Kaecilius was furious. He had come to Kamar-Taj to learn powerful magic, and he had worked very hard to gain great power. Yet now the Sorcerer Supreme had singled him out to fight Xia Zuo.
What did that mean? Xia Zuo was Kamar-Taj's renowned expert on magical theory, someone who knew only theory and had no practical combat skills. Yet the Sorcerer Supreme had picked Kaecilius to fight him. Didn't that mean she considered him someone much like Xia Zuo?
That infuriated Kaecilius, so he made a decision. He would crush Xia Zuo mercilessly, thrash him before the Ancient One, and prove to the Sorcerer Supreme that he was not weak at all.
Magical power gathered steadily in Kaecilius's hand, tracing a strange rune before finally forming a Light Whip wreathed in sparks!
"Magic Whip!"
A cruel smile curled Kaecilius's lips as he swung the Light Whip in his hand straight at Xia Zuo!
At the same time, magical power surged into Xia Zuo's hand. He swiftly formed the rune for the Magic Whip, instantly conjuring one in his hand before lashing it fiercely at Kaecilius.
Boom!
The two fiery Magic Whips collided, erupting in a dazzling flash that instantly obliterated both Light Whips.
"Impossible!"
Kaecilius's pupils contracted as he stared at the scene in shock. Hadn't they said Xia Zuo had never practiced magic at all? Then what was this? And how had he formed the rune so quickly?
Kaecilius had seen it perfectly clearly. When he began forming his rune, Xia Zuo had not even started. Yet by the time his Light Whip took shape, the one in Xia Zuo's hand had already appeared.
Didn't that mean Xia Zuo was even faster than him?
What did that mean?
Magic depended on familiarity with an ability, and the faster someone could conjure it, the greater their mastery of that spell. In other words, Xia Zuo's mastery of the Magic Whip far surpassed his own. Kaecilius found that hard to accept. How was that possible?
Ever since coming to Kamar-Taj, he had worked hard at learning magic to gain great power. Yet now someone who had never learned how to use magic, someone who only ever hid away in the library reading books, actually surpassed him in magical attainment. Kaecilius could hardly accept it.
"Again!"
Kaecilius roared in anger, immediately activating his Sling Ring and beginning to conjure a spell. This spell was entirely different from the previous one. A shape resembling a longsword slowly took form, but before it could fully materialize, a Light Whip lashed out at the magic Kaecilius was conjuring.
"You're wasting too much time. Go down! Magic Whip!" Xia Zuo snorted coldly, sending a Magic Whip lashing toward Kaecilius.
Although Xia Zuo could have copied Kaecilius's magic again, there was no need to go to that trouble. The Magic Whip alone was enough to deal with Kaecilius, and Xia Zuo could not be bothered with the extra effort. He used the Magic Whip to scatter the Magic Runes Kaecilius was forming, then wrapped it around Kaecilius's body and slammed him viciously into a nearby stone pillar!
Boom!
The impact made Kaecilius spit blood. He even felt as though his bones were about to crack apart, and he could not move at all. Gravely injured by a single strike, Kaecilius lost the ability to fight.
"You lost."
Xia Zuo spoke coldly. Although it had been a long time since he had fought, he had never been indecisive. In the past, he had slaughtered numerous soldiers outright. He paid no heed to a mere Kaecilius, so he had simply inflicted a serious injury on him.
"Who else?"
Without so much as looking at Kaecilius, Xia Zuo turned toward the group of mages the Ancient One had summoned. Every mage stared at him in wide-eyed silence.
Was this really the Xia Zuo they knew?
The man who only ever read quietly in the library?
What the hell? How could such a violent mage not know any magic? Besides, they were all mages themselves, so naturally they could recognize the finer points of that fight. Xia Zuo's magical attainment far surpassed Kaecilius's. The fact that Xia Zuo had defeated Kaecilius before he could even finish conjuring his spell made that clear.
He was no mere theory expert, but a true warrior-and a violent mage at that!
For that very reason, no one dared answer Xia Zuo for a while. Hadn't they seen Kaecilius slammed viciously into the stone pillar just now? That dull thud had sounded painful!
"Your magical attainment is impressive indeed."
The Ancient One slowly raised her head and spoke to Xia Zuo. This was the Xia Zuo she remembered. In fact, his magic had already slightly exceeded her expectations. Still, compared with the rumors that he knew nothing, the Ancient One felt the current situation fit much better.
"Since you have already won, this fight can end here."
The Ancient One spoke to Xia Zuo. Her purpose had been to see how strong he was, and now she had a rough idea. There was no need to keep fighting. When she said those words, the troublesome people beside her all breathed a sigh of relief.
Everyone wanted to end the fight, but Xia Zuo was unwilling. He felt that his limits had not yet been tested.
"Ancient One, I would like to keep fighting." Xia Zuo swept his gaze over the other mages and slowly said, "You can all come at me together!"
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