Chapter 46

Chapter 46

The atmosphere turned inexplicably eerie. The Danatec student with the fine cracks on his face seemed to have sensed the strangeness he had inadvertently revealed. Silently, he withdrew his gaze and turned his face, using the shadows to conceal the bizarre half of his visage.

At that moment, the normal shadow beneath him suddenly twisted, then started creeping forward like a living creature. Above the shadow, strange black liquid began to form, flowing steadily towards Li Qingzhi. It emitted an undeniable aura of danger, yet was subtle enough to evade immediate detection.

As it drew closer to Li Qingzhi, Albin, who was possessing the body, frowned. He realized that the situation wasn't as straightforward as he'd initially thought.

He could have effortlessly taken away the Eastern mage who piqued his interest. However, the annoyance was that Elmont's team leader, Ludwig, seemed to be under some sort of delusion, constantly positioning himself between Li Qingzhi and Albin, preventing any attempt to seize the opportunity. In silence, he kept Li Qingzhi from descending into the inescapable abyss.

Ludwig's strength was not to be underestimated, a fact they were aware of thanks to Amelia's prior intelligence.

Although Albin felt contempt for this, their operation was only halfway through. If he caused chaos now, it would likely disrupt Noah and Amelia's subsequent plans.

After his premature move last time, he had been coerced with the promise of freedom. If he couldn't restrain himself again, he might not get out alive.

With this in mind, Albin, temporarily inhabiting the Danatec student's body, gritted his teeth. Despite his growing frustration over missed opportunities, he decided to suppress his agitation. Fixing his gaze on his prey, he resolved to savor the feast at the end.

After all, good things were worth waiting for.

In the end, Ilbin turned away, retracting the shadow and black liquid he had extended towards Li Qingzhi. Everything returned to silence, and the focused contestants didn't notice this subtle movement.

Despite the delay caused by Elmont's intervention after Li Qingzhi was attacked, the significant lead they had established earlier allowed them to maintain their position, albeit with Danatec's team visibly fatigued.

As the finish line approached, both teams surged forward with their remaining strength. Despite the energy expended in evading the ambush, Li Qingzhi gritted his teeth, continuing to supply magic power to Xiao Zuo and Xiao You to sustain their high speed.

Horace, seated on Xiao You, lent his assistance as well. Deep purple magical energy flowed from his palms, but his complexion visibly paled, revealing the strain on his already weakened body.

Only Carl, with his robust physique, continued to surge ahead. Mei Li, using water currents as makeshift skates, maintained her impressive speed. Ludvig, the strongest among them, walked at a leisurely pace in the middle of the group, seemingly relaxed and having expended little magical power. Though puzzled by Ludvig's choice not to lead, the spectators soon speculated that the blond valedictorian might be positioning himself for the benefit of the team.

"Could it be that this position allows for a better detection of potential dangers?"

After much deliberation, a member of the student council ventured a thoughtful guess.

On the other side, Catherine, who was leading the group, studied the situation on the field carefully. As if she had realized something, her expression became subtly ambiguous. "Well... Perhaps."

Catherine pressed her lips together, exerting self-control to rein in her wildly sprawling thoughts. She averted her gaze from the seat of honor, not too far from the eastern youth, pretending that she hadn't reached any significant conclusions.

"Chief Ludwig likely has his own considerations, and that position might be of utmost significance."

The student council members cheering for Ludwig on one side nodded in realization, as if they had just understood something.

Over at the Botany faculty, the students supporting Li Qingzhi were equally enthusiastic. Led by the zealous Bruce and Matthew, they cheered loudly for Li Qingzhi, especially as the racers approached the finish line.

High above in the sky, the Botany faculty spectators, striving to catch a glimpse of the race, began to frenziedly root for their own Li Qingzhi:

"Li Qingzhi! Believe in yourself!"

"You're almost there! Keep going!!"

The usually tranquil Amelia was nearly overwhelmed by the passionate cheers of the Botany freshmen. As she listened, somewhat dazed, to the roaring encouragements around her, Bruce suddenly tugged on her arm.

