Chapter 542: The Resilient Wizard

Early September.

Below the high tower in Weizelan's floating city, a group of young wizards have gathered.

As elite wizards of the floating city, their talent and potential far exceed those of ordinary superhumans outside; they exude a powerful magical aura, and the apprentices in the academy dare not get too close when passing by, casting envious glances.

The wizards are indifferent to the apprentices' admiration, forming small circles in groups of two or three, either closing their eyes in contemplation or whispering with friends, each bearing a different expression.

However, from time to time someone quietly looks toward the most dazzling few in the crowd.

One is a High-tier Wizard with the appearance of a high elf, fair‑skinned and exceedingly handsome, a black magical robe covering a straight, upright, towering figure; yet his temperament is slightly gloomy, his gaze very indifferent, exuding an aura of "no strangers allowed".

"Da La Ma…"

"That arrogant jerk is still so annoying."

"Exactly! Sooner or later I'll give him a lesson."

The wizards' impression of Da La Ma is extremely poor; many have been defeated by him and harshly humiliated, so their tone is unkind, tinged with bitterness.

Since Da La Ma became a disciple of Chairman Lei En, his strength has skyrocketed; it is said that last month he was promoted to Ninth-level Dark Mage, astonishingly fast.

Originally many were displeased with Da La Ma, but now they have given up the idea of getting back at him.

"He just got lucky, being favored by Chairman Lei En," a Mid-stage Wizard complained. "With Chairman Lei En's wealth and generosity, being so good to his students, if it were me, I'd surely be promoted to High-tier Wizard within three years."

A few wizards nearby nodded in agreement, but no one took it seriously.

Anyone who can become a Weizelan Wizard and qualify for the Wizard Exchange Tournament is no fool.

Da La Ma is indeed detestable, but his talent is evident to all; if not for his elf heritage and personality, he wouldn't have been rejected by legendary wizards for two consecutive years, until Chairman Lei En took him in.

The wizard who spoke, seeing no response, suddenly felt embarrassed, realizing he had blurted out a thoughtless remark.

"Cough…"

He quickly changed the subject, "Who do you think has a better chance of winning the High-tier Group trophy, Da La Ma or Ms. Bei Ji Xing?"

"Obviously Ms. Bei Ji Xing."

"No need to say, Po La Rui Si has already beaten Da La Ma several times; she is now a Ninth-level Arcane Wizard."

The wizards responded one after another, their eyes constantly fixed on the circle where Da La Ma stood as they spoke.

There were four wizards, all disciples of Chairman Lei En.

One is the despised Da La Ma, the other the most dazzling female wizard in the crowd, the uniquely beautiful Po La Rui Si.

She simply stands there, like the brightest star in the night sky, impossible to ignore.

Whether male wizards or female witches, they can't help stealing glances at her, genuinely praising her, wondering why the gods favor her so!

Po La Rui Si and Da La Ma are the two most striking wizards below the legendary tier in Weizelan's floating city today.

They are also the two wizards most loudly touted to win the Wizard Exchange Tournament.

However, everyone's perception of them is completely opposite.

Almost everyone despises Da La Ma, extremely resentful of this elf, yet cannot defeat him; at the same time, almost everyone backs Po La Rui Si, especially male wizards, whose admiration for her has become fanatical.

The two are evenly matched in the magical duel arena, each winning at times, but supporters are overwhelmingly one‑sided, belittling Da La Ma and championing Po La Rui Si.

Wherever Po La Rui Si goes, she is always the focus of the crowd.

But today, she is only one of the focal points.

"Who is the Half-elf beside Ms. Bei Ji Xing?" someone couldn't help asking.

In fact many wizards had already seen that Half-elf, whose appearance was no less than Po La Rui Si's: long moon‑white hair tied at the back, skin seeming to glow faintly, a tall and slender figure, a slightly aloof temperament, bright black eyes that evoked a moon shedding a cool luminous glow.

"She is also a disciple of Chairman Lei En, named An Wei La, and rarely appears," a wizard whispered, looking somewhat smug. "She spends almost all her time in Chairman Lei En's high tower, rarely goes out; I only met her once through Ms. Zhen Na, and it is said she possesses half a Moon‑elf bloodline."

"Moon‑elf!"

The wizards suddenly realized, no wonder she is so beautiful.

