Wraith Breath (Please Follow, Bookmark, and Recommend!)

Chapter Thirty-One

The Emerald Island Forest was indeed vast and boundless. Even though Lynn and the other two were Wizard Apprentices and traveled day and night, it still took them nearly ten days to finally find where the Furnace Army was stationed.

They had to thank their luck that they had not gotten entangled with apprentices from Night Shadow Bunker and the Bitter Heart Sect along the way. Otherwise, it would likely have taken even longer.

No wonder the Furnace's forces could rely on the Emerald Island Forest to wage guerrilla warfare against Night Shadow Bunker and the Bitter Heart Sect.

Over those nearly ten days of travel, Lynn and the other two had encountered quite a few battles.

Thankfully, the Goddess of Luck watched over them. Their toughest encounter had merely been an assault by four Level 3 Wizard Apprentices; they had not run into an Official Wizard.

Relying on the formidable defenses of the Heart of Flower Language, Lynn barely held off the pressure while Sonia and Colin, the two Level 3 Wizard Apprentices, dealt with those four Wizard Apprentices.

The many battles, large and small, during that time also allowed Lynn to quickly adapt to the rhythm of combat between Wizard Apprentices.

After all, practice was the best teacher.

At last, several Level 3 Wizard Apprentices from the Furnace, acting as guards, verified their identities and let Lynn's group of three pass, allowing them to enter the Furnace Army's camp without incident.

At a glance, countless tents had been erected amid the dense forest.

Clearly, the Furnace Army had not cut down trees to build its base. Instead, it had preserved the forest's original appearance as much as possible, making guerrilla operations more flexible and mobile.

At the heart of the camp, several square military tents stood out in particular. They covered a considerable area and were clearly the residences of Official Wizards.

There was no need to guess that these were the command posts of the Furnace Army's upper ranks.

Lynn looked around and found that although the camp contained many apprentices and tents, it was not overly crowded.

It seemed this was not the Furnace Army's only encampment. There were clearly other branches elsewhere.

As night fell, the three gathered in the same tent and spoke in low voices.

"I asked around. The base we are in is only one of the Furnace's many branch camps. Clearly, the Furnace's wizard lords do not want to gather everyone in one place. The target would be far too obvious."

Thanks to her outstanding looks, Sonia had easily obtained quite a bit of important information.

"Previously, each base would usually remain in place for only three to five days before launching an attack against Night Shadow Bunker and the Bitter Heart Sect. After the attack, the apprentices would scatter, while the Official Wizards regrouped."

She paused, seeming somewhat hesitant before continuing.

"However, the base we are in has already remained here for a week. The wizard lords do not seem to have any intention of moving. Instead, they have already gathered a large number of apprentices and appear to be planning to recruit even more forces."

Lynn and Colin exchanged a glance, silently pondering the matter.

"Could the Furnace's wizard lords be planning to stop their guerrilla war against Night Shadow Bunker and the Bitter Heart Sect? But if those two Level 3 Factions join forces to attack, and the forces sent by the Furnace are not strong enough..."

The three of them thought of the same person at once—the Black Dragon Witch!

The Furnace's multi-front operations were overseen by the Black Dragon Witch, though she was currently occupied on other battlefronts.

Yet the actions of the Furnace's wizard lords made the conclusion easy to infer: she would likely arrive in the Emerald Island Forest soon.

And when that happened, it would very likely be the moment the Furnace Army launched a large-scale counterattack against Night Shadow Bunker and the Bitter Heart Sect!

After their discussion, the three returned to their respective tents, each lost in their own thoughts.

The night was deep. Having finally reached the vicinity of the Furnace Army, they no longer needed to take turns keeping watch and could rest peacefully.

However, after returning to his tent, Lynn did not rush to sleep. Instead, he entered a meditative state.

Because of the recent Furnace War, Lynn had not had much time to meditate, and his cultivation progress had noticeably slowed.

But as the saying went, small gains accumulated into great ones, and deep reserves led to sudden breakthroughs.

Today, he felt as though he had made a slight breakthrough.

Inside the tent, Lynn held the Crystal Ball tightly against his chest. His mind was calm as he immersed himself completely in meditation.

After an unknown amount of time, Lynn finally opened his eyes and picked up the Crystal Ball to examine his spiritual power.

"Lynn, spiritual power 11, physique 3."

"My spiritual power has finally risen by one point. I am one step closer to becoming a Level 3 Wizard Apprentice."

Lynn let out a soft breath.

Since this expedition began, he had encountered far more Wizard Apprentices than he had during half a year at the Furnace.

By observing their spiritual power through the Crystal Ball, Lynn had roughly figured out the gap between Level 2 Wizard Apprentices and Level 3 Wizard Apprentices.

Level 2 Wizard Apprentices generally had spiritual power between 10 and 15 points, while Level 3 Wizard Apprentices usually possessed more than 25 points of spiritual power.

The Level 3 Wizard Apprentice Lynn had encountered with the strongest spiritual power was Colin, who had reached 38 points.

Once I break through to Level 3 Wizard Apprentice and possess 25 points of spiritual power, the limitations of the Seed of Life will be greatly reduced. At the very least, I will be able to cast several spells instead of only using one as I can now...

Lynn's gaze sharpened. He knew that although being drafted onto the battlefield was fraught with danger, it was also an opportunity to obtain materials and resources.

When the Black Dragon Witch arrives and the Furnace Army breaks through those two factions, it will be time for me to seize resources.

Lynn silently calculated in his heart. For now, what he needed to do was learn the spell he had obtained from that apprentice—Wraith Breath.

He rubbed his brow and softly summoned his progress panel.

...

Name: Lynn Cole

Realm: Level 2 Wizard Apprentice

Talent: Heaven Rewards Diligence

Progress:

Wraith Breath [10%]

Introduction to Potion Processing [100%]

Ice Arrow [100%]

Fireball Spell [100%]

Travels of Life [100%]

Introduction to Potion Maintenance [100%]

Earth Rhino Beast Rearing Knowledge [100%]

Basic Meditation Method [100%]

...

Although Wraith Breath was also intermediate Zero-Ring Wizardry, perhaps because Lynn's affinity for negative energy was low, its learning progress was far slower than that of Fireball Spell and Ice Arrow.

However, with the boost from his talent, as long as he put in the effort, he would eventually reap rewards.

Therefore, even though its progress was slow, the progress bar for Wraith Breath continued to accumulate steadily.

Previously, Lynn had been unable to focus on cultivation while traveling. Now was the perfect opportunity to make use of his time and study it.

Besides, the situation was special now. They were on a battlefield, and every additional spell he mastered would greatly increase his chances of survival. Thus, Lynn gave all his meditation time to Wraith Breath.

Only when he was tired did he meditate to recover. Other than necessary bodily functions, he spent all his time grinding the progress bar for Wraith Breath.

And so, at noon on the fourth day after entering the base, Lynn successfully filled the progress bar for Wraith Breath and learned this negative energy spell.

Just then, a dragon's roar descended from high above.

The Black Dragon Witch had finally arrived!