Volume 2: Shenzhou Academy & The Battle of Venice
Chapter 140
Invitation to the National Team and New Coastal Storms
The nocturnal breeze sweeping over the inland campus lake rustled through the weeping willows, carrying a brisk, refreshing moisture that dispelled the sweltering heat of a fiery summer day in Jinghai Magic Capital.
Golden Eagle Villas was bathed in warm, mellow amber lamplight. In stark contrast to the customary, secluded tranquility of this elite residential enclave reserved for the academy’s premier disciples, the backyard patio of Villa No. 16 was alive with ringing laughter, lively banter, and the intoxicating, savory aroma of sizzling barbecued meat wafting from a glowing charcoal grill.
“It’s burning! Lin Feng, the corner of my ribs is charring!”
Gu Xiaowei let out a startled squeak, her twin short braids bouncing as she stamped her feet in indignation. Leaning hurriedly across the marble dining table, her long chopsticks darted forward with lightning dexterity to snatch the skewer of Snow Mountain lamb chops that had just begun to caramelize at the edge. Her chubby cheeks puffed out like a squirrel’s as she blew furiously on the piping-hot meat.
“Who told you to keep your eyes glued to the magic forums instead of your food?”
Sitting across from her, Ye Qingwan offered an amused, tranquil smile, refined and graceful as a blooming snow lotus in early spring. She wore an elegant silk dress dyed the soft hue of polished jade, her lustrous raven hair draping casually over her slender shoulders. With a gentle flick of her fair, delicate fingers, slender threads of Wood-element vines—fine as spun emerald silk—wound gracefully through the air, bearing a platter of fresh fragrant herbs and a porcelain bowl of herbal dipping sauce, setting them neatly down in front of Xiaowei.
“Lin Feng’s challenge match from this afternoon has already surged to the absolute number one trending topic across the forums of all seven premier magic universities,” Ye Qingwan said, turning her limpid, crystal-clear eyes toward the young man who was leisurely turning skewers over the grill. An unvarnished note of admiration resonated in her melodious voice. “Toppling the Ice Goddess Murong Xue, rocketing straight to Rank 48 on the Shenzhou Battle Rankings... If I hadn’t witnessed that howling blizzard being ripped apart by your Yaksha lightning with my own eyes today, I wouldn’t have believed a first-year freshman could pull off such an earth-shattering miracle.”
Lin Feng chuckled softly, his sleeves rolled up to reveal sinewy, battle-hardened forearms. He sprinkled a pinch of freshly crushed black pepper over a thick slab of garlic-butter-glazed Spirit-Armored beef, his movements practiced and rhythmic, effortless as a seasoned chef. He deposited a glistening, golden-brown slice onto Ye Qingwan’s plate before casually adding:
“What miracle? I was merely pushed to the brink. Murong Xue’s Absolute Ice Domain truly lives up to its reputation. If my Tier-2 Intermediate Lightning spell hadn’t finished condensing in the nick of time, the one frozen into an ice statue and hurled out of the arena would have been me.”
“Hmph, why must you always be so annoyingly humble!” Gu Xiaowei mumbled around a mouthful of rich, juicy meat, casting a mock glare his way. “The whole academy is calling you the ‘Lightning-Fire Monster’ right now! You should have seen the faces of those third- and fourth-year noble scions this afternoon—every single one of them was as pale as a ghost! A greenhorn freshman from the Summoning Department, barely enrolled for a single semester, trampling a ten-year academy record and storming straight into the ranks of the fifty strongest combatants in the school... Just thinking about it makes me feel ecstatic!”
Beneath the leafy canopy of an ancient red maple sprawling along the courtyard fence, an immense shadow stirred lazily.
Hearing its master and friends discussing the day’s glorious feats, the Abyssal Thunder Wolf hoisted its massive skull. Its glossy, pitch-black snout twitched slightly, its deep abyssal-blue pupils tracking the platters of grilled meat heaped upon the marble table. Its colossal body—spanning more than four meters from snout to flank—sprawled across a lush patch of green turf, its velvety obsidian coat rippling with faint, dancing crackles of violet lightning.
Lin Feng glanced at his contracted beast, chuckling with an affectionate shake of his head. He hoisted a hefty silver platter laden with an entire roast magical-beast beef rib weighing nearly ten kilograms and hurled it cleanly through the night air.
“Here’s your reward, glutton.”
Awooo——!
