Chapter 493: Future Battle Wizard

Lei En, invisible, stands on the wall, observing the Half-elf in the courtyard.

From soul traits, she is sixteen, a few years older than she looks; Half-elfs grow slower than normal humans.

Her swordsmanship is exceptionally skillful; at her age, in terms of swordsmanship alone, opponents are hard to find. She wields a very light slender sword, only one and a half finger widths wide, unenchanted, yet she swings moonlight-like blade with a chilling aura.

The Half-elf's steps are incredibly light, agile and varied; between swift turns there is only an extremely faint sound, and unless seen directly, one outside the wall cannot hear anyone practicing swordplay inside.

This is clearly a talent inherited from the Elf race.

Many sword techniques in the Ai Lun E Si world originate from Elves; the top Sword Master and Sword Saint are usually also from the Elf race, so it is unsurprising that a Half-elf possesses outstanding sword talent.

However, this is only her outward appearance.

Lei En's Soul Eye sees more clearly; this Half-elf's casting talent surpasses her swordsmanship, with limitless potential, even better than pure‑blood Elves. She has half human lineage, a Blood Soul Curse in her soul, but what astonishes Lei En more is that a mysterious object is hidden within her soul.

It resides deep in the Half-elf's soul, shaped like a crescent moon, emitting a cold moonlight that illuminates her entire soul realm.

Lei En observes carefully and finds it is not an Element.

Because the Soul Eye cannot sense its information, only through Truth Willpower can Lei En roughly discern its outline: it appears to be an odd curved blade, the crescent part being the blade, attached to a long hilt.

"At least it's Legend Grade!"

Lei En is amazed; this Legend Grade weapon is fully fused with the Half-elf's soul, seemingly innate, completely altering her soul structure and making her stand out. Moreover, the Blood Soul Curse, under its moonlight‑like illumination, is suppressed to a low point, with almost no chance of manifesting.

Although she has not undergone the Soul Transformation ceremony, her physical quality far exceeds ordinary people, her strength equivalent to a Tier‑3 Transcendent, and her soul contains multiple Elements.

Lei En's thoughts flicker.

He originally only intended to look after Ma Erke's illegitimate child, quietly bring her to the Empire's domain, so she could live a worry‑free life.

But after seeing her in person, he wavered.

She is an uncut jade; if she walks the Transcendent path, she will surely shine brilliantly!

With her extraordinary talent, wherever she is, she will eventually be discovered; she cannot live an ordinary, unremarkable life, and her true appearance is so striking that she will become a nation‑sweeping beauty.

Beauty without the power to protect herself will only bring terrible disaster.

Ma Erke clearly also knows her talent; when he was still the Kangjiatuo king, he could covertly protect her, but after his death, an accident could occur before long.

Lei En sighs inwardly, noting that Ma Erke was truly thoughtful for this illegitimate daughter.

"Such a fine talent must not be buried," he decides in his mind, "I've already taken six students; taking one more makes no difference. Moreover, those students specialize in other schools; this Half-elf's potential is perfect for the path of a Battle Wizard, fitting to inherit my combat school."

The Half-elf practices swordsmanship with full concentration, quickly breaking into a layer of sweat.

Despite the bitter cold, she wears only a thin linen garment, yet feels no chill; her steps become faster, the slender sword flickers like a faint light throughout the courtyard, silently slicing the air.

Lei En does not disturb her, watching with keen interest.

Suddenly, the Half-elf's figure vanishes, a cold beam flashes before Lei En, striking his eyes; the chill on the sword light makes his pores stand on end.

"What keen perception!"

Lei En exclaims in admiration, noting that while he is still invisible, the opponent not only detected his position but also launched a surprise attack.

The Truth Willpower surprisingly sensed a faint danger, which is rather astonishing.

In a heartbeat, Lei En, faster than the eye can catch, reaches out and grasps the sword tip that thrust forward.

Puff!

With a soft sound, the moonlight‑like blade contracts, revealing the Half-elf's figure.

She also steps onto the wall, only three steps from Lei En, gazing at the now‑visible Lei En; her cold, deep eyes ripple with emotion. She presses on her hand, trying to withdraw her sword, but finds the slender sword welded to Lei En's hand, unmoving, and it does not cut Lei En's palm skin.

The Half-elf reacts extremely quickly, instantly letting go of the sword, flashing into the courtyard, retreating with her back against the wall.

When she turns around, she finds Lei En on the wall has vanished.

In the next instant, she senses someone standing beside her; turning, she sees Lei En holding the slender sword, his tall frame almost pressed against her arm, within arm's reach. Though a faint smile graces his face, the oppressive aura nearly suffocates her.

Even with only close proximity and no strike, the Half-elf feels her limbs grow weak.

She instantly tries to flee, but finds herself unable to move, as if prey spotted by a dragon; the power gap is so vast that even the courage to resist is gone.

At the Half-elf's moment of terror, she hears the other speak.

"What is your name?"

Lei En's tone is gentle, without any hostility, and he casually returns the slender sword.

