Chapter 123 – When Did You Get the Idea That I Only Know Fire Magic?

At this moment, the competition for several rare Three-Star Remnant Souls was at its fiercest. Two had already found their owners, while the rest… were still being contested by experts among the veteran Lords.

They occasionally stared intently at the arena, occasionally sneaked glances at their competitors, and when their eyes met by chance, sparks would fly.

In arena battles, especially in multiple rounds, strength was undoubtedly the most crucial factor, but strategy was equally indispensable.

These ‘veteran Lords’ hadn’t been incarnated for very long, and the number of Elite-level commanders under their command was limited—at most a few, and at least only one or two.

Determining whether their opponents still had aces up their sleeves was what these Lords were racking their brains over at the moment. They often waited until the arena countdown was nearly over before sending their own commanders into the fray.

Mu Yuan turned his gaze toward the two most precious pillars of light.

The Hero’s Token and the Secret Realm Key.

Perhaps because the veteran Lords were still focused on the rare Three-Star Remnant Souls, the competition for these two items had not yet begun.

“The competition for the Hero’s Token will undoubtedly be the fiercest, and it’s also related to the fact that no more specific information about this Secret Realm Key can be seen.”

Gambling on a Secret Realm that might not suit oneself was certainly far less appealing than possessing a Hero’s Token with limitless possibilities.

This was a divine artifact that even many seasoned Lords sought but could not obtain.

That he could “pick one up” in the wild was truly a testament to his luck.

“If I have Deadbone compete for the Secret Realm Key, it’s probably quite safe, but I’m afraid I’ll miss out on the Hero’s Token…”

He wanted to be greedy!

To achieve this, he could employ a little tactic.

“Dolai! I leave it to you.”

“Gurgle~!”

Mu Yuan walked straight toward the pillar of light containing the Secret Realm Key and reached out to touch it.

「Prompt: Please select your troop.」

「Devour Slime · Dolai!」

Dolai, appearing in human form—fully mimetic posture—wore an ordinary but +3 azure blue robe. It stepped onto the ground within the manifested spacious battlefield.

The countdown had already begun, the hourglass slowly trickling.

Dolai crossed its arms, its clear eyes scanning the surroundings: Who else is there? I, Dolai, can take on ten!

The sudden opening of the arena startled the veteran Lords competing for the Remnant Souls on the other side.

“The new Lord has no martial virtue! He actually opened the arena while we were unprepared!”

“Young man, the waters of this Secret Realm Key are too deep; you can’t handle it!”

“Let’s eliminate this Tianyuan junior first, then we brothers can compete seriously among ourselves.”

“Agreed!”

A veteran Lord spoke up, brimming with confidence.

Only one person had a grave expression in his eyes.

He was Liu Cheng of Boulder Territory, and he had experienced the terror of this “fire mage.”

“However, I was careless in the previous battle. If we fought again, it’s hard to say who would emerge victorious.”

He had thought about how to fight.

It had to be fast, accurate, and ruthless, not giving this “fire mage” a chance to transform into a turret.

Of course, that wasn’t enough. To ensure victory over this opponent, Liu Cheng had also borrowed a pearl from a friend that could enhance fire resistance.

Facing this fire mage girl again, he had at least an 88% chance of winning.

However,

“I want to save my ace for the acquisition of the Hero’s Token, so I won’t have the chance to face her again. What a pity.”

…

Boom—Fireballs rained down like cannonballs, continuously crashing amidst tremors and roars as Dolai effortlessly dispatched the third challenger.

“Hiss!”

An old lord gasped sharply, “Is this the caliber of the nation’s top-ranked? Beyond imagination!”

The three challengers Dolai defeated weren’t particularly strong—all merely at the Peak Professional Tier.

They were probes by the old lords.

Yet even so, Dolai displayed an aura of invincibility.

Time ticked away, and for several consecutive minutes, no new generals stepped forward. The lords were deliberating—to defeat this fire-mage girl who could unleash fireballs without pause and deliver absurdly high damage, they would need to deploy their main champions.