The Abyssal Thunder Wolf clamped its razor fangs around the flying slab with pinpoint precision, swallowing half the meat in a single gulp. Its thick, bushy tail thumped happily against the lawn, generating breezy gusts that rustled the surrounding foliage and coaxing hearty laughter from all three youths.
Right at that moment, the bronze chime of the perimeter barrier at the front gate rang out with crisp resonance.
Clang... Clang... Clang...
“Who could be coming at this hour?” Gu Xiaowei blinked in surprise, her chopsticks halting midway to another slice of meat.
“I’ll open it,” Ye Qingwan said, rising gracefully to her feet. A delicate stream of mana rippled from her fingertips, linking directly to the villa’s protective ward matrix.
The gilded wrought-iron gates swung smoothly inward. Beneath the brilliant glow of the streetlamps, a familiar figure strode briskly into the courtyard. He was dressed in a tailored, charcoal-gray suit, the golden crest of the academy’s Light School pinned to his lapel, glittering with sharp luster. Yet upon Xie Zhaoyuan’s usually jovial, easygoing face was an uncharacteristic gravity and a surge of barely suppressed excitement.
“Zhaoyuan? You’re late. The finest cuts of Snow Mountain lamb were nearly cleaned out by Xiaowei,” Lin Feng called out, lifting his glass of chilled fruit juice and teasing his friend with a grin.
However, Xie Zhaoyuan offered no customary witty retort. Striding straight to the edge of the stone table, he drew a deep, ragged breath to steady his racing pulse, then stared fixedly at Lin Feng with a profoundly complex look in his eyes:
“Lin Feng... your celebration dinner might have to take a back seat. Something infinitely more earth-shattering has just arrived.”
The jovial ambiance around the dining table plummeted into dead silence. The bright smile vanished from Gu Xiaowei’s face, while Ye Qingwan’s delicate brows knit together, her gaze immediately locking onto Xie Zhaoyuan’s right hand.
There, held with utmost reverence, was an ebony-violet sandalwood coffer etched with intricate concealment runes designed to prevent any mana leakage. Xie Zhaoyuan set the box down upon the marble surface and gently pressed the release mechanism.
Click.
The lid popped open, revealing a thick dispatch envelope crafted from enchanted golden-threaded parchment. What arrested everyone’s gaze, however, was the blazing crimson wax seal centered upon its flap.
The crimson seal bore the relief of a soaring Flame Phoenix unfurling its majestic wings toward the heavens, ringed by ancient flame glyphs. Beneath the phoenix’s pinions lay two crossed runic broadswords, underlined by an inscription embossed in classical Shenzhou script:
« Supreme Archmage Association & East Sea Military Command »
“This is...” Ye Qingwan gasped, her composure instantly shattering. “The Flame Phoenix Crest of the East Sea Command conjoined with the seal of the Shenzhou Deans’ Directorate? This is a top-secret national mobilization dispatch!”
“Exactly,” Xie Zhaoyuan affirmed, nodding heavily as he planted both palms flat on the table, staring straight into Lin Feng’s eyes. “Precisely one hour ago, a military-armored convoy personally escorted an envoy from the Academy Directorate to my clan’s manor headquarters. My father received a direct order to hand-deliver this classified missive into your hands alone. Lin Feng... do you have any idea what this parchment signifies?”
Lin Feng did not answer immediately. Reaching out, he took the gilded parchment into his hand. The material felt cool to the touch, yet it radiated an invisible arcane pressure that weighed heavy as a mountain.
With a slight flex of his fingertips, he broke the crimson wax seal.
Whoosh!
A brilliant flare of fiery-orange luminescence erupted from the letter, coalescing in midair into a shimmering arcane projection before settling into radiant characters that etched themselves indelibly into the minds of everyone present:
« SPECIAL SUMMONS ORDER: SHENZHOU NATIONAL RESERVE ROSTER »
« To Student: Lin Feng — Summoning School & Dual Lightning-Fire Cultivator, Shenzhou Archmage Academy.
Pursuant to extraordinary meritorious conduct on Huanglu Island in dismantling the Nether Church’s sacrificial altar and safeguarding thousands of fellow cadets; conjoined with the shattering of a decade-long historical record by breaking into Rank 48 on the Shenzhou Battle Rankings;
The National Selection Council and the East Sea Military Command have resolved to grant Cadet Lin Feng exceptional, direct admission into the Shenzhou National Reserve Team, preparing for the upcoming World College Magic Tournament! »
“Good heavens...” Gu Xiaowei clasped her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide as saucers. “The... the National Reserve Team?! The World College Magic Tournament?!”
