Here is Delson Royal City , 1 of the 5 major cities of the Starry Sky Continent . The power of the Temple of the Dark Gods is very strong here . The temple is a continuous group of gigantic stone buildings , with 5 main gods having their own temples for the worshippers to visit .
The checkered glass windows had been covered by thick black cloth, and in the pure white shell, the green mist gently held Gloria aloft in the darkness, relieving her of any exertion. War spirits played cheerfully in the green mist as purple electric filaments darted about.
"Mr. Chairman, you've seen it, haven't you," a few strands of ethereal green light fluttered. It was the same presiding temple chairman as before. Gloria was demonstrating the power of the Tear of the Goddess to him.
The chairman's tone also revealed surprise, "It's perfect, a perfect blend of alchemy and necromancy! Gloria, you've done very well, and I'll remember this merit for you."
Gloria was delighted, "Thank you, Mr. Chairman." She paused and asked, "So what are your plans for the future?" The chairman couldn't hold back his excitement, "He's a talent. I'm going to change my previous decision. Gloria, I command you, at all costs, win over this powerful alchemist. He can so perfectly combine alchemy and necromancy; he's the one that the Goddess Hel has been searching for. Once you've confirmed his loyalty, we can start that plan!"
Gloria blushed slightly at "at all costs"; she knew exactly what it meant. But she was also a little resentful; she had hinted at her feelings for him several times, but that guy was as unresponsive as a piece of wood. Gloria was always very confident in herself; her appearance, demeanor, conversation, temperament, and status at least put her among the top ten girls on the continent. She had secretly admired aristocratic girls that could form a cavalry on their own, but this K...
Gloria was helpless, but still obediently accepted the chairman's instructions.
Today's lesson was on "Warlocks in the Shadows," a course related to dark alchemy. K only had a cursory understanding of dark alchemy, but fortunately, he had the "good person's" alchemy notebook and had crammed overnight. Now K could pretend to be knowledgeable about dark alchemy, and have some purely academic discussions with some senior mentors about the issues of dark alchemy.
That was because, for the time being, he didn't have the ability to practice immediately.
After straightening his warlock robe and patting his emblem, K walked proudly towards East Victory College.
As soon as he stepped forward, before he even set foot on the ground of East Victory College, a hand pulled him back.
K was taken aback. Although he wasn't a warrior by profession, he was not to be trifled with in a fight, and his strength was quite considerable from his cultivation of internal elixirs.
Even though he was unprepared, the fact that the person could approach him from behind without him noticing meant that they were certainly more skilled in the powers of a warrior.
K turned his head and saw a shadow coming at him. He realized that it wasn't good and his body reacted almost instinctively by quickly moving backward.
This move was part of K's "Body Forging Technique" called "Eluding Rabbit." It looked simple but was very fast and often had unexpected effects at critical times.
Indeed, with the "Eluding Rabbit," he disappeared with a swoosh, and the opponent's slap missed. Otherwise, K's face would now surely be imprinted with five fiery fingerprints.
K was annoyed; who on earth had the audacity to stop him at the school gate and give him a big slap.
The girl in front wasn't very old, at most fifteen or sixteen, a little older than Princess Feifei. However, the thing she was carrying in her other hand surprised K: a small drum hammer.
The drum hammer was forged from the heaviest metal on this world, "Dragon Steel." The density of Dragon Gorge was hundreds of times that of steel, so a normal drum hammer would weigh just over 20 pounds, but one made of Dragon Steel would weigh at least 2,000 pounds!
K couldn't help but be amazed; in ancient legends, the first hero of the Sui and Tang dynasties, Li Yuanba, used a hammer that weighed only 800 pounds, but this fierce and petite girl was even stronger than the legendary hero.
She didn't have a school emblem on her, and K frowned, "You're not a student of East Victory College?" The girl, with her terrifying drum hammer, glared fiercely at K, "Of course not. I am a teacher here! But today I have come to teach you as your senior!"
K burst into laughter, "Little sister, how old are you this year? A senior, haha…"
The girl angrily said, "No laughing!" She slammed the school gate with her drum hammer, causing a flash of magic light to burst from the strong magic pillar, but unfortunately the magic shield could not withstand the assault, the hammer shattered the magic shield and left a dense crack in the magic pillar.
"Gaga... Bang!" The stone pillar at the school gate collapsed with a rumble, and the students coming and going had already distanced themselves when they saw the violent little girl. The collapse of the pillar didn't cause any casualties.
Ge Zheng was dumbfounded: He recognized the magical defense on the stone pillar, a seventh-level defensive magic, and it was effortlessly shattered by a little girl's hammer. What's more, the little girl didn't emit any fighting spirit, which meant that she achieved such dreadful destructive power simply by her own strength!
"If you want this lady to be your cousin, this lady refuses. Let me tell you, I am Peirin's cousin, Vixi Murphy!" Vixi gestured with the terrifying hammer in her hand as she spoke.
Ge Zheng was taken aback, "How could you be Peirin's cousin? She's older than you!" Vixi lifted her chin, "That's right, I'm younger than her, but I am her cousin!"
Ge Zheng showed an admiring look, "I sincerely admire your father and Peirin's grandfather!"
Vixi proudly waved her hammer, "Of course, my old man is amazing, otherwise how could he have raised such an excellent daughter as me? It's only natural that you admire him! But don't expect me to forgive you because of this! You should never have crossed my darling Peirin. You should know, I grew up under Peirin's care..."
At this point, Ge Zheng really didn't know what to say.
"So, you can bully me, but dare you bully my big darling?" Vixi said, then swung her hammer at Ge Zheng's waist. If she hit him with the swing, Ge Zheng might have been sent back through time, without needing to think about earning credits or collecting materials again.
However, Ge Zheng didn't want to risk his luck.
"Hey hey, since you are also a teacher at the academy, you should abide by the rules. How can you come to find trouble with me because I disciplined my student?" Ge Zheng said, dodging while speaking.
He refrained from using his Matrix Shift Shields for now. Ge Zheng knew of a certain type of person who was naturally a battle maniac. If he revealed his Matrix Shift Shields, it might only further provoke the fierce little girl's desire for battle.
Vixi's martial art skills were only considered exceptional, not outstanding. However, her violent nature made people very anxious; once she latched on, there was no backing down. She was the youngest daughter of the Imperial Prime Minister, a rare position. Moreover, behind Vixi, there was an even more extraordinary figure, Ada Waiden, one of the three great war gods of the continent.
One dares to antagonize the Prime Minister of the Empire, and one does not want to provoke Ada Waiden. Those who are unafraid of angering Ada Waiden are unwilling to provoke the family of the Prime Minister of the Empire.
Therefore, in the East Victory Academy, Vixi became a fierce character feared by everyone.
With the hammer striking fiercely, Ge Zheng realized something was wrong as time passed. At first, he managed to dodge easily, with plenty of space to maneuver, effortlessly avoiding Vixi's attacks. But gradually, Vixi's relentless strikes became more intense. Ge Zheng saw the seriousness on her young face, as if struggling hard to perform this martial art.
Ge Zheng had already realized that no matter how he dodged, or whether he dodged at all, Vixi was following her fixed rhythm with the hammer. What's even more fearful was that as time went on, it seemed that her burden increased and, in other words, the force of each blow grew stronger.
Gradually, without relying on fighting spirit, Vixi's hammer began to emit a howling wind and thunderous sound.
It created a special "momentum," turning Ge Zheng's easy evasion into a desperate escape. Within this "momentum," Ge Zheng increasingly found his space being gradually compressed, and soon he would have nowhere to evade.
He internally lamented. In this purely powerful "momentum," Ge Zheng couldn't even deploy his Matrix Shift Shields anymore. His space had been compressed, and the shields needed a certain amount of space to operate. A misjudgment had led him to this passive predicament.
Obviously, Vixi's skill in martial arts was not yet able to control this hammer technique. Later, the little girl also displayed a panic on her face. Despite her boldness, she was just fooling around. If she really killed a senior instructor from the academy, it would be troublesome.
When her master taught her this hammer technique, he repeatedly admonished her not to use it carelessly before she turned seventeen, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.
Initially, Vixi only wanted to teach Ge Zheng a small lesson. She had unexpectedly hit him with a crisp slap and then stepped on him, demanding that he admit his mistakes, return all the credits to her elder niece, and give her two perfect scores in graduation. Of course, in Vixi's eyes, this was indeed a "small" punishment.
However, as Ge Zheng dodged the surprise attack with the unusual martial arts move "Rabbit Escape," Vixi, feeling her dignity challenged, was determined to discipline him. Her position in the academy was at stake if she couldn't bring Ge Zheng back to teach him a lesson.
Because of this peculiar martial arts move "Rabbit Escape," Ge Zheng's status in Vixi's eyes immediately rose to that of a formidable opponent. She could only think of this secret hammer technique transmitted by her master to defeat him.
But she didn't know that Ge Zheng was all talk and no action. When displaying this hammer technique, Ge Zheng immediately revealed her ploy. However, Vixi was already unstoppable, and Ge Zheng was also entangled by her "momentum." Now, he could only brace himself and continue fighting.
As the fierce winds swept by, Ge Zheng felt like he was in a grinding machine. Any brush with the violent gusts would instantly shred his clothes. Several mishaps had already riddled Ge Zheng's wizard robe with holes.
"Hey! Little girl, have you had enough? Can you stop now?" Ge Zheng realized the situation was dire. The violent little girl, with her lips tightly sealed, her fingers gripping the dragon steel hammer, had turned slightly pale, and the bottom of her eyes showed a faint redness—she had exerted too much force.
Ge Zheng silently lamented, quickly pondering how to break free.
"Hoo, hoo..." The wind grew increasingly mournful, mixed with bursts of thunder. Vixi had to use both hands to grip the hammer, and at this point, electric sparks occasionally shot out from it.
The battleground created by the two seemed like a road roller, rolling from the school gate and deep into the academy. The four magical stone pillars hardly provided any resistance, all of them shattered under Vixi's hammer.
Inside the academy, a furious gale raged, lifting up the evergreen trees, while debris danced in the air as if demonic spirits. The smooth ground became pockmarked, the stone slabs on the pavement were all lifted, the destructive power even surpassing that of a rampaging large magical beast.
Eldar, the headmaster of the Warrior Department, had not yet returned after escorting Master Benert, but Angte, the headmaster of the Assassin Department, was the first to arrive at the scene. However, he couldn't find a way to control the two, so he had no choice but to stand aside and send students to immediately inform Headmaster Ramel and the headmaster of the Magic Department, Angnal.
When Angnal arrived, he immediately cast a magical barrier, truly living up to his reputation as a powerful mage second only to the Sunset God of Magic, Ramel. His intervention at least immobilized the two.
Ge Zheng looked at the magical barrier outside and felt an urge to curse. With the constraint, his space became even more limited!
A strong wind swept across his waist, and Ge Zheng quickly inhaled, his stomach shrinking back, narrowly avoiding a dangerous threat. With a "crack," his clothes were shredded on the stomach. Below Ge Zheng's small belly, a patch of body hair was exposed...
At this moment, in the face of danger, Ge Zheng was surprisingly composed, and even comforted himself silently: Fortunately, there was no major exposure.
But tucking in his belly was difficult, now that he had been pushed to the limit. Seeing a hammer coming toward him, Ge Zheng was really angry. In this life-and-death situation, he no longer cared. He shouted, "Alchemist's Sword!"
A green-golden light pierced through the fierce wind like an unyielding phoenix in a storm, effortlessly cutting through the surrounding hurricane. As Vixi swung her hammer, the alchemical flying sword gently twisted, instantly turning the heavy dragon steel hammer into countless sparkling silver flakes.
Although the dragon steel hammer was extremely heavy, how could its hardness compare to Ge Zheng's Alchemist's Sword? The sharp flying sword seemed to strike only once, yet this move was the most profound interpretation Ge Zheng could recall.
The hammer was thoroughly crushed, and the attack naturally disintegrated. Ge Zheng barely escaped, while Vixi was left dumbfounded, holding the broken half of the hammer, the broken section smooth as a mirror.
Ge Zheng looked around to see onlookers and quickly took out a piece of clothing from his storage space to wrap around his waist, then rushed forward and restrained Vixi's small face—back when Miss Feifei was disobedient, Ge Zheng had had the impulse to pinch her cheek more than once, but it was just an impulse. Unexpectedly, in his anger today, before so many people, he actually carried it out!
This was just an action of an older brother disciplining a little girl, but the normally overbearing Vixi in the academy couldn't bear it. She seemed to be shocked, and then, with a cry, she ran away, her two pigtails swinging, tears falling.
The spectators looked at Ge Zheng, dressed strangely but now with a sincerely respectful gaze—just like his admiration for Vixi’s father.
Master Aquina and Headmaster Ramel, out of breath, arrived just in time to witness the final scene. Master Aquina shook his head inwardly: The alchemical department had provoked such a devil, and there would be no peace from now on.
Ramir saw that Ge Zheng actually twisted the little face of Vi Xi, feeling extremely pleased. This dangerous action is something he had wanted to do for a long time, having fantasized about it countless times in his heart. He wanted to twist this disobedient troublemaker to teach her a lesson.
But this little troublemaker's master was his old enemy, and her father was his benefactor. Ramir could only indulge in his fantasy in his heart. If he really did it, the next day, Adavenir would use her god-slaying hammer to smash his office tower. And the Prime Minister of the Empire definitely wouldn't grant him gold coins to rebuild the office tower.
"Little Ge, I was right about you. Very good, very good!" Ramir patted Ge Zheng's shoulder with a beaming smile, almost saying "I have high hopes for you."
The headmaster's eyes flashed with a hint of coldness. Ge Zheng's weapon was obviously not an artifact. What exactly it was, Ge Zheng did not say, and Ramir did not ask. Everyone has their own secrets, and Ramir pretended not to have seen it. Regardless, this talent was in his academy.
Master Aqwain kept shaking his head, lamenting in his heart, "Headmaster, aren't you causing trouble?"
"But the academy gates..." Ge Zheng hesitated. Ramir casually waved his hand, "The academy gates have been broken by this little troublemaker three or four times. One more time won't hurt."
"Headmaster, what's going on?" A man wearing a silver mage robe and a sullen face quickly walked over, seeing the mess on the ground, his expression darkened even more. Director Bill, the discipline master, followed closely behind him.
Ge Zheng already guessed: this person must be the first vice-headmaster, Andenis.
Sure enough, Ramir shrugged and said, "Andenis, no need to ask. Within this academy, besides that little troublemaker, who else dares to break the school gate?"
Bill stepped forward and whispered in his ear, glancing at Ge Zheng. Andenis stared at Ge Zheng, "So, who else was with her causing this mess in the academy?"
Ge Zheng smirked inwardly but maintained his composure, looking calmly at the first vice-headmaster.
"It was me," he declared.
"I knew it was you, you brat. Since you arrived at the academy, you've been causing trouble nonstop," Bill fumed.
Ge Zheng couldn't help but smile, "Director Bill, it seems like trouble is finding me, not the other way around, right?"
As Bill was about to retort, Andenis raised his hand, and Bill reluctantly stepped back. "That's right, isn't it?"
"And who was with her causing this mess in the academy?" the first vice-headmaster queried.
Ge Zheng's heart chuckled, but he maintained his calm outward demeanor, looking directly at the first vice-headmaster with indifference.
"Exactly, it's me."
"I knew it was you," Bill huffed. Ge Zheng's unquenchable impudence seemed to get on the first vice-headmaster's nerves, "This person is the newly famous chief alchemy instructor from the alchemy department, right?" The demeanor of the first vice-headmaster changed, trying to appear amiable, but his face, resembling that of a world creditor, made it hard to warm up to him.
"I'm the one called Ge Zheng."
"Heh, young man with a future. Work hard. The future of the Eastern Victory Academy ultimately rests on you." He tossed out a couple of platitudes and then turned to Ramir, "Headmaster, I have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave."
Accompanied by the discontented Bill, Andenis left. Ramir frowned, muttering, "Why did that guy change his tune today..."
Ge Zheng was also puzzled. Originally, when he saw Andenis approaching with an aggressive air, he thought that it would lead to a battle of wits and words, but he didn't expect Andenis to let him off so easily.
"Alright, everything is fine. Everyone, let's go back to class," Ramir called out. The headmaster also summoned the staff from the logistics department, "Tidy up the campus, file an itemized list of all costs, add a zero to the amounts, and send it to the Prime Minister."
The gloomy Andenis and Bill left the campus. Bill was unwilling to let it go, "Why didn't you punish that brat? Look at his attitude, it's clear he doesn't respect you!"
The air of friendliness vanished as Andenis turned around, but this glowering air actually made his face more harmonious - as if this man was naturally born to wear a face of scheming.
"Hmph, with that guy Ramir around, and Akwain too, do you think we can punish him?" Bill seemed to understand, "Your point is..." "Don't worry, next month Ramir will attend the President's Exchange Conference of the Five Great Academies in the Holy Socotra City of the Dandela Empire. When that time comes... Hmph!"
"Brilliant, sir!" The highest level of ass-kissing mastery - guards and kisses: leaving no opportunity to slip by.
After everyone dispersed, Ge Zheng stealthily picked up the broken hammer handle from the ground. "It's really heavy..."