Warren strode forward a dozen meters, only to see Chen Feng still making his way along unhurriedly, without the slightest haste. Frustrated, he hurried back, grabbing Chen Feng’s arm. “Hurry up! There’s a Earth-Bear Demon Boar behind us… if it catches us, we’re done for!”

Chen Feng instinctively pulled his hand away, avoiding the grasp. Judging by Warren’s dishevelled state, he must have been brutally handled by the Earth-Bear Demon Boar. To fear it this much, to the point of not daring to flee alone when encountering a stranger on the road, spoke volumes about his character.

Seeing the panic etched on Warren’s face, Chen Feng gave a faint smile. “There’s no running now, the Earth-Bear Demon Boar is already here!”

Before the words even fully left his mouth, the ground began to rumble, and the four-meter-long Earth-Bear Demon Boar charged over like an armored tank.

“It’s over, but brother, don't be afraid…” Warren shouted as he saw the beast approach. Yet, while telling Chen Feng not to fear, his own face turned ashen. “I lured this massive thing here. I’ll… I’ll draw it away again…”

With that, he let out a shriek and bolted toward the dense woods to one side.

Chen Feng felt a surge of goodwill, recognizing the young man’s loyalty.

The Earth-Bear Demon Boar let out a furious roar upon hearing Warren’s scream, but it didn’t pursue him. Instead, it turned its attention to Chen Feng.

“Roar…” It bellowed, digging its four hooves violently into the earth, instantly carving a large pit. Using the rebound force, the behemoth slammed toward Chen Feng like a freight truck.

“Ah… Danger…” Warren hadn’t expected his diversion to fail. He yelled anxiously from the sidelines, unable to suppress a pang of pity for the apparent mage.

This lone mage looked no older than seventeen or eighteen. To perish here because of this…

But before his pity could fully ripen, a colossal CRASH echoed from up ahead.

Warren had been bracing himself to see Chen Feng sent flying, bloodied and broken. Instead, he witnessed a sight that left his jaw slack with astonishment.

The Earth-Bear Demon Boar, over four meters long and weighing several thousand pounds, was sent flying backward after that single CRASH!

The Level Four magical beast, notorious for its charge attack, had failed to knock down the human—it had been thrown back by the human!

“Ah…” Warren frantically rubbed his eyes. “Did I… did I see that correctly?”

Chen Feng dusted off his hands, looking utterly unconcerned. A Level Four magical beast was currently too weak to trouble him. If he truly intended to kill it, a single ‘Shadow Hook’ would suffice. Seeing the bulky creature rush him, he had simply shoved its head, sending it tumbling end over end several times.

The Earth-Bear Demon Boar landed with a thud that gouged a crater in the ground. Shaking its massive head, it regained its footing, glanced once at Chen Feng standing before it, and promptly turned tail to flee.

It seemed the beast understood that this red-haired youth was not to be trifled with, choosing the ‘wisdom’ of the swift retreat.

“What in the world? What just happened?” Warren looked from the retreating colossus to Chen Feng, whose face remained expressionless, disbelief warring within him.

Chen Feng offered no explanation, simply turning and continuing his walk forward.

“Hey, what was that just now? What kind of magic did you use… to make that giant run away?”

Chen Feng’s move had been too swift—a mere shove at the moment of impact—so while Warren saw something happen, he hadn't seen the precise execution.

“Oh, I know! It’s Mental Magic!” Warren suddenly slapped his thigh, shouting excitedly.

To make such a beast abandon its pursuit and flee instantly could only be a psychic assault from a Mental Mage. How else could it be compelled to turn and run?

The more Warren considered it, the more convinced he became, and his respect for Chen Feng instantly multiplied.

Mental Mages were exceptionally rare, and one capable of routing a Level Four magical beast was undoubtedly no minor figure.

“At least Level Seven…” Warren mused internally. He knew little about Mental Mages, so he couldn't gauge Chen Feng’s true strength and could only make wild guesses.

Level Eight or Nine? He didn’t dare contemplate such heights. Given the youth’s age, and how notoriously difficult Mental Magic was to cultivate, achieving Level Seven at his age would already be vastly overestimating him.

Chen Feng paid no mind to the reckless guesswork and kept walking.

Warren wasn't offended by Chen Feng’s aloof nature and pressed on. “Which class are you in, the Mental division? Why haven’t I seen you before?”

“Mental division?” Chen Feng blinked in confusion.

Hearing ‘Mental’ immediately conjured associations with ‘Nervous System’ or ‘Psychotic,’ explaining his momentary blankness.

Warren, oblivious to Chen Feng’s internal musings, slapped his forehead and chuckled. “How dense of me! There’s only one class for Mental Mages. Which year are you in?”

Only then did Chen Feng grasp the meaning and replied blandly, “I’m not in the Mental division!”

“You’re not?” Warren paused, then his face blossomed with ecstatic realization. “You must be here to register! Achieving this much before even entering Tianfeng Academy—you’ll definitely make waves in the freshman competition this year! Let’s be friends. I’m Warren, second year Wind Element—oh, wait, third year, Class Three!” He extended his hand.

Seeing his forthrightness, Chen Feng smiled and shook it firmly.

