Blizzard

That kid's magical power isn't bad at all!

Black Mamba had served as an instructor at Azure Flame Academy for over a decade, yet Xia Ming's performance still left him somewhat amazed.

It looked like this year's freshmen had quite a few promising seedlings!

Blizzard swept in wave after wave. The endless storms turned the entire training ground into a world blanketed in ice and snow, countless ice crystals sealing off every freshman's retreat. Nearly everyone was chattering their teeth, their body temperatures plunging.

In just a short while, at least several hundred freshmen had already been cleared from the training ground. Fewer than two hundred remained, all of them the cream of the new students.

Xia Ming actually still had the leisure to look around. To his surprise, he spotted Sigru among the crowd. This warrior with barbarian bloodline was performing exceptionally well too. Sigru's battle aura seemed to lean toward the fire element, a faint reddish glow visible around him as he stood firm on the field.

And Solomon!

Xia Ming also saw Solomon. He had to admit that Solomon had some real tricks up his sleeve. He too had used shield magic—Wind Spirit Shield, a fifth-level wind spell—and appeared fairly relaxed.

Most of those who could hold on were mages.

The storm intensified again. Xia Ming felt that the Blizzards were arriving more and more frequently. Sometimes they gave everyone no chance even to catch their breath; one Blizzard had barely passed before another came howling in right after it. More and more people could not withstand the crushing pressure of ice and snow, while those remaining were mostly hanging on by the skin of their teeth.

Time ticked by, second after second.

With his terrifyingly abundant magical power, Xia Ming still appeared exceptionally at ease. Each time, all he needed was a light wave of his staff to cast Flame Guard.

But the battle aura and magical power of the other warriors and mages were nowhere near as monstrous as Xia Ming's. Once their battle aura and magical power ran dry, failure was inevitable!

The fortieth Blizzard!

At this point, fewer than twenty people remained on the field.

Almost all the freshmen outside the training ground were watching every move Xia Ming and the other twenty made, curious to see who could endure until the end.

During the fortieth Blizzard, several more people finally exhausted their magical power and were violently blown away by the storm. Black Mamba caught and protected them with his battle aura.

Such a brutal test—out of several thousand people, fewer than twenty had remained, and this was only the second round!

"Someone's drinking a magic potion to replenish their magical power!" a watching freshman shouted.

Xia Ming focused his gaze. It was actually Solomon!

Clearly, Solomon was struggling to hold on as well. His face was pale with a bluish cast as he swiftly pulled out a bottle of blue magic potion and gulped it down! This guy had come prepared—he had even stocked up on magic potions.

Using potions to replenish magical power came at an astonishing cost. Only someone of Solomon's distinguished background could afford such an expenditure; ordinary people simply could not bear that kind of financial drain.

"Shut up! Potions are part of one's strength too. Rookies, losers have no right to speak!" Black Mamba's stern voice rang out.

The crowd fell silent as cicadas in winter. Xia Ming frowned. Solomon was quite scheming—he had actually prepared magic potions to replenish his magical power. It seemed enduring fifty Blizzards would be no problem for him.

The forty-first Blizzard!

Xia Ming lightly waved his staff again, fire elemental spirits pouring into Flame Guard. The freshmen who had already failed all widened their eyes, finding it utterly unbelievable.

"Damn, are you kidding me? Is that guy even human? Fine, Solomon's using potions to replenish his magical power, but this monster is clearly only a fourth-level mage, yet his magical power seems endless. Is he even human?!"

"Yeah, that's way too freakish!"

Of course, Xia Ming's magical power was not truly limitless. It was simply that, given his terrifying reserves, continuously casting fourth-level magic was still not enough to leave him in a sorry state. But in the freshmen's eyes, such a display was nothing short of earth-shattering.

The storm raged, draining the surrounding water elements dry. The thunderous roar of Blizzard echoed in everyone's ears.

Several more Blizzards howled past in rapid succession, eliminating several more people. Fewer than ten remained on the field!

