Xi Rui was engrossed in magical research. Suddenly, an extremely powerful surge of magical fluctuation jolted his body.
What was that?
As a professor at the "Dili Gan Magic and Martial Arts Academy," Xi Rui was acutely attuned to these waves of energy. This phenomenon clearly indicated someone was unleashing magic on a massive scale. If it were daytime, Xi Rui wouldn't have given it much thought, but the disturbing part was the dead of night, with all the students fast asleep, and this level of magical discharge was far beyond what any student could manage!
What in the world was happening?
Because the matter weighed so heavily on his mind, Xi Rui set aside his work and resolved to go out and investigate immediately!
Never mind that he was an old man in his sixties; his cultivation was formidable, having already reached the strength of an "Archmage!" (One might say he was rather similar to Gandalf, except Gandalf was merely a nominal professor at the "Homebody Magic and Martial Arts Academy"!)
Employing wind magic, Xi Rui moved with incredible speed, arriving at the source of the disturbance like a gust of wind.
Yet, when he beheld the sheer devastation, even his usually unshakable composure faltered.
What happened? How could it have become like this?
Judging by the scene, the surrounding structures were nearly unrecognizable, if not entirely ruined!
This was unprecedented! Who dared to wreak such havoc within the very grounds of the "Dili Gan Magic and Martial Arts Academy"? Didn't they fear…
A thunderous BOOM interrupted Xi Rui’s contemplation. He looked up to see a massive flare of fire erupting not far ahead, accompanied by sounds of desperate cries echoing to the heavens.
Another wind-acceleration spell propelled Xi Rui forward, and he reached the spot within moments, only to gasp sharply at the sight that greeted him!
The ground was littered with prone security guards, all groaning in agony. The area resembled a sea of fire, with thick black smoke billowing skyward!
He spun around and spotted a few standing figures, immediately charging toward them.
These figures were none other than Zhong Shenxiu and his entourage. Zhong Shenxiu was currently observing Xi Rui's approach with keen interest, a flicker of light seeming to cross his eyes.
"Can someone tell me what is going on here?" Xi Rui halted about three meters away, his aged voice demanding an answer.
"Hey, old man," Zhong Shenxiu's voice cut in abruptly, "What is your identity?"
Huh?!
Xi Rui was momentarily stunned. He lowered his gaze to look at the small boy he had almost overlooked, never expecting to be addressed with such audacity.
"Whose child is this?" Xi Rui frowned, glancing up at Wayne and the others. He wasn't there for pleasantries, so he completely ignored Zhong Shenxiu.
Wayne and the others, however, exchanged strange looks, as if to communicate: This is not our place to speak; address your concerns to the child before you!
Xi Rui suddenly felt an urge to explode in anger. At a time like this, they were playing dumb! He had to ascertain which class they belonged to and have their homeroom teacher properly discipline them!
"Which class are you from? Recount exactly what happened here!"
As he spoke, Xi Rui surveyed the surroundings again—it was truly heartbreaking. Countless plants and numerous buildings were destroyed; restoring everything to its former state would be no simple task!
"We are from Class D27!" Paul interjected, stealing a sidelong glance at Zhong Shenxiu.
"Class D27? I've never heard of such a class," Xi Rui muttered inwardly, unable to help but ask, "Who is your homeroom teacher?"
He knew most of the faculty here, which prompted the question, but the answer he received was utterly shocking!
"He's standing right in front of you!" Daisy added, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
"What?" Xi Rui started, genuinely alarmed. He looked down at Zhong Shenxiu again, then swiftly shifted his gaze back to Daisy, clearly incredulous!
"Hey, old man, are you deaf? I’m talking to you," Zhong Shenxiu's voice drifted over again.
"I don't have time to waste with you! Tell me quickly what happened!" Xi Rui was famous for his short temper, and it was already fraying past its limit!
However, Zhong Shenxiu’s temperament was notoriously volatile!
"You want to know?" A sinister grin suddenly spread across Zhong Shenxiu’s lips. With a casual flick of his small hand, a scroll shot out.
Xi Rui could never have dreamed that this child would suddenly use a scroll, much less that the attack would be directed at him. But what he least expected was the scroll’s terrifying power!
A flash of black light erupted. Xi Rui felt his body seize up, as if compressed by an invisible force. Then, he felt something worm its way into his core and instantly flood his entire being. Following that, he was horrified to discover that he could no longer sense the elemental fluctuations around him!
What was happening?
Xi Rui’s face changed abruptly. He scrambled to check his own condition, only to find his magic power completely shackled by a strange energy. In short, he had instantly devolved from an Archmage into an ordinary old man!
Xi Rui struggled fiercely to break the restraint, but he was aghast to find he couldn't even scratch the strange energy. It felt like dark magic, yet it possessed a fundamental difference!
Little did he know, this was a sealing scroll crafted from Zhong Shenxiu’s Dark Sorcery—how could a mere Archmage like him possibly resist it?
"You... you..." Xi Rui glared furiously at Zhong Shenxiu, so enraged he nearly fainted.
