novelden Chapter 21: Trials Along the Way, Arrival at the Royal Capital!
Chapter 21: Trials Along the Way, Arrival at the Royal Capital!
Eleven days after Zhu Chongjiu and his entourage left Viter City.
At the border between Cloud Snow City and Rui Snow City, Zhu Chongjiu, Dean Wang, and the royal-level mage Wu Lintian floated a thousand meters in the air.
Below are six people: Ha Wen, Ha Wu, Telang, Qian Gu, Li Lingling, and Zhou Zheng, who are besieging a mid-level King-class monster, a low-level King-class monster, and two King-class snow leopard monsters.
The two king-level monsters were clearly a couple; the male snow leopard was at the mid-level king level, and the female snow leopard was at the low-level king level.
The male snow leopard was about 15 zhang long, and the female snow leopard was about 12 zhang long. Both beasts were pure white with light gray spots on their bodies.
Snow leopards are mythical beasts known for their speed, and their innate skills are also related to speed.
Below, six people were locked in a fierce battle with two snow leopards. Three mages were using various techniques, including controlling the leopards' speed and employing ranged attacks, while the three martial mages were engaged in melee combat.
Also, it helps mages withstand some damage!
Although the snow leopard's attack power is not as strong as some of the more ferocious monsters that can kill in one blow, it is still a much higher level than the six of them.
Moreover, snow leopards have a natural speed advantage!
It was obvious that the snow leopard dodged most of the control spells cast by the three mages.
Long-range attacks rarely hit snow leopards.
If it weren't for the three martial mages desperately shielding the three sorcerers from several attacks by the snow leopard, the three sorcerers would probably be seriously injured by now.
At this moment, all six of them had injuries of varying degrees. Dean Wang, high in the sky, used telepathy to direct the battle among the six below, pointing out their shortcomings in the fight and directions for improvement.
Zhu Chongjiu watched as Dean Wang, high in the sky, gesticulated wildly and said to those below, "Sorcerers need to learn to cooperate. Do you even know what cooperation means? Huh? All the knowledge I taught you has gone to waste?"
Since the snow leopard is fast enough that a single person's magic cannot reach it, why don't two people use magic to chase it while the remaining person waits for it to come to them?
Two people drove the snow leopard into the encirclement, while the remaining person, anticipating the attack, used magic to control the snow leopard. Then, the three martial arts mages unleashed a barrage of attacks at close range, and the snow leopard was done for! Ah!?
After controlling one snow leopard, the three mages immediately intercepted and attacked the other snow leopard to prevent it from going to its rescue and breaking through the three martial mages' attack formation.
Once the three martial arts masters have dealt with one, the remaining one can be easily handled by the six of you, right?
Did I teach humans before?
Are you a student?
Is it a pig?
Don't you even know such a simple tactic?
Is this all there is to elite education?
I think they're all lousy elites, and I'm ashamed of them all!
"After this, don't say you're from the Viter City Mage Academy, and don't say I'm your dean!"
Zhu Chongjiu looked at Dean Wang, who was spitting everywhere, and said, "Old Wang, calm down. You don't need to make a sound to communicate with your mind. If you speak any louder, the monsters below can hear you!"
Dean Wang turned around and shouted at Zhu Chongjiu, "What's wrong with me shouting?"
Did the monster hear that?
The demonic beasts heard me, so I went down and wiped them out, to save those little brats from getting on my nerves.
After shouting at Zhu Chongjiu, he then shouted at the several King-level instructors in the distance, "Is this how you teach your students?"
What's wrong? The college isn't paying you salaries?
How did you manage to turn one genius after another into a complete failure?
Zhu Chongjiu looked at Principal Wang, he was really angry.
Ever since the students started fighting monsters, Dean Wang's mouth has never stopped. He scolds the students, then the instructors, and then the students!
Amidst Dean Wang's shouts and curses, the six people below finally ended their fight.
Six students, dressed in tattered clothes and covered in blood, collapsed to the ground, panting heavily!
From high above, Zhu Chongjiu saw two large and six small figures lying on a blanket of white snow.
The surrounding area was covered in red, including the blood of the snow leopard monster and the blood of the injured students.
This scene is like a flower, beautiful yet tinged with the cruelty of life. Whether human or beast, everyone lives in this cruel world!
Eighteen days after Zhu Chongjiu and his group set off, Dean Wang said to Zhu Chongjiu, "Brother Jiu, you see, the highest level monster we've encountered along the way is only King-level. The students below are all warming up."
Could you please catch two low-level royal-grade monsters, or one high-level royal-grade monster, so that the instructors can also practice their skills?
Zhu Chongjiu looked at Dean Wang, who had a fawning expression, and said, "If you wanted to practice, why didn't you go to the vast icy mountains and snowfields to practice before?"
"This is already in human territory, where am I supposed to find a royal-level demonic beast for you?"
Dean Wang replied, "Ninth Brother, you know that already."
The vast icy and snowy plains are becoming more and more dangerous every day, unlike before.
Royal-level monsters have emerged from the depths of the snowfield and are now active in large groups.
Many hunting teams have stopped hunting, and even some of the more capable hunting teams only dare to operate on the outskirts of the snowfield.
Venturing deep into the snowfield without the strength of a high-level Emperor is basically suicide!
"Look, with your stamina, a round trip will only take two or three days. At our current speed, waiting two or three days before continuing our journey is no problem!"
Zhu Chongjiu replied coldly, "I'm not going. If you want to go, go yourself!"
Dean Wang, with a fawning expression, advised again, "Ninth Brother, you know my strength. I can definitely protect myself in the snowfield."
However, capturing a royal-level monster that is one level below me is basically impossible.
If I attract a few more royal-level demonic beasts, I'll be risking my life in the snowfield!
