"All right, the battle ends here."
The Ancient One stood up and spoke. The outcome of this battle had been decided. All the sorcerers Kamar-Taj had sent into the fight had been driven out of the combat area. Xia Zuo had won, and there was no longer any doubt about it.
"Sorcerer Supreme, we..."
All the sorcerers Xia Zuo had defeated looked at the Sorcerer Supreme in unbearable shame. A whole group of them had actually been routed by a child who had not yet come of age. Something like this left them utterly ashamed, but the Ancient One merely smiled faintly without saying much and sent them off to have their injuries treated and rest.
Only after all the sorcerers had left did the Ancient One slowly approach Xia Zuo.
"How do you feel? That wasn't your limit just now, was it?"
The Ancient One looked at Xia Zuo as she spoke. She had been watching from the sidelines, so she had a clear understanding of the entire battle. She could sense how smoothly Xia Zuo moved, which meant he had still had strength to spare.
"It was pretty close," Xia Zuo said slowly, but only he knew how much truth there was in those words.
"That's good, then. Still, I've never seen anyone with such abundant magical power. After all, ordinary people can't do what you did, simply hurling magic like bombs, let alone do it so many times without batting an eye."
The Ancient One looked at Xia Zuo with a strange expression. Such magical power was simply beyond what an ordinary person could possess. If she had not sensed no trace of darkness from Xia Zuo, she would almost have thought he was drawing power from the darkness.
"Perhaps my constitution is better suited to practicing magic."
Xia Zuo smiled as he spoke. He had already noticed this earlier: his magical power was far greater than that of ordinary people. This was related to his constant refinement of magical power, though he also had a few guesses of his own.
Xia Zuo suspected there were two possibilities. The first was his Copy Eyes. While granting him a talent for magic, his Copy Eyes might very well also have been slowly changing his body, making it easier for his body to contain magical power. This was a very real possibility.
His other guess concerned his own superpower. Xia Zuo had already awakened his X-Gene superpower earlier, but he had never had the time to develop it. Yet this ability certainly continued to exist, so the changes in his body might very well have been related to his superpower. Xia Zuo felt he should set aside some time to properly study his own power.
None of this was the most important thing, however. Through this battle, Xia Zuo had learned how strong he currently was and gained an accurate understanding of where he stood. That was what mattered most to him.
"All right, go back and get some rest."
The Ancient One spoke to Xia Zuo and casually waved her hand. A circular ring of light appeared, with Xia Zuo's bedroom on the other side. Although Xia Zuo did not look too tired, some rest was still necessary. Xia Zuo did not stand on ceremony with her, either. After all, he also wanted to take this opportunity to review the battle, so after saying goodbye to the Ancient One, he stepped straight through the ring of light and returned to his room.
With Xia Zuo's return, the much-discussed arranged battle came to an end. From that moment on, his strength left all the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj in astonishment. After all, one person challenging more than a dozen sorcerers was a rare sight, especially when that person was a child who had not yet come of age. More importantly, that child had actually won!
From that moment on, all the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj saw Xia Zuo in a new light. The title of "magic theory expert," which people usually used to tease him, also began to fade away. No one dared call him that anymore.
If Xia Zuo was merely an expert who knew nothing but theory, then what did that make them?
Thinking it over, Xia Zuo not only possessed vast magical knowledge, but was also terrifying in actual combat. For a time, the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj all felt ashamed. This actually began to change the atmosphere throughout Kamar-Taj, as all the sorcerers started training hard. Even the Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One, had not expected this. Xia Zuo knew nothing about it, either, because he was reviewing what he had gained from the battle.
Meanwhile, in a relatively secluded room, a young man covered in bandages lay on a bed, looking utterly forlorn. This was Kaecilius, the first person Xia Zuo had defeated.
Because Kaecilius had been so arrogant, Xia Zuo had also hit him the hardest, leaving him the most seriously injured of all the sorcerers. With Kamar-Taj's magical healing, he would not die, but for now, he could only lie here. Yet Kaecilius refused to accept his defeat.
"Why does that brat have such terrifying power? This is simply impossible!"
Kaecilius stared resentfully at the ceiling. He felt certain Xia Zuo had used some forbidden power; otherwise, he could not possibly possess such terrifying strength. If he could obtain the method by which Xia Zuo had become so powerful, he believed he could kill him!
"Do you want power?"
Just then, a low voice rang out, and a figure dressed in black robes, wrapped up so tightly that nothing was exposed, appeared in Kaecilius's room.
"Who are you?" Kaecilius stared at the black-robed figure, utterly wary.
"I am someone who can show you the way. If you gained power, what would you do?" The low voice came from beneath the black robes.
Kaecilius stared fixedly at the black-robed figure. Only after a long while did he speak. "If I had power, I would kill that hateful brat!"
"In that case, your wish shall be granted!"
P.S. Thank you to [≮茶★语≯] for the generous tip. Thank you!
P.S. A word about updates: four releases a day. The specific update times are listed in the information section for this work. Thank you for your support!