"Even so, it's still quite impressive. What do you think? Should I make a move?"
Xishan still hadn't given up on his earlier plan.
But this time, Leonore was unusually silent.
Xishan was well aware of the reason. The reason they hadn't acted against Leilin before was that they believed whatever he'd obtained in the secret realm ruins wasn't particularly valuable. They could afford to bide their time and chip away at the situation gradually, without making things look too ugly. After all, they were White Wizards! One had to maintain some measure of credibility when dealing with fellow Wizards!
But now, no matter how hard Leilin tried to conceal it, his combat record was simply impossible to hide.
Moreover, the aura and energy fluctuations that had just radiated from Leilin had also struck Leonore as suspicious.
Even if Leilin had obtained some powerful Magical Items or secret techniques from the secret realm, such things could meaningfully shift the balance of power on a battlefield during wartime.
And that was precisely what tempted Leonore.
There was nothing in the world that was absolutely off-limits. The only reason they hadn't acted before was that the rewards simply hadn't justified the costs.
But now, everything was different.
"You can try, but keep it within bounds!" Leonore cradled a glazed ceramic cup in both hands, taking what appeared to be a leisurely sip of the steaming beverage within before speaking in a measured tone.
"Understood!"
Xishan nodded, and his figure vanished into the darkness.
……
Meanwhile, Leilin had followed the signs along the way and arrived at the Hunting Group's territory.
Once he reached this area, Wizards and Apprentices on the streets became scarce, and the air seemed to carry a thick scent of blood and oppression, as though a heavy stone had been placed on everyone's heart.
"Truly... an uncomfortable atmosphere!"
Leilin gazed up at the sky, which seemed to have darkened several shades, and couldn't help but furrow his brow.
In the Hunting Group's territory, he could occasionally spot a few of its members.
They all wore black
Leilin even caught the heavy stench of blood on some of them, and — what was more — a faint scent of their own kind.
Clearly, these Wizards had most likely been Dark Wizards before being recruited into the Hunting Group.
"Still, the buildings here cover a huge area. And more importantly — how am I supposed to know where Xishan is?"
Leilin held the appointment letter in his hand, thought for a moment, and arched an eyebrow.
He casually picked out a Hunting Group Wizard and stepped into the man's path.
"What do you want?"
The Wizard who had been stopped was tall and broad, with a massive scar slashing diagonally across his forehead, cleaving his entire face into two uneven halves.
That gruesome injury only made his already menacing face look even more terrifying.
His eyes blazed with hostility as he glared at Leilin, and faint energy particle fluctuations began to flicker across his body.
"High alertness! And utterly without restraint!" Leilin noted internally, and then a bright smile spread across his face. "I'm a new Wizard joining the Hunting Group. I was hoping to ask about Xishan…"
"New members joining the Hunting Group are always personally brought in by Group Leader Xishan. You spy!"
Before Leilin could say another word, the Wizard across from him erupted in a thunderous roar.
Leilin was startled at first, but when he noticed several other Hunting Group Wizards nearby stop to watch with eager, spectating expressions, he instantly understood.
"Hazing the new guy? What a despicable old habit!"
The scar-faced Wizard bellowed, and then two metallic long blades materialized in his hands. Each blade stretched roughly two meters long, their edges gleaming with an ominous light.
"Storm!"
The Wizard shouted a single syllable, and in an instant, the blade in his left hand erupted with fierce, flame-like red energy, while white mist coalesced on the blade in his right hand, crystallizing into a razor-sharp ice edge!
The scorching heat from the left and the biting frost from the right merged together, forming a massive metallic storm of swirling red and blue that surged toward Leilin.
"Metal System Wizardry: the improved Blade Storm variant, augmented with ice and fire elemental runes, plus his own elementalization bonus — the power is at least thirty-five degrees!"
A flicker of light flashed through Leilin's eyes as he instantly estimated the spell's power and origins.
"A spell of this magnitude would likely kill an ordinary newly-promoted Wizard in an instant! What a madman!"
But then, a victorious smile crept across his face. "Heh… I was just worrying about finding someone to make an example of."
Getting into a fight right upon arrival would certainly look bad, but Leilin was no ordinary member — he was the Hunting Group's Vice Group Leader! Besides, the other party had struck first, so he had nothing to fear even if the matter was brought before Leonore.
In fact, if it meant being relieved of this position, Leilin would probably be even happier.
These thoughts flashed through his mind in less than a second, while across from him, the scar-faced Wizard's metallic storm had already reached Leilin's front.