Startled from her reverie, Amelia turned to find her brown-haired friend devoid of any distracting emotions, but instead brimming with excitement as he pulled her into the cheering for Li Qingzhi.

Looking at Bruce's animated face, Amelia was momentarily taken aback. At the same time, she found herself involuntarily swept up by the fervent atmosphere, now eagerly anticipating Li Qingzhi's victory, even though she already knew the outcome. This unwarranted hope quietly crept into her heart, making her feel like a regular Almont student on the stands, here solely to support her best friend.

Yet, the more she sensed the genuine, unadulterated camaraderie among the crowd, the colder Amelia felt inside, knowing full well what was to come. She suddenly felt afraid; the lively scene before her starkly contrasted the silent stillness of her nightmare. Now, Almont seemed like a carefree playground, not a cemetery filled with corpses.

As the realization dawned on Amelia, her fingers suddenly turned icy cold, so much so that she dared not lift her gaze to meet Bruce's unsuspecting eyes.

She alone among the students knew what was coming. Only she.

On the other side, the Elmont spectators, undeterred by the unexpected attack, were fueled with even greater competitive spirit. They now placed even more importance on securing victory in this match.

After all, as the hosts, it would be utterly embarrassing if their student had attacked, and they couldn't afford to lose a point!

Fortunately, despite the tight race, the Elmont team ultimately pulled ahead. Their collective effort enabled them to swiftly navigate the final hidden passage of the wetland swamp. Karl and Li Qingzhi's stone lions led the way at an astonishing pace, allowing their teammates to accelerate without fear of sinking into the treacherous mire.

The Danatec team, though exceptionally strong, seemed somewhat tense or perhaps for other reasons. Their coordination was lacking, and there was an inexplicable estrangement among them. Even the plant element student in charge was strangely silent.

In the end, Elmont's teamwork, which had progressively improved, secured them the upper hand. They crossed the final passage first, scoring the first point of the competition.

"Yay!!!"

The moment victory was clinched, a burst of ecstatic cheers erupted from the watching students, especially from the student council and the plant academy. The noise threatened to lift the roof of Elmont.

Overwhelmed with genuine pride, the Elmont teachers supervising the event couldn't help but smile. Standing with them, Noah, despite losing the round, wore a cheerful grin. The lost point didn't seem to affect him at all; he was focused on the "real show" yet to come.

Upon reaching the finish line, Li Qingzhi and his companions initially experienced a fleeting surge of immense joy, but it was quickly followed by an uncontrollable wave of exhaustion seeping through their bodies.

The Danatec team arrived soon after, but their defeat was evident in their disheartened expressions. They stood there in silence, frowning and not uttering a word.

Assuming they would have a moment to rest and recover both emotionally and physically, they were caught off guard when Noah, one of the tournament hosts, unexpectedly spoke with a jovial tone:

"Everyone has shown remarkable performance! It truly was an exhilarating match!"

"And so," Noah lowered his gaze towards the nearby Elmont group, "I suppose you're all prepared for the next competition, yes?"

"Next comes the most revealing part of the exchange competition: the individual 1v1 matches where one's true strength shines through."

Upon hearing Li Qingzhi's words, despite his weariness, he quickly recalled Bruce's earlier mention that the most captivating and intense part of the exchange tournament was the one-on-one student matches.

The matchups were determined randomly, so one couldn't know their opponent precisely beforehand.

As Li Qingzhi was lost in thought, the voice of Teacher Noah from Danatec echoed again:

"Upon consultation with the esteemed teachers of Elmonte, we have decided that the pairings for this contest will be determined through a random lottery draw, my dear participants."

As the voice faded, those who had just concluded their first exchange match couldn't help but turn their gazes toward Noah, wondering how the lottery would work.

Noah waved his finger, and ten identical stone pillars emerged from the ground, with five on each side for Danatec and Elmont.

"At the base of each pillar is a unique symbol. The symbols on both sides match in sets of five."