Her gasp echoed shrilly into the tranquil night.
The World College Magic Tournament!
Anyone who walked the path of magic across the continent of Shenzhou knew the apocalyptic weight those words carried. It was the paramount pinnacle—the most prestigious and brutal proving ground on the planet—where the most monstrous young prodigies from hundreds of sovereign nations and empires converged. Every single member who clinched an official seat on the national roster was a dragon or phoenix among mortals, figures destined to shoulder the fate of their homelands as frontier Archmage guardians or patriarchs of premier grand clans!
“This... this is completely unprecedented,” Ye Qingwan murmured, her chest heaving slightly under the shock. “Historically, nominations to the National Reserve have gone exclusively to third- or fourth-year cadets—combatants who have mastered the third tier of Intermediate magic, or who already stand half a step into the Advanced Archmage realm. Lin Feng... you are merely a first-year freshman! You haven’t even finished your first semester!”
“That’s exactly why this is causing such a seismic uproar!” Xie Zhaoyuan clenched his fist, his voice trembling with exhilaration. “My father told me that this afternoon, right after Lin Feng crushed Murong Xue using his Tier-2 Intermediate spell, Thunderbolt: Yaksha, Dean Xiao Zhenshan and the Supreme Commander of the East Sea Military Command convened an emergency closed-door conference lasting two full hours! Those grand titans unanimously agreed: Lin Feng’s combat instincts, his razor-sharp adaptability under mortal pressure, and his terrifying rate of magical advancement have already completely shattered every conventional freshman standard. They refuse to let a peerless monstrous seed like him be stifled in petty campus duels!”
Lin Feng maintained an uncanny calm. He flipped to the second parchment of the dispatch. His eyes narrowed slightly as he spotted the crimson, blood-like ink inscribed across the appendix:
“Hold on... this isn’t a direct pass into the primary starting lineup.” Lin Feng pointed calmly at the text.
“Indeed,” Xie Zhaoyuan conceded, his excitement retreating as his face darkened with sober gravity. “The reserve roster convenes over thirty of the most terrifying young prodigies selected from Imperial Capital Academy, Shenzhou Academy, the Frontier Military Command, and the Four Great Noble Clans across the nation. But only the top ten will be selected for the official starting lineup to represent our nation on the world stage in Venice. And to conduct the initial trial, the military and the collegiate alliance have issued an S-Rank life-or-death field expedition!”
“An S-Rank mission?” Gu Xiaowei shrank back, gulping nervously. “Where is it located?”
“Blood Wave Bay,” Lin Feng enunciated slowly.
The moment those three words fell, the porcelain teacup in Ye Qingwan’s hand shuddered, spilling several droplets of amber brew onto the marble tabletop.
She raised her head toward Lin Feng, deep wariness etched into her gaze. “Blood Wave Bay... that forbidden oceanic territory off the far eastern coast? It lies more than three hundred nautical miles from the shores of the Magic Capital—completely beyond the perimeter of the Shenzhou Coastal Defense Barrier!”
“That’s the place,” Xie Zhaoyuan confirmed, reaching into his inner lapel to extract a military-grade arcane tactical map, unfurling it across the table. “Two weeks ago, a submarine geological survey squadron from the navy discovered a colossal vein of Water Crystal Spirit Ore beneath an ancient coral reef at the bottom of Blood Wave Bay. The purity of this mana crystal vein is so absurdly high that it can serve as a primary power core for metropolitan barrier arrays—and an invaluable catalyst for grandmaster artificers forging Advanced Magic Equipment and Growth-type Magic Equipment!”
Hearing the words “Water Crystal Spirit Ore,” Lin Feng’s eyes lit up with sharp intensity.
Ever since successfully refining the Scarlet Flowing Flame, his offensive destructive output had soared to a monstrous threshold. However, repeatedly unleashing catastrophic barrages like Fiery Burst: Raging Dragon Force and Thunderbolt: Yaksha had exposed a glaring tactical weakness: his defensive gear was pathetically crude!
The basic Magic Shield Talisman bestowed by Commander Lei Zhen back during the crisis in Bo’an City had shattered long ago. At present, he possessed only the standard enchanted student coat issued by the academy. If he ever encountered an ambush by a true Commander-class fiend or seasoned high-tier shadow assassins, he would find himself in mortal peril. He intensely craved a peak-grade mana ore of this caliber to forge a bespoke set of Advanced Magic Armor or a premier Magic Shield for self-preservation!
