"You!" Green Pan glared fiercely at Gan Jing, fiercely flicking the sleeve of his magic robe, striding over to Cage, and saying, "Young Master Cage, in all my years here at the Kai family, I have rarely made a request. This time, I—I ask of you one thing: this person will be killed by my own hands!" Cage rested his chin in his hand, feigning a troubled expression: "This... this might not be proper, right?"

Keller was hopping with anxiety beside him. This duel was solely to seize the Luo family's assets. Who killed Gan Jing wouldn't matter! As long as Gan Jing was crippled first, and then Green Pan finished him off, such an opportunity to curry favor was rare! Green Pan had the potential to become a Great Magus someday!

Green Pan met Cage’s gaze for several seconds, suddenly gritting his teeth and stomping his foot, leaning in close to Cage’s ear to whisper, "In the future, when I, Green Pan, become a Great Magus, I swear to be the closest ally to Young Master Cage forever!"

Ally? Keller’s ears twitched violently; he wished he could immediately agree for Cage. Mages were known for valuing their promises highly. The closest of allies—how much help would that be to a warrior? Swiftness Spell, Frenzy, Stone Skin, Eye of the Night... a vast array of support magic that could easily determine the outcome of a battle. "This..." Cage frowned slightly, merely making a "tsk" sound with his mouth, refusing to utter the final decision.

Green Pan took a deep breath, leaning in close to Cage’s ear again to whisper, "I will pledge my loyalty to you for ten years... no! Twenty years!"

A Great Magus pledging loyalty to someone for twenty years? Keller’s tense heart felt ready to burst. He observed Cage’s face, which was slowly breaking into a smile, realizing he had underestimated his nephew. He wasn't just a Demon-Slaying Warrior skilled only in fighting, destruction, and slaughter; he also possessed a cunning mind beyond Keller’s comprehension.

Cage’s smile completely replaced his contemplation. His eyes swept over the perpetually annoying Glen, realizing that this arrogant, brainless fool had actually delivered someone who might become a Great Magus directly to him as a subordinate, rather than an equal ally!

"Mr. Green Pan, rest assured." Cage accepted the battle saber handed to him by an attendant, strode confidently into the center of the courtyard, bowed low to the City Lord seated in the high position and the City Guardian, and announced loudly: "Kai Family Duel Representative, Cage!" Gan Jing entered the courtyard carrying his Zhanmadao (horse-chopping saber), nodded lightly, and bowed: "Luo Family Guardian, Gan Jing."

Green Pan gripped his ruby staff tightly, veins throbbing visibly on the back of his hand, and declared hatefully: "Kai Family Magic Duel Representative, Green Pan."

A large, black magic hat obscured what looked like a delicate frame. She slowly drifted next to Gan Jing and spoke in a timid voice: "Luo... Luo Family Magic... Magic Representative, Bi, Biluo."

Green Pan’s eyes swept over Biluo with a sharp glare, bitterly stating: "You are today’s magic duelist? Have you written your last testament? You dared to stop me from avenging my brother just now. I will play with you properly later, draining your last magic scroll, and let your companion watch you be tortured to death! If he dares to intervene in the duel, so much the better; I can take care of him as well. I only fear he lacks the gall."

Gan Jing bent down, his head close to Biluo’s hat, and said: "A duel can be surrendered. If you feel there’s no chance of winning, just surrender. I will handle the rest."

The large black magic hat bobbed up and down repeatedly. Two years spent together in the Four Seasons Valley had instilled infinite confidence in Biluo toward Gan Jing. Her timid voice floated out from under the brim of the hat: "I... I will do my best."

Green Pan returned to Keller and whispered a few words. Keller nodded repeatedly, then announced loudly: "Esteemed City Lord, for today's duels, we request the magic duel first, followed by the warrior duel. Is that permissible?" Sabonis glanced at Fabreidis; seeing that the City Guardian had no objections, he waved his hand in assent.

"Good, very good!" Green Pan walked toward the center of the courtyard with a smirk, though his eyes remained fixed on Gan Jing as he hissed, "Do you know why I demanded the magic fight first? I want you to watch your companion die, let you experience that mental agony, and then I will destroy your body."

Facing Biluo, Gan Jing reached out and gently patted her back, the posture resembling an embrace, as he reminded her again: "If you feel unable to continue, give up immediately. No one will blame you. Remember, you are someone destined to become a Great Magus; you cannot let your progress stop here."

Beneath the magic hat, Biluo’s cheeks flushed scarlet, like an overripe apple. Under that somewhat ambiguous embrace, her body temperature rose rapidly. The soft agreement she murmured was so quiet that Gan Jing almost didn't hear it.

The crowd shifted aside, leaving adequate space for the two magic duelists. Sabonis stood up for the first time: "I announce, the first duel of today begins!"

