In the Valley of Four Seasons, as Qian Jin descended to bolster his strength, Bi Luo once exhausted her spiritual energy and was about to use her magic core for replenishment when the old man handed her a throwing knife Qian Jin had requested. “What does a mage do when their mana is depleted? Learning a little extra never hurts. You don’t need to master it, but knowing a bit for self-preservation is good, right?”

Moved by the elder’s words, Bi Luo began secretly practicing with throwing knives for an hour every day. However, her strength was truly insufficient; even at a distance from someone like Ge Lin Pan, she couldn't be certain of evading an attack or ensuring the knife’s force could pierce his throat. Closer, she needed to be closer! Under the curious gaze of the crowd, Bi Luo cautiously approached Ge Lin Pan.

“What are you trying to do? Engage in close combat with me? I am a great mage!” Ge Lin Pan waved his hand again, tossing out another scroll for a Gale Blast. The strong wind lacked significant lethality, but it was enough to knock Bi Luo down, leaving her dusty and disheveled—a petty revenge for the humiliation she had inflicted upon him.

Luo Qingqing watched Bi Luo struggle up and walk toward Ge Lin Pan yet again, saying softly with pity, “Forget it, Bi Luo. Let’s surrender; it’s not shameful.”

Her large mage hat bobbed up and down repeatedly, but Bi Luo moved steadily closer to Ge Lin Pan. She had never truly seen anything through to the end in her life, always hiding under her sister’s protection until her sister died for her. Worse, her family had grown to resent her after her sister’s death. This time, she would see this through, no matter what!

“Bi Luo…” Qian Jin sighed, about to move towards the dueling ground. At this moment, nothing else mattered; he couldn't let this girl sacrifice herself for him…

“No!” Bi Luo’s usually timid voice became unexpectedly resolute, crisp, and loud, punctuated by fleeting traces of sobbing. “I have never persisted in anything. I’ve always been dead weight for others. I claim I can be a great mage, but even I don’t believe it. I am so grateful for your faith in me. This time, I won't retreat. I won't retreat!”

Most people in the courtyard stared at Bi Luo in astonishment. This seemingly fragile and timid girl possessed such tenacity when truly facing the possibility of death, showing more courage than many men. They felt deep admiration!

Gu Yue Jiaying’s eyes lit up as she watched Bi Luo. Silently, she picked up the Twin Moons from the table and drifted near Qian Jin, her gaze locked on the center of the magic dueling arena, the air around her thick with imminent action!

“Are you looking to die?” Ge Lin Pan was one of the few who remained unmoved. Another scroll, this one depicting a burning fireball, appeared in his hand, and he sneered, “Using any other magic against a mere magic student like you would be overestimating your worth.”

“Qian Jin, I must finish this!” Bi Luo’s grip on the throwing knife relaxed completely, her eyes fixed rigidly on Ge Lin Pan’s throat, weeping with a choked voice. “This is my first duel… I don’t want anyone to ruin it.”

“Burning Fireball!” Ge Lin Pan crushed the scroll in his hand, and the fireball shot out, trailing a long tail of flame. A sharp glint flashed in Bi Luo’s eyes hidden beneath her magic hat—she had waited for this moment for a long time! Mages always experienced a brief moment of mental slackness immediately after releasing a spell; this was the perfect time to strike with the knife!

The throwing knife flashed from beneath Bi Luo’s long sleeve, tumbling and spinning through the air toward its target.

Bang! Thwack!

Almost simultaneously, the fireball detonated against Bi Luo’s chest, and Ge Lin Pan spat out a stream of blood from his mouth.

The next instant, Bi Luo’s body fell stiffly, carving a long streak across the ground. She stared blankly at her opponent, who had been struck, sighing inwardly—she had still missed the mark slightly. Her eyes could no longer stay open, and she fainted.

Ge Lin Pan staggered back two steps, staring dumbfounded at the throwing knife embedded in his left shoulder, breaking out in a cold sweat. If he hadn't sensed something amiss and instinctively dodged sideways, the knife, even if it missed his throat, would likely have pierced his chest… He never expected this little girl to have such a trick up her sleeve!

A mage aiming to challenge the Great Mage realm in two years had been made to experience near-death twice in a row by a magic student with merely five levels of spiritual power!

This small duel had brought him humiliation twice in succession! Ge Lin Pan, enraged, gripped his staff. Seeing that Bi Luo still breathed on the ground, he grimaced through the pain and snatched a Level Four magic scroll, Raging Inferno Burst, from his robe. “That’s a firebird feather? No wonder you survived the Burning Fireball! But today, you must die!”

A shaft of firelight a foot long roared toward Bi Luo. Ge Lin Pan grit his teeth, wearing a vicious smile. This time, there was no way the little magic student could survive.

Gu Yue Jiaying’s figure shifted slightly. Feeling a tug on her wrist, she turned to glare angrily at the unmoving Qian Jin.

