Chapter 117: Entering Together

Nightfall in the Bansi Village brought fear and trepidation as the frightening roars of wild beasts filled the atmosphere. At this moment, inside a rundown shop in the village, the various groups of apprentices from the seven academies stood facing each other with dark scowls and disdainful sneers.

"Wu Lin, what makes you think that you have the ability to be the leader of this expedition? Just because your Mistland Academy is located in the Amayan Empire, it doesn't mean that you are above the other academies." 

"Ouyang Gu, I know that you want to be the leader of this expedition. However, the apprentices from the other six realms don't trust those of the Nar realm. How are you going to lead a group of magicians that don't even trust you? How can you command them?" Wu Lin ignored the scowl on the Nar realm leader and turned to the Sealand Academy apprentices.

"Brother Jun Meng, I don't mean to undermine your abilities, but your Sealand Academy has ranked last place for seven consecutive years in the Seven Academies Competition. If the Nar realm apprentices are untrustworthy due to their nature, then the Iris realm is even less trustable due to its strength. As such, the Amayan Empire is the most suitable to lead."

Immediately, whispers and murmurs resounded as the apprentices from each academy nodded in agreement or snorted in displeasure at the words of the Mistland Academy leader.

"Why is the Mistland Academy the most suitable? If you ask me, I think the Janah realm apprentices fit the position better. After all, both in terms of trust and strength, they surpass the Mistland Academy by a mile!" Ouyang Gu's face was flushed red with anger.

Of the six academies, the Mistland Academy was the one he hated most. Their unrestrained arrogance and self-importance filled him with disgust, boiling his insides with dissatisfaction whenever he faced them.

However, what he hated most was the reverence and respect with which the other academies received them.

"Can we just decide on a leader and get going? We have been in this shop for an entire day waiting for night to arrive. Now that it is night, we are arguing back and forth about who is going to be the leader instead of entering the Forbidden Zone." A white-robed female from the Sybil realm's Endless Ridges impatiently snapped. 

"Okay, how about we hold a competition between the first years to decide who will lead? The participants will represent their academy and the academy of whoever wins will be the leader." 

The Magical Kilin Mission wasn't an ordinary magical beast mission. The Kilin, a descendant of an ancient magical beast, possessed higher intelligence and exceptional elemental magic affinity not often seen in other magical beasts. Fast, strong, and fierce, they were covered with glass-like scales that were nearly impossible to penetrate.

More importantly, however, was the fact that unlike other magical beasts, the Magic Kilin could form spiritual bonds with human magicians, a matter very rarely witnessed in the present seven realms.

Because of this, the seven academies held a Magical Kilin Mission each half-year interval in which the apprentices from the various academies could join forces to enter the Forbidden Zone. This was done for the sole purpose of providing the apprentices with an opportunity to gain experience and test their fortune.

In the quest to get an heirloom of the Magical Kilin, the apprentices get the chance to enter the region of the Kilins, wherein the most fortunate of cases, they could encounter baby Kilins to form spiritual bonds.

This was a very significant matter, as forming a spiritual bond with a magical Kilin was equal to gaining a lifetime companion on the path of elemental magic wielding. A companion that with sufficient resources had the potential to evolve and grow in both intelligence and strength.

This was a gain that no spiritual or magical weapon could compare to.

As such, the third-years wanted to lead the expedition as the greatest gain from the venture would go to the one in charge. In case they happened to encounter a magical Kilin baby, the Kilin cub would automatically belong to the leader.

And so, even with time flowing by, not one of the academy leaders wanted to take a step back.

"That is a good idea. But how are we going to compete? We to wrap it up quickly so that we can enter the zone before dawn."

"Yes, the type of contest should be one that can be concluded quickly."

"How about the first years testing their reaction speed and strength? We will have the second-year's weave fire spells. The spell will shoot out fireballs in three rounds. In each round, the number of fireballs and the speed with which they travel will increase. The first year's task will be to dodge or counterattack as many fireballs as they can. However, the ones that counterattack will get more points than the ones that dodge." Seeing the various leaders going silent, Jun Meng calmly proposed.

"That's a good method, Jun Meng! We will go with that." The Fierce Gale academy's Ku Ji immediately shouted in excitement as his eyes lit up with fighting spirit.

As a native of the Ahankar realm, he had grown witnessing his realm-folk battling to the death to secure resources and survive in a land of harsh winds.

"We have no objection with the method. But we should probably relocate to the Forbidden Zone before beginning the contest. After the conclusion of the competition, we can directly enter the zone."

"Hmm, sounds good."

"Yes, let's go!"

Having reached an agreement, the seven academies apprentices let go of their differences and regrouped. Then, in an organized format, they rushed to the north of the Bansi Village. Along the way, they encountered a few ambushes by ravenous wild beasts and barely managed to escape with a few light injuries and scratches.

