"I... I..."
Muli hesitated. Though he doubted the other party's strength, wizards were a rational bunch. If it weren't for Xi Ling, he would never have come to provoke this person.
And now, he was feeling rather uncertain.
If Leilin really did possess formidable power, wouldn't charging in recklessly just be seeking death?
But then his jaw dropped: "This... this is..."
Leilin had already thrown the ice mountain he'd been carrying onto the ground with a tremendous crash.
Inside the ice sat a slender Ice Jade Scorpion, motionless like a statue.
"Xi Ling! Send a few people over to help me move this!" Leilin contacted Xi Ling directly through his Secret Arcane Mark, and an elated reply came back immediately.
"Oh?
Old Made stepped forward with a smile to explain.
Under the ice-sealed state, the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor's aura had been suppressed to the absolute minimum, so Old Made hadn't noticed.
"No! No way! This isn't some juvenile — this is an Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor! A peak First-level Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor!!!" Muli stumbled back several steps, so shaken he could barely form coherent words.
"I saw one once before! This is definitely an Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor! Look at the Fear Rune on its back!"
Muli retreated all the way to the edge of the clearing, as though terrified that the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor might go berserk at any moment.
"Hss... it really is!"
Old Made picked up a pair of spectacles and placed them over his eyes, studying the scorpion inside the ice mountain carefully. Then he too let out a sharp gasp and stumbled back several steps.
"W-Wizard Leilin! Did you... did you capture this?"
Even Old Made's voice had gone stammering.
"Of course!" Leilin nodded with a smile.
After undoing his bloodline's emotional suppression, Leilin had killed all the ordinary Ice Jade Scorpions on the spot and harvested their materials. But this Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor — he simply couldn't bring himself to dispatch it.
After all, a living specimen was worth far more than dead materials.
He had a number of ideas he wanted to carry out using this Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor, and he was also very interested in solving the problem of it rapidly deteriorating once removed from the frost radiation.
So he had no choice but to pack the whole thing up and haul it out.
Moreover, since spatial leather bags couldn't hold living creatures, Leilin could only store the ordinary scorpion materials inside, while he had to personally carry this ice mountain all the way out.
Still, seeing the two wizards' expressions shift from disbelief to deep reverence, Leilin found it rather amusing.
He had deliberately made no effort to conceal anything — displaying his strength was part of the point.
After all, a peak First-level Wizard wasn't something you just claimed to be. And an Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor whose strength rivalled that of a peak First-level Wizard was more than enough to make the surrounding parties think twice.
Because Leilin had always kept a low profile, even though Xi Ling had been promoting him vigorously, the surrounding factions still hadn't acknowledged him. Some wizards even believed the whole thing was a scam and wanted to come looking for trouble.
Now, those minor factions would naturally think long and hard before showing up.
Leilin didn't fear trouble, but he detested having to deal with every petty nuisance himself. Using this Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor to scare them off was a rather elegant solution.
Even among peak First-level beings, combat strength varied considerably. And the fact that Leilin had captured alive a peak First-level Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor — didn't that mean he ranked among the very top tier of peak First-level Wizards?
Old Made and Muli exchanged a glance, and the way they looked at Leilin was now tinged with genuine awe.
"Lord Leilin! Thank goodness you've returned safely!"
At that moment, Xi Ling arrived with the two apprentices from before, her face beaming.
Leilin looked at them and gave a nod. Judging by the scene, Xi Ling had stayed here with the two apprentices waiting the entire time after he'd gone down — that showed some dedication.
"Ice Jade Scorpions are creatures with the strength of full Wizards, and they're pack animals. I was a bit worried at first! Praise the Earth Mother!"
Xi Ling patted her heaving chest, still looking shaken — she had apparently been worrying about Leilin the whole time.
Hearing this, Old Made and Muli simultaneously rolled their eyes inwardly.
The ones who should be worried are the Ice Jade Scorpions! This lord had captured even their Emperor. The rest would either scatter or seek to join another group.
Xi Ling then noticed the ice mountain beside Leilin: "Is this what you need us to move?"
"Mm. Send two people with me. I want to bring it to the East Domain capital and find a proper laboratory to study it..." Leilin patted the ice mountain behind him.
"If all you need is a laboratory, our Alliance of Nature headquarters is right nearby! You're welcome to use any of the labs inside!" Xi Ling's eyes lit up as she suggested eagerly. "And about the earlier matter, there's something I'd like to discuss with you in detail!"
"Your headquarters are nearby? Very well, let's go there then." Leilin nodded in agreement. He didn't really have anything important left in his basement in the East Domain capital — all his valuable instruments were carried with him.
