32 Fierce Battle

Ignoring Solomon, Xia Ming remained unhurried. He took a bottle of mana-restoring potion from his mithril ring and drank it.

With the Book of Eternity in hand, Xia Ming was practically a potion master. Brewing a few mana-restoring potions was naturally no difficult task.

Seeing Xia Ming drink a mana-restoring potion as well, most of the watching freshmen secretly breathed a sigh of relief—this kid was no Magic Beast, after all. Though he was freakishly powerful, he still needed to replenish his mana.

"Heh heh, now you know fear? Too late. I'll let you experience what true despair feels like!" Solomon said coldly as he strolled forward.

Xia Ming gave a soft laugh and shook his head. "Make me despair? You're still not quite there." He truly was only a fourth-level mage, but he had his own calculations and feared Solomon not in the slightest!

Solomon's face darkened like still water. "Still talking tough when death is at your doorstep? Just wait. In a moment, you'll be begging me for mercy on your knees. If I'm in a good mood, perhaps I'll even go easy on you and spare you!"

Solomon raised his staff. The gemstone atop it radiated brilliant light as magical elemental sprites surged forth. The pressure around them abruptly intensified; even from over ten meters away, Xia Ming could easily sense that dense force of mana.

"As expected of a scion of a magical family. His magical inheritance has a solid foundation, and his control of mana is just right—none of it is wasted!" Black Mamba nodded inwardly. With his discerning eye, he could naturally see what set Solomon apart. Even among fifth-level mages, Solomon had already crossed the threshold into true mastery.

Xia Ming's expression grew somewhat more solemn, yet his eyes remained calm. Anthony's constant strict instruction had forged this good habit in him.

The two faced off, terrifying mana hovering and churning in midair.

The freshmen held their breath, eyes wide, terrified of missing even the tiniest detail. Their gazes brimmed with anticipation—this was a clash between the foremost talents among the new students!

Earth Spear!

Obscure syllables spilled from Solomon's lips. He struck first, opening with a fourth-level earth-element spell.

Four conical spikes suddenly appeared more than ten meters overhead. Like long spears, they roared as they descended, their shriek seeming to tear through the air, so piercing that one only wanted to cover one's ears.

Xia Ming had long been prepared. The instant Solomon uttered the first syllable, he reacted. A blaze suddenly flared from the tip of the Earthflame Staff, and [Flame Guard] was completed within just a few breaths. It was likewise a fourth-level spell, yet Xia Ming, though casting later, completed his spell first!

Almost the very next second after Xia Ming's defensive spell was completed, the four spear-like Earth Spears arrived. The airflow exploded with a violent crack as they dove down and slammed viciously into the wall of fire formed by Flame Guard. The surrounding air seemed to rage, and mana trembled with it.

Boom!

The successive impacts of all four Earth Spears were like an Earth Giant Lizard baring its sharp venomous fangs, smashing Xia Ming's magical shield into a battered wreck! Fortunately, after breaking through Flame Guard's defenses, the Earth Spears had no strength left to continue, and their magical elements scattered.

An even match!

As they watched the two fourth-level spells dissipate at the same time, this thought surfaced in every freshman's mind.

"No, it may look like an even match, but that mysterious kid actually won!" Black Mamba and several sharp-eyed observers spotted the clue. On the surface, the two spells had collapsed simultaneously, but Xia Ming's spell had been cast later and completed first! Both were fourth-level spells, yet Xia Ming's chanting speed was far faster than Solomon's!

Solomon realized this as well. His face sank, though a cold smile tugged at his lips. "Hmph, not bad chanting speed. If you were also a fifth-level mage, I might be wary of you. But now..."

"Is that so? Then I'll wait and see." Xia Ming's indifferent expression stirred a surge of fury in Solomon's heart. He wanted nothing more than to defeat Xia Ming at once and make him kneel and beg for mercy.

"Xia Ming, you're courting death!" Solomon roared. Mana burst forth from him, and his powerful presence moved the freshmen.

"So that mysterious young man is called Xia Ming..."

"Xia Ming? What a strange name." Quite a few freshmen silently committed Xia Ming's name to memory.

Solomon sneered and swung his staff again. This time, the chant was obscure and lengthy. It was clearly a fifth-level spell!

Xia Ming's pupils contracted. A fifth-level spell posed an immense threat to him as well. He rapidly chanted an incantation and pointed his staff; the fourth-level spell [Ground Collapse] was already complete.

This time, nearly everyone noticed just how astonishingly fast Xia Ming's chanting was. Their hearts swayed in shock as they cried out, "What fast chanting! Is that really a chanting speed a fourth-level mage can achieve?!"

The next instant, the ground beneath Solomon's feet cracked apart piece by piece. With Solomon at its center, the earth instantly collapsed, as though a thousand troops and ten thousand horses were thundering past. It shook violently, overturning the ground within a radius of ten meters.

Solomon was caught somewhat off guard. In his haste, he canceled the spell he had been preparing and instead cast a third-level defensive spell, [Water Spirit Shield].

But how could a third-level spell withstand the sharp edge of Xia Ming's fourth-level spell!

Bang!

An explosive boom rang out. The force of [Ground Collapse] finally faded, and Solomon's figure could vaguely be seen through the dust. He staggered back more than ten steps. His mage robe was tattered, with several large holes in it; his head was covered in dust, his face slightly pale, and he cut an utterly miserable figure.

An uproar erupted all around them, followed by endless gasps.

"Damn, am I seeing this right? Xia Ming actually has the upper hand!"

"A fourth-level mage can gain an advantage against a fifth-level mage?!"

In truth, the freshmen had misunderstood somewhat. Xia Ming's attack had merely caught Solomon by surprise, and it had not injured his vitality. It had only broken up this particular attack of his.

Solomon glared at Xia Ming with venom in his eyes. "You..." He swung his staff, and the speed of his chanting suddenly increased. Under the pressure Xia Ming imposed, he had actually forced out his own potential!

Abyssal Bone Spikes! Before everyone's eyes, Solomon seemed to have drawn out every bit of his potential. In just a short time, the chant for this fifth-level spell was nearing its end. Xia Ming tried to interfere with lower-level spells as before, but the prepared Solomon evaded them.

Xia Ming could already feel the terrifying pressure of a fifth-level spell. That immense pressure formed a wall of magical air around Solomon, and Xia Ming frowned inwardly. Solomon truly was not an opponent to be underestimated.

A thunderous blast that shook the air erupted from the void once more. Over a vast stretch of sky above Xia Ming's head, dozens of bamboo-shoot-like bone spikes had appeared. Each was five or six meters long, densely packed like steel needles, carrying tremendous force. Flame Guard alone could absolutely not block them all!

Xia Ming finally felt a trace of crushing pressure. The gap in their levels was, after all, a chasm lying before him—one difficult to cross.

Fire God's Roar!

At that critical moment, Xia Ming instantly used the third-level spell Fire God's Roar. Many people frowned. What was Xia Ming trying to do? Was he actually daydreaming about using a third-level spell to contend against a fifth-level spell?

Some of Xia Ming's supporters among the freshmen had already closed their eyes, unable to bear watching Xia Ming suffer a miserable defeat...

Solomon sneered, as if he could already see Abyssal Bone Spikes utterly defeating Xia Ming...

Black Mamba also frowned, battle aura flooding through him as he prepared to rescue Xia Ming at any moment. A duel was a duel, but deaths were not acceptable.

The next second, more than ten bone spikes came crashing down!