Chapter 341: Growing Stronger
Chapter 341: Growing Stronger
Several charred and carbonized corpses lay on the ground, their twisted postures revealing the extreme agony they endured before death.
Death by fire is undoubtedly one of the most miserable ways to die.
Charles sat at the head, his face grim and silent, while the apprentices below him displayed various expressions.
"Mentor," Claude, his apprentice, said with a quivering voice, "Langman was the most obedient to your words, and he worked diligently these years. He was killed just like that!"
"Please, Mentor, seek justice for my son!"
"Senior," a female apprentice spoke softly, "Langman was a formal apprentice of the Academy. Even if a wizard killed him, they should pay the price, right?"
"No," Claude shook his head, "The Surveillance Team said Langman was privately trading Credits, violating the rules. Lin En won't be punished for killing him."
"How can this be!" Someone scowled, "Wizards shouldn't be able to kill freely just because they hold power. Besides, what Langman did, how many other apprentices haven't done the same?"
"In my opinion, the Surveillance Team doesn't want to offend Wizard Lynn."
In the Wizard World, the hierarchy was strictly enforced.
Advanced Wizard Apprentices only needed to provide some compensation for killing ordinary people, and the same applied to wizards killing apprentices.
However, the Academy would not tolerate such blatant disregard from wizards and would impose some punishment.
Otherwise, all apprentices would become guinea pigs for the wizards' experiments.
"Lin En became a formal wizard before the age of seventeen and has the potential to advance to the Second Circle. No one dares to offend such a person, not even the Surveillance Team."
"Does that mean Langman died for nothing?"
"..."
"I heard Wizard Lynn attended a small gathering with a few of Wizard Charlott's people, and there was even news spreading during the event."
The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned silent.
Charlott was the youngest disciple of Aksha, the founder of the Academy and a Third Circle Wizard. Within the next decade, Charlott was certain to advance to the Second Circle and was considered the best candidate for the next Academy Dean.
In Charlott's inner circle, all members possessed exceptional talent and strength in wizardry, and Charles knew he had no chance of joining them.
The apprentices in the room, though affiliated with Charles, also understood who they could and couldn't afford to offend.
"Heh..."
Charles let out a soft laugh and shook his head, "Has Luo Ye not arrived yet?"
"No," Claude shook his head, his face grim.
Luo Ye was an apprentice Charles had taken in over twenty years ago, gifted with exceptional talent and on the path to becoming a formal wizard.
Charles had initially groomed him as his successor.
However, after Luo Ye became an Advanced Wizard Apprentice, he gradually distanced himself from Charles, and in recent times, he had skipped several gatherings.
"When a great tree falls, the rabbits scatter, never considering the shelter it once provided from the wind and rain."
Charles closed his eyes and sighed, "Forget it!"
"Lin En is a formal wizard and has gained the favor of Wizard Charlott. Even I can't do much about it."
"Who were the man and woman when Langbo died?"
"They were two wandering apprentices from Vire Town, not from the Academy," someone stepped forward and said,
"They must have realized the consequences of offending us, as they've recently ventured deep into the Abyssal Rift and rarely show themselves."
"Oh!" Charles raised an eyebrow,
"So, Lin En helped them, and they wanted to pledge allegiance to him?"
"They did, but they were rejected." The person shrugged,
"Wizard Lynn didn't take them in."
"Langbo's death can't go unavenged," Charles nodded, indicating his understanding, "First, we'll kill those two. As for the rest..."
"We'll discuss it later."
"Yes, sir!"
The crowd responded in agreement.
As Charles watched the crowd disperse, the previously calm expression on his face turned grim.
"A bunch of ungrateful wolves!"
He had spent over a hundred years cultivating those around him, and the gatherings used to be lively, but the recent ones had become increasingly desolate, with many not even bothering to attend, and those who did had shifty eyes.
"Linen..."
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, Lin En slowly closed his eyes.
"Everything comes down to strength. I had already lost hope, but now an opportunity presents itself, and I must give it a try."
Potion Crafting.
Lin En's body contorted, and sparks flew around him, surrounded by raging flames. His body gradually transformed into the form of a Flame Scale Wyrm.
"Ssss..."
He spat out a serpent's tongue, hissing as a faint glow appeared on his snake-like body.
Phantom Flame!
After this period of cultivation, he had successfully refined the Demon Flame and made it his own, able to control it at will.
"As expected, the Phantom Flame has almost no effect on physical entities, but it can slightly increase my psychic power, which is beneficial for cultivating the Great Flame Bloodline."
Lin En's thoughts turned, and he controlled the Phantom Flame to float back and forth.
"If someone wants to attack me with Spirit Secret Arts, they must first break through the defense of the Phantom Flame."
"Heh..."
"For a wizard who hasn't cultivated Psychic Wizardry, the refinement of the Phantom Flame indeed has little use. But I'm different!"
Lin En opened his eyes wide and unleashed a torrent of flames from his mouth.
A strand of blue flame erupted from the Flame Scale Wyrm's mouth, intertwining with the ethereal Demon Flame.
Heartsea Inferno!
This was a flame he had refined before, one that couldn't even rank, often used beneath the alchemy furnace.
"The Flame Heart is a Fourth or Fifth Rank technique, not just a simple flame refinement."
"Merging flames is also its ability!"
"Merge!"
Lin En commanded, and the Heartsea Inferno and Demon Flame began to fuse at a visible speed.
Soon after,
A brand new flame appeared in the air.
"Umm..."
"With the ability to burn souls and melt potions, this fusion is perfect."
But it wasn't over yet.
Lin En twisted his body, and a tiny point of flame emerged from within, gathering into a fiery cloud that rushed towards the flame.
Demon Flame!
The Flame Scale Wyrm's innate flame.
This Demon Flame possessed terrifying destructive power. Once it touched anything flammable, it would rapidly consume it.
Wood, stone, flesh, metal...
Even the battle aura of knights and the wizardry shields of spells would be turned into fuel for the Demon Flame.
"Crackle..."
Accompanied by a series of muffled sounds, the fusion began again.
Several days later.
Lin En sat cross-legged in the center of his quiet room, gazing at the floating flame before him with a smile on his face.
"Not bad!"
"Now, my flame affinity has increased by nearly double compared to when I first advanced to the First Circle."
"Even though I'm still in the early stages of the First Circle, but my power when casting fire spells is comparable to a mid-rank First Circle wizard. If I transform into a Flame Scale Wyrm, my battle prowess in a short time is no less than a late-rank First Circle wizard."
"It's a pity that the Flame Heart can refine flames, but it doesn't allow me, as a First Circle wizard, to control Second Circle flames. Moreover, my cultivation is too low; although my explosive power is strong, it's challenging to maintain it for long..."
Shaking his head, Lin En stood up and left the room. Today, he had to deliver potions again.
As always, Grover lay on the soft chair.
"I heard that two people related to you are being hunted down."
He took the potion handed to him and asked casually:
"Don't you plan to do something about it?"
"It's none of my business," Lin En shook his head.
He had helped a pair of siblings, and they wanted to repay him and pledge their allegiance, but he hadn't agreed.
Now that they were in danger, he didn't intend to get involved.
However, Isaiah, who had previously been active in Vire Town, had come to this side for some reason, and Lin En needed to meet him.
Among his former classmates, there were few apprentices he was close to, and those who were either dead or missing.
Counting them now,
Only Isaiah remained.
Classmates? Lin En shook his head lightly, took the ingredients for next month's potions, and left.
(End of Chapter)
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