"Shen Xiu's voice was piercingly loud in such a stifling atmosphere. It was nearly impossible to ignore his presence, even for the ten 'Curse Obedience Thinkers'!
The Headmaster glanced at Zhong Shen Xiu, seeing nothing but a mere child with milky teeth, and was momentarily stunned.
He immediately dismissed the sight, filtering it out!
'Xi Rui. Why are you here? Tell me clearly!' The Headmaster roared, seemingly determined to pin the blame on Xi Rui.
His bond with Xi Rui ran deep; there was no need for pleasantries—he said exactly what was on his mind. The academy was in ruins, a devastation no ordinary person could inflict. Even the security guards alone were too much for these youths to handle, pointing suspicion directly at Xi Rui, the Great Magus, especially since he was found at the scene!
Xi Rui felt utterly wronged. He had only come out with good intentions to see what had happened, only to become the primary suspect! That was bad enough, but the most frustrating part was having his cultivation sealed—how was he supposed to face anyone now?
Meanwhile, Zhong Shen Xiu was beginning to resent this feeling of being ignored. Why did no one ever take him seriously? Did they all look down on children?
'Want to know what happened?' Zhong Shen Xiu flashed a wicked smile, then, without waiting for an answer, he hurled a scroll. His target: the dormitory building that had already been split in two.
'I'll show you the madness of a child!'
The wind suddenly whipped up, and the heavens seemed to change color. A torrent of Wind elemental magical energy surged toward them, culminating in an Eighth-Tier Wind spell manifesting before everyone’s eyes.
'Boom! Boom!' The sound was deafening, like ten thousand horses charging. In a mere instant, the dormitory building that had stood tall moments before was reduced to mere rubble. Fortunately, no students remained inside, or they would have suffered the same fate as the stones!
'This... this is...' Even the Headmaster and those behind him were dumbfounded by this sudden turn of events!
From the moment the scroll was thrown to the destruction of the building, less than twenty seconds had passed. The sheer speed was astounding! This speed clearly demonstrated the extraordinary nature of the scrolls Zhong Shen Xiu possessed; neither their power nor their activation speed could compare to those Wayne and the others used!
With this display, the Headmaster who had been so aggressively questioning Xi Rui ceased his tirade. Even the biggest fool could now understand precisely what had occurred!
What kind of scroll was that? The Headmaster's mind registered such an idiotic question!
Beside him, Xi Rui secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Zhong Shen Xiu deploying that scroll meant his innocence was proven. While he regretted the destruction of the buildings, he wanted even less to suffer an undeserved accusation!
After a brief silence, the Headmaster finally erupted in furious rage again: 'Grab them all! Don't let a single one escape!'
Those behind him, already primed for a fight, immediately surged toward Zhong Shen Xiu and his companions upon hearing the command!
'Retreat quickly!' Just as these men charged forward, an old magus not far behind suddenly shouted, his expression filled with horror.
Even if the old magus hadn't shouted, these charging men had already noticed: the instant they moved, several other youths suddenly held multiple scrolls in their hands. They were certain they weren't mistaken—it truly was several scrolls!
Heavens, how could they possess so many scrolls?
These men had just witnessed the terrifying power of the scroll, so this shock was immense. They slammed on their brakes, managing to stabilize their bodies, but the scrolls were already raining down like hailstones!
'Boom! Boom!' Several more explosions echoed. Though they managed to shield their vital points in that split second, their bodies were flung away like kites severed from their strings. Where they landed, no one could tell!
Now, everything was clear. The destruction wrought upon the academy was the handiwork of these youths. While they might lack personal strength, the scrolls they wielded were incredibly potent, virtually indistinguishable from instantaneous magic casting!
The Headmaster was so enraged he nearly fainted. To dare resist and injure others right in front of them—did these people have no regard for him as Headmaster? Or for the 'Diligan Martial Arts Academy' itself? The more he thought, the angrier he became, teetering on the brink of an uncontrolled outburst!
