More Than a Suggestion

Sometimes, the word "suggestion" can also be understood as "command." Language is such a strange thing; what it represents on the surface may be completely different from what it means inside. While concealing the essence of things, it also reveals the essence of things from another perspective.

Of course, the white-robed mages at the moment had no interest in discussing the connection between such philosophical questions and their own mental thinking. They roared in low voices, and hundreds of Magic Missile imbued with powerful energy rained down on Li Lin. If they had succeeded, the man would have been reduced to a bloody mess in an instant. But unfortunately, although their attacks were incredibly fast and accurate, they vanished immediately upon encountering the shield that emitted a faint, transparent glow, just as water extinguishes fire, without even a hint of resistance.

"It's Missile Shield!"

Seeing the Magic Missile neutralized, everyone was startled, but as seasoned mages, they quickly followed the old mage's lead and launched another attack on Li Lin, employing various types of offensive spells. Negative energy, sound waves, fireballs, strong acid, ice, and even curses were unleashed from their fingertips once more; the previous Magic Missile were merely a test. After all, with their combined abilities, while ordinary magical shields could withstand the damage from Magic Missile, they had their limits, and could be easily broken by those with sufficient strength. Only targeted Magic Shield could nullify Magic Missile. While these defensive spells offered complete protection against Magic Missile, they were completely transparent to other spells. In other words, although the man before them had guessed their first attack, that was all that mattered. Now, these six different types of offensive spells were the mages' true strength.

A dark red beam of negative energy, a green orb of strong acid, an invisible sonic ray, and even a mist of ice struck Li Lin's body almost simultaneously, filling the entire space with a deafening roar and billowing smoke. Even the solid earth trembled, unable to withstand such power, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared—this was the terrifying aspect of mages; they could easily accomplish what others might not be able to do even after a lifetime of effort.

However, the white-robed mages were far from satisfied with what they had accomplished. On the contrary, they all stepped back, their eyes fixed on the thick fog before them. Then, their hearts sank.

Under the attack of external magic, all the defenses that Li Lin had been hiding on his body were activated. Dozens of magical lights followed different trajectories and slowly rotated around Li Lin. The intense light was almost blinding. In the face of so many defensive spells, the powerful attack spells cast by the six mages did not even scratch Li Lin's skin.

"Multiple Magic Protection Framework..."

The old mage gritted his teeth, his heart sinking to the bottom. Although he had long guessed that the "Eternal Library" before him possessed great power, he never expected it to be this powerful.

The so-called Multiple Magic Protection Framework is a magical theory developed by an Arcane Mage during the ancient Magic Empire era. As is well known, protection has always been a major problem for mages. Ideally, a mage would be immune to all attacks, able to stand still like a giant fortress and cast spells at will, possessing both defense and firepower. However, this is extremely difficult in reality. Protective spells are hard to integrate due to their different properties. If it's a spell to protect against fire, then its properties must be similar to fire. Similarly, a spell to protect against ice must be similar to water. However, these two protective spells cannot be cast simultaneously due to their contradictory properties; otherwise, they would explode before even taking effect due to the repulsive reaction of these properties. At that point, forget protection; the mage would likely be roasted alive by their own magic. The Multiple Magic Protection Structure completely solves this problem. It integrates almost all protective spells available to mages, ultimately achieving a near-perfect, even ideal, "invincible" effect.

As a high-ranking member of the Mages' Association, the old mage had naturally seen records of this magical theory in the documents. Unfortunately, the destruction of the Magic Empire made all of this vanish. The only remaining records only described the effects, but how exactly it was done remained vague.

It truly lives up to its reputation as the most powerful magical artifact in legend.

"Don't stop, keep attacking!"

Although the old mage's first reaction upon seeing this legendary creature appear before him was to turn and flee, the Isolation Barrier had completely blocked their teleportation spells, and the possibility of escaping the magical attack on foot was virtually zero. Unable to escape or summon reinforcements, the old mage had no choice but to grit his teeth and give the order to continue the attack.

Fortunately, only the old mage knew the true power of the magical structure surrounding Li Lin. The five white-robed mages, though sensing something amiss, were too low-ranking to access the records and thus had no idea what level of monsters they were facing. Therefore, even though their mage nature made them suspicious, they quickly dismissed their doubts under the old mage's command and focused entirely on the battle. The old mage himself believed it couldn't possibly be Li Lin's own power; after all, the man was far too young to wield such advanced magic. It was highly likely that the spellbook was manipulating his body and mind. Therefore, once the power within the spellbook was exhausted, victory was still possible.

It must be said that the old mage's idea was indeed correct. If Nia was truly alone, even if she cast Multiple Spell Framework, she would eventually exhaust all her power in the face of such intense firepower.

