Chapter 594: X Combat School

Ouroin slowly stroked his snow‑white beard, his face full of contemplation.

He opened his mouth several times, yet said nothing.

Lei En chuckled to himself; even without the Soul Eye he could see that Ouroin Master was very intrigued by his ability, but felt embarrassed to speak up because of his status as a Holy Soul Wizard.

"Master, I am willing to contribute my strength to the Combat School," Lei En offered proactively, looking very enthusiastic, "Actually I've long wanted to help other combat Wizards, but my power is insufficient; if this ability were exposed, the ones targeting me would not be only combat Wizards, but countless transcendants as well."

Demon‑soul conflicts have always been the most vexing problem for transcendants.

If people learned that one could discern demon‑soul conflicts, it would be akin to self‑detonation, driving countless transcendants mad, leaving one without peace and with a threat to one's life.

It could even expose the secret of the Soul Eye.

When I previously cultivated the Gun‑Wing Knights, I was also extremely cautious; even the knights were kept in the dark, not noticing their differences from other transcendants, believing it to be the effect of a precious demon elixir.

Even now, Lei En, who boasts of being unbeatable beneath the Holy Soul, dares not proclaim it publicly.

Ouroin nodded gravely, fully aware of the consequences of leakage, and said, "Lei En, rest assured, I will keep your secret."

"Thank you, Master."

Lei En said gratefully, "I have an immature plan, but my influence alone cannot realize it; if the Master is willing to step forward, it will be manageable."

"Oh?"

Ouroin's gaze shifted, and he smiled, "Tell me, then."

The Soul Eye sensed the other party suddenly losing urgency, which slightly startled Lei En; he instantly understood that Ouroin Master had already guessed his thoughts. His hesitation earlier was not about whether to borrow his ability, but about the consequences such a move would bring.

Every action of a Holy Soul Wizard must consider its repercussions.

Ouroin Master remains neutral within the Supreme Council, not because he lacks understanding of factional strife; on the contrary, his sense of it is keen, he simply chooses not to get involved.

Lei En is not worried about Ouroin Master's displeasure.

Neutrality is not an absolute disengagement, but usually means no entanglement of one's own interests; otherwise, one might as well withdraw from the Supreme Council.

No one is truly without desire; everyone has their own "price," and Holy Soul Wizards are no exception.

Ouroin Master's "price" is the development of the Combat School!

Lei En knows he is waiting for his own offer.

He pondered for a moment, then said, "Master, my inspiration comes from the Demon‑Hunter transcendent profession. Demon‑Hunters have multiple branches; depending on focus, they have dedicated schools or training bases that recruit the most suitable students across regions for cultivation, and only those who reach a certain strength may graduate."

"We combat Wizards can do the same."

"Of course, the number of combat Wizards is far fewer than Demon‑Hunters; at the start, a single school or base suffices."

"The school provides each newcomer with Soul‑Fusion seeds—clothing, food, shelter, demon elixirs, demon souls—and invites already renowned combat Wizards to serve as teachers, guiding earnestly, solving cultivation difficulties, so the new Wizards can grow rapidly."

"When enough combat Wizards have been developed, we will gather them and can roughly perfect several distinct combat Wizard paths."

"It is like the Demon‑Hunters, with Wolf, Bear, and Snake branches."

"For example, Master, you develop strength and agility in balance, mainly using swordsmanship for damage, supplemented by magic to break enemy defenses, similar to a Magic‑Sword Warrior, so you could be called a 'Magic‑Sword Wizard.'"

"I focus on boosting strength, with sturdy defense, adept at heavy weapons; I could be called a 'Warhammer Wizard' or a 'Berserker Wizard.'"

"Anweila focuses on agility and speed, with slightly weaker strength, mastering the breaking of magical defenses, delivering a one‑hit kill like a phantom assassin; she could be called a 'Phantom Wizard.'"

"Moreover, combat Wizard specializations are not limited to these three."

"From my modest experience, as long as a combat Wizard fuses the appropriate demon soul, they can emulate any transcendent profession in the world, not limited to Wizards."

"Berserker, Ranger, Shadow Warrior, Magic‑Sword Warrior, Fighter, Demon‑Hunter, Iron Guard, Gunner, Mechanic, Pastoralist… whatever these transcendent professions can achieve, combat Wizards can also achieve, and even stronger!"

