The brown-haired boy made the first move, but Jonathan gathered his magic much faster. They formed their Shadow Arrows almost simultaneously.
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Suddenly, the brown-haired boy's expression changed. He cried out in panic, "Assistant Instructor, I can't control it with my mental strength. My Shadow Arrow seems to be going out of control!"
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As soon as he finished speaking, the brown-haired boy's lips curled into a faint smile, and he fired his Shadow Arrow at Jonathan.
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Many people's expressions changed. Winter hadn't expected this either, but it was already too late to stop him.
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However, Jonathan remained calm. He raised his hand and fired his own Shadow Arrow.
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Under everyone's watchful eyes, Jonathan's Shadow Arrow struck down the brown-haired boy's and kept flying toward him.
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The brown-haired boy's face went deathly pale, and panic welled up inside him.
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But the distance was too short and everything happened too quickly. He had no time to dodge. The Shadow Arrow grazed his cheek and embedded itself in the wall behind him.
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A streak of blood appeared.
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The brown-haired boy stared blankly, his pupils dilated. He instinctively reached up to touch his cheek, then looked at his hand.
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"Blood!"
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Then he collapsed to the ground and fainted.
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Jonathan looked at Winter. "Assistant Instructor, I only just learned magic, so I'm still not very familiar with it. I made a bit of a mistake. But it seems my classmate did too."
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"His fainting can't be my fault, can it?"
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"Of course not. That's enough for today's lesson."
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Winter glanced at the brown-haired boy on the ground, then added, "Does anyone know Masai? Take him back to his dormitory."
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Word of what had happened soon spread throughout the academy.
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Many people were astonished. They'd heard the same thing as Masai and had all thought Jonathan couldn't use magic.
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The fact that he'd destroyed his opponent's spell with a single strike could only mean that Jonathan's mastery of magic was exceptional.
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Back in Dormitory 2023, Charles told the others what Jonathan had done, and they immediately burst into cheers.
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"Someone like that deserved a good lesson. But didn't you say you couldn't use magic?" Collette asked Jonathan.
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Jonathan smiled faintly. "Didn't Charles teach me last night?"
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"He taught you last night, and you can already cast it today? You even destroyed the spell of someone who'd clearly studied magic before. You..."
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Collette trailed off, unable to finish.
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Charles said, "When I first learned magic, my teacher had to show me over and over. I practiced for more than half a month before I could barely form a Shadow Arrow, and even then it was very unstable."
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"It took me another month or two before I could cast it reliably."
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"The assistant instructor didn't teach us any magic today, just theory. I don't know how long it'll be before I can cast a spell like Jonathan."
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Look how much you've discouraged them. Jonathan chuckled. "I won't stay here and make you feel worse. I'll head back to my room."
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After he returned to his room, the others looked at one another and said in unison, "Monster!"
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Jonathan sat cross-legged on his bed. "It seems the quality of the magic elements also has a considerable effect on the spells themselves."
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The reason he'd been able to destroy Masai's spell so easily today was that he'd compressed the Heaven and Earth Elements he'd gathered with his mental strength, making them higher in quality than the elements in his opponent's magic.
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"I'm free tomorrow afternoon. I'll go have a look around the library."
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After murmuring to himself, he closed his eyes and quietly built up his magical energy.
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The Earth Element lessons were much like the Dark Element lessons, but no one like Masai caused trouble.
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When class ended, he went to the library.
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Backed by the Dark Church, Ulada Magic Academy had a sizable library with an extensive collection.
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The library was divided into three main areas: the stacks, the reading area, and the front desk.
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The stacks were organized by magic element. They had books on every type except Light Element magic.
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Besides books on the various magic elements, there were also books on other topics, mostly theories proposed by scholars of the past.
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Jonathan borrowed several books on the Earth and Dark Elements, then picked up a book from the miscellaneous section titled Theory and Conjecture on the Essence of Magic.
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His morning exercise and cultivation of battle aura remained unchanged. On days when he had classes, he moved his battle-aura training to the evening.
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Whenever he had free time, he went to the library to absorb all kinds of theoretical knowledge.
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In the evenings and at other times, he trained and tested the ideas in his head.
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More than half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
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"I'm free tomorrow. I should go see Xue Yan. It wouldn't be right to keep him waiting."
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The next day, after his morning exercise, he set off for Black Phoenix City.
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"Jonathan, you're here."
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"Hello, Mr. Cross."
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Cross led Jonathan to an open space. You couldn't tell from the outside, but it was quite spacious within.
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"Mr. Cross, I came so late. Is Lord Xue Yan angry with me?"
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Cross replied, "You're worrying over nothing. Besides teaching you, he's currently the head of the Saber Organization in the Bandas Kingdom."
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"He's very busy."
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Jonathan asked casually, "He's busy? Can I still see him today?"
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"By 'busy,' I don't mean that he has to go out. He has to handle intelligence and missions across the entire Bandas Kingdom."
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"For example, he has to decide whether to take on a mission, how much to charge, and so on."
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"I see. That does sound busy. It looks like our Saber Organization's reach is pretty wide."
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"With your talent, it won't be difficult for you to reach Lord Xue Yan's position one day. You might even surpass him."
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That was a given!
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Jonathan was confident of that.
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"Lord Xue Yan, Jonathan is here."
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Jonathan saw him sitting cross-legged on a boulder, eyes closed as he trained. At the sound of the voice, he slowly opened his eyes.
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He doesn't look that busy, Jonathan muttered inwardly.
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"It seems you really don't take me seriously. But I'm only carrying out the task I was given by my superiors."
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"If you come, I'll teach you. If you don't, that's up to you."
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Jonathan smiled. "You're joking, Lord Xue Yan. What will you teach me today?"
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"We'll start with the first lesson in Assassination Art: learning how to control your own presence. Every assassin has to learn this. It's the very foundation."
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"Cross, you can go now."
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"Yes, Lord Xue Yan."
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After Cross left, Xue Yan continued, "Presence doesn't just mean tangible things like scent. It also includes a person's aura, killing intent, fighting spirit, and so on."
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"Of course, perfect control is impossible. You can't do it, and neither can I."
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"My Breath Concealment Technique is nearly perfect to anyone at my level. Even someone in the Saint Realm would have a hard time detecting me. But in the Old Instructor's eyes, I'm full of openings."
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"So I'm not asking you to reach my level. Just make it to the point where, before you become a seventh-level warrior, you can follow Cross without being detected. That'll count as passing."
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Jonathan bowed slightly. "Please guide me, Lord Xue Yan."
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Jonathan had already learned the basics of similar techniques from Abraham. With that foundation, a few pointers from Xue Yan were enough to make things click.
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Xue Yan watched from the side. Even he had to admit that Jonathan was exceptionally talented.
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It wasn't until dusk, when the sky was streaked with the sunset, that Jonathan took his leave and returned to Ulada Magic Academy.
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Standing beside Xue Yan, Cross said, "Lord Xue Yan, Jonathan's pretty talented, isn't he?"
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The corners of Xue Yan's lips lifted. He turned and walked away, leaving only a brief reply.
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"He's all right."
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"Looks like Jonathan has finally caught Lord Xue Yan's eye. That's rare."
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Cross smiled, then walked away.
Before you continue