Chen Yi's Current Strength

With Orochimaru's guidance, Chen Yi still had a difficult time grasping the nature of fire.

There were many challenges, the greatest being how to use his understanding of flames to alter mana.

Fortunately, Orochimaru had encountered the same problem before. After explaining his own understanding, Chen Yi still spent a full half month before successfully getting started.

Fire Intent LV1: Fire-attribute attack damage increased by 60%!

At the same time, the Ignite skill had also improved significantly.

Ignite: A damage-over-time skill cast on a single enemy target. Deals 75 points of True Damage to an enemy Hero over 5 seconds and reduces the target's healing and recovery effects. CD: 300s.

Chen Yi's strength had taken a tremendous leap forward!

He also became increasingly optimistic about mages developing in the direction of Intent.

Weapon-type players all had their own Intent, but understanding Intent from scratch was an extremely difficult process. Still, their predecessors had carved out a small path.

That path was through various martial arts.

Those who learned the sword had the Swordsman stage, while those who learned the blade had the Blademaster stage.

Once they understood the Martial Tool in their hands well enough, they could advance toward the next stage—Intent.

But mages had no such preliminary process. They thought about elements and the structure of spells, concepts completely unrelated to Intent.

Moreover, Chen Yi guessed that this was not the only reason mages found it difficult to master Intent. Their method of meditation was also part of the reason.

Adding Intent to mana without attributes was already no easy task. Wouldn't mana influenced by Elemental Particles be even harder to alter?

Orochimaru, who had been studying mana nearby, saw Chen Yi's delighted expression and clapped in congratulations. "Congratulations, Chen Yi-kun. It seems you've finally mastered it."

"Thanks. I won't forget what I promised you."

"Then the real 'me' will be waiting for Chen Yi-kun's arrival at any time. I believe 'I' will be very happy."

"Perhaps."

After his strength had improved by leaps and bounds, Chen Yi wanted to know what level he had reached and whether he was qualified to test himself against a level 20 player.

Wasn't there a very suitable target right in front of him...

"Orochimaru, interested in exchanging a few moves?"

Of course Orochimaru was interested—very interested.

It was just that the restraints of the Game World had prevented him from acting whenever malicious thoughts arose before.

The existence that had summoned him here but never appeared silently proved its terror.

Orochimaru had no desire to court death.

But now that Chen Yi himself had proposed a spar, it was different.

Orochimaru's pupils widened slightly. "Heh~ Chen Yi-kun, let's begin."

Before his words had even faded, two pythons shot toward Chen Yi.

Shadow Snake Hand!

Orochimaru's usual opening move required no hand seals and was exceptionally flexible.

The two pythons pierced through the Earth Wall rising from the ground, but Chen Yi behind it had already pulled away.

As he retreated, he swept his staff. Fire Elemental Particles rapidly gathered together, and Flame Sparrows charged toward Orochimaru along irregular paths. As they flew swiftly, the flames trailing behind them flickered like stars in the night sky.

Orochimaru retracted his snake-transformed hands. Before he could even form a seal, the Flame Sparrows had arrived before him, making him abandon his plan to feign death.

His body, modified to be as soft as rubber, continuously evaded the Flame Sparrows' attacks. Though he appeared to be in danger, not a single Flame Sparrow could hit him.

The Flame Sparrows struck the ground, and their Instant Burst of heat nearly melted the soil.

After noticing the Flame Sparrows' attack power, Orochimaru put away his playful attitude.

As he dodged, two venomous snakes stealthily crawled from his wide sleeves. They moved quickly without making much sound.

By the time Chen Yi noticed them, the two venomous snakes had already opened their jaws.

It was too late to alter his spell. Guided by his mental power's prediction, a Flame Sparrow intercepted one venomous snake. The snake struggled in the flames for only a moment before falling to the ground, turning into black ash shortly afterward.

The other venomous snake bit down on Chen Yi's staff.

As the Repelling Fire Ring shattered, Orochimaru seemed to grip a whirlwind in his hand and slammed his palm against the ground. An invisible Shockwave rushed straight toward Chen Yi.

Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!

The Wind Style Shockwave collided with the explosive impact of the Repelling Fire Ring.

A tremendous gale surged outward, yet neither side stopped casting.

A Flame Sword appeared above Orochimaru's head, but he continued forming hand seals as if he had not seen it.

Chen Yi immediately sensed that something was wrong. The second Flame Sword decisively fell behind him.

At that moment, a python suddenly burst from the previously flat ground behind him. The python was not the killing move—the true attack was the blade in its mouth.

The Kusanagi Sword collided with the Flame Sword, producing a crisp sound.

After missing with one strike, the python retreated underground.

The Orochimaru standing in place was split in half by the Flame Sword, his twitching body turning into soil.

Earth Style: Earth Replacement!

Chen Yi had not noticed when his opponent had formed the seals, nor did he know Orochimaru's current location.

But that did not matter. The third Flame Sword had already descended.

Resonance began!

With 30% Fire elemental resistance, Chen Yi believed he would not take too much damage.

Fire Rings spread outward from the Flame Sword, carrying terrifyingly high temperatures.

Chen Yi, who had expected to be hurt, froze for a moment. So this was another benefit of Fire Intent? I still have control over the Fire Rings.

The Fire Rings met one another, melting the ground into lava under the intense heat. Only the patch beneath Chen Yi's feet remained normal ground.

Orochimaru, sensing the change in temperature below, could no longer stay put. He hurriedly burrowed deeper and emerged from the ground elsewhere.

The originally empty field now had towering flames on one side and a coiled giant python on the other.

Orochimaru emerged from within the giant python, covered in viscous fluid. He bit his thumb with one hand, rapidly formed seals with both hands, then slammed them onto the ground. "Summoning Technique!"

A Summoning Array rapidly formed on the ground beneath Orochimaru's thumb. White mist erupted from the array and shot into the sky. When it dispersed, a python dozens of meters long appeared.

Orochimaru stood atop the python's head.

Manda's tail violently lashed the ground. "Orochimaru, it's you again! This time, I want a hundred sacrifices!"

Orochimaru did not care, as long as Manda still remembered afterward.

Flame: Fireball Explosion

Player Yi dealt 75 points of Burn Damage to Manda

The seemingly respectable damage merely blackened a few scales on Manda's surface.

Even Manda, who had been attacked, wore an indifferent expression. "Orochimaru, is this brat your enemy this time?"

"Since when did you need to call me out for the sake of a little brat like this?"

Only at this moment did Chen Yi realize where the gap lay. Orochimaru had not even used all his methods, while Chen Yi only had desperate measures left.

The more mana used for Flame Demon Transformation, the stronger the Flame Demon formed would be. He would not use the Flame Demon unless absolutely necessary, because once he did, it meant there was no way back.