Elemental Trap

Sand City had a moat on all four sides. Though the water was broad and poisonous, it could ultimately only make an enemy siege more difficult. It could not render the city impregnable like those fortresses guarded by great rivers a thousand feet wide. And the south gate was Sand City's most vulnerable area.

The terrain to the south lay slightly lower, dotted with sparse groves that would not hinder warhorses or siege equipment. The view was open, but did not extend far-a definite tactical advantage for the attackers.

Having come here under cover of night, Zeng Mu finally saw the actual landscape depicted on Sand City's map. Every blade of grass, tree, grain of sand, and stone before him was far more detailed than anything drawn there.

They continued forward for another minute before the level road ended at a downward slope. It stretched so far that its end was invisible, looking especially mysterious and obscure beneath the night. Yet the three men's eyes, bright as flames, seemed able to pierce the darkness and make out the distant outline of Black Iron Slope, like the silhouette of a low mountain.

Yetos and Soxia dismounted. Seeing this, Zeng Mu jumped down from his horse and followed them.

"This is the spot, Lord Viscount. What do you think?" His respectful words stood in stark contrast to his imposing frame and the slight stoop beginning to form in his back.

Soxia's expression was calm, his voice warm and approachable as he nodded. "A blind spot, a point of attack, a defensive position, and an excellent place to set a trap. Wonderful. Let us hope we can whittle down as much of the enemy's strength as possible."

Only when both men fell silent did Zeng Mu dare speak. "My lords, how should we set this trap?"

Yetos turned to look at him. "Nameless, tell me, how many ways are there to use elemental power?"

Faced with this familiar question, Zeng Mu could not help his lips curling upward.

Ever since Grandpa Yuan had brought forth his Elemental Mark again and he had entered the Element Academy, that very first lesson had left a deep impression on him...

He remembered it clearly. The weather had been poor that day, with light rain turning into a steady shower, ruining the smart outfit he had prepared. Fortunately, he was reasonably handsome and did not rely too heavily on his hairstyle, so he had avoided looking as bedraggled as some of the other boys.

The sudden confrontation had been brought to a timely end by an instructor's intervention before it could fully erupt. After receiving a few words of guidance from him, Zeng Mu entered the teaching building, found his classroom, and took a seat in the front row.

Fortunately, he had arrived before everyone else. Otherwise, he would have been the one whose sorry appearance was put on display.

After he watched one drenched boy and girl after another arrive, the teacher finally entered.

She was a young woman, and the moment she stepped through the door, the hot-blooded Zeng Mu was utterly captivated.

She was fair-skinned, beautiful, and tall, with long hair cascading like an elegant, fragrant waterfall of violets. Her blue-green heels made her pale, delicate feet all the more alluring. Combined with her gentle, dignified bearing and features, she was the perfect object of admiration and envy for every young man and woman.

She held a book titled Victoria's Secret-not that sort of Victoria, but the name of an Elementalist. It was her personal account of mastering elemental power.

No one present paid any attention to that inconsequential book, however. They were all studying her clothes.

She wore a black, knee-length pencil skirt and a long white blouse. The rain had soaked much of the blouse, leaving the ivory bandeau underneath half-revealed.

Some of the boys with weaker self-control developed nosebleeds and hurriedly covered them with their hands, their flustered eyes seeming to dodge the unseen sidelong glances around them.

Once she reached the lectern, the teacher used Victoria's Secret to cover herself and introduced her name-Yue Yuxin.

Next came the nerve-racking, tedious self-introductions. Five minutes later, Yue Yuxin picked up a pen and began writing on the interactive screen.

The hackneyed topic, "Path of the Elementalist," and its repetitive, dull explanations gradually made everyone drowsy. Even that enticing view could not withstand the passage of time, growing more and more obscured until there was little left to look at.

Several students were already fast asleep, sprawled over their desks, leaning back in their chairs, or propping up their chins. Unable to withstand her unchanging pace and gentle tone, Zeng Mu grew sleepy too, his eyelids rolling downward like bedding being rolled up.

"You there, please stand and answer a question." Suddenly, Yue Yuxin turned around and pointed at Zeng Mu in the front row.

"Me?" After several seconds of hesitation, Zeng Mu snapped awake and stood under everyone's gaze, looking at the large words on the screen-Applications of Elemental Power.

"Z-Zeng Mu, please answer this question." She tapped the screen lightly with a slender finger and fixed her clear, regal eyes on him.

Why did she have to pick me? Zeng Mu grumbled inwardly. Only later did he learn from her that she had remembered just three students' names that day, and his had been the easiest to say.

