In his haste, Kai unleashed his most powerful attack with the mask: six volleys, thirty-six Eye of the Sun beams total. Not all were aimed at Gade—Kai used them primarily to fend off the horde of pursuers behind him. After all, Gade was far from the only one chasing him. Compared to Gade alone, the thousands of apprentices swarming the hilly battlefield made Kai's scalp tingle.
Even so, the sheer power of the magic Kai unleashed in an instant sent a cold sweat dripping down Gade's bronze skin. "An Official Spell?!" Disbelief flashed in Gade's eyes—until he spotted the mask on Kai's face, the source of the golden beams. His charge faltered. No matter how confident Gade was in his strength, he was not foolhardy enough to tank an Official Spell with his body.
"Earth's Heart!" Gade roared, slamming his boulder-like staff into the ground. Rolling waves of earth-element energy surged toward him from all directions. He was not the only one who wielded magic rivaling Official Spells—on the path to becoming an Official Magician, Gade, the Earth Academy's peak apprentice, had gone further and deeper than Kai. Beyond already possessing traits of an Official Magician, Gade had also created his own ultimate technique:Earth's Heart—the very source of his title.
Earth's Heartwas not an offensive spell; it leaned more toward defense and utility. As long as Gade stood on solid ground, he could draw an endless stream of earth-element power to boost himself. He had been using this quasi-Official Spell since the start of the war against Thunder Shine—yet few apprentices realized that the swirling earth-element energy around him was the work of such a fearsome technique.
As Gade's shout faded, a massive earthen wall—ten meters tall and over five meters thick—erupted before him. Some of Kai's Eye of the Sun beams slammed into the wall; the few that pierced through struck Gade's earth-element armor. The thick, golden armor instantly reeked of melted glass. Gade was sent flying backward several meters, but he suffered no fatal wounds.
"Cough… cough…" Gade stood, wiping at his chest. The armor was pockmarked with deep holes, and blood oozed through. The Earth Academy's peak apprentice was now certain: the magic Kai had cast was definitely an Official Spell.
"An Official Spell from an artifact? Or is there another trick…" Gade muttered, pressing a hand to his wound. "According to my mentor, the Regional Holy Tower Academy War strictly forbids Holy Towers from gifting apprentices with powerful artifacts above Tier 1. That's blatant cheating—punishable by immediate expulsion from the trial space, and severe penalties for both the apprentice and their backing Official Magician."
As one of the Academy Dean's personal disciples, Gade knew the war's rules better than most. Every Official Magician across the Holy Towers knew them too. No magician would risk violating the rules for a disciple's ranking—the punishments were too terrifying to ignore.
There was, however, one exception: artifacts crafted by the apprentices themselves using their own knowledge and wisdom were not restricted. Before joining the war, Kai had pored over the lengthy rule addendums most apprentices ignored, and the pre-war briefings at Blue Source had also covered this. That was why he had left Xiao Qi (his other artifacts) behind and refrained from using the other Official-grade artifacts left by his mentor Moses. Everything Kai had achieved was built with his own wit and strength. If he had cheated, he would have been expelled from the trial space within the first month—long before catching the attention of those watching from outside.
Beyond the five Holy Tower Masters above the trial space, the Deans of each Academy also had limited authority to observe and supervise the apprentices' battles. If Kai had truly cheated, he would not still be here, facing the wrath of thousands of apprentices from both sides.
Yet this was precisely what confused Gade. "Could he have crafted that Official artifact himself?" The thought flashed through his mind, but Gade quickly shook his head. He was no alchemist, but as a top-tier apprentice, he understood the staggering breadth of knowledge required for auxiliary magical disciplines like alchemy, potion-making, runes, and arcane studies. To be blunt, not even powerful Official Magicians could easily craft Official-grade artifacts—so how could a mere apprentice?
Gade's frustration and confusion revealed his arrogance. The world was full of geniuses. If Gade could master traits of an Official Magician and create his own quasi-Official Spell as an apprentice, why couldn't someone else? Gade refused to believe anyone could be stronger than him.
He knew nothing of Kai's childhood—fighting to survive in the shadows of Menzoberranzan, the Underdark city. He knew nothing of the loneliness Kai endured during his years adrift in the Sand World. He knew nothing of Kai's monotonous, three-point routine at the Holy Tower Academy. He knew nothing of the fortune and effort Kai had poured into crafting a single artifact over years. How many could truly understand the hardships Kai had endured on his path to becoming a spellcaster?
Perhaps only the Guardian of Summer, watching from outside the trial space, understood a fraction. A being as powerful as she had already glimpsed Kai's secrets and seen through his facade. Even rare divination and prophecy magic—scarce in the Wizarding World—were trivial to her. Recounting events from just a few decades prior was child's play.
Kai's Eye of the Sun beams not only halted Gade's charge but also froze the advance of the nearby apprentices. The pause was brief, but it gave Kai just enough time to flee. He pushed his metal disc to its limits, while unleashing a flurry of wide-area, obstructive spells.Fire Wall—a Mid-Rank spell—proved one of his most useful tools.
