Chapter 153 - 100 - 107

An Exception

Time passed by.

The Abyssal Bone Forest Academy's professors and acolytes had gradually recovered from all these sad events and adapted themselves to the present situation.

The current Abyssal Bone Forest Academy had almost become a tomb.

Within such a great academy, one would rarely see another soul.

The classrooms were vacant, the Trading Area was left uninhabited and even the academy's mission area — which has a large, wide wall; on which the missions were hung up — only had a few acolytes accepting missions.

The entire Abyssal Bone Forest Academy had sunk into a stillness as silent and steady as a grave.

In these circumstances, if an ordinary person were to stay here, he would be frightened to death!

However; the great thing was that the acolytes who survived the bloodbath, as well as other professors, were extremely resolute; so they were able to maintain the operations of the academy, even under such circumstances.

However, these state of affairs would not last very long.

According to Leylin's guess, the enrollment period for new acolytes joining the academies of the south coast was fast approaching.

This time, the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy would certainly lower their requirements. Then a large number of acolytes would be able to join and thus reinstate the glory on the surface.

But the nurturing of any talented acolyte will consume a vast amount of time and energy, and not to mention the aptitude of 5th-grade acolytes — where and how would it be easy to find one with such a talent?

The Abyssal Bone Forest Academy's heritage had declined drastically during Leylin's generation. It was likely that at least 10 years would be required to regain their former level of glory.

However, Leylin wasn't greatly concerned about these issues.

He once again returned to a thread-like monotonous life — he would cooperate with his professor in his experiments and thus learn from experience.

Meanwhile, he took advantage of the privileges granted to a level 3 acolyte — he purchased large amounts of magical resources and stored information on advanced subjects.

Leylin's aptitude in the Magus World was considered average, neither high nor low, but it was rather decent.

Moreover, he had succeeded in advancing to a level 3 acolyte. In the future, there would be plenty of time for him to breakthrough into an official Magus!

Considering this point, regardless of a professor or an acolyte, all would regard him as a person of very great importance.

Whenever Leylin encounters an official Magus, he would greet them. In return, they would nod their heads in recognition and approval. Also, when acolytes see Leylin from afar, they would immediately greet him.

As for Nyssa and the rest, they did not dare to appear in front of Leylin.

Thinking of Nyssa, Leylin could not help but feel happy for her. In such a bloodbath, she was actually able to preserve her life and even obtain a few contribution points, which was an extremely difficult thing to do.

He overheard that Nyssa had been able to exchange her contribution points for a potion to increase spiritual force and was preparing to breakthrough to level 3 acolyte.

"I hope she succeeds! To heal her body, she needs to, at least, become a proper Magus!"

Leylin thought of Nyssa's injuries and was somewhat dismayed. Right now, in Abyssal Bone Forest Academy; there was only himself, Nyssa, and Jayden who hailed from the Chernobyl Islands.

These thoughts only passed through Leylin's mind. Very soon, he concentrated on the book in front of him.

The book in his hands was extremely thick, the same thickness of two bricks together. However, the paper's surface was extremely small. This was the style of ancient books.

"Mother Earth laid down on the ground and gave birth to 7 children. They are Anger, Sorrow, Greed, Sloth, Lust, Gluttony, and Fear. Each of her children inherited one of their mother's power. Mountains will tear themselves apart in front of them, and the seas will part before them…."

The book in Leylin's hands concerned myths.

"The ancient writing is extremely obscure, in it, many information about Magi is concealed…"

Leylin's eyes flashed as he commanded, "A.I. Chip! Record!"

Ever since Leylin registered under the administrative area and became a potential Magus, he managed to obtain more access within Abyssal Bone Forest Academy.

One of this was to peruse the hidden library section!

Of course, within these books, many information regarding official Magus were erased. At the very most, they were briefly mentioned in passing, with cryptic writings. Normally, people would just gloss over this information.

Even so, Leylin with the A.I. Chip obtained much more information from this hidden library section.

First of all, the A.I. Chip had recorded almost all information that was beneath the topics of Magi. Right now, Leylin could vouch for himself that most professors in Abyssal Bone Forest Academy could not match his knowledge concerning acolytes.

This was a great foundation buildup for Leylin in the acolyte level.

At least now he was aware of the mistakes from breaking through to a level 3 acolyte and even tried to correct them.

One should not look down on such information. If the mistakes are not corrected, even after Leylin becomes an official Magus, his spiritual force would stall for a long period of time, with no chance of ever breaking through.

Furthermore, Leylin found some content regarding advanced meditation techniques.

According to these bits and pieces, together with Roman's information, Leylin could confirm that the chairman of Abyssal Bone Forest Academy and those leaders of major guilds and magisterium in the south coast used these advanced meditation techniques to break through.

Hence, they were able to achieve their current levels.

As for the majority of the Magi in the south coast, as well as many professors in the academies, they did not know of the existence of advanced meditation techniques. They used Grine Water to breakthrough, causing them to remain at the level of rank 1 Magus for their entire life!

After looking at all these, Leylin completely sealed the notion of using Grine Water to breakthrough.

"It seems like heading towards the Zither Moon Mountain Plains and obtaining the advanced meditation technique that the great Magus Serholm left behind is necessary for future developments!"

Leylin closed the book slowly and left the library.

Leylin had used the A.I. Chip to record most of the information in the hidden library section. In the future, no matter where he was, he could always perform a search with the A.I. Chip. It was equivalent to carrying a large-scale, intelligent library with him at all times.

"Professor!"

Leylin went to Kroft's lab and bowed to Kroft, who was carrying out an experiment.

Although Kroft was the same as before, Leylin found that his eyes were somewhat dimmed. It seems that Merlin's death had slightly impacted this old man of more than 100 years of age.

"Leylin, my child!" After seeing Leylin, Kroft smiled and he looked to be more focused.

"Regarding my suggestion from before, have you decided on an answer?" Kroft asked.

"Yes, Professor!" Leylin bowed once more. "I appreciate that the Leslie family thinks highly of me, but I wish to try breaking through on my own!"

After hearing Leylin's reply, Kroft's expression darkened. However, Leylin's talent in Potioneering was admirable, even to Kroft. After knowing that Merlin died, Leylin had become his best apprentice, so he could not help but advise again.

"The Leslie family is a great one, with Potioneering as their niche. In there, your talents will definitely be displayed to the fullest. Moreover, the Leslie family has sincerity, where the contract conditions are much better than the academy's."

Leylin displayed a very keen look, but deep down he had rejected Kroft's proposition without the slightest hesitation.

After the bloodbath, Leylin's position in Kroft's heart was elevated.

Previously, when they spoke, Kroft represented the Leslie family in supporting him and made an offer to Leylin.

Leslie family was one of the large-scale Magus family in Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, with many Magi supporting it.

Kroft was one of its members.

Having a long standing tradition and history with Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, the Leslie family also possessed a copy of a rank 1 spell and Grine Water.

What Kroft suggested was the same contract signed with the academy. The Leslie family would also give a rank 1 spell model and a Grine Water in exchange.

Compared to a contract with the academy, a contract with a family would have fewer restraints. However, this was not in line with Leylin's interests.

No matter how powerful the Leslie family was, would they be able to provide an advanced meditation technique?

Looking at Kroft, who did not have a single high-grade meditation technique, he already knew the answer.

Under the inheritance of great Magus Serholm, Leylin hoped that he would never have to join a Magi family and put restrictions on himself!

Moreover, Leylin was a person who valued freedom. Unless he was in a desperate situation, he would never consider selling himself to be contracted with a family.

"All these, I know, Professor! But…"

Leylin raised his head, his eyes showing an unshakeable resolve and determination.

"I still wish to try on my own! If I were to fail, I promise you, Professor, that I will definitely prioritise and consider the Leslie family!"

"You…"

Various expressions flashed across Kroft's face. Looking at the most outstanding acolyte he had right now, he suddenly felt a little helpless. "Alright then! You are only 17 now! Youth is precious, it allows you to make mistakes!"

Kroft looked at Leylin and was reminded of his younger self. His eyes revealed that he was recalling a memory.

"Thank you, professor!" Even though Kroft was unreasonable, Leylin was somewhat moved. He never wanted harm to befall his apprentices. This trait was rather praiseworthy within Abyssal Bone Forest Academy.

"In that case… How do you plan to overcome this obstacle to becoming an official Magus?" Kroft asked.

"This…" Leylin shook his head, as if in 'embarrassment', revealing an apologetic expression.

"I heard that Professor Dorotte had a piece of remnant information concerning official Magus…"

"Haha…" Kroft laughed, "So this was your plan!"

In the south coast, the information to become an official Magus was often controlled by large guilds, but there was always an exception!

Branded Swordsman

After many discussions, the major Magisteriums in the south coast had all unanimously agreed to restrict the advancement to an official Magus.

Under the purview of the contract, all guilds must abide by it solemnly, to control the acolyte's advancement to an official Magus. Even if it was the academy or family absorbing newcomers, they must swear to a strict secrecy.

There was an exception — information found within historical items and places!

In the expanse of the south coast, there were many traces of the Magi remnants.

All of them were located in extremely perilous locations. Even official Magi had to risk their lives to search for a piece of them.