"Whew..." He exhaled deeply, glanced at the question, and spoke in a voice scarcely louder than a mosquito. "As for the applications of elemental power, uh... it's probably, like this, then like that, then..."

"Hehe..."

"Hahaha..."

Before he could finish, his classmates' stifled laughter had become audible. Some sleeping students were jolted awake by it, and two lost their balance and slid sideways off their chairs.

Once the classroom was quiet again, Yue Yuxin swept her gaze over them and explained, "Elemental power, as the name suggests, encompasses the seven great elements. Its applications correspond to generating elements in the Manifestation Realm, shaping energy in the Willful Realm, and materializing elements in the Return to Origin Realm. Thus, its applications depend on both the element and the realm. And to master elemental power, the most important thing is, of course, diligent practice."

"Miss Yue, if we practice elemental power every day, does it benefit an Elementalist in any way besides advancing their realm?" a girl asked, raising her hand.

"Good question." Yue Yuxin nodded approvingly and answered the student. "Diligently practicing elemental power has two benefits. First, it speeds up your advancement. Second, it improves your proficiency."

"Just those two?" the girl asked, sounding a little disappointed.

Yue Yuxin smiled. "Do you know what benefits greater proficiency in elemental power brings?"

"Uh..." This time, the girl could not answer. But all the students were listening intently now, and no one laughed.

When no one responded, Yue Yuxin parted her red lips, about to explain, but Zeng Mu spoke first. "Greater proficiency in elemental power also has two benefits. First, it allows you to use it beyond the limits of your realm. Second, it allows you to combine it with other elements." His quiet words left everyone's ears tingling.

Breaking through the limits of one's realm? Did that not mean a Manifestation Realm Elementalist who had mastered elemental power could turn elements into energy, then even shape that energy? Did it not mean that, with help from other Elementalists, a Wood Element Elementalist could briefly wield other elements?

Such an application might not be particularly coordinated, like a child who had just learned to walk being put into tall boots. But those boots were made of gold and studded with diamonds and jewels! Even trying them on for a moment was something every Elementalist dreamed of achieving!

Zeng Mu's answer not only stunned the others, but also brought a flicker of surprise to Yue Yuxin.

She took two steps toward him on her long legs, raised her hand, and gently patted his shoulder. "Well said, Zeng Mu. Please sit down."

At this distance, Zeng Mu caught a scent like lavender. And now that she no longer had Victoria's Secret shielding her, the lingering dampness at her chest came into view.

That smooth skin was like a precious shell in a sapphire sea, those full curves like ripe pears on a summer fruit tree, and that narrowing cleft like two black pearls pressed together. He stared, transfixed, his mouth falling open.

The gentle hand on his shoulder suddenly grew heavy. Yue Yuxin's expression shifted slightly as she pressed Zeng Mu back into his seat and hurriedly turned away. As she returned to the lectern, her lovely face, hidden from the students, flushed faintly...

Drawing a deep breath of dry, chilly air, Zeng Mu pulled his thoughts back and looked at Yetos. "Knight Commander, there are seven kinds. Their applications differ according to an Elementalist's realm and the corresponding properties of elemental power. There is also the combined use of elements."

Not only did surprise appear on Yetos's face at this answer, but a certain brilliance quietly flashed through Soxia's deep eyes as well.

Clearly, neither could believe that a young man knew such elemental theory, especially when he had been nothing more than an ordinary low-ranking knight just a few days earlier.

Yetos nodded and patted his shoulder approvingly. "Yes, well said. But you still missed one point."

"Oh? There's another?" Zeng Mu's eyes lit up as he humbly sought instruction.

"Overt and covert," Yetos said.

An attack in plain sight was easy to evade; a hidden strike was hard to guard against. That was what made Elementalists truly dangerous. Just as wolves, tigers, and leopards feared a prowling hunter and dared not follow him, who could know whether he might lead them straight into a trap he had laid beforehand?

"So that means..."

Yetos said plainly, "This gift is the same. They will only discover it once they have had a taste."

He glanced at Soxia, who had already closed his eyes and stood motionless, as though cast from the same mold as a statue.

"Come. We need the help of your element." Yetos extended his broad, strong hand.

Zeng Mu reached out and clasped it firmly, then took two steps to stand beside Soxia. The three formed a triangle, their clasped hands linking them together, and closed their eyes one after another.

Whoosh... The silent glow of their marks flickered. Brown, green, and gold-three different masses of light gathered and spread along their arms, intertwining like light and shadow. As the radiance swelled and mingled, its colors became a strange, chaotic shade like dark blue-green, corroded bronze.

As that flowing mass of light grew ever more immense, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble...