Chapter Thirty-Four: The Aura of a Peerless Master Soars to the Heavens (Part One)

Andy returned to his room and did not immediately begin meditating; instead, he sat quietly in contemplation.

Catherine was not with him. She had said she was going out to gather information. Andy, confident in her ability to protect herself, let her go. As for her sources, since the little girl refused to reveal them, Andy, as usual, did not press her.

The intense battles throughout the day, during which he had continuously wielded flame sorcery, deepened his understanding and mastery over fire. His “Arrow of Fire” and “Fireball Spell” were now approaching the level of expert control.

Most importantly, Andy sensed that as his comprehension of flame sorcery grew, something new was slowly taking shape within his mental space. He knew it was the awakening of his “Meditation Law Talent.” All that remained was a catalyst.

Andy cast a “Fire Induction Spell,” watching the flickering flames and trying to feel their essence. Unfortunately, after a long period of focus, he achieved nothing.

Frustrated, Andy was about to give up...

Suddenly, the aura of a peerless master erupted from Viscount Colin's study next door!

Startled, Andy’s hair stood on end, and flames burst forth across his entire body. He had awakened the sorcery talent “Baptism by Fire.”

“Baptism by Fire,” a level 2 sorcery, allowed one to bathe in flames to heal minor injuries and restore some stamina. It could also temper the body, purging impurities, and offered modest, permanent enhancements: greater physical strength, improved affinity with fire, and increased resistance to flame sorcery. Though the effects were slight, their permanence made them invaluable. The spell required exhausting all one’s magical energy, with a cooldown of an hour.

Yet for Andy, who operated in an unlimited-firepower mode, magical exhaustion was not a concern; he merely had to wait for the ten-minute cooldown before he could cast “Baptism by Fire” upon himself again. Thus, his physical strength, fire affinity, and flame resistance would rapidly increase.

Thinking of this, Andy’s mood soared, and he no longer minded Bill’s startling display. He merely shouted toward the neighboring room, “Damn it, couldn’t you at least give a warning before unleashing your power?”

...

Near the Wizard’s Tower in Dallas City.

A dense blood mist enveloped the area surrounding the tower. Figures moved within the haze; they were members of the Gillian Brotherhood.

After breaking into the inner city, the Gillian Brotherhood had not entangled themselves with the City Guard but fought and retreated toward the Wizard’s Tower.

Carol, upon reaching the vicinity of the tower, excitedly activated a certain device. The blood mist began to shroud the tower. All Gillian Brotherhood members within the mist had bloodthirsty red light gleaming in their eyes. Their strength surged, and they became fearless, howling like beasts. With Carol’s battle song and dance bolstering them, the City Guard soldiers were soon slaughtered and fled in all directions.

Carol ordered his so-called Zealots—these bloodthirsty warriors—to arrange the City Guard corpses around the Wizard’s Tower according to the formation he provided. Then, he commanded another group to rampage through the inner city, slaughtering and looting corpses to supplement the formation.

He was preparing a grand sacrifice to welcome the arrival of the divine envoy foretold in the oracle.

Atop the Wizard’s Tower, amidst the intricate so-called Rebirth Sorcery Array, Stein’s body had lost all vitality.

Yet the body connected to Stein’s, Edward’s, was trembling ceaselessly. Bulging veins writhed across his face like worms. Were anyone privy to his spiritual world, they would witness an intense battle unfolding within.

Stein was losing ground in Edward’s spiritual world.

Initially, after activating the sorcery array, everything proceeded smoothly for Stein. Even when a bizarre, inexplicable earthquake occurred, he assumed it was a natural reaction to the forbidden array’s activation. Once the tremors subsided, he felt reassured and sent his soul through the array into Edward’s body without hesitation.

The process of devouring Edward’s soul went easily for Stein; he met only token resistance. After all, an apprentice’s mental strength was no match for a bronze wizard like himself.

He finished consuming Edward’s soul and began slowly remodeling Edward’s body to withstand a wizard’s mental power. Yet, just as he completed the transformation and his soul was still weak, disaster struck—

A pitch-black soul entity suddenly burst from the “Rebirth Stone” through the “Rebirth Sorcery Array” into Edward’s body, launching an immediate attack. Stein was caught off guard. He realized he had fallen into someone else’s trap.

He soon discovered that this soul entity was not stronger than him, but its essence was exceptionally pure. It steadily wore down Stein’s soul power, slow yet relentless.

Stein struggled to hold on, teetering on the brink of defeat.

Then, the aura of a peerless master erupted from the City Lord’s Mansion!

Both Stein and the soul entity battling him sensed the surge. Stein sighed inwardly, surprised that Dallas City harbored such power. Unexpectedly, the soul entity’s reaction was even more intense.

No longer silent, the soul entity cried out in panic, “His aura! How can his aura be here? Impossible, this is impossible!”

The soul entity, now frantic, attacked Stein in a disorganized manner. Seizing the opportunity, Stein counterattacked, gradually gaining the upper hand...

...

Sixty miles outside Dallas City.

Dozens of swift horses raced toward the city. The riders handled their mounts in silence, maintaining perfect formation even at full gallop.

A keen observer would sense that most riders possessed knight-level strength, the weakest among them being advanced knight squires.

These were the Stormwind Knights, hastening toward Dallas City.

At that moment, a white horse galloped from the front flank, quickly matching pace with the lead knight. Upon its back was a tall, slender knight, who appeared little more than twenty but possessed the strength of a great knight. He was Allen Barr, vice-captain of the Stormwind Knights.

“Chief, there’s a river ahead. We’ve been riding hard for hours. Should we let the brothers rest and recuperate?” Allen addressed the lead knight. Despite the galloping horses, his breath remained steady.

The lead knight, a dark-skinned, middle-aged man with a rugged face, was Ron Barton, captain of the Stormwind Knights. He glanced at Allen and replied unhurriedly, “The mission is urgent; speed is essential. We press on!”

“Yes... I knew you’d say that,” Allen shrugged in resignation.

Just then, the aura of a peerless master erupted from Dallas City!

The warhorses collectively neighed and bucked, nearly out of control. Captain Barton signaled, and the knights quietly calmed their steeds.

“Who would have thought Dallas City harbored such a formidable presence? This changes everything. Allen, are you afraid?”

“Where the sword points, life and death matter not!” Allen answered without hesitation.

“Haha! Good. Lead the brothers to the river ahead, set camp, and rest for the night. Gather strength, we enter the city tomorrow!”

“What?”

“Haha, in battle, we must forge ahead; in strategy, we must assess the situation.” Captain Barton gazed toward Dallas City, speaking in a measured tone.