Chapter 117: The Old Monster of the Black Wind

Returning to the second floor, Rin was still in the familiar room, but his complexion looked much better than before; he was even able to lie on the bed and read a book.

As Qi Xiao walked into the room, Rin hurriedly lay back properly, partially covering his book. He said with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Brother! You didn't even tell me that Brother Qi Xiao was coming! I look so unpresentable like this."

Feng curled his lips, stepped forward with practiced ease, and placed the back of his hand against Rin’s forehead. After gauging his temperature for a moment, he turned and said, "Take a look at his current condition. Sorry for the trouble."

Qi Xiao didn't say much. He stepped forward and gently placed his palm on Rin’s chest.

Rin’s appearance was as fragile as white porcelain, so Qi Xiao dared not apply any pressure. He could only use a trace of magic power to probe slowly. Rin seemed to be in some discomfort; he clenched his teeth and kept his eyes shut, saying nothing, though his long, thin eyelashes trembled violently, clearly indicating that the pain was by no means trivial.

After about a quarter of an hour, Qi Xiao finally withdrew his right hand. Rin let out a breath of relief, panting heavily, his forehead beaded with dense sweat.

Feng frowned and wiped the perspiration from Rin’s forehead and neck, asking Qi Xiao with concern, "How is it?"

Qi Xiao was busy organizing his potion bag and said softly, "Naturally, it’s not great, but at least after more than a month of medication, most of the virus in his body has been suppressed. In a few more months, I should be able to finish developing the antidote."

Feng clearly trusted Qi Xiao implicitly. Hearing this, he let out a long sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

Rin’s eyes also sparkled as he looked quietly at Qi Xiao. "Thank you, Brother Qi Xiao. I will definitely repay you in the future!"

Qi Xiao was amused and patted Rin’s sparse hair. "Then I shall look forward to it."

A gentle light flashed in Feng’s eyes. He knew that Rin’s road to recovery would be long, but at least there was hope now, which was much better than before. He turned to Rin and said earnestly, "You must take your medicine properly and focus on resting your mind. Stop reading fairy tales all day."

Rin nodded obediently, though it was unclear how much he had taken in. Feng shook his head. Seeing that Qi Xiao had finished packing his medicine kit, he pulled him out of the room, gave Rin a reminder to rest well, and then gently closed the door.

Downstairs, Qi Xiao looked at Feng with curiosity, reached out to hand him the medicine bag, and asked, "What is it?"

Feng’s expression turned serious. He said in a low voice, "My teacher is a close friend of the 'Secret Speaker,' Lady Arinall. Some time ago, Lady Arinall came to the forest to find my teacher, and I was present. I heard that... she has prophesied something extraordinary."

He paused for a few seconds, looking into Qi Xiao’s eyes.

Qi Xiao remained silent for a moment. Seeing that Feng had no intention of continuing, he sighed and played along. "And what did Lady Arinall see?"

Feng spread his hands and grinned mischievously. "They went into the room to talk right after that. I didn't hear it."

Qi Xiao stared at Feng with a blank expression for several seconds, resisted the urge to punch him, and turned to walk away.

"Hey, hey, wait! Even though I didn't hear it clearly, it should have something to do with a certain sea! And it’s something that will happen very soon!"

Qi Xiao waved his hand without looking back to show he had heard, and as he stepped out the door, he vanished on the spot.

He appeared out of thin air in the lobby of the Battle Tower, startling several passersby. Following the familiar procedure, he registered, swiped his card, and was instantly teleported into the arena.

"There are certainly many more participants in the advanced matches than in the intermediate ones..."

A thought crossed Qi Xiao’s mind. After steadying himself, he began to observe his opponent for this match.

An elderly man with snow-white hair, leaning on a cane, stood with a hunched back and coughed from time to time. Qi Xiao looked at the name he had registered with a strange expression—"Old Monster Blackwind."

If he remembered correctly, this was the advanced division for those under 40... The open-age division should be next door. That meant this old man was at most 40. He wondered why he would make himself look like this—was it to lure his opponent into letting their guard down?

With a complex expression, Qi Xiao said nothing. He simply drew his Psionic Elemental Pistol and cocked it, preparing to give the man a heavy blow.

The referee for this match was also a spherical mechanical orb floating in the air, equipped with three pairs of diamond-shaped wings. Its voice was somewhat similar to the system's—a female voice filled with a mechanical cadence.

The mechanical referee was extremely talkative, rambling on about the detailed rules for so long that Qi Xiao was afraid the old man across from him might fall asleep. It was no wonder this arena had so few spectators; it likely had something to do with the referee.

