Chapter 71: Observation and Intervention: Chixiao’s Struggle

Following the plan laid out last night, they had set their sights on the relatively weaker Phantasm Cloud Leopard among the gold-tier magical beasts.

Compared to the terrifyingly aggressive Saber-toothed Thunder Tiger, at least this one wouldn’t unleash paralyzing lightning. If Su Liyue and Mu Wanqing were truly struck by lightning, it would take far more than just a new hairstyle to fix things…

Upon setting out, they briefly rode their magic brooms, but as they neared the active zone of magical beasts, they dismounted and proceeded on foot.

Ye Xingchen did not activate his Taiyin Escape Art (TL Note: A stealth magic technique) to conceal their tracks, primarily intending to observe how other student teams handled encounters with magical beasts and to analyze their combat prowess.

“Wait.”

Ye Xingchen suddenly raised a hand, bringing all three of them to an immediate halt.

From a distance, the roar of elemental explosions echoed, interspersed with the shouts of young men.

This sudden action caused Mu Wanqing to grow tense, the memories of yesterday instantly resurfacing.

“Northeast direction, roughly two hundred meters away.”

He murmured, his voice low.

“Relax, we’re not sneaking around like thieves. Besides, if anyone truly tries to bully you…”

Su Liyue remarked, addressing the somewhat anxious Mu Wanqing.

“I’ll… turn this entire forest from existence into nothingness.”

Ye Xingchen interjected, without even turning his head.

The two exchanged a knowing smile, a silent understanding that left Mu Wanqing utterly dumbfounded.

Was this… the unspoken bond of childhood sweethearts who had grown up together?

Nevertheless, Su Liyue felt a fleeting moment of awkwardness.

For she had just inwardly referred to herself as an ancient demoness, a thousand years old?

Though as a transmigrator, she had indeed lived through two lifetimes, the sensation of inwardly mocking herself felt truly peculiar.

Especially considering her current body was only sixteen, yet she called herself an old monster, when her skin was so tender it seemed one could pinch water from it…

“Yueyue? Why is your face so red?”

Mu Wanqing inquired, observing her suddenly petrified friend.

“J-just the sun!”

Su Liyue hastily quickened her pace, while Ye Xingchen’s shoulder gave a suspicious tremor.

Yet, this brief interlude, quietly dispelled the tension that had gripped Mu Wanqing’s heart.

As she gazed at the synchronized figures of the two ahead, she suddenly realized that she was not, in fact, alone.

Indeed… they were a team.

Mu Wanqing quickly adjusted her mindset, and, mimicking their movements, lightly followed behind.

The trio crouched low amidst the dense foliage, and through the interwoven leaves, they could clearly discern a fierce battle unfolding nearby.

Ye Xingchen silently made a gesture, indicating for them to stay low.

Su Liyue nodded in understanding, and with a flick of her hand, cast a light-and-shadow magic to blur their figures, creating a refractive effect by manipulating the combination of water molecules and light in the air.

Mu Wanqing was astonished to find that the seemingly ordinary bushes, though merely an arm’s length away, had now transformed into perfect natural cover.

“It’s Chixiao’s team…”

Su Liyue whispered, her voice barely audible to anyone beyond their trio.

Following her gaze, they saw the red-haired youth directing his teammates in an assault on a silver-tier Rock-Armored Lizard.

Blazing fireballs and whistling wind blades, combining in perfect synergy, erupted into dazzling sparks against the magical beast’s tough hide.

Mu Wanqing unconsciously held her breath.

Witnessing a powerful practitioner’s real combat from such close proximity, proved far more impactful than any magic lesson.

Her heart pounded fiercely within her chest, yet it was no longer from fear, but from a burgeoning, eager excitement.

Ye Xingchen suddenly brushed her wrist lightly, offering a questioning glance.

Only then did Mu Wanqing realize her staff had unconsciously found its way into her grasp, poised as if ready to unleash a spell.

She shook her head with a blush, reining in her magical energy, for it was not yet their moment to intervene.

Su Liyue winked slyly, mouthing the words: “Learning from the masters~”

Recalling the previous day, when Su Liyue and Ye Xingchen had effortlessly defeated a gold-tier magical beast, Mu Wanqing suddenly felt that perhaps, the outdoor combat training wasn’t quite as terrifying as she had imagined.

So, the disparity between actual combat and practice drills for other teams was truly this vast…

This was a stark contrast to the composure displayed by the senior students when facing a silver-tier Wind Blade Silver Wolf.