But if a main champion were defeated…

Soon, a Halberdier who had just entered the Elite Rank made a move. After dozens of exchanges, they still fell to the fire-mage girl.

However, this forced her to reveal her true power—flight.

A powerful lord prepared to act.

Water Lord, Lu Hongfei. He was one of the most competitive lords present, on par with Wangtian Lord.

Even so, even facing only a main champion of a novice lord…

Water Lord remained cautious.

“Her performance against the Halberdier still wasn’t her full strength. Her true killing move is a Grand Fireball Art with devastating power—even a fully-formed energy armor can’t withstand it!”

Liu Cheng’s whisper echoed in Water Lord’s ear.

He had some acquaintance with Liu Cheng.

After paying a certain price, he obtained more detailed intelligence on the fire-mage girl and borrowed a treasure orb from Liu Cheng that could enhance fire resistance.

Everything was in place, victory assured.

“Let me witness what the legendary top rookie is truly capable of.”

“Go, my general, tear the enemy to shreds!”

A gray shadow stepped into the arena.

It stood over two meters tall, its bulging muscles covered in dense gray fur, its body slightly hunched, with spiky fur protruding from the exposed back of its head.

Its eyes were crimson, and its armor bore sharp spikes, accentuating its ferocity and bloodlust.

“It’s the Wolf Warrior!”

The Wolf Warrior’s grade was slightly lower than a giant’s, but this general had campaigned alongside Water Lord for years, boasting illustrious battle achievements and a high Rank. Its eyes fixed intently on the distant figure, beneath the bloodthirsty gaze lay the cunning of a seasoned veteran.

It possessed intelligence! No longer bound by instinct alone, it could execute more precise maneuvers under command.

The moment the countdown for the duel above the arena reached zero, the Wolf Warrior immediately erupted with energy, a blazing aura surging upward, instantly coiling and intertwining to form a full-body energy armor.

Boom—!

The ground cracked, spiderweb-like fissures spreading in all directions, and the Wolf Warrior vanished from sight.

The next second, it appeared beside the fire-mage girl, a massive machete taller than the girl herself sweeping horizontally.

Yet it still struck empty air!

She ascends so quickly! Water Lord thought to himself.

‘Because it’s a Leap Strike!’

Standing high in the sky, Dolai raised her delicate hand, condensing one scorching fireball after another in the blink of an eye, then hurling them ceaselessly toward the earth.

But the Wolf Warrior easily charged out from the fireball barrage, its energy armor barely damaged.

It grabbed one short blade after another from a storage device it carried, muscles bulging as it fiercely hurled them.Blades pierced through the sky, emitting sharp whistling sounds.

The airborne fire mage girl dodged most of them, but two short blades still struck her, tearing through her thin spell robe.

Clang—!

A metallic clang echoed from beneath the robe.

“She’s wearing treasure armor underneath!”

“As expected, how could a top-tier second-generation general not have at least three or four rare pieces of equipment?”

(Mu Yuan: Sorry, I’m poor. My fault.)

The fire mage girl continued to rain down fireballs.

The Wolf Warrior kept sprinting, emerging from the explosive flames while occasionally retaliating with hidden weapon ambushes.

The two generals seemed locked in a stalemate.

But maintaining the energy armor consumed a great deal, and if the deadlock continued, the Wolf Warrior would inevitably be the first to falter.

That’s how it should have been.

“Fortunately, I borrowed the Fire Resistance Orb from Liu Cheng.”

“With the Wolf Warrior clad in rare-grade treasure armor and equipped with the Fire Resistance Orb, even taking a few fireballs head-on would only cause superficial wounds, not affecting its combat effectiveness. If the fire mage girl attempts to cast a ‘Super Fireball,’ I can still activate the Wolf Warrior’s energy armor in time!”

So judged the Water Lord.

Under his direction, the Wolf Warrior had long shed its energy armor, maintaining only a faint glow of energy to mislead its opponent.

