A Complete Victory

When he heard that the trial would continue, Yuan Chen showed little disappointment. He knew he had already succeeded halfway.

As a former member of the Elder Council of Yuentar, Grandma Lupe still commanded great prestige, even after being banished to a small village like this.

It could be said that as long as he earned Grandma Lupe's approval, he would have little trouble staying here. The so-called trial that followed was meant to convince the village's other residents...

Those ignorant ordinary villagers, who knew nothing of the outside world and whose eyes were full of disgust and rejection.

Whether he could earn the trust of these ordinary villagers would play a vital role in making his life easier in the future...

If he was still ostracized even after passing the trial, then in a tropical rainforest like this, it would be incredibly difficult to deepen his understanding of magic or learn more about Ixialia's unknown lore—the knowledge that had never made it into the setting books.

When all was said and done...

Those damn League of Legends writers. They could've just copied Azeroth for the story, and it still would've been better. Instead, the setting was still a complete mess, which meant he could only pretend to be a half-baked prophet...

With that thought, Yuan Chen kept his expression unchanged. He simply followed behind Grandma Lupe, waiting for the trial to begin.

At Grandma Lupe's call, it didn't take long for a crowd to gather in the village square.

When these simple villagers looked at Grandma Lupe, their eyes held a trace of reverence. But when they turned their gazes toward Yuan Chen, there was a hint of rejection in their eyes.

Standing in the center with a cane in hand and wearing a Vydalian Robe, Grandma Lupe spoke in a clear voice. "This young man beside me is a scholar from a distant land across the sea! A young elemental mage!"

Perhaps it was the word "scholar" that caught their attention, or perhaps it was "elemental mage." Either way, after Grandma Lupe finished speaking, Yuan Chen could clearly feel the villagers' rejection lessen, replaced by curious glances.

Sure enough, when they heard Grandma Lupe's words, a burly stonemason around thirty, with gray-white currents coiled around his wrist, spoke up at once:

"A scholar from across the sea? Grandma Lupe, is that true? I thought the lands beyond were nothing but a wasteland full of disease and conflict. How could such a world possibly produce noble elemental mages and scholars?"

That's got a real Qing Dynasty vibe.

Grandma Lupe didn't answer. Instead, she looked toward Yuan Chen, signaling for him to show them what he could do.

Yuan Chen wasn't nervous in the slightest. As a great dancer in Placidium, he'd had plenty of experience performing in public—and making a fool of himself in front of a crowd.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the middle of the square and adopted the air of a seeker of knowledge.

"I'm a dancer from Ionia, the First Lands, a distant continent across the sea. I know you have your doubts about me, but please believe me: Ionians are nothing like those foolish, violent brutes from the Valoran Continent.

"Nor are we arrogant and discourteous like the people of ancient Shurima.

"We know that humility is the virtue of those who witness the truth. Like the people and life on this land, we brim with vitality, yet we also possess iron wills."

At Yuan Chen's words, a few farmers in the crowd nodded.

"Sounds pretty good. At least he's a lot more polite than those savages. Maybe this place called Ionia has something going for it after all."

"Right. I've heard the mages in the county say that Ionia is a place that values peace. It's just a little far from here—farther than Fuguang Island!"

"No wonder this young man seems so likable. He's an outsider, but he's still very polite. A lot more polite than those Noxians!"

As it turned out, regional prejudice worked wonders no matter the world.

This was especially true for the people of Ixialia, whose culture was built on isolationism. Nestled among the mountains,

they had witnessed the fall of the Shurima Empire, the ruin of Fuguang Island, and the Rune Wars on the Valoran Continent. Their long-standing cultural pride filled them with confidence when they faced these foreign civilizations.

But Ionia was different. It lay far from Ixialia, with the entire Sea of the Watchers between them.

On top of that, Ionia had no land connection to either the Valoran Continent or the continent of Shurima. For ages, it had been cut off from the world, living on its own patch of land without getting into conflicts with outsiders.

From the villagers' conversation, Yuan Chen also learned something... The Noxians had already begun exploring the world beyond their borders.

That meant it wouldn't be long before they might launch an invasion...

The only question was how large it would be, and whether it was the great campaign he remembered—the one that had changed countless lives.

"Then how do you plan to prove who you are?"

The burly stonemason asked in a curious, gravelly voice, "Dancers and elemental mages don't have much to do with each other, do they? Let alone scholars!"

"That's not true." Since this concerned the legitimacy of his identity, Yuan Chen dropped his polite, easygoing facade and corrected him.

"In Ionia, the boundary between the material and spiritual realms is indistinct. A single stray thought can draw the attention of evil spirits.

"That is why Ionians value peace and serenity. Martial arts and dance alike are paths toward the ultimate core. Master Xinnia, the Silk Dancer, once told me that dance is the rhythm of all things moving in harmony, not a performance."

At Yuan Chen's solemn words, the stonemason, who had still been skeptical, instinctively took a step back. Then he said,

"Then how can you prove it? At least show us what you can do. Just talking about dance won't cut it!"

At that, Yuan Chen glanced at Grandma Lupe beside him. Grandma Lupe nodded, then looked toward Audan, who had been watching from the side.

"Then you'll fight Yuan Chen."

"Huh? Me?"

Audan was taken aback by Grandma Lupe's words. A little awkwardly, he said, "Is that okay? I haven't quite mastered the Axiom of Water yet... I mean, what if I hurt Yuan Chen?"

Yuan Chen didn't answer right away. Instead, he activated a scouting spell and sent it toward Audan—

A sudden, indescribable chill washed over Audan, as if some voyeur had seen right through him. At once, information about Audan appeared in Yuan Chen's mind.