As soon as Sabonis’s words fell, Biluo felt a wave of magical fluctuation, then watched the magic scroll in Green Pan’s hand sparkle with pinpoints of starlight. Three fireballs, each the size of a fist, trailing long red tails, scorched the air as they whistled forward...

Magic duels, even those involving Great Maguses, usually utilized scrolls rather than standing still to chant the magic sequence with their own mana; the time required for chanting was far too great.

"Open!" Biluo held two scrolls protected by sapphire-blue magic in her hands, staring intently at Green Pan, who was vastly more powerful than her. She immediately stacked two thick Ice Shields in front of her, quickly pulling out two more scrolls, injecting mental energy into them, taking out every magic scroll she possessed.

The fireballs struck the sapphire-blue Ice Shields in succession, sending dazzling sparks and sprays of ice shards flying everywhere. The sunlight caught the display, making it exceptionally brilliant. Biluo recoiled a small step from the magical impact, feeling a faint surge of excitement in her heart—this was the reality of combat practice for magic. The tension was palpable.

After a spinning fireball attack, Green Pan looked at Biluo’s standard-issue magic trainee robe and laughed. What an inexperienced magic student! She didn't even know that even without scrolls, she should stuff her robe with decoys to keep opponents guessing her true strength. Now, having presented all four scrolls, didn't that mean she had no combat power left?

"The only thing floating is the Sapphire Ice Shield, right?" Green Pan gripped his ruby staff, his expression somewhat ferocious as he smiled: "I assume there’s another shield of the same kind floating behind it? I can sense a magical aura of the exact same level. You are truly pitiful; you don't even know a single offensive spell. Today, I will use a chanted spell to destroy your magic scrolls! Poor child, didn't you know? Others might not see what’s under the magic robe, but shouldn't an experienced mage be able to discern the presence of scrolls beneath a standard-issue robe? After returning to the Stars, remember to look at whether your friends invite trouble you cannot handle. Great Fire Elemental Spirits..."

The ruby on the staff shimmered with soft rainbow light. Green Pan used his mental energy to stimulate the magic stored within the ruby, unleashing fire elements and controlling their arrangement and combination.

This was his most precious staff; he usually hesitated to use it. Today, Green Pan felt a rush of vengeful pleasure mixed with smugness. Being able to chant during a magic duel was something truly rare.

"Release!" Biluo’s voice, usually so timid, carried a rare note of firm decisiveness. The Ice Shield suspended before her by sheer mental energy floated upward, and the Ice Spikes hidden behind the shield whistled out, whipping up a rare gust of cool wind in the air.

"What is this!" Green Pan was startled upon seeing the Ice Spikes piercing the air. For the first time, he felt regret for his overconfidence. He should have neutralized all her defenses first! The fire elements, which were nearly arranged, became chaotic. The fireball already condensing before him rolled rapidly and collided directly with the Ice Spike, triggering an explosion. With a deafening boom, Green Pan tumbled backward four or five times on the ground before stopping.

When he stood up, his magic-resistant robe was riddled with burn holes, one gray eyebrow was scorched clean off, and his magic hat had been blown away entirely, exposing sparse hair. His hands also showed signs of burns.

Uncontrolled fission of elemental magic often resulted in magnified power. Green Pan dragged himself up from the ground, disheveled and scorched—a moment of carelessness nearly cost him his life! If the elemental fission hadn't hit the Ice Spike, but had pierced his throat instead...

Biluo struggled to maintain the Ice Shield floating before her, cold sweat gathering on her forehead. She knew her actual strength and resources were vastly inferior to her opponent’s; she only had a chance by going all-out immediately as a surprise attack. Unfortunately, the failure was due to the uncontrolled fission of the elemental magic, and she couldn't help but feel dejected.

"You seek death!" Green Pan roared in frustration and rage, waving his hand to unleash a Blazing Fireball. The red firelight collided with the blue Ice Shield, once again bursting forth with brilliant flames and scattering ice shards. Biluo could not withstand the impact of this collision, staggering back two steps before falling onto her bottom. Her magic scroll reserves... gone!

A faint glimmer of appreciation and admiration flashed in Gan Jing’s eyes. With such minimal resources, fighting to this extent was commendable. Biluo truly had a knack for magic combat. It was just that her progress in studying magic was too slow. It seemed the Yellow Springs hadn't stolen all of her sister's talent. "Alright, Biluo." Gan Jing gestured toward the duel circle: "You fought very well. You can surrender now."

"No..." Biluo's small voice held a rare trace of stubbornness. Her small hand, scratched by the ground, was tightly gripping a throwing knife hidden beneath her magic robe! This was her ultimate trump card! A trump card even Gan Jing didn't know about!