Kill an Intermediate Mage

"Teacher Tang Yue, I have another request."

A hint of longing flickered in Lin Lan's eyes as he spoke to Tang Yue.

"Go ahead. What is it?" Tang Yue asked.

"I've broken through to the intermediate level, so I want to find a place to awaken a new magic element. It'll improve my strength and help me protect Bocheng."

Lin Lan voiced his idea. Tang Yue had both money and influence, so he would not need to spend time finding a place to awaken on his own. It would save him the trouble.

"That makes sense. A seventeen-year-old Intermediate Mage really is hard to imagine. I'll help you find a place, but you'll have to pay for it yourself." Hearing Lin Lan's request, Tang Yue recalled how he always demanded compensation whenever he helped out and shot him a glare.

"Of course I'll pay for it myself~ Thank you so much, Teacher Tang Yue. You're truly the greatest benefactor of my life, Lin Lan's greatest benefactor."

"Teacher Tang Yue, then I'll head back to cultivate."

Lin Lan returned to his room and began cultivating. Only 8 of the 49 stars in his Space Element had been lit up, so he still needed to master all 49 as soon as possible. He had five Star Chart Books left, two of which were to be given to Mo Fan.

The road of cultivation had only just begun~ Learning was boundless, and magic knew no limits. Before truly powerful mages, Lin Lan was still far too weak.

In the blink of an eye, another three days passed. The closer the magical college entrance exam drew, the more desperately the students in class cultivated. Lin Lan was immersed in that atmosphere as well, and it gave cultivation a unique flavor. As the saying went, "If the spring breeze pities the flowers, could it grant me youth once more?"

In the sunny third month of spring, a fine drizzle fell steadily, and the sky was heavy with gloom.

"Brother Fan, the weather's really gloomy today~" Zhang Xiaohou said to Mo Fan after glancing at the sky.

"It's spring. A little rain is normal," Mo Fan said.

"Brother Lan seems to have been taking a different route lately. That isn't even where his home is~ When I asked him, he said he was busy." Zhang Xiaohou sounded rather curious.

"Who knows? He's probably going to see some girl." Mo Fan shrugged.

"Achoo... I've never heard of a mage catching a cold~ One thought, two curses, three colds. Hmm~ Teacher Tang Yue must be thinking about me."

Lin Lan sneezed as he walked down the street, then muttered to himself.

"He's finally shown himself. Once we move, remember to finish this quickly." Three strange figures in black robes and black masks emerged from an alley by the roadside and walked straight toward Lin Lan. Tall, fat, and short—they had everything except a skinny one.

"Damn it, again!" Lin Lan focused his gaze. Weren't these Black-robed Scholars? Fortunately, there were not many pedestrians on the road.

"I'll play with him first." The shorter Black-robed Scholar stepped forward.

"Fire Burst—Explode." The shorter Black Vatican member cast with great speed. Blazing flames blasted directly toward Lin Lan, evaporating the rainwater in the air into mist.

"Mind Control—Repel." Lin Lan immediately used Space Element magic to disperse the flames, then swiftly widened the distance between them.

"Space Element! Interesting~" The short Black-robed Scholar spoke in a playful tone, and he was probably grinning beneath that mask.

"Sky Flash—Lightning Seal—Raging Strike." Lin Lan's spells flowed together seamlessly. The Lightning Seal within the rainwater filled even the water in the air with arcs of electricity, and the Raging Thunder was about to strike the short Black-robed Scholar.

"Rock Barrier—Mountain Screen." A second-tier Intermediate Level Earth Magic spell rose above him. The Earth Element was the greatest counter to the Lightning Element, and the Lightning Seal was neutralized by the earth.

"I like this prey. No wonder Lord Hu Jin called the three of us here to deal with you. A spirit-grade lightning seed and the Space Element—impressive indeed~ Hahaha." The fat Black-robed Scholar sounded somewhat approving, though there was even more madness in his voice.

"Stop talking nonsense. Let's attack together. I saw someone call the police just now." The taller Black-robed Scholar wasted no words. Together with the fat one, he launched Intermediate Level Magic at Lin Lan.

"Thunderbolt—Toppling Strike."

"Ice Lock—Ice Chain."

