novelzi Chapter 85: Paper Can Never Cover Fire
Chapter 85: Paper Can Never Cover Fire
Chapter 85: Paper Can Never Cover Fire
The group stayed for about a week.
During this week, Liu Ji felt as if he were reliving the final hundred days before the college entrance exams.
Never before had he been so grateful for having endured that period of intense study, for without it, he wasn't sure he could have survived this grueling schedule.
Fortunately, he made it through, never once complaining about the hardship or fatigue, and he didn't let Yaine down.
Well...
At least, that's what Liu Ji believed.
In truth, he hadn't let Yaine down. But at the same time, he had greatly disappointed her.
After all, their lessons were one-on-one. It wasn't the sort where the teacher hands out a set of worksheets, then goes off to fiddle with their phone. This was intensive, hands-on teaching. As exhausting as it was for Liu Ji, it was even more tiring for Yaine.
Out of pride and a strict sense of self-discipline, as long as Liu Ji didn't ask for a break, Yaine couldn't bring herself to suggest one either.
She had hoped countless times that Liu Ji would request a rest, but the latter stubbornly pushed on, forcing her to do the same. By the end of the week, both of them were sporting dark circles under their eyes.
Of course, the hard work started to pay off.
Besides incantation, Liu Ji had now learned some basic conversational skills in the common language. However, unlike incantation, these new language skills required constant practice to retain, so he hadn't made as much progress as he would have liked in just a week.
But when it came to magic, Liu Ji's progress was remarkably fast. In the span of seven days, he had grasped seven different spells.
While these were all basic water spells, and some were merely variants of each other, this achievement was still something to be proud of.
These spells were primarily for practice and had limited practical applications. Mainly, they could be used for washing stuff or temporarily soothing wounds.
However, during this process, Liu Ji learned something essential—extending his will to control fluids.
This was the foundation of water magic, and he spent the first three days focused solely on this.
In fact, most people would take much longer to grasp these concepts, usually weeks or even months.
Liu Ji's rapid mastery wasn't due to extraordinary talent but rather his unique ability to transform into a water elemental spirit.
On a cliff at the edge of the desert, a squad of twelve had made it all the way up.
Staring ahead at the lush, verdant forest that lay before them, they paused, exchanging no words as they spread out in silence.
Then, without any hesitation, they began to clear the grass, tracing an intricate pattern into the earth. Their movements were synchronized, almost as if they were a single entity, and it wasn't long before an elaborate and ornate magic circle emerged on the ground.
Next, one of the warriors drew a blade across his throat. His eyes rolled back as he collapsed to the ground, his blood flowing freely from his neck and seeping into the grooves of the array. The lines of the magic circle began to fill with his blood, yet it was clear that just this one sacrifice was insufficient.
The other warrior turned to look at one of the shield guards. They exchanged a brief look before the shield guard cast aside his shield, removed his chest plate, and offered his neck.
Without a moment's hesitation, the warrior swung his axe, severing the shield guard's head in a single stroke.
Blood sprayed into the circle, further saturating its intricate patterns. Yet still, the lines appeared faint.
A scout stepped forward, his curved dagger already poised at his own throat. He dropped to his knees, letting his life's blood drain into the thirsty magic circle.
Finally, the magic circle seemed satiated, its crimson lines glowing with an unearthly light.
Two mages and two priests stepped forward to the four corners of the circle, lifting their staffs high as they began to chant in incantation.
Torrential magic surged from their bodies, far beyond the norms of any spell they had cast before. A luminous white light began to coalesce within the circle, growing steadily larger.
But as the light expanded, so too did its demand for power. The magic power from the mages and priests were drained at a terrifying speed.
The priests, who had less magic to offer, visibly paled and started bleeding from their noses. Soon, blood dripped from their eyes, then ears, until finally, with a dreadful pop, blood erupted from their seven orifices, and they crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
The remaining mages felt the pressure intensify, and it wasn't long before they succumbed to the same fate. Even in death, the circle continued to draw the last vestiges of magic from their bodies, draining every drop it could find.
When the light reached its zenith, a figure emerged from within.
It was a woman, clad in a splendid white robe, a pristine cape flowing behind her. Her long, dark hair cascaded down her back, giving her an air of elegance and intellect.
Stepping out of the light, she surveyed the corpses and the few survivors who remained. With a flick of her wrist, the twelve squad members exploded, their bodies dissolving into pools of blood that flowed back into the circle's patterns.
"Ah, the king's intuition was right. There's truly more to this desert than meets the eye..." she mused softly, stepping toward the forest.
Behind her, the light of the magic circle glowed brighter, accompanied by a sound that resonated through the air—a rhythmic marching, as if a battalion was assembling from the depths of the magic circle.@@@@