The mechanical orb recited the match clauses for nearly three minutes before finally beginning the countdown. The moment the number on the orb hit zero, a fierce gale erupted on the field.

The arena appeared to be a tropical rainforest, but the air was chillingly cold. As the wind whipped through, various plants were uprooted and sent flying everywhere.

Qi Xiao looked at the cane in Old Monster Blackwind’s hand; this terrain-altering spell was clearly one of the enchantments of the staff itself. The grade of this alchemical cane was likely quite high.

Qi Xiao’s mind raced, but his hands didn't stop. He fired three shots, then cast a Water Mist spell. As the gale caught the mist, the entire field was instantly filled with dew.

The three bullets exploded the moment they neared Old Monster Blackwind. A massive shockwave bloomed at the center point. Qi Xiao didn't wait to check the results; he fired another shot and tossed a handful of sand into the air. The earth instantly cracked, and a giant hand made of dust reached out from within, clawing its way out of the ground.

Qi Xiao commanded the Earth Elemental Guardian to stomp toward the center of the explosion while he silently chanted his next spell. He didn't believe an opponent he encountered during his three-game winning streak would be taken out by a few bullets.

As the dust settled, Old Monster Blackwind stood as steady as a mountain amidst the gale. A cunning smile appeared on his aged face. He waved his cane gently, and the surrounding storm seemed to echo his movements, forming a massive wind vortex that deflected the last bullet Qi Xiao had fired.

The Earth Elemental Guardian’s foot hovered over Old Monster Blackwind, seemingly wrestling with something invisible. It roared, lifted its foot, and stomped down with force, but was ultimately repelled ten meters away by an invisible air shield.

Old Monster Blackwind seemed to have merged with the storm; every rotation and howl of the wind appeared to be under his control, providing him with excellent cover.

Qi Xiao remained expressionless, not discouraged. This was well within his expectations. The Psionic Elemental Pistol rang out again, this time firing a series of fire-attribute bullets straight at Old Monster Blackwind, leaving bright trails through the wind.

Old Monster Blackwind might not be as talented as Feng in the future, but at this moment, he was indeed the strongest wind-element mage Qi Xiao had ever seen. Both the breeze and the gale were controlled as easily as if they were extensions of his own limbs.

The Earth Elemental Guardian ignored the surrounding storm. Its figure remained steady in the wind as it walked back toward Old Monster Blackwind, each step slamming heavily into the ground and splashing up layers of mud.

Old Monster Blackwind’s cane traced a circle in the air. Wind elements rapidly condensed into countless wind blades, which, following the rotation of the storm, swept toward Qi Xiao and the Earth Elemental Guardian.

Qi Xiao released a Frost Breath. Water molecules in the air condensed rapidly, forming patches of ice mist that dampened the power of the wind blades.

He commanded the Earth Elemental Guardian to change tactics. Instead of a direct charge, it utilized the power of the earth to vibrate the ground directly beneath Old Monster Blackwind.

Although the wind element was the most flexible of the elemental factions, Qi Xiao keenly noticed that since the start of the battle, the old man hadn't moved a single step from his spot. He was likely practicing some sort of obscure wind technique.

"Immovable Wind?" Qi Xiao didn't have a deep understanding of wind-based magic and planned to ask Feng about it later. But since he was still in the middle of a fight, he naturally had to give it his all.

A crack in the earth extended toward Old Monster Blackwind, but it stopped dead when it came within three meters of the old man, as if controlled by something.

Qi Xiao’s lips curled. He had spotted the old man’s weakness: while he controlled the storm around him, he seemed unable to move freely. This gave Qi Xiao a perfect opportunity.

Qi Xiao began to cast a synergistic elemental spell, releasing fire snakes, tidal waves, and sandstorms simultaneously. He wove them into the shape of a magic rune array and sent it spinning toward Old Monster Blackwind in a fierce assault.

This was a classic move for multi-elemental mages. Since it wasn't too difficult, Qi Xiao had learned it as well. The fire element provided destructive power, the water element was responsible for cooling and weakening, and the earth element served to anchor and control.

The array struck the wind barrier directly. The three-colored combination spell exploded the moment it made contact, generating intense heat and shockwaves.

Following this, Qi Xiao released a thick water mist that rapidly covered the explosion zone. High temperatures meeting the water mist instantly generated massive amounts of steam, which not only obstructed vision but also interfered with Old Monster Blackwind’s wind-based spells.

Under the cover of the steam, Qi Xiao manipulated the Earth Elemental Guardian to release a large number of earth spikes and earth nets, attempting to fix Old Monster Blackwind’s range of movement and limit his evasion space.