Moreover, even if they were remnants, one cannot be sure of their contents.

Take Leylin for example, previously he spent a countless amount of resources and effort, yet he obtained nothing in the end. It was an extremely common situation.

However, once Magi discovered a trace of ancient remnants and obtain their inheritance or other precious resources, it would be the start of another legend!

Although searching for remnants had many unforeseeable dangers, it still drove many Magi to seek them.

The restrictions on the knowledge to advance to an official Magus was signed by all Magisteriums and guilds of the south coast. Hence, any remnants that existed before the agreement were very likely to contain information regarding official Magus advancement!

This was the reason for the birth of a few guildless official Magi!

According to the information gathered from Leylin's inquiries, Dorotte became an official Magus only after he discovered a piece of information related to advancement while adventuring.

Although the amount of information missing was over 60% of the original and it was definitely not possible to become a Magus just by relying on it, it was still very precious!

Moreover, Leylin was only a level 3 acolyte. Before he became a Magus, he wasn't sure of his importance to Dorotte and whether he could conduct such an important transaction with him.

To obtain this piece of information, it could only be carried out through Kroft.

"Alright then! However, you should know the rarity of information concerning the advancement to an official Magus. What are you planning to exchange for it?"

"Although the information is extremely valuable, this and other single-use records are vastly different. I believe that this will leave Professor Dorotte satisfied!"

Leylin said as he put a hefty bag in Kroft's hands.

"Moreover, after obtaining this piece of information, Professor you can also have a copy of it!"

Towards Leylin's suggestion, Kroft only raised his eyebrows, not saying anything.

But when he opened the bag, he could not help but sigh. "That old bag of bones Dorotte, would most likely not be able to reject you!"

Leylin smiled.

In the bag he handed to Kroft, not only was it filled with a large number of magic crystals and precious ingredients, there was also a Flourishing Flower.

This ingredient was extremely difficult to obtain and had regenerative abilities for magicians with broken limbs.

As for the environment required for the Flourishing Flower to thrive, it must be in a place with a large number of vengeful spirits. Every day, it would be watered with the blood of dying people in order to grow.

These ingredients were not common even in Abyssal Bone Forest Academy.

After all, in the breeding of artificial spirits, the research done by Abyssal Bone Forest Academy were far less suitable compared to Leylin, who had the help from A.I. Chip.

If not for the news to recall Leylin, he would have already completed this nurturing experiment.

As for this Flourishing Flower, it was a by-product from the experiment lab.

Currently, Dorotte was looking all over for materials to regenerate Jayden's arm, these materials were an enticement which Dorotte could not refuse!

Although he knew this, Leylin was still apprehensive about giving away such a precious material.

As he had produced a Void Flower in the past and now that he had produced another precious ingredient, the Flourishing Flower, it would be hard to prevent suspicion.

But if he wanted a favour from Dorotte, he could not avoid bringing out this Flourishing Flower.

And he was fortunate that this item was rare.

Within the Magus World, there were many examples of frustrated and destitute acolytes who had stumbled across ancient remnants of Magi and turned into an official Magus becoming an overlord of a region.

Compared to them, Leylin's luck was only so-so.

...

Three days later, within the laboratory.

Leylin's wish had at last been fulfilled and now he held the information in his hands.

"Branded Swordsman? What's that?" Leylin frowned, "Wasn't this supposed to have something to help me become a Magus?"

"Haha… when I first received this, I was also rather doubtful. But Dorotte explained it to me," said Kroft.

"Leylin! Magi are people who possess mysterious powers! In ancient times, those with great power were often labelled as magicians! As for Branded Swordsman, through the alchemical runes, a magic spell formation would be branded on their body, allowing them to gain power. It is a small division of the ancient Magi!"

Kroft began teaching Leylin, "I see that you are now a Knight. Therefore, as far as you are concerned, it is indeed appropriate for you to become a Branded Swordsman."

"I understand!"

Leylin was peering through a scrap of information as he said, "Branded Swordsman seem to emphasize more of physical strength training. Through the regular practice and branding, nature's strength would be stored inside their body. In crucial moments, the energy would erupt explosively…."

"Why does it seem to resemble… a Knight?" Leylin's eyes flashed.

"Correct! You interpreted it well! Part of the information regarding the inheritance of ancient Branded Swordsman was widely spread. After some modifications, it was suited more towards regular humans. This turned into the creation of Knights and Grand Knights!"

Kroft nodded.

"Which is to say, a Branded Swordsman is an advanced version of a Knight!" Leylin had now gained some understanding.

"However, it's a pity that more than 60% of the information is missing. Especially the part about branding and spell formation setting, it is almost all gone. Attempting to forcibly brand a spell formation on the body, will only cause the Magus' magic power to be in a mess…."

A regretful look flashed across Kroft's face.

"In ancient times, the combination of Branded Swordsman and Magi were a nightmare to enemies of many other worlds…."

"Although this is the case, I am still very grateful to Professor!" Leylin bowed once again.

After walking out from the experiment lab, Leylin placed the book, which recorded the details of the Branded Swordsman, in his arms.

"Although it is quite dilapidated, I still have the A.I. Chip. Perhaps, I can use it to compute the remainder of the information. . ."

Leylin consoled himself, feeling much better suddenly.

He always liked to prepare a few backup plans.

The advanced meditation technique in Zither Moon Mountain Plains was only a myth. It was derived from a few broken pieces of information from Roman, which almost had zero credibility. If not for Leylin having seen similar content back in the experiment lab close to the Great Mankestre Snake's lair, he would most likely not believe in it.

Moreover, even if the Dylan Gardens existed, would there even be a piece of the great Magus Serholm's inheritance? Even if there was, Leylin did not know if the advanced meditation technique was suitable for him.

By setting off, Leylin would be able to pick up a high-grade meditation technique that was suited to him; Leylin did not dare bet on his luck

Hence, the preparation of a backup plan and now it became necessary to carry it out.

He had a portion of the Grine Water, the A.I. Chip was also simulating the rank 1 defensive spell model. Now he managed to obtain advanced information concerning Branded Swordsman. All these would be simulated into a completed piece of information regarding advancement.

Leylin decided that if he failed to discover anything in the Zither Moon Mountain Plains, he would apply for graduation. He would then roam the south coast, searching for remnants and obtaining information on high-grade meditation techniques.

If he did not obtain a meditation technique suited for him by 50, he would forcefully use the information in his hands to advance into a Magus.

Although this might cause difficulties for future advancements, Leylin felt that if he did not see any hope of advancement by 15, it was better to raise his strength before seeking better alternatives.

On the route back to the dorm.

Recently, Bicky had paid very few visits to him. In the vast level of the dorm, Leylin was the only one who lived here.

Leylin looked at the two sides of the dull and lifeless hall and sighed. "Although the concealment is not too bad, with fewer people coming to bother you, living in such a place is really somewhat dreary…."

After entering his own room in the dorm with the bright lamp, Leylin felt much better.

Walking to the simple experiment lab, Leylin thought in his mind.

"A.I. Chip! How is the progress on the simulation of rank 1 spell defensive model? Also the simulation the Grine Water?"

[rank 1 defensive spell model simulation progress: 14.3%. Estimated completion: 765 days!]

Towards the simulation of a rank 1 spell model, the A.I. Chip gave an unexpectedly long duration. However, Leylin was extremely pleased with this.

Previously the A.I. Chip was not able to estimate the progress of a successful simulation. However, after recording the massive amount of information in the hidden library, the A.I. Chip finally allowed Leylin to see a glimmer of hope in a completed rank 1 spell model!

"As long as it can be completed! Two years, I can afford it!"

Two years later, Leylin would only be 19, still in the prime of level 3 acolyte. This was the benefit of youth, never fearing that time was not enough.

[Calculating Grine Water formula in progress: 5.32%. Estimated ingredients: Fruit of Thousand-Eyed Tree, fresh blood of a Giant Tidal Snake….] [Estimated effect: A huge consumption on acolyte's life force, to stimulate breakthrough of spiritual force bottleneck!]

"So that's the case!" Looking at the A.I. Chip's analysis, Leylin finally knew why the academy viewed a level 3 acolyte below 20 years of age as potential Magus….

Grine Water's effect was to consume a magician's lifespan in exchange for a stimulated breakthrough.

The younger the acolyte, the more life force there is for consumption. Hence the higher possibility of a breakthrough.

Once an acolyte has an ageing body, they wouldn't be able to breakthrough even with Grine Water. This was because their physical body no longer had any more life force to be consumed.

"It seems that the previous situation has to be altered!"

Leylin stroked his chin. "The matter of searching for high-grade meditation technique will have to be pushed forward. Moreover, I cannot wait till I'm fifty! Thirty years old! After I'm thirty, if I haven't managed to find any high-grade meditation technique, I must try in breaking through!"

After firming his resolve, Leylin tidied up the experiment lab and took out an ancient Potioneering scroll.

Brewing an Ancient Potion

"Ancient Medicine: Tears of Mary formula. Begin the 1,312,933rd drug simulation!"

Leylin had received 2 sheets of medicinal formulas from Professor Kroft. One of them was about the Azure Potion, for which he had found substitute ingredients that had helped him reach his current level.

