Chapter 144: Bai Xue Squad's Encounter

Dawn.

Canyon Forest, northeast.

"Sun's Eye!" a clear, melodious voice suddenly rang out.

A golden beam of light sliced through the dim night.

"Sss~!!" A green bug race nearly three meters tall was struck in the head and died instantly.

"Han Sail, Gret sister, this can't go on; we must quickly rendezvous with the other squads, or we'll be in trouble."

A beautiful, pure‑tempered girl wiped the sweat from her forehead and spoke to the two obvious siblings in the squad.

Above her head floated a golden Magic Array formed by intricate patterns, slowly rotating in midair.

The complex array lines continuously interwove and converged, forming a magic diagram based on a pentagram, linked together by special rules, sequences, and mutual arrangement, outlining five golden Sun's Eyes condensed from magical runes.

The five Sun's Eyes spun rapidly in a horned formation; from the rune‑formed golden pupils burst countless dense magic beams, blasting at the approaching green bug shadows.

This is the girl's self‑invented high‑level composite magic; judging from its powerful magical rhythm, its level already reaches that of a Level One creature! Clearly, this high‑level magic, comparable to a Level One creature's energy tier, shows that the girl's accumulation of truth doctrines and magical knowledge has become quite profound.

Her current performance alone proves she already possesses the ability to advance to Level One and become a formal Magician, and her promotion success rate far exceeds that of ordinary people.

Even if we don't claim an eighty‑ or ninety‑percent chance, a seventy‑percent probability still exists.

Magicians' promotions are often achieved during magic experiments; their thirst for knowledge and pursuit of truth doctrines drive them toward higher stages.

However, growing up in such an environment also leads Magicians to neglect physical conditioning, making them generally fragile.

Especially for magical apprentices below Level One formal Magicians, their defensive options are thin; once engaged up close, their weaknesses are quickly magnified.

That is why the girl is anxious.

The girl is young; a sleek, fashionable white magic robe accentuates her graceful, budding figure.

If it's not Bai Xue, then who!

In the slightly dim environment, faint green silhouettes flickered and swam around continuously.

The battlefield at this moment had long been mired in stalemate and chaos; the entire Canyon Forest had become a bloody slaughterhouse for the two sides' melee.

Ambushes, counter‑ambushes, and skirmishes kept playing out throughout the forest under such conditions.

And this was already the twelfth ambush the squad containing Bai Xue had faced tonight.

Originally a squad of over twenty, led by a Level One formal Magician, with five senior magical apprentices, and a dozen Blood Race warriors and Demon Hunter Knights.

Now, with the battlefield chaotic, especially as night falls, skirmishes have turned into ambush and counter‑ambush warfare.

By this point, the original squad of over twenty had dwindled to seven, each bearing varying injuries.

The formal Magician leading the squad had also been severely wounded by a Level One Bug Race leader in the previous ambush, falling into a coma.

The surrounding dim forest environment hindered the Magicians' performance; although they possessed ample spirit‑energy detection methods, the dense trees still affected them to some degree.

In this setting, only the two remaining high‑level Blood Race warriors in the team seemed to thrive.

Yet facing the dozens of bug swarms preparing to encircle them now seemed like a drop in the bucket.

As a screech rang in the ear, before Bai Xue could react, a blazing fireball streaked past her ear.

"Boom!!"

With sparks scattering, the emerald blade just a foot from Bai Xue was instantly knocked away.

At the same time, a mournful screech sounded from not far behind.

Turning her head, she saw a high‑level Green Blade Bug Race poised to ambush from the shadows; had it not been for that fireball, Bai Xue would likely have been dismembered. The fireball had been launched by Gret, who is about the same age but unusually mature in stature.

Gret wore a red magic robe, her hands wreathed in continuous raging flames that illuminated the surroundings; her fair, pretty face held a slight lift, eyes sharp, exuding a dashing, heroic bearing rare among Magicians.

The dimensional fire magic in her hand, providing an unending blaze, serves as Gret's credential to the gate of Level One formal Magician.

Among nearly ten thousand magical apprentices in the Four Great Magic Academies today, Gret and Bai Xue are regarded as members of the Eight Great Despairers.

The Eight Great Despairers are the strongest students of the Four Great Magic Academies.

Each possesses power surpassing peak‑level magical apprentices; only by mastering a magic that reaches Level One life‑energy tier and crushing the academy grand competition are they recognized as Despairers.

Students who reach this tier inevitably receive greater attention and resource favor from the academy and council, indicating their future achievements may exceed Level One.

Academy resources are finite; the more they enjoy, the less others can access.

Societal development hinges on the effective use and replenishment of resources.

Continuous resource decline limits rapid civilizational development, and thus Plane Wars arise.

Resource plunder is undeniably the fastest shortcut for a civilization to accumulate capital.

Resources are not merely material plunder; they also encompass knowledge accumulation.

Collisions between different civilizations inevitably spark more inspiration and ideas, becoming powerful fuel and boosters for civilizational development.

As Eight Great Despairers, they wield abundant resources yet must bear greater responsibility and cost.

Magicians adhere to the principle of equivalent exchange.

The magic academy does not force every magical apprentice to take a post in the dark faction.

However, required magic contracts determine service years proportionally to the amount of resources enjoyed.

During this period, a certain number of mandatory missions each year are required of every magical apprentice.

The reason a few can join the current resistance against the Plane Invasion war is inseparable from their strength.

Bai Xue, still trembling, looked gratefully toward Gret, saying nothing; on this chaotic battlefield, any distraction could be the fatal cause of death.

Han Sail's strength is slightly weaker than the two; though not among the Eight Great Despairers, he is still acknowledged as a genius powerhouse, just below the peak‑level Despairer magical apprentices.

A pair of eyes implanted with hurricane hawk vision emit a chilling gleam; under this special eagle‑eye enhancement, Han Sail can exert greater combat power in the dark.

Likewise, these eyes not only grant Han Sail excellent sight but also various auxiliary amplifications and detection methods.

Coupled with his sleek azure wind magic, he continuously harvests the bug swarm's life around him.

The seven‑person squad, aside from the comatose formal Magician, centered on three members, with three high‑level Blood Race warriors and Demon Hunter Knights on the perimeter acting as artillery, continuously eliminating incoming foes.

As the last Green Blade Bug Race was blasted open‑headed, before anyone could catch their breath, they moved to relocate.

A small swarm of insects led by a Level One Bug Race leader had already rushed over at the sound.

Clearly the massive noise emanating here, along with the intense energy fluctuations, drew the attention of the nearby insect swarm.

This is also why the Bai Xue Squad kept being ambushed.

With the dense buzzing, the powerful aura of a Level One creature also spread, causing the already severely depleted Bai Xue Squad—worn from continuous wars—to finally see a flash of hopelessness in their eyes.

They endured, in their minds, a constant needle‑like stabbing pain caused by the massive loss of mental power.

Bai Xue seemed to have made a certain decision, and their eyes hardened with resolve.

(End of chapter)