Old Monster Blackwind finally compromised. His figure suddenly became blurred, as if he had transformed into the wind itself, moving rapidly across the battlefield to dodge Qi Xiao’s spells and the attacks of the Earth Elemental Guardian.

The raging winds surrounding them subsided significantly. Qi Xiao had kept his "Moonlight" shield active to fend off the omnipresent wind blades, consuming quite a bit of magic; he finally managed to catch his breath.

Qi Xiao commanded the Earth Elemental Guardian to stop casting spells and instead perform multi-point raids, attempting to pin down the old man’s true form.

Seeing this, Old Monster Blackwind knew he couldn't let the Earth Elemental Guardian get too close. He began to chant a more powerful incantation, and lightning began to flash within the storm, with wind blades now laced with the power of thunder.

The center of the storm suddenly calmed, forming an eye of the storm. Old Monster Blackwind was caught within this eye, his body surrounded by rings of wind and lightning.

Qi Xiao recognized the movement technique Old Monster Blackwind was using as the "Wind Walk." The weakness of this spell lay in the regularity of its movement; once caught, it was fatal. Qi Xiao was calculating the frequency of the flashes in his mind.

Feeling the power of Old Monster Blackwind, Qi Xiao began to charge up. The muzzle of his Psionic Elemental Pistol gathered a massive energy ball, preparing to deliver a lethal blow.

At the same time, he ordered the Earth Elemental Guardian to launch an all-out offensive to distract Old Monster Blackwind, creating an opening for his ultimate strike.

The Earth Elemental Guardian roared and threw itself into the storm. The collision between the guardian and the storm produced a thunderous sound, causing the entire arena to tremble.

Qi Xiao’s ultimate strike was finally fired. A massive beam of light pierced through the storm, striking Old Monster Blackwind at the center of the eye.

Old Monster Blackwind’s figure blurred instantly, moving rapidly to the upper-left corner of the eye, but Qi Xiao had already calculated the trajectory. A streak of black dust hit the exact spot where Old Monster Blackwind reappeared.

"Decree: Death."

The magic power in Qi Xiao’s body was completely drained. Old Monster Blackwind had been caught off guard and was struck by such a powerful skill; his body shuddered violently, and he soon fell from the air.

Fortunately, the mechanical referee reacted quickly, releasing a net to catch him. Sensing that Old Monster Blackwind had lost consciousness, it extended a mechanical claw from its side, holding a syringe to inject medicine into the old man while declaring Qi Xiao the winner.

Applause erupted from the spectator stands. Qi Xiao bowed in respect, unable to hold on any longer, and instantly teleported out of the arena.

Qi Xiao sat weakly in the rest area of the Battle Tower for a while. He calculated his remaining magic and realized it would never be enough for a long-distance teleportation. He had no choice but to take out his "Azure Veil," which he hadn't used in a long time, and flew back to the island in the middle of the lake amidst the cheers of the crowd.

He was in such a poor state that he didn't even greet Eve. Returning to his room, he collapsed onto the bed like a puddle of sludge, unable to move.

Qi Xiao had a rare, deep sleep. In his dream, he saw pink clouds, a pink stream, a pink castle, pink rabbits, pink...

"Junior Brother?!"

Qi Xiao woke up instantly, but he did not leave the dreamscape. He wasn't surprised, only puzzled. "Senior Brother? Why are you here? Why am I in your dream?"

Rupert’s face in the dream was even more perfect than in reality. He played with a flower in his hand and chuckled softly, "When did you learn Dream-class magic? Do you have that much free time to learn so many irrelevant side-branch spells? You always seem so busy."

"After visiting your dream that day, I found it very interesting, so I learned a bit... What’s the matter, Senior Brother? Is something wrong?" Qi Xiao felt nervous inside, but he didn't show it on his face, asking calmly.

Fortunately, Rupert had no interest in prying into others' little secrets. He just smiled. "I saw the fishing rod you made; it was a bit crude."

"Er... after all, I am not a Dream-class mage. I was just doing my best to bring out the inherent power of the dream-class materials. I’ve made a fool of myself in front of you, Senior Brother."

"Not at all. For an apprentice-level mage, you did quite well. It’s just that it pales in comparison to the other alchemical equipment you make. How about this: take a piece of material from here and go improve it."

Qi Xiao hesitated for a moment, then didn't refuse. He said, "Since this concerns Senior Sister Eve’s path as a mage, I will do my best. Where is the material?"

Rupert scattered the petals in his hand, laughing. "Every item here could potentially be a dream-class material. I have spent a long time cultivating this place. Go on. Whatever you can gather within three hours is yours. I keep my word."