Yet a bait this tempting inevitably came wrapped in a lethal snare.
“A vein of that magnitude wouldn’t just be sitting peacefully on the seabed waiting for someone to haul it away,” Lin Feng remarked, glancing up at Xie Zhaoyuan. “What does the marine beast situation look like?”
“Perilous in the extreme,” Xie Zhaoyuan sighed, his finger tracing a region stained deep blood-red on the tactical map. “Blood Wave Bay earned its name because its waters run a diluted crimson year-round, tinted by a prehistoric strain of arcane microorganisms. And the massive concentration of mana emanating from the Water Crystal Spirit Ore has drawn tens of thousands of mutated sea beasts to nest there. Military reconnaissance confirmed at least three massive swarms of Servant-class and Warrior-class marine fiends, dominated by breeds of Scarlet-Scaled Sea Serpents and Ghost-Faced Colossal Whales.”
“Furthermore...” Xie Zhaoyuan lowered his tone to a somber rasp, “sonar arrays mounted on naval reconnaissance submersibles captured gargantuan mana ripples pulsating from the bay’s deepest oceanic trench. It is exceptionally probable... that a genuine Commander-class sovereign dwells within those depths!”
“A Commander-class creature?!” Gu Xiaowei cried out in horror. “Pitting a pack of undergraduate students against a Commander-class monster?! What on earth are the Directorate and the Military thinking?!”
“It’s not an extermination mission, but an expedition to map the ore distribution and extract core crystal samples under the blockade of the oceanic swarms,” Xie Zhaoyuan clarified. “Military commanders and Advanced Archmage professors will monitor the trial covertly from afar aboard escort cruisers. But they will only intervene in the event of an imminent total wipeout. All tactical coordination, deep-sea survival, and point scoring will rest entirely upon the candidates’ own shoulders.”
Xie Zhaoyuan locked eyes with Lin Feng, articulating each word with deliberate weight: “This is a ruthless weeding-out process. Over thirty candidates will be divided into small squads or permitted to operate solo. Anyone who falters, panics, or displays inadequate combat prowess in the brutal oceanic environment will have their points docked and their reserve qualification revoked on the spot. But on the flip side—whoever brings back the highest-grade core crystals will not only lock in an indisputable seat on the starting roster, but will also be entitled to keep thirty percent of their harvested ore for personal use!”
Thirty percent of supreme-grade Water Crystal Spirit Ore!
That was an astronomical fortune sufficient to make even the preeminent patrician clans of the Magic Capital turn green with envy!
Noticing Lin Feng’s contemplative silence, Ye Qingwan spoke up softly, a veil of concern coloring her voice: “Lin Feng, this trial will not be like our assessment on Huanglu Island. Huanglu Island was, after all, near-coastal shallows, whereas Blood Wave Bay is the untamed, deep ocean. What’s more, your fellow competitors are the absolute vanguard prodigies from the most formidable factions in the country. Word has it that the foremost genius of the Imperial Capital Academy, Yan Nanfei, and the scion of the Northern Border Military Command, Lei Tingfeng, are both summoned for this trial. Both have long since commanded the third tier of Intermediate magic, with blood-soaked combat experience matching veteran monster hunters.”
“Qingwan is completely right,” Gu Xiaowei chimed in, nodding vigorously. “None of them will take kindly to an upstart first-year freshman taking up a slot. Once you enter that lawless oceanic expanse, aside from watching out for marine beasts, you’ll have to keep your guard up against those arrogant aristocrats sabotaging your path!”
Hearing the earnest concern of the two girls and his close friend, Lin Feng smiled faintly.
He folded the confidential dispatch with crisp, measured strokes, sliding it securely into his inner breast pocket. His movement was decisive, lacking the slightest hint of hesitation or retreat.
“If a mage scuttles into hiding under an academy’s umbrella the moment the waves turn fierce, what is the point of cultivating magic in the first place?”
Lin Feng raised his head, his gaze burning bright as celestial constellations against the obsidian sky. “The Water Crystal Spirit Ore is mine to take. And that seat on the national roster—I will surrender it to no one. If the others are formidable, then I, Lin Feng, shall simply be more formidable still!”
