His aptitude plummeted, and in an instant he went from a promising apprentice to a worthless nobody.
When his mentor saw Ailin's condition, he explicitly told Ailin that he had lost the qualification to practice advanced Meditation Methods.
Some advanced Meditation Methods had stringent requirements for wizards, and given Ailin's current state, he was clearly no longer suitable.
"An ordinary simplified Meditation Method has a much lower probability of advancing to a full wizard compared to an advanced one. This means they've completely given up on me... And then there's her..."
Ailin lowered his head, his nails digging so hard into his palms they were about to pierce the flesh.
After learning that his aptitude had been crippled and he'd lost the qualification to practice advanced Meditation Methods, numerous friends and relatives had distanced themselves. Even his already-engaged fiancée had abandoned him.
Thinking of that woman's contemptuous look and the resolve with which she threw herself into another's arms, Ailin felt a flame nearly erupt from within his body.
What made him even more furious — even desperate — was that several enemies within his school immediately moved to suppress him, and with the woman's instigation lurking behind the scenes, they had actually assigned him here.
Duolun City was a war front. Perhaps those full wizards could still retreat calmly even if the city fell, but that certainly didn't include Ailin, a Third-rank Apprentice!
In war, the most casualties were always the cannon fodder, while the higher-ups rarely suffered losses.
By past experience, in a war of this intensity, the apprentice mortality rate was at least fifty percent!
Ailin realized he was going numb.
Dragging his body to the city gates: "Third-rank Apprentice Ailin, reporting for duty!"
He tried his best to look more alert.
"Hm!" The stationed wizard nodded, seemingly unsurprised. He showed no anger.
He had seen plenty of apprentices who were sidelined to places like this. Without backing, such apprentices wouldn't last a month. There was no point getting angry at a dead man walking.
"Your task is to maintain this detection array. I've already calibrated it — white means an ordinary person, red means an apprentice or a knight, and purple means a full wizard. Understood?"
"Yes!" Ailin nodded.
Just then, the detection array rumbled with a tremendous boom. Cracks even appeared at its corners.
And a beam of black light burst forth from it.
"What does black mean?" Ailin asked blankly.
"Second-rank! A powerful existence at Second-rank or above!!!" The wizard answered in a daze, then came to his senses. "Quick! Sound the alarm!"
Not far away in the sky, a black dot slowly expanded, eventually taking the form of a human figure.
Leilin looked at the somewhat damaged city gates and shook his head mildly: "Seems like I've caused a bit of a misunderstanding!"
Then he halted his advance and quietly waited.
A few minutes later, two equally powerful waves of energy erupted from within Duolun City. Two figures transformed into streaks of light and rushed to Leilin.
These were two Second-rank Wizards. One male, one female. The male wore a wizard robe of red with silver trim and called out with a hearty laugh: "Lord Leilin! It's wonderful that you could arrive in time!"
The female wizard stood smiling to the side, seemingly deferring to the male wizard.
"It's my pleasure to meet you, Lord Fantix!"
Leilin smiled and bowed in greeting.
Over these three years, Leilin hadn't been idle — at the very least, he'd familiarized himself with several Second-rank Wizards of the Eastern Domain.
This Second-rank
"Come! Whatever business there is, we can discuss it back inside!"
Fantix glanced at the blasted ground, smiled at Leilin, and slowly descended.
Leilin and the female wizard followed behind.
"It's a Second-rank Lord! Quick, bow!"
The ordinary soldiers, generals, and nobles all knelt. The earlier full wizard also bowed respectfully.
Ailin hurriedly bowed as well, then raised his head in some puzzlement, stealing a glance at the young figure in the center: "That lord... I feel like I've seen him somewhere before, but I can't recall at all..."
Just as Ailin's gaze swept toward the figure, the wizard on the other side also seemed to notice his prying. A pair of dark eyes swept over.
Instantly, darkness and shadow enveloped Ailin, forcing him to stumble back several steps, his chest tight with suffocation.
Ailin broke into a cold sweat and quickly lowered his head, not daring to raise it again.
"So it's him! I didn't expect to run into him here!" A hint of a smile appeared on Leilin's face.
Strictly speaking, his understanding of the Dark Polar Domain had initially come from this very apprentice's memories. Meeting him again could be considered good fortune.
"You'll be the first one I pick!" A playful idea suddenly arose in Leilin's mind.
The thought flashed by, and Leilin's expression remained unchanged as he descended with the two Second-rank Wizards into the central manor.
The interior was quite well-decorated — it had clearly once been the residence of some great noble or even the city lord. Of course, it had all been requisitioned now.
