Chapter 166: Between Life and Death

"Come in."

Ao Xiliya, hearing Lei En's words, suddenly asked him to come in.

Lei En's heart leapt, but he still followed her into the room, where he saw her take out a Weizelan badge bearing a purple eye emblem, begin casting, and a random door appeared before them.

"All spaces in Fu Kong Cheng are locked; only those holding a Weizelan badge can successfully cast spatial spells."

Ao Xiliya gave a brief explanation, then said, "Beyond the door is the academy's main gate. It's inconvenient for me to accompany you inside the academy, but there's no real danger; please, Count, rest assured."

After speaking, she pointed at a random door about a person tall.

"Thank you."

Lei En stepped through the random door, the surroundings shifting, and he instantly found himself before a magnificent gate, a massive stone lintel bearing the inscription "Weizelan Wizards Academy."

The academy sits at the very center of Fu Kong Cheng; looking up, a wizard tower over five hundred meters tall pierces the clouds, a spectacular sight.

In fact, the entire Fu Kong Cheng belongs to the Wizard Academy.

However, the academy's students and teachers usually reside in a dozen or so wizard towers scattered throughout Fu Kong Cheng; only academy members are permitted to enter.

The tallest spire before him, called the Weizelan High Tower, is not only the academy's core building but also Fu Kong Cheng's control hub.

Master Anxiwodasi sits stationed within the high tower.

It is rumored that the tower houses the world's largest library, containing tens of millions of volumes, mostly magical, and it is the most coveted repository of knowledge for countless spellcasters.

Before coming to Mo Du, Lei En had already thought of emptying that great library and loading it into his phone.

Now the opportunity finally arrives.

Just after exiting the random door, he sensed someone watching him from the shadows and hurried into the academy.

Twenty minutes later.

Lei En walked out of the academy, his complexion unchanged, but his mood a bit sour.

Even with a recommendation letter from Duke Silver Star, entering the Weizelan Academy is far more difficult than he imagined.

Weizelan is a wizard academy that is both emerging and traditional, divided mainly into two sections.

One is the Apprentice Zone, which, like many extraordinary academies of the Empire, recruits young students aged fifteen to twenty, with extremely high admission standards; they are called Wizard Apprentices, the hope of the future.

Apprentices are divided into multiple classes according to each year's enrollment period, with teachers dispatched from the high tower to instruct them.

After undergoing the Soul Transformation ceremony, apprentices become Wizards and can then enter the High Tower Zone.

The High Tower Zone's teaching model is relatively traditional, continuing the original wizard lineage: one teacher leads several students, imparting magical knowledge. Teachers choose students, and students choose teachers; this close mentor‑student relationship greatly influences one's prospects.

The academy stipulates that only Legendary Wizards are qualified to recruit students.

Across Fu Kong Cheng there are as many as eighteen Legendary Wizards, fourteen of whom each possess their own high tower.

Lei En has Duke Silver Star's recommendation letter; his talent and qualifications are unquestioned, his identity passed verification, and he smoothly obtained admission to the academy.

He is already a Fourth-level Wizard, so of course he does not wish to enter the Apprentice Zone unless he is willing to teach the apprentices.

However, entering the High Tower Zone requires selecting a teacher.

The ideal teacher in Lei En's mind is certainly Master Anxiwodasi; such a formidable mentor cannot be missed, but under the current circumstances he cannot reveal his connection to Master Anxiwodasi.

Moreover, Master Anxiwodasi may have made a promise.

He does not know how Master Anxiwodasi arranged it; the wizard in charge of high tower admissions just now said he would submit his information to the Legendary Wizards.

But judging from the hostility in the other's heart, Lei En doubts whether his data can reach the Legendary Wizards.

Even if it is sent, the outcome is unpredictable.

If he cannot become a student of a Legendary Wizard, he cannot freely enter or exit the Wizard Academy, let alone access the great library.

Most importantly, he cannot rely on hiding within the academy to evade an assassination by Mo Du nobles.

"Anxiwodasi has no sincerity..."

Lei En felt a bit irritated; the other party is the leader of Weizelan, yet cannot even arrange this minor matter, making that promise seem like a blank check.

"Or perhaps Master Anxiwodasi suspects many within the academy, for secrecy, dare not find anyone to arrange this?"

Lei En pondered while waiting for Ao Xiliya to emerge and escort him back to the magic hotel.

He waited at the academy entrance for over ten minutes but saw no sign of Ao Xiliya. Glancing toward the hotel building, not far away, he decided to return on his own.

On Fu Kong Cheng's streets, pedestrians are few, and magical energy flows everywhere.

Lei En activated his Soul Eye, carefully observing each passerby while admiring the skyline of this sky city.

Those who can reside in Fu Kong Cheng are mostly extraordinary beings; even ordinary people are either rich or noble, and common folk neither dare nor qualify to set foot in Fu Kong Cheng.

Within a short seven to eight hundred meter walk, Lei En saw over a dozen Wizards.

Among them were also senior Wizards.

Lei En found that no one really noticed him; at most, a few female Wizards glanced back twice because of his striking looks, and nothing more.

For some reason, he noticed that the female Wizards of Fu Kong Cheng are far more beautiful than ordinary people.

Along the way, he had already seen several rare beauties.

"Could cultivating soul power also have a beauty effect?"

While daydreaming, Lei En's mind relaxed a bit; at a street corner, another beautiful female Wizard approached, her short red hair framing her, clad in fitted leather armor, holding a book she read as she walked.

He couldn't help but glance furtively, discovering she was an eighth-level Wizard.

The red‑haired Wizard seemed to sense being watched, paused slightly, shifted her gaze from the book to Lei En, first startled, then a faint smile appeared.

"Hmm?"

Lei En's expression changed dramatically; his Soul Eye perceived great malice.

Before he could react, the red‑haired Wizard flipped the book toward Lei En, softly uttering a single word: "Fix!"

"Whoa!"

Lei En shouted internally, and the book erupted with intense magical flux, instantly forming a four‑ring "True Word Spell: Fix", i. e., the True Word Immobilization!

It is a mental‑type spell that attacks the mind of sentient beings with the power of language, immobilizing the target's body.

After the Stasis Technique, the red‑haired witch's casting did not cease.

Her book burst open, and a green beam as thick as an arm locked onto Lei En, shooting silently toward him.

Lei En's eyelids twitched wildly—this is Disintegrate!

A six‑ring instant‑death spell!

He didn't have time to rejoice that he possessed True Willpower and wasn't restrained by the Truth Spell; without thinking, he charged to the side and missed the Disintegrate beam by a hair's breadth.

The red‑haired witch's eyes widened, clearly not expecting the target to escape, and her third spell fired instantly.

However, that spell wasn't aimed at Lei En; it struck the red‑haired witch herself, and within a breath her figure vanished into thin air.

When Lei En surged forward again to counterattack, he rushed into empty space.

(End of chapter)