Archmage before he was even 20 years of age.
This genius had gone beyond the region. He belonged not only to the Jarrosus Guild of Magic, but also to the entire Felan Kingdom. As the head of 24 Guilds of Magic in the Felan Kingdom, Aldwin had the responsibility not to let him come to any harm.
No matter what Darian had in his mind or what he had done before, his hostility toward the young mage had to be curbed from now on.
Aldwin assumed an unprecedented seriousness and asked, "Darian, how long have you not seen Gerian?"