In reality, the Wolf Warrior’s energy consumption was minimal, and if the stalemate persisted, the advantage would significantly tilt in its favor.

Victory was within reach!

This was the seasoned tactics of an old Lord.

Even in the future, when the Tianyuan Lord stood atop the heights of Taixuan, he would never forget this deeply ingrained lesson.

But suddenly, the fire mage girl in mid-air ceased her bombardment.

‘Has she run out of energy?’

‘No, it couldn’t be that fast.’

Then, she raised her arm once more, fingertips crackling with dazzling electric sparks.

Faint arcs of lightning flickered in her eyes.

Blinding thunderbolts crashed down from the sky, one after another, as relentless as the earlier machine-gun fireballs.

The Wolf Warrior was forced to hastily manifest its energy armor but still sustained significant injuries.

The next moment,

Winds surged, layer upon layer of visible cyan cyclones swirling around the fire mage girl’s form, transforming into roaring, saber-like blades that slammed down.

They carved smooth, clean cuts into the ground and shattered gaps in the Wolf Warrior’s energy armor, forcing it to boost energy output to repair the armor.

But it was merely a desperate struggle as it fled across the battlefield.

Amid flames, thunder, and wind,

As if countless calamities raged, pursuing the gray figure.

The Water Lord’s pupils contracted sharply.

He stared at the girl hovering high in the sky, calmly unleashing endless disasters with ease.

Her eyes seemed clear yet foolish, appearing harmless.

But to him, it was the greatest mockery.

“When did you get the illusion that I only knew fire magic?”

Yes, when was it?

Liu Cheng, you’ve misled me!

Under the relentless bombardment, the Wolf Warrior eventually exhausted its energy and was defeated.

…

“I, Dolai, am so amazing~!”

In the mental link, a certain someone declared, accompanied by a slime striking a proud, hands-on-hips emoji.

It was so versatile, without any weaknesses, and clever.

Shaking the hearts of every Lord.

The young Liu Cheng fell into self-doubt.

The other Lords hesitated uncertainly.Now was not the time to marvel at “how terrifying this child is,” but rather… whether they still had any chance to challenge and defeat this young woman whose depths were completely unfathomable.

She was too mysterious!

Just like the Tianyuan Lord who had appeared out of nowhere and whose identity remained a puzzle to this day.

The combination of flight and rapid spell bombardment was also quite shameless. Most of the main generals in their territory would find it frustrating to fight against this mysterious young woman.

The Water Lord also hesitated.

He actually had another general in reserve, stronger than the Fierce Wolf Knight, but after wavering for a moment, the Water Lord still shook his head.

This general was originally his trump card reserved for competing for the Hero’s Token—how could he use it here?

“Ding~!”

In the distance, the treasure hunt for the Hero’s Token was suddenly initiated by a certain lord.

Like ignited fireworks, it drew the attention of the vast majority of lords.

In an instant, the number of challengers drastically decreased.

After Dolai defeated two rather weak elite-level challengers, it sat idly suspended in mid-air, swaying back and forth.

Time passed.

“Ding!”

“Prompt: You have obtained the special item ‘Secret Realm Key.’ For details, please check yourself.”

And at that moment—

Boom—

Liu Cheng’s giant heavily crashed to the ground, regretfully withdrawing from the competition for the Hero’s Token.

The battle was exceptionally fierce.

Average elite-level generals seemed like mere extras, defeated in just over a dozen moves.

Even so, some veteran lords gritted their teeth and sent out their own generals, gambling for that slim chance.

They were willing to forsake other treasures just to contend for the faint hope of the Hero’s Token.

Because it represented infinite possibilities!

The other lords stood on the periphery, watching from afar with envy—they didn’t even have the chance to fight for that slim hope and were destined to remain spectators.

The Tianyuan Lord, whose “general had already fought,” stood among the crowd of spectators, watching from a distance without any intention of stepping forward.

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(End of Chapter)