All his power had been painstakingly earned, piece by painstaking piece, only to vanish in an instant, leaving him a defenseless old man. The sheer injustice made him want to hang himself with a strand of noodles!
"Can you answer my question now? My time is limited; I advise you to cooperate fully!" Zhong Shenxiu’s detached voice rang out, though it now sounded chillingly cold to Xi Rui’s ears.
At this moment, Xi Rui was far beyond cooperation; he wished he could crush Zhong Shenxiu right there. His body trembled uncontrollably from extreme agitation.
Alas, compared to what Gandalf had endured back then, his fate was comparatively fortunate!
Zhong Shenxiu sighed and shook his head, adopting an expression of, I truly didn't want this; you forced my hand. Then, he tossed out another scroll. This time, it flashed with green light that enveloped Xi Rui entirely.
Poor old man, he didn't even have the strength left to scream!
Looking at Xi Rui now, it was more than just trembling; he was beginning to convulse, resembling an elderly patient suffering from post-stroke complications!
Wayne and the others, having witnessed Zhong Shenxiu's methods before, secretly offered a silent prayer for the old man!
Five minutes later, Xi Rui, who usually never bowed his head, finally yielded and began to cooperate fully, "telling everything he knew without reservation."
Seeing that he was old and weak, Zhong Shenxiu showed a moment of mercy and allowed Robin to cast a calming water-elemental spell on him! (Though the main goal was actually to help Xi Rui articulate his words clearly! Waterfall sweat!)
Wayne and the others watched as Xi Rui, who had been fiercely defiant moments ago, now acted as docile as a pet. They couldn't help but wipe sweat from their brows (though there was no sweat there to begin with), thinking to themselves that they must absolutely cooperate with Teacher Zhong from now on and never give Teacher Zhong a chance to intervene!
Because of this delay, more people had arrived—teachers, students, and security guards from other posts!
"Oh, heavens! What happened here?"
"Did they have a massive brawl?"
"Could it be a terrorist attack?"
"..."
Instantly, murmurs and pointing fingers erupted everywhere!
This put the teachers in a bind: they had to maintain order, monitor the surroundings, and direct the rescue of the injured all at once.
Soon, these newcomers noticed Zhong Shenxiu and his group, the unharmed survivors. Several middle-aged men, who were teachers on duty, approached them.
"Archmage Xi Rui, what is going on here?" one middle-aged man inquired politely.
However, Xi Rui offered no reply, instead desperately giving them meaningful glances, as if signaling: Don't come closer, it's dangerous here!
But the more he grimaced and winked, the more curious the middle-aged men became. One asked again, "Archmage Xi Rui, what is wrong with you?"
Xi Rui was inwardly despairing. He was genuinely terrified of the little boy before him. Although he didn't know what that scroll was, it had given him a taste of "life worse than death"—it was utterly terrifying; his old bones had nearly given out!
What he needed to do now was comply with Zhong Shenxiu's wishes as much as possible, because he knew only this little boy could lift the restriction. More importantly, he absolutely did not want to experience that feeling again—not even under duress!
Zhong Shenxiu, however, had no intention of wasting time on these people. He was here for retribution; he needed to find the individuals who had bullied his students first. Thus, he led his group toward the men's dormitory building!
Based on Wayne’s descriptions, he could already sketch out the appearance of those people, so finding them was only a matter of time!
But as Zhong Shenxiu and the others took just a couple of steps, Wayne’s voice suddenly rang out, laced with excitement: "It's him! Teacher Zhong, he was definitely one of them!"
Saying this, he pointed into the surrounding crowd!
Looking where he pointed, a tall, slender youth with an overly polished, effeminate face was craning his neck to watch. This was precisely the person Wayne had called a sissy earlier, whose name seemed to be Laitan!
"That's right, he was there!"
Paul also let out an excited breath. He had been worried about how they would find these people, never expecting one to simply show himself.
This was a case of meeting disaster head-on when safety was within reach!
Finding one meant finding the others; with Zhong Shenxiu's methods, extracting the exact whereabouts of the rest would be child’s play!
Just you wait, I’ve come to settle scores with you!
Wayne and the others were practically itching for a fight, ready to pounce like hungry wolves!
In that brief pause, the group of middle-aged men had approached. But before they could speak, they were jolted silent by a few furious roars from Wayne and his friends.
"Sissy, come out! Where did that afternoon bravado go?"
"We’re here now! Didn't you boast you'd make us crawl out? I want to see who falls down first!"
"Get over here!"
"..."
Wayne and his group grew angrier as they yelled, seemingly reliving the humiliation from that afternoon!
Laitan was startled. He had just been wondering why these people looked so similar to the group they encountered at noon. Hearing their shouts confirmed it—these were the very people from that midday encounter!
He couldn't fathom why these individuals would dare show up here. Had they not been beaten enough and were now looking for more punishment??
The thought was unbelievable, and what confused him more was how quickly these people had recovered from their injuries. They had nearly been beaten to death that morning, yet here they were tonight, lively and well!
Laitan was alone and outnumbered now, so he certainly wasn't foolish enough to charge forward. He remained silent despite Wayne’s tirade, adopting an expression that said, "I'm standing right here; let’s see what you can do to me."