Xia Ming glanced at Sigru and found that the barbarian warrior was struggling to hold on as well. His face had gone completely white, his teeth clenched tight. He was relying entirely on sheer willpower, and he could collapse at any moment.

Finally, the fiftieth Blizzard descended!

The gale tore through the field. After the ice crystals and snowstorm's savage assault had passed, only seven people remained!

Solomon and Sigru were among them. As for Xia Ming, there was no need to mention him—this test seemed practically designed for him, and he passed it with ease.

After enduring fifty Blizzards, nearly everyone besides Xia Ming had collapsed from exhaustion. Sigru and several others had completely run out of strength, falling unconscious directly onto the training ground. Only Solomon still had some strength left. His face was pale, and he hurriedly downed several more magic potions before a trace of color finally returned to his face.

Black Mamba burst into laughter. "Rookies, you've truly exceeded my expectations. Seven of you actually passed the second round of testing! I thought you'd be wiped out to the last man!"

"You seven have passed the second test! But unfortunately, it looks like the third test will be hard to continue." Black Mamba shook his head, his tone gradually turning cold. "I now announce the third test!"

Xia Ming pricked up his ears.

Sigru and the other five had used up their last shred of strength and lay unconscious on the ground, completely spent. Obviously, they could not participate in the third test.

In other words, the third test would be conducted only between Xia Ming and Solomon!

Black Mamba stared at Xia Ming and Solomon, saying coldly, "It seems only you two still have magical power left. Fine by me—simple and straightforward. The third test is— a life-or-death duel!"

Just as expected!

The moment Xia Ming heard Black Mamba's words, he had sensed something was off. The third test was actually a life-or-death duel!

"That's right. Freshmen who pass the second test will immediately enter the third: a life-or-death duel. There is no time limit, potions may be used, and it continues until one person defeats everyone else and emerges victorious!" Black Mamba announced the rules in a grave voice.

The freshmen had been divided into separate areas. In the second area, where Xia Ming was, only seven had passed the Blizzard test. Of those seven, only Xia Ming and Solomon had the strength to keep fighting!

Thus, Xia Ming's and Solomon's gazes collided in midair.

The freshmen erupted into excitement, all watching Xia Ming and Solomon with bated breath. One came from a family of mages and had already become a fifth-level mage at such a young age; the other possessed terrifying talent and was shrouded in mystery. This was undoubtedly the strongest battle among the freshmen in this area!

"Solomon and that mysterious guy—which one do you think will win?"

"My bet's on Solomon. He's already a fifth-level mage, after all. Levels aren't something you can cross so easily—the gap between fourth and fifth level is enormous!"

"Yeah, no matter how gifted he is, it's useless. The gap in level is absolute."

"Not necessarily. Maybe that guy has some trump card that can hold his own for a bit," someone beside them said weakly.

"Are you stupid? No matter how powerful a trump card is, can it ignore the gap in levels?"

"Exactly. You're such an idiot—you don't even know that!" Mocking laughter rose without end.

Compared to a fifth-level mage, a fourth-level mage was separated by a chasm as vast as heaven and earth. It was clear even from their titles. Mages below the fourth level were called low-tier mages, but from the fifth level onward, they were known as mid-tier mages. The two could not be mentioned in the same breath.

Thus, although everyone had seen Xia Ming's mysterious strength, they still leaned more toward Solomon winning.

Xia Ming seemed utterly unconcerned by it all. Gripping the Earthflame Staff, he fixed his gaze on Solomon.

Solomon likewise stared coldly at Xia Ming. With a curl of his lips, he grabbed several bottles of mana potions and drank them down, replenishing a considerable amount of his mana.

He watched Xia Ming gloomily, his smile sinister and his eyes brimming with viciousness.

"Hehe, come on, Xia Ming. I'll make sure to give you a proper welcome!"

The atmosphere immediately became taut as a drawn bowstring, ready to explode at the slightest touch!