She recalled how that senior had virtually annihilated the beast, ending the battle in an instant, yet now, it seemed…

Chixiao’s entire team, despite confronting a mere silver-tier magical beast, was already embroiled in a bitter struggle.

Was this a gap in experience, or a fundamental difference in strength?

The Rock-Armored Lizard, as massive as a carriage, kicked up clouds of dust with every swing of its tail, its back armored with mineral crystals, deflecting every single fireball spell.

Chixiao’s red hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat, as he hoarsely shouted commands: “Wind blades to the joints! Earth magic to blind its sight!”

“Their coordination is fine. But the Rock-Armored Lizard’s weakness lies in its mouth; they must…”

Su Liyue analyzed in a hushed tone.

Before she could finish, the lizard abruptly reared up, its heavy tail sweeping horizontally.

One wind-element team member, unable to dodge in time, was directly flung several meters, colliding with a tree trunk with a dull thud.

Mu Wanqing instinctively clapped a hand over her mouth. She clearly saw the flicker of panic on Chixiao’s face, the usually spirited top student now gritting his teeth, desperately holding on.

His fire magic was undeniably dazzling, yet against such a magical beast, it proved as fleeting and ineffectual as a festive, showy firework.

So even a so-called genius could appear so disheveled and vulnerable when confronted with a true life-or-death struggle.

Mu Wanqing suddenly felt a gentle tug at her sleeve.

Without her noticing, Su Liyue had already sketched a rudimentary tactical diagram on the ground with a twig: “Before the Rock-Armored Lizard spits acid, its throat will swell for three seconds. If they can seize that moment…”

The three exchanged glances, and Mu Wanqing, along with the others, involuntarily held her breath.

From a distance, Chixiao’s hoarse roar echoed, as another pillar of fire shot skyward, leaving charred marks on the lizard’s armored back, yet still failing to inflict a fatal blow.

Chixiao’s fiery whip lashed savagely against the Rock-Armored Lizard’s back plates, erupting into a blinding shower of sparks.

The magical beast shrieked in pain, its crystal-scaled tail sweeping violently, churning up a wave of earth.

“Wind Wall! Quickly!”

Chixiao roared, leaping backward, the hem of his robe already riddled with honeycomb-like holes from the corrosive acid.

Another wind-element mage in the team immediately brandished their staff, casting a spell, and a translucent barrier of air materialized in the nick of time.

The moment the lizard’s tail collided with the Wind Wall, the air rippled with visible shockwaves.

“Earth Prison Spell, prepare!”

The earth-element female mage at the rear of the team pointed her staff directly at the ground, and dozens of rock spikes burst from the earth, yet they only scraped a few white marks across the lizard’s underside.

This beast’s weakness was not in a conventional spot; it was even cunning enough to constantly keep its vulnerable throat hidden beneath its chest armor.

“Damn it!”

Chixiao spat out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva.

Before encountering this silver-tier magical beast, they had been full of confidence, but now they had already lost a team member, the poor wind-element boy lying unconscious in the distance.

The lizard suddenly opened its gaping maw, its throat distending into an ominous, spherical shape.

Upon seeing this, Chixiao immediately bellowed: “Scatter! It’s acid spray!”

Pale green viscous fluid cascaded down like a waterfall, and where it struck the rocks, pungent white smoke immediately billowed forth.

The earth-element female mage’s right leg was a beat too slow, and the sole of her boot was instantly corroded through.

She cried out, collapsing onto one knee, as the magical beast pivoted, its cold, gleaming vertical pupils locking onto its injured prey.

“Beast! Look over here!”

Chixiao roared furiously, pouring all his magical energy into his staff, and a searing white pillar of fire, like a mighty dragon, surged towards the lizard’s eyes.

The magical beast was forced to twist its head away, but the attack had utterly enraged it.

Its crystal-armored spine suddenly glowed with an ominous red light, and the surrounding temperature skyrocketed in an instant, a clear precursor to the Rock-Armored Lizard’s deadly ultimate move: Lava Spray.

“It’s over…”

The remaining wind-element mage in the team muttered, their face ashen.

Who would have thought a silver-tier magical beast in actual combat could be so terrifying, proving far more formidable than it appeared during observation.

Chixiao, too, gazed at the scene before him, gritting his teeth in unwilling defiance as he raised his staff, prepared to fight to the death.