"Ms. An Wei La's strength is great, but it feels odd; which school does she belong to?" someone, sensing a powerful aura, asked, surprised yet curious.

"Combat School," the wizard who replied earlier said with a mysterious expression.

"Sss…"

A few wizards who just learned the news all inhaled sharply, their faces instantly filled with envy.

Ai Lun E Si's world wizards have three major schools; the Law Seal School has always been mainstream, with four specializations, accounting for over 70% of all wizards; the Soul-Controlling School's three specializations make up the remaining 30%; as for the Combat School, it has always been the smallest, its proportion negligible.

Although the founder of the Combat School, Ouroin Master, is a Holy Soul wizard, Ouroin Master is mysterious and erratic. He did not create the floating city, nor even a single Wu Shi Ta; after casually passing down the World Tree meditation method and the technique for making Soul‑Fusion Seeds, he essentially abandoned responsibility.

Thus, the Combat School never rose, always the weakest school specialization.

Combat wizards are also few in number.

Aside from Ouroin Master, famous combat wizards are scarce; the entire Empire can find only a handful of legendary combat wizards.

Until Chairman Lei En rose like a comet, becoming famous across the Empire within five or six years, undefeated in battle, people realized the combat wizards' potential was terrifying!

This even sparked a wave of combat wizard enthusiasm throughout the Empire.

Major superhuman academies, Wu Shi Ta, caster organizations, and the floating city saw the number of wizards joining the Combat School surge by dozens of times; although the total still accounts for less than one percent compared to other school specializations, it is considerable and cannot be ignored.

Now that An Wei La is said to have become a disciple of Chairman Lei En and is a combat wizard, people can't help letting their imaginations run wild.

The wizards' gazes changed, subconsciously looking up at An Wei La.

"Ms. An Wei La is also entering the Wizard Exchange Tournament?"

"Since she's here, she must be participating."

"She must be in the High-tier Group!"

"So young yet a High-tier Wizard, truly worthy of Chairman Lei En's tutelage! Ah, if only I could also become a disciple of Chairman Lei En."

"You're several years older than Chairman Lei En; stop dreaming," someone laughed.

The wizard's expression froze, "Why not?" he pointed at the tall half‑orc wizard, "Galu is also five years older than Chairman Lei En and still has a chance, showing Chairman Lei En cares not about age but about talent; with my talent…"

Before he could finish, the wizards sensed magical fluctuations, and everyone fell silent.

A portal opened before the crowd, and four legendary wizards stepped out.

Leading the group was a male Wizard with an imposing visage, his true age indiscernible, a resolute face, sharp eyes, a neat long braid of red hair tied at the back of his head, a dense short beard on his chin, and he wielded a massive staff taller than himself.

"Speaker Ronnie."

The Wizards bowed and saluted in succession.

However, most of their gazes fell on the figure behind Speaker Ronnie: clad in mithril light armor, a blood‑red great cloak draped over his back, tall and muscular, with a young, handsome face and a faint smile—none other than the most celebrated Lei En of recent years.

"Lei En." The Wizards immediately saluted; some, meeting Lei En up close for the first time, were emotionally stirred, their eyes constantly scrutinizing.

Lei En gave a slight nod in response.

Besides the two Speakers, two Legendary Low‑rank Wizards accompanied them.

"Is everyone present?" the usually stern Roni asked, then added, "We are heading to BrewotzAcademy for the exchange tournament; GrandSpeaker assigned me to lead the team, so I must take responsibility. I have only two requirements of you."

Roni held up two fingers.

"First, achieve good rankings: each of the three competition divisions must have at least one participant in the top five, and at least two top‑three finishes overall; second, once on the field, perform with flair— even if you lose, you must not disgrace Weizelan."

"Did you all hear that?"

At the end, Roni's voice grew stern, its authority making the Wizards' hearts tremble, and they hurriedly responded in unison, "Yes, Speaker."

"Very good, very spirited." Roni nodded with satisfaction, waved a hand, and said, "Let's go."

From start to finish, Lei En said not a single word.

This was the plan he had discussed with his teacher; the true purpose of this Wizard exchange tournament was to force Augulevi Master to appear, though the overt preparations also had to be flawless.

He possessed the Soul Eye and the All-Seeing Eye, allowing him to perceive information invisible to others; leading the team himself might render some tasks inconvenient.