Name: Audan.

Condition: Full.

Class: Elemental Mage LV2

Equipment: Fish Skin Neckguard (Common)/Fish Skin Waistguard (Common)/Fish Hunting Spear (Fine)

Skills:

Axiom of Water Lv2/Axiom of Earth, Wind Axiom, Wood Axiom Lv1.

Traits: None

Audan's stats weren't particularly impressive. A level 2 elemental mage meant he had only learned some basic techniques and could use them...

But no matter how you looked at it, his level was too low. Yuan Chen's own Battle Dancer level had already reached Master rank, LV6. And even his comparatively weaker water elemental mage abilities were at LV3, thanks to Oshirresh's Demon's Blessing.

With a demon's blessing allowing him to directly control water elements, he could probably unleash far more power in a real fight than his stats suggested.

Audan clearly had no idea where the chill had come from. He just looked around in confusion, thinking he'd lost focus.

Grandma Lupe, however, had keenly noticed Audan's reaction. She turned her gaze toward Yuan Chen—

A scouting spell could leave its target with a chill, along with a trace resembling spiritual perception.

A weakling like Audan naturally wouldn't know what had caused it. But for someone like Grandma Lupe, a former member of the Elder Council of Yuentar, it wasn't hard to detect who had cast it...

That was one reason Yuan Chen had refrained from scouting others without good cause.

In a village where the locals were already hostile to outsiders, casually casting a scouting spell would only make them dislike him more. If his target was someone like Grandma Lupe, she might even attack him outright.

Perhaps because the scouting spell hadn't directly targeted her, Grandma Lupe couldn't be sure whether Yuan Chen had cast it. So, after a brief silence, she looked away and said,

"Then, Audan, get ready. You'll be Yuan Chen's first trial!"

Audan nodded, then looked at Yuan Chen, brimming with fighting spirit. "You'd better be ready! I won't hold back! For the glory of Ixialia!"

Yuan Chen nodded and silently spread his arms. The water elements around him seemed to answer a summons. Everyone present who was familiar with the Axiom of Water could clearly feel the moisture in the air flowing and gathering rapidly.

In just a moment, a trickle appeared in midair, as if from nowhere. Some of the water even slipped out of the villagers' flasks, winding toward Yuan Chen like little emerald snakes before merging into a feathered cloak made of flowing water...

Just like Luo's winged cloak.

Noticing Yuan Chen's movements, Audan tightened his grip on the Fish Hunting Spear. A puzzled look crossed his dark face.

Seeing that, Yuan Chen simply said, "My class is Battle Dancer, and the feathered cloak is a Battle Dancer's most important weapon... Don't underestimate it. Even though it's made of water, it's still tough!"

"I don't see how a puddle of water could be all that tough..."

Audan didn't pay Yuan Chen's words much mind. He steadied his breath, gripped his spear tightly with both hands, and prepared to fight—

It wasn't that Audan looked down on Yuan Chen. It was just that the cloak of flowing water didn't look very sturdy. Even now, the water was still clear and translucent, giving off little sense of pressure.

At the call to begin,

Audan's bearing turned solemn. His muscles tensed as he strode forward without hesitation, charging straight at Yuan Chen—

At the coast, Audan had seen Yuan Chen dance and knew his understanding of the Axiom of Water was no weaker than his own.

So Audan had no intention of holding back. The instant the fight began, sharp, violent currents formed on either side of his spear. As he charged, they made the air hiss.

By comparison, Yuan Chen merely took his time assuming the opening stance of his battle dance.

In the next moment, Yuan Chen thrust his left hand forward. The water behind him moved with the pull of his muscles, as if obeying a command. In an instant, it became like a mighty siege crossbow bolt. Before Audan could react, the water-feather cloak shot forward with a BANG!

The moment the water feathers struck Audan, they exploded, hurling him helplessly into the air.

Yuan Chen didn't stop attacking. Instead, he used his waist as an axis and extended his right hand. As it aligned with his spine, his core moved in rhythm, and he lashed his arm forward from low to high like a whip.

In an instant, the bracer wrapped around his wrist rang out with a clear, ethereal chime. As it resonated with the movement of his bones, a deep note emerged beneath the airy sound.

The colorful jade took on a heavy, solid quality. At the same time, the pleasant chime transformed from a light, airy sound into the roar of hundreds of boulders jolted by a tremendous quake!

As if obeying a command, the flowing-water feathers whipped around like flying tassels—or like a giant serpent rising from the ground. They swept up sand and stones and flung Audan away!

A flash of panic crossed Audan's eyes. Then, without hesitation, he focused his attention on the Axiom of Water.

But in the next instant, Audan was shocked to discover that the water he'd once controlled with ease now seemed unable to hear him!

No matter how he tried to urge the Axiom of Water, the moisture in the surrounding air remained completely still!

Below him, Yuan Chen raised his right hand and formed a sword sign. In an instant, the feathered cloak behind him split into several water blades as blue as jade. With a thrust of his hand, they shot forward in graceful arcs, accompanied by a series of SHING! SHING! SHING!

Before Audan could react, he felt his clothes tug. Then came a BANG!

When he opened his eyes again, he saw that the blue-jade water blades had pierced his leather armor and lodged in the gap between the armor and his flesh, pinning him to the wall at the edge of the square.

"...I lost?"

Audan felt as though he'd barely done anything before somehow losing the ability to fight back.

Yuan Chen clapped his hands. The next instant, the water blades fell to the ground with a SPLAT!, soaking the dirt and turning it to mud.

"That's right."