“It’s… it’s this year’s freshman, Ye Shaohua. She just finished the Magic Tower challenge and is still in Zone E…” Lin Xiao was startled by Feng Liyun’s reaction.
To be honest, Lin Xiao had known Feng Liyun for quite some time, but this was the first time he had seen his expression shatter so completely.
Then, with a ripple in the air, Feng Liyun vanished on the spot.
“Wait, aren’t you going to meet that Ye Jin…” Lin Xiao tried to say something, but after Feng Liyun left, he noticed the white figure behind him and immediately wilted.
“Tiger King, hello… sorry to disturb,” he stammered, quickly closing the door as he left.
As he walked away, he wiped the sweat from his forehead. Damn, when did Boss Yun bring back the White Tiger King? That’s a Saint-tier magical beast!
He wiped the cold sweat from his brow, then went to inform Ye Jin that Boss Yun had left before heading to the teleportation array with his family to head to Cangyun City.
Meanwhile, Ye Shaohua had already emerged from the Magic Tower.
When she saw her ranking at 91st, she didn’t look pleased. Instead, her expression grew even more serious.
The system still hadn’t given her any updates, and the more she learned about magic, the more she could sense the disturbances coming from the Beast Forest.
Given the current situation, Ye Shaohua wasn’t sure how much she could do when the magical beasts eventually attacked the city.
“Many people have fled the city. The Duke and the Second Elder are guarding the gates,” Kari, who had traveled a long distance to update Ye Shaohua on the situation in Cangyun City, said. “They told me to tell you not to worry.”
Kari looked exhausted. Ye Shaohua glanced at her but didn’t say anything. Instead, she reached into her spatial ring and pulled out a large bag of magic cores. “These magic cores should be enough to sustain the city’s protective barrier.”
In all her life, Kari had never seen so many dazzling magic cores.
There were countless second and third-tier cores, and even a few fourth-tier ones.
Even their Duke was only a third-tier mage, and a third-tier mage could only hold their own against a third-tier magical beast. Third-tier cores were already considered precious in Cangyun City.
Yet Ye Shaohua had just pulled out an entire bag of them, leaving Kari in a daze.
She held the bag of cores as if in a dream, following Ye Shaohua to the school’s teleportation array, which sent her back to the Cangwolf Duchy.
—
Cangyun City.
Lance had just returned and was attending a banquet hosted by the Cangyun City Lord and Duke Ye to honor the two sixth-tier mages who had helped the city through its crisis.
“Those magical beasts won’t be causing trouble again,” said Daen, one of the sixth-tier mages, taking a sip of wine. He glanced at the people around the table, his eyes indifferent.
The entire city of Cangyun couldn’t produce a single mage above the third tier. Thinking this, a hint of disdain flickered in his eyes.
“Duke Ye, I have some connections with the elder who left your family. I heard your family has two forbidden spell scrolls?” Daen looked at Duke Ye with a faint smile.
Hearing this, the Second Elder on the other side of the table flushed with anger.
The Cangyun City Lord’s smile stiffened slightly. “I’ve also heard of this forbidden spell. Wasn’t it left behind by Shaohua’s mother?”
By saying this, he implied that the scrolls didn’t truly belong to the Ye family.
The magic cores and scrolls were the last remnants left by Ye Shaohua’s mother after her death.
Daen smirked at Duke Ye. “Your family’s strength only goes up to the third tier. These forbidden spells can only be used by seventh-tier mages. What use do you have for them?”
While the Second Elder was still fuming, Duke Ye’s expression remained calm. He turned and ordered, “Bring the forbidden scrolls.”
The scrolls were quickly fetched, and Daen took them with satisfaction, pleased by Duke Ye’s compliance.
As he held the scrolls, feeling the magical energy within, he couldn’t hide his excitement. He glanced at Duke Ye, thinking how wasteful it was for such treasures to remain in the hands of these weaklings.
“Well, I should return and report to the Cangwolf Monarch,” Daen said, preparing to leave. But just then, a magical ripple passed through the air.
A guard from the city gates rushed in to report: “City Lord, the First Archbishop of the Light Temple, the Vice President of the Magic Guild, and Lin Cheng, a seventh-tier mage from the Leo Empire, have arrived.”
Everyone at the table was stunned.
The Light Temple and the Magic Guild were the two most powerful organizations on the Magic Continent, each with a Saint-tier mage as their pillar. The Leo Empire was the strongest kingdom, second only to these two organizations. And now, a seventh-tier mage had arrived.