The Ice Lock restrained "Lin Lan" first, and then a terrifying Thunderbolt crashed down from above. It blasted a deep crater into the ground, shattering the concrete and overturning the soil, which turned pitch-black.

"Strange. Why is he completely unharmed?"

"Doesn't that make it even more interesting?"

"That's not right. My Ice Lock clearly restrained him."

"Lin Lan" stood there as though nothing had happened. Though bound by the Ice Lock, he had not suffered the slightest injury. The three men were puzzled, but they were not afraid.

"Spatial Rhythm—Compression." As Lin Lan's clone vanished, he appeared fifty meters away from them and unleashed Spatial Magic. A powerful gravitational force instantly bore down on the three men. It crushed them until they could barely breathe, yet they did not fall to their knees and continued struggling desperately.

"Damn it! This guy is too strange."

"He appears and disappears like a ghost, and he's an Intermediate Mage of the Space Element."

The tall and fat men could still speak, though sweat continually poured down their faces. The short man could only struggle frantically, unable to catch his breath.

"Space Annihilation."

"Bang—Crash—"

"AAAAAH~" The shorter Black-robed Scholar let out a heart-wrenching scream. Under the combined effects of spatial compression, explosion, and gravity, his body was instantly reduced to a mangled heap of flesh.

"Pant, pant, pant~"

After that chain of attacks, Lin Lan's face had turned pale as he panted without pause. His mental strength had been heavily depleted just maintaining the gravity, and the magical energy in his Space Element was nearly exhausted as well. At most, he had enough energy left to cast Intermediate Level Magic two more times. Yet his mental strength was too drained—if he used it again, he would pass out here and be at their mercy.

"Who would've thought~ Who would've thought that not only did you have a spirit seed, but your Space Element was also so unpredictable? The two of us nearly died here."

"You damned bastard, I feel like your gravity crushed my internal organs flat. I'll electrocute you to death, you dog. I'll torture you until you die."

The tall and fat Black-robed Scholars gradually recovered from the gravity. Looking at their companion's corpse, their eyes brimmed with killing intent.

"You Black Vatican idiots, I don't know where every last one of you left your brains."

"You people only know how to swarm in packs like dogs, yet your combat experience is as outdated as antiques. Give me a little more time, and I'll scatter even your Pope's ashes."

Lin Lan forced himself to hold on, intending to stall for time. Many passersby had already reported the incident to the authorities. As long as someone came to help, he could get away safely.

"Enough nonsense. Go to hell."

"Ice Lock~" The fat Black-robed Scholar said no more. Several Ice Locks bound Lin Lan's hands and feet, steadily tightening around him.

Lin Lan felt as though his limbs were about to go numb. The icy chill kept spreading through his entire body. He struggled desperately to break free, but it was useless, and his consciousness gradually blurred under the frost's assault.

"Quick! Hit him with another Lightning Seal! I was injured by that gravity attack just now—I can't hold him for long!" the fat Black-robed Scholar hurriedly told the taller one, continuously tightening the ice chains with his hands.

"Thunderbolt~ Toppling Strike."

The tall Black-robed Scholar traced a star pattern with his hand. A terrifying thundercloud gathered above Lin Lan's head, and in the next second, a Lightning Bind carrying the force to pierce through everything blasted straight down at him.

"Boom~"

The Ice Locks around Lin Lan shattered under the lightning, and his entire body was swallowed by the Lightning Bind.

"He's definitely dead. Get ready to retreat."

The tall Black-robed Scholar quickly called for the fat one to leave.

"Leave? Did you ask me? The ones going to hell are you beasts!"

"Sky Flash~ Thunderbolt~ Toppling Strike!"

A pale white light ignited in Lin Lan's eyes. His voice sounded like the whisper of a demon from hell, come in person to claim the lives of these two beasts.

"No... no, that's impossible. Impossible... Aaaahhh..."

"Why is his lightning element also at the intermediate level?!"

Terror filled their eyes, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably. Pale white lightning crashed down, its violent power annihilating even their souls, turning their bodies into charred remains.

Lin Lan's body could no longer hold on, and he collapsed.

Because the Black Vatican members wore masks, they could only be described as tall, short, or fat—those were their only distinguishing features, since they needed to conceal their identities.