"I refuse to believe it!"
Gritting his teeth in determination, Grey unleashed a relentless assault, intermittently casting various earth and fire magic to assist, but to little avail.
Lin En, relying solely on his mastery of the ninth-level magic, Serpent Stream, played his hand exquisitely. His skill was so refined that it appeared as if he had a unique move for every situation, seamlessly integrating offense and defense to suppress Grey's fighting spirit and magic.
The battle between the two was fierce, with shockwaves spreading outwards. The earth shattered, sending up clouds of dust and debris tens of meters high, while blazing fireballs rained down like artillery shells, causing the ground to heave and earth dragons to roll and tumble.
The interplay of fighting spirit and magic exploded in such a violent and pure spectacle that the onlookers were filled with boiling blood.
The Imperial City was a gathering place for masters, including many eighth and ninth-level powerhouses. Watching the intense fight, their expressions were ones of utter shock.
What was expected to be a well-matched battle turned out to be a one-sided domination, with Lin En surprisingly holding the upper hand!
Is this really the attack power of water-based magic?
Many water mages watched with shining eyes and rapid breathing, finding a new life goal. Today's battle was a glorious moment for water magic!
Who would dare to look down on water mages now, thinking their attacks weak? We'll show them what we're made of!
Despite his continuous aggressive attacks, Grey was running out of steam. His complexion grew paler, struggling to keep up, especially seeing Lin En's relaxed demeanor, which almost drove him to the brink of madness. He even began to question his life choices.
Is water magic really this powerful? How can you last so long? I suspect you're on some kind of performance-enhancing drug!
"Yes, this despicable and shameless villain must be afraid of losing to me, having taken some secret potion to boost his magical power!"
Grey thought to himself with a resentful expression on his face.
"Flame Sword Saint, Mathews!"
Being publicly rebutted in such a conspicuous setting infuriated Mathews, who always valued his reputation highly.
However, this also signaled that the sparring was drawing to a close. Master Lin En had won, but he couldn't kill Grey Apache.
Snap!
With a serene smile, Lin En slowly rose into the air under everyone's watchful eyes, his sword radiating a powerful aura of water-based fighting spirit.
For a god-level warrior, converting and diluting superior energies like fighting spirit and magical power into divine power was not an issue.
"What a character you are, Lin En! You've hidden your true capabilities well. Everyone has underestimated you. I was careless before, but now I'll show you the difference between realms within the sanctuary!"
As this scene unfolded, the onlookers were as agitated as boiling water, completely taken aback.
"No!!!"
Just as the crowd was immersed in the unexpected turn of events, a red figure burst out from the rubble, surrounded by fiery fighting spirit, resembling an enraged lion.
"Stop!"
Mathews's angry intervention ignited the atmosphere of the entire place.
The crowd was astounded; they hadn't expected this figure to have been secretly observing the fight and only intervened when his disciple was in danger.
The moment he came into contact with the water-based fighting spirit, Mathews instantly regretted it. His face drained of color, showing horror. The water-based energy, far surpassing his limits, enveloped him like the deep sea. The relentless pressure left him breathless, his body stiffened, and then came his demise.
The minds of the onlookers were struggling to comprehend the situation.
"It's hard to say, but Master Lin En is not just a Sanctuary warrior, he's also a ninth-level Grand Mage!"
"Ha ha ha ha! Good, I accept your challenge!"
"Oh no!"
Stunned and disbelieving.
Flame Sword Saint Mathews, renowned for a thousand years, was not just an ordinary Sanctuary warrior. Facing him, Lin En might not have a great chance of victory!
Lin En's expression was calm and undisturbed, and without any further words, he struck again with his sword. This time, his Azure Wave Sword Qi was even more turbulent and fierce, as if it could tear a rift in the sky!
The first strike was just a slight adjustment to his fighting spirit, more of a greeting without much power, which led Mathews to underestimate Lin En's true strength.
Then, pulling out a plain-looking single-handed sword from beneath his mage robe, Lin En pointed it directly at the Sword Saint.
