Regarding Biji's accusation, Leilin rubbed his nose and could only remain silent.
At the same time, he felt a secret sense of relief—at least he had changed his appearance beforehand. Otherwise, he truly would have found it difficult to face Biji in the future.
But that was all there was to it.
Leilin walked over to the massive crater left by the explosion. A round badge lay right at his feet—its once-gleaming surface now coated in dust, still bearing traces of residual flesh and blood.
"This apprentice was obviously a genius from their academy! He was listed in the materials Guofate provided earlier—his name is Torresas! His badge is worth at least fifty Contribution Points!"
Leilin studied the badge lying quietly beside his boot, his face showing hesitation.
The badge was right at his feet. He只需轻轻一弯腰 = only needed to bend down slightly to have it in his hand.
With it, Leilin would have enough Contribution Points to exchange for a standard portion of Green's Water from the academy after the Blood Battle ended.
Although Leilin had some reservations about using this method to break through after hearing the evil spirit Roman's intelligence on
However, the enemy and some of Black Bone Forest Academy's well-known apprentices had unique markings on their badges. The moment Leilin handed in this badge, it would be tantamount to admitting he was the one who killed Torresas!
Leilin certainly hadn't forgotten that Torresas had a mentor backing him!
Although Black Bone Forest Academy was his supporter, Leilin didn't want to be targeted before he advanced to a formal Wizard.
Who told Black Bone Forest Academy to be in the weaker position now? If the other side stepped slightly out of line, Black Bone Forest could only swallow the insult. But if their own side crossed a line, they'd easily be targeted—such was the sorrow of the weak!
Leilin absolutely dared not take that gamble!
Therefore, despite some reluctance, Leilin decided to abandon the badge.
He was still wearing his disguise anyway. After removing it later, as long as he himself didn't say anything, no one would know he had killed their genius apprentice.
"Perhaps giving this badge to Jiamen or
Leilin nudged the badge with his foot, a smile appearing on his face.
He had just checked—Jiamen was still unconscious at the edge of the battlefield. Though he looked terrible now, he had at least survived and didn't have any particularly serious injuries.
"But there are still two bugs that need to be dealt with!"
Leilin looked toward a nearby thicket of bushes. Without warning, he flicked his hand, and two vials of scarlet-red potion shot straight out.
Bang!!! The two test tubes collided in midair, instantly erupting into a massive curtain of flame that cascaded toward the thicket like a blazing drape.
Whoosh whoosh!!! The instant the wall of fire descended upon the thicket, two dark shadows shot out from within and landed on open ground to one side.
Soren the Silver Claw and the other blonde apprentice stared at the massive crater where Torresas had self-destructed, their faces grim.
"Even Torresas the Lightning Thrower died at that guy's hands—holy crap, that guy is an absolute freak!!!"
Soren stared at Leilin's expressionless face, his mind roaring. Torresas the Lightning Thrower—his reputation was even greater than his own Silver Claw! And now he too had died at Leilin's hands. What kind of strength did Leilin actually possess?
"If I'd known he was this powerful, only a fool would have followed!!!"
At this moment, an emotion called regret was continuously corroding Soren's heart.
"What do we do?" The blonde female apprentice glanced at Soren and could tell he was already thinking of retreat. She cursed inwardly.
"What else can we do? It depends on whether he lets us go!"
Soren spread his hands and gave Leilin a slight bow: "Warrior from Black Bone Forest Academy, your strength has conquered me. Soren will never be your enemy from now on…"
At Soren's submissive gesture, the blonde female apprentice pursed her lips but said nothing.
After witnessing Leilin's power and ruthlessness, she too was somewhat frightened!
As for avenging their classmates? The death rates at White Tree Castle and Gothic Sage's Cottage, while not as high as Black Bone Forest Academy's, still claimed a few unlucky souls every month.
If Soren and the blonde apprentice had to avenge every deceased apprentice, they would need to massacre their own academies first.
The reason they had tracked Leilin in the first place was simply because they had considered him their prey, intending to enjoy an entertaining little game.
But now, Leilin's strength far exceeded their imagination, and his mind was both meticulous and ruthless—this was what truly unnerved them.
"Is that so?"
Leilin was noncommittal. He put away the black longbow in his hands, then walked to where he had discarded his Cross Sword earlier and picked it up.
"What a pity! You really shouldn't have followed me!"
Leilin murmured softly while chanting a strange incantation, running his hand along the Cross Sword.
Tssss!!! The temperature plummeted several degrees in an instant. Frost spread rapidly along the blade, and in the blink of an eye, Leilin's Cross Sword had transformed into a massive, translucent ice blade!!!