Unfortunately, the "Eternal Library," once the strongest and most terrifying magical artifact, has now returned to its master's hands. It can absorb surrounding Magic Power infinitely for its own and its master's use, and can also use spells without restriction. Unless it reaches a place where even magical power cannot reach, the Eternal Library will forever remain its master's most powerful ally.

Another round of magical bombardment was over, but the magical radiance surrounding Li Lin showed no sign of diminishing.

"Is that all?"

He looked at the old monk in front of him and sighed.

"If that's the case, then the mages of today are truly disappointing."

"Shut up!!"

With a roar from a white-robed mage, the hard ground beneath Li Lin's feet instantly transformed into a bottomless swamp, attempting to pull anything that dared to step on it into the depths of the earth. But Li Lin remained completely unmoved; his body floated slightly upwards, detaching himself from the ground.

"As a mage, maintaining both agile movement and solid defense is equally important."

His voice was like that of a teacher patiently instructing his students.

"I thought you would at least know this much."

Immediately, one of the halos around Li Lin dimmed.

The white-robed mage behind Li Lin chanted a spell loudly, pointing a finger at Li Lin. The previously orderly magical power began to become chaotic, then interfered—the halo around Li Lin dimmed, then suddenly brightened again, before shattering and exploding. The white-robed mage who had cast "Dispel Spell" was not easily pleased; at the same time, he felt a tremendous energy strike his heart. The poor fellow felt a sweet taste in his throat and then coughed up blood.

"Dispel Magic Protection is a very useful spell, but never use it in front of someone stronger than you."

Turning his head to glance at the white-robed mage, whose figure was unsteady and whose face was ashen, Li Lin continued his "relentless destruction" narration.

"It seems you still have much to learn, but unfortunately, you no longer have time."

As he spoke, Li Lin turned to another page.

"Next, it's 'our' time to attack, Nia!"

Responding to Li Lin's call, the previously stable magical power began to boil, spreading outwards like boiling water. Sensing the approaching danger, all the mages cast their strongest protective spells upon themselves, scattering to the left, right, up, or down, attempting to evade this seemingly exceptionally perilous attack.

However, Li Lin paid no attention to the mages' swift escape and evasion. He didn't even focus on any particular enemy. Instead, Li Lin casually glanced at the book, drawing upon its boundless knowledge.

Then, he chanted softly, unleashing a torrent of magic that had been suppressed and unsettling him.

The overwhelming magical light appeared and disappeared in an instant, as if it had never existed. But the mages were filled with fear. The powerful magic had not taken their lives; they could still feel themselves standing on the ground, breathing air, feeling the cold and fear. But there was only one thing—or rather, it was this thing that left the mages dumbfounded.

Their magical defenses had been completely removed, like a gust of wind tearing away their clothes, leaving them naked and utterly harmless.

However, these mages were well-trained after all. Although what Li Lin had done surprised them greatly, they quickly came to their senses and began to redo their defenses—he couldn't possibly cast such a powerful spell twice in a row, could he?

Li Lin did not use the Greater Dispel again to negate their attempted magical defenses, which was unnecessary, because he already had a better idea in mind.

A brilliant beam of magical light shot from Li Lin's fingertips. Without any chanting or movement, he gained the ability to instantly Quicken Spell at the cost of three spell slots from the Eternal Library, striking a mage who was struggling to survive. A pitiful scream escaped the poor creature's lips, replacing the original complex incantation. His body began to swell, as if an invisible giant hand were brutally drilling into his body, forcefully grabbing and pulling.

Then, the mage's lifeless body fell to the ground without even raising a speck of dust.

"I suddenly had a better idea."

Li Lin gazed at the soul imprisoned in his hand, which shone like a dazzling gem.

"I hope everyone can cooperate... well, this might be better than death."

At this moment, not a single mage regarded this young man as a worthy opponent. Staring at Li Lin, they only felt an irresistible, powerful force and an impending despair.

As for you...

Li Lin turned to the old mage, whose body was trembling slightly. The old mage naturally understood how wicked Li Lin had been to accomplish what he had just done. For a mage, it was nothing short of a nightmare.

"Don't worry, I'll deal with you last."

Li Lin nodded amicably to the old master, as if to reassure him not to worry.

"After all, there are still some things I want to ask you."

As he spoke, he turned his head and looked at the other white-robed mages.

As for you... well, we'll just have to...

"Don't underestimate the Mages' Association!!"

The old mage suddenly roared, then forcefully snapped his staff in two. The magical power within it became uncontrollable, manifesting in a frenzied form. The old mage poured all his strength, even his life, into controlling it. Immediately, the erupting torrent of power converged into a dangerous and powerful beam of energy. Before Li Lin could even turn around, he was swallowed by this terrifying light of destruction.