High in the sky, the apprentice shrouded in golden light fled, leaving a trail of fire and flame rain in his wake. It was a spectacular sight—yet the danger Kai faced had barely diminished. Countless long-range spells now targeted him, the brightest target in the sky.
Fireball!Water Arrow!Lightning Chain!Dark Energy Orb!Earth Spear!
Spells of every kind hurtled toward Kai. Fortunately, he was high above the ground, moving fast. He twisted and weaved on his metal disc, dodging attacks with all his might. The spells flying at him were so chaotic that many collided mid-air and exploded before reaching him. Even so, the elemental shockwaves and blasts were terrifying. Within minutes, the earth-element shield around Kai was crisscrossed with cracks. Some impacts slipped through, and Kai felt blood rise in his throat—he swallowed it back, refusing to slow down.
Kai fled southwest, toward the least crowded part of the battlefield—the border where the two Holy Towers clashed. He had no time to plan beyond escaping the hills; the golden light surrounding him made him the most visible target in the entire trial space. He knew his name and deeds would soon spread across all five Holy Towers' territories—if he survived.
"Crack!" His battered earth-element shield finally shattered. As apprentices cheered, a fire-element shield flared to life around Kai. As a Quasi-Magician, he had mastered shield spells long ago, once his magic and mental power had reached the required threshold. He rarely used the self-castFire Shield, though—shield spells drained too much magic, and he usually relied on his Earth-Element Shield Ring instead. Few apprentices had ever pushed Kai this far: none had yet withstood multiple volleys of his Eye of the Sun, and his cautious nature meant he always retreated after a successful strike.
The blazing redFire Shieldblocked many incoming spells. By now, Kai had reached the edge of the hilly battlefield. He understood whyLevitation—despite its heavy magic cost—was so sought after by apprentices. On a deadly battlefield, being able to run when outmatched was invaluable. If he had tried to flee on foot, he would have been torn to shreds by spells within a kilometer.
Dozens of apprentices still chased him, but far fewer than before.Levitationwas not a spell every apprentice could learn—at minimum, one needed to be a Senior Apprentice. Moreover, as Kai flew farther, most low and mid-rank apprentices could no longer reach him. The war between the two Holy Towers had quietly resumed.
"Ah! Maeve was killed by your Earth Academy apprentices! I'll avenge her!" A male Intermediate Apprentice screamed from the battlefield. He bore little hatred for Kai—yes, Kai had killed many Thunder Shine apprentices, but their numbers were trivial compared to the total casualties on the hills. What did Kai's first place ranking matter to him? It mattered little to most of the thousands of apprentices here. Even if Kai were defeated, only one person would claim half his points—and why would that person be him?
Instead of fixating on a distant, unknown apprentice, the majority of apprentices—over 80% of those on the battlefield—directed their hatred at their immediate enemies. The Thunder Shine apprentice's rage was not unique. As Kai faded into the distance, the chaotic war returned to its brutal rhythm.
Crucially, Gade the Heart of the Earth had been delayed by Kai's Eye of the Sun beams, and his momentary doubt and confusion meant no one had rallied the apprentices to continue the pursuit. Gade's hesitation stemmed not only from his suspicion of Kai's strength and potential cheating but also from a more practical truth: Earth-element magicians were notoriously slow and clumsy, ill-suited for chasing. If other apprentices killed Kai in the pursuit, who would claim the points? If it were a Thunder Shine apprentice, Gade could accept it—but what if it were an Earth Academy comrade? Would he kill his own ally for points?
Between these doubts, the chaotic battlefield, and Kai's own array of tricks, he somehow managed to escape.
A dozen or so Senior and higher-ranked Earth Academy apprentices continued chasing Kai. Their Thunder Shine counterparts did not—Gade had already issued new orders, and a full-scale assault on Thunder Shine had resumed. The Thunder Shine apprentices were forced to return to defend their lines.
Kai was now fleeing deeper into Earth Academy territory. Gade did not order the dozen pursuers to stop—he had no authority to do so, and the apprentices were unlikely to abandon the chance to claim Kai's massive points.
Most of the Earth Academy apprentices left in their territory were low or mid-rank, guarding resource points. The academy's elites had all marched with Gade to fight in Thunder Shine territory. The remaining apprentices were weak and unskilled in combat—not every apprentice excelled at fighting and killing. Even a prestigious Holy Tower like the Earth Academy had its share of academic prodigies, focused on research rather than battle.
A bizarre sight unfolded in Earth Academy territory that day: a blinding golden beam streaked across the sky, flying straight into the heart of the territory, with a dozen tiny black dots—Earth Academy's Senior apprentices—chasing closely behind.
"What in the world…?" A low-rank Earth Academy apprentice sat atop a hill at the "Snakeberry Grove" small resource point, staring in stunned silence. The low-grade magical Snakeberry he had been biting fell from his hand, forgotten.
Note from the Author:A "Cameo Character" thread has been added in the book's forum! Readers interested in seeing their own characters—knights, magicians, magical beasts, or other otherworldly creatures—appear in the story are welcome to leave a comment. As many readers know, I struggle with naming characters, so your creativity would be a huge help! Any cameo that fits the story's setting will have a chance to appear. This book aims to reach 5 million words, and I hope to see your marks in those pages—hehe!