As for basic infrastructure, the Alliance of Nature's laboratories were undoubtedly better than whatever basement he had carved out for himself.
"You two get on. Have a cart brought around. We're moving this ice mountain back to headquarters!"
Xi Ling issued the orders, then stepped forward to examine the Ice Jade Scorpion inside the mountain more closely.
Through the semi-transparent ice, they could still see the human-faced rune on the scorpion's back — startlingly lifelike.
"This is... an Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor!!!" Xi Ling clapped a hand over her mouth, her beautiful eyes widening in shock.
...
Whoosh!
A massive waterfall cascaded down from above like a white ribbon, crashing into an underground pool and sending up enormous plumes of spray. The thunderous roar reverberated in all directions.
Beyond the waterfall lay a small canyon.
Inside, lush green plants blanketed the ground, and ancient-looking buildings stood among them.
Vines crawled over every landmark and signpost, yet a steady glow of Constant Light emanated from beneath the foliage.
This was the headquarters of the Alliance of Nature faction.
Leilin surveyed the storybook-like complex with idle curiosity.
Though the buildings appeared somewhat weathered, the wooden walls still shimmered with faint magical luminescence — evidence that powerful defensive arrays had been laid upon them.
The Alliance of Nature might be a minor faction, and its inherited high-level Meditation Methods had obvious gaps, but centuries — even millennia — of accumulation were not to be underestimated.
Every so often, an apprentice in grey robes would emerge from one of the buildings and bow respectfully to Xi Ling.
"Oh my! Xi Ling, it's been ages since you came back!"
A grey mole the size of a small boy hopped down from atop a human-sized mushroom, raising one paw in greeting to Xi Ling.
Its eyes sparkled with keen intelligence, and two pristine white whiskers trailed from its snout all the way to the ground.
"It's wonderful to see you, Grandpa Xidelin!"
Xi Ling was the picture of deference. "I brought your favourite berries!"
Two strange fruits resembling green dates were gently set on the ground by Xi Ling.
"Mm, wonderful! My absolute favourite!" The enormous mole snatched them up with dexterous paws, tossed them into its mouth, and crunched them with audible relish.
"This is the honorary professor I recently recruited — Leilin Farell! From now on, he has the same authority here as I do." Once the mole had finished eating, Xi Ling made the introduction.
"Leilin, you say?" The mole regarded Leilin with squinting, merry eyes. "Mmm, unfathomable power. It looks like you've staked everything on him..."
Leilin, for his part, was studying the mole as well. "A Guardian creature? Roughly the strength of a First-level Wizard — not bad at all..."
Xi Ling then explained to Leilin: "Grandpa Xidelin has been our Alliance of Nature's guardian since my great-great-grandmother's time. He's very gentle, so long as you don't disturb his sleep..."
After the introductions were complete, Xi Ling led Leilin into something resembling a great hall.
Inside, dozens of apprentices were already assembled. Aobo and Ilya, whom Leilin had met before, were among them, seated in seats of prominence.
"A Wizard faction that's been reduced to having just one First-level Wizard and a Guardian creature holding down the fort, with only a few dozen apprentices..." Leilin couldn't help but think it rather pathetic, but he followed Xi Ling inside regardless.
Xi Ling stepped to the front and addressed the apprentices: "This is Professor Leilin, whom I have personally invited! From now on, you will show him the same respect you show me — no! You will show him even greater respect! Do you understand?"
The apprentices bowed in unison: "Professor Leilin!" There was a bright, eager gleam in their eyes.
Leilin's exploits had already spread through the faction via Aobo and Ilya. The apprentices were all thrilled that a peak First-level Wizard would be anchoring their faction — and there was even a sense of vindication.
"Very pleased to meet you all. Wizards are seekers of truth! I hope to see you in the halls of truth as well, someday!"
Leilin offered a brief remark, then signalled to Xi Ling to dismiss the apprentices.
He had never been fond of these ceremonial affairs, and a roomful of apprentice-level wizards gave him no desire for lengthy conversation.
Xi Ling had only gathered them to make the formal announcement and let them see Leilin's face, so she quickly sent them on their way. Soon, only she and Leilin remained in the great hall.
"Can we talk now? Before I went into the Frost Cavern, it seemed like something was on your mind."
Leilin looked at Xi Ling, whose eyes flickered with uncertainty, and asked with a smile.
"You really can't hide anything from you..." Xi Ling bit her lip, and at last seemed to make up her mind.