'Everyone, be wary of their scrolls! Mages, provide cover! Swordsmen, attack in four directions...' The Vice Headmaster suddenly commanded from the side.
Soon, the mages began chanting their incantations. In moments, their respective magics took form and lashed out in unison!
However, Zhong Shen Xiu's side threw out several more scrolls. With a flash of light, several defensive barriers materialized, directly blocking the incoming assault!
These defensive scrolls were mostly deployed by Daisy and the other girls. They had, after all, gathered plenty of defensive and healing scrolls during their selection, which were now proving invaluable!
With the girls handling defense, Wayne and the other boys were not about to be outdone; they began hurling their own scrolls, launching a counterattack!
And thus, a magical war began!
No matter how powerful the enemy mages were, they couldn't keep pace with the activation speed of the scrolls, leaving them utterly disheveled and forced into a constant retreat. The swordsmen were even more frustrated. Logically, at such close range, they should be in their element, but the scrolls were too monstrous. One after another, they dared not advance and were now scrambling just to evade!
'Hold fast, everyone! They can't have limitless scrolls,' the Headmaster shouted. He was certainly troubled by these artifacts. Rushing forward recklessly would surely result in grievous injury. The most rational course now was to wear them down until their supply of scrolls was exhausted—then it would be their time to dominate!
Yet, to their profound shock, half the battle had passed, and the youths showed absolutely no sign of running out of scrolls; they continued to toss them out one after another. Meanwhile, their own ranks were steadily falling, being knocked aside or sent flying!
Frustrating! Damn it, I've never been this utterly thwarted in my life! The Headmaster nearly drew his sword to end it all. Being driven to such a pathetic state on his own turf, by a group of young teenagers, was the ultimate humiliation!
Even the most careful can stumble! While Wayne and the others were lost in the frenzy of throwing scrolls, they inevitably created brief gaps in their offensive rhythm. Such a small lapse in time meant nothing to an ordinary person, but to the Headmaster, it was a perfect opportunity!
The Headmaster was supremely confident; he believed he could use that momentary lapse to charge forward—and once he reached them, victory would be his! Thus, the Headmaster began to gather his strength, waiting for the moment, his eyes glinting like a predator's in the dark night!
Finally, when Wayne and the others finished their current batch of scrolls and reached for new ones, that was the exact opening the Headmaster had been waiting for!
His Battle Qi erupted instantly, enveloping him in a dazzling burst of golden-yellow light. With a sharp 'crack,' the flagstones beneath his original position shattered, and he shot forward like a streak of gold toward Wayne and his companions!
His speed was breathtaking. In the blink of an eye, he was close to Wayne's group. In this academy, he possessed the highest cultivation, and only he could capitalize on such a brief window of opportunity!
However, he could never have dreamed that Zhong Shen Xiu was also waiting for an opportunity—the very moment the Headmaster charged!
Wayne and the others were paralyzed with fright by the sudden onslaught. They saw a flash of light, and a figure materialized before them!
At that moment, a cold sneer finally crossed the Headmaster's face as he brought his hand down like a blade, aimed to strike. The force behind this blow was immense, possessing undeniable power to cleave metal and shatter stone. If this strike had landed on Wayne and the others, even if it didn't kill them, it would certainly shatter every bone!
Little brats, you will fall now!
Just as Wayne seemed destined to take the first blow, a black light suddenly enveloped the Headmaster's body. Then, an unbelievable sight occurred: the Headmaster froze. To stop dead in his tracks with such tremendous acceleration was utterly incredible!
Looking closer, the Headmaster's hand was less than an inch from Wayne’s neck. Had that black light appeared a fraction of a second later, Wayne might have been...
Wayne broke out in a cold sweat. He knew he had just narrowly escaped death, and he knew that in that critical moment, it was his Teacher Zhong who had saved him! Thus, beneath the lingering fear, a sense of profound security settled in. As long as Zhong Shen Xiu was present, others wouldn't just fail to kill them; attempting to touch them would be harder than scaling the heavens!