The gap between the sixth and seventh tiers was immense. Less than one in ten thousand sixth-tier mages could break through to the seventh tier.
The Cangwolf Duchy was the weakest of the four great empires and had no seventh-tier mages.
“Why would they come?” Daen’s face paled. He immediately urged the City Lord to prepare. “I heard Miss Ye Jin performed exceptionally well at Lien Academy. Perhaps they’re here for her, but she’s no longer in Cangyun City, is she?”
Everyone was filled with doubt and fear as they went out to greet the visitors.
Even the two sixth-tier mages were in awe. This was their first time meeting a seventh-tier mage.
Lance exchanged a glance with the City Lord, both feeling a mix of shock and confusion. If this was about the Beast Forest, why would such important figures come? Or were they really here for Ye Jin?
“Duke Ye,” the Archbishop of the Light Temple greeted warmly, “I am the Red Archbishop of the Light Temple. I am here to invite your Ye family to join us.”
“We are also here to invite you to the Magic Guild,” the Vice President of the Magic Guild added, not wanting to be outdone. “As long as Miss Shaohua is willing to join, I can guarantee that within five years—no, three years—she could even become a Vice President.”
The Vice President of the Magic Guild was also a seventh-tier mage.
“Y-you’re not mistaken, are you?” Duke Ye had never in his life met someone of such high status.
Not just Duke Ye, but the entire city of Cangyun had never hosted anyone above the sixth tier.
Even Lance was shocked, his emotions complicated. “Ye… Ye Shaohua?”
“No mistake,” Lin Xiao, who had learned most of Ye Shaohua’s background on the way, chimed in with a smile. “Ye Shaohua, sixteen years old, from the Ye family of Cangyun City in the Cangwolf Empire. She attracted attention as soon as she arrived at the academy due to her 3S-level spiritual power. She’s a once-in-ten-thousand-years genius.”
“And this morning, during her first attempt at the Magic Tower, she broke into the 92nd rank. Among the five hundred students at Lien Academy, the top one hundred are all fifth-year students who have been there for over five years. This means she has the strength to defeat fifth-tier mages…”
As Lin Xiao spoke, Lance and the others were completely stunned.
“Ye… Ye Shaohua?” Lance’s younger sister, dressed in red, widened her eyes. “Wasn’t she just an apprentice mage three months ago?”
“Vice President, Archbishop, Master Lin, I may need to consult my daughter’s opinion on this matter,” Duke Ye quickly regained his composure.
The visitors didn’t seem surprised. “Of course. We’ll stay here for three days to investigate.”
Lin Xiao didn’t have much time. He glanced at Lance. “I think I’ve seen you at the academy. I heard you were once engaged to Miss Ye. You’re going to regret that decision.”
After the Archbishop and the others left, Daen, the sixth-tier mage, was pale.
He hurriedly returned the forbidden spell scrolls to Duke Ye.
The Second Elder, finally snapping out of his shock, sneered. “What? Can we use the forbidden spells now?”
Daen wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Elder, you jest. I was just taking a look.”
That elder had said the Ye family only had Duke Ye as a third-tier mage. Where did this monstrous Ye Shaohua come from?
—
Ye Shaohua was unaware of everything happening in Cangyun City.
After sending Kari off, she went to discuss skipping grades with her wind magic instructor.
Ye Shaohua was no ordinary student. After a full afternoon and night of discussion, the teachers decided to place her in the fourth year.
When she returned to her dorm in Zone E, she found it unusually quiet. Nolan and the others looked at her as if they wanted to say something but held back.
Puzzled, Ye Shaohua opened her door.
As soon as she stepped inside, a wave of cold air hit her.
Instinctively, she looked toward the window.
There stood a figure in white, his deep, dark eyes locking onto hers. His slender, clean fingers gripped the windowsill tightly.
His jet-black hair cascaded down his back, contrasting sharply with his snow-white robes.
The magic lamp in the room wasn’t lit, but it didn’t hinder Feng Liyun’s vision. The moment he saw her raised eyebrow, an overwhelming sense of familiarity washed over him. Everything around him faded, leaving only her illuminated figure.
If there is a next life, I will not betray this love.
“You’re back?” In the end, only three words escaped his lips.
Ye Shaohua, I’ve waited twenty years in this world for you.