Besides, Ninth Brother!
This is also beneficial to you.
If we strengthen our own forces and win the competition, all the members will be ours and join the hunting team. Wouldn't that make it easier for you to manage the team then?
"We'll follow your orders completely. Otherwise, if a few troublemakers arise, you'll be in danger too, won't you?"
Zhu Chongjiu looked at Dean Wang and said, "Aren't you afraid of the Emperor-level contract with Xueyuan now?"
The snowfields are in such a state now, what's the point of having a contract?
Anyone with eyes to see knows that a great war is about to break out between the kingdom and the vast icy snowfields; it's only a matter of time.
I have heard that the kingdom has already begun to prepare its army for war.
Even the main campus of Wangdu Buddhist Academy has issued a notice urging us to intensify our training and enhance our students' practical skills.
Besides, it's not like last time when they went on a killing spree; it's just capturing two demonic beasts. I believe Ninth Brother can do it without anyone noticing!
Zhu Chongjiu pondered for a moment, then vanished in a flash!
Dean Wang shook his head as he looked in the direction Zhu Chongjiu had gone, thinking to himself, "He's clearly a good person, so why does he have to portray himself as cold and heartless?"
A day later, Zhu Chongjiu stopped a thousand kilometers away from the vast ice and snowfields.
Because he discovered a high-level royal-grade monster called "Violent Brown Bear".
The violent brown bear and the great white bear that Zhu Chongjiu encountered in the mysterious cave belong to the same species; they are both bears.
However, they are not in the same league.
Zhu Chongjiu found in the Encyclopedia of Rare and Exotic Beasts that the Great White Bear's species is called the Northern Dark Snow Bear, and it belongs to the category of spirit beasts.
It was born as a high-level spirit beast.
Unlike demonic beasts, most types of demonic beasts are ferocious beasts that gradually cultivate their level through devouring and the awakening of their bloodline.
Some are born with parents of high rank and excessive energy. They start absorbing energy in the womb during the embryonic stage, so they are born with a high rank immediately!
Let's continue talking about this violent brown bear. This bear was hundreds of feet tall and its whole body was brownish-gray. When Zhu Chongjiu found it, it was eating a snow deer.
Zhu Chongjiu teleported from high above, arriving above the head of the violent brown bear.
Just as the violent brown bear sensed the fluctuation above its head, before it could even raise its head to look, Zhu Chongjiu used a spell called "Frozen Ten Thousand Miles" to freeze the violent brown bear!
Zhu Chongjiu shouldered the violent brown bear, teleported into the sky, and then flew back the way he came towards the academy team!
On the way back, Zhu Chongjiu looked down at the snowfield, where groups of demonic beasts and ferocious monsters were slowly gathering.
I also feel that the situation is getting more and more serious every day, and who knows when a major war might break out.
Zhu Chongjiu took out a communication stone and sent a message to Tongli, telling them to be careful.
If he really leads the team deep into the territory, he can't worry about anything else for the time being; he'll just have to leave it to fate!
A day later, Zhu Chongjiu returned to the academy team's base and threw a violent brown bear down from the sky.
The moment the violent brown bear touched the ground, the ice encasing its body shattered.
The team members, who were resting after setting up camp, heard a loud bang, accompanied by a furious roar from a violent brown bear.
The violent brown bear was enjoying its meal and singing when suddenly some bastard froze it and brought it here.
The bewildered, violent brown bear, who had fallen to the ground, looked around and saw a group of small karami hurriedly walking out of the tent and forming a line.
The violent brown bear roared and charged towards a slow-moving novice mage!
Don't let the imposing size and seemingly clumsy appearance of the violent brown bear fool you; its speed as a high-level royal-grade demon beast far surpasses that of the two low-level king-grade snow leopards from last time!
Just as the bear's paw, as big as a small car, was about to strike the already panicked intermediate mage on the head, an ice spike, ten feet in size, smashed into the violent brown bear's chest from the front, sending it flying hundreds of meters away!
This gave everyone some time to process the situation. Zhu Chongjiu looked down from high above and saw that it was Dean Wang who had made the move!
After Dean Wang repelled the violent brown bear, he shouted, "The five King-level instructors shall immediately organize a parry and counterattack, and the rest of you shall retreat immediately."
After saying that, he looked up at Zhu Chongjiu in the sky, flashed to Zhu Chongjiu's side, and complained with a face full of resentment, "Ninth Brother, do you want these little guys dead? Why didn't you give us a heads-up?"
Zhu Chongjiu looked at the battle below and replied expressionlessly, "If I enter the Divine Void, will there be advance warning of the dangers inside, or will the monsters inside notify me in advance when they come to hunt me?"
Even if you don't go to the Divine Void, will you be notified in advance if you fight against the monsters in the vast snow-covered mountains and plains?
Like when I'm catching this violent brown bear, I'll tell it beforehand that I'm coming to catch it, and it will reply, "Your Majesty, come and catch me! Your Majesty, come and catch me!"
Now that we're protecting them, can we continue to protect them at all times?
After listening to Zhu Chongjiu's words, Dean Wang said with shame, "Brother Jiu is right. I was too hasty and didn't think things through."
The reason they didn't travel to the capital on flying monsters this time was to allow them to improve their combat skills and adaptability.
It seems I was too soft-hearted!
As Dean Wang spoke, he clenched his fist and looked at the five King-level instructors who were fighting the violent brown bear!
Seeing Dean Wang's attitude, and then looking at the five King-level instructors below him, Zhu Chongjiu felt a pang of self-reproach, thinking to himself, "But this has nothing to do with me!"
Immediately afterwards, Zhu Chongjiu saw Dean Wang start cursing the five Wang-level instructors with spittle flying everywhere!