The most astonished person was undoubtedly the Headmaster himself! He had always been confident in his strength and never neglected his training. Yet now, he was trapped in this bizarre stasis, feeling as though a mountain weighing ten thousand jin rested upon him, threatening to crush him at any second!
What is happening to me? What on earth just happened? He frantically recalled the preceding moments, believing there were no flaws in his approach, except for that glimpse of black light at the moment of his strike... Could it be that black light?
The Headmaster was merely immobilized; had he been able to turn and look at Zhong Shen Xiu, he would surely have seen a youthful face wearing a faint smile!
'Hey, old man, how does it feel?' Zhong Shen Xiu asked, even though he knew the old man couldn't speak, clearly intending to provoke him!
Xi Rui turned his face away, unable to watch any longer. He knew that falling into the clutches of this little demon was never good. Cooperation might spare one some suffering, but otherwise... He dared not contemplate further, as it immediately brought back the methods Zhong Shen Xiu had used on him earlier! He knew the Headmaster's temper well; it was unlikely to be cooperative, meaning his fate would mirror Xi Rui's recent experience!
Alas, may the heavens have mercy on you! Beyond silent prayers, Xi Rui could do nothing else!
Subsequently, at Zhong Shen Xiu's request, Wayne grabbed the esteemed Headmaster of the 'Diligan Martial Arts Academy' and unceremoniously slammed him onto the ground, dropping him like a dead weight!
Wayne took the opportunity for revenge, having nearly lost his life to the old scoundrel's sneak attack—it was simply shameless! If Zhong Shen Xiu hadn't been present, he would have added a few more kicks to vent his anger and to gain some bragging rights later!
The Headmaster was nearly knocked unconscious by the impact, making him terribly aware that his resistance was pathetically weak. Even without using Battle Qi to protect himself, he shouldn't be this fragile. What was going on?
Soon, he had his answer, because suddenly, he could move! But though he could move, his entire cultivation seemed to have vanished; he couldn't summon any Battle Qi, and his body ached, weak and powerless! This confirmed one thing: like Xi Rui, he was now just an ordinary old man!
'You... what did you do to me?' The great Headmaster, still failing to grasp the severity of his situation, glared furiously at Zhong Shen Xiu!
'Want to know? That’s simple!' Zhong Shen Xiu said, pulling out yet another scroll.
Xi Rui glanced sideways at the scroll, and his body visibly shuddered. He was tortured nearly to death by that very scroll, eventually forced to surrender his dignity! The sensation was like an infernal torture, with relentless, shifting pains that were impossible to adapt to. Worst of all, even as he writhed in agony, time seemed to stand still, making every second an eternity!
Indeed, within minutes, the Headmaster also surrendered! This wasn't due to weak will; one could only blame Zhong Shen Xiu’s methods of torment, which were simply too perverse! Not just a mere mortal like him, but even an Ascended being would struggle to resist Zhong Shen Xiu's ceaseless repertoire of malicious tricks!
As for the Headmaster’s retinue, they stood there, their eyes wide as saucers, staring at the scene. They could not believe that their supreme leader, the Headmaster, was being subjected to such torment, nearly brought to the point of begging for mercy on his knees!
Too terrifying! This child is too terrifying! No, to be precise, the scrolls he wielded were too terrifying!! What kind of incredible scrolls are these?
The fighting seemed to halt at this moment. Wayne and his companions, seeing that the enemy had no intention of attacking again, temporarily ceased fire. Although they still had many scrolls left, they couldn't waste them indiscriminately; who knew if they would need them later!
'Hey, old man, let's discuss serious business now!' In the profound silence, Zhong Shen Xiu’s voice carried with startling clarity!
'What serious business?' The Headmaster looked at Zhong Shen Xiu with residual terror, as if gazing upon a creditor!
'Let's discuss compensation!' Zhong Shen Xiu smiled, a brilliant, dazzling smile.
But the Headmaster merely stared blankly, utterly bewildered: Who compensates whom???
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