The other one, Tears of Mary, involved the concepts from his soul research. This had left Leylin at a loss as to how he should proceed.

Afterwards, with the observations from the bulk experiments at Extreme Night City, Leylin had gathered vast amounts of data regarding souls, and was thus pushing for the analysis of the formula of the ancient drug, Tears of Mary.

Finally, after having obtained the Grine Water, the A.I. Chip had performed reverse engineering to find out the refining process of the Grine Water, and had eventually overcome the last obstacle in concocting the Tears of Mary.

However, to Leylin's dismay, he found that some of the steps in the formula for the Tears of Mary could only be completed by an official Magus!

Moreover, many of the processes required huge reserves of spiritual force that was at least at the level of an official Magus.

This situation proved that Leylin's prior guess was correct — the Tears of Mary was definitely the secret formula for the ancient Magi to increase their spiritual force!

Thus, Leylin's eagerness to successfully configure the Tears of Mary was reinforced.

His spiritual force had not increased over a long period of time.

His body had developed a complete resistance to the modified Azure Potion, so even if he were to drink more of the potion, his spiritual force would not increase even a little bit.

Also, after having increased his spiritual force using medicine, trying to increase it using his regular meditation technique was something he couldn't endure because the rate of increase was similar to a tortoise's pace.

His current spiritual force was just not quite enough to be able to break through the boundary to become an official Magus.

According to the A.I. Chip's calculations and his own estimation, with his regular meditation, it would take him several years to become an official Magus!

Leylin could not wait that long, hence he brewed a new type of potion. Apart from that, he had been collecting other formulas all the while.

Other ancient potion formulas were mostly controlled by the official Magi. Leylin did not have many treasured ingredients with him that he could exchange for, and did not wish to draw too much attention to himself..

Moreover, compared to simulating and brewing an entire new formula, more than half of the formula for the Tears of Mary was solved so it was the better choice.

Leylin boldly replaced a few brewing processes that could only be executed by an official Magus into one that was suited for a level 3 acolyte to brew with.

After tens of thousands of modifications, together with the A.I. Chip's millions of simulations, Leylin's experiment now was very close to succeeding.

"First of all, I need the basic material for the formula, a female vengeful spirit!."

From the corner of his experiment desk, Leylin picked up a brand new Confining Spirit Sphere. Within it was a woman wearing a red gown, and looking at Leylin with an expression of fright.

The energy waves emitted from this female vengeful spirit which was not even close to those of Roman, who was only a level 1 acolyte.

After most of the acolytes in the academy had perished, it was the golden age of self-development for the surviving acolytes.

Originally, the resources for the acolytes in the academy had been for a thousand acolytes, but now, they had all been released for these 50 remaining acolytes.

Furthermore, the prices of all ingredients and spell models had been marked down drastically compared to the time before the bloodbath.

For example, a vengeful spirit was originally a rare commodity in the market. Once they had been seen on the market, they would have been bought immediately by acolytes, and the prices could have been up to 500 magic crystals.

As for now, Leylin went to the counter to look at the price, and bought it immediately. His expenditure did not even amount to 100 magic crystals!

Of course, this was a disguised reward from the academy to the survivors!

This situation continued all the way until the next batch of recruits.

However, in this discounted sale, Leylin quickly threw away the notion of reselling at a high price outside. The academy had long since forbidden this. If they were caught, the circumstances would be severe.

Leylin made use of this opportunity, and spent half of his magic crystals savings, buying a large amount of resources and strange spell models.

The female vengeful spirit in the Confining Spirit Sphere had long, silver hair; dark blue eyes; and soft, moistened lips. She also had a slender waist and long legs. When she was alive, she would have definitely been an outstanding woman who drove men crazy!

"What a pity!"

Leylin sighed, yet his hand continued to move and dropped a silver liquid onto the Confining Spirit Sphere.

This was the "Dissolving Spirit Potion". Back when Leylin had specially prepared it for Roman, with only a few drops, Roman would have definitely been shrieking for half a day, and even sustain a severe injury.

As of now, the remainder was used by Leylin here.

"Ah… It hurts! Please… I beg you! No…!"

The vengeful spirit continued to wail from within the crystal ball. Towards such an extraordinary woman, any man would have at least hesitated deep down within their heart.

However, Leylin's brows had not furrowed the slightest as he continued the movement with his hands.

As more of the Dissolving Spirit Potion was used, the pleading of the female vengeful spirit was becoming more and more muffled. Even her red robes were slowly dissolving, revealing an illusory, and yet alluring glowing skin.

"You want to entice me?" Looking at this scene, Leylin's lips curled up in ridicule.

"Vengeful spirit! Reveal your original ugly form!" Leylin raised a finger with a large, black needle protruding from the nail.

* Sssii! *

The black long needle pierced through the crystal ball, and directly into the chest of the female vengeful spirit.

"Argh!" The female vengeful spirit let off a hair-raising scream, and her body became blurry. Once she could be seen again, the vengeful spirit that was in front of Leylin's eyes had taken on a completely different form.

The face was filled with scales and wrinkles, and the orifices seemed to be misaligned, as though someone had casually attached them to her face. There were a few strands of green hair on the sides of her bald head.

The mouth opened and closed, and razor sharp teeth could be seen. From time to time, a disgusting, viscous liquid could be seen dripping from her scarlet tongue.

"Ao!"

The female vengeful spirit's eyes contained a greed that could rip people apart. She stared intently at Leylin as if wanting to gobble him down immediately.

"Your outer appearance and inner self are ugly throughout!"

...

Leylin mocked her and laughed, before drawing another mysterious magic rune…

The experiment lasted for over a dozen hours and continued the way until the second day before the end was near.

Inside the experiment lab.

Inside a scarlet pentagonal formation, a naked body with bumps through could be seen. The beautiful face of the female vengeful spirit had been tied down by a metal chain, trapped within the spell formation.

At this moment, although the female vengeful spirit looked to be phantom, as if disappearing in the next moment, her face no longer had the craze and hate from before. Instead, there was a shy expression on it.

Combining with the binding of the metal chains, it even creates a sadomasochistic desire!

Leylin looked at the naked woman in front of him, his face revealing a satisfied expression. "After a long day, I have finally removed all of the grievances from it!"

"Thank you! Young man! However, could you release me and give me some clothes to wear?"

The woman spoke within the formation, her voice as delightful as a black-naped oriole bird.

"Are you joking? I spent so much effort to release you from your grievance, not for some gratification!"

After hearing Leylin's words, the female vengeful spirit suddenly felt that a calamity was looming over her.

Disturbed, crazed and pondering expressions flashed through Leylin's face. Finally, they all uniformed into only one expression—Apathy! Indifference towards everything!

...

A few hours passed.

At this moment, there was a chill permeating the experiment lab.

One could almost hear the wails of vengeful spirits within these four walls.

As for the female vengeful spirit in front of Leylin, it had almost lost its human appearance.

"The last step!" Leylin picked up a silver fork and pierced the female vengeful spirit's head through the eyes.

"Pu!"

As if made from some special materials, the silver fork directly pierced through the female vengeful spirit's eyeball.

"Hehe!" The female vengeful spirit squirmed and screamed like a wild beast, as if without a tongue.

After the fork had pierced the eyeball, the face of the female vengeful spirit could barely be made out. Two trickles of blood tears flowed down.

"This is the ancient potion—Tears of Mary?"

Leylin raised his hand, dripping a few drops of blood in his hands.

An icy cold and viscous sensation was felt.

"The spirit is an illusory thing. As for me, I could actually come in contact with a spirit's tears, what a wonder…."

Leylin muttered as he smeared the red potion on his eyes.

* Bang! *

An extremely spicy sensation travelled from Leylin's eyes, causing immense pain.

Red! His vision could only see the colour red!"

There seemed to be a woman's voice sounding inside his brain as if narrating something. The voice gradually grew louder and louder.

Finally, Leylin could only grab his head and head-butt viciously against the wall, to ease this symptom.

The A.I. Chip's indicator appeared in front of Leylin.

[Subject underwent an unknown effect. spiritual force increased. Currently, it is 14.3….]

The data that represented Leylin's spiritual force continuously increased.

14.8

15.3

15.8

16.1

The number which represented the spiritual force continuously rose, finally stopping at the number 16.1.

"Hu… It has finally passed!"

Leylin rubbed his temples firmly, as he inhaled a lungful of cold air.

"Although it's very painful, the side effects are not too much…"

Before he could finish speaking, Leylin discovered that there was a thin layer of mist in the surroundings.

A flash of red colour robes streaked past in the room.

Leylin wanted to move, yet the air seemed to be extremely muddy like starch paste. Any movement would be difficult to execute!

Finally, the owner of the red robes appeared in front of Leylin — the vengeful spirit!

At this moment, more than half of the vengeful spirit's head had dissolved.

"If it was another time! Such an attack!"

Leylin was extremely unwilling, but he was still struck in the chest by that claw.

An icy cold chill started to spread from his chest.

A Meeting

The vengeful spirit wearing red robes continuously attacked, clawing strips of flesh off of Leylin's body.

Leylin's expression of anger turned into indifference.