“Watch…” Qian Jin offered no explanation, his face expressionless as he watched the Raging Inferno Burst collide heavily with Bi Luo.

Rumble! The explosion was louder than before, sending countless flames scattering everywhere. Luo Qingqing desperately shut her eyes, tears streaming uncontrollably from the corners. Despite having known her for only one night, the pain of losing a loved one gripped her heart. She even resented Qian Jin for not intervening to save her. “Flames that burn, be extinguished,” a cold, arrogant voice rang out from within the fierce blaze! At that moment, the temperature in the courtyard plummeted following the emergence of that haughty voice. The roaring, blazing flames seemed to obey the command of a sovereign, rapidly vanishing without a trace. Within the fire, Bi Luo stood quietly, covered in dust and blood. Her small body exuded a pressure-inducing magical might; endless magical power swirled around her, causing her long, dark, smooth hair to surge upward against the tide of magic!

Bi Luo… No! It was Huang Quan! The sister who had been dormant within Bi Luo, the super magical prodigy who condensed spiritual energy into magical power using just two magic cores—a Great Mage! She had awakened at this moment!

The surging magical power swept up the dust around the ground beneath her feet, only to gently deposit it back onto the earth further away, resembling the arrival of an emperor on procession. The clamoring populace retreated to the sides, kneeling on the ground to worship their monarch.

This magnificent entrance caused the expressions of everyone in the arena to change drastically, displaying a range of emotions—shock, utter bewilderment, admiration, and the joyful tears of Luo Qingqing. Only Qian Jin maintained a calm smile, watching Ge Lin Pan’s face contort in horror and panic.

How could this be? Regardless of their alignment, everyone present shared the same near-unbelievable reaction to the powerful magical might displayed by the reawakened Bi Luo!

Ge Lin Pan stared at the magical power radiating from Huang Quan. In his shock, he forgot the pain in his shoulder and began trembling uncontrollably—this was the instinctual fear a mage felt when facing an enraged Great Mage.

Mage! Great Mage! A vast chasm lay between the two, rooted in the fundamental difference between magical power and spiritual power.

Kai Qi’s usually disdainful eyes grew serious. A Great Mage! They usually spent their time cultivating in the high towers of the Magic Guild, lofty and detached. Yet, one had appeared in this tiny dueling arena! And her age… she couldn’t be twenty yet, could she?

“This is impossible! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!” Ge Lin Pan’s legs moved backward uncontrollably, his head shaking like a rattle drum, unable to accept what he was witnessing.

The Mage Guild of the Eternal Province did have Great Mages; Ge Lin Pan’s own master was one. The appearance of a Great Mage on the dueling ground wouldn't typically be terrifying, but her age made it unacceptable to him.

Two years ago, she was a second-year student at the Oakland Academy of Magic and Warriors; now, she was merely a first-year mage in the senior division. How could she be a Great Mage? While geniuses existed, a Great Mage under the age of twenty? Even a genius would look like a fool compared to such an achievement.

Fabredis watched Qian Jin with both appreciation and astonishment. Not only did this boy’s personal combat strength in the Nine Demon-Slaying Battles frighten people, but his mage companion appeared to be a Great Mage under twenty? This truly was a match of monsters! If other mages, revered as geniuses by their respective guilds, witnessed this, would they be so ashamed of their own claims to genius that they would bang their heads against a wall in despair?

Kai Le collapsed heavily onto the ground, not feeling the pain of his posterior hitting the stone. His entire mental world was on the verge of collapse. Who could have imagined that this Bi Luo, who was previously so poor she was nearly expelled, had become a Great Mage in just two years?

Kai Qi knelt down and whispered into Kai Le’s ear, “Does this Bi Luo have any strong background? If not, perhaps we should try to recruit her? Compared to the terms the Luo family can offer, our Kai family should be able to offer better terms, right?”

Kai Le looked up at his nephew in surprise. As expected of a Bloodline Warrior who had awakened his bloodline power, he maintained a clear head even in this crisis, seeking opportunity within danger.

Yes! Kai Le suddenly gained confidence. Bi Luo had always been a poor, bullied student at the academy. Such a person would surely bow to substantial benefits when tempted! If Ge Lin Pan surrendered now, the Kai family would gain the allegiance of a Great Mage without losing a single mage of their own. The family, upon hearing this news, would surely grant him greater authority and rewards! After all, the entire Kai family only had one Great Mage as its guardian.

“I… I surrender…” Ge Lin Pan broke out in a cold sweat, immediately realizing that if this continued, he would surely be killed in battle. He stammered out, “I surr—”

At that moment, Huang Quan lifted her blood-stained palm, scored by the ground, toward Ge Lin Pan and stated softly, “Seal.”

“I surr—”

The onlookers saw Ge Lin Pan’s mouth open in terror, yet no sound escaped! Silence Curse!