Chapter 109: [Blessing Spell]

Gao De was equally curious.

Because his situation was unusual.

First, he possessed a knowledge system unknown in this world; second, his mastery of spells was exceptionally “broad.”

According to Ma Qieyi’s words, if he successfully advanced to a 1st-Ring mage, he should awaken a notably outstanding specialization.

But Gao De only briefly entertained these thoughts, then quickly regained his composure and chuckled at himself.

He was still ten thousand miles away from becoming a 1st-Ring mage, yet already fantasizing about 1st-Ring matters.

Overreaching!

“For us mere apprentice-level wild mages who only practice Apprentice Guidance and Apprentice Meditation, if we ever do advance to 1st-Ring, awakening a specialization would be a severe disadvantage.” Someone sighed.

Gao De nodded in deep agreement.

This was precisely what was meant by “one step behind, always behind.”

“You needn’t worry about that,” Ma Qieyi smiled. “When advancing to 1st-Ring, the gap is usually determined by the mage’s own knowledge and spell mastery.”

“Because Apprentice Guidance and Apprentice Meditation are already among the best guidance and meditation techniques available during the apprentice stage.”

“If foundational cultivation techniques weren’t nearly flawless, how could they have spread so widely?”

“But Apprentice Guidance and Apprentice Meditation can only be practiced during the apprentice stage. Once you advance to 1st-Ring, you must choose new cultivation techniques—and that’s when the real divergence in cultivation begins.”

Ma Qieyi’s words sounded odd at first, but upon closer thought, they made perfect sense.

It was like in his past life: general education textbooks were compiled after countless rounds of revision and filtering by many people.

Yet advanced knowledge was a chaotic mix, with no standardized curriculum.

So one must enter the Ceres Magic Academy as soon as possible. Otherwise, a wild mage—let alone whether he could even advance to 1st-Ring—would face a huge problem after promotion: he’d have no choice at all in cultivation techniques.

Gao De thought silently to himself.

“Can specializations be disclosed?” a fellow apprentice beside Gao De asked curiously.

Ma Qieyi shook his head. “Of course not—especially for combat mages, specializations are more secret than spells.”

“After all, spells are revealed the moment they’re cast, but unless a mage speaks up, who could possibly know the exact effects of a specialization?”

“Watch out! Prepare for battle!” At that moment, Ma Qieyi’s face abruptly hardened, the cheerful expression vanishing.

Gao De instantly sensed approaching danger and scanned the surroundings with wary eyes.

Eee! Eee! No sooner had Ma Qieyi spoken than sharp, piercing screeches rang out.

From a towering tree in the dense forest nearby, a flock of twelve Earth Demon Bats burst into flight, swooping toward their party.

There were twelve of them.

But the reason Ma Qieyi’s expression turned so grim was not because of their number.

It was because of their leader: a massive Earth Demon Bat.

This bat even had two limb-like appendages.

From afar, it resembled a wingless, hairless dwarf, its body appearing as hard as stone.

Undoubtedly, this was a genuine 1st-Ring Earth-Pulse creature—the first 1st-Ring Earth-Pulse creature their small team had encountered in days.

“I’ll handle the 1st-Ring one—you handle the rest!” Ma Qieyi instantly entered combat mode and issued commands with absolute authority as the team leader.

Before his words had fully ended, he channeled his magical energy, his hand gestures shifting as intense magical fluctuations gathered in his palm, coalescing into a soft, warm glow.

The glow was golden, radiating a sacred, blessing-like aura.

“Blessing!” Ma Qieyi intoned deeply. The golden light instantly split into three beams, striking precisely upon himself, Gao De, and a fellow apprentice who wielded the Lightning Trick.

The instant the light struck Gao De, a sacred cross symbol appeared on his body.

But the symbol lasted only a fleeting moment, vanishing instantly.

Then, a gentle yet solemn chant echoed in Gao De’s ears—also fleeting, like the cross.

A power and courage unlike any he’d ever felt surged through his body.

“I’ve bestowed the 1st-Ring spell [Blessing] upon you two. For the next minute, your spell attacks and spell defenses will be significantly enhanced—make use of it!” Ma Qieyi warned them as he cast another spell.

After five days, he had observed that among the entire team, Gao De and the Lightning Trick apprentice possessed the highest combat proficiency.

Thus, his choice of targets for [Blessing] was deliberate—an acknowledgment of their abilities.

In the next instant, light flared again in Ma Qieyi’s palm. Three glowing magic darts materialized, then shot forth like missiles, streaking across the sky toward the giant Earth Demon Bat.

[Magic Missile].

The giant Earth Demon Bat clearly sensed the threat posed by the [Blessing]-enhanced Magic Missiles.

It let out a deafening roar, hovering midair, then spat forward a cone of sharp stones.

The torrent of stones completely engulfed the three Magic Missiles.

After a violent explosion, the stones turned to dust and scattered—but the three Magic Missiles also expended their energy and vanished.

Meanwhile, Gao De quickly adjusted his breathing and entered combat stance.

His fingers flickered lightly, and intense energy surged upward.

[Flame Arrow+]! With a low cry, a blazing bolt shot forth.

The flame arrow, like an arrow loosed from a bow, tore through the air, roaring toward the group of Earth Demon Bats with fierce flames.

Where the spell passed, the air seemed ignited, leaving a long trail of fire—its power visibly amplified.

The 0-Ring Earth Demon Bat Gao De targeted reacted just like its 1-Ring leader.

It spat forward a cone of stones to block the path of the flame arrow.

Trying to counter and neutralize its power.

But some things a boss can do, this one cannot.

The [Flame Arrow+] cast under [Blessing]’s enhancement, though not reaching 1st-Ring power, surpassed the level of a trick.

If one had to be precise, it was a 0.5-Ring spell! The ferocious flames shattered the stone cone and continued forward, striking the hovering Earth Demon Bat with perfect accuracy.

Boom! In an instant, a thunderous roar erupted. The bat let out a shrill scream, its entire body engulfed in flames, tumbling from midair and crashing heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Seeing this, Gao De’s eyes flashed with shock—and an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

Is this what it feels like to be led by a boss? Under the [Blessing] spell, his [Flame Arrow+] had gained such power that it could instantly kill a 0-Ring Earth-Pulse creature in one strike.

But satisfaction aside, Gao De did not lower his guard.

He knew this battle was far from over.

While the other apprentices cast their spells, Gao De’s mind shifted, and a dull gray light flickered over his skin.

[Blade Ward+].

After reinforcing himself with this defensive spell during the brief window, Gao De, now more confident, struck again.

He targeted another Earth Demon Bat.

It was currently darting and weaving through the air with cunning agility, evading the apprentices’ spells.

Gao De attacked without hesitation!

Again, [Flame Arrow+].

But this time, the targeted Earth Demon Bat did not behave like the previous one.

Facing the blazing arrow, it did not foolishly try to block it head-on. Instead, it twisted midair with uncanny precision, barely avoiding the flame.

As a small flying Earth-Pulse creature, agility was its strength.

Purely linear attacks were easily evaded by such agile flyers at sufficient distance.

Having dodged Gao De’s spell, the bat let out a sharp screech—triumphant, almost taunting.

Boom! A violent explosion turned its screech into a piercing wail.

The flame arrow, which should have missed, suddenly reversed course like a phantom.

Real men never look back at explosions.

Neither did this bat.

So it exploded.

Ever seen a flame arrow that turns?

Watching another Earth Demon Bat burn and plummet from the sky, Gao De sneered inwardly.

(End of Chapter)