Therefore, Speaker Ronnie, who had two or three prior experiences, was strong and steady in action; there was no better choice to serve as leader, and it also provided him a convenient cover.

Roni led the way into the Weizelan Tower.

The other three Legends and forty‑five competing Wizards followed, entering the teleportation hall; soon, a towering portal was activated and opened, revealing the scene beyond.

The Wizards entered in single file and were instantly teleported to the destination.

Inside was the interior of a massive structure, spacious and bright, its dome over twenty meters high; on the thousand‑plus square meters of floor, seven teleportation arrays were arranged. Lei En's gaze swept across them, discerning each array's spatiotemporal coordinates, all within the Empire, corresponding to several other Fu Kong Cheng and major cities.

Around them, over a hundred Wizards formed lines, all young men and women, wearing four different styles and colors of magical robes, wielding wands, their faces bright with eager smiles.

"Welcome!"

A lofty voice rang out: "Welcome, Wizards of the Weizelan Academy, to Brewotz!"

The speaker was a dignified middle‑aged female Wizard.

As her voice faded, the young Wizards behind her raised their wands, releasing beams of light into the air like fireworks blooming on the dome, forming the pattern of the Weizelan Fu Kong Cheng and three rows of exuberant congratulatory verses—pleasing to the eye, dreamlike and ethereal.

This fireworks spell had little destructive power, but displayed the Wizards' delicate casting technique and their mutual coordination.

Obviously, they had rehearsed this ceremony for a long time.

"Deputy Dean Mailei."

Roni called out the witch's name, seeming quite familiar with her, and smiled, "You were the mastermind behind this welcome ceremony, weren't you?"

"Indeed." Mailei stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Roni, long time no see."

"Long time no see." Roni also inclined his head in return.

Mailei's eyes lit up upon seeing Lei En behind, and without waiting for Roni's introduction, she exclaimed warmly, "This handsome young man must be Lei En, right?"

A sudden "Wow!"

The hall erupted in a stir; all Wizards' gazes instantly converged on Lei En. Those standing at the back of the line, blocked by those ahead, tiptoed or craned their necks, and the welcoming formation quickly became chaotic.

Some even broke from the line and rushed forward, just to catch a glimpse of the rumored youngest Legendary Wizard in Empire history.

"Deputy Dean Mailei, a pleasure to meet you," Lei En bowed slightly, greeting with measured respect.

He had heard of this Deputy Dean.

The witch, who still appeared middle‑aged, was actually over five hundred years old, having spent her entire life at BrewotzAcademy—entering as a girl, staying on after graduation, and gradually rising to Deputy Dean, a position second only to Sabbath Dean.

Of course, her prowess was also formidable.

The Soul Eye saw that Mailei was a Legendary High‑rank, eighteenth‑level Transform Wizard; with just one more promotion, she would qualify to challenge a Holy Soul Wizard.

Given her age, there was still a sliver of hope for a successful advancement.

Mailei examined Lei En, praising, "Indeed, you live up to being the oldest Legendary Wizard in Empire history, Lei En. Many at our academy have been awaiting your arrival, eager to witness the heroism of the Empire's champion."

She said with a smile, glanced back at the disordered ranks, a hint of helplessness, and scolded, "Everyone, stand properly; don't give Lei En anything to mock."

The young Wizards, fearing the Deputy Dean, hurried back to their spots, yet their eyes remained glued to Lei En as if stuck.

"It's an honor."

Lei En wore an unruffled, indifferent expression.

He was all too familiar with this scenario; it was like idol‑chasing in a past life—famous people are surrounded everywhere, and he had grown accustomed over the past few years.

Deputy Dean Mailei nodded; she had already arranged lodging for the Weizelan Wizards and was about to send someone to guide them when, at that moment, another teleportation array in the hall lit up.

A portal opened, and a large group of Wizards poured out, numbering over a hundred.

These Wizards bore an air of pride; each wore a unique magical insignia on their chest, shaped like a golden scroll, emitting subtle vibrations.

"Naiser Scroll," they came from the Naiser Fu Kong Cheng.

Lei En looked at the leader of the Naiser Wizards; his Soul Eye scanned briefly, his pupils imperceptibly contracting, recognizing him as an "old acquaintance" he had met before.

Ka wen went completely bonkers; the first day of the New Year already turned into a disaster. The chapter I owed yesterday will be made up with a double release tomorrow!

(End of chapter.)