The youth’s voice was not loud, yet every measured syllable rang with indomitable confidence and an unyielding, sovereign edge. It held Xie Zhaoyuan, Ye Qingwan, and Gu Xiaowei in spellbound awe.
In that transient moment, they seemed to behold the silhouette of an ascending sovereign spreading his wings toward a tempestuous sky, where blood, fire, and boundless glory intertwined.
“Brilliant! Spoken like a true champion!” Xie Zhaoyuan slapped his thigh, bellowing in laughter. “Now that is the Lin Feng I know! Departure is scheduled for seven o’clock sharp the morning after tomorrow at the Jinghai Naval Port. Tomorrow, I’ll leverage every trade channel of the Xie Clan Syndicate to procure the highest-grade deep-sea antitoxins and submersible diving mana gear for you!”
“My thanks, Zhaoyuan.” Lin Feng raised his glass of juice, clinking it heartily against his friend’s. “Let’s raise our glasses. Feast your fill tonight—we prepare for a brand-new baptism of blood and iron!”
“Cheers!”
Four crystal glasses clinked together in a crisp, melodious ring, mingling with boisterous laughter beneath the starlit expanse of the Magic Capital.
Midnight.
The barbecue feast finally drew to an end. Xie Zhaoyuan departed for his own residence to mobilize logistical supplies; Gu Xiaowei, thoroughly stuffed and yawning continuously, scuttled off to her bedroom and promptly fell into deep slumber; while Ye Qingwan, having tidied the courtyard with her gentle Wood magic, softly wished Lin Feng a restful night before retiring to her quarters.
Villa No. 16 lapsed into peaceful serenity.
Lin Feng strode alone onto the expansive terrace of the third floor.
The offshore nocturnal squall blew steadily stronger, laden with briny salt and the distant, rhythmic crash of breakers resounding from the coastline of the Magic Capital. Resting both hands against the marble balustrade, Lin Feng cast his deep, unblinking gaze toward the eastern horizon.
Far beyond the sight of mortals, across the vastness where Blood Wave Bay held dominion, towering ink-black clouds roiled in turbulent fury. Jagged arcs of silver lightning cleaved the gloom, intermittently illuminating monstrous oceanic swells churning with savage madness. The boundless deep was like a primeval behemoth coiled within the abyss, waiting with bared maw to swallow any mortal reckless enough to trespass upon its domain.
“Blood Wave Bay...” Lin Feng murmured under his breath, his hand instinctively coming to rest over his chest.
Thump-thump... Thump-thump...
Beneath his linen shirt, pressed firmly against his skin, the Primordial Dragon Pendant suddenly began vibrating with violent, rhythmic tremors.
It was no shudder of fear. It was an uncanny, primordial resonance vibrating with insatiable excitement!
Surges of scorching warmth surged from the pendant, filtering through his meridians and flooding straight into the deepest sanctum of his Sea of Consciousness. The slumbering Black Dragon Artifact Spirit resting within the pendant’s internal dimension stirred as if awakened from an eon of dreaming. Lin Feng could distinctly hear a low, majestic draconic rumble echoing in his ears, vibrating from the unfathomable depths of antiquity.
Stranger still, the Dragon Pendant appeared to be reacting to an ephemeral yet horrifyingly potent ancestral aura emanating from that exact direction across the eastern coast—from the abyssal trenches of Blood Wave Bay, ten thousand fathoms beneath the waves!
Beneath that blood-tinted coral trench... could there be something far greater than a mere vein of elemental mana ore?
Did those unfathomable depths conceal a primeval secret tied to the origins of the Primordial Dragon Clan, or perhaps the submerged ruins of an ancient seal buried by the ocean across ten thousand years of unrecorded history?
Lin Feng slowly clenched his fist.
Crackle!
At the tips of his five fingers, a crackling filament of violet-black lightning shaped like a dancing Yaksha demon flickered to life, intertwining with the radiant golden-crimson flames of the Scarlet Flowing Flame. The two destructive energies coiled together in a lethal helix, casting a fierce, burning light across the youth’s dark pupils—a reflection of an indomitable will to conquer whatever lay ahead.
The sea wind whipped through his hair, his coat snapping violently against the darkness of the night.
The chapter of petty academy scuffles had officially drawn to a close.
Before him lay the boundless expanse of sea and sky—the blood-soaked proving grounds of genuine monsters, and the dawn of a blazing new odyssey toward the zenith of magic!