At long last, the large group of magicians arrived in the desolate region of the black shield. Unease filled their hearts as their gaze swept through the region and fell on the black shield.

"This is the Forbidden Zone? It is more suitable to call it the skeletons zone."

"Why is it so quiet? We haven't heard any noise or activity within a three-mile radius of the place."

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"The wild beasts are probably frightened off by the malicious energy radiating off the shield." 

Grim and cold, the land of the pulsing black shield was littered with numerous bones and skeletons. As the academy students whispered to themselves, a chill traveled down their spine upon spotting a cluster of human skulls.

"The night is passing. Let's begin the competition."

"Hmm. Spread out."

Turning a blind eye to the numerous bones, the apprentices selected a position closer to the black shield and spread into three groups. The first-years stood to the left while the second-years stood to the right. The third-years spectated the exchange from the side.

"Now, second years will begin firing a round of fireballs that will automatically escalate into round two and three with an increase in speed. Alright, let's begin the first round!"

Immediately, the second years fired out fireballs after fireballs with five breaths of time in between. The first years responded by attacking fire with fire or fire with other elements to disperse the attack. After a few seconds, however, many of the first-years began dodging rather than counterattacking.

Su Rui dodged a flying fireball with a racing heart. Her face was flushed red from the earlier exertion in countering the fireballs. Even though the second years' fireballs were in the same shape and size as the ordinary fireball spells, there was a difference in quality.

"The difference in elemental level isn't that obvious when one only looks at the fireballs. However, when the elemental power of a first-year clashes' with that of a second year, the first years' elemental spell is instantly absorbed or vaporized."

She saw the other first years were in the same situation as herself.

At the beginning, they too were in the mindset of counterattacking the fireballs in order to win more points for their academy. However, their strategy soon changed from attack to defense and dodge when they witnessed their elemental spell getting effortlessly swallowed by the fireball that continued towards them.

"This must be due to the difference in elemental energy level!" A first-year from the Erumi realm screamed in astonishment as she watched her fireball get swallowed yet again.

"I never realized the drastic gap between the two levels before as we hardly exchanged notes with the second years in the academy. But now that I am attacking a second years fireball, I know the gap in our strength." Su Rui felt her heart quake as her eyes finally opened.

In front of a second year, she was nothing but a puny magician. It wasn't just the quality of their fireballs that were better. The speed with which the second years recovered was a lot faster than those of the first years while their fireballs traveled two times faster than their own.

Su Rui rolled across the floor as she dodged another fireball with great difficulty. Covered in mud, soot, and dry grass, she rose back to her feet and continued her defense. 

She needed to win. Otherwise, senior Wu Lin would never forgive her.

On the other side, Luan and many of the first years from the other five academies were covered in sweat after repeatedly dodging a multitude of the fireballs. Their faces were similarly flushed as they pushed themselves beyond their limits to secure the victory.

It was right at this time that Crown Prince Lail and Princess Qamari appeared in the region like two spectras1'. Hidden within the embrace of the darkness, the two silently watched the exchange taking place between the seven academies.

"Why are they having a contest at a time like this?" Princess Qamari was puzzled by their actions. When they were right next to the black shield, instead of sending out scouts to investigate the situation, they held a competition.

Crown Prince Lail was more clear of the way humans behaved in the face of benefits and gains. Once he made the connection between the large expedition and magical Kilin, he immediately understood the reason behind the seven academies' actions.

"The path of Elemental Magic training is one fraught with perils and danger at every turn. If a magician possessed a magical beast with great strength and skill by their side, that danger can be reduced by half. I believe the leaders of the seven academies have the intention of acquiring a baby Kilin." He quietly analyzed the situation, making Princess Qamari's eyes widen in disbelief.

"They are willing to waste so much time for a baby Kilin that they aren't even certain of encountering." Her disappointment in the third-year apprentices could not be masked.

She had come to the Bansi Village with the intention of doing a personal investigation and entering the Forbidden Zone at a later time with the rest of the Sealand Academy disciples. However, this thought was immediately dispersed upon sighting the scene before her.

Unlike her, the apprentices of the Seven Academies didn't join the expedition with the good intention of clearing out the wild beasts in the Bansi Village and reducing the number of magical beasts in the Forbidden Zone.

They came for their own personal gain.

Princess Qamari thought about the spiritual herbs sighted in the zone by previous Sealand Academy seniors and made up her mind.

"I am going to enter the Forbidden Zone. There is something that I need in there. Since we are already in Bansi Village, we can go our separate ways." Tightening her grip around her sword, Princess Qamari was about to shoot towards the black shield when a cool hand on her wrist froze her in place.

She turned with a frown and looked at the masked with displeasure in her golden eyes.

"The Forbidden Zone is a separate dimension with numerous unknown dangers. Entering alone would be the most foolish thing that you can do. I was also planning on entering alone. But since we already fought together and are in a semblance of an alliance at the moment, how about we enter together?" He gently asked.

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