A few minutes later, he opened his mouth with difficulty, "Gurisasi ~ duoluxian!"

A dark-green flame burned on Leylin's body, setting everything in the experiment lab ablaze….

"Hu…"

After the dark-green flame was extinguished, Leylin recovered his mobility.

At this moment, he finally had enough strength to look around at his surroundings.

The experiment lab was the same as before, all apparatus lying neatly in their original position.

As for the pentagon formation, it had lost all of its light, and the vengeful spirit was nowhere to be found.

On Leylin, there were no traces of injuries, yet his expression did not seem well.

It was because different indicators flashed from the A.I. Chip:

[Host has suffered from an unknown forcefield attack, determined from the database to be caused by a vengeful spirit! vitality decreased by 0.1] [Host has suffered from an unknown forcefield attack, determined from the database to be caused by a vengeful spirit! vitality decreased by 0.1] [Host has suffered from an unknown forcefield attack, determined from the database to be caused by a vengeful spirit! vitality decreased by 0.1]

After 3 indications, Leylin's face looked even more awful, "A.I. Chip, show me my current status!"

[Beep! Leylin Farlier. Level 3 acolyte, Knight. Strength: 3.1, Agility: 3.3, Vitality: 3.4, Spiritual force: 16.1, Magic power: 16 (magic power is in synchronisation with Spiritual Force). Status: Healthy]

After the upgrade from using Tears of Mary, Leylin's Spiritual Force reached 16.1. However, his vitality decreased by 0.3. Clearly, this was caused by the attack of the vengeful spirit.

"As expected, an ancient potion's formulary cannot be modified so easily!"

Leylin sighed. He acted on his own initiative, changing many processes of the formulary, thus causing such an outcome.

"However, this decrease in vitality, compared to the increase in Spiritual Force, shows the value of this potion!"

Leylin was certain of his modified formulary for the ancient potion, Tears of Mary.

"Ancient potion – Tears of Mary modification successful, Host to give a name!"

The A.I. Chip's voice intoned.

"Blood Vengeance Potion!" Leylin thought of the final, flash of red, blurting out the name.

Although this potion requires a vengeful spirit as an ingredient, which was somewhat cruel, it was a potion that was hard to come by!

A single use could raise Spiritual Force by 3 points! The only minor backlash was : it was on the same level as the Azure Potion that Leylin had modified before.

As for the formulation process of this potion, it was somewhat ruthless. However, Leylin did not bother about it.

For Leylin, carrying out ruthless actions and even killing people, was well within reason when in the face of benefits!

People who only kill for joy were mental and inhumane.

In his previous world, the environment was peaceful, so naturally he had also advocated peace then.

However, in the Magus World, war was everywhere. Deaths occurred daily. The plebeians who faced dawn did not know if they would be alive to see the sun set.

The law of the jungle and survival of the fittest were proclaimed explicitly by various powerful guilds and organisations.

After coming to this world, Leylin followed 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do' and this became a completely egotistical person.

As long as this potion was beneficial and did not cause him much hassle, he would not hesitate to create more of it!

"This is the feeling of achieving 16 Spiritual Force, huh? How amazing!"

Leylin shut his eyes, feeling the difference this increase brought him.

Under his control, the Spiritual Force seemed to be a silver thread as it swept past every item in the room. Moreover, each of the item's physical shape was perceived within Leylin's mind.

For regular acolytes, this was an extremely fresh feeling. However, Leylin saw that after a certain standard was achieved in Spiritual Force, it had a scanning effect similar to that of the A.I. Chip!

"This effect, if mastered properly, could discover a majority of ambushes, never having to fear for another sneak attack!"

Leylin appreciated the wondrous use of the Spiritual Force.

"It's a pity, however. For me, this is not as useful as the A.I. Chip!"

In his sea of consciousness, waves of Spiritual Force constantly surged at the borders, continuously expanding the area of the sea.

"Only that this external change is too obvious!"

Leylin picked up a bronze mirror. On the screen of the bronze mirror, a brown-haired youthful countenance was reflected. However, a pair of gleaming eyes flashed like diamonds in the night.

Normally, the upper limits of Spiritual Force for level 3 acolytes were 15, yet Leylin far exceeded this figure.

Moreover, when level 3 acolytes were about to breakthrough into an official Magus, their eyes would often show unusual signs of attraction.

That was the result of the boundless expansion in their massive sea of consciousness.

However, for Leylin, this was not good news. To others, he was just a newly advanced level 3 acolyte, yet now he exceeded those limits, this would bring about curiosity and suspicion from others.

If it was some regular acolyte, Leylin wasn't too afraid. But if an official Magus required him to cooperate for questioning, then Leylin would meet with some trouble.

After all, Leylin had no confidence against official Magus since the A.I. Chip could not detect them.

"I can only conceal this for the time being!"

Leylin chanted a short incantation.

Creaking and cracking noises resounded on his face and his eyes dimmed, no longer radiating light.

This was a simple use of the Shapeshifting spell—the ability to modify facial features.

Many female official Magus would obtain such a spell and cast it on their faces, achieving a beautification effect.

"I hope this can conceal my presence for the time being!" Leylin was not confident.

After several modifications of the Shapeshifting spell by the A.I. Chip, level 3 acolytes would not be able to discover this.

However, Leylin was completely unsure if he could face an official Magus

If they just walked past him, they may not notice his concealment. As long as they did not use any detection spells, he should be able to mask it.

Deep down in his heart, Leylin had already decided. After travelling around the Poolfield Kingdom and discovering the vestige traces, he would set off to Zither Moon Mountain Plains in search of the remnants of the great Magus Serholm.

In any case, Leylin had expressed his interest to Kroft for wanting to travel, so suggesting it not did not seem too abrupt.

After making some arrangements, Leylin rubbed his rumbling stomach, giving a wry smile. His experiment had already extended over a day's worth of time.

No matter how high his vitality was, he was still a mortal, unable to escape from the laws of nature. Hence, there were symptoms of hunger.

Although he could replenish his strength with potions, Leylin still felt nauseous. Moreover, if the circumstances allowed for a better option, he would not mistreat himself.

Since the academy had a restaurant, why waste a potion?

Leylin cleaned up and opened his dorm's door.

* Pa! * A white letter fell onto the ground. It seemed like someone paid Leylin a visit earlier. However, after seeing him concentrate on his experiment, they did not dare intrude, hence leaving a simple note.

"Who would it be? Bicky? Nyssa? Or someone else…"

Leylin opened the letter in curiosity.

After seeing the signature, Leylin's expression was shocked, "It's actually Jayden!"

As a fifth-grade genius acolyte, Jayden was somewhat of a lone wolf, seldom interacting with other acolytes.

As for now, Jayden actually took the initiative to meet with Leylin, which shocked Leylin.

"However, since he's visited me, then I'll meet him!"

After thinking for a while, Leylin raised his somewhat pale finger, directing scribbling on the white note.

Every time his finger drew across, red characters would be left on the note.

There was a simple spell cast on this paper note by Jayden, which could transmit some simple information. Of course, it was only usable in Abyssal Bone Forest Academy area, widely loved by acolytes.

The recipient's reply was extremely quick. Very soon, Leylin met up with Jayden inside of a room in the restaurant.

Jayden now seemed to be gloomier. Looking at the area of his severed limb, Leylin noticed that a slim tiny arm had regrown and could not help but laugh.

It seems that his Flourishing Flower had been given to Jayden by Dorotte. What he did not know was the promise Jayden had to make in exchange for the Flourishing Flower.

"I have not thanked you regarding the Flourishing Flower!"

Jayden sat on the white chair, raising his cup to Leylin.

This gesture was somewhat impolite. Leylin frowned internally, yet not did not outwardly speak much about it.

After looking for a chair to sit down, he ignored the delicacy and aroma displayed in front of him. Leylin smiled in sincerity, "Regarding the information of official Magus that Professor Dorotte had exchanged with me, I should be the one expressing my thanks!"

Naturally, Leylin had no clue that Dorotte had this information of advancing into a Branded Swordsman.

It was Jayden who had leaked the news to him. As for the reason why—it was probably due to Leylin 'accidentally' letting Jayden know that he had the Flourishing Flower.

For Leylin, he would reap the largest benefit from Jayden, who desperately needed the Flourishing Flower to regrow his limb.

Jayden's expression turned softer, "No matter what, we are acolytes who came from the same area, so it's well within reason to help each other…."

Leylin too gave him some superficial replies, before Jayden finally revealed his motive for seeking Leylin today.

"Leylin, Professor Dorotte had long since told me that the information he had given you, a major portion of it was missing. There is no way that it could be reliable for advancing into an official Magus. It is because you also want to look for other traces that you are eager to go exploring, isn't it?"

"Of course, no matter if it's the academy or the families, their conditions are too much!"

Leylin interlocked his fingers.

This notion was considered by many level 3 acolytes. Only when the adventure for the remnants was unfruitful and acknowledging that the golden period of advancement was almost over, would they then consider signing a spiritual contract with the academy or the families.

Participation

"I just happen to have a trace of remnants regarding official Magus…." Jayden added.

After listening to Leylin's reply, Jayden's smile grew even wider.