The violent wind pressure accompanying the storm immediately ravaged the corridor walls on both sides, and the streams of compressed air formed wind blades that actually carried the force of ordinary weapons!
Crack! Crack!
The seemingly solid wind blades slashed into Leilin's body, only to be deflected by a layer of phantom armor glowing dark red.
"A decent attack! Too bad — you're up against me!"
Leilin's expression remained calm as he offered his assessment in an even tone.
Then, with a flash of black light, instead of retreating, he surged forward, charging headlong into the metallic storm forged of flame and frost.
"Is he insane?" The thought arose not only in the minds of the surrounding Wizards, but even in the scar-faced Wizard himself.
And then they witnessed a sight they would never forget for as long as they lived!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The colossal metallic blades, carrying their附加 fire and ice augmentations, struck Leilin with thunderous impact.
Leilin's expression didn't change as he strolled through the metallic storm as though taking a leisurely walk through his own garden.
The defense of the Falling Star Pendant, combined with Leilin's own magical enhancements, made an attack of this level trivial.
Leilin's figure blurred like a black shadow, arriving at a certain point deep within the storm. He extended a single finger, white as jade, and tapped lightly!
Pfft!
As though a balloon had been punctured, the enormous metallic energy storm shattered completely. Specks of blue ice and red flame shot outward in all directions before rapidly dissipating in midair.
"This…" The scar-faced Wizard across from him stood with his mouth half-open, unable to utter a single word.
This ice-and-fire metallic storm was his killing technique — he had used it to dispatch countless full Wizards. But now, the Wizard standing across from him had not only moved through the metallic storm as though it were nothing, but had also shattered his trump card with a single tap of his finger!
The scar-faced Wizard was momentarily stunned into disbelief, almost convinced he was dreaming.
If Leilin had relied solely on his own power, he would have had to overwhelm the metallic storm with his own massive magical force. While that would have ultimately destroyed the storm and looked even more spectacular, the energy cost would have been considerable.
So Leilin had chosen a different approach — using the Chip to calculate the spell's weakest point, then leveraging his defensive advantage to dive inside the spell and neutralize its caster.
This trick only worked against opponents weaker than Leilin. Otherwise, if the opponent's spell was too powerful, he wouldn't dare rush straight into the heart of it.
But this time, the result had exceeded all expectations.
Leilin glanced at the stunned Wizards around him and smiled faintly. His figure flickered, and he appeared before the scar-faced Wizard in the blink of an eye.
"You—"
The scar-faced Wizard extended his right hand, and countless fine black hairs sprouted from his palm, coalescing into the shape of a red-eyed lion's head.
The lion head opened its massive jaws as though about to unleash some form of energy attack.
Crack!
Leilin struck with lightning speed. The scar-faced Wizard's vision blurred, and then a massive hand composed of shadow tore straight through his innate talent spell's defense and seized his right hand.
With a piercing crack of shattering bone, the lion head on his right hand collapsed instantly, and then his right hand was twisted inward by the shadow hand, bending at a grotesque angle.
A flash of pain crossed the scar-faced Wizard's face, quickly replaced by a desperate, fight-to-the-death look.
His remaining left hand reached into the leather pouch behind him, about to pull something out.
"Hmm? Still want to resist?"
Leilin furrowed his brow, and a black shadow blade materialized before him, sweeping across the Wizard's left hand.
Thwack!
The black blade swept through in silence, and the Wizard's left hand fell clean off.
A few seconds later, blood erupted like a fountain.
"Ah!" The muscles on the scar-face twisted, making him look even more grotesque and terrifying.
But in Leilin's eyes, he was nothing more than a clown!
He thrust out one hand, and thin black threads trailed from each of his five fingers. These threads seemed to possess a life and intelligence of their own as they crawled across the scar-faced Wizard's body, forcing him to the ground, then burrowed into his nose, ears, and mouth.
Like a duck with its neck wrung, the Wizard's face went ashen in an instant, and the berserking energy fluctuations across his body dissipated in a flash.
"You—"
The scar-faced Wizard tried to say something, but Leilin gave him no chance.
With an expressionless face, he stepped forward, raised his fine leather boot, and stamped it down on the scar-face's chest!
Crack!
The scar-face's chest caved in. His face flushed crimson in an instant before turning purple, and he spat out another mouthful of blood foam.
Leilin paid him no further attention, instead turning his gaze to the surrounding Hunting Group Wizards.
After defeating the scar-face, the Hunting Group Wizards present seemed to have reached some unspoken consensus, quietly surrounding him.
"What? You all want a piece of me too?"