Chapter 35: The Chain of Deceptions

Unsure whether it was jealousy or awe, Master Seda’s emotions were complex, yet he still held the upper hand.

“Your tactics have indeed surprised me, but judging by your magical energy alone, how many more spells can you cast?”

Master Seda was utterly confident.

“This robe I wear carries a built-in spell shield—I can stand still and let you strike all you want; even if you drain every last bit of your magic, you won’t harm a single hair on my head.”

“Spell Shield,” Gao De silently committed the spell to memory.

Master Seda was not lying to Gao De.

The acid ball, as before, burst mere inches before Master Seda, its splashing acid blocked entirely by the spell barrier.

Master Seda remained unharmed.

“Surrender. Tell me where you learned these spells, and I might give you a quick death,” Master Seda said, shaking his head.

At this point, even if the path ahead held no hope, there was no turning back. Gao De ignored him, sweat beading on his forehead.

It was both from the searing pain in his chest and from the exhaustion of draining too much magical energy.

【Acid Spray+】 is stronger than 【Acid Spray】, but consumes even more magical energy.

If not for his month of consistent cultivation and slight growth in magical energy, he wouldn’t have been able to cast five cantrips at all.

Another acid ball coalesced in Gao De’s palm.

The final spell—still 【Acid Spray+】! Gao De said nothing, but his actions made his intent clear.

Master Seda’s expression darkened further.

Seeing Gao De defy him so repeatedly, he could no longer suppress his rage.

“Ungrateful brat!”

The third acid ball was still blocked by Master Seda’s spell shield.

But after continuously deflecting multiple cantrips, even a first-level spell shield had nearly exhausted its power.

Master Seda refused to risk himself further—he struck decisively, aiming to crush Gao De before the shield’s power vanished completely.

He lunged forward, raising his right hand as a blinding light, bright enough to blind an ordinary person, erupted violently.

It was the same technique he had used against the wolf-rats.

Gao De had no time to close his eyes.

This was not something reaction could avoid.

The light was overwhelmingly intense, flooding into Gao De’s eyes in an instant.

He felt a searing heat, then his eyeballs burned and ached, tears spilling uncontrollably.

His vision vanished in that instant.

Gao De finally understood what it meant to be blinded by light.

He did not bother wiping his tears, nor attempt to open his eyes, nor make any blind dodge—he reached decisively into his robe.

He pulled out a copper object shaped like a fang.

Mist Veil Fang.

Gao De waved the Mist Veil Fang lightly.

A thick fog instantly surged forth and spread rapidly outward.

Simultaneously, a powerful energy circled the Mist Veil Fang, causing it to tremble as if alive.

The energy flowed into the Mist Veil Fang like molten lava.

It emitted a faint resonance, its surface glowing faintly, signaling it had been infused with supernatural power—capable of inflicting far deadlier harm upon enemies.

Enchant!

This process was as smooth as mercury spilling to the ground.

On the other side, the fog spread in an instant, silently filling the room and plunging it into a hazy obscurity.

Once-clear sights blurred in an instant.

Only objects within arm’s reach retained discernible outlines.

Any sight beyond five feet was obscured by the thick mist.

Gao De had maintained a distance greater than five feet from Master Seda from the start—even at the cost of expending his limited magical energy to use 【Mage Hand】 to retrieve the potion.

You make yourself invisible to me—I make myself invisible to you.

Now both were evenly matched, back to square one.

But the flash lasted only an instant; the Mist Veil spell would last a full minute. Advantage is mine!

The time ahead belonged to Gao De.

Master Seda strained his eyes toward Gao De’s former position, but saw only a dark, indistinct haze—not a figure, not even a silhouette.

He was both startled and furious.

“First-level spell: Mist Veil. Where did this brat get a first-level arcane item? Even I own only two first-level magical alchemical artifacts.”

His earlier contempt had vanished completely.

“This boy hides great secrets!”

After witnessing so much, how could Master Seda not realize this?

Whoosh! A sharp whistle cut through the air, accompanied by a chilling wind, striking from straight ahead.

Though his vision was blocked, sound remained unaffected.

Master Seda reacted instantly, sidestepping sharply.

Bang! Plop! Two sounds followed in quick succession.

A glass vial and a small bag of unknown substance exploded beside Master Seda!

With vision obscured, Gao De could not aim precisely—missing was understandable.

“More acid,” Master Seda realized at once from the pungent sulfur smell.

“Hmm… flour?” But another scent left him baffled.

Alongside the acid in the vial, Gao De had thrown a small bag of flour.

Master Seda could not fathom Gao De’s intent.

“Dusting with ash” only works the first time—it’s a trick with no second use.

Besides, flour that couldn’t be aimed accurately at his face couldn’t possibly affect him. Gao De gave him no time to think.

Another glass vial and several small bags of flour flew out from deep within the mist.

Though they still missed Master Seda, some acid splashed from the shattered vials—fortunately, the shield’s power still held, protecting him.

Master Seda had no time to ponder why flour was thrown with the acid—he assumed it was merely a distraction.

“Where did this brat get so many acid vials?”

He cursed inwardly, shifting his stance quickly.

But the next moment, he let out a piercing, agonized scream.

He looked down at his right foot.

There lay a puddle of acid.

Master Seda had stepped directly into it.

The acid instantly corroded his shoe sole, then ate through the skin and flesh of his sole, hissing as it burned.

His foot’s skin dissolved the moment it touched the acid, leaving blackened, bubbling wounds and searing pain.

How had Master Seda ever suffered such an injury?

“Where did this acid come from? From the vials I threw earlier!”

Not entirely.

Besides the acid spilled from shattered vials, there was also the acid left behind by Gao De’s earlier 【Acid Spray+】—additional effect: acid may be retained for up to one day as needed.

Three consecutive 【Acid Spray+】 spells had been blocked by Master Seda’s shield—but the acid had not vanished. Instead, it mixed with the spilled acid from the vials, forming a “landmine field” around Master Seda, restricting his movement.

Normally, acid spilled on the ground posed no threat to Master Seda.

But now, the Mist Veil spell blocked his vision, making every step feel treacherous.

Move, and he might step on acid; stand still, and he became a stationary target.

The shield’s power was nearly gone—without it, he could no longer ignore Gao De’s thrown acid vials.

Now trapped in this dilemma, Master Seda recalled Gao De’s odd use of 【Mage Hand】 to retrieve the potion at the start—and suddenly understood: Gao De had already been setting up for the Mist Veil spell then.

He had somehow acquired so many acid vials—not for random attacks, but to lay this “landmine field.” He knew 【Acid Spray】 couldn’t pierce his shield, yet he kept casting it relentlessly.

Master Seda had thought Gao De had no other options, merely forcing himself to keep trying.

Now he saw it clearly: Gao De had been deliberately draining his shield’s power, so that now he could no longer ignore the acid vials.

This chain of traps had finally ensnared even this “old hand,” leaving him trapped in a no-win situation.

(End of Chapter)