"The 'Mechanical Wizard' who masters mechanical knowledge, the 'Dragon‑Vein Wizard' who fuses dragon‑blood demon souls, the 'Demon‑Hunter Wizard' also focused on hunting demons, the 'Demon Wizard' who merges demon souls, the 'Soul‑Gun Wizard' wielding firearms as primary weapons, the 'Steel Wizard' who controls metal to possess an indestructible body, and so on…"

"Combat Wizards have limitless potential; anything is possible!"

【7】 Lei En said the final sentence, his words striking the ground with resonance.

Lei En's final words rang out.

As the combat Wizard currently second only to Ouroin Master in strength, despite only five years of cultivation, he already possesses the qualification and knowledge to explore the future of combat Wizards.

Human transcendants draw their power from demon souls.

Depending on the method of fusion and the unique abilities of each demon soul, various transcendent professions are classified. Fundamentally, the distinction arises from the constraints during demon‑soul fusion.

Combat Wizards have no restrictions; they are the ceiling of all transcendent professions!

The only thing lacking is a refined specialization path.

When the school is established and more combat Wizards are cultivated, I will use the Soul Eye to probe several suitable upgrade options, including the main soul and secondary soul for that specialization, then hand them to students to try, gradually forming a mature system so later entrants need not rely on luck.

Persisting in this way, within a few generations the number of combat Wizards will surely surge, rising to become the most promising Wizard school.

Of course, all this foundation rests upon the Soul Eye!

Without one's own Soul Eye, relying solely on combat Wizards to blindly search for suitable demon souls among countless ones is like fishing for a needle in the ocean. It requires generations of combat Wizards to devote their lives, constantly trial‑and‑error; a single mistake could ruin a lifetime.

The worst part is that even after centuries of probing, there may be no results.

Pursuing a goal with a very low success rate, making countless people sacrifice their lives, resources, time, and effort, is even more difficult than constructing Fu Kong Cheng; even Holy Soul Wizards feel powerless.

Ouroin Master understands these difficulties better than anyone, which is why he has not acted.

But with the Soul Eye, it is different.

The biggest problem is solved, and the rest falls into place!

Ouroin listened intently, his eyes brightening with each word; his back gradually straightened unconsciously, maintaining a focused posture, he remained silent for a long while, his soul's hue constantly shifting.

Lei En did not disturb him.

It is a massive plan; Ouroin Master needs time to consider.

He suddenly sensed something, turned his head toward the quietly seated Anweila, and saw her gaze burning at him, eyes full of admiration, as if about to speak.

Shh!

Lei En smiled, raised his hand and made a silencing gesture.

Anweila lowered her head shyly; a pair of petite, slightly reddened, pointed ears peeked from her moon‑white long hair.

After a moment, Ouroin finally said, "Lei En, this plan doesn't seem as 'immature' as you described; you must have considered it for a long time, right?"

"Yes, indeed it has been several years," Lei En replied.

Actually, it's only a few days.

He previously had vague ideas, but never gave them a thorough, dedicated consideration; in the past few days, to win over this Holy Soul Wizard, he made a summary and catered to his preferences.

"You've taken the initiative."

Ouroin Master nodded with satisfaction, then in a serious tone said, "Your plan is excellent, its chance of success is extremely high, but I have two questions."

"Master, please speak," Lei En asked earnestly.

"First is money, second is people," Ouroin Master said. "A Combat Wizard school cannot be too shabby; site selection, construction, daily upkeep, and the clothing, food, shelter, and transport you mentioned—including soul‑fusing seeds and demon herbs—all require a huge sum. The total cost certainly won't reach the level of building Fu Kong Cheng, but it won't be less than a Wu Shi Ta either; at minimum it needs 5 million Gold Shields, and the amount will only grow later."

His expression turned a bit embarrassed, "I've been solitary for so many years, rarely needing money, so I can't produce that amount at once."

"Master need not worry; I'll take care of the money matter."

Lei En laughed, waved his hand grandly, and said with great confidence, "I'm lacking many things, the only thing I don't lack is money. It's just 5 million Gold Shields; give me a few days and I'll gather it all."

