Awakened by the apprentices' wails just like the others, Mage Seda arrived at the scene in time and decisively took action. Although he had never cared for his apprentices' lives, they were still part of his property. Property was meant to be used, not destroyed in such a manner. Therefore, he had to step in and stop the giant rat's rampage.
Facing the giant rat's pounce—an attack terrifying enough to make an ordinary person pale in fright—Mage Seda remained unusually calm. After all, for a veteran Mage Apprentice like him, who had reached the level of a Third-class Apprentice many years ago, an ordinary 0th Ring Earth Vein Creature was truly nothing to worry about. This giant rat was neither special nor a formidable enemy.
Under Gaode's watchful gaze, Mage Seda raised his right hand. After a split-second delay, a dazzling ball of light bloomed in his palm. It shone as brilliantly as a miniature sun, momentarily blinding Gaode. If Gaode was blinded from this distance, the giant rat lunging directly at Mage Seda fared much worse. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the creature was completely blinded.
In that instant, all the rat could see was a blinding white light. It couldn't see anything else, let alone continue its attack on Mage Seda. Given the intelligence of a 0th Ring Earth Vein Creature, it naturally couldn't react in time to the sudden flash. Plunged into sudden darkness, it actually paused in place for a moment, seemingly at a loss.
That brief pause was more than enough for Mage Seda to activate his Magic Model and cast his next spell.
Ignoring the tears streaming down his face from the intense glare, Gaode strained his eyes to look at the ball of light. He vaguely saw another fiery red beam shoot out from the light, viciously and directly striking the giant rat's head.
Then, the dazzling light dissipated. The ferocious giant rat was now sprawled on the ground. It wasn't completely dead yet, but it was clinging to its last breath. Completely stripped of its previous fierce Evil Qi, it lay immobilized. Covered in scorch marks and a mangled mess of flesh and blood, it twitched occasionally, reduced entirely to the state of a pathetic sewer rat.
Seeing this, Gaode breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, his heart sank. Mage Seda's power seemed even more terrifying than he had anticipated! Whether it was the destructive power of his magic, his seamless spell-chaining, or his casting speed, everything about it filled Gaode with awe. He even found himself silently thanking the half-dead rat. It was precisely because of its appearance that he had the chance to further understand Mage Seda's true strength before they officially had a falling out.
"Stop staring! Clean this place up, and then get back to whatever you were doing!" Mage Seda swept an expressionless glance over the apprentices, who had only just mustered the courage to step out of their rooms. Giving his cold order, he turned and left.
The surviving apprentices looked at each other, still struggling to process what had happened.
Gaode, however, was already a step ahead. Pushing his door all the way open, he walked straight up to the dying giant rat and, without hesitation, stomped down on its head, snuffing out its final breath.
A free head... rat head, delivered right to his doorstep. He'd be a fool not to take it!
The Wind Spirit Moon Shadow flashed across his vision at the perfect time.
Origin:
0th Ring — [Human] (1/7), [Gray-eyed Mouse] (Used), [Dark Swamp Crawler] (Used), [Wolf Rat] (1/7).
The Earth Vein Creature attack in the Medicinal Garden passed without much fuss. The deaths of the two apprentices failed to cause even the slightest ripple. If Gaode hadn't personally helped the other apprentices bury the victims' corpses, he would have thought the Earth Vein Creature had never appeared at all.
Occasionally, the apprentices would discuss the matter in hushed tones during meals.
"Don't Earth Vein Creatures live out in the wilderness, far away from us? How did one end up in the Medicinal Garden?"
Other apprentices were confused and filled with lingering fear, to the point of losing sleep over it. "What if another Earth Vein Creature pops out of nowhere while we're sleeping at night?"
In the minds of most commoners in this world, Earth Vein Creatures were terrifying entities that exclusively inhabited the wilderness outside the cities. Cities, on the other hand, were supposed to be relatively safe and peaceful. Naturally, this was merely a misconception born of the commoners' limited knowledge and the rulers' propaganda.
"That's just what the higher-ups say. The city is massive, and there are only so many City Guards. How could they possibly keep Earth Vein Creatures out completely!" another apprentice whispered.