"Simply stand by the pillar you want. Students with matching symbols will face off against each other."

Indeed, it seemed like a truly randomized method of selecting opponents.

As Li Qingzhi pondered, he, like the others, randomly chose a pillar to stand behind. With the uncertainty of his opponent, an inexplicable curiosity and a subtle sense of tension stirred within him.

Who would it be...

Would it be the spirit elementalist from Danatec skilled in mental destruction, or perhaps the fire elementalist with immense pyromantic damage?

Lost in thought, Li Qingzhi subconsciously lifted his gaze, only to suddenly lock eyes with Ludwig right in front of him.

The blond youth, without notice, had positioned himself behind the stone pillar beside him. Caught off-guard by this sudden eye contact, Li Qingzhi's mind went blank for a moment: "Ah, Ludwig..."

He subconsciously wanted to say something, but the blonde youth casually averted his gaze, as if standing next to him was merely a coincidence.

Ludwig's averted gaze left Li Qingzhi feeling a subtle sense of loss, and he quietly closed his mouth. His usual vivacity was suppressed, and the delicate emotions that had just surged within him due to a mere glance now turned sour.

Yet, at that moment, Noah announced the outcome of the random draw.

Li Qingzhi lifted his gaze to the sky, where golden luminous magical symbols were materializing. He effortlessly located the one that mirrored his own.

The dark-haired youth promptly glanced down instinctively toward the symbol, eager to discern which opponent he would be facing.

Moments later, as Li Qingzhi lowered his gaze, he found to his surprise that the opponent he was about to face was none other than a plant elemental student from Danatec.

Li Qingzhi had actually noticed this person quite early on. After all, the student's appearance was far too pale and withered, appearing much weaker than even Horace. It was hard not to take notice.

In that moment, as Li Qingzhi realized that this person was his opponent, he instinctively wanted to steal another glance in their direction. However, the plant elemental student suddenly turned their face, obscuring their expression.

By now, everyone was clear about their opponents. After Mei Li lifted her head to take another look, she raised her fist to cheer them on, "We'll definitely win!"

Carl also nodded and said, "Of course, you all must work hard too. Don't lose."

Horace chuckled. "Well, we'll see about that."

Li Qingzhi quickly joined in the pre-match morale-boosting, looking sincerely at everyone before him. "Mm-hmm, we definitely can do this."

Carl's expression darkened slightly. "Hey, can't you tell Horace is actually insulting me?"

Upon hearing this, Li Qingzhi looked puzzled. "Is he?"

Horace, on the other hand, wore a hint of a smile. Then, he looked at Li Qingzhi and said, "Ignore him."

Upon hearing this, the increasingly irate Carl was about to address both Horace and Li Qingzhi, but he fell silent upon meeting Ludwig's gaze.

Faced with the blonde youth's suddenly icy, murderous gaze, Carl, who felt a chill run down his spine, couldn't help but grumble inwardly:

Have I done anything? I didn't provoke him... Why is he suddenly giving me such a fierce look?

Ten minutes later.

They arrived at the duel arena, which had been prepared by the wetlands swamp.

The first match was Li Qingzhi's.

Noah smiled at the other teachers and said, "This lottery result is quite intriguing. I'm looking forward to seeing how your exchange student performs."

Teachers Ernest and Wendy also found their attention drawn to the field because of Li Qingzhi. Standing beside them, Noah maintained his calm smile, seemingly not at all anxious about his students' performance.

On the other side of the arena.

Li Qingzhi and Danatec's plant elemental students, as the first pair to compete, stepped into the arena for their duel.

With the signal from the referee teacher, both contestants summoned their magical beasts.

After Li Qingzhi conjured two stone lions, the Danatec student activated their summoning array.

However, at the very moment of summoning, the person let out an eerily peculiar smile.

Normally, a creature summoned through plant elemental magic would be brimming with vitality. Yet, the magical beast before them was shrouded in black, viscous liquid, revealing only a chilling eye that peered at Li Qingzhi through the terrifying, sticky substance. The massive, withered eyeball slowly rotated, its bloodshot surface filled with veins.