This was their "Dili Gan Magic and Martial Arts Academy," surrounded by so many teachers and students. He was utterly fearless, confident that as long as he didn't approach them, their shouting wouldn't affect him!
"Silence!" A sharp reprimand came from one of the middle-aged men, who glared fiercely at Wayne and his group.
Wayne and the others were startled into stopping their shouts, looking confusedly at the man who had yelled.
They had gotten too carried away and forgotten they were on someone else’s turf, failing to acknowledge that these middle-aged men were teachers!
In truth, if anyone should have been acting fearlessly, it should have been Wayne and his companions, backed by the invincible little teachers, Zhong Shenxiu and Robin. They feared nothing!
"Who permitted you to shout like this? What time is it? Can't you see Archmage Xi Rui is here?" The middle-aged man adopted the stern posture of an elder.
"Teacher, they aren't from our academy! They are spies from the 'Homebody Magic and Martial Arts Academy'!" Laitan suddenly shouted, his face displaying an eagerness to see chaos erupt.
The middle-aged man was clearly taken aback. He scrutinized Wayne and the others before asking, "Are you really from the 'Homebody Magic and Martial Arts Academy'?"
"That's right!" Daisy retorted, her eyes narrowing and her lips pouting in the manner of a fierce heroine.
A look of disdain flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes. He questioned them in an even sterner tone, "Who sent you? What is your motive? Are you responsible for the damage here?"
As he spoke, he swept his sharp gaze over Daisy and the others, clearly prepared to strike and apprehend them at any moment!
Xi Rui, standing nearby, was beside himself with anxiety. Why aren't they paying attention to the signals I’m giving them? These kids are little ancestors! They carry numerous scroll weapons (munitions); if they mess up, this entire academy could be finished!
However, the more Xi Rui worried silently, the more the middle-aged man interpreted his silence as tacit agreement, and he began to press his interrogation even harder!
When the surrounding students heard that Wayne and his group were from the "Homebody Magic and Martial Arts Academy," their righteous indignation flared. With Laitan fanning the flames nearby, everyone began to shout!
"Go back where you came from! You are not welcome here!"
"Go play around in your own backyard! Don't try to act tough here; we could drown you with a single spit!"
"Go back and take a piss to see what you look like before you come here again!"
"..."
These were the milder insults; soon, the clamor escalated into outright verbal abuse!
"Trash, get out of here now!"
"Go back to your pigsty!"
"Don't come here to disgrace yourselves!"
"The Homebody Magic and Martial Arts Academy can't even control its beasts, letting them run around biting people here!"
"..."
A cacophony of the most vile language filled the air. Many of these students were merely hiding in the crowd, shouting a few lines whenever they could to remain unnoticed, relying on sheer numbers to egg on the chaos.
And the middle-aged man didn't stop them; he merely stared coldly at Daisy and the others, acting as if he heard none of the surrounding noise!
In just a short time, the shouting intensified, threatening to spiral completely out of control.
More people continued to converge on the scene, mostly students. For them, this was rare entertainment that they wouldn't see again for a century!
"Wow, look how many people! Guess we arrived late!" said a newly arrived youth to the boy beside him.
This boy was Reinhardt, the younger brother of Amanda, who had sold mineral ores to Zhong Shenxiu at the inn!
However, the other boy ignored him. His face was frozen in shock, his eyes locked onto Zhong Shenxiu and Robin in the center of the chaos, as if he had seen a ghost!
Everyone should recognize this boy—it was none other than Sheryl, formerly the top-ranked student at the "Dublai Magic and Martial Arts Academy"!
He had been specially recruited to the "Dili Gan Magic and Martial Arts Academy," and he never expected to see Zhong Shenxiu and Robin again in this place.
He certainly hadn't forgotten Zhong Shenxiu and Robin! Remember how he challenged Robin back then, only to have his sword easily snapped by Robin’s slender fingers? That was an incident he would never forget in his lifetime!
Furthermore, Robin had represented their academy in the "Academy Ranking Tournament" and fought her way through the ranks!
"Huh? That's strange. What are all these people shouting about? Sheryl, do you know?... Sheryl?" The youth noticed Sheryl’s stunned expression and faltered.
"Reinhardt, let's go!" Sheryl’s expression changed abruptly, and he grabbed Reinhardt, pulling him back the way they came!
"Why? We just got here!" Reinhardt was thoroughly confused; why the sudden need to leave!
"Don't ask! Hurry and come with me, or we’ll be too late!" Sheryl’s expression grew increasingly grave. He actually activated his Battle Qi and forcibly dragged Reinhardt back the way they ran!
Shortly after they left, Zhong Shenxiu surveyed the throng of shouting people and let out a cold snort!
Wayne and the others, who had been furious, shuddered instantly upon hearing that sound.
"Class D27!" Zhong Shenxiu’s voice rang out.
"Present!" Wayne and his group responded in unison.
"What did I tell you to use those scrolls for?" After asking, Zhong Shenxiu fell silent.
The meaning behind his words was perfectly clear! (!)
For more novels, visit storyread.net.