His posture suggested he wasn't talking about 5 million Gold Shields, but rather five hundred silver krona.

Even Ouroin was stunned.

He blinked in surprise, then shook his head and laughed, "I even envy Anxiwodasi a bit, to have such a generous student as you." He trusted Lei En's financial strength; Weizelan's debt crisis had always been Anxiwodasi's weak point, but since Lei En appeared, the crisis has been greatly alleviated.

"The initial 5 million Gold Shield investment can't be shouldered entirely by you," Ouroin said after consideration. "You advance part of it, and later I'll hunt a few Saint Rank Demon Souls to exchange for money and repay you."

Lei En clicked his tongue in amazement.

Holy Soul Wizards are truly formidable; hunting Saint Rank Demon Souls sounds as easy as killing chickens.

"Very well, Master." Lei En naturally wouldn't refuse, and said, "As for the second person's issue, as I mentioned before, it requires the Master to step in."

Once the school is established, it can't rely solely on myself and Master Ouroin for guidance.

Combat Wizards are few, but they do exist.

Human realms also have a group of Combat Wizards above legendary level; they may not be as strong as us, but they'd be more than sufficient as school teachers. Master Ouroin should know these Combat Wizards best, and with his charisma, recruiting a batch of teachers will be no problem.

Recruiting students from across the Empire also requires using Master Ouroin's name, so that it can attract those newly gifted, outstanding Wizards.

The final selection of applicants remains in my hands.

The Soul Eye judges whether one is fit to become a Combat Wizard, to avoid wasting manpower and resources.

"Fine." Ouroin replied enthusiastically.

Lei En added, "Master, you only need to recruit teachers; for the other daily maintenance staff, I'll hire from my domain to fill the positions, ensuring no other faction's eyes get involved."

Ouroin raised an eyebrow and nodded in agreement.

Lei En was overjoyed.

As long as Master Ouroin approves this plan, for the next several decades or even centuries, Master Ouroin will stay in close contact with me. As the Combat Wizard school develops smoothly, both sides share common interests, and without further discussion, Master Ouroin will naturally gravitate toward the Mo Du faction.

Of course, that will have to wait until the school is built.

"Master Kainan, my apologies," Lei En whispered silently to himself.

His expression remained unchanged as he smiled and asked, "Master, there's one more matter for you to decide: the school's location. Should we build it openly in a city like the Extraordinary Academy, or, like the Demon‑Hunter school, place it in a hidden spot where outsiders can't find it?"

Ouroin pondered briefly, "What do you think?"

"I lean toward building it in a hidden place."

Lei En replied without hesitation, "The bustle of a city will distract young students; building it in a remote area helps them focus on cultivation. Moreover, some may not want to see the rise of the Combat school. If we conceal the school from the start, we can avoid many troubles."

Both reasons are well founded.

"When the Combat school grows strong, there will be fewer reservations; we can then establish more branch schools, and openly recruit students without issue," Lei En added.

"You make a good point," Ouroin nodded slowly, "Then, the school's location?"

"Since it must be hidden, it need not be confined within the Empire's borders," Lei En, who has considerable experience in this area, said. "With teleportation arrays, distance is no longer a barrier—anywhere works. Master, you decide the place."

Ouroin glanced at him and yielded, "This is your proposal, and you're funding it, so it should rely on your capability; it's better that you choose the site."

"Um..."

Lei En was somewhat surprised; the school's site is a major matter, and he didn't expect Master Ouroin to relinquish it.

He didn't decline further, thought for a moment, and said, "Master, what do you think of the Great Dragon Forest?"

"Within your principality?" Ouroin was uncertain.

"Yes." Lei En introduced, "In the southern part of the Augustus Principality lies a Great Dragon Forest, its area comparable to an Empire province, sufficiently concealed and far from the Empire. The forest hosts a fair number of monsters and beasts, none overly formidable; the danger level is moderate, so building the school there would let students train within the forest."

Regarding the school's location, Lei En did not hide his personal motives.

Ouroin was unbothered and readily agreed, "Fine, then we'll build it in the Great Dragon Forest. Lei En, give the school a name."

Lei En quickly thought of one: "How about calling it the 'X Battle School'?"

(End of Chapter)