In an instant, Li Qingzhi was overwhelmed with an intense foreboding sensation.

Perplexed, Qingzhi instinctively turned his gaze toward the stranger, and in that fleeting moment of eye contact, he inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity.

Upon encountering the depthless, ashen eyes, a familiar voice echoed abruptly in Li Qingzhi's mind.

Click... Click... Click...

The sound of rattling chains that suddenly reverberated within Li Qingzhi's thoughts was none other than the peculiar noise he had heard all alone on the night he first arrived at Elmont!

Noticing the astonishment on Li Qingzhi's face, he recalled how, back then, he had fruitlessly tried countless times to locate the origin of that peculiar sound.

At this moment, the gray-eyed youth looking at him suddenly flashed an eerie smile, which appeared particularly chilling against his gaunt face.

"Li Qingzhi."

The stranger called out his name outright and promptly resumed his whispering, his peculiar smile growing even more exaggerated. His words were utterly perplexing.

"We meet again."

In that moment, the other teachers and students also sensed something amiss, albeit vaguely. It could be attributed to the uniqueness of Danatec's magical beast, but its perilous appearance couldn't help but arouse their vigilance.

However, before they could react to their growing alarm, the person suddenly unleashed a powerful burst of water magic. As the aquatic spell erupted across the field, inky black liquid rapidly spread from the monstrous creature, engulfing every corner of the arena. The numerous dark shadows on the ground swelled alongside the water, surging fiercely in all directions.

"Trouble!!"

As everyone instinctively reacted and took flight, it was already too late. The writhing shadows on the ground transformed into terrifying dark spirits, bursting forth from the depths with astonishing speed. Cracks, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, proliferated across the ground, and these malevolent entities began crawling frenziedly through every corner of Elmont, crazily lashing out at anyone in sight.

In the midst of this crisis, Li Qingzhi, aware of the danger, immediately soared upward to avoid contact with the suspicious black liquid. To his surprise, Ludwig had virtually instantaneously positioned himself in front of him the moment the water erupted, seemingly always attentive to Qingzhi's situation. In no time, a potent firewall shielded him from any harm.

But amidst the chaos, there was no time for further contemplation. The terrifying incident had thrown everyone into an unforeseen maelstrom of panic.

Supporting teachers hurried to restore order, but the dark souls behaved like frenzied demons, relentlessly attacking every student and devouring their magical energy. Their numbers seemed endless, and they were shrouded in black aura, reminiscent of the malevolent spirits that had once assaulted the academy.

As their magic was greedily consumed, many students with weaker reserves began to feel acute pain, collapsing unconscious to the ground.

Among them, Bruce, drained of his magic by a dark soul, lay in an unseen corner, on the brink of death. A Law maiden, standing nearby, gritted her teeth and hastily transferred some of her magic to him before rising and swiftly departing, seemingly with her own mission to attend to.

Ludwig and the student council tried to assist the teachers in regaining control, but even Headmaster Augustus's wide-ranging divine intervention could only temporarily clear the area of the dark souls. Like malevolent ghosts, they continued to surge forth from beneath the earth.

Earth Elementals and their students attempted to mend the ruptured ground, but the chasms belching black smoke clearly served as a massive portal for malevolent spirits, making immediate destruction impossible.

This was undoubtedly a premeditated attack! And the attackers were far from friendly!

At this moment, everyone in Elmont was still having their magic power drained frenziedly. The strange black liquid spread like an enormous net with an exaggerated span, completely enveloping the skies above Elmont. Countless black demons continued to desperately crawl out from the vast crevices in the earth.

An endless tide of fear began to grip the hearts of the people.

Just then, an abnormally powerful black demon, after prowling the area for some time, quickly set its sights on a figure nearby whose magic power remained abundant: "Ssshhhh-!"

In an instant, it identified its target and lunged swiftly towards Li Qingzhi!