"Killing the young one only to have the old one cause trouble. Why wait for another day? Let's settle this today!"
In the face of this overwhelming power, Mathews could only let out a cry of despair, followed by a burst of blood mist in the sky.
Silence, utter silence!
After several seconds of eerie quiet, someone finally screamed out, "Sanctuary! Master Lin En is a Sanctuary warrior!!"
Lin En sneered, lifting his head, "Are you teaching me what to do?"
Such temporary potions to amplify magical power always come with a great cost. Each use inflicts damage on the body, and if not properly dosed, they could permanently affect one's potential.
"I told you to stop, didn't you hear me?"
A ninth-level Grand Mage, Lin En, drawing his sword against the Sword Saint...
The Third Prince, Regulos, along with his friends Colin and Andy, were also among the crowd watching the battle. At this moment, their mouths hung open in disbelief.
Grey was caught off guard. He hadn't expected Lin En to be so cautious, to the extent of risking the slight chance he had of advancing to the Sanctuary level in the future.
After all, it was not unreasonable to expect that, having broken through to a ninth-level Grand Mage before the age of seventy, Lin En could potentially ascend to the Sanctuary level in the next four hundred years.
The next second, Flame Sword Saint Mathews was struck down by Grand Mage Lin En. His body fell like a meteor into a valley, creating a thunderous noise. A large part of the solid mountain was cut clean through, dust rising like a storm into the sky.
"Heavens, a battle of Sanctuary level!"
As these words spread, everyone froze, including an angry Mathews!
Seeing Lin En with a sword wasn't strange to anyone; it was common for nobility to carry swords for protection, though most were merely decorative.
A fiery figure in red leaped into the sky, loudly scolding while simultaneously cutting through the water serpent with his sword.
Some sneered at this display in secret, but most were resigned to the situation. After all, the opponent was a Sanctuary level warrior.
Mathews, stunned at first, then erupted in fury. His face darkened, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent as he glared at Lin En.
Mathews, regaining his composure, laughed loudly, his face full of disdain and mockery.
Lin En's eyes were cold and detached. He did not stop his attack, controlling the water serpent to strike towards Grey's head.
The Serpent Stream broke through the protective aura of fighting spirit, and the shockwave blasted Grey high into the air.
Grey reacted immediately, but it was a step too late.
When the headless, blood-drenched body hit the ground, a dead silence fell over the entire area.
"Mathews is a veteran Sword Saint, his strength should be a bit stronger."
With an indifferent smile, Lin En swung his sword in front of the shocked onlookers.
The sword qi, resonating with the elements of water, was like a ribbon tearing through the heavens, unstoppable and fiercely sharp.
"What!"
"Boom—!"
Lin En's lips curled into a mocking smile. His water magic power continued to surge, and the severed water serpent reformed in less than half a second, circling back to strike Grey from behind. Without hesitation, it penetrated his head, crushing and killing him instantly.
Now, this second strike was the real killer move!
Mathews, as if facing a formidable opponent, erupted with fighting spirit like a blazing sun and swung his massive sword to meet the attack head-on. Confident in his ability to block it, he hoped to close the distance and use his rich combat experience and more explosive fighting spirit to defeat Lin En!
However...
Grey could think of no other possibility.
Distracted and uneasy in the midst of the battle, Grey's spirit wavered, and his fighting spirit showed a weakness.
In his view, Lin En was either crazy from practicing magic, or drugged and delirious, speaking such arrogant nonsense!
"A challenge? You're not worthy!"
The trio of Regulos looked at each other, somewhat worried. Lin En's revelation of his Sanctuary warrior status was a surprise, but they were still rational.
Mathews' face changed instantly as he sensed the deadly threat of Lin En's sword. In an urgent situation, he had no time to think and hastily raised his sword, wrapped in fighting spirit, to block.
Flame Sword Saint — Mathews.
Fallen!
In an instant, the scene fell silent again, with everyone staring dumbfounded at the falling blood mist and Lin En's pristine figure.
Some trembled, realizing that the dynamics in the Imperial City were about to change dramatically.