“Come on, I’ll take you to the academy. I know the examiners well; we can skip the queue. Otherwise, registration takes all day and is exhausting,” Warren said cheerfully, his naturally sociable demeanor having already cemented their acquaintance.

The two walked through the woods at a leisurely pace. In Warren’s subconscious, mages were physically frail and couldn’t move fast without magical augmentation. Thus, wanting to ‘look after’ his new friend, he intentionally slowed his stride.

Chen Feng had nothing pressing to attend to. His cultivation had stagnated at the Ninth-Level Fighter realm, unable to break through. Leaving Dragon Diagram Mountain was precisely to seek a catalyst for advancement. He didn't care about speed.

It took them a full hour to traverse the forest. Warren’s injured arm, having been treated with medicine earlier, felt much better now.

Outside Dragon Diagram Mountain lay a small, unpretentious town. Before they even reached it, two figures approached them head-on. The woman leading the pair was in her early twenties, strikingly beautiful, tall, and draped in a light red mage’s robe. A flush of worry crossed her fair face, which brightened instantly upon seeing Warren, revealing deep concern.

“Warren, are you alright?”

“Teacher Kailin, I’m fine. It’s all thanks to this…” Warren suddenly paused, “Right, you never told me your name.”

“My name is Chen Feng.”

“Oh,” Warren turned to Teacher Kailin. “Thanks to this mage, Chen Feng, I truly would have been in grave danger.”

Kailin turned to look at Chen Feng. The male teacher accompanying her also walked closer.

“You’re a mage?” Kailin asked, suspicion lacing her voice.

Mages always exuded a magical fluctuation, yet she sensed absolutely none from him, leading to her query.

Chen Feng glanced at her and replied, “No.”

This answer stunned not only Kailin but also Warren.

“Warren…” Teacher Kailin looked to him, seeking an explanation.

“Didn’t you just say he was a Mental Mage?” Warren asked anxiously.

“A Mental Mage?” Both Kailin and the male teacher walking up behind her reacted with surprise.

Mental Mages were niche practitioners. Even at Tianfeng Academy, there was only one class per year, usually containing no more than ten students. In essence, the combined total of all seven years in the Mental division wouldn’t exceed one hundred practitioners.

Chen Feng shook his head, shot Warren a look, and stated, “I never said I was a mage.”

“This…” Warren was momentarily speechless. Recalling the sequence of events, he realized Chen Feng had never claimed to be a Mental Mage; it had been his own assumption.

Seeing Warren’s face redden with inability to speak, Chen Feng cut in directly. “I am a Fighter.”

“A Fighter? Then why are you wearing a mage’s robe?” This time, all three were left momentarily dumbfounded.

“Because I had no other clothes,” Chen Feng said without a hint of emotion.

“……” The three of them fell silent.

Reassured that Warren was safe, Teacher Kailin, who had come out to meet them, relaxed and led the pair toward the town.

Through Warren’s introductions, Chen Feng learned that the teachers had led the students out for practical field training, specifically searching for a herb called Blue Ice Grass. To give the students a better taste of wilderness life, the two accompanying teachers, Kailin and Anbi, had remained in the town. Earlier, Anliya and the others had returned with news of encountering a Level Four magical beast, causing the two teachers to panic and rush toward the location, meeting Chen Feng and Warren on the way.

“You’re a Fighter? I just can’t see it,” Warren probed, staring fixedly at Chen Feng.

Although Chen Feng’s physique was now robust, he deliberately suppressed his aura. A cultivator of Warren’s level simply couldn’t discern his true nature, much less his actual cultivation.

Chen Feng remained impassive, completely ignoring the incessant questioning.

“You haven’t even surpassed Level Three yet, have you? It’s going to be difficult to get into Tianfeng Academy like that!” Warren expressed concern.

Chen Feng continued to ignore him.

“But even if you were a Level Three Fighter, I should be able to tell, right? You haven’t even condensed your Dou Qi yet, have you…”

“……” Chen Feng.

…………………………………………………………………………

“What do you make of this Chen Feng?” the male teacher, Anbi, asked.

“Warren said he’s a prospective freshman, but I can’t sense his cultivation level, which is quite strange,” Kailin murmured, her delicate eyebrows furrowing, lending her a unique, captivating charm.

“I find it strange too. Perhaps his cultivation is too low, and he hasn't successfully condensed his Dou Qi yet. But a Fighter wearing a mage’s robe—no one would believe that story,” Anbi chuckled.

“And what about Warren’s claim that this young man chased off the Earth-Bear Demon Boar?” Kailin clearly attached great importance to this matter.

“I think there’s an issue with Warren’s account. The Earth-Bear Demon Boar is such a frenzied beast; why would it turn tail for no reason? Warren was probably seeing things after getting hurt. As long as he’s safe, let’s not overthink it,” Anbi consoled, then fell silent.

Kailin glanced at the impassive Chen Feng, feeling that the situation wasn't quite so simple, yet she couldn't articulate why. For a moment, her thoughts drifted vaguely.

ps: Terrible headache today, this is the only chapter for now, don't wait up, apologies... (To be continued, for future events, please log on to wwwqidiaancomm for more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!)