The three wizards entered the main hall and took their seats. Several apprentices brought in drinks and fruit pastries, then carefully withdrew.
"The
Fantix's expression was somewhat grim, but he smiled upon looking at Leilin: "Of course, Lord Leilin's arrival now will bring us greater hope!"
"As a human, this is naturally a duty I cannot refuse!"
Leilin spoke with a solemn face, though in truth his plan was to retreat if the battle turned unfavorable.
He didn't mind lending a hand to secure more living space for humanity, but only on the premise that it didn't harm his own interests. Otherwise, everything was off the table.
Of course, this was also the inner thought of many high-ranking wizards.
Even the War Committee knew this, but there was nothing they could do about it.
Meanwhile, Fantix continued: "The wars in the mortal realm, as well as ordinary Dark Elves and Beast Tides, are naturally left for the dukes to handle themselves. But the elite Cold Spider Knights, Dark Elf wizards, and powerful beings among the Dark Beasts — those require wizards to step in. And the purpose of our existence comes down to one thing: preventing the Dark Elf Matrons and the Dark Beast Emperor from intervening!"
Leilin nodded. Second-rank combat power was at the very apex — their role was more one of suppression and deterrence. After all, if a Second-rank being threw all caution to the wind, it would give the Dark Elf Empire a serious headache.
"Oh right! Why is the Dark Elf Empire so confident this time?"
Leilin's eyes flashed, and he posed the question.
Hearing this, Fantix and the female wizard exchanged a glance, and bitter smiles appeared on their faces: "This was originally top-secret intelligence, but Leilin, you are also a Second-rank Wizard and have joined our side, so there's nothing to hide..."
"Our Dark Polar Domain's Domain Guardian — that Lord who has advanced to Third-rank Wizard — his remaining lifespan is running short..."
Fantix first set up a sound barrier around the room before speaking in a hoarse voice.
"The limit for a Third-rank Wizard is a thousand years! Only Morning Star-class wizards can break through this limit. And from the Domain Guardian's rise to fame until now, more than nine hundred years have passed..."
"Then you're saying... this war is a probe?"
Leilin was silent for a moment, then asked.
"The Dark Elves must have received some information. At first it was indeed a probe, but now..." Fantix's bitter smile deepened. "All I can say is that the Dark Polar Domain cannot afford to retreat..."
Leilin's heart sank. It seemed the Third-rank Wizard's condition was truly not good.
And under these circumstances, the Dark Elves' probing would likely soon transform into a full-scale invasion, threatening the very survival of humanity!
His thoughts raced, and he suddenly thought of Weilin.
"Every time a Child of Destiny appears, it sets off massive wars across the land. And now it seems this is the prelude to an age of chaos..."
As Leilin fell silent, the hall filled with a heavy atmosphere.
"Alright, let's put these matters aside for now. Shall we prepare a grand welcome banquet? It would also be a good opportunity for these wizards to meet you!"
Seeing the conversation stall, the female Second-rank Wizard smiled and suggested.
"No! No need! I'd like to rest first, and then prepare a few Second-rank spells!"
Leilin had zero interest in such affairs.
"That works too!" Wizards tended to be rather reclusive by nature, and the higher their rank, the more so. Fantix and the others didn't mind.
...
The Dark Polar Domain. Central Region!
This was the core of the entire Dark Polar Domain, the most densely populated area. Merchant caravans passed along the ground-level roads from time to time, giving it a fairly prosperous appearance.
Deep within an unknown layer of the earth's crust, a green glow illuminated the entire space.
Beneath the green light sat a skeletal old man, his wrinkles layered one upon another, both eye sockets deeply sunken — he was practically a corpse.
Behind him, dense plant roots coiled and intertwined, some even piercing directly into his muscles, as if taking root inside his body. One by one, green nodules were continuously transported along the root channels into the old man's body, keeping his eyes barely retaining a flicker of brightness.
The true form of these roots was an enormous, extraordinary flower with broad leaves of dark green. Its more numerous tendrils plunged deep into the earth's crust, heading to who knew where.
A point of black light shot from the back of the old man's hand, projecting a massive spider totem before him.
"Old friend, I can feel your weakening. The aura of life fades from you ceaselessly — you can't even refuse my 'Life Siphon' anymore..."
It was a young woman's voice, exceptionally beautiful, carrying a hint of seduction.
"Aniya! Sovereign of the Dark Elf Empire, most venerable Matron of the ancient families!" The old man slowly named the woman's identity, and then, a tremendous wave of energy erupted from his body.
"You cannot stop me..." The woman inside the totem imprint sighed.