This was the Ice Alchemy Rune obtained from one of the Polar Night City lord's trusted Wizards. After acquiring it from the half-beastman Wizard Apprentice's corpse, Leilin had immediately stored it in the Chip and completed its analysis.
Now, with the Ice Alchemy Rune's enhancement, the ice greatsword in Leilin's hand had effects comparable to a low-grade Magical Item!
Leilin gave the great blade a satisfied swing, then activated another Magical Item on his person.
"Falling Star's Light!!!"
Puff!!! A burst of illusory light erupted from the Pendant of the Falling Star, enveloping Leilin's entire body. Silver-gray luminescence coalesced into an ethereal suit of armor, shielding him within.
Now Leilin, clad in luminous silver armor and wielding a translucent greatsword, looked like a legendary mythical Knight reborn!!!
The Chip's notifications also flashed continuously before his eyes: "Ice Rune enhancement active. Estimated to add 3–5 degrees of power to each Cross Sword strike, with additional frost damage effect! Pendant of the Falling Star full defense activated—energy reserves declining. Estimated depletion in 15 minutes!"
"No choice—let's go all out!"
Soren and the female apprentice exchanged a glance, both reading the fierce determination in each other's expression.
Leilin's demeanor made it abundantly clear he had no intention of letting them go. Further pleas would be utterly meaningless.
Moreover, they were both geniuses with their own pride. One-on-one, they might not match Torresas, but if both attacked together, even Torresas would have found it a headache.
"I'll hold him off—you prepare a high-power spell!"
Soren said to the female apprentice, then extended his right hand.
At that moment, the skin on his right hand bulged and transformed into scales. His fingernails elongated and curved into hooks, their tips gleaming with cold light. His entire palm seemed to morph completely—from a silver-skinned human hand into a beast's claw!
A bloodthirsty gleam appeared in Soren's eyes as he stepped forward, positioning himself protectively in front of the blonde female apprentice.
Meanwhile, the female apprentice continuously pulled various materials from her person while chanting incantations. She even used a dagger to cut her own skin from time to time, smearing her blood onto the spell components.
A powerful wave of magical energy continuously formed around the female apprentice.
"How interesting—one melee, one ranged. Quite the combination!"
Leilin let out a wild laugh and lunged forward.
Boom!!! With Leilin's Knight-level physical capabilities, Soren could only see a gray blur. He instinctively extended his claws.
Clang!!! The ice greatsword collided with the silver claws, and a bone-piercing chill spread from the claws through Soren's entire body.
"So fast!!!" Soren retreated several steps, hiding his silver claws behind his back.
Under the cover of his sleeve, a layer of frost clung to his silver claws and was continuously spreading upward, reaching all the way to his elbow.
"Ha ha… Good! Again!"
Leilin roared and charged once more, brandishing the Cross Sword. The aura he carried was so overwhelming that Soren involuntarily felt the urge to close his eyes and drop to his knees in submission.
"Cross Slash!!!!"
Leilin bellowed. The ice greatsword carved out a brilliant cross-shaped beam of light. Unlike the ethereal battle aura of before, this Cross Slash materialized in midair as a sharp, ice-cold cross-shaped blade, slashing straight toward Soren.
"Aah!!!" Soren's eyes turned bloodshot. Gritting his teeth, he raised his silver claws before him. The scales on them rapidly spread and reshaped into a small shield that blocked in front of him.
Tsss!!! The Cross Slash carved a deep groove into Soren's silver shield. White ice crystals continuously formed along the gash, frost spreading outward.
Pfft!!! Soren retracted the silver shield, but his silver right hand now bore two wounds so deep the bone was visible, the surface sealed by a layer of frost.
The cold continued spreading through his body. To his horror, Soren realized his right hand had completely lost all sensation, and his mobility was becoming increasingly difficult.
"Die!"
Without hesitation, Leilin swung his sword at Soren's neck.
"No!!!" Soren roared, swinging his remaining left hand. His left hand had also turned completely silver, with its fingertips slightly darkened, and it thrust straight toward Leilin's abdomen.
Back at the academy, all the apprentices knew that Soren's expertise in Mutationology far surpassed that of ordinary apprentices—his right hand had been completely transformed into an incomparably sharp killing machine!
But all the apprentices had been deceived by Soren. His left hand was his hidden trump card!!!
Not only did it possess a silver claw modified through Mutationology, but it also carried Shadow Poison that Soren had purchased at great cost. If it so much as grazed the opponent's skin, even a formal Wizard would be thrown into complete disarray!
At this critical moment between life and death, Soren decisively employed a mutually destructive fighting style, trying to seize a sliver of survival for himself!
Clang!!!
Leilin's expression remained cold and ruthless. He let the poison-coated claw rake across his body, while the ice greatsword mercilessly severed Soren's neck!!!!