Eating his meal nearby, Gaode nodded slightly upon hearing this. It made sense. Even in his previous life, there was no shortage of incidents involving wild animals wandering into developed cities. Not to mention, the level of urban development in this world was rather low, leaving many unknown nooks and crannies. Moreover, there was a vast variety of Earth Vein Creatures, each possessing its own Extraordinary abilities. They were far stronger and more mysterious than ordinary beasts. How could this world manage to completely isolate them outside the city walls when his previous world couldn't even manage it with normal animals?
There were definitely Earth Vein Creatures lurking within the city, occasionally rearing their heads. It was just that even if one did appear and claim lives, it would be swiftly dealt with and the incident suppressed. The chaos caused by public panic was far worse than the deaths of one or two people. In this regard, it wasn't much different from his previous life.
If the apprentices could understand this logic, Mage Seda surely saw it even more clearly. Thus, the giant rat's appearance and nocturnal ambush hadn't stirred his emotions in the slightest. He likely just chalked it up to bad luck that it happened on his turf.
In the workshop.
Gaode sat upright, calming his mind and concentrating. Deep within his sea of consciousness, a lotus flower with only five petals emanated a faint glow. However, today, right next to the fifth petal, a new one was slowly beginning to manifest.
After more than half a month of cultivation, Gaode's Meditation Technique had advanced at a rapid pace. He was finally on the verge of a breakthrough, ready to manifest the sixth petal. The time was ripe; all he needed to do now was push through in one vigorous effort. Feeling that he was only a hair's breadth away, Gaode didn't hesitate and immediately began his breakthrough.
Focusing all his attention, he gathered his consciousness upon the lotus pedestal, using his Spirit to outline the sixth petal.
An unknown amount of time passed.
With a resonant HUM, the previously illusory sixth petal, which had only been a mere outline, finally gained a physical form as Gaode fully manifested it.
In an instant, waves of a gentle, warm current surged from the depths of his sea of consciousness, flowing through his entire body. It nourished his mind and consciousness, washing away his fatigue. The sixth petal was complete! His training in the Meditation Technique had taken another small step forward!
Opening his eyes, Gaode couldn't help but smile.
Before having a falling out with Mage Seda, any increase in strength was a good thing. Even a negligible breakthrough was worth celebrating. Who knew, it might just give him the edge he needed when the time came. His persistent cultivation over the past half-month had not been in vain.
At the same time, this proved that his intuition had been correct. Although his aptitude for cultivating the Guiding Technique hadn't changed, his Soul Talent truly far surpassed that of his predecessor. This caused his progress in the Meditation Technique to advance as if a fast-forward button had been pressed, making him much faster than the previous owner of this body. In fact, it was more than just "much faster." From this perspective, when it came to his aptitude as a Mage, he could perhaps be considered half a genius.
"The Hidden Mist Fang should be fully repaired tonight as well," he muttered. After a brief moment of excitement, Gaode quickly calmed down and returned to reality. He still hadn't overcome his biggest crisis; he couldn't afford to waste a single second.
Today marked exactly ten days since he was grounded, and the repair progress of the Hidden Mist Fang was proceeding just as he had anticipated. It was only because his Meditation Technique had coincidentally reached the point of a breakthrough, and in his urgency, he had temporarily set aside the artifact's repair to focus on breaking through first.
Now that the breakthrough was successful, Gaode didn't delay any further and took out the Hidden Mist Fang.
After nine days of repairs, the runes that had been worn and blurred were now mostly restored, save for a small, damaged patch right in the center. The pattern in the upper right corner—the one the young stall owner claimed was the mark of the Okenley Chamber of Commerce—had been completely restored.
Of course, Gaode knew nothing about this Okenley Chamber of Commerce, nor was he interested.
Channelling his Mana, he cast [Repair Skill+] through his Magic Model. A radiant light converted from his Mana emerged in Gaode's hands, swirling around and gradually seeping into the Hidden Mist Fang. Like a river of life, it meticulously stitched together the damaged runes.
The final, fragmented portion of the runes began to slowly and systematically repair itself.
About five minutes later, beads of sweat appeared on Gaode's forehead. Mana was a part of a Mage's power, and sweating was a natural bodily response when one's strength was excessively consumed in a short period. His Mana exhaustion was nearing its limit!
But the restoration of the Hidden Mist Fang was also close at hand. Gritting his teeth, Gaode pressed on.
As the last glimmer of light flowed into the Hidden Mist Fang, the repair was finally complete!