The Half-elf instinctively takes back her slender sword, hesitates, then replies, "An Wei La."

Her voice is clear and beautiful, with a somewhat strange accent.

Others might not notice, but Lei En knows clearly that this odd intonation is influenced by Elf language mixed with Kangjiatuo speech, making it peculiar.

Lei En has long learned her name from Ma Erke, but pretends not to know.

An Wei La, after taking back the slender sword, retreats two or three steps calmly, her face maintaining high vigilance. She studies Lei En carefully; although still a young girl with little experience, rarely meeting outsiders and solitary, her intelligence lets her guess he is an important figure.

And a Transcendent of terrifying power!

This makes her heart extremely uneasy.

"Your swordsmanship is impressive," Lei En compliments with a smile, his gaze sweeping the courtyard, then asks, "Do you have anyone else at home?"

"I am alone," An Wei La replies softly.

Lei En raises an eyebrow, knowingly asks, "Alone? Where are your parents?"

An Wei La's eyes dim slightly; somehow, the usually reticent girl inexplicably lowers her guard before the man, perhaps because his strikingly handsome appearance and remarkable charisma touch a soft spot in her heart, and she sighs, "I have no father; my mother died three years ago."

"Sorry," Lei En says, his face showing remorse.

According to Ma Erke, he never appeared before this illegitimate daughter, only privately contacted her mother—the Moon Elf—and regularly provided them a stipend, ensuring they lived without worry.

If he wishes to take An Wei La as a student, he must ensure she will not become hostile toward him after Ma Erke's death.

The Soul Eye shows An Wei La told no lie.

"Sir," An Wei La lifts her unremarkable face, looks at Lei En, and asks cautiously, "May I ask why you have come to my home?"

"Hehe…" Lei En chuckles, "I happened to pass by and saw you practicing swordsmanship, got curious, so I stopped to watch for a while; I hope I didn't disturb you." He surveys the Half-elf, strokes his chin, and says earnestly, "Your talent is outstanding; even without Soul Transformation you possess such strength, making you an ideal candidate for my student. Are you interested?"

An Wei La's eyes flash with surprise, a hint of disbelief.

Lei En's displayed power was unfathomable, at least beyond the legendary tier; any ordinary person who heard that a legend wanted to take them as a student would instantly agree, but he felt doubt.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself," Lei En said with a smile. "My name is Ryan Augustus, from the Oriense Empire, and I am a battle wizard."

"Ryan Augustus… battle wizard…"

Anevira murmured softly; she seemed to have heard that name somewhere, a flash in her mind, and she widened her eyes, unable to keep her cool, and blurted, "Are you Duke Augustus?"

"It is I," Lei En chuckled, feeling a bit proud.

Anevira was still dazed; she lives a reclusive life, yet she also knows the upheavals that have occurred in the kingdom during this period: the draconic lineage's restoration, a new queen's coronation, the dukes of the seven great duchies having been replaced four times in quick succession, and the birth of an entirely new duchy whose duke is a legendary wizard from the Empire.

"So it's him?" she said, both surprised and delighted, "He's really so young!"

Lei En continued, "If you are willing to take me as your teacher, come with me back to the Empire to Weizelan Fu Kong Cheng. With your talent, you will soon become a wizard, and, like me, a very rare battle wizard, able to fully unleash your gifts."

"How about it?" his eyes were full of sincerity.

Although Anevira is a Half-elf, having been steeped since childhood by her mother in pride over her lineage and keeping distance from others, when faced with a legendary wizard like Lei En, that small pride in her heart was shattered.

Not to mention Half-elves; even noble pure‑blood moon elves or silver‑gray elves would not want to miss such an opportunity.

Half-elves bear the Blood Soul Curse, preventing them from becoming mages; the wizard path is their best transcendent way!

"I have seen you, teacher," Anevira bowed.

"Very good."

"If there's anything you need to bring, pack it now; we will soon leave Kangjiatuo."

Anevira turned and entered the narrow room; a few minutes later she emerged, carrying a small bundle.

Lei En nodded and opened a portal.

Before entering, he suddenly turned and said, "By the way, since you are already my student, there's no need to keep pretending to be human; you can freely reveal your true form, and no one will dare to harm you."

Having said that, Lei En stepped into the portal.

Anevira's complexion changed dramatically, for Lei En had spoken those words in Elvish; only then did she realize that the teacher had already seen through her being a Half‑elf.

She hesitated for a few seconds, then raised her hand and brushed the necklace around her neck.

In an instant, her ordinary face transformed into a stunningly beautiful visage, a head of moon‑white hair tied into a ponytail at the back, skin as white as porcelain with a faint glow, an elegant aura; though still a bit youthful, it was enough to leave everyone in awe.

The linen garment she wore could not conceal her elegance at all; instead it gave off a cold, distant air, making people feel she could only be admired from afar, not approached.

Anevira revealed her true form, took a deep breath, and stepped into the portal.

(End of Chapter)