"Remnants? Clues? You actually dare to go out?"

Leylin was somewhat shocked. In the eyes of an outsider, Jayden was the murderer of Torash from the enemy academy. The hatred held by the enemy official Magus was already locked onto him, yet he still dared leave for an exploration?

After hearing Leylin's words, Jayden's face darkened.

"I will kill that old geezer sooner or later! I'll turn his corpse into a specimen and keep it in my lab…"

After cursing, Jayden then explained to Leylin, "The power of the Lighthouse of the Night is still formidable. Under the mediation of that lord Magus, the Sage Gotham Hut and the Whitewoods Castle would not dare to exact revenge hastily; not unless they wish to be destroyed!"

"On the contrary, with the passing of time, the treaty was agreed at a span of 20 years. My situation consists of constant dangers. Hence, for this, I have to retaliate somehow, to ensure myself with the ability to protect my life!"

"Becoming an official Magus?" Leylin's brows furrowed as he guessed Jayden's intention.

"Indeed! To go against an official Magus, one would only have the ability after becoming an official Magus!" A longing expression streaked across Jayden's face, "Once I become an official Magus, why would I still be afraid of the enemy's retaliation?"

Leylin nodded his head — Jayden's train of thought was correct.

The protection of the academy and the professors were external factors, which could be removed at any given time. Only the strength that belongs to oneself is the most reliable factor!

After understanding the situation briefly, Leylin began to relax, slowly reclining in his chair.

"So then, I have two questions. Where are the remnants? Why me?"

Jayden inhaled a lungful of air and knew that if he did not reveal any information, Leylin would naturally not take the bait.

"I cannot reveal the location of the remnants. However, I can tell you the general location. It's near Zither Moon Mountain Plains…."

Upon speaking the four words, 'Zither Moon Mountain Plains', Leylin's pupils contracted, yet very soon he recollected himself. This change, which happened which a fraction of a second, went completely unnoticed by Jayden.

"As for why I sought you out?"

Jayden smiled wryly, "Zither Moon Mountain Plains is littered with poisonous plants and miasma. A Potioneering acolyte needs to come along, to ensure our safety… Right now in Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, the person I am familiar with, who is also a level 3 acolyte, is only you…."

Leylin stared blankly, only then did he recall that the acolytes in the academy barely amounted to 50.

Back when Abyssal Bone Forest Academy had thousands of acolytes, there were plenty of Potioneering acolytes around. Hence, Jayden could take his time to choose.

However, after the bloodbath, Jayden's choice was extremely limited, so much so that the only option left was—Leylin!

"Although I don't know if the remnants that Jayden mentioned were left behind by the great Magus Serholm; since the vengeful spirit Roman had found clues to it, it's well within reason that Jayden had discovered something too…."

Thoughts spun in Leylin's head, yet on the surface, he looked hesitant.

"The war has just ended. Right now it's too dangerous to leave the academy…."

"According to my sources, the remnants are of an official Magus. There could very well be information and resources on advancing into an official Magus. Isn't that what you need right now? Moreover, as long as you agree to participate, the reward aspects…"

After looking at Leylin's expression, Jayden felt hurried, hence, he continued to elaborate, even adding a few bargaining chips.

Leylin put on a struggling expression, finally agreeing to give it some thought over these couple of days.

After seeing Leylin act like this, Jayden could only consent.

After all, apparently Leylin seemed to be somewhat moved towards the end.

As expected, on the second day, Leylin sought out Jayden, informing him of his decision to participate.

...

Early in the morning

Leylin and Jayden rode on two black horses each, leaving the compound of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy under the rays of the dawning sun.

Before leaving, Leylin looked at the distant graveyard of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy for one last time.

The grey granite construction seemed to be littered with cracks, as before. However, it might just have been a misconception, but those cracks were seemingly smaller now.

It was as if this massive graveyard was a living organism amidst the processes of recovery.

"The next time I return, there will surely be many changes!"

After that last glance at the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, Leylin disappeared into the dark forest.

...

Five days later, within the Poolfield Kingdom, on the outskirts of a province in the west.

On the road, 3 acolytes were waiting.

* Ta Ta Ta! * As the 3 people looked away into the distance, two figures on horseback appeared on the horizon.

Those two riders stopped in front of the 3 people, revealing the countenance that belonged to Leylin and another unfamiliar acolyte.

"Leylin, let me introduce to you, this is Mister Bosain, from the Lilytell family…."

The stranger's voice belonged to Jayden, as he introduced them to Leylin. To avoid trouble, Jayden had masked his appearance.

"Also, this is Shaya and Roth!"

Jayden introduced the group to Leylin. Bosain had golden bright hair and wore silver robes — appearing dressed very grandly. If not for the acolyte mark, Leylin would even think that it was some professor who joined Jayden's group.

However, Jayden specially emphasised on the Mister honorific and the explanation on the Lilytell family, giving Leylin a shock.

"Lilytell family? One of the big-three families in the academy, where every generation has produced at least one official Magus?"

"Indeed, in addition, the chairman of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy was elected by the big three families."

Bosain added, pride evident on his face.

"Which is to say, he could have direct access to high-grade meditation techniques! Or, I can…" Leylin outwardly displayed a shocked expression with a tinge of envy, satisfying the ego of Bosain.

However deep down, he had some villainous thoughts.

As for Shaya, she was a fire-haired female acolyte, reminding Leylin of Neela. Ever since his return to the academy, he hasn't seen Neela once.

She could be dead, or she did not receive the academy's notice. There was also the possibility that she abandoned the academy and escaped.

Towards her, Leylin only sighed gently, before removing her from his thoughts.

As for the last member of the small party—Roth—he was the archetype male of the West. His stature was tall and big, taller than Leylin by half a head, his face containing a simple and honest expression.

However, Leylin did not dare to be careless. acolytes who could survive in the bloodbath were not simple characters.

Moreover, these 3 people had the energy waves of level 3 acolytes. Bosain and Shaya even had the aura of magic artifacts on their body, as detected by the A.I. Chip.

"Hello! I'm Leylin, a Potioneering acolyte, I hope that…"

Leylin introduced himself to the rest.

"The Zither Moon Mountain Plains is perilous, however, I have heard of your reputation being only lower to the Potioneering genius Merlin! I believe that you would ensure our logistics and safety. . . "

Bosain smiled amiably at Leylin, giving a feeling of warmth.

"I'll try my best!" Leylin nodded his head.

"Alright! It's getting late, let's set off!"

Leylin nodded his head, and the five of them began their journey.

However, deep down, Leylin was somewhat disgruntled towards Jayden's action of adding more members without consulting him. He certainly did not approve of the current situation.

Moreover, Bosain's identity seemed to give him a troublesome feeling.

As if noticing something, Jayden engaged in a private conversation to explain to him.

"Bosain and the rest found out about my plans incidentally and insisted on joining. For this reason, he did not hesitate to keep the truth from his own family members and his professor, and sneaked out of the academy!" Jayden smiled wryly, "You know it as well, I am unable to refuse them!"

For the big families behind the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, it was the most dangerous period right now since the war ended. Bosain, as the successor of the family, has to always be inside the academy compounds.

However, now he did not even bring a bodyguard, which indicated that this was a covert exploration. Even his family did not know of his destination.

Concerning this, Leylin could only smile wryly and be more wary of his surroundings, with no better idea in mind.

The Zither Moon Mountain Plains was situated on the western borders of the Poolfield Kingdom. It was the boundary between the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy and the Sage Gotham Hut.

These two forces had just ended a huge war and Jayden even carried a blood debt since he killed the enemy's genius. Once this party was discovered, they would definitely have problems.

No matter if it was Leylin or Jayden, or Bosain and the rest, they were all intelligent and conscientious people. Moreover at crucial moments, they had the courage to fight for their lives.

Along the way, the five of them changed their travelling outfits into those of young, noble masters and mistress, continuously travelling along the western borders.

Without a doubt, it wouldn't be inaccurate to say that knowledge and power were wielded in the hands of nobles. In the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, most acolytes were born of nobility and had no need to learn how to dress as one.

This was why the five of them dressed as nobility. Their disposition was naturally formed, if they were to dress as someone else, they would definitely be noticed.

Leylin too tried to get closer with the other 3 acolytes.

Shaya and Roth were rather friendly. The most important factor was that Leylin was also a level 3 acolyte, moreover, he was acknowledged by them in having talent in Potioneering, so they were somewhat friendly.

As for Bosain, he had the behaviour of being an elite amongst magicians.

Refined and courteous, yet arrogant to the skies. He had the deceitful characteristics of the nobility, so he appeared somewhat indifferent towards Leylin and the other acolytes.

Leylin felt that once he spoke of any information regarding the high-grade meditation technique, he would definitely gain the attention of Bosain.

However, even if that was the case, after many days being together with them, Leylin had, more or less, determined their stats.

The Zither Moon Town

Apart from Leylin, among this party of five, Bosain would be the strongest based on stats.

In the stats detected by the A.I. Chip, Bosain's Spiritual Force had reached 15! It was already the requirement needed to advance to the level of an official Magus.

However, for some reason, it was concealed like Leylin's. Bosain also used some secret method to conceal his Spiritual Force's energy waves and also the aberration of his eyes, without letting anyone find out.

Moreover, as a level 3 acolyte from a large family, Bosain's magic artifact emitted energy waves that were extremely strong, only second to the Fallen Star Pendant hung around Leylin's neck.

In addition, the Lilytell family was one of the three big families of the academy. If Bosain, who was one of the younger generation that hailed from there, had no magic artifact on him, Leylin would be the first to not believe it.

As for Jayden, Shaya, and Roth—they were level 3 acolytes who had just advanced. Jayden and Shaya carried magic artifacts with them and were stronger than Roth by a small margin. However, Roth was neither obsequious nor supercilious along the way—obviously he had his own hidden trump card.

"Without using any trump cards, between Bosain and I, we have a fifty-fifty chance of winning. As for Shaya and Jayden, they are below us by a little, whereas Roth is ranked the last. However, he cannot be taken too lightly either!"

Leylin's eyes flashed, rapidly calculating that if any conflicts were to occur within the party, what would be the result and the control that he had of such a situation.

However, be it in the novels of his previous world, or the adventure that he undertook today, various adventurers would have internal strife after obtaining the treasures. It was inevitable.

Leylin questioned himself—if Jayden or the rest discovered that it was actually the inheritance of the great Magus Serholm they were after, they would definitely not be willing to share the loot obtained.

Who knew if he might be the first to revolt then?

...

The Zither Moon Town was a little town located at the foot of the Zither Moon Mountain Plains.

This day, on a road that was flying with dust, there were five travel-worn horse riders that appeared.

"Alright, we will enter the Zither Moon Mountain Plains from the Zither Moon Town. Before that, we can have a lodging at the inn in the town!"

Jayden reined in his horse. After getting down, he took out a badly damaged map to have a look.

At this moment, he had a completely different appearance. It was a rather secular face changing spell, which let Leylin somewhat surprised.

"This is the area of the borders. If there were any people from the Sage Gotham Hut academy it wouldn't be odd at all, so we have to be more careful…"

"We know it already!" Bosain straightened his robes, showing impatience.

The five of them led their horses to an inn called "Ghosts With Grievances Don't Weep".

Opening the door, it was as though it was a whole new world. Shouting and clamouring noises, along with the stenches of sweat and the odor of alcohol, wafted over.

Jayden's brow's furrowed, but he still walked towards the counter, tossing out a golden coin.

"Give me 5 private rooms…."

"I'm sorry, we only have 3 rooms left!" Before Jayden finished speaking, a person, who seemed to be the shop owner and who also stank of rum, interrupted him.

"Alright then! Three rooms, we'll have it all. Also, give us your best delicacies!"

Finding lodging at an inn in this small town is already considered fortunate, so Jayden did not pursue further.

But when he was paying the money, he complained, "Isn't this damned place the one that doesn't have even a few visitors each year? Now, why is is that there are only 3 rooms left?"

"Burp!" The shop owner hiccuped, "Who knows? The Zither Moon Mountain Plains is filled with the damned poisonous gas and miasma. Many of these lads don't return after setting off. Usually, there are only people here to drink some rum, but regarding gold coins, I seemed to have met with two waves of important guests today!"

"Two waves?" Leylin stepped forward, "Which is to say, there was someone else before us who came here?"

"Indeed, and they even asked for a tour guide. Gold coin payment, bah! Who wants to die in the depths of Zither Moon Mountain Plains?"

After hearing this news, Leylin and the rest looked at each other, having a somewhat ominous premonition.

"Alright! I'll let Pinky bring you to your rooms!" The shop owner took down 3 keys that were extremely oily, as he shouted, "Pinky! Pinky! Don't let me wait another second, if not I'll scrape your skin off…."

* Bang! * Very soon, a dwarf which wore a grey pointed hat stood in front of the owner.

"Respected Sir, Pinky is here for your bidding…."

This dwarf named Pinky was only half of Leylin's height. He also wore a flowery green costume, looking somewhat comical.

"Bring our esteemed guests to the rooms upstairs to rest, you know which few!"

The owner casually smacked the dwarf, before handing over the keys.

"Dear guests! Please follow Pinky! Be careful of the steps!"

Pinky touched his hat and led the way at the front.

Leylin and the rest followed behind.

Shaya took off her cloak, revealing a beautiful face and alluring body, and this attracted the whistles from a few drunken blokes suddenly.

Towards this, Shaya was not irked at all, she even sent a few coquettish glances over, igniting some heat within those drunkards.

Looking at these group of animals that were lusting over her, Leylin snickered. This expression of Shaya's showed that she was already angry to a certain extent.

If these drunkards acted recklessly and stepped forward to provoke, they would definitely suffer a fate worse than death!

"Leylin, you and Roth will be in this room, Bosain and me in the other. The last one would be for Shaya, any opinions?"

As the organiser for this adventure, Jayden quickly allocated the rooms to the members.

Seeing Jayden assign the difficult Bosain to himself, Leylin and Roth heaved a sigh of relief, naturally not raising any objections.

Shaya did not say anything either.

"Also, come to my room in a while's time. Towards the previous batch of customers the shop owner mentioned, I am somewhat concerned!" Jayden's brow's furrowed.

"We are all staying at the same inn. I believe that we will definitely see the other party!" Leylin spoke blandly as if hinting at something.

According to that dwarf Pinky, the earlier batch of guests was currently not inside the inn. They seemed to have gone out to purchase some goods, even spending money to hire a tour guide.

Dinner was held at the large hall on the first level. The main dish was mud bean paste, with some wild herbs as seasoning.

However, food like this was, in the eyes of Leylin and the rest, fit only for swines. The few of them had no appetite, yet they were curious about the previous batch of guests, so Leylin and the others chose to remain inside the large hall. They sipped on their drinks as they waited.

* Bang! *

Leylin was drinking his malt, and Shaya had reached her tolerance limits due to the provocation of a few drunkards beside her when the inn's door opened at this moment.

* Hu Hu! * Large gale of cold wind blew into the inn, lowering the somewhat lively atmosphere.

After seeing these few people who just entered, Leylin's body tensed.

It was five cloaked figures. From the energy waves on their bodies, they were actually level 2 and 3 acolytes!

When they entered, they too obviously noticed Leylin and the others.

The line of sight connected between the two parties, and sparks appeared. However, as if nothing had happened, the five cloaked figures did not stop and continued walking towards the second floor.

"How is it? Are they acolytes from the Sage Gotham Hut?"

Shaya whispered, unable to conceal the worry on her face.

"I don't know, but they are obviously not here on a holiday!" Jayden's expression darkened.

"I say, if we did not choose this inn for lodging, would we have been able to avoid them?" Roth scratched his head.

"Avoidance?" Bosain smirked in contempt, "It is the thought of weak people. The Lilytell family would never ever have to avoid!"

Being looked down upon by Bosain, Roth tensed. He was suffering from humiliation, yet he did not react.

"Moreover, the Zither Moon Town is so small, and there is only this one inn. When we entered the town, we were already exposed. Any sudden movements will only attract the vigilance of the other party!"

"The crucial thing is, what is their motive for coming here?" Leylin asked.

"Could it be that they also have found traces of the clues in here?"

Jayden's expression changed, "I purchased this lead for a heavy price, buying a book that was scribbled with ancient characters.

"Which is to say, the other party could have found something too. Who knows if they might even have a professor who tagged along…" Shaya's face looked even more uneasy, "Should we abandon the operation this time?"

"No way!" Jayden was the first who refused. For this lead, he had paid too high a price, naturally he was unwilling for them to give up.

"I don't think any of us here would be willing to let their professors claim half of the benefits that we obtained here after a dangerous exploration" Leylin added.

"However, before they notice us, the situation might change!"

"How about we get rid of them? I took a look, there are only three level 3 acolytes and two level 2 acolytes!" Jayden revealed a brutal expression.

"We can try, but it has to be done within the Zither Moon Mountain Plains. Moreover, we should eliminate all of the traces. I don't wish for the other side to find a reason to go to war with us!" Bosain added.

"It could also be some wandering magicians, instead of the acolytes from the Sage Gotham Hut…"

Roth said, his voice extremely soft.

A total of five acolytes, with three level 3 acolytes. This formation required too much time and effort to nurture them, so wandering magicians would never be able to do it.

Only academies and large scale magician guilds would be able to send out these many acolytes at once.

"Alright then! No matter where they are from, even for the one percent chance that they are here to seek out the remnants, once they enter the Zither Moon Mountain Plains, they are our enemies!"

Jayden spoke in a murderous tone.

As acolytes, they did not wish to break the unwritten rules of the Magus World by taking action within the small town where regular humans lived. As for the other party, they could very well hold the same thoughts.

Moonlight Mayfly

In the depths of the night, due to Jayden's suggestions, the five of them abandoned the idea of resting and all gathered inside one room, where they each took turns for the night watch.

Also, the other team had the same idea.

"They have left!" warned Leylin, who was monitoring the other team's acolytes with the help of A.I. Chip.

Upon hearing his voice, the other 4 acolytes, who were all previously snoozing either on the sofa or on the table, suddenly opened their eyes.

"I heard the sound of their footsteps as they left and they were all heading in the direction of the Zither Moon Mountain Plains' entrance," continued Leylin.

"Choosing the night time to start a war, eh? Let's catch up with them!"

Jayden excitedly spoke.

As people who had survived the bloodbath, Jayden and others had all experienced the letting of the enemy's blood. As far as this situation was concerned, not only did they all not have a common fear experienced by acolytes, instead, they all were looking forward to it for some unknown reason.

During this whole time, their knapsacks were unopened and left in the corner. Leylin and the rest hurriedly strapped them on and left the inn.

A total of 10 black shadows disappeared in the town, under the dim glow of the starlight.

* Sou Sou Sou! *

A few black figures that were hard to track using the physical eyes rapidly left the town for the entrance of the Zither Moon Mountain Plains.

"The other party wouldn't be so naive that they think they could outrun us. The only possibility is that they chose to fight!"

Leylin's eyes gleamed, surmising the thoughts of the other party.

However, he had faith in his party!

His side consisted of all level 3 acolytes and even had 4 magic artifacts. The A.I. Chip did not detect any energy waves from magic artifacts on the other party!

Moreover, in the other party, there were two level 2 acolytes.

To Leylin, this was where the weak link and burden lies!

* Ka-Cha! * A branch that was in the way was broken as Leylin dashed through, his speed was not lowering the slightest.

Through meditation, acolytes can reflect their magic power on their own bodies, greatly enhancing the physical qualities. Concerning level 3 acolyte, the increase of spiritual force alone can already bring their vitality up to 2.5, equal to that of a Knight!

Moreover, level 3 acolyte could, through various self-experimentation, obtain stronger and larger physical prowess.

The pitch-black night, together with the jumbled branches and vines, could not hinder the speed of Leylin and his party.

"The other team has stopped!"

Leylin drew to a halt and scrutinized the whole surrounding.

Towering trees with their tops seemingly supporting the heavens, the dense foliage and undergrowth completely shielded them from the starlight, and only trickles of starlight were visible through the leaves.

But this was just enough for acolytes to see.

"This distance is already far from the town. Even if there are any energy waves, no one would discover it at all!" Jayden placed a green badge on his chest.

"You actually took out your magic artifact now, just to deal with a few pieces of trash?" Bosain laughed and retracted his hand into the large sleeves.

Looking at the A.I. Chip's scan result, Leylin was somewhat speechless.

Under the detection of the A.I. Chip, Bosain too held onto his own magic artifact. It was even one which could immediately be activated.

This behavior of Bosain, where he contradicted himself by speaking one thing but doing something else, was something Leylin and Jayden were used to.

On the other side, Shaya and Roth also made their individual preparations.

acolytes who survived the bloodbath were extremely clear on one point—Even a lion has to use its full force to catch a rabbit! No matter how weak the opponent seems, one must not slack off. If not, the loss of one's own life might happen!

"Let's go and get rid of them!" Jayden laughed sardonically and stepped out first.

"Hu…."

After going past a black leafy tree, Leylin saw a dark green marsh.

The surface of the swamp had many dried branches and leaves, interspersed with the corpses of other animals.

On the other side of the swamp, the 5 acolytes that they saw previously were standing there quietly.

What was different about their outfits were that on the cloak and robes, they were already wearing the badge that represented the academy they were in.

"Sage Gotham Hut?" Jayden icily said.

"acolytes of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy!" The leader of the other party had some guesses to the identity of Leylin's party.

"It seems like another bunch of people will be dead again!" Leylin sighed in his heart. As these both parties, the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, and the Sage Gotham Hut, had just ended the war, their mutual hatred was as deep as the seas.

Although the mediation by the Lighthouse of the Night had made them sign a peace treaty, that was at most a form of restraint for the official Magi. As for acolytes, if the two sides were to see each other, then it was certain that one side would perish.

The two parties stood quietly and faced off the other. For a moment, even the air seemed to have congealed.

"Actually… We don't have to…."

The other team's leader remained silent for a while, then opened his mouth.

* Chi Chi *

The moment that leader opened his mouth, a murderous glint flashed in Jayden's eyes and the badge on his chest radiated a ray of green light.

Countless murky green vines with reversed barbs rose from the ground, encircling the five opponents!

In terms of battle experience, Jayden obviously had more than the other party. Moreover, Jayden carried the blood debt of killing Torash. Amongst their party of five, he was the most unwilling to let the enemy go scot-free.

If not, once other party disclosed the news, even if Jayden concealed himself, he would be in the pursuit of the official Magus from the other side!

"Despicable!" "Escaaaaape!" "Aargh!"

The five acolytes obviously did not think that Jayden would be this decisive and ruthless, not even mouthing a greeting before he took action.

Within a fraction of a second, a green whirlwind swirled around two acolytes, increasing their speed and bringing them off the attack area of the vines.

As for another acolyte, there was an orange-red flame that burned in his surroundings. It took on the form of a whip, continuously attacking the vines, which burned in retreat.

As for the last two level 2 acolytes, they seemed rather miserable. Countless vines wrapped them into a ball. Along with the tightening of the vines, fresh blood seeped through from within the ball.

"Kill them all!"

The moment Jayden struck, Bosain, Leylin, and the others rushed forward too.

"Right now, I can confirm that this bunch of acolytes is nurtured in the greenhouse, with no experience of seeing a war field that reeks of blood. They are as weak as sheep in the face of a strong adversary!"

Leylin looked at the few acolytes with a pitiable look.

He guessed that these few acolytes did not even participate in the previous bloodbath. Their mentality was the same as when they were inside their academy.

However, he loved opponents like this the most. Because one can reap the largest benefits without spending much effort.

As Leylin dashed forward, he chanted an incantation.

* Sssii! * A pitch-black hand rose from the shadows, grabbing onto the ankle of a level 3 acolyte.

* Umbra's Hand!"

* Sssii! * The hand that was extremely corrosive dissolved part of the opponent's leg and the flesh and blood continuously fell down.

"Aaargh… someone save me!"

The enemy acolyte fell onto the ground, his wails pierced past the quiet forest, directly to the heavens.

"Kiddo! Your mother will save you!" Shaya mocked him. She waved her arm and a few silver light flew from her hand, directly piercing the head of the fallen acolyte.

* Bang! * The acolyte's head sliced open like a watermelon as the brain and various juices sprayed on the floor.

3 people died directly from the first wave of attack from Leylin's party.

"Damn it! Monty!"

The two level 3 acolyte gritted their teeth and retreated. One of them withdrew a silver whistle from his robes and blew on it.

* Xiu Xiu Jiu Jiu! *

The piercing noise from the whistle sounded. From afar a growl from a beast was heard. It was oppressive, bloodthirsty and seemed to come from midair.

[Sound frequency recorded. Comparing to database, identified as a Moonlight Mayfly!]

The A.I. Chip's voice intoned.

"Moonlight Mayfly?" Leylin was surprised, "No wonder the other party chose this marsh as the battlefield!"

He immediately shouted, "Be careful! They have a contracted beast. It's the Moonlight Mayfly, hurry and leave the marsh!"

* Groar! *

The growl sounded and a massive black figure pressed down from the top of the trees, hovering in the midair above the marsh.

It was a giant creature with purple and black light emitting from the body. Also, it was the size of a horse, and two wings like that of a bat's grew from its sides. At the end of the wings, there were barbed talons. The mouth was extremely pointed and was filled with razor-sharp, white teeth. A pair of bright, yellow eyes seemed to burn like flames in the middle of the night.

"A.I. Chip, scan the creature!" Leylin ordered silently.

[Beep! Moonlight Mayfly. Strength: 5.2, Agility: 8.9, Vitality: 7.5, Spiritual force: 3.8. Innate skills: 1.—Float. The Moonlight Mayfly large wings can allow them to maintain flight for a medium short distance. 2.—Fury of the Marsh. As the pet of the marshes, the Moonlight Mayfly can call upon the fury of the marsh. Uses the marsh attack on enemies. Might: 7 to 9 degrees!]

* Shiikkk! * As Leylin warned them, an unpleasant roar came from the Moonlight Mayfly floating in midair.

With the roar, the surface of the marsh which was originally serene suddenly surged with ripples.

The ripples grew larger, finally turning into a 12-metre tall wave, directing falling right upon Leylin and the rest.

Many impurities were contained within the murky waters, and it brought along branches and corpses of wild beasts. The wave actually took over a form that seemed to cover the skies.

"Well done, my precious!"

The acolyte, who blew loudly on the whistle, shouted, "Kill them for me!"

"Damn it! Even a little worm wants to kill us!"

Leylin and the others rushed out of the marsh area. As the might of the Fury of the Marsh could only be displayed inside the marsh, the attack stopped pursuing. However, Bosain remained behind.

At this moment, facing this huge wave, his expression was as if he just suffered a humiliation.

* Bang! * A large wave surged and attacked Bosain. However, on the surface of his body, a large silver metal shield automatically appeared in front of him.

The shield was a dozen centimetres thick. On the surface of the shield, there were mysterious and complicated runes and it looked to be extremely sturdy.

The Fury of the Marsh attack crashed on the shield, creating a loud bang.

Total Annihilation

* Bang! *

Under the crashing of the wave, the silver shield seemed to be a reef in the middle of the ocean, not moving the slightest.

After the Fury of the Marsh was over, Bosain was still unscathed behind the shield.

Seeing this, Leylin's pupil shrank.

"A defense type magic artifact!"

As the younger generation hailing from one of the big three families in Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, Bosain actually had a defense type magic artifact.

Leylin clearly understood the difficulty of dealing with it, as he too had a defense type magic artifact, the Fallen Star Pendant. Once the Fallen Star Pendant was activated, Leylin was invincible amongst acolytes.

As for the two opposing level 3 acolytes, they were obviously scared stiff by Bosain's actions. There was actually a moment when they stood still.

Especially the acolyte who signed a contract with the Moonlight Mayfly, he gripped the whistle tightly, disbelief written all over his pallid face.

After the Fury of the Marsh attack, the giant Moonlight Mayfly seemed to have been spent. It continued to hover in midair, yet did not attack again.

[The Moonlight Mayfly's attack can only be used once per day. Following which it has a cooldown period of 20 hours. Also, during this period, it would be in a weakened state!]

The A.I. Chip's voice intoned.

"A good chance!" Leylin's eyes flashed, and two potions, red and purple coloured, flew from his hands.

* Bang! * A red flame with purple smoke exploded on the body of the Moonlight Mayfly.

The huge explosion engulfed the Moonlight Mayfly. From the purple-red halo of the spell, the shrieks of the Moonlight Mayfly could be heard.

After the potion's effect had worn off, the Moonlight Mayfly in midair was in a miserable state. Both its claws were broken, with many holes on its wings. It seemed not to be able to float in the air any longer, covering the distance between itself and the ground rapidly, as if wanting to rest.

"You damned bastard! You actually dare…."

Looking at the Moonlight Mayfly approaching the ground, Bosain roared. The silver shield in front of him then emitted a white light.

The thick shield melted in the light, and silver liquid swirled around Bosain's hands, turning into a silver greatsword.

"Hah!"

Bosain raised the greatsword with both hands and jumped up before slashing down!

* Sou! *

A silver flash of light chopped at the neck of the Moonlight Mayfly who was struggling, and a stream of blood appeared in its place.

The head of the Moonlight Mayfly was chopped off, spraying a large amount of black and purple ichor.

One slash to severe the head! The massive Moonlight Mayfly was actually decapitated with just one slash of Bosain's sword.

"There is even a secondary effect! What a powerful magic artifact! Of course, Bosain's strength is an important factor!"

Leylin gasped in amazement.

"Ah, no!" The moment the Moonlight Mayfly was decapitated, the acolyte let out a shrill cry.

Moreover, the moment the eyes of the severed Moonlight Mayfly's head dimmed, the acolyte's face turned white, and wrinkles started to appear all over his face.

"It seems like it was a life-bound contract he signed. No wonder, despite his average strength, he obtained the loyalty of the Moonlight Mayfly…."

Leylin sighed, "A pity that life-bound contracts are linked with the creature. Once the contracted creature dies, the host will not be able to escape the same fate!"

After the fire in the yellow eyes of the Moonlight Mayfly disappeared, the acolyte panted. At this moment, he was already a white-haired old man and then he fell to the ground, losing all signs of life.

"Ahhh!"

The final remaining acolyte shouted, immediately turned around and ran.

At the same time, a feather was thrown into the air by him. A black flash of light turned the feather into a nighthawk which flew in the air.

"A magic summon, hurry and stop it!" Jayden pointed and several vines immediately gave chase.

"Arrow spell!" Red-haired Shaya shouted, and from her hands, a few bright white-silver arrows shot towards the night hawk.

*Jiu, Jiu!* The night hawk whistled and flapped its wings, moving in a beautiful arc as it avoided the attack from the green vines.

After which, the nighthawk with its razor sharp wings smacked the few silver arrows away.

"It's also a magic creature!"

Bosain's voice weakened.

"We cannot let it relay the news, if not we'll be in a dangerous situation!"

Leylin's eyes flashed, his wrist guard changing shape, turning into a black longbow.

"A.I. Chip! Calculate wind speed, humidity, and trajectory…."

* Chi! * The black arrow flashed across the sky like a lightning bolt, directly piercing the right wing of the night hawk.

With a wail, the nighthawk fell down.

"Nice one!" Bosain shouted in glee. His speed increased greatly, brandishing the silver greatsword.

* Pu! * The silver greatsword produced a white silk net, capturing the night hawk within.

"Go to hell!" The white silk net continued to tighten, finally turning into a ball of blood and feathers.

"We have finally gotten rid of it!" Jayden and Shaya heaved a sigh of relief.

"There is also this one!"

* Chi La La! * The thicket parted and Roth's figure appeared in front of the party. Only now his appearance had taken a drastic change.

His right arm was blasted off, revealing many white tentacles. Half of his face was also strewn with green scales.

As for the tentacles on his right arm, it was holding onto the head of the last acolyte who escaped. The head wore a frightened expression!

"A mutation experiment? And it is so thorough!"

Leylin and the other three were shocked.

Although level 3 acolytes can enhance their own body and transform it to a certain degree, an acolyte's spiritual force was still far beneath that of an official Magus. Many high-grade ingredients and knowledge weren't enough, so more often than not, forcefully enhancing the body would result in an irreversible damage.

However, Roth's current state showed that he was extremely sane.

* Sou Sou! * White tentacles continuously retracted back into his body. Very soon, Roth took on a half-naked appearance, returning back to his regular form.

Roth swung his right arm, tossing the acolyte's head onto the floor and smiled widely.

"Now, the inconveniences have all been disposed of!"

"Indeed!" Jayden looked at Roth, "We have already been friends for two years. Although I knew your mutation talent is rather high, I never expected that you have already contained the physical transformation aspect!"

Roth looked at the other four and shrugged his shoulders. "acolytes must also have their trump cards, shouldn't they?"

"Alright! Even though we annihilated the opponents, to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, we had better hasten the exploration and leave this place…"

Bosain suggested as he placed the magic artifact back in his robes.

"Indeed! The other party could have revealed their location to someone else. We have to hurry and look for the remnants in the Zither Moon Mountain Plains!"

Leylin also agreed.

"Alright, let us set off immediately!"

Jayden nodded his head and was about to lead the party away.

"Wait a minute, I even found this on his body!" Roth smiled and handed over a pale yellow scroll over to Jayden.

"This is…" Jayden opened it and his expression looked extremely unpleasant as if it belonged on a corpse.

"A.I. Chip, record!" The moment Jayden opened the map, Leylin immediately ordered the A.I. Chip to record it.

From the geographical drawing, the map depicted the Zither Moon Mountain Plains. Moreover, among the signs of the dark forest, there was a thin red line which extended from the Zither Moon Town entrance to the depths of the mountain. It stopped at another marking which showed a cliff. Moreover, at the bottom of the cliff, there was the name 'Dylan Gardens"

"Did the purpose of the other party coincide with our exploration?" Leylin asked suddenly.

"Indeed!" Jayden nodded vigorously, suddenly turning impatient. "Damn it, I don't know how many leads this remnant owner created. Let's hurry, I don't wish to see a remnant that has already been scoured clean!"

Leylin inwardly saw the light. What the great Magus Serholm left behind was an inheritance. He definitely wished for someone to discover and continue his legacy. Hence, he left behind many leads.

At this moment, Leylin could already confirm that the clues Jayden had belonged to the inheritance of the great Magus Serholm!

As there was a possibility that someone else might be there before them, the five of them proceeded with their journey, their hearts heavy and their complexions reflected their uneasiness.

However, they moved quickly, and in a few hours' time, they had already entered the depths of the Zither Moon Mountain Plains.

At this moment, the mountain was extremely different from when they had first stepped into it.

The change in the vegetation here was to an extreme. If the Zither Moon Mountain Plains border had normal plants growing, right now, what they saw in front of them were some relatively bizarre species of plants.

The most common plants were a species of big shrubs that were white in colour and their leaves had a strange spiral form.

Every time a gust of wind blew, the sea of shrubs would move with the wind, producing a sound similar to playing the piano keys.

* Ding Ding Dong Dong! * The piano-like sounds was extremely chaotic. Leylin became aroused, feeling a need to recklessly charge forth!

"Careful! This is the Piano Key Bush. The noise it makes can attract regular humans. Even an acolyte would be somewhat affected!"

Leylin warned, "Earlier, the missing people from the Zither Moon Town could very well have been attracted to these sounds, entering an illusion and dying in heat…."

After which, Leylin withdrew a few potions from his bag and distributed it to Jayden and the rest.

"This is a tranquilizing potion that I have brewed, it can resist such effects!"

Jayden, Roth, and Shaya looked at the test-tube in their hands and drank its contents after tasting a little of it.

As for Bosain, he shook his head to refuse, directly returning the potion to Leylin.

"I don't need it!"

Leylin shrugged his shoulders and led the way at the front.

On the later parts of the exploration, there were traps with poisonous gases and ambushes. This was the reason a Potioneering acolyte was needed — to